Day 1227: Karen Gadbois Named Gambit Weekly’s New Orleanian Of The Year
January 5, 2009 - Filed Under blogistas, citizen journalism, new orleans, recovery
Do we ever need this good news! Besos, Karen!
… Karen Gadbois, armed with little more than a laptop and a digital camera, singlehandedly blew the whistle on the New Orleans Affordable Housing scandal, which she documented on her blog, www.squanderedheritage.com. The result? An FBI investigation, admiring writeups of her efforts in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and new respect for the power of the citizen blogger.
The Gambit - with its Eightball-esque cover illustration of the honorees - got it right in the full story that Karen is hope. And hard work, dedication and, boy, you don’t want to stand in this woman’s way when she’s going.
This is what I want “citizen bloggers” and “real journalists” to understand:
This medium here, these characters in 1s and 0s on this virtual page, isn’t all about blogging, journalism and the “war” being waged over lost consumers in between. It’s not all about vanity, therapy and electronic coffee klatches, either. Sometimes, it’s simply about getting the news out that has to come out. Not because you and I have the right to know but because people’s homes, lives and futures depend on it. If a weblog happens to be the most expeditious vehicle for vital information to be released, so be it. If that information then makes it to the newspaper and airwaves where more people catch it, even better. If we the public take action on what we’ve learned no matter where we got it, mission accomplished. Don’t let artificial arguments over what blogging and journalism are in the minds of pundits or what they ought to be shape your ownership and use of the tools of communication.
Now, where’s the awards ceremony and after party? Dear Kevin, inquiring minds want to know.
Day 1227: The Ja’Shawn J. Powell Memorial Fund
January 5, 2009 - Filed Under new orleans
No two-year-old should die. Especially not like this.
On Saturday, [Danny] Platt, 22, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Ja’Shawn [Powell], whose body was found in an athletic bag in the 1900 block of Jackson Avenue, in a yard that shares a vine-covered fence with Van McMurray Park.
… New Orleans police said Saturday that Platt killed his son rather than pay about $4,000 in child-support arrears.
NOLA.com blogger Big Red Cotton informs us of the baby’s memorial fund which will help offset his funeral expenses. Please contribute.
Day 1227: Oh Nine And Obama
January 5, 2009 - Filed Under government
Another thing: Since November, my forearms have been bruised. No, my husband isn’t beating me just on the arms. Barack Obama is president and I’ve been pinching myself to make sure this isn’t a dream.
Check out this picture over at Coozan Pat’s. The cultural dissonance on the flag makes me cock my head and squint at it quizzically, but also makes me very hopeful, especially after the South’s very sanguine performance in this past presidential election.
For the VatulBlog record, because I thought the day would never come when I could say this: Goodbye, President Bush. Don’t let the door hit your suited rear on the way out.
Day 1227: Oh Nine, The Year Before Oh Ten
January 5, 2009 - Filed Under carnival, louisiana, the game of life
I’ve heard a few people refer to 2010 as “Oh Ten,” which is good for a giggle followed by accidental repetition like “strategery.”
2009 started as 2008 ended. In a miasma of travel, friends, travel, food, travel, nosebleeds and travel. D and I had decided that we would not even look at an airport for a while, but just as soon as we said it, D was dragged away to business in Florida this morning. Somewhere in the jet fuel, he and I exchanged second anniversary kisses. I hear celebrating the second year of marriage entails gifts of cotton. Here, my love, have some nice, fluffy cotton sheets to sleep on and a Q-Tip so you can hear me when I say, “I love you, but you’re hogging the bed again.”
Because we can’t have merry-jolly for more than five minutes at a time in these here parts: Our next-door neighbor was found dead of an accidental drug overdose and, yesterday afternoon, a PHI helicopter crashed in the marshes of southwest Terrebonne Parish, killing 6 contractors and both pilots on their way to Shell’s Cougar 301 facility. All we know is that NTSB will investigate the crash and all flights havebeen grounded until further notice. I’ve flown out of Amelia before and have remarked on the serenity and beauty of the flight and view. Not so for these people. My sincere condolences to the families and friends of the dead and wishes for a speedy recovery to the sole survivor.
Many resolutions floated around in my head on December 31st - lose twenty pounds through regular exercise, introduce more salads and complex carbs into my diet, create time to write well and learn how to use a sewing machine - until I realized that such promises of change are useless until we make ways for them happen. Some health professionals agree: “When we resolve to change, it needs to come with a strategy to change. Simply saying you want to do something does not fuel the change. Consider the strategy and outline the process of change that is simple and realistic.” For instance, a friend who has increased considerably in dress size since the birth of her children told me that she doesn’t want to get rid of a closetful of Size 6 clothing because she may lose all that weight. Ever the queen of giving great advice but not heeding it myself, I said, “If you cannot make one hour in your day for vigorous, cardiovascular exercise, give those clothes away now.” I’ve decided to follow my own advice regarding those cute Size Medium tops that stare at me each morning yearning to be worn. You should know that, really, this isn’t about dress sizes and shedding vanity pounds, it’s about taking control of health, telling yourself you don’t have to live in Stress Mode even if you’re living in Debrisville and not mentally and physically wrecking yourself further. My brother likes to remind me that my eggs aren’t getting any younger and he’s right. If I want to create healthy new life with them, I’d best get mine in order. To that end, we do what we can and not what we want to or the impossible.
With that in mind, we plunge headfirst into Carnival Season (Epiphany is tomorrow, y’all). Don’t forget to come to the Krewe du Vieux parade on February 7th. We know, the website has not been updated since last season and someone is working on it, we think. I’m probably going to be so mired in checks, MS Excel and QuickBooks until then that you should probably remind me to make it to my own parade. Save me, Jeebus!
So, allow me to start off this new year with Job’s prayer to Yahweh, as told by Woody Allen, “Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Thou hast a good job. Don’t blow it.”
Day 1222: Pass Manchac, Louisiana
December 31, 2008 - Filed Under louisiana, photographs, travel
The grey-purple of the evening sky and a bridge rising up to usher vehicles across the tiny strips of water connecting Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain. It was beautiful.
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