Louisiana's Greatest need in 2007?
LEADERSHIP!
Friday, December 29, 2006
News story squelched
Hmmm, think we'll hear anything from the Times-Pic or WWL about this one? My bet: not for a while if at all.
Profiles in Corruption: Eddie "The Hat" Jordan
Edward J. Jordan Junior
Known Aliases:
"Eddie Jordan"
"The Hat" (for his attire during the Edwards case)
* Practiced law with William J. "Dollar Bill" Jefferson. Upon Jefferson's rise to political power, Jordan became his heir-apparent. Jefferson wanted someone preselected to succeed him in case something happened (like jail time) before his daughters were old enough to replace him.
* Since Jefferson played a critical role in delivering Louisiana for President Clinton, the President repaid the favor by appointing Jordan a US Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Jefferson wanted Jordan in a position to squash any charges against himself or his cronies.
* First came to prominence for being part of the team that put former governor Edwards behind bars. The press were drawn to his mustache, derby hat, and sharp suits. What isn't widely know is he slept through most of the proceedings. Lenten did the heavy lifting for him.
* Retired from working for the feds to prepare for running for office. His opening came when Harry Connick Sr. decided to retire from his longtime tenure as Orleans Parish District Attorney.
* Jordan faced a crowded field in the general election and made it to the runoff against Dale Atkins (Connick's Clerk of Court). He won a very tight runoff because of endorsements by Jefferson and a surprise, but halfhearted endorsement from Nagin. His campaign platform was witness protection, victim protection, and the establishment of a "public integrity unit." He pledged to have his investigators visible at victims' funerals, etc.
* His tenure started off very poorly. He appointed an assistant who didn't meet the residency requirement. When confronted by the press, he claimed she was hired as an executive assistant, thus except from the residency rule. Another of his hires, Sal Palmisano, was notorious for getting upteen DUI's and was let go.
* Another investigator he hired, Richard Chambers, Jr. was a "deadbeat dad" who owed $11,000 in back payments. It's worth noting Chambers Sr. is the treasurer of Jefferson's political machine, the Progressive Democrats.
* Eddie Jordan was spotted dining at Ruth's Chris (among other restaurants) with a convicted felon still on probation.
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* Jordan lined his pocket with internet advertising deals from local attorneys on a pseudo-official website.
http://kevin.lexblog.com/2004/02/internet-advertising-sponsorships/new-orleans-da-cashing-in-on-internet-advertising/
* Pissed off a bunch of rich white kids by using a crack house law to go after the promoters of raves. I remember Uptown being flooded with "Raving is not a crime" stickers.
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* Dwight Deal, Jordan's Chief Homicide Investigator was busted by the feds for blackmailing female witnesses for sex. That's right, he'd go up to female witnesses and basically say, 'sleep with me or I'll turn you in to the people you're scheduled to testify against.' My favorite part about the whole incident: Jordan's spokesperson Letrice Dupre said Deal was, "a model employee." Yes Ms. Dupre, Dwight Deal was a model employee at that office!
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* The same day Deal was put on leave, he lost a lawsuit by 40 former employees and was forced to pay $4 million. He more than 60 employees of the DA's office and replaced them all with black employees. The fired employees sued Jordan, alleging reverse discrimination and age discrimination. The kicker is, Jordan doesn't have to pay the fine. The Orleans Parish taxpayers have to. OUR MONEY has to pay for his racism/incompetance. My favorite instance of discrimination was Connick's primary fingerprint and ballistics expert replaced with an employee whose only previous experience was as "a lifeguard and some office work at a law firm." HA! He has yet to budget the money for the payment.
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* Walked out on an ABC interview. He was asked if the DA's office bears any blame for how broken the criminal justice system is in New Orleans. He got up and walked out saying, "They're stupid. They're not honest questions."
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* If you think that's bad, that's just the stuff I could PROVE. If I went into the the stuff people whisper about him, this post would be 30 times as long. If I were to sum up Jordan, I'd say he was a well-dressed emperor with no clothes. Given New Orleans' recent track record (Nagin and Jefferson) I think that might just guarantee him reelection.
Other Citations:
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(Sorry on being sorta lazy about the hyperlinks. There are a lot of them.)
Eddie Jordan/Danzinger Bridge
CNN's Article from September 2005 about the Danziger Bridge Incident (scroll down)
7 NOPD Officers were indicted for murder yesterday.
Here's the story BEHIND the story:
Eddie Jordan is in trouble. The public sees him as a bungling idiot. He's the reason why murders walk in this city. His primary political patron (Dollar Bill) is probably heading to jail. Even if Jefferson stays out of jail, he's going to be tied up with his own problems to help out Jordan. He's up for reelection in about 9 months. He needs to rile up his base and convince people to vote for him. How can he do that? Take every resource he can muster and throw it at a hot button issue (The Danziger Bridge Incident).
Anyone notice how the front page of the Times-Pic showed 3 white officers and no others? I'm reliably informed that of the remaining 4 officers, 2 are black and 1 is Vietnamese. Don't know about the last one. Hmmm, might someone be trying to sensationalize the incident to rescue flagging paper sales.
I'm making a prediction: this will end poorly for the city. There is a high probability of this sparking a race riot.
It gets worse. Relations between NOPD and the DA's office were strained as it was. Neither side got along with the other. The NOPD blamed the DA's office for being incapable of putting criminals behind bars. The DA's office blamed NOPD for giving them enough evidence to get convictions. Like I said, the two organizations were exactly on great terms to begin with.
To make matters worse, Jordan started running his mouth.
"We cannot allow our police officers to shoot and kill our citizens without justification like rabid dogs," District Attorney Eddie Jordan said.
Warren Riley, who was initially beloved by street cops when he took over from Compass, but now is now mostly dismissed as a political hack, responded:
Police Superintendent Warren Riley called Jordan's comment was "highly prejudicial and highly undignified."
While this whole mess is going on, there's a massive crime wave taking over the city. NOTHING is going to get done while the DA's office and the cops are at each other's throats. The real losers in this mess are the residents of Orleans Parish. We've got to dodge bullets while this soap opera goes on. I'M FAR LESS CONCERNED ABOUT BULLETS THAT WERE FIRED 16 MONTHS AGO THAN I AM ABOUT THE ONES FLYING OVER MY HEAD THIS INSTANT. Remember, there is no statute of limitations on murder. It's a cold case, so they'll have as much evidence a year from now as they do this year. There are rumors they don't have any evidence as it is, but that's another issue I'll side-step.
I'm hoping that this trial will expose what a bungling idiot Jordan is and lead to his demise as Orleans Parish DA. Unfortunately, here's what I think is far more likely: the merits of the case won't really factor into the decision to acquit the officers. Eddie Jordan will horribly botch the case. Also, he's never convicted anyone who's had decent defense attorneys. I know the reputation of one of the defense lawyers and he won't cede Jordan 1 inch of ground. The officers will walk. The city, which has been on edge ever since Nagin's Chocolate City speech will explode and everything that wasn't flooded will get burnt to the ground.
I want to be clear that I don't have a clue what happened on that bridge. I'm not saying the cops are guilty or innocent. I just think they'll be cleared because of other issues.
I'll tell you what, I don't want to stick around for when the verdict is announced. I'll be on vacation outside Louisiana. Fortunately, that's months from now.
7 NOPD Officers were indicted for murder yesterday.
Here's the story BEHIND the story:
Eddie Jordan is in trouble. The public sees him as a bungling idiot. He's the reason why murders walk in this city. His primary political patron (Dollar Bill) is probably heading to jail. Even if Jefferson stays out of jail, he's going to be tied up with his own problems to help out Jordan. He's up for reelection in about 9 months. He needs to rile up his base and convince people to vote for him. How can he do that? Take every resource he can muster and throw it at a hot button issue (The Danziger Bridge Incident).
Anyone notice how the front page of the Times-Pic showed 3 white officers and no others? I'm reliably informed that of the remaining 4 officers, 2 are black and 1 is Vietnamese. Don't know about the last one. Hmmm, might someone be trying to sensationalize the incident to rescue flagging paper sales.
I'm making a prediction: this will end poorly for the city. There is a high probability of this sparking a race riot.
It gets worse. Relations between NOPD and the DA's office were strained as it was. Neither side got along with the other. The NOPD blamed the DA's office for being incapable of putting criminals behind bars. The DA's office blamed NOPD for giving them enough evidence to get convictions. Like I said, the two organizations were exactly on great terms to begin with.
To make matters worse, Jordan started running his mouth.
"We cannot allow our police officers to shoot and kill our citizens without justification like rabid dogs," District Attorney Eddie Jordan said.
Warren Riley, who was initially beloved by street cops when he took over from Compass, but now is now mostly dismissed as a political hack, responded:
Police Superintendent Warren Riley called Jordan's comment was "highly prejudicial and highly undignified."
While this whole mess is going on, there's a massive crime wave taking over the city. NOTHING is going to get done while the DA's office and the cops are at each other's throats. The real losers in this mess are the residents of Orleans Parish. We've got to dodge bullets while this soap opera goes on. I'M FAR LESS CONCERNED ABOUT BULLETS THAT WERE FIRED 16 MONTHS AGO THAN I AM ABOUT THE ONES FLYING OVER MY HEAD THIS INSTANT. Remember, there is no statute of limitations on murder. It's a cold case, so they'll have as much evidence a year from now as they do this year. There are rumors they don't have any evidence as it is, but that's another issue I'll side-step.
I'm hoping that this trial will expose what a bungling idiot Jordan is and lead to his demise as Orleans Parish DA. Unfortunately, here's what I think is far more likely: the merits of the case won't really factor into the decision to acquit the officers. Eddie Jordan will horribly botch the case. Also, he's never convicted anyone who's had decent defense attorneys. I know the reputation of one of the defense lawyers and he won't cede Jordan 1 inch of ground. The officers will walk. The city, which has been on edge ever since Nagin's Chocolate City speech will explode and everything that wasn't flooded will get burnt to the ground.
I want to be clear that I don't have a clue what happened on that bridge. I'm not saying the cops are guilty or innocent. I just think they'll be cleared because of other issues.
I'll tell you what, I don't want to stick around for when the verdict is announced. I'll be on vacation outside Louisiana. Fortunately, that's months from now.
Prominent Local Musician Killed
R.I.P.Dick Shavers of the Hot 8 Brass Band.
Chances of the killer being brought to justice? Nil.
UPDATE: I was wrong! They got the bastard!
Now, if only The Hat can put him behind bars...
Chances of the killer being brought to justice? Nil.
UPDATE: I was wrong! They got the bastard!
Now, if only The Hat can put him behind bars...
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Choppas and Gangstas
I live on the north side of the Quarter, near Rampart Street. There have been nights when I've gone to bed to the sound of assault weapons. The sound is unmistakable. The rate of fire is slow enough where you can almost count the rounds as their fired. THIS IN AMERICA, NOT BAHGDAD!!! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS CITY! On the street, AK-47's are called "choppa's." They go for $400-$500. There's an ample supply of them, too. My guess would be smuggled into the Port of New Orleans in containers from Latin America or China. Don't really have any evidence to back up that last part, but it's my guess. Assault rifles rip right through the kevlar vests police wear. The rounds go on and on and kill innocent civilians. They are one of the most dangerous tools in the hands of the city's criminals.
Those that use "choppa's" like to call themselves "gangsta's." They're human garbage, if you ask me. They don't rob from the rich to give to the poor. They prey on the weak and helpless. They are a plague upon this city.1
If there's going to be anything that succeeds in driving me out of New Orleans it's going to be crime...
Watch the amateur video of "the gangsta life" There's one part of this video I'd find interesting. They bitch and moan about the NOPD... including when they're holding up an AK-47. A criminal complaining about being hassled by NOPD while holding and AK-47 sounds like a ringing endorsement of the department to me.
New Orleans Exposed: A professional video that similar to above, but goes way too far by glorifying the lifestyle.
Oh yeah, and a bunch of NOPD are being brought up on charges for the Danzinger Bridge incident. Another black eye for the NOPD. I wasn't there, so I don't know what happened, but I know the police are the thin blue line that separates us from the garbage. Also, no matter how bad they might be, they're far better than they were in the pre-Pennington days, so any reference to their history is really unfair.
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1Technically, they aren't gangsters because New Orleans doesn't have any gangs. New Orleans has never really had gangs. Recently, the Latin Kings have tried to move in, but still there isn't much of a presence. There was one New Orleans gang, the Metz Gang, but they disintegrated, leaving only a mass of independent, small-time thugs you see today.
NL East
More baseball previews:
Braves: Over this past offseason, the Braves have dramatically improved their biggest weakness (the bullpen). The only departures they've had were dead weight. Their young pitchers (James, Davies) get another year to mature. Sure they could use another bat and they need a full season out of both of the Jones boys, but they're my pick for the AL East crown.
Mets What, no Zito? Their rotation is only above average without Pedro. They've got a good, young offensive core, but they need a better supporting cast. They'll still win the NL Wild Card, though.
Marlins If the team only had a payroll... Probably the best rotation in baseball. Cabrera/Uggla/Hanley Ramirez is the equal to the Mets' young core. They have holes at LF, CF, and catcher, and their defense is seriously flawed. Their bullpen is held together by duck tape, so they're nothing more than an "also-ran." If they only spent some coin, this would be the most dangerous team in the NL.
Phillies: If the young pitcher really step up, they could be a contender, but they're just going to be too inconsistent. Plus, you can't rely on the old guys (Moyer and Gordon) to bail them out. They're busy registering for their AARP cards. The offense has a few great players, but there's just not enough depth. Who's going to protect Ryan Howard in that lineup?
Nats Still collecting dividends from that trade with the Reds. Losing Soriano is going to hurt. Their defense, except for Schneider, Zim, and Church (wherever they stick him) is horrible. Iron glovers everywhere you look. They've got a future, but they'll lose a lot of games this year.
Braves: Over this past offseason, the Braves have dramatically improved their biggest weakness (the bullpen). The only departures they've had were dead weight. Their young pitchers (James, Davies) get another year to mature. Sure they could use another bat and they need a full season out of both of the Jones boys, but they're my pick for the AL East crown.
Mets What, no Zito? Their rotation is only above average without Pedro. They've got a good, young offensive core, but they need a better supporting cast. They'll still win the NL Wild Card, though.
Marlins If the team only had a payroll... Probably the best rotation in baseball. Cabrera/Uggla/Hanley Ramirez is the equal to the Mets' young core. They have holes at LF, CF, and catcher, and their defense is seriously flawed. Their bullpen is held together by duck tape, so they're nothing more than an "also-ran." If they only spent some coin, this would be the most dangerous team in the NL.
Phillies: If the young pitcher really step up, they could be a contender, but they're just going to be too inconsistent. Plus, you can't rely on the old guys (Moyer and Gordon) to bail them out. They're busy registering for their AARP cards. The offense has a few great players, but there's just not enough depth. Who's going to protect Ryan Howard in that lineup?
Nats Still collecting dividends from that trade with the Reds. Losing Soriano is going to hurt. Their defense, except for Schneider, Zim, and Church (wherever they stick him) is horrible. Iron glovers everywhere you look. They've got a future, but they'll lose a lot of games this year.
Guess Who?
Guess what city has the lowest paid police force in America?
Gee, who'd a thunk. Add that to the Misery List.
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On a brighter note, there's an important story that's being completely neglected by both the local media and local blogosphere. There's a group of ministers camped out on the Neutral Ground on Claiborne near downtown staging a hunger strike in protest of black on black crime.
The thugs don't care about hunger strikes, but at least they are taking action. Here's what they're REALLY accomplishing: they are serving as an example to others in the community to stand up against this human garbage.
Gee, who'd a thunk. Add that to the Misery List.
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On a brighter note, there's an important story that's being completely neglected by both the local media and local blogosphere. There's a group of ministers camped out on the Neutral Ground on Claiborne near downtown staging a hunger strike in protest of black on black crime.
The thugs don't care about hunger strikes, but at least they are taking action. Here's what they're REALLY accomplishing: they are serving as an example to others in the community to stand up against this human garbage.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
NL Central
Cubs: Wow, they wanted to make a splash and they did. Soriano, a healthy D-Lee, and a re-upped A-Ram will be productive. Cedeno should recover from being relegated to the bench during Dusty's tenure. Unfortunately, they mortgaged their future to do it. They spent a lot of money and gave up a lot of draft picks. Zamabrano was "Dustified" (think Kerry Wood/Mark Prior) last year and will break down before the All Star Break. Dramatic improvement, but will fall just short of the playoffs. They will hold their market share in Chicago, though (their real reason for the flashy moves).
Reds: Griffey is alreay injured. If he were healthy, they'd be a contender. Without him, they're a .500 team.
Astros: Carlos Lee is good, but not that good. Horrible defense, the loss of Pettite and Clemens will hurt. The back of the rotation will be a pinata. Big step backwards. Losing team. Missing out on Reggie Bush and the Astros going down the tubes... Wow, talk about a bad year for Houston...
Brewers: Solid catcher upgrade. 3 very good pitchers. Prince Fielder decides to imitate David Ortiz. They're this year's NL Central Champs, despite the weak 4 & 5 pitchers.
Cards: Pujols/Rolen/Carpenter, who needs anyone else? Unfortunately, this is baseball, so that won't cut it. Reyes will take a step forward and I like Adam Kennedy, but Edmonds might not be able to contribute. Not going anywhere without a stronger supporting cast. Winning year, but can't match surging Brewers.
Reds: Griffey is alreay injured. If he were healthy, they'd be a contender. Without him, they're a .500 team.
Astros: Carlos Lee is good, but not that good. Horrible defense, the loss of Pettite and Clemens will hurt. The back of the rotation will be a pinata. Big step backwards. Losing team. Missing out on Reggie Bush and the Astros going down the tubes... Wow, talk about a bad year for Houston...
Brewers: Solid catcher upgrade. 3 very good pitchers. Prince Fielder decides to imitate David Ortiz. They're this year's NL Central Champs, despite the weak 4 & 5 pitchers.
Cards: Pujols/Rolen/Carpenter, who needs anyone else? Unfortunately, this is baseball, so that won't cut it. Reyes will take a step forward and I like Adam Kennedy, but Edmonds might not be able to contribute. Not going anywhere without a stronger supporting cast. Winning year, but can't match surging Brewers.
Baseball Season 2007
I'm a HUGE baseball nut. The winter leaves me with few avenues for my baseball fix, so I'll have to manufacture some.
My predictions for the 2007 Baseball Season:
There are still a lot of major free agents out there (like Barry Zito and Roger Clemens) that can really change one of these predictions, but I'm going to give it a shot.
I'm going to spread things out over a couple of posts and do my predictions by division. First up, the AL Central.
White Sox: Tadahito Iguchi will improve. Andy Sisco will prove to be a good pickup, but Dye, Thome, and Konerko will not age very well. All will have down years. As a result of their regression and a tough division, the White Sox will only be a .500 team.
Indians: Peralta will turn things around. Marte will start to show why he was such a highly touted prospect by Atlanta (or prove that Schurholtz bribes other teams' scouts). Grady will make the ladies H-A-P-P-Y.
The rotation will take a step forward, instead of step backwards. Then, Pronk will be Pronk and will go to town on baseballs like a hurricane on a New Orleans levee. But, the economy in Cleveland will start to drag the baseball team down (no more good paying blue collar jobs). LF/RF/1B is still a hole (might I suggest a trade with the Royals?...). The Indians will fall just short of the AL Central Crown, but will be frontrunners in 2008.Tigers: Deep rotation (1-5) and a good bullpen are keys to success. The offense is nothing to sneeze at (as long a Shef doesn't pull a T.O.). Guillen is aging and needs to be replaced. Pudge is aging and will need a replacement soon. There's also the danger of Verlander falling into a sophomore slump. None of that will make a difference as the Tigers safely secure the AL Central Crown for the first time in years.
Twins: Sometimes, doing nothing is the best strategy, especially given how wild the market has been this year. It gives the young players another year to mature. Plus, there's always Johan Santanna. Liriano is a huge question mark, though. There are also a lot of inconsistent young players who will have major ups and downs this season. Apologies to Bat Girl, but the Twins need a healthy Liriano to compete. They will be not much more than a .500 team without him.
The Royals: Ah, the Royals. At least they HAVE starting pitchers this year. They did pick up Jason LaRue and Ryan Shealy. LaRue will take some of the edge for that horrible Beltran trade (anyone seen John Buck lately?). Unfortunately, they still have Berroa. And Glass. In this division, the Royals are cannon fodder.
Next up: NL Central
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
The Streetcars are back!
Stepped out for a few minutes at work today to check this out:
They had the St. Aug band, a couple of decorated streetcars, and more politicians than you could shake a stick at (including Na-Gone!).
They had the St. Aug band, a couple of decorated streetcars, and more politicians than you could shake a stick at (including Na-Gone!).
Crime Stats
Every GI Joe cartoon I saw when I was a kid ended with the quote: "Because knowing is half the battle."
If we're ever going to get a handle of crime in the city, we're going to need accurate statistics of what's going on and where's it's going on. That's the Pennington Plan. He introduced and pushed CompStat (computerized crime tracking and mapping software) on the department.
3Q Crime Stats
NOPD Crime Map
This is what the NOPD is passing off for crime statistics, now. One is months out of date, the other is horribly incomplete.
And then there's the question of accuracy. New Orleans hasn't had an independantly audited set of crime statistics since 2002 (hey, wasn't there a guy named Pennington running for mayor that year?). It's rumored that crimes go unreported or downgraded regularly. How bad is it? Well, nobody really knows for sure, but I can give on example. A while ago, there was a drive-by shooting on Frenchman Street right in front of the Praline Connection. The victim died a week later in the hospital. Because he died later, the perp (if they catch him) will only be charged with attempted murder or even just assault with a deadly weapon.
I'm working in Google Earth to create a map of all major crimes in New Orleans. Here's what I have so far:
.KMZ file for Google Earth hosted on Rapidshare.com
I'm already starting to see some real patterns. I want to save my main findings for later, but I'm astonished at how many people survive getting shot and how many stabbings are "domestic" crimes.
If we're ever going to get a handle of crime in the city, we're going to need accurate statistics of what's going on and where's it's going on. That's the Pennington Plan. He introduced and pushed CompStat (computerized crime tracking and mapping software) on the department.
3Q Crime Stats
NOPD Crime Map
This is what the NOPD is passing off for crime statistics, now. One is months out of date, the other is horribly incomplete.
And then there's the question of accuracy. New Orleans hasn't had an independantly audited set of crime statistics since 2002 (hey, wasn't there a guy named Pennington running for mayor that year?). It's rumored that crimes go unreported or downgraded regularly. How bad is it? Well, nobody really knows for sure, but I can give on example. A while ago, there was a drive-by shooting on Frenchman Street right in front of the Praline Connection. The victim died a week later in the hospital. Because he died later, the perp (if they catch him) will only be charged with attempted murder or even just assault with a deadly weapon.
I'm working in Google Earth to create a map of all major crimes in New Orleans. Here's what I have so far:
.KMZ file for Google Earth hosted on Rapidshare.com
I'm already starting to see some real patterns. I want to save my main findings for later, but I'm astonished at how many people survive getting shot and how many stabbings are "domestic" crimes.
Monday, December 18, 2006
News
Well, it's been a big news day for New Orleans:
> Article about chronic poverty. < Definitely worth reading. The reaction letters at the end are almost as good as the article itself.
John Edwards is going to announce his bid for 2008 from the Lower 9th Ward at the end of this month. His campaign platform will be "One America" (closing the chasm between the have's and the have-not's). I'll try to make it there. Could be interesting. To date, I have only been to one political rally; Wesley Clarke gave a speech at the Lakefront Airport, which I thouroughly enjoyed.
CNN broke a big story about the Danziger Bridge incident. Wonderful news for a battered, dispirited police force.
A nice article about
Saints Training Camp
I've got to end on a positive note:
Efforts are underway to organize a massive
"Louisiana Winter" campaign modeled after the "Mississippi Summer" campaign of the 60's. In the 60's, college students would come down to the South to do voter registration drives for blacks. The "Louisiana Winter" is planned for January 17th through the 20th and will include cleanups, etc. all over the city. I hope there's a good turnout. Interesting historical parrallel, too.
> Article about chronic poverty. < Definitely worth reading. The reaction letters at the end are almost as good as the article itself.
John Edwards is going to announce his bid for 2008 from the Lower 9th Ward at the end of this month. His campaign platform will be "One America" (closing the chasm between the have's and the have-not's). I'll try to make it there. Could be interesting. To date, I have only been to one political rally; Wesley Clarke gave a speech at the Lakefront Airport, which I thouroughly enjoyed.
CNN broke a big story about the Danziger Bridge incident. Wonderful news for a battered, dispirited police force.
A nice article about
Saints Training Camp
I've got to end on a positive note:
Efforts are underway to organize a massive
"Louisiana Winter" campaign modeled after the "Mississippi Summer" campaign of the 60's. In the 60's, college students would come down to the South to do voter registration drives for blacks. The "Louisiana Winter" is planned for January 17th through the 20th and will include cleanups, etc. all over the city. I hope there's a good turnout. Interesting historical parrallel, too.
Halpern's & Ralph's
Ok, here's my first restaurant review.
When I do these, I'm going to try to stay off the beaten path. I'm going WAY off the beaten path for this first couple...
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Halpern's Cafe (inside the furniture store on Prytania - 1600 Prytania)
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This one is pretty hard to find. You have to go up the stairs in the back of Halpern's, but it's a hidden gem.
It's only open for lunch. You can get a great, filling, homecooked meal for under $10. The BBQ chicken and the Soup and Salad combo are my favorites.
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Ralph's
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Another hard to find one. This one is inside the Prytania building of Nelson Engineering. Great, homecooked meals for $5. That's right, an entree, 1 veggie, a side salad and a soft drink for $5.
Open for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast is even better than lunch. Almost every day, I go in there and order a sausage, egg, and cheese on a biscuit for $1.25.
When I do these, I'm going to try to stay off the beaten path. I'm going WAY off the beaten path for this first couple...
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Halpern's Cafe (inside the furniture store on Prytania - 1600 Prytania)
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This one is pretty hard to find. You have to go up the stairs in the back of Halpern's, but it's a hidden gem.
It's only open for lunch. You can get a great, filling, homecooked meal for under $10. The BBQ chicken and the Soup and Salad combo are my favorites.
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Ralph's
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Another hard to find one. This one is inside the Prytania building of Nelson Engineering. Great, homecooked meals for $5. That's right, an entree, 1 veggie, a side salad and a soft drink for $5.
Open for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast is even better than lunch. Almost every day, I go in there and order a sausage, egg, and cheese on a biscuit for $1.25.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Murder
I've heard that the city has had 151 murders to date this year.
Murder rates are measured on a "per 100,000" basis.
Figuring on a population of around 187,000 people and thow in a few more murders in the last 2 weeks of 2006, you get a murder rate of 80 per 100,000 people.
For perspective, the national average is 8 per 100,000 people. Washington DC has about 35. Baghdad (before things completely went to shit) had 100 per 100,000 people.
We're closer to Baghdad than DC. That says something...
(151 Murders to Date)
Murder rates are measured on a "per 100,000" basis.
Figuring on a population of around 187,000 people and thow in a few more murders in the last 2 weeks of 2006, you get a murder rate of 80 per 100,000 people.
For perspective, the national average is 8 per 100,000 people. Washington DC has about 35. Baghdad (before things completely went to shit) had 100 per 100,000 people.
We're closer to Baghdad than DC. That says something...
(151 Murders to Date)
First Real Post
Here's an incredible article about the REAL problem facing New Orleans:
http://www.city-journal.org/html/15_4_new_orleans.html
At the rate things are going, New Orleans is going to die and here's what the epitaph will say:
"
New Orleans
1757-2007
Lived a joyous, carefree life
Died of self-inflicted wounds
"
http://www.city-journal.org/html/15_4_new_orleans.html
At the rate things are going, New Orleans is going to die and here's what the epitaph will say:
"
New Orleans
1757-2007
Lived a joyous, carefree life
Died of self-inflicted wounds
"
About this blog
NOLA-dishu is what some of the locals have started to call New Orleans. Other monikers include Little Nigeria, the Big Sleazy, Big Smelly, and Big Nasty.
Life down here sort of sucks. Many are leaving the city. But, there's a hardcore group of New Orleanians who are sticking it out. The following quote is pretty much our credo:
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“Times are not good here. The city is crumbling into ashes. It has been buried under a lava flood of taxes and frauds and maladministrations so that it has become only a study for archaeologists. Its condition is so bad that when I write about it, as I intend to do soon, nobody will believe I am telling the truth. But it is better to live here in sackcloth and ashes than to own the whole state of Ohio.”
— Lafcadio Hearn, nineteenth century author and observer of New Orleans culture.
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I'm going to try to chronicle at least one little piece of life in New Orleans. A lot of what I post will be dark. Especially when I talk about crime in the city. Some of it will be upbeat, like when I talk about the Saints. I also promise to put together a sort of post-Katrina Zagat's guide of New Orleans restaurants.
Anyway, Here goes nothing!
Life down here sort of sucks. Many are leaving the city. But, there's a hardcore group of New Orleanians who are sticking it out. The following quote is pretty much our credo:
************************************************************************************************************
“Times are not good here. The city is crumbling into ashes. It has been buried under a lava flood of taxes and frauds and maladministrations so that it has become only a study for archaeologists. Its condition is so bad that when I write about it, as I intend to do soon, nobody will believe I am telling the truth. But it is better to live here in sackcloth and ashes than to own the whole state of Ohio.”
— Lafcadio Hearn, nineteenth century author and observer of New Orleans culture.
***********************************************************************************************************
I'm going to try to chronicle at least one little piece of life in New Orleans. A lot of what I post will be dark. Especially when I talk about crime in the city. Some of it will be upbeat, like when I talk about the Saints. I also promise to put together a sort of post-Katrina Zagat's guide of New Orleans restaurants.
Anyway, Here goes nothing!
A little about me
I'll call it my mini-resume:
11th Generation New Orleanian
4th Generation Tulanian
Ben Franklin High School, c/o 2002
Tulane, BS in Mechanical Engineering, Minor in History, c/o 2006
11th Generation New Orleanian
4th Generation Tulanian
Ben Franklin High School, c/o 2002
Tulane, BS in Mechanical Engineering, Minor in History, c/o 2006
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