tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40880362024-03-08T05:29:49.410-05:00New Orleans BulletinYour source for lively discussion about the current governmental and political scene in Louisiana with a focus on the New Orleans area and post-Katrina recovery.John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.comBlogger388125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-41569563031580277682008-10-05T01:01:00.006-04:002008-10-05T01:01:00.549-04:00N.O.’s fountain of youth ...<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SONJzOTvOLI/AAAAAAAAAa4/8GU3OlOiy5o/s1600-h/St.+Charles+streetcar.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252122734807169202" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SONJzOTvOLI/AAAAAAAAAa4/8GU3OlOiy5o/s200/St.+Charles+streetcar.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>From CityBusiness, by Deon Roberts. Disclosure: the last paragraph contains a quote by my wife, and she is now retired from the University of New Orleans; we are living in Cincinnati:<br /><br />New Orleans became a magnet to young people from across of America after Hurricane Katrina. Young adults flocked here eager to rebuild the city, and some have settled and found permanent work.<br /><br />But how does New Orleans retain these young professionals over the long term? </div><br /><div></div><div>According to an August 2007 <a href="http://neworleanscitybusiness.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/fountain-of-youth/www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/upload/7683.pdf" target="_blank">study</a> by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 18 percent of young adults (those ages 18-34) said they are planning on, or seriously considering, moving from the greater New Orleans area, a statistic Kaiser called “a finding of potential concern.” Among adults 35 and older, only 8 percent said they were planning on, or seriously considering, moving out the area.<br /><br />Some are trying to prevent young, talented adults from leaving New Orleans. The Idea Village has launched a project it calls “504ward” to link young people with jobs and networking opportunities.<br /><br />“What drives economic growth is talent,” Tim Williamson, Idea Village president, said in a CityBusiness <a href="http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/viewFeature.cfm?recid=1186" target="_blank">story</a> this week. “By engaging the business community to provide the connections or relationships, the ultimate beneficiaries will be the companies.”<br /><br />According to the CityBusiness story, some young people have trouble making connections in New Orleans.<br /><br />“New Orleans is a provincial place. It can be inscrutable to someone who’s just moved here,” said Jeffery Schwartz, a 26-year-old Ben Franklin High School graduate who has an urban planning degree from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.<br /><br />Being new to the New Orleans area also plays a large role in young people’s decision to move from New Orleans, the Kaiser study said.<br /><br />“A young resident who is new to the area has a predicted probability of planning to move that is four times that of an older resident who lived in New Orleans before Katrina,” Kaiser said.<br /><br />An Aug. 21 <a href="http://philanthropy.com/free/articles/v20/i21/21003101.htm" target="_blank">article</a> on philanthropy.com reports on the influx of young people to New Orleans since Katrina.<br /><br />“Despite efforts to keep young nonprofit workers in the city, some people who moved to New Orleans after Katrina are starting to think about leaving — or have already gone,” the article said.<br /><br />Since Katrina, the media seem confused about whether New Orleans is attracting or losing young people. For example, the philanthropy.com story highlights the influx of young people. But The Associated Press reported this in a grim <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16227720/" target="_blank">story</a> Dec. 15, 2006:<br /><br />"New Orleans is losing an alarming number of young professionals in Katrina’s aftermath. Many doctors, lawyers, architects, engineers and other highly educated people are gone. Some left during the storm and never came back. Others came back, but soon gave up and moved out altogether."<br /><br />Whether a full-blown brain drain is under way is unclear. But some suspect so, and fear the exodus will only get worse.<br /><br />“They don’t see the career opportunities here that they see elsewhere,” said University of New Orleans political science professor Susan Howell. </div>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-44157286469377916862008-09-28T01:01:00.000-04:002008-09-28T01:01:03.089-04:00Coming Back, Part 2<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SJGnN1tMx7I/AAAAAAAAAXw/g2zBhjCDaak/s1600-h/Insectarium.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229144498550654898" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SJGnN1tMx7I/AAAAAAAAAXw/g2zBhjCDaak/s200/Insectarium.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Continuing from a previous article:<br /></em><br /></div><div>Last year, tourism was at 70 percent of the pre-Katrina level that generated $5 billion a year. But the city began this year with four major events -- college football's Sugar Bowl and national championship game, Mardi Gras, and the NBA All-Star Game Weekend -- plus major conventions. The momentum continued with the French Quarter and Jazz festivals, and more than 16 festivals are scheduled through the end of the year, including Tales of the Cocktail mixing it up this week and the new Prospect 1 -- "the largest biennial of international contemporary art ever organized in the United States," planners say -- scheduled to start Nov. 1.<br /><br />There's also a new attraction, the Audubon Insectarium, which opened last month on Canal Street, near the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, an Imax theater, and the Audubon Zoo.<br />Still, some would-be tourists are staying away out of a sense of respect for everything the city's been through, says Sandra Shilstone, head of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp. Those people should remember the city's unofficial motto, the Jazz Festival's Quint Davis says: "We dance when we die."<br /><br />This year's official slogan is "Come out and play," and that's what people were doing the weekend I was there. Bourbon Street was a little sleepy on Thursday and Friday afternoons, but it sprang to life on Friday and Saturday nights. A continuous stream of visitors of all ages strolled along the pedestrian-only street, many toting plastic "go cups," since open containers of alcohol are permitted.<br /><br />High school students in gowns and tuxedos dined at some of the fancier restaurants, bachelor and bachelorette parties club-hopped, and families rode horse-drawn carriages through the Quarter and along Jackson Square.<br /><br />Since the disaster, there have been some surprises in the city's regrowth, Shilstone says.<br />"There's been a cultural renaissance. Neighborhoods putting on arts festivals and cultural events," she says. "People lost art and are buying again."<br /><br />As she shows us the sections of the city hit hardest by the flooding -- West End, Lakeview, Gentilly, New Orleans East, St. Bernard, and the Ninth Ward -- Stauder stresses that she doesn't care why people come, just that they come.</div>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-66850249197041051432008-09-22T15:22:00.005-04:002008-09-22T15:46:26.175-04:00Of Youth March and Polo ... (Monday Edition)<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SNf1R6EUemI/AAAAAAAAAao/TUWgxDsTvQA/s1600-h/City+Cathedral.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248933578717559394" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SNf1R6EUemI/AAAAAAAAAao/TUWgxDsTvQA/s200/City+Cathedral.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SNfxWwzQ8HI/AAAAAAAAAag/UAeP8P6qxDM/s1600-h/180+Degrees.gif"></a><br /><br /><div><strong>City Cathedral Announces 2nd Annual 180 Youth March and 180 Turn It Around Youth Conference<br /><br /></strong>City Cathedral Church announces its plans for a second annual 180 Youth March to be held Saturday, September 27, 2008. Last year, at the organizers’ first march, over 1,000 youth marched for righteousness, peace and joy in our city. This year’s march through the streets of New Orleans is a demonstration of what godly counsel imparted to our youth will produce: young people where the combination of the words “youth” and “streets” doesn’t equate to violence! This 180 Youth March and Conference will encourage youth in our city to turn their lives around!<br /><br />“The alarming rates of murder and violence among our youth, and skyrocketing numbers in cases of drug addiction, of unemployment and of homelessness are all indicators that people need hope. The Lord is the answer. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! God is hope!” said Owen McManus, Jr., Pastor of City Cathedral church and organizer of the event. “In any other circumstance, if that many youth were gathered together in the streets, it would mean trouble,” he continued. “We’re excited about what God is doing in the youth of this city. They are the key to our future.”<br /><br />Organizers are expecting an even larger event this year and are extending an invitation to other ministries to join them in the march and in the youth conference that will take place that same weekend (September 26-28, 2008). Keynote speakers at the 180 Turn It Around Youth Conference will be Pastor Joel Stockstill, Pastor of Bethany World Prayer Center in Baton Rouge, LA; Keith Barnes, Elder and Youth Pastor at City Cathedral; and Pastor McManus, who will deliver the final message of the conference on Sunday, September 7, 2008.<br /><br />The City Cathedral Ministry team began marching throughout the city in February of 2007. Since they began, over 2,000 men, women and children have made decisions to serve the Lord.<br /><br />Ministries and youth interested in participating should contact:<br /><br />City Cathedral Church<br />ATTN: Wendy Trosclair<br />8801 Chef Menteur Highway<br />New Orleans, LA 70127<br />(504) 246-5121<br /><a href="http://www.180fire.com/">http://www.180fire.com/</a><br /></div><div>Email: <a href="mailto:ptrosclair@citycathedral.org">ptrosclair@citycathedral.org</a> </div><div><br /><br /><strong>12th Annual Harvest Cup Polo Classic Raises Money For Junior League Community Projects<br /></strong><br />Please mark your calendars for Sunday October 26, 2008 from 12 Noon – 5 PM<br /><br />The Junior League of Greater Covington will sponsor the 12th Annual Harvest Cup Polo Classic on October 26, 2008 from 12 Noon – 5 PM at John Melton’s Folsom Equestrian Center on Highway 40 in Folsom.<br /><br />Funds raised from the 12th Harvest Cup Polo Classic will benefit the Junior League of Greater Covington’s Community projects in St.Tammany Parish including Hope House Child Advocacy Program, Habitat for Humanity, New Heights Equestrian Center, and Southeast Hospital Adolescent Unit as well as serving the community through their own signature projects including Children’s Museum of St. Tammany, Career Corner, and The Museum Without Walls.<br /><br />Watch two exciting polo matches, dine on great food and beverages from over 50 local restaurants and bars, be entertained by Four Unplugged, watch football games on a large screen in the catered, air conditioned Polo Pub Tent, browse through the Silent Auction Tent sponsored by Omni Bank which has over 150 items up for bid, and take a chance on purchasing a $20 raffle ticket for a $2500 gift certificate to be used toward the purchase of an Omega watch at Lee Michael's Fine Jewelers Lakeside Shopping Center.<br /><br />Ticket prices are $75.00 per person prior to event or $100.00 at the gate.<br /><br />For more information please call the Junior League Cottage at 985.892-5258 or check the JL website @ <a href="http://www.jlgc.net/">http://www.jlgc.net</a>, where you can purchase tickets online.<br /><br />The Junior League of Greater Covington is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.</div></div>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-42268950998190103332008-09-21T01:01:00.000-04:002008-09-21T01:01:00.641-04:00Thoughts on another visit to New Orleans …<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SJIIP88tXBI/AAAAAAAAAYI/Qagr7Co0U18/s1600-h/No+place+like+home.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229251187482385426" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SJIIP88tXBI/AAAAAAAAAYI/Qagr7Co0U18/s200/No+place+like+home.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>From our Cincinnati base we visit New Orleans 5 or 6 times a year, generally staying a week or so. Our latest visit was an unscheduled one, when my mother had a heart attack. She is just fine as of this writing. </div><div><br />One big difference on our latest visit is that we spent much of our time with Mom, and were not looking at real estate. The previous three visits were totally dominated by looking at houses that we might live in, or lots on which we might build when we move back to New Orleans. One visit was dedicated to looking at lots where we might build a version of a model home that we particularly liked.<br /><br />We are still talking to the builder of the model home, Donny Natal. He has a couple of lots available in Lakeview, our current choice of neighborhood. We have previously also looked at houses in uptown New Orleans, and in Metairie. </div><div><br />Somehow we have never gotten sufficiently enthused to purchase any property. Our real estate agent, Eileen Wallen, has been absolutely wonderful. She did so much homework, knew our preferences, scheduled appointments, and accompanied us on just about every viewing. Use her if you need a realtor; call her at (504) 250-5656. This may assuage some of our guilt about working her so hard when we apparently could not make a move.<br /><br />Perhaps the lack of enthusiasm is toward whether we really want to return to New Orleans. We have some wonderful lifetime friends there, but our life in Cincinnati is very good. We are making some good friends, and are pleasantly busy.<br /><br />One of our New Orleans friends keeps asking us to assess a probability, in percent, that we might move back to the area. When our real estate search started, we were quoting 80%. Now we are hopelessly stuck on 50%. We have a lot of soul-searching to do. </div>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-61811283381548850922008-09-20T01:01:00.003-04:002008-09-20T01:01:00.632-04:00Women Doing Good (Saturday Edition)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SNRWGik31RI/AAAAAAAAAaY/5IoNgzJrwv0/s1600-h/KimKell-SelfMag.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247914136154133778" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SNRWGik31RI/AAAAAAAAAaY/5IoNgzJrwv0/s200/KimKell-SelfMag.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>This item was contributed by Lesley Estep of SELF Magazine in New York City: </em></div><br /><div>(Pictured is Kimberly Kelleher, SELF’s Vice President and Publisher; a photo of Dian Ross was not available at press time).<br /><br />I am writing to introduce our “Women Doing Good” event that will be recognizing the work of Dian Ross. Dian single-handedly delivered 30,000 books to children of low income families and those devastated by Hurricane Katrina, offering them an opportunity to improve their lives through the gift of reading. Maybelline New York is honored to acknowledge her remarkable contributions through their Beauty of Education initiative.</div><br /><div>SELF Magazine created the Women Doing Good initiative in 2008 to honor women who enrich their communities and the world by working to empower and enhance the lives of others. Dian will be receiving a national award and a $10,000 donation to help continue her work in her charity, First Book.</div><br /><div>Dian is currently living in Diamondhead, Mississippi, and will be traveling to New York to receive her award on September 24, 2008. The Women Doing Good event will take place at Top of the Rock in New York City. <div></div><br />Hoda Kotb will be the ceremony’s special guest host. Kotb, co-host of NBC’s Today Show and four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist is also a breast cancer survivor and activist for prevention and treatment for all women. </div><div> </div>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-75158551106129464642008-09-14T01:01:00.014-04:002008-09-14T01:01:00.409-04:00New Orleans is worth rebuilding ...<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SMefdaBmjhI/AAAAAAAAAaI/1P-rtf3bWHw/s1600-h/P1000336.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244335618647297554" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SMefdaBmjhI/AAAAAAAAAaI/1P-rtf3bWHw/s200/P1000336.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Last Sunday's blog on whether New Orleans is worth rebuilding aroused a lot of comment. Here is a stronger case for rebuilding offered by our good friends, Janice and Steve Shull:</em></div><br /><div>Beyond the intangible sense of place of New Orleans is the historical fact of an old city, born of the French, nurtured by the Spanish, and playing a major role in American history. Its culture and vitality have been studied, romanticized, and mimicked, but never reproduced. Strands of many other places, other languages, other stories are woven into New Orleans' singular fabric.</div><br /><div>But there has always been an ugly underbelly to life in N.O. and Katrina exposed it all. Unfortunately, opportunities for a true revitalization of an impoverished city have been missed or cynically dismissed. Still, New Orleans survives and its resilience must inspire hope to anyone who suffers a disaster. Just as the World Trade Center site has become a sacred place, New Orleans' symbolic meaning is powerful.</div><br /><div>The historic heart of town is on high ground, but other parts of the city are so damaged that they should not be rebuilt. Only a small fraction of properties have been rehabilitated in the Lower 9th Ward, and the west end of Lakeview and New Orleans East remain terribly vulnerable to another Katrina-type storm.</div><br /><div>New Orleans will never be the power-house city that it aspired to be in the 1970s-1980s. With astronomical insurance rates, exorbitant building costs, rents that are 50% higher than in 2005, and a job market offering primarily low-paying wages, there isn't much to attract people to live and work there. Perhaps the answer lies in accepting New Orleans' destiny as a tourist mecca on the order of Savannah or Key West. It doesn't have to be a DisneyWorld or Williamsburg!</div><br /><div>Mark Abkowitz, a professor of Civil Engineering at Vanderbilt University, has stated that only a long-term, systematic and strategic approach to hurricane protection will reduce the risk in the Gulf Coast. The patchwork, reactionary response to each and every hurricane is doomed to failure at some point.</div><br /><div>Hurricane-strength building codes must be strictly enforced, and this scattershot rebuilding throughout greater New Orleans should be stopped. But you know well that the political implications often outweigh common sense. </div><br /><div>Remember, too, that it was not Hurricane Katrina that devastated New Orleans, but rather a failure of government on all levels to provide the levee protection that had been promised and guaranteed at Level 3 and then to coordinate a disaster plan effectively to ensure public safety after the storm. The hard lessons of Katrina are paying off in better emergency management all over the U.S., whether from floods, tornadoes, earthquakes or what have you. The cost, while heavy (much less than Iraq, however!), does benefit taxpayers. One academic source computed the cost at $98 a year in additional taxes per person to achieve the stronger hurricane protection needed. This opinion piece in the L.A. Times argues that it is the right thing to do: <a title="blocked::http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-barry23apr23,0,5522292.story" href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-barry23apr23,0,5522292.story" target="_blank">http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-barry23apr23,0,5522292.story</a></div><br /><div>We have visited the city many times since Katrina and it continues to be a hard place to live. You just can't imagine what people have gone through in the last three years to keep the city alive. Hard, hard work and great personal sacrifice are the words that describe life in New Orleans. </div><br /><div><em>Janice Shull retired as a law librarian from the Supreme Court of Louisiana, and now works as a volunteer at the Venice Archives and Area Historical Collection. Steve Shull is an emeritus professor of Political Science with the University of New Orleans. His specialty is the presidency, and he has written several books on the subject. The Shulls miss New Orleans but have learned to appreciate small-town life in Venice FL.</em></div>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-13575177066244180162008-09-08T06:49:00.003-04:002008-09-08T07:12:41.523-04:00Clarifications by Dr. Cigler (Monday Edition)<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SMUISKwByaI/AAAAAAAAAZY/ba0-sb77r8I/s1600-h/Cigler.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243606449359276450" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SMUISKwByaI/AAAAAAAAAZY/ba0-sb77r8I/s200/Cigler.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Beverly Cigler, a public policy professor at Penn State University, took issue with our editing of Sundays blog. </div><br /><div></div><div>She referred to her quote "My own personal opinion is that you shouldn't rebuild in areas unless you can make them safe," she said. "And nobody's had the willingness to confront these kinds of issues."Her clarification: ""Areas" refers to the most low lying, unsafe areas and I suggested making them safe before rebuilding. Much of what I told the interviewer (Lara Jakes Jordan) about "these kinds of issues" was omitted. Specifically, I discussed trade-offs among and between economic development, private property rights, and wise environmental and land use policies (vs. solely structural solutions such as levees.)"<br /><br />Professor Cigler clarified another point from her interview with Lara:<br /><br />"Lara--I...Some people think I said things I didn't say or infer, such as New Orleans across the board should not be rebuilt. That's likely because of the title of the article and the way that interviewee comments were ordered. </div><br /><div></div><div>"Readers aren't aware of my explanation of the pro's and con's of structural (levees) vs. non-structural (land use, etc.) options, concluding that the levees will be be fully strengthened across 350 miles of levees for the next 3 years. They miss the fact that parts of the city are at different elevations and that the tough decisions regarding areas of lowest elevation have not been well addressed. My comments on wetlands, building codes, and other land use measures were to say that structural options aren't the only concern; instead, a mix is needed in rebuilding and rebuilding in particular areas should not be done unless the areas are safe. </div><br /><div></div><div>"People are interpreting my comments to say simply that NOLA should not be rebuilt because it is a soup bowl. It is a soup bowl, but I made all kinds of comments regarding how to make it safe. My comments to you were focused on explaining the difficult trade-offs among and between economics, property rights, wise planning, and other choices for the areas of lowest elevation.My sending the material to you on Congressional appropriations vs. how much has been spent was to further the argument that there's a long way to go to say that NOLA is safe. </div><br /><div></div><div>"I never said or implied that NOLA wasn't worth rebuilding. If anything, I've argued for a faster and more competent pace of rebuilding. I remember mentioning that 75 million people live in coastal areas in the U.S. I wouldn't suggest that they be moved or not allowed to live there, akin to arguing that NOLA shouldn't be rebuilt....I think it's time for a report on the tough decisions that need to be made along our coasts, along California's canyons, etc.” </div><div> </div>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-38169079130538643162008-09-07T01:01:00.001-04:002008-09-07T01:01:00.346-04:00Is New Orleans Worth Rebuilding?<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SL8k_Y5gHXI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/WZtGU1F0_Xo/s1600-h/Hurricane2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241949162716536178" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SL8k_Y5gHXI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/WZtGU1F0_Xo/s200/Hurricane2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Hurricane Gustav has revived the question in our title for the first time since Katrina. The following discussion is adapted from an <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080902/ap_on_go_ot/rebuilding_new_orleans">article by Lara Jakes Jordan</a>, Associated Press Writer: </em><br /><br />Those who love New Orleans say Hurricane Gustav is proof that the billions of dollars spent to protect the city and bring it back to life after the devastating 2005 storm season was worth it.<br /><br />Despite fizzling out shortly after it made landfall Monday, Gustav spurred the government into action, probably costing millions of dollars, and put a nation angered by the bungled response to Katrina three years ago back on alert. Would it be worth the cost to rebuild New Orleans again if the storm had been worse?<br /><br />Since Katrina ripped through New Orleans three years ago, the federal government has devoted at least $133 billion in emergency funds and tax credits for Gulf Coast disaster relief. Much of it went to rebuilding and better protecting New Orleans from future storms. How much more will be needed after Gustav — or Hurricane Hanna, as that storm creeps up Florida's eastern coast — is unclear.<br /><br />Former GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., infuriated Louisiana lawmakers when he suggested in 2005 that a lot of New Orleans "could be bulldozed" after Katrina and questioned the wisdom of rebuilding it. More dispassionate observers note that no matter how much is spent, New Orleans will continue to swallow federal dollars with each gulp of the Gulf or Lake Pontchartrain.<br /><br />To die-hard residents and other devotees of the Big Easy, the money poured into the Gulf Coast to continue oil production, preserve local culture and, most importantly, strengthen levees showed that New Orleans could withstand another battering by Mother Nature.<br /><br />Some observers aren't so sure.<br /><br />"It's a soup bowl and it's not safe," said Beverly Cigler, a public policy professor at Penn State University, referring to the city's geography. "My own personal opinion is that you shouldn't rebuild in areas unless you can make them safe," she said. "And nobody's had the willingness to confront these kinds of issues."<br /><br />Yet abandoning New Orleans hardly seems an option either.<br /><br />The Gulf Coast is home to nearly half the nation's refining capacity, 25 percent of offshore domestic oil production and 15 percent of natural gas output. Tens of thousands of construction workers, hoteliers, nurses and other service employees who flocked to New Orleans in Katrina's aftermath have helped keep local unemployment low. Not to mention that giving up would, essentially, mean spending all those billions of dollars for naught.<br /><br />"It's clear that a lot of the money was spent well — even if it's far too early to declare victory," said Don Kettl, University of Pennsylvania public policy professor and co-editor of "On Risk and Disaster: Lessons From Hurricane Katrina." "If you walk away, you are condemning the city to tremendous suffering," Kettl said. "As serious as the suffering was the last time, it didn't completely destroy the city. The real challenge is deciding what kind of city you want."</div>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-84196574563629353882008-09-04T10:58:00.003-04:002008-09-04T11:13:20.340-04:00Levees and YouTube (Thursday Edition)<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SL_6x0NQMOI/AAAAAAAAAYg/-FskYXqDbMo/s1600-h/levee.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242184225017311458" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SL_6x0NQMOI/AAAAAAAAAYg/-FskYXqDbMo/s200/levee.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div><a title="blocked::http://levees.org/" href="http://levees.org/" target="_blank">Levees.org</a> is an organization that is calling for a thorough investigation of the causes of Hurricane Katrina. Founder Sandy Rosenthal insists that it was not a natural disaster, as normally depicted, but an engineering disaster. They claim that their mailing list contains over 21,000 subscribers.<br /><br />Their current video is called "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wln_iq5bc8k">The Katrina Myth</a>," and it is available on YouTube (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wln_iq5bc8k">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wln_iq5bc8k</a>). Producer Ken McCarthy speaks of the success of the video: “The good news is that we successfully made the leap from top rated News Video of the day to top rated News Video of the week. That's a good thing because otherwise the video's high visibility would have evaporated from YouTube today.”<br /><br />Sandy was tracking Hurricane Gustav and sent a “before the power goes out here” email, primarily made up of Ken’s suggestions. If you are tired of Katrina stories then skip it, but the video is compelling.<br /><br />Apparently the organization has found that the video has been a powerful way to state their case to a wide audience. I continue to be amazed at the power of YouTube.<br /><br />Here are some excerpts from Ken’s suggestions:<br /><br />It is visits and people who rate and comment on the video that are keeping our message in the public eye. YouTube is a ferociously competitive environment and it's very easy to disappear. So, as always, we need more traffic...<br /><br />Simple ways to help<br /><br />1. Write friends, family, colleagues, anyone in your circle, and let them know about the video.<br /><br />2. If you have a blog, please post <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wln_iq5bc8k">the link </a>straight through to the YouTube page so that people can rate, comment on, favorite and forward the video to others. All this helps the video's ratings.<br /><br />3. Even better than posting to your own blog is considerately posting info about the video and its link to other blogs, especially high traffic ones. Read the blog, find a thread where a comment is relevant, and post there.<br /><br />4. Write directly to news outlets, people with high traffic blogs, and anyone else you think may have a significant mailing list and ask them to view and then spread the word about the video.<br />"<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wln_iq5bc8k">The Katrina Myth</a>" does the job of clearing up the flood of misinformation, puts people on the side of New Orleans, and directs them to join <a title="blocked::http://levees.org/" href="http://levees.org/" target="_blank">levees.org</a>.</div>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-18892414131140322372008-08-31T01:01:00.003-04:002008-08-31T01:01:01.103-04:00Coming Back, Part 1 ...<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SJGlrguN4EI/AAAAAAAAAXo/yVzFzQRhAf4/s1600-h/Mardi+Gras.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229142809290596418" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SJGlrguN4EI/AAAAAAAAAXo/yVzFzQRhAf4/s200/Mardi+Gras.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>From a </em><a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08213/898682-37.stm?cmpid=lifestyle.xml"><em>story by Bill Reed </em></a><em>of the Philadelphia Inquirer</em>:<br /><br />NEW ORLEANS -- When Carol Stauder started giving Hurricane Katrina tours, she couldn't get through them without crying. Seeing the devastation caused by the flooding four months earlier -- friends' homes destroyed and neighborhood after neighborhood abandoned -- was too painful.<br /><br />Almost three years later, most of those homes are still broken and deserted, but what saddens Stauder even more are the empty lots sprinkled among them. The houses have been razed, the debris removed, and all that's left are rectangular patches of grass or weeds.<br /><br />"They're not coming back," Stauder says somberly of the families who have left for good.<br />The 63-year-old guide wants her city and its neighborhoods back. And she wants the 10.1 million tourists who visited the year before Katrina to return, too, because they're as much a part of the city's festive scene as the cool jazz and Cajun cuisine.<br /><br />The truth is that tourism in the Big Easy -- its No. 1 industry -- is bouncing back, big time. This year's Mardi Gras Carnival season drew about 850,000 revelers, approaching the 1.1 million who partied months before Katrina. The 39th Jazz & Heritage Festival "went marvelously well," in spite of torrential rains, organizer Quint Davis says, as about 400,000 people flocked to see the Neville Brothers, Sheryl Crow, Jimmy Buffett and 570 bands perform.<br /><br />When the seven-day festival wrapped up at 7 each night, all those people needed food, entertainment and lodging. About 130 restaurants have opened since Katrina, joining such icons as Antoine's, Brennan's and Arnaud's, to restore the city as a culinary destination.<br /><br />Davis says he counts at least 103 clubs in the French Quarter and in clusters around the city, showing that the musicians are back. It was front-page news when favorite son Aaron Neville decided to return, and on a rainy Friday night, I couldn't get a ticket to see jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis -- father of Wynton and Branford -- play at Snug Harbor on Frenchmen Street.<br /><br />And hotels are up to 33,498 rooms -- 87.6 percent of the pre-Katrina number.</div>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-58493533942363984782008-08-24T01:01:00.004-04:002008-08-29T08:04:10.118-04:00If I Were President, Part 3 …<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SJDWhkwBSMI/AAAAAAAAAXY/VN-8eiPvE6I/s1600-h/Domestic+Affairs.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228915039666260162" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SJDWhkwBSMI/AAAAAAAAAXY/VN-8eiPvE6I/s200/Domestic+Affairs.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Vote for me based on the following plank in my platform:<br /></em></div><br /><div><strong>Domestic Affairs<br /></strong></div><br /><div>We covered an important component of our domestic program when we earlier discussed energy policy. Let’s now discuss other domestic issues. </div><br /><div>“It’s the economy, stupid” was the mantra in Bill Clinton’s first and successful run for the presidency. I think James Carville was the one who coined the phrase.</div><br /><div>It’s that time again. I will meet with specialists on tax policy and develop a consensus of what is an appropriate and fair tax program. My sense is that the new system should bring in more revenues than the current tangle of regulations, many of them favoring special interest groups, many favoring groups that no longer need the favor (farmers, oil companies). I have probably now lost the farm belt and oil patch votes. </div><br /><div>Still, the new code must not be anti-business in any way. The U.S. got to be the dominant economy in the world by encouraging investment and allowing handsome rewards to the successful. Perhaps more of these rewards can be taxed in some way, but that is for the experts to discuss. </div><div><br />Then there’s that pesky foreclosure problem. Current congressional proposals for addressing the problem are strictly election-year politics, ways to strengthen the images of incumbents, particularly those in seriously contested races. These proposals reward irresponsible lenders and irresponsible borrowers. </div><div><br />And we need to do something about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Their profits go to shareholders while losses are picked up by the Feds (meaning us). This is almost un-American! Let the investors take their lumps in a down market like the rest of us have to.<br /><br />Why do government supports, subsidies, and other goodies go exclusively to the rich? I am not suggesting re-distribution of wealth, simply fair play and common sense. </div><div><br />That’s where I stand. Are we in good hands? </div>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-22468273141274654652008-08-17T01:01:00.001-04:002008-08-17T01:01:00.504-04:00North to Alaska ...<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SIswwLqGoTI/AAAAAAAAAW4/XZTHg62xVyA/s1600-h/alaska+map.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227325396814831922" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SIswwLqGoTI/AAAAAAAAAW4/XZTHg62xVyA/s200/alaska+map.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>We are on an Alaskan cruise. </em></div><br /><div><em></em></div><br /><div><em>Frommer shares his <a href="http://www.frommers.com/destinations/alaska/0210010012.html">view of Alaska </a>(slightly edited)</em>: </div><br /><div></div><div>(Nothing compares to) when you see a chunk of ice the size of a building fall from a glacier and send up a huge splash and a wave surging outward, or when you feel a wave lift your sea kayak from the fall of a breaching humpback whale. </div><br /><div>Or when you hike to stand on top of a mountain, and from there see more mountaintops, layered off as far as the horizon, in unnamed, seemingly infinite multiplicity. </div><br /><div>Or you may come across another mountain range, the sun still hanging high in what should be night, and storm systems arranged across the landscape before you.</div><br /><div>Or standing on an Arctic Ocean beach, as you look around at the sea of empty tundra behind you, the sea of green water before you, and your own place on what seems to be the edge of the world.</div>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-17414685822073597372008-08-10T01:01:00.000-04:002008-08-10T01:01:00.504-04:00If I Were President, Part 2 …<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SIssd6FY1WI/AAAAAAAAAWw/M6cq7ozif_Q/s1600-h/vote+2008.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227320684813276514" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SIssd6FY1WI/AAAAAAAAAWw/M6cq7ozif_Q/s200/vote+2008.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Vote for me, based on the following plank in my platform:<br /></em><br /><strong>Foreign Affairs<br /></strong><br />For more then a half-century the U.S. has been the greatest power, military and economic, in the world. This has made the U.S. the source of a great deal of largesse, from sending aid and sending troops, for various reasons, to many of the world’s trouble sites.<br /><br />It is time that we recognize that times have changed. Why should a nation trillions of dollars in debt and running deficits in the hundreds of billions be expected to take on obligations outside our country? It will be tough many of Americans, but we have a short term financial problem, and have to tighten our budget.<br /><br />Foreign aid has been given to many countries for various reasons, some good some bad. The types of aid include everything from AIDS vaccines to Africa (good) to propping up the militaries of several countries, including Egypt and Israel (bad).<br /><br />It is time to stop all forms of foreign aid. We can have a staged withdrawal, perhaps 25% a year for my four years in office. Then each case can be treated on its own merits, if we even care to return to cash giveaways to other countries.<br /><br />Even while we remain the world’s only remaining superpower, wars have changed from conflicts between countries to “retail” wars of counterinsurgency. Nuclear weapons are proliferating; countries that are on the verge of having nuclear capability include even members of the “axis of evil.”<br /><br />My proposal is that, for my first term, all military intervention is suspended. This requires a rapid withdrawal of troops for Iraq, and allows for strengthening our force in Afghanistan. Exceptional situations may cause us to deviate from this policy, but only after careful consideration by the President and Congress.<br /><br />In addition we are calling in all our military from South Korea and other countries that are manned for the former type of wars, and from NATO activities. We may need to keep some troops in Germany to maintain some European presence.<br /><br />Is this too nationalistic? I suppose, but the world is better off with the financial stability of the United States, and we need a breather.</div>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-42209821791763707002008-08-03T01:01:00.003-04:002008-08-03T01:01:00.407-04:00Family Emergency …<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SJB03H_218I/AAAAAAAAAXI/spH1sJp4Fis/s1600-h/sick+person.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228807657765656514" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SJB03H_218I/AAAAAAAAAXI/spH1sJp4Fis/s200/sick+person.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>There has been a slight change in plans. On Sunday we received word that my mother had suffered a heart attack. That kind of news is always disturbing, but in the case of my 90-year-old Mom, age really exacerbates the problem. </div><div><br />My brother called us in Cincinnati at about 7am, and the report was that there were several doctors standing around Mom, and that at one point she had stopped breathing. This really rattled us, and we were in a fog as we made plane reservations, rescheduled several appointments, and began to pack. A later report that she had stabilized was reassuring. </div><div><br />We arrived in New Orleans Monday, just in time for afternoon visiting hours, and went straight to the hospital. The biggest hold up was Dollar Rent-a-Car --- be sure not to ever use them. But I digress. </div><div><br />On our arrival we were very pleasantly surprised to see Mom sitting up, fully conscious. She had just had her breathing tube removed and had a lot of things to say to us that had been bottled up with the tube in. </div><div><br />Mostly she was glad to see her three sons and their wives all together and having a good time. One curious thing about her is that whenever she entertained, her pleasure was not in the event, but in seeing other people enjoying themselves. </div><div><br />Alan and I get along beautifully, but we both have a problem with Gary. Suffice it to say that he had made some questionable moves relating to my mother’s finances, and continues to take advantage of her in various ways. </div><div><br />Food is now an issue. She has always criticized any food cooked by anyone other than herself, and, well you know about hospital food. </div><div><br />As I write this, Mom is recovering very nicely, and has moved from ICU to a regular room. She will be doing cardiac rehab, but otherwise is near full recovery. She was a hardy 90, but I expect she might come out of this a bit frail. I will keep you posted.</div>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-65577364752470143722008-07-27T01:01:00.002-04:002008-07-27T01:01:00.511-04:00If I Were President, Part 1 …<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SImsp3vYCuI/AAAAAAAAAWg/8T3yNNvG-Lw/s1600-h/Unclesam.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226898677877443298" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SImsp3vYCuI/AAAAAAAAAWg/8T3yNNvG-Lw/s200/Unclesam.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Vote for me, based on the following plank in my platform:<br /></em><br /><strong>Energy Policy<br /></strong><br />Like it or not, despite all the projections of how much alternative energy we will be using over various time periods, our need for oil will be here for decades. There are those who say that today’s projects will not produce a drop of oil for 7-10 years. Well, if we had undertaken these projects 7-10 years ago we would be selling oil to the Middle East by now. If not, 7-10 years from now we will be having the same argument.<br /><br />I consider myself an environmentalist, though some might disagree. Sure, this proposal might retard development of renewable energy, but we can level that out with tax subsidies to the alternative fuel developers while phasing out subsidies to the oil industry.<br /><br />This approach might extend our dependence on oil, but at least it won’t be foreign oil. Still, attempts to make alternative energy economically feasible will go on, and when they succeed, the marketplace will show its preference for the “greener” source of energy.<br /><br />Costs and risks involved, and problems of handling resulting waste will prevent any new nuclear power plants being built. Conservation will reduce some of our dependence on oil, but as an old mentor of mine said he’ll believe in the seriousness of the movement when the parking lot of a Sierra Club meeting is full of only bicycles.<br /><br />This all may sound cynical, but it is realistic. Starting the process of producing more oil is sound from a national security standpoint, and from an economic standpoint.<br /><br />I am from Louisiana so I have seen oil rigs from the shore of the Gulf of Mexico. Newer techniques vastly reduce the unattractiveness of these rigs. Some of these techniques also remove the requirement that a rig be directly over the source of the oil.<br /><br />So let’s produce a balanced approach to producing the oil where it is most plentiful. Even ANWR should be on the table.<br /><br /><em>Wait! I have one more major plank. Oh well, maybe next time.</em>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-81829235481550561412008-07-20T01:01:00.003-04:002008-07-20T01:01:00.339-04:00Jindal steps up again ...<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SH4hDINI2OI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/RqvHC9uop3k/s1600-h/BobbyJindal.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223648955422267618" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SH4hDINI2OI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/RqvHC9uop3k/s200/BobbyJindal.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>The TP reports that "Jindal hacks budget earmarks," in </em><a href="http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-11/121609935236570.xml&coll=1"><em>a story by Jan Moller</em></a><em>:<br /></em><br />BATON ROUGE -- Gov. Bobby Jindal (pictured) used his line-item veto authority to cut more than $16 million in proposed state spending Monday, killing hundreds of earmarks added by legislators for projects in their districts and signaling a new aggressiveness in dealing with the state budget.<br /><br />The 258 vetoes in House Bill 1, the state's nearly $30 billion operating budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year, is more than double the combined number of line-item vetoes in the past 12 years. Coupled with Jindal's veto of $9.3 million in spending from a previous budget bill, they suggest the new governor is serious about curbing a cherished legislative tradition of sprinkling the budget with items for constituents, often with little or no oversight.<br /><br />While critics have long derided such earmarks as pork-barrel spending, defenders say they pay for critical needs that otherwise wouldn't be financed. Gone is money targeted for museums, church groups, festivals, youth programs, nonprofit groups and economic development initiatives, including millions of dollars for the New Orleans area.<br /><br />"For too long, state government has spent and spent, with little regard for taxpayers' money," Jindal said. ". . . We are striving for an efficient state government that operates transparently, and wisely invests taxpayer money in state priorities."<br /><br />But the vetoes could also serve to deepen the wound that Jindal opened when he killed a pay raise for legislators last month after promising lawmakers he would stay out of the matter.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1216185705124240.xml&coll=1&thispage=1"><em>More by Jan Moller</em></a><em>:<br /><br /></em>Jindal's vetoes breeding 'distrust.' Lawmakers mull first override session<br /><br />BATON ROUGE -- As lawmakers stewed over Gov. Bobby Jindal's budget vetoes and mulled whether to return for an unprecedented override session, several agreed Tuesday that the new administration must work hard to repair its relations with the Legislature.<br /><br />Jindal used his line-item veto authority to chop about 250 legislative earmarks from the state budget this week. "Many of them who serve (in the Legislature), they serve for this very reason," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Michot, R-Lafayette. "They serve to be able to bring money back to their districts."<br /><br />Sen. Edwin Murray, D-New Orleans, who lost financing for a community center in the Treme area that has been in operation since 1976, said he thinks it is time for lawmakers to assert themselves and hold a veto override session. "I don't understand why it was cut," Murray said. "It serves the only hot meal some people get every day."<br /><br />Jindal has said that although some of the projects were "worthy," they did not meet his criteria to be included in the state budget.<br /><br />The 1970s-era state Constitution provides for an automatic five-day veto-override session each year, but it has never been held because lawmakers always vote to cancel it. If one is held this year, it would be scheduled from Aug. 2-6. It takes a two-thirds vote of each chamber to override a veto and a simple majority of just one chamber to cancel the veto session.<br /><br />Should an override session be held, lawmakers could debate more than 260 cuts Jindal made to three budget bills, as well as the 23 bills Jindal has vetoed since lawmakers went home. Ballots on the session will go out today and must be returned by July 28 at midnight, House Clerk Alfred "Butch" Speer said.</div>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-24297047115722072342008-07-13T01:01:00.000-04:002008-07-13T01:01:07.888-04:00"Dollar Bill" Jefferson ...<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SHY8Y1L_7_I/AAAAAAAAAWI/2SWWStbWdhI/s1600-h/billjeff.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221427215274602482" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SHY8Y1L_7_I/AAAAAAAAAWI/2SWWStbWdhI/s200/billjeff.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Since being listed in the Congresspedia blogroll, we intend to report more often on the fall congressional campaign in Louisiana, primarily the 2nd district. Following is a profile of the incumbent, adapted from Wikipedia:</em></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>William Jennings Jefferson (pictured), born <a title="March 14" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_14">March 14</a>, <a title="1947" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1947">1947</a>, represents <a title="Louisiana's 2nd congressional district" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana%27s_2nd_congressional_district">Louisiana's 2nd congressional district</a>, which includes much of the <a title="New Orleans metropolitan area" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_metropolitan_area">greater New Orleans</a> area. A <a title="United States Democratic Party" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Democratic_Party">Democrat</a>, Jefferson has been a member of the <a title="United States House of Representatives" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives">U.S. House of Representatives</a> since <a title="1991" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991">1991</a>. He is Louisiana's first black Congressman since the end of <a title="Reconstruction era of the United States" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstruction_era_of_the_United_States">Reconstruction</a>. </div><br /><div><br />In May 2006 Jefferson’s Congressional offices were raided, but he was re-elected later that year. On <a title="June 4" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_4">June 4</a>, <a title="2007" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007">2007</a>, a federal <a title="Grand jury" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_jury">grand jury</a> indicted Jefferson on 16 charges related to corruption. </div><br /><div><br /><a name="Early_life_and_career"></a><a name="Local_influence"></a>The corruption investigation began in mid-2005, after an investor alleged $400,000 in bribes were paid through a company maintained in the name of his spouse and children. The money came from a tech company named iGate, Inc. of <a title="Louisville, Kentucky" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisville%2C_Kentucky">Louisville, Kentucky</a>, and in return, it is alleged, Jefferson would help iGate's business. </div><br /><div><br />On <a title="July 30" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_30">30 July</a> <a title="2005" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005">2005</a>, Jefferson was videotaped by the FBI receiving $100,000 worth of $100 bills in a leather briefcase at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Arlington, Virginia. Jefferson told an investor, Lori Mody, who was wearing a wire, that he would need to give Nigerian Vice President <a title="Atiku Abubakar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atiku_Abubakar">Atiku Abubakar</a> $500,000 "as a motivating factor" to make sure they obtained contracts for iGate and Mody's company in Nigeria. </div><br /><div><br />A few days later, on <a title="August 3" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_3">3 August</a> <a title="2005" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005">2005</a>, FBI agents raided Jefferson's home in Northeast Washington and, as noted in an 83-page affidavit filed to support a subsequent raid on his Congressional office, "found $90,000 of the cash in the freezer, in $10,000 increments wrapped in aluminum foil and stuffed inside frozen-food containers." Serial numbers found on the currency in the freezer matched serial numbers of funds given by the FBI to their informant.</div><br /><div><br /><a name="Former_aides_plead_guilty"></a>In <a title="January 2006" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_2006">January 2006</a>, <a title="Brett M. Pfeffer (page does not exist)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brett_M._Pfeffer&action=edit&redlink=1">Brett M. Pfeffer</a>, a former aide to Jefferson, implicated him in a corruption scheme involving an Internet company being set up in <a title="Nigeria" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria">Nigeria</a>. Pfeffer was president of an investment company in <a title="McLean, Virginia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLean%2C_Virginia">McLean, Virginia</a>. In return for political support for the deal, Jefferson had legal work directed toward his family's operations. It was also said that a daughter of his was put on retainer of the Virginia investment company to the tune of $5,000 a month. Jefferson also is said to have arranged for his family a 5% to 7% ownership stake in the Nigerian Internet company. Pfeffer pled guilty to charges of aiding and abetting bribery of a public official and conspiracy on <a title="January 11" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_11">11 January</a> <a title="2006" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006">2006</a> in a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. On <a title="May 26" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_26">May 26</a>, he was sentenced to eight years, but was "cooperating in an ongoing probe and may be eligible for a sentence reduction afterward", according to a prosecutor.</div><br /><div></div>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-11934360004682581322008-07-06T01:01:00.003-04:002008-07-06T01:01:00.343-04:00Jindal does the right thing ...<em><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SGyxVmxgi3I/AAAAAAAAAVg/JZy2w2-aV3I/s1600-h/NO+Hope+Ribbon.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218741052959132530" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SGyxVmxgi3I/AAAAAAAAAVg/JZy2w2-aV3I/s200/NO+Hope+Ribbon.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>We are in New Orleans this week, so we’ll simply report some news and tell you about the visit next time. Pictured is the New Orleans symbol, the fleur de lis, wrapped in the hope ribbon.</em><br /><em><br /><br /></em><a href="http://www.examiner.com/a-1466200~La__governor_vetoes_pay_raise_for_state_lawmakers.html">AP, via The New Orleans Examiner, reports</a> that:<br /></em></div><br /><br /><a title="Bobby Jindal" href="http://www.examiner.com/Subject-Bobby_Jindal.html">Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal</a> has vetoed a bill that would have doubled salaries for the state's lawmakers.<br /><br /><br />The Republican had previously said he would not veto the bill even though he didn't agree with the raise. The veto came after several election recall petitions were filed against Jindal and other state legislators.<br /><br /><br />The pay raise has been sharply criticized by bloggers and talk-radio hosts.<br /><br /><br />The bill would have paid lawmakers $37,500 a year. The <a title="National Conference of State Legislatures" href="http://www.examiner.com/Subject-National_Conference_of_State_Legislatures.html">National Conference of State Legislatures</a> says it would have made <a title="Louisiana" href="http://www.examiner.com/Subject-Louisiana.html">Louisiana</a> legislators the highest-paid in the South and the 14th highest-paid in the country.<br /><br /><br />Jindal has been mentioned as a possible running mate for presidential candidate <a title="John McCain" href="http://www.examiner.com/Subject-John_McCain.html">John McCain</a>.<br />Meanwhile <a href="http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=8587956&nav=menu57_2">WAFB.com</a> discussed some legislator responses:<br /><br /><br />Some Louisiana legislators are miffed about Governor Bobby Jindal's veto of their proposed pay raises. The governor says that from the beginning, he thought the raises were “excessive” and “unreasonable.” Now, some legislators say that's not true.<br /><br /><br />56 House members and 20 senators voted in favor of more than doubling their own pay. They put their reputations, and some say, their political futures, on the line for this vote, only to have Governor Jindal change his position and veto it in the final days. "I clearly made a mistake by telling the legislature that I would allow them to handle their own internal affairs and that I would stay out of this page," the governor says.<br /><br /><br />Senator Danny Martiny of Metairie says Jindal never stayed out of the legislature's business. He says the governor even told him on more than one occasion that their final pay raise proposal was reasonable. "The governor can say whatever he wants -- he knows darn well what he told people (lawmakers)," he says. Martiny says he would not have voted for the raise if the governor had worked against it. Some other legislators say the same.John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-69926516399748350602008-06-29T01:01:00.000-04:002008-06-29T01:02:48.487-04:00Of “Do Downtown” and Trailer Parks …<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SGJlG_ZH-ZI/AAAAAAAAAVI/P-pmzU3CRMk/s1600-h/cinciskyline.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215842489218890130" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SGJlG_ZH-ZI/AAAAAAAAAVI/P-pmzU3CRMk/s200/cinciskyline.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>We continue to try to take advantage of all the activities that Cincinnati has to offer.<br /><br />A couple of weeks ago we went to “Homearama,” an annual showing of new upscale homes, generally in suburbia. The homes are obscene, approaching 10,000 square feet and fitted out to the max. Apparently, people who can afford $1M+ homes also like basements that approximate a sports bar. All had outdoor dining and BBQ pits to die for.<br /><br />This past weekend we went to “Do Downtown,” <em>(Cinci Skyline pictured)</em> a good concept but poorly executed. For a fixed price of $20 per person one gets a small appetizer form each of ten downtown restaurants, all within easy walking distance. The poor execution was that the portions were so small, and not indicative of the restaurant’s fare; one was contained by a small cup, like the ones from which we take cough syrup. It was basically a miniature piece of watermelon.<br /><br />We also went to an open house of downtown condos. Our interest in housing seems to create a source of many early summer outings. The condos were interesting, offering a wide array of layouts and pricing. Living downtown is attractive and seems to be undergoing a growth spurt. Perhaps it’s the high price of gasoline.<br /><br />Our last activity of the weekend was the “Trailer Park Musical” at the Ensemble Theater downtown. It was a low-brow comedy with good music and an excellent cast.<br /><br />The two series of plays we subscribed to have ended their seasons. In coming weeks we are attending a Billy Joel concert at Riverbend, and an amateur presentation of “Oliver.” Susan’s nephew is one of the rowdies in “Oliver.”<br /><br />The first week of July we are visiting New Orleans, renewing friendships and enjoying the town. In August we cruise to Alaska.<br /><br />I continue to enjoy my volunteer activities. They range from business counseling to assisting an arts organization to politics. </div>John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-71446921838137662612008-06-22T01:01:00.000-04:002008-06-22T01:01:00.704-04:00There she goes again ...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SF1kNw5W5pI/AAAAAAAAAUo/hEHVk5QwXFU/s1600-h/mean+jean+ohio.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SF1kNw5W5pI/AAAAAAAAAUo/hEHVk5QwXFU/s200/mean+jean+ohio.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214434131191457426" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This is extracted from an article I wrote about the race for the House of Representatives in Ohio District 2. I hope you don't mind this double dip:</span><br /><br />Being from Louisiana, I know about political incompetence, bad judgment, and corruption. Our congressional delegation includes two stars of the genre, "Dollar Bill" Jefferson and David "caught with his pants down" Vitter.<br /><br />Disclosure: I volunteered and voted for Republican Vitter because I thought he was an effective senator when he ran on a family values platform. I also thought his good example might combat the perception of Louisiana politicians as corrupt. Ha!<br /><br />Apparently Cincinnati area voters have their own embarrassment in Jean Schmidt. I knew about the <a href="http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/11/02/jean_schmidt/">Murtha gaffe</a> even before coming here, but now that I vote in her district I have gotten the pleasure of seeing her up close.<br /><br />On the Ohio Daily Blog, commenter “Jeff” got a bit overheated as he brought us up to date on Schmidt. Jeff's comment, with minor editing, follows:<br /><br />Amazing Rep. "Mean Jean" Schmidt (R-Loveland) is on an absolute tear of outrageous fabrications, and the latest one is on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.<br /><br />We all know Schmidt's history of playing fast and loose with the truth -- for example, lying about meeting Tom Noe, lying on her resume, claiming endorsements she didn't have, and plagiarizing an op-ed piece from a colleague's letter to constituents. Recently Schmidt sent out a fund-raising letter falsely asserting that Dr. Victoria Wulsin "participated in grotesque medical experiments," although Schmidt's press person later tried to lie away the lie by saying that she "wasn't suggesting Wulsin participated in the experiments."<br /><br />Here comes another big one. On June 5th, the truth-challenged Schmidt took her misspeaking skills to the floor of the House, denouncing federal limitations on drilling for oil by declaring that China is currently drilling off the Florida coast.<br /><br />This very day there is indeed drilling activity off of our country's coast. Not by our U.S. companies. That would be illegal. Instead, the Chinese are drilling off the coast of Florida with their new energy partner, Cuba.<br /><br />The only problem with Schmidt's unequivocal assertion is that -- you guessed it --- it is false. Western diplomats in Havana tell McClatchy that to the best of their knowledge, there is no Chinese drilling in or around Cuba.John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-73075167440302622422008-06-15T01:01:00.006-04:002008-06-15T01:01:00.387-04:00Jindal is blackmailed ...<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SFOcZJWz8VI/AAAAAAAAAUY/yjqtNOC9yTQ/s1600-h/BobbyJindal.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SFOcZJWz8VI/AAAAAAAAAUY/yjqtNOC9yTQ/s200/BobbyJindal.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211681149620056402" /></a><br />I thought Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana would be different. Here are some comments on the mammoth pay raise that the legislature is giving itself, and Jindal's failure to put a stop to it:<br /><br />From the <a href="http://www.lacleader.org/">Louisiana Action Council</a>:<br /> <br />"We are extremely disappointed that the Louisiana House of Representatives chose to pass a pay increase that resisted the ultimate will of the people. Despite the fact that the House members reduced the pay raise from 300% to 200%, there is still no exception for disregarding the thousands of phone calls, letters and emails from residents all over the state pleading for legislators to stand up against this self serving increase in their annual salary."<br /><br />------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br />From <a href="http://www.lanewslink.com/">LANewsLink.com</a>:<br /><br />“Maybe it was just too good to be true. A hugely popular governor getting pretty much everything he and the voters asked for in the way of ethics reform. A move which has put a new face on Louisiana, sweeping behind decades of corruption, greed, and backroom deals. <br /><br />Governor Jindal says he doesn't like the pay raise. It's overboard, but he says he will not veto this outrageous affront to the voters. <br /><br />Legislators asked us to give them their jobs fully knowing what the pay was. Everyone whose fingerprints are now on this awful legislation should hang their heads in shame and turn in their political badges. Many of our people are struggling with wages they can barely get by on. <br /><br />Our legislators should be ashamed of themselves. We urge Governor Jindal to veto SB 672. It's the right thing to do.”<br /><br />-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />From Baton Rouge’s <a href="http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/19813634.html?showAll=y&c=y">WBRZ Channel 2 and the Advocate</a>, Comments (158): <br /><br />"Gov. Bobby Jindal said Wednesday he would let a bill that would triple legislators’ pay become law rather than use his veto pen. Jindal said he did not want to give legislators a reason to sidetrack the bills he wants passed.<br /><br />Asked if he had been threatened by lawmakers, Jindal said he would not discuss private conversations with legislators.<br /><br />House speaker Jim Tucker, R-Terrytown, said he has urged Jindal to stay on the sidelines. “I have never threatened the governor,” Tucker told House colleagues Wednesday after a political Web site said he had threatened Jindal with a “government shutdown.”<br /><br />SB672 would increase legislators annual compensation package to about $70,000 and top legislative leaders to the $100,000 mark. The pay raise would cost taxpayers $5.34 million more annually when it goes into effect July 1.<br /><br />Senate Finance Committee chairman Sen. Mike Michot, R-Lafayette, said there is no money in the budget for the pay raise. The legislation would tie state legislators’ pay to a percentage of that of U.S. congressmen, which is $169,300 today. It would give lawmakers a boost now and guarantee them an increase every time congressmen hike their pay.<br /><br />The base pay of a legislator would increase from $16,800 to $50,790 — 30 percent of congressional pay. The Senate president and House speaker’s base pay would hit $76,185 under the plan — 45 percent of congressional pay.<br /><br />Legislators would also continue to get $6,000 in annual unvouchered expense allowance, which is considered income by the federal Internal Revenue Service, as well as per diem payments that sit at $143 for each day they are in legislative session, attending non-session committee meetings or other transacting other legislative business.<br /><br />The combination translates into a $70,000 a year pay package for rank-and-file lawmakers. The average, full-time state employee’s pay in Louisiana is $36,104 annually. The average Louisiana worker’s pay is $37,946, based on the 2006 census data.<br /><br />Louisiana legislators’ base pay would be the eighth highest in the nation with the change, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.”John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-36424523716195672772008-06-08T01:01:00.001-04:002008-06-08T01:02:22.283-04:00Busy, Busy ...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SEk59nkTrCI/AAAAAAAAAT8/060SeYFksZ0/s1600-h/Retired+Geezer.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SEk59nkTrCI/AAAAAAAAAT8/060SeYFksZ0/s200/Retired+Geezer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208758174786759714" /></a><br />I use to say that I was unsuccessfully retired, but I have changed my tune. My retirement is now stimulating, largely because I am busy. <br /><br />It's amazing how much one's services are in demand when you give them away for free. I now have three agencies for which I volunteer. <br /><br />In SCORE I do free business counseling (we are the counseling arm of the SBA). I also write and revise short business reports (called "briefs"), and, next Tuesday will team teach a seminar on "Web Site Fundamentals."<br /><br />For the Fine Arts Fund I am assisting a client ("Catacoustic Consort"), primarily applying for grants. This is a fascinating organization, specializing in putting together concerts of "early music." As I understand it, early means before about the year 1800. <br /><br />The director is Annalisa Pappano and she plays several of the early instruments. As you might expect, money for such a specialized form of music is tight, and we hope the grants we receive will allow CC to be on sounder footing.<br /><br />I am also a political volunteer for Victoria Wultsin, who is running for Congress. She is trying to trying to oust 2nd district Representative Jean Schmidt (R-OH). I have done office work, assembled signs, driven the candidate around, did some phone-banking, and last week helped clean up the office. <br /><br />Wultsin is a terrific candidate who lost to Schmidt in 2006 by a whisker. This time she is out there earlier, better organized and funded, and doing a lot more "retail" politics. <br /><br />"Vic," as she is called, is at every fair and festival in Greater Cincinnati. We are asked to go also and "show the colors." Last week the major event was "Taste of Cincinnati" where you can get a sample dish from many of the area's finest restaurants, and some not so fine.<br /><br />So I am busy (maybe too busy) and feeling productive. I guess that can be called a successful retirement.John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-17307430687222655732008-06-01T06:16:00.003-04:002008-06-01T06:36:14.490-04:00Of “Jersey Boys” and Hurricanes ...<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SEJ7Qp2MIeI/AAAAAAAAAT0/mWguBZXQ9bw/s1600-h/Hurricane.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SEJ7Qp2MIeI/AAAAAAAAAT0/mWguBZXQ9bw/s200/Hurricane.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206859645234979298" /></a><br /><br />Today we are going to the Aronoff Center to see “Jersey Boys.” This is the last play of our “Broadway across America” series, and for the most part it has been very enjoyable. It started off schmaltzy, with “My Fair Lady” and “Camelot,” and picked up some steam with “Wicked” and “The Color Purple.” “The Drowsy Chaperone” was a dud, and “Sweeney Todd” was disappointing.<br /><br />On another subject, today begins hurricane season, and Susan will be on high alert through November. Below are excerpts from a couple of articles on the subject: <br /><br /><a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FL_TROPICAL_WEATHER_LAOL-?SITE=ILROR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT "><strong>Tropical Storm Arthur</strong></a>, by the Associated Press.<br /><br />Tropical Storm Arthur, the first storm of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season, is producing heavy rain as it moves west across Mexico's southern Yucatan Peninsula.<br />The National Hurricane Center says the storm is producing heavy rains early Sunday morning. But it's disorganized and is expected to be downgraded to a tropical depression later in the day.<br /><br />A tropical storm warning is in effect for the eastern coast of the peninsula from Cabo Catoche, Mexico, south through Belize. Forecasters say the storm could drop 5 to 10 inches of rain and cause flash floods and mud slides.<br /><br />Get a "<strong><a href="http://abc26.trb.com/news/wgno_news_083008getagameplan,0,4772713.story ">Gameplan</a></strong>" to Prepare for Hurricane Season, by Laila Morcos of New Orleans' ABC 26. <br /><br />The latest Mason-Dixon poll shows that 56 % of those surveyed wouldn't be prepared if a hurricane comes our way. <br /><br />Governor Jindal says, "Let's not wait till you're watching on TV and seeing that it's two days off the coast because it will be so much more difficult to find the supplies to gather the medicines, the food the water the batteries. I guarantee you that stores will run out of those supplies."<br /><br />He also says with high gas prices, an evacuation plan is especially important. "We actually do now have contracts in place for public transportation, but I don't want people to become dependent or complacent with that as their first line of defense."John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-87805186727726902562008-05-25T06:47:00.002-04:002008-05-25T06:55:24.979-04:00Of Taste and Levees ...<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SDlFaoj5apI/AAAAAAAAATs/XdrDIXL7W6I/s1600-h/levee_after.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SDlFaoj5apI/AAAAAAAAATs/XdrDIXL7W6I/s200/levee_after.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5204267168270215826" /></a><br />One of the pleasures of living in Cincinnati is being able to get together with Susan’s brother Harley and his wife Jascia. The major discussion topic was politics, lately the source for a lot of laughs. <br /><br />They visited with us last night for a going away party for Matt, who is going back to the University of New Orleans (UNO) for his senior year. Matt has been staying with us for a few months and leaves Thursday for UNO. He will get to experience dorm life for the first time. <br /><br />Later today we are going to the “Taste of Cincinnati.” At Fountain Square, we get to taste samples of food from some of Cinci’s finest restaurants. We will then do some campaigning for Dr. Victoria Wulsin, Democratic candidate for Congress, handing out campaign literature at the “Taste.” <br /><br />Meanwhile, on the New Orleans front, fears are being fanned on the flood protection front. Below are excerpts from an <a href="http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080525/NEWS01/805250314">article by Cain Burdeau</a>,of the Associated Press: <br /><br /><strong>Leaky New Orleans levee alarms experts</strong><br /><br />NEW ORLEANS — Despite more than $22 million in repairs, a levee that broke with catastrophic effect during Hurricane Katrina is leaking again because of the mushy ground on which New Orleans was built, raising serious questions about the reliability of the city's flood defenses.<br /><br />Outside engineering experts who have studied the project told The Associated Press the type of seepage spotted at the 17th Street Canal in the Lakeview neighborhood also afflicts other New Orleans levees and could cause some of them to collapse during a storm.<br /><br />The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has spent about $4 billion so far of the $14 billion set aside by Congress to repair and upgrade the metropolitan area's hundreds of miles of levees by 2011. Some outside experts said the leak could mean billions more will be needed and some of the work already completed may need to be redone.<br /><br />"It is all based on a 30-year-old defunct model of thinking, and it means that when they wake up to this one — really — our cost is going to increase significantly," said Bob Bea, a civil engineer at the University of California at Berkeley.<br /><br />The Army Corps of Engineers disputed the experts' dire assessment. The agency said it is taking the risk of seepage into account and rebuilding the levees with an adequate margin of safety.John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088036.post-44188149387766231262008-05-18T07:40:00.002-04:002008-05-18T07:44:12.564-04:00Of Bratwursts and Beer ...<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SDAV7OFlNJI/AAAAAAAAATk/ToRDJxl12BI/s1600-h/Beer+Stein.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xI9kEeziVCU/SDAV7OFlNJI/AAAAAAAAATk/ToRDJxl12BI/s200/Beer+Stein.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201681676750894226" /></a><br />Susan was in New Orleans this past week, at a seminar for a national organization for public opinion research. As part of her visit she spent a little time with our real estate agent, looking at houses in the uptown area. She was not impressed. <br /><br />She went to only one session at the convention, on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, of all things. A lot of her friends were there and a major subject of conversation was whether we were going to return to New Orleans anytime soon. She and I have declared a moratorium on discussions on the subject until June 1, so she had no answer to give. Susan returns tonight.<br /><br />Susan’s countdown to the end of her teaching career is down to three weeks. We thought the part-time job would be a good way to phase down to retirement, but she has gotten impatient to be done with teaching. I think it will be tough for her to quickly put together a satisfying retirement experience; like me, she has no real hobbies and it takes a little time to put together a rewarding volunteer schedule. <br /><br />I continue to enjoy my retirement in Cincinnati. My volunteer work has been more pleasurable than expected. I am doing some writing on business matters, and preparing to team-teach an upcoming seminar for my professional volunteer organization. Today is spring cleaning day at campaign headquarters of my political volunteer organization. <br /><br />Cincinnati has a strong German tradition, and yesterday I went to Maifest, just across the river in Covington, KY. I guess this is for people who are having trouble waiting for Oktoberfest. My dinner was bratwurst and sauerkraut, washed down by some good German beer. <br /><br />Hillary Clinton was going to address the group a bit later in the evening. As I followed the crowd walking from the parking area to the Fest I struck up a conversation with a gentleman who is a clinical psychologist. It was his professional opinion that the Clintons are narcissists, and had no business in government.John Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03697414502643047098noreply@blogger.com2