Seen on Royal St. in the Quarter. Is that a cape for a barricade, a signmaker being funny or a simple case of misspelling?
Day 762: BarricaPe?
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Monthly Archives: September 2007
Day 761: One Person, One Vote
… except when it comes to Texas legislators. I’ve never see lawmakers this physically active. (Thanks, Suspect Device.)
nola.com: Geologist Fred Matthew challenges incumbent Tom Capella for Jeff Parish council seat He’s a Democrat (although I still haven’t figured out what Democrat means around here) and a geologist. *swoon* Since I don’t live in Jefferson Parish and can’t vote for him, I urge those of you who can to do so. Don’t take Matthew for granite! Get it, get it?
Day 759: What Would Richard Feynman Do?
Day 759: Terence Blanchard Remembers Katrina
Jazz drummer and online friend, Sriram Gopal, wrote this DCist review of Terence Blanchard’s latest album A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina). In a recent email, Sriram confessed that this blog was one of the reasons he penned the review. It’s just what I need to hear, that we are getting through to the rest of America, even if the sounds of detractors and commenter silence are deafening. Thanks, Sriram.
… a somber and plaintive look back on how Mother Nature and the country at large betrayed a great American city.
… The music on A Tale of God’s Will was written for, and inspired by, Spike Lee’s exceptional documentary for HBO, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. Blanchard is a close collaborator of Lee, for whom he has scored several films.
… While many associate the music of New Orleans with a rich tradition, these songs are not historical documents; they are about a city that is presently in distress and faces an uncertain future. Blanchard, however, recognizes that improvisation is at the root of jazz and New Orleans’ musical heritage and so he wisely incorporates moments when the musicians get the chance to stretch out and blow.
Day 759: Grab Bag
To the people of Mississippi: Sane citizens of the state of Wisconsin do not claim Greta van Susteren as one of our own. In fact, we wonder why she interviewed Brett and Deanna Favre last night (thus also forcing some of us to watch Fox News), although I admit to sniffling a bit when Brett talked of love for his wife. At the end of the interview, van Susteren remarked, “… you guys all talk funny — this Mississippi stuff!” Mushmouth is one to say this. Deanna Favre replied with a perfectly straight face, “We think you talk funny.” Bam! Go Deanna.
India has been irksome lately – the government still hasn’t taken an influential stand in Burma’s democracy conflict. Meanwhile, back in “civilization,” a Gucci store is set to open in Mumbai in two weeks.
Why I still love the internets and tend to ignore people that say blogs aren’t influential – Burma cyber-dissidents crack censorship; Bloggers vs. Uzbek billionaire. There’s more to the world than America.
Why I hate the internets – txyankee points us to a GMail flaw that lets anyone read your email. “Check your filters, boys and girls, and make sure there are not any you did not create!”
Day 758: “Reluctant To Evacuate” While Watching Saints
Blaze Damages Ms. Mae’s. This explains the sirens wailing down Magazine St. during the game last night.
Fire officials say they had some resistance from bar patrons who were reluctant to evacuate because they were watching the Saints game. Most of the damage was confined to dead space between the walls and between the first-floor ceiling and second floor … there were no injuries to bar patrons or to firefighters.
Phew, one of New Orleans’s finest budget-drinking establishments and Tulane meat markets narrowly made it.
As for the die-hard Saints fans, please don’t put yourselves in harm’s way but continue to show your fan spirit despite 0 and 3 and Deuce’s injury. Worse teams have bounced back. Remember, FAITH isn’t just a word to put on t-shirts.
Day 757: Monday Night Notes
Edit: I changed the title of this post to reflect various observations from the Saints game on ESPN and K-Ville (if we actually change the channel away from the game).
- At the end of an interview with locals he conducted for ESPN, Steve Gleason had this to say, “New Orleans is not about catastrophe, it’s about character. We’re not about problems, but about purpose.” And he was wearing a Defend New Orleans tshirt!
- A nationwide pre-game poll that asks “Who Will Win The Saints-Titans Game?” has the majority of the nation opting for the Saints, the Titans supported by Texas, Oklahoma and Tennesee, and a number of southeastern states Undecided.
- Linda Novak sighting in the New Orleans snippet narrated by Spike Lee
- After the first 10 minutes of K-Ville Episode 2, I am completely confused as to where in the city they are at any given time (they’re at Louis Armstrong international airport, but inches away from the Crescent City Connection and downtown). No piece of TV fiction-drama is or has to be faithful to the city it’s set in, but I cannot tell whether this is a cop show set in New Orleans, or a cop show set in New Orleans.
- National Post: New Orleans Prison Doctor Calls K-Ville An Affront
“No one died in the OPP. Fiction or not, this depiction is an affront to the medical staff and deputies who, for five harrowing days, risked their lives for the inmates and civilians in their care … Unfortunately, since so many factual depictions make up the back story of K-Ville, viewers nationwide are left with the impression that prisoners under our care drowned.”
Day 757: Science & Tech News
New Dense Zone Within The Earth’s Lower Mantle Proposed: “… research suggests that a section of the Earth’s brittle mantle about 620 to 1,365 miles (1,000 to 2,200 kilometers) deep actually is a ‘transitional zone’ where the rock turns into a strange, incredibly dense state.”
Drawing On Air With Haptics In 3D: “By putting on a virtual reality mask, holding a stylus in one hand and a tracking device in the other, an artist can draw 3D objects in the air with unprecedented precision.”
7 Reasons I Switched Back To PHP After 2 Years With Rails: “7. Programming languages are like girlfriends; the new one is better because *you* are better.”
Buy A Laptop For A Child, Get Another One Free: “The marketing program, to be announced today, is called ‘Give 1 Get 1,’ in which Americans and Canadians can buy two laptops for $399 … One of the machines will be given to a child in a developing nation, and the other one will be shipped to the purchaser by Christmas. The donated computer is a tax-deductible charitable contribution. The program will run for two weeks, with orders accepted from Nov. 12 to Nov. 26 … The machines have high-resolution screens, cameras and peer-to-peer technology so the laptops can communicate wirelessly with one another. The machine runs on free, open source software. ‘Everything in the machine is open to the hacker, so people can poke at it, change it and make it their own.’”
Day 757: Go Pack Go!
Wide grin on the wide receiver!