Junk no longer profitable..

"Trash has crashed.
The economic downturn has decimated the market for recycled materials like cardboard, plastic, newspaper and metals. Across the country, this junk is accumulating by the ton in the yards and warehouses of recycling contractors, which are unable to find buyers or are unwilling to sell at rock-bottom prices."
from
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/08/business/08recycle.html?hp

Just another reason the legacies of The Incredibly Rich and Irresponsible need to be challenged with all of our might.
The layers of crap unfolding should be reason enough for a new sustained way of living. We CAN NOT continue on this path of destruction by accumulating more and more junk waiting for the "price" of junk to rise. Time for serious changes in habits. Like drinking out of an actual coffee mug instead of a disposable one. Disposable does not mean convenient when it is disposed of and then left in a huge collection of junk wasting space in a warehouse waiting it's inevitable trip to the landfil where it will continue to take up space for longer than our lifetime.

CANARY Gallery film screening

20 / 120 : An Evening With Connor Swegle at the CANARY Gallery. Saturday Nov. 15th.

Canary Gallery, 329 Julia Street

Doors 7pm. Film 8pm

Come check out the inaugural film series at the CANARY Gallery.

Ramona Cat / Chef Haigler

Ramona Cat / Chef Haigler
Originally uploaded by humidbeings

Humid Haney

IMG_7441.JPG
Originally uploaded by humidbeings

Ain't no stoppin' us now....

DJ Soul Sister / Heather
Originally uploaded by humidbeings

DJ Soul Sister's Election party and Victory Jam

click on title above for link to the Obamarific Photo Booth photo stream.
or visit
http://www.flickr.com/photos/humidbeings/
Photos by Rob Davis for Humid Beings

Prospect Everyone

10/30
Prospect Everyone
Location: New Orleans Arts District >> 300 - 600 Blocks of Julia Street
Time: 7pm - 10pm

As we all know, PROSPECT 1 begins this Saturday, but Shoot the Messsenger Productions with BIG collaborations with the New Orleans Arts District have put together a 5 block...block party with art,
music, and food by New Orleans folks..that could only deliver like New Orleans folks can.


To give you a feel for what we have cooking….

• We'll have second lines lead by Panorama Jazz Band
• You want some Big Easy Roller Girls?...got 'em!
• Pussyfooters?...coming right up!
• The Why Can't We All Just Get Along? Sumo Wrestling Ring...open and free to all who want to work those stock market crashing pre-election jitters! Featuring the most badass custom tricked out calliope that
plays off of vinyl (yup...VINYL!)...must see to believe! And Mondo Bizarro's Bruce France as your emcee!
• NOLA Rising's Jailhouse Rock
• From LeMieux Gallery, artist Jesse Poimboeuf's "Green Earth Man March"
• G.A.S.
's Art Cops on the beat
• Futureproof's "Field and Ensemble" featuring the Deisel Combustion Orchestra, Dusty Domino Projections and a 16 piece dance troupe.

• Stilt walking acrobats
• Laptop rockers Triple Delight
• ADHD's Heidi Domangue and Andrea's Travelling Body Sock!
• Lucky You! Popcorn booth, with homemade Eyeball Cupcakes!
• The Return of the Baby Pool Drive-in featuring none other than the Emperor of the Universe himself...the one, the only, (the waxy) Ernie K-Doe presiding alongside the ever lovely Miss Antoinette.

• Mr. Zack Smith's fantastic, interactively delicious Flavor Paper Photobooth with DJ Brice Nice spinning some booty shakin' good tunes.


AND -- Bruce "Sunpie" Barnes, and the West Banks own, Tikki Rockers
filling your ears..

There will be the best of the best in terms of the late night chuck wagons with Nate and Que Crawl, Praline Connection, Tee Eva, Papa Joe's BBQ and 3 Ring Circus will be running the bars that will have some delicious New Orleans signature cocktails along with beer, soft drinks, etc. We will also be rolling on over to the Big Top afterwards to get blown away by The Other Planets.




"Laughing Cavalier"

Works by Brandon Mansell
Opening November 1st, 6-10pm
(thru Dec.
4th)

"This body of work is comprised of three series... Americanas, Saints, and Chiaroscuros. The Americanas represent my exploration into what makes America tick, it's infatuation with sex, death, and politics. The Saints series revolves around portraits detailing New Orleans night life. The denizens of the lower garden district gave me Polaroids taken from a now defunct photo booth located at the Saint, and I used those as a starting point to create paintings that show the personality, and characters of New Orleans.
And finally,the Chiaroscuros are an investigation of past master techniques juxtaposed against modern
practices and colors.


The first two series were conceived before Katrina and completed in an empty city. These circumstances inevitably impacted the paintings.

The Chiaroscuros are a more direct critique on the present state of painting.
What was the function of painting in the past versus today? How can it be reconciled or at least stripped of the backlash brought about by the expressionists and their progeny?

As an artist we reference the past and take from it what seems relevant, and because of this, painting is not a linear history. I feel it is time for a renaissance in the most literal sense. Ideas have taken precedence over substance, which has led to an increasingly ephemeral body of modern art. This robs subsequent generations of tangible art and creates a disconnect between an artists intentions and the reality, which increasingly is merely documentation of an event.


I wish my work to be refined, pertinent, and tangible. It should touch the viewer and in turn should be able to be touched. It should live its own life.
"

Instant Arts Grants From "The Federation of Students and Nominally or Unemployed Artists"

The other day the group set up a table in New York's Union Square and gave away “instant grants” to those people who pitched them projects.

From the Federation's website:

How It Works

We all learn art in school. Every kid loves to draw at some point. People get fascinated with the details of their new camera, or spend free time writing poems. But eventually, there’s a not a teacher telling you how great your are, or the camera gets put away, or you just plain get busy and stop. Years could go by before you start again, if you ever do at all.

The FSNUA aims to re-inspire creative thinking and action in everyday people by removing a small barrier and providing encouragement. We give small, unsecured grants in the form of $10-$60 for creative projects thought up on the spot by everyday people. In the past this has included a merchant marine, two 10 year old girls, a US soldier on leave from Iraq, an accordion player from Alaska, and around 40 others. We funded their new paintings, drawings, knitting, and photojournalism projects, and the repair of one accordion. Projects that may not have happened had they not come across 10 people in the park to support and inspire the thought.

Beyond the small amount of money, the project encourages people to see themselves as something other than workers or consumers even if it just for the length of time required to apply for the FSNUA grant. We also hope to re-inspire dormant desires to create while presenting an example of generosity without an ulterior motive.
generosityfoundation.org

Banksy's "Village Pet Store And Charcoal Grill" Opens in New York City

I am tempted to buy a ticket to NYC to catch this.
Soooo tempted.
The nuggets are brilliant.

musican bicyclist Frank Zappa

Attacks on ACORN Based Not on Facts, But on Fear of 1.3 Million Poor People Registering

Why are they after ACORN? Well, I'm sure they're going to come up with a lot of "reasons" in the coming days. But the real reason is obvious: Because ACORN, along with Project Vote, just announced that they had successfully registered 1.3 million poor people this year.
Get that? 1.3 million, including 148,000 in Pennsylvania, 152,000 in Florida, 217,000 in Michigan, and 238,000 in Ohio. How many poor republicans to you know?
So what, in the end.
Polls are propaganda just as debates and anything else political, hence the politics.
Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions.
We are a GROUP of citizens who will vote Obama into office.
Even if Mickey Mouse and some underage voters were registered! Do you honestly think that someone dressed like Mickey Mouse and be allowed to vote?
America is done with the Republican Party this round.

One of the most brilliant things I have read this election year.
"So they stole an election from Gore, made the Department of Justice into an outfit for partisan hacks, allowed New Orleans to drown, lied us into a war against a country that did not threaten us, replaced science with bad ideology, indebted our grandchildren to China, and turned our banking system into a deregulated casino"
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.

From NOLA's now famous Ward Child Bounce man gone Hip Hop Lil' Wayne. It is going to be very, very, interesting indeed to see him at Voodoo fest this year.
I can't help but correlate this song with voting.
Gotta a hand full of stacks better grab and umbrella
I make it rain on em!
I hope that regardless of the fraudulent registrations that the other million people who registered legally for the first time will follow through with there intention of registering and not JUST register...actually place their vote!
Bounce!

October 7 // Daily Dose(s) of Crime From The Big Easy

Not so fat Tuesday. A guy is shot while riding his bicycle on the corner of Race and Constance where I RIDE MY BICYCLE for work, coffee, on my way to the Quarter...and then later in the evening 2 blocks away from my house
Police arrested three men Tuesday afternoon after chasing them through Irish Channel and Uptown neighborhoods where they crashed their car and one pointed a gun at a police lieutenant, drawing the officer's fire, police said. What good is foot patrol on Magazine when the shooting an illegal activity is done 2 or 3 blocks over towards the river in the Lower Garden District and Irish Channel? The madness will end when it is no longer accepted! When Police walk the beat of the streets that need attention. Magazine gets enough attention and is less likely to host a drive-by...although as I am writing this and discussing it with a friend, I am now being told that 2 stores on Magazine were robed...and that's enough. I am going to stand ground outside on the steps, show my presence say hey to my neighbors and watch the sunset..I am going to have some porch times/stoop times and that is how I will effect change.

Wave of violence brings five deaths in two-day period
by Ramon Antonio Vargas, The Times-Picayune
Tuesday October 07, 2008, 9:35 AM

Police chase through Irish Channel, Uptown results in three arrests
by The Times-Picayune
Tuesday October 07, 2008, 10:38 PM

The Lil' O'reilly Factor

http://view.break.com/581294 - Watch more free videos

Thanks Susan!

Illusions- Richard Bach

The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy.
What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the master calls a butterfly.

Thanks to Harold of Harold's nursery, Antoinette K.Doe and the Mother-n-law Lounge and The Storyville Stompers for helping us celebrate the life of Jessica Hawk in true Nawlins spirit. She was buzzing about and it felt good to say good-bye and wish her well into her next journey. I also hope that we brought the attention towards unsolved murders in our city. Our voices must be heard and those who have been taken from us must not get lost in the debris that overwhelms our city of government!

Get Out The Vote!

The List: Murder Capitals of the World

Knowing that you live in a city with an ever increasing murder rate is one thing. Accepting and processing the fact that you live in the MURDER CAPITAL of America is quit another.
We are THIRD in the WORLD!
New Orleans, United States Third Place. Behind Cape Town, South Africa and Caracas, Venezuela.
"New Orleans, United States

Population: 220,614 to 312,000 (2007); estimates vary due to displacement of people after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Murder rate: Estimates range from 67 (New Orleans Police Department) to 95 (Federal Bureau of Investigation) per 100,000

What’s happening: With its grinding poverty, an inadequate school system, a prevalence of public housing, and a high incarceration rate, the Big Easy has long been plagued with a high rate of violent crime. Katrina didn’t help. Since the hurricane struck in 2005, drug dealers have been fighting over a smaller group of users, leading to many killings. On just one four-block stretch of Josephine Street, in the city center, four people were murdered in 2007 and 15 people shot, including a double homicide on Christmas day. A precise murder rate is hard to pinpoint because the population is swelling quickly, approaching its pre-Katrina numbers. Whether you use New Orleans’s own figures or the FBI’s, however, the city remains the most deadly in the United States, easily surpassing Detroit and Baltimore with 46 and 45 murders per 100,000 people, respectively."
Read Full article here


A friend of mine who used to work as an engineer on large cargo freighters once told me of how he survived in Cape Town, South Africa. He said that as long as the local pirate boys who patrolled the dock with AK-47's were provided with Heineken, they wouldn't shoot you. In New Orleans, however, bargaining tools most often do not apply. You could be shot for far less than a Heineken. You can be murdered in your house while you sleep. You can be a child who is shot in a drive-by gang shooting which is the result of teenage jealousy. At 5 months old you can end up being murdered by your baby sitter who placed you into the dryer and turned it on to shut you up. You can be shot while riding your bicycle home from work. You can end up one of the hundreds (maybe thousands) of unsolved murder cases.

I can't imagine what my mother would say to me if she had read this recent study. I don't even know how to begin to justify my attachment to a city full murderers to her or to anyone else for that matter.

I hope this study will prompt an FBI training office in New Orleans or something similar. I mean, if we are number one, I would think they would want to "study" and research here.

A life of reaction is a life of slavery, intellectually and spiritually. One must fight for a life of action, not reaction. *Rita Mae Brown

The Big Easy does NOT exist!
Being the Murder Capital of the United States is NOT an honor.
It is up to us, as citizens of this great cultural mecca, to change our reality. From our roots to our elected officials, murder can no longer continue to break our souls with each victim if we are to continue to rebuild and create the greatest American city.
SilenceIsViolence! And the breeder of more crimes and break down of communities. New Orleans nursed a weak and powerless generation through neglect and a corrupt and ineffective welfare system, yes. But, the poor are not the only ones committing murder in this town.
My example I will site is personal. My friend, Jessica, was not murder by thugs looking for cash or drugs. We don't know who murdered her, but the person who committed this senseless act of violence is still roaming the streets of New Orleans, sitting next to you as you eat diner, shopping with you at the market, and otherwise living their life out while this crime goes unsolved and unpunished! The Gustav scare put the investigation back several weeks and it took us several weeks to line-up the Memorial and Anti-Crime March. Now more than ever it is time to shout out against murder in our beloved city!


Jessica Hawk was 32-years-old when she was murdered in her Bywater home early in August. She came to New Orleans in 2003 to be with her fiancee and to pursue her education and career in Botany, biology and entomology. In 2007 she and her fiancee separated, and Jessica moved into her house on Chartres St., where she was stabbed and beaten to death.
Jessica was an author and a scholar, having published botany articles in top scientific journals. A deep lover of nature, Jessica made a tremendous contribution to the city she came to love. She volunteered at the Tulane herbarium, attended the masters program in Biology at UNO, where she was awarded the first post-Katrina graduate fellowship and was a highly regarded teacher, worked as an entomologist at the Audubon Insectarium, which she helped to open, and was scheduled to begin work at the New Orleans Botanical Garden the week after her murder. She was a mainstay at Harold's Plants and beautified many yards, courtyards and balconies around town. She also loved literature, especially Virginia Woolf, and philosophy. A prized possession was a facsimile of T.S. Elliot's "Wasteland" with annotations by Ezra Pound.
Everywhere she studied, worked or lived, Jessica was a star. Born and raised poor, fiercely independent and without a snobbish bone in her body. Jessica was liked and loved by so many and had become a bright light n the Bywater, greeting happy neighbors and friends as she biked or walked through the neighborhood.
Her loss is incalculable! A murder assaults more than the victim. Pray for her devastated family and friends, all of whom are searching for strenght in the face of horror.

On Saturday October 4th, there will be a memorial parade and Anti-Crime march in Jessica's memory.
The parade, led by The Storyville Stompers, leaves Schiro's in the Marigny-corner of Royal and St. Roch- at 4p. We parade through her neighborhood up Esplanade to Ernie K-Doe's Mother-n-Law Lounge, where all who wish will speak in the garden.
Free food, cash bar, and music to follow.
Rides back to the Marigny will be available.

Th investigation is ongoing. As of yet, there are no breaks to report. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THIS CRIME SHOULD CALL Detective Nicholas Gernon at 658.5308

The only way New Orleans can reduce the murder rate is if we speak out and act!
I encourage all who are outraged by this statistic to make a stand by joining us in our march against violence.

Jessica Hawk Memorial // Second Line against Violence

(Jessica Hawk: R.I.P. 1976-2008)

AND ANTI-CRIME MARCH

Jessica Hawk was murdered in her Bywater home the weekend before August 11. Scientist, teacher, author, landscaper, friend, sister, daughter, aunt, lover—she was loved by and gave to so many.


WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 4th. Second Line at 4 p.m. Memorial speak out—any and all are invited to share—5:30(ish, depending on when we finish parading).


WHERE: Second Line takes off from Schiro’s, corner of Royal, in the Marigny. We parade to Ernie K-Doe’s Mother-in-Law Lounge for the memorial speak out. Free food at the Lounge, cash bar.


DONATIONS: Got to pay the band and more. Leave at or send to Harold’s Plants, 1135 Press St., 70117. Make checks out to “Harold Applewhite.” Write “Jessica” on the memo line.


HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE! THANK YOU!

BERG Calendar Release Paw-ty!

LA Artist recreating Noah's Ark in L.A.

LA Times reports an artist from LA brings his talent to New Orleans, L.A. for
Prospect.1 [P1]
prospectneworleans.org
"On November 1, 2008, Prospect.1 New Orleans [P.1], the largest biennial of international contemporary art ever organized in the United States, will open to the public in museums, historic buildings, and found sites throughout New Orleans. Prospect.1 New Orleans [P.1] has been conceived in the tradition of the great international biennials, and will showcase new artistic practices as well as an array of programs benefiting the local community. Over the course of its eleven-week run, Prospect.1 New Orleans [P.1] plans to draw international media attention, creative energy, and new economic activity to the city of New Orleans."

I wonder how many people knew about Pawpaw's Ark located off HWY90 in between New Orleans and Houma? It was located next to the Daquari/Tamale/Bait/Market with the Giant Blue Gorilla out front. Anyone?
It sure was a big boat Pawpaw!

I like the roll that Prospect One is breathing new life into our culturally rich community and making the rest of the world take notice for our talents and creative endeavors.

One of my favorite New Orleans characters dies...

Ruthie the Duck Girl dies of cancer at 74
by John Pope, The Times-Picayune
Friday September 12, 2008, 10:36 PM

Ruthie the Duck Girl, a French Quarter eccentric who zoomed from bar to bar on roller skates, often wearing a ratty fur coat and long skirt and trailed by a duck or two, died Sept. 6 at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge. She was 74.

Ruthie, whose real name was Ruth Grace Moulon, had been suffering from cancer of the mouth and lungs when the residents of her Uptown New Orleans nursing home were evacuated to Baton Rouge as Hurricane Gustav approached, said Carol Cunningham, a close friend who watched over her for nearly 40 years.

"I've always looked at Ruthie like a little bird with a broken wing, " Cunningham said. "She was always so dear to me."

Miss Moulon, a lifelong New Orleanian, became a French Quarter fixture, achieving legendary status in a city that treasures people who live outside the mainstream. Along the way, she acquired a coterie of people like Cunningham who found places for her to live, paid her bills and made sure she got home at night.

A tiny woman with a constant grin, she frequently sported a bridal gown and veil on her forays because, people said, she considered herself engaged to Gary Moody, whom she met in New Orleans in 1963 when he was a sailor.

Moody showed up at a 2001 birthday party for Miss Moulon at Mid-City Lanes Rock 'N Bowl, but the two never got to the altar. According to a Times-Picayune interview that year, Miss Moulon had a stock reply whenever anyone asked if there might be a wedding in her future: "I got engaged; that's enough!"

In 1999, Rick Delaup made her the subject of a documentary, "Ruthie the Duck Girl."

Miss Moulon's daily routine consisted of roaming from one watering hole to another, mooching drinks and cigarettes. She could be sweet one minute and unleash a torrent of profanity the next.

Although people deemed Miss Moulon's behavior unconventional even by French Quarter standards, no one ever diagnosed her mental condition because she refused to see a doctor, David Cuthbert wrote in The Times-Picayune in 2001.

"She's not out of touch with reality; she's just not interested, " photographer David Richmond told The Times-Picayune.

Miss Moulon's mother, who put her daughter's hair in sausage curls to make her look like Shirley Temple, came up with the idea that little Ruthie should be a duck girl, Cunningham said.

"She dressed her in evening dresses and bought her skates, and she skated through the Quarter with these little ducks following, " Cunningham said.

Miss Moulon's mother, who grew up in rural Louisiana, initially let the ducks live in the house, although the two women sometimes fought over them, according to eccentricneworleans.com.

On that Web site, Myrl D'Arcy, an artist, described a visit to the house: "The duck's living in the bathtub, and the mother wanted to take a bath. Ruthie didn't want the mother to take the duck out of the bathtub because it would upset the duck."

In the documentary, artist George Dureau recalled a conversation with Miss Moulon after the death of another French Quarter character, Eloise Lopez Arollo Samakintos, who always carried a cross through the Vieux Carre.

"There ain't a whole lot of us left, George, " she said.

A Mass will be said Monday at noon at Jacob Schoen & Son Funeral Home, 3827 Canal St. Visitation will start at 10 a.m.

Burial will be in Greenwood Cemetery.

New Orleans: Hurrication/Evacuation Proclomation

Even with the tensions of others surrounding me the past few days, not to mention the calls from relatives regarding my where abouts and means out of New Orleans since my transportation is bi-pedal.
Plenty of options.
Plenty of typical taurus bull in me, too.
I had a plan on wed. but, was still waiting until Sat./Sun. before the trek out.
Today, there was work to do.

And then a much needed bicycle ride through the quarter and along the river.

Lovely evening.
Decadence weekend is not so decadent this year.
The Eerie silence and humid air clinging a bout.
We rode past the convention center to see with our own eyes that the National Guard was posting up.
Reassuring indeed considering.
The river is lower than I have ever seen it.
I am no meteorologist but I believe it is the suction caused by Gustav. ?.
Frenchmen Street was quiet.
It seems that this go round folks have chosen to exit for the weekend and wait it out elsewhere or tourists know their flights lead them out by Sunday OR they are looking forward to the city emptying out.
If it is a 3 or lower, I'd stay.
Probably be the same affects practically in Baton Rouge where thanks to Helen, i have a place to crash or there is my Uncle Anthony (too many others) or P's parents even. Worse Worse Worse case scenerio I'd have to ride a bike, which is not that big of a deal.
But, I have a vehicle.
So, I have chose to ride it out until tomorrow or Sun. morning.
Then, tonight, last stop Molly's I ran into Pableaux (SGT. Pableaux).
I mentioned how impressed I was that the military was already showing a presence.
He mentioned how if I stayed that I'd be one more person he
'd have to worry about. In general, any one how stays does somewhat jeopardize operations whether we want to see it that way or not. Anyone poses a threat.

Which got me thinking also of the looters and low life thugs who are viewing this as an opportunity to prey and have there fantasy thug life while the storm gets us out of town.
That is when I decided to leave.
It is not Gustav I fear. It is the predators lurking around, waiting to strike. Creepy ride home from the quarter... lots of strange people looking intently with sinister smirks.
I wish I could leave now actually.
Bypass BR and head to the mountains or Arkansas or Nashville.
Make it a hurrication not an evacuation.
I mean if I can't come back until Wednesday or Thursday, it would be nice to try and make the most of it.
I already got a bag together on Wed. when the first predictions came out..just in case. I checked over it this evening adding my passport and a few toiletry items.
It was then that I realized that for the first time in my life, I am truly excepting of loosing material possessions even down to my grandfather's art and my photographs and memorabilia.
It is inanimate and of no real use except sentimental value.
My life however, is not worth hanging around to see what happens in the lull time of the storm
or the chaos that could break the day after. The day after a tropical storm or hurricane is so peaceful and serene filled with wonder, really.
Best to leave the protecting to the National Guard.
Fridge is cleaned out. (not repeating that fiasco)
House is tidy.
Back yard is free of debris. Tree limbs are iffy.... But, I feel secured and ready.

Now my instinct says go on, get cha self out.
That is my midnight rant.
I know where my dawgs at!!!!!!!
There is nothing we can do but wait.
We live here ready to leave.

Forces

Everything is a force of nature.
We must concentrate forces and work together in order to remain in our bowl below sea level.
In the same day Gustav is stirring up activity in the Gulf with New Orleans dead center of the potential direct hit areas the list of The New Orleans 100 comes out.
100 organizations, musicians, artists, businesses, and social entrepreneurs stirring up change in New Orleans.
A juxtaposition indeed.

In describing today’s accelerating changes, the media fire blips of unrelated information at us. Experts bury us under mountains of narrowly specialized monographs. Popular forecasters present lists of unrelated trends, without any model to show us their interconnections or the forces likely to reverse them. As a result, change itself comes to be seen as anarchic, even lunatic.


“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!”
- jack kerouac

So call me a lunatic but I am dedicated to a place, a people, and a history I am fortunate enough to be a part of.
I know what it means to miss New Orleans.
And so do thousands of other human beings
And so I say to those who spend their days commenting irrelevant and non-factual information onto sites across the web, I have the following information for you.
We are all in the same boat.
Levees.org
The hurricane did not destroy us, the levees and governmental failures share responsibility for that.
And remember over 20% of the countries goods come through New Orleans, not to mention the amount of oil.
Y'all are guaranteed to be affected so please don't be so quick to wish us harm. After all, we welcome your visit any time.
We're not going anywhere else.
It's likely you won't either with such ease if we are to fall ruin.
Wish us well. Send the good and leave your bad for your own community.

The New Orleans 100

The New Orleans 100
A Look at the Good That's Happened Since Katrina
Please help spread the word. Help us show the world what New Orleanians have been doing to rebuild and renew our beloved New Orleans.
forward this link http://www.alldaybuffet.org/neworleans100/ and let our voices be heard!

"The New Orleans 100" is a worldwide initiative that will highlight and encourage discussion among millions about 100 of the most innovative and world-changing ideas to take root in the city since Katrina. After hearing so many of the positive changes and innovative projects post-Katrina, we've decided enough is enough. It's time to put an end to the negative press in mainstream media. The world needs to know about the NEW New Orleans. And to quote Brad Pitt, "If you're going to rebuild something, why not rebuild it right?" Amen brother.


To combat top down media during the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we will leverage bottom up tools on the social web (email, blogs, twitter, facebook, digg, etc.), which can reach a combined audience of millions to raise awareness about New Orleans and inspire action to make a difference. The list will be released on Monday, August 25th - the week of the Hurricane Katrina anniversary. Our goal is to reach 1,000,000 pageviews by 8/29/08.
We encourage you to spread the word by emailing the list, blogging it, digging it, stumbling it, and yelling it out your windows!

To view the list, please visit http://www. alldaybuffet. org/neworleans100

CULTURE:
Dirty Coast: Carries awesome NOLA shirts and our favorite one is "The Beauty of Entropy" shirt because in New Orleans, there is beauty in the decay.

Tropical Storm GUSTAV

Looks can be deceiving.
For the record, I don't feel it. I just don't feel a wrath upon us.
And I refuse to give it energy until Friday albeit prepared for departure if necessary.

Let your ACTIONS speak louder than words!

I call for anyone who knew Jessica, anyone who lives in her neighborhood and cares, and anyone with a sense of decency in this city and believes her death to be an awful tragedy, to place in whatever manner comfortable for you, hearts along the 3000 block of Chartres near where Jessica lived. For those of you who don't know the area that well, it's the same stretch of block that Dr. Bob has his compound on.


Please read below.


=====


To all of our neighbors and friends, if you knew Jessica, go to her friend's site that was set up this past week and honor the memory of a wonderful person, who came to our city because she loved it and believed in it. I won't dishonor her memory here and now by mentioning the ills of New Orleans, there will be time enough for that.


I call on everyone in her neighborhood and anyone passing through her neighborhood to honor her memory by placing a heart along the 3000 block of Chartres.
It's time for us to show our love for a fallen sister in the belief of a better tomorrow.


-=-=-=-=-

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

A place in honor of our beloved friend Jessica Hawk who was murdered at her house in New Orleans. With this place we want to remember her so she can rest in peace knowing that many people loved her.


For Jessica's family all our love and support, we will do all we can so her life will not be forgotten and her death will not go unpunished.


Please if you have any information concerning Jessica's murder please call 5046585308 or 504 6585300. If you saw something or heard something Please do not hesitate to contact with us at these numbers.


http://wont-forget-jessicahawk.blogspot.com/

=-=-=-=-=

Thanks to Ivonne for creating the site in Jessica's memory

New Orleans Market opens in lower 9th ward

From 10-3 in the old Walgreen's parking lot on St. Claude near Caffin.


Fresh produce, art, prepared foods, children's activities, health screenings, lower 9 history, live music, etc.


--
Ken Foster
www. ken-foster. com

The Sula Foundation
www. sulafoundation. org

The uptown get down with DJ Soul Sister!

soul sister presents

a NEW PARTY

***ENJOY*** ~ the uptown get down with resident dj soul sister & special guests

kicks off this Friday, August 8 @ a new spot, the awesome upstairs space at Takumi sushi lounge. (2800 Magazine St. at Washington Ave, across from Starbucks)

10pm-1am and then some

no cover

dancefloor classics, spirits and japan-nola fusion tapas served late. ladies always drink free sake.

come ready to party on a FRIDAY!

another right on party situation: djsoulsister. com

Can Creativity save New Orleans?

On November 1, 2008, Prospect.1 New Orleans [P.1], the largest biennial of international contemporary art ever organized in the United States, will open to the public in museums, historic buildings, and found sites throughout New Orleans. Prospect.1 New Orleans [P.1] has been conceived in the tradition of the great international biennials, and will showcase new artistic practices as well as an array of programs benefiting the local community. Over the course of its eleven-week run, Prospect.1 New Orleans [P.1] plans to draw international media attention, creative energy, and new economic activity to the city of New Orleans.



Methinks.

For more information:
http://prospectneworleans.org/

Social Entrepreneurs of New Orleans

As stolen from Humid Haney's blog:

Mission

SENO's mission is to support the people with the ideas and the ventures that will tackle and solve the most pressing social problems in New Orleans.

Vision

Now is the time. Just as Silicon Valley is known for technological innovation and Berlin for design, New Orleans is rapidly becoming known as the hotbed of social entrepreneurship. We believe in harnessing the power of local diversity and the new participatory mentality to launch the problem-solver into action. Since Katrina, New Orleans has seen an unbelievable surge in citizen activism, and SENO is poised to capitalize and nurture this creative energy. Our belief is that individuals and communities who are resilient and ready to take action on the problems around them lead to significantly improved communities and can end the social problems that exist. Our solution is to empower individuals and communities through social entrepreneurship.

What is a social entrepreneur?

We realize that definitions abound as to what a social entrepreneur is; intentionally, we are keeping our definition broad. A social entrepreneur is someone who has identified a social challenge and has stepped up to find innovative, immediate, small-scale and large-scale solutions that produce sweeping and long-term change. We understand that social entrepreneurs are not only crucial to New Orleans' redevelopment but are also unique members of the professional community. They are driven to produce social impact while employing a selfless, entrepreneurial intelligence and innovative drive.
You can check out their site
http://www.seno-nola.org/index.php
And see for yourself.

Wow!
Ok, so I feel like such an idiot. SENO, known only to me before as a project my boss has been working on through the web development and design branch of one of his companies, the studio formerly known as Whence.
Now known as CANARY.
thecanarycollective.com
I've seen the all caps in many areas of our shared interwebs but since it didn't involve me, I never bothered to look at what SENO stood for. Now that I see it I am even more amazed at the endeavors taken on by the guy who continues to blow my mind with his ideas.
I told him once that he was a human computer with feelings.
A human computer with a cause & feelings.

I mean it just makes sense. I have been under the magnetic pull of New Orleans for 8 years now. I have always felt that there were more people here who did ACTUALLY mean what they say and said what they mean. Oh, there are the "select" others born and bred under the philosophies of our politically correct corruption. But we are seeing a mobilization of those who would say what they mean and do what they say. An honest people working for the greater good of community and society drawing on the cultures and "neighborly" energies to effect change in their surroundings.
And I am one of those people.
And I work for an awesome Humid Being!

Local designer fights imitations of her work

Trashy Diva is one of my favorite Boutiques in New Orleans. The creativity and originality flows through their take on designs from the 50's and 60's.
Of course someone out in California who had been selling the dress through wholesale decided to "rip off" the design and have them made in some sweat shop in LA, that's what I would expect from a California-based retailer... after all, there isn't much originality out there in plastic land, is there?

"Sincerest form of flattery or a downright rip off? Where does imitation cross the line?

When New Orleans fashion designer Candice Gwinn found out that a California-based online retailer recently started selling a replica of one of her most popular dresses, flattery was not what she felt."

Read more....

Beware Nola!

This Friday 8/8/8 Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd will be teaming up and terrorizing our city. Is 8/8/8 the new sign for the devil?
No telling what ignorance this will breed.
I spent my formative years using Lynyrd Skynyrd as a male reader.
If a guy liked Lynyrd Skynyrd he was out. Automatically. Gone.
Then when Kid Rock showed up on the scene I had another way to monitor potential mates.
Kid Rock saved me from mistakes that could have been.
Now, they have come together in my city to pollute the air with their mindless dribble.

Molly and Dean visit New Orleans

and then they go to the Beach.
I didn't get to do the Beach time but, I did get to view the blueprints that she had pre-done for her sand castle.
That child is brilliant and beautiful and full of curiosity...and I don't mind saying that she takes after me.

Inaugural show for The CANARY Gallery

Opening reception for new photographic works by Zack Smith and Blake Haney.
Inaugural show for The CANARY Gallery.

For the inaugural opening of the Canary Collective Gallery, local photographer Zack Smith has selected from a series of portraits from ongoing projects and assignments. One image, "Preservation Hall - from Holy Cross to St. Peter, 2008" is a multi-exposed Holga photograph from a recent shoot for Preservation Hall Jazz Band staged at the levee near the Holy Cross neighborhood in the 9th Ward. From the ongoing series "People I Know" series, "Candy Store Grilla, 2008" is a portrait of writer Patrick Strange at a candy store, in a gorilla suit, flanked by two lovely women and a lot of candy. Come see the rest.

Blake Haney’s work stems from his work in New Orleans and New York from 2005 to 2007 using his Holga Camera. All works are digital C-Prints with Plexi Mount Frames. Each image is the first in limited series of 10. The works presented will be Preservation 13, Don’t Walk 11 to 12 and Light 11 through 14.


When:
Saturday, August 2nd, White Linen Night. 6-10pm.

Where:
The CANARY Gallery. 329 Julia Street, corner of Commerce and Julia.

About CANARY:
A collaborative multimedia studio and event space, CANARY was founded with the intention of bringing all forms of creative expression to the Arts District. Part working studio, part gallery, part event space, 329 Julia will mine the local community and collaborate with various organizations in the New Orleans community dedicated to different facets of the arts and media.

Follow up to oil Spill

80 miles of river affected.
Wildlife refuge already affected.
Tourism affected.
Oh, and tons of cargo and other priceless commodities that the rest of the country survives on.
Affected.

Dirty Coast brands some fans!

OOO That Smell....

Basically, if you do the math...10,000 barrels is approximately 400,000 gallons of No. 6 fuel oil, ready to ignite. Not to mention mixing in the Mississippi forming a gumbo of harm to the environment.
A 29-mile stretch of the Mississippi River could remain closed for days after a tanker collided with a barge being pulled by a tugboat, slicing the barge in half and causing hundreds of thousands of gallons of heavy fuel oil to spill into the waterway.
So, thats what is going on... for a minute, I thought it was the fleets of road repair warriors slappin' (and I use that term loosely) tar and oil and all the makings of asphalt who were to blame for noxious odor. The Irish Channel has been over run with them for brief spurts of time now going on 2 months. We have new curbs and totally destroyed (worse than they were) streets. Supposedly, this "One" project will eventually restore all roads to a smooth condition as well as update the seweRage system.
For now, no one seems to really be using the curbs.....

If you are any where with in 10 blocks of the river you are inhaling it.

"State Department of Environmental Quality officials warned the unrefined, tar-like # 6 fuel oil is so thick that it could sink, complicating the cleanup efforts. Therefore, the fuel oil won't simply evaporate off the surface, which means workers will try to remove it before it starts to sink.

"This is not our first rodeo; we've seen spills before," said Roland Guidry of the Oil Spill Coordinator's Office."

Thanks Mr. Guidry, for the vote of confidence in your office's efforts.
I would like to know how the companies involved in the accident will be accountable for their actions in destroying the air I breathe.

I am thankful the rain came to wash some out of the air but the sooner I get to New Mexico, the sooner I can detox.

Metal Friar

THE ITALIAN CATHOLIC MONK RELEASES HIS SECOND HEAVY METAL ALBUM. Read more.....
Information is not knowledge,
Knowledge is not wisdom,
Wisdom is not truth,
Truth is not beauty,
Beauty is not love,
Love is not music,
Music is the best!
-Frank Zappa

Gonzo = Gonzeaux

A Little known fact about the origins of "Gonzo" I stumbled across in a search for James Booker heirs:
Gonzo is derived from Gonzeaux.
"The term "gonzo" was first used by Boston Globe editor Bill Cardoso in 1970 when he described Hunter S. Thompson's The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved, which was written for the June 1970 Scanlan's Monthly, as "pure gonzo journalism"[1]. Cardoso claimed that "gonzo" was South Boston Irish slang describing the last man standing after a drinking marathon[2]. Cardoso also claimed that it was a corruption of the French Canadian word "gonzeaux", which means "shining path", although this disputed[3]. The word may have been inspired by the 1960 hit song Gonzo by New Orleans R&B keyboardist James Booker."

Serious (Sesame) Street Cred

Mr. Burns, Howard Dean, and an I-Phone

Yesterday, I somehow managed to meet Mr. Burns from the Simpsons(Harry Shearer) and shake Howard Dean's hand then end my struggling 8 year relationship with Verizon (YIPEE!) as well as receive an "old" iphone from Patrick because he got his 3g.
Harry was in a photo shoot for Dirty Coast. We designed a shirt for levees.org and he agreed to make the cameo in support. Exxxxxxcellent!
There was a rally to register voters w/ an appearance by Howard Dean. I was holding a mic as close as I could towards the PA because we were filming the event as well as averting my attention from Nagin who came off of the bus first (bad move democrats). I receive a elbow nudge from the woman next to me because I am not paying attention & realize that Howard Dean is sticking his hand out towards me to shake my hand. Opps! Even greater was the fact that he pointed at my Geauxbama sticker and said Nice. I let Patrick hand him some stickers. Even Howard Dean likes stickers :)
I am so relieved and over-joyed to be done with Verizon. I mean for years they have falsely charged hundreds of dollars which I have had to pay to keep my phone on as well as illegally changed my plan so that I would incur overages amounting in the hundreds. They have NO "OFFICIAL" Verizon location in Orleans Parrish. Oh, there is the "fake" Verizon on Magazine but they can only "take" your money. They can not offer you customer assistance. And so, I can never actually speak to a human about their unscrupulous business practices. Now, I can feel justified at least a bit...knowing I managed to transfer my number to atnt without even having to speak with a Verizon rep. As soon as I transfer all of my contacts I am scheming an "office space" type scenario which will end in my tossing the Verizon phone into the Mississippi!

FYYFF event in honor of Ashley Morris

Although I barely knew him personally there are at least two monumental moments which stand out in my life recently which involve Ashley.
First is the Krewe De Vieux parade of 2006. There he was on the "Buy us back Chirac" float in all his glory.
Second, he was a subject in the first "official" production I did for Humid Beings.




For those of you who aren't familiar with Ashley Morris and his contribution to this city's Cast of Colorful Characters or of his devotion to The Saints:
Chris Rose: We'll miss the Blogger next door
The Ashely Morris Blog
Remember Ashley Morris

Dirty Coast Press, The Rising Tide and the Big Easy Roller Girls Present:
FYYFF It's Black and Gold Forever
A Fund-raiser for the Ashley Morris Memorial Foundation
Featuring:
The Big Easy Roller Girls
The Other Planets
Simon Lott, Helen Gillet, Justin Peake , Diamond Kinkade,
Fleur de Tease "Nude Is Nice" performance
Supa Saint
and emcee Andrew Ward - The Reverend Pysch Ward.
DEFEND NEW ORLEANS T-Shirts
Proceeds from the raffle and the auction as well as the T-Shirts will be donated by the Morris family to the Ashley Morris Memorial Foundation which will be used to present FYYFF Awards at later dates.
Location:
One-Eyed Jacks
Saturday July 26
Doors 8p
$10 cover

Supa Saint has Supa Baby Boy!

Welcome Supa Baxter!

Inappropriation of $

Usually this is the pavilion where Niki and I practice our katas with Dr. G once a week. Sometimes there are skaters. Other times, groups of men after work eating crawfish and drinking beer.
Always there are brides to be having their photos done.
I secretly keep looking in the paper, waiting for the day when I will see us in the background of a photo in the Nuptials Section. Who wouldn't want a Ninja in their photo?
As if the wedding photo shoots weren't enough,
they are commercializing our Ninja area.
Which really bewilders me because the area is in such better shape than other areas. And it is already utilized by many people.
So, I am confused.

"Great Lawn" project in City Park

Why can't they appropriate some funds to clean up Pontchartrain Beach? Or other areas in dire need of some grant money.
A few dollars for some trash cans at least.
It's summer it is hot. We don't have a 5 star beach but we have an area on water, cooler than the city, on the edge of the city, that looks like the dump most of the time. I guess it is too much to have trash pick-up stop there on it's way to or from UNO and so therefor there is no point in putting trash cans out there. Logical that they would use the "pick-up" dilema as the reason for not having receptacles for trash placement. And there are those of us willing to take our trash with us. But we don't count.
Whoa rant! I really wish I could have access to a close body of water with a CLEAN beach.
Why can't the funds go to anything other than a place already well taken care of and used by the public?

Nola Ninja Girl for President!

Good times @ my favorite pub, Molly's, with my friends from Nederland

Gino is the reason I had the opportunity to live in the Netherlands. He is living the dream in New Orleans now.

And then there is Karel. The infamous guy who biked me on his broken bicycle while I had to carry my bag of puke many miles in Amsterdam after I made the mistake of combining Absinthe, Alcohol and pure weit joints. He finally made it to America and this time it was I who rode him on the tandem around my city. No puke involved.

Zydepunks!

Listen Here

Attention Europe. Belgium. Nederland. Surrounding countries.
The Zydepunks, from New Orleans are touring your beautiful side of the world this summer.
Don't think of kidnapping them because I will send out my ninjas, but do make it to hear them live.... You'll thank me.

Even if Scott wasn't a friend and previous Super Star employee, I would see the greatness in their music. Or the fact that Joe (and his gal, Heidi) were two of the first people I met when I moved to New Orleans. The husband and wife duo wielding accordions, how many times have you seen that? Then there is Denise. I met her one of my only nights working for Moonlight Cafe back in Nov. 06 when times were indeed rough enough for me to accept a gig @ such a crap hole but I met one person that night, a highly intelligent violinist/fiddler who was desperately seeking a meal as were we all in those times. Unfortunately, she and the others came in only to find none of the kitchen staff had shown up that night and that beer was to be her meal too. Eventually she and Scott fell in love each other and in band with the Zydepunks.
This group is rich in soul but not the soul music soul rather the soul deep inside soul. Their music is a reflection of this.
Now, go back to the link and listen!

NOPD Targets the homeless with entrapment

MOVING TARGET

The NOPD baits the homeless and other perpetrators with beer, candy and cigarettes to net burglary arrests.

Read full article here

Dancing to your own beat

Overcoming Obstacles

Failure to be paralinguistic

Why do we continually ignore the importance of communicating our selves?
Personally, I focus on what I am linked to at all times. I say what I mean and I mean what I say. Be it the company I keep or the messages I send out into the world via my behaviors or speech.

Communication. According to dictionary.com anyway.
bulletin, call, connection, contact, conversation, directive, esp, exchange, fax, impartment, intelligence, intercommunication, intercourse, kinesics, language, letter, liaison, link, message, news, note, phatic, radiogram, report, telegram, telepathy,
telephone, telex, transmission, wavelength, wire

I set out in search of a word other than communication to try and offer a newfangled perspective on a communication issue to a friend who is constantly failing to communicate with those in her life.
Communication is and always will be the most important function of our world.
Communication is the basis for our life.
All other mammals have mastered their communication skills with each other.
Stupid humans!
The more I stop to analyze situations or people, the more I realize that most of our problems as human beings seem to all somehow boil down to a gumbo of mis-communications.
I stumbled across this link in my search:
The big issues? War, hunger, and oppression, of course. After that, questions of human communication seem pretty important to me.
Especially since the landscape we stand on is shifting. [Update: The comments on this piece are fantastic. My profound thanks to the contributors.]

Homo sapiens have been around for 200,000 years, more or less. Evidence suggests that human language has to be at least 50,000 years old, and there are reasonable arguments (cf. Chomsky) that it goes back about as far as we do.

For most of those years, the only way for people to use language was to be in each others’ presence. But as time has unfolded we’ve been fixing that problem. Not, however at an even pace:
Age in Years
(2007 estimate)
Homo sapiens ~200,000
Language >50,000
Writing 5,000
Telephone 131
Broadcasting 101
E-Mail 25
IRC 19
Texting 15
IM 11
Blogging 10
Twitter 1

Leading us to the marvels of Technology and the advances of communication in that respect.

However, I can't help thinking about how the advances in technology seem to enhance the lack of immediate conversation, one on one/real time call it like it is at that moment communication.

I honestly feel a strong, dare I say telepathic , connection to those I love and share my life with. I even feel this sometimes for random complete strangers who are friends of lovers of cousins of mothers.
Is this psychic ability? I am not ready to define it but it is more than chance. Is our communication being broken down by the forces that keep us in touch with the world? The more we loose touch with the world, the more we loose touch with ourselves and our inner communicative tools? I have been pondering that for a while.

My martial Arts instructor, Dr. G, gave me a book to read which after 2 weeks I finally cracked open. It is a great reinforcement to observations of the true power of communication previously in my life and with some techniques to improve the execution of this power.
In my brief study in linguistics, I truly discovered the power of the mind and it's splendor. Fascinating, really.
Words are intentions and intentions can be used to create "magic". Magic is a wish come true. I grasp these concepts because I make things happen. I see examples every day. I just need to learn to also accept the disappointment of NOT making it happen. Sour with the Sweet.
And to my friend... only by communicating your true wants and needs will you ever change your reality. It is that simple. Decide what YOU want & need and don't stop til you make it happen!

If you could make one wish
and you knew it would be granted,
what would you wish for?

Think about it.
Visualize it.

.....watch it work, real magic.

Art in Action needs volunteers

Art in Action!
! VOLUNTEERS URGENTLY NEEDED !

What: “Field Guides”, an “ArtInAction” site-specific installation
Artist: Jacqueline Bishop
Where: Milne Boys Home; 5420 Franklin Avenue, Gentilly Google Map
When: Thursday June 26th (Installation Begins)

“Art In Action” is honored to collaborate with artist Jacqueline Bishop on “Field Guide”, a site-specific installation by contemporary artist Jacqueline Bishop at the historical Milne Boys Homein Gentilly. “Field Guide” will be initiated June 26th and formally unveiled July 26th. In her efforts to call attention to the current global environmental crisis, Ms. Bishop will be painting 2500 originally designed stencils of indigenous and migratory Louisiana birds on the Milne site.

Volunteers are needed to assist “ArtInAction” and Ms. Bishop with this installation. The primary task will be to work with Ms. Bishop in the painting of the stencils. Hours are from 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. for 5 days. One hour shifts are available – larger time commitments will be greatly appreciated. All necessary tools and refreshments will be provided.

Working so closely with an established artist on such a radical project, interacting with the landscape to participate in its recovery, and connecting with the Gentilly community will be a rewarding experience on many levels. Don’t miss this opportunity to participate in such an exciting event! Please contact Elizabeth Underwood at aia@elizabethunderwood.net to volunteer or for further information. Thank you!

Artist Jacqueline Bishop is known for paintings and installation that focus on landscape issues particularly through birds, butterlfies and flora. In this way she explores the politicizing of nature, species extinction and eco-political injustice. This work has been influenced by her thirty years of traveling third world countries, Latin American forests and her native Louisiana swamps. She attended the University of Kansas, received a BA from the University of New Orleans and an MFA from Tulane University. Currently Ms. Bishop teaches “Art and the Environment” at Loyola University. She is author of “Em Memoria Chico Mendes: A Tribute on the 10-Year Anniversary of His Death“ and “Losing Ground: Imaginary Landscapes”. She founded ArtSpeak at the Contemporary Arts Center and for 6 years organized this program. For 5 years she co-hosted “Louisiana Artist” for WWNO, New Orleans’ NPR affiliate radio station, interviewing contemporary visual artists about their work. She has exhibited and lectured in Europe, Asia, South America, Canada and the U.S. and is a grant recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and Joan Mitchell Foundation. Ms. Bishop is represented by the Arthur Roger Gallery in New Orleans.

Carnival lights

Cinco De Mayo Carnival from Andrew Curtis on Vimeo.

'Na Na Na'

For my NY friends, try and catch her around your area!
The shows in NYC for my Big Apple readers:

Sun Jun 15 - Brooklyn, NYTwo Stick, Oxford MS
Union Hall
702 Union St @ 5th Ave
7pm
unionhallny.com

Mon Jun 16 - New York, NY
Pianos
158 Ludlow St.
8pm
www.pianosnyc.com

Tue Jun 17 - New York, NY
Living Room
154 Ludlow St.
7pm
www.livingroomny.com

Kucinich enters articles of impeachment against Bush

Is someone ACTUALLY trying to hold the Bush administration responsible for their actions?
Thanks to Vydra being such a nerd and all or I wouldn't know this since I work too much to keep up with the world lately.

This is reality.

Kucinich presents impeachment articles. READ ON!

How running 5 minutes late can potentially save your life!

This morning was hectic for no reason. Just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I had every intention of making it to work early only to be late. I wanted to walk today but had to jump on my bike due to my tardiness. Now, not only is my new neighbor a convicted felon (forcible rape of all things)but my path to work is paved with drive by shootings. The first, I missed by a matter of minutes on my way to the office and the other AGAIN, I missed by a matter of minutes while heading out on an errand. Two drive-by's same location different times and ole' yeller the cruiser, and I missed each by minutes. I am suppose to feel safe?

Nola.com did it's usual half ass story. Tomorrow it will all be forgotten. Business as usual.
I mean, i didn't even realize it was the scene of a murder investigation when I crossed the police tape. NOPD just hanging around talking. I even ducked under the tape (because there was no seeming urgency or potential that this was even the scene of a crime...besides the yellow police tape. None of the cops said a word. I take that back, one made a cat call "yeah, you right girl, mmmmmmmmm!"
Costa Rica is looking better and better!

Read on....

Chemical Dumbing Down of America!

Sunday

It's HOT already!
Sunday is now dedicated to Nat's pool times and the grilling of fine foods! Thanks Beka for putting the grill together!
Now it is on.

No New Orleanian left behind!

Like a skipping record, over and over I am sickened by the tales I encounter of the day to day life in New Orleans "business as usual" for it's citizens and it's community.
No one can argue that unlike most American cities, New Orleans IS the sum of it's inhabitants. With out us, there is no tourism. With out tourism, there is little economy. With out an economy, there is no New Orleans. With out New Orleans....
A woman heads to work in her Chevrolet truck as she does 5-6 days week only this day she has brought her dog with her because he has an appointment to get a summer cut, Mohawk in fact. She stops at a vet's office to pick up eye drops for the kittens she has been nursing at work. She parks the truck, leaving her purse in the cab and her dog in the back and is gone for 5 minutes only to return and find that the truck has been towed.... the purse and the dog as well. Another man is confused because he too had been gone a matter of minutes only to return and have his car towed. The woman calls her boss for a ride to rescue her dog and her purse from the impound lot. The man does the same. As they are waiting a bartender steps outside shaking his head and says, "you know, the sign is obscure, they cleaned the street already at 9am, yet this is the second or third time they have towed cars". The woman arrives at the impound hysterically inquiring about her dog. They ask her for her drivers license. She says it is in the truck. She begs for them to let her get her dog and then she can get her purse and then she can take care of this. After threatening to call the LASPCA first and wasting 30 more minutes of her time, they finally release her dog and truck for $125. She leaves and heads to take the dog to his appointment and while dropping him off receives a ticket (once again, "legit" but obscure). Finally, she arrives at work and 30 minutes later there is a crash outside. An elderly woman had obviously stopped for the train which had it's lights on but was not moving and a car had slammed into her. The elderly lady was being cursed at and threatened by the hoodlums in the car that rear ended her and the woman's boss had come to call 911 and ensure this womans safety. 10 minutes after the 911 call a cop showed up, asked them to move the cars to the side and then said another cop was on his way. The boss called 911 again and said a cop came and left. 911 told him that the original cop who was dispatched to the call was on his way. An hour later, the other cop arrived.

On a personal note, I walked into work the next day and my boss pushed a letter from the City of New Orleans printed on fancy paper towards me and said "Check this out!" The letter was to inform his local, well respected and decorated web development company that the City of New Orleans had chosen another company to design their site. The other company not only has a horrible web site to represent themselves but they are also located in Colorado.

A tenant of a friend of mine woke up the other day to the boot on her car in front of her house. She new she had a ticket but it was recent and in no way delinquent. When she called the city to inquire, they informed her that she had several "delinquent" tickets from the block of Constance behind Whole Foods (where she is employed). Funny thing is, I ride my bike past that exact block frequently to and from my job and just the other day I saw someone ticketing cars and stopped to ask "Why?". There is no sign stating no parking anywhere. When I asked the meter maid why she was ticketing and where the no parking sign was, she replied "I'm doing my job. Don't talk to me". Back to the boot. So, the woman is on the phone with the city inquiring about the boot and she is asked for her credit card info. in order to pay the fines. She is given a code to unlock the boot AND then she has 48 hours to return the boot HERSELF or she will be charged $50/day in fines.

In conclusion, (because I could keep going and going with similar tales but need to get back to work)
It seems to me that the City of New Orleans is doing it's best to drive the local's out of the city by enforcing the wrong rules and justifying their deficiency in what really matters by claiming that they "don't have the means". If the City of New Orleans can dispatch a tow truck to tow a car in less than 5 minutes yet can't get anyone to the scene of crime or they continually deny local businesses a chance to work in their own city then we are in for a long downward spiral..... This city is nothing without those of us who live, breathe, and color it!

Dear Alcohol,

First and foremost, let me tell you that I am a huge fan of yours. As my friend, you always seem to be there when needed. The perfect gift, post-work cocktail, a beer at the game, and you're even around at the holidays (hidden inside chocolates as you warm us when we're stuck in the midst of endless family gatherings). However, lately I've been wondering about your intentions.

While I want to believe that you have my best interests at heart, I feel that your influence has led to some unwise consequences:

1. Phone Calls: While I agree with you that communication is important, I question the suggestion that any conversation after 2 a.m. can have much substance or necessity. Why would you make me call my ex's? Especially when I know, for a fact, they DO NOT want to hear from me during the day, let alone all hours of the night.

2. Eating: Now you know I love a good meal, but why do you suggest that I eat a taco with chili sauce along with a big Italian meatball and some stale chips washed down with wine and topped off with a Kit Kat AFTER a few cheese curls & chili cheese fries? I'm an eclectic eater but I think you went too far this time.

3. Clumsiness: Unless you're subtly trying to tell me that I need to do more yoga to improve my balance, I see NO need to hammer this issue home by causing me to fall down. It's completely unnecessary, and the black & blue marks that appear on my body mysteriously the next day are beyond me. Similarly, it should never take me more than 45 seconds to get the front door key into the lock.

4. Furthermore: The hangovers have GOT to stop! This is getting ridiculous. I know a little penance for our previous evening's debauchery may be in order, but the 3 p.m. hangover immobility is completely unacceptable. My entire day is shot. I ask that if the proper precautions are taken (water, Vitamin B, bread products, aspirin) prior to going to sleep/passing out (face down on the kitchen floor with a bag of popcorn or whatever), the hangover should be minimal and in no way interfere with my daily activities.

Alcohol, I have enjoyed our friendship for some years now and would like to ensure that we remain on good terms. You've been the invoker of great stories, the provocation for much laughter, and the needed companion when I just don't know what to do with the extra money in my pockets.

In order to continue this friendship, I ask that you carefully review my grievances above and address them immediately. I will look for an answer no later than Friday, 3 p.m. (pre-happy hour) on your possible solutions. And hopefully we can continue this fruitful partnership.....

Thank you,

Your Biggest Fan

P.S. Please take a moment or two and note the following items below that I think may be of some interest to you.



THINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN DRUNK

1. Innovative

2. Preliminary

3. Proliferation

4. Cinnamon

THINGS THAT ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN DRUNK:

1. Specificity

2. British Constitution

3. Passive-Aggressive Disorder

THINGS THAT ARE DOWNRIGHT IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHEN DRUNK:

1. Thanks, but I don't want to have sex.

2. Nope, no more beer for me.

3. Sorry, but you're not really my type.

4. Good evening officer. Isn't it lovely out tonight?

5. Oh, I couldn't. No one wants to hear me sing.

Birthday @ Molly's

Arts and Crafts and Wigs and cocktails!
and good company...
what more could a girl ask for?
The "new" 25 sure looks good!

photo from 5/12/2008
Thanks Humble Haney!

The hummingbird Whisperer

I have been begging my brother for this picture for 5 years & it came just in time. Can you imagine what kind of energy a person would have to encompass to allow a hummingbird to rest on their fingertips and suckle nectar? I watched my grandfather do this many times as a child at our cabin in New Mexico and I have yet to be more impressed by a animal/human connection.
Although my grandfather has long since passed, whenever I feel like I can not accomplish something, this image fills my brain and I am thankful to have been blessed with the time I did have with him and the effect he left on my ability to remain calm under pressure and appreciate relationships.
These are two of the most important lessons one can learn in life!

motivated graffiti artist

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

The Next American City

The Next American City: 24hours in New Orleans
Hello Folks //

So an organization called Next American City (http://americancity.org) is doing a symposium on Thursday, March 6th about the city. I am looking for help is archiving some of this.

But more importantly:

On that Saturday the 8th at 11am they are meeting at Jackson Square and then spending 24 hours in the city going through neighborhoods, doing night life and seeing what happens here when folks should be sleeping. They are looking for folks to do it with them, to documents (photo, video, audio) and offer ideas on where to go.

Humid Beings is on board to help archive and participate. I will be jumping into the 24 hours in a few chunks of time with the Sony HD and getting content to be used later on HB and linked to from them.

I would love it if any of you would help participate.

Peace & Much Love! Dirty Coast Press

Alternative Media Expo ’08

Check out this event: Alternative Media Expo ’08

Hosted By: Antigravity Magazine
When: Saturday Feb 23, 2008
at 12:00 PM
Where: The Warehouse at the Contemporary Arts Center
900 Camp St.
New Orleans, LA 70130
United States
Description:
Antigravity Magazine

Click Here To View Event


Click here for Press

Come out and support the Alternative Media scene and those who keep it that way!

Sunday Sunday! Bold As Love!

Nothing beats Sunday mimosas and spinning records in your hood to be again soon across from the mobile snowball stand tailgating with some devil sticks, good conversation,bull-whipping, Tina Tuner-ing, hula-hoopin' (which i had forgotten I was quite capable of) & hanging on the stoop.
I love Sunday, I love my friends and I love this city of New Orleans!
Thank you Jimi for helping remember

Anger, he smiles,
towering in shiny metallic purple armour
Queen Jealousy, envy waits behind him
Her fiery green gown sneers at the grassy ground

Blue are the life-giving waters taken for granted,
They quietly understand
Once happy turquoise armies lay opposite ready,
But wonder why the fight is on
But they're all bold as love, yeah, they're all bold as love
Yeah, they're all bold as love
Just ask the axis

My red is so confident that he flashes trophies of war,
and ribbons of euphoria
Orange is young, full of daring,
But very unsteady for the first go round
My yellow in this case is not so mellow
In fact I'm trying to say it's frigthened like me
And all these emotions of mine keep holding me from, eh,
Giving my life to a rainbow like you
But, I'm eh , yeah, I'm bold as love
Yeah, yeah
Well I'm bold, bold as love (hear me talking, girl)
I'm bold as love
Just ask the axis (he knows everything)
Yeah,
yeah,
yeah!


and while I am at it thanks Taylor ala Swayze for sinking this in my head
you take me through moonlight only to burn me with the sun

A Big Easy North American Union. Time to suceed Indeed!

Acadiana Self Reliance! Compliments of Dirty Coast Press!



It's getting even scarier around here!

Vote for your ruler! Zod

(thanks Humid Haney)

Click here to view why.

Mardi Gras 2008 re-cap

As usual, it was a time of magic and wonder. Thanks go to Vydra for allowing everyone (even friends of friends of friends) access to her VIP parade watching spot and use of her bathroom and fridge and basically the run of her apartment.
I didn't however catch a single go-cup but that is probably because I gave up after the first parade.
I did however receive a blinky hope diamond and buttons from the Skeleton Krewe as well as there paper.
Muses was amazing and the Camel Toe Lady Steppers stole the show!
Tandy had her first "accident" along the river mainly due to some assholes who refused to heed the warnings and get out of the way. But, thankfully it was Niki and I riding and since we have the tandem synchronicity, all we have are some bruises and the tandem suffered no damage. The fog rolling in was just magnificent. Dykini grandpa was flashing his boner under his lingerie @ Molly's and we had to high tail it ut of there quick! Go Kee-o Go Kee-o Go! Quintron & Miss Pussycat rocked it and rocked it and rocked it around!
I went to a seriously underground (Ivan, Seanspinachcan, Colin...this was ALT) Freak party in the Bywater dressed in Beka's beautiful Flamingo bustle and discovered a late 70's Alice Cooperish guy masturbating on my leg under the patio table. I also discovered a new breed of Mullet, the rat tail Mullet. I definitely entered one of the "portals of Nola" that night!
Who new gutter-punks had I-Mac's?
The Nola Ninja's came out on Mardi-Gras day and rode bikes along the parade route making every child scream with excitement at spotting a Ninja!
Then to Molly's on the Market to redevouz with our Samurai and other Ninja's.... of course Dykini Grandpa was there again only this time in pink lingerie instead of white...still had a boner no-one wanted to see!
We started our journey to meet our magnificent Dragon Bicycle Float (amazing job Will, next year you will have all ninja's assistance in construction!) for the St. Anthony Parade and found the float having technical difficulties. Luckily, the Ninja's and McGuyver saw to it that it get mobile again......and off we marched...... handing out eggs with the chinese symbol for AWESOME (Stevie B. & Will's design) ....protecting babies in their strollers and wagons....kicking pirate ass all over the quarter...climbing poles (Go Kee-o!)....doing katas (Niki & I )... & dancing to the beats of the Panorama Brass Band (Thanks guys!) Ran into the Metry dancer's and the elephant man back at Molly's. more dancing in the streets!!!!
Then we found our Flock of Birds, the Peacock, the Blue-bird, and the Pigeon with their Bird Wrangler on the corner of Frenchmen.
After that, I became the lone ninja. Never leave your ninja's! Besides hanging with Buddah and the Gladiator on a couch outside Cafe Brazil, the lone Ninja ran into all kinds of trouble resulting in a Ninja toe to an assholes gut and a disappearance from the scene.
Video shot by Humble Haney for Humid Beings:


Fat Tuesday 2008 from Humid Beings on Vimeo.

THIS HAS TO STOP! 16 shootings over Mardi Gras

Just saw this article on nola.com. Was anyone else aware that there were 16 shootings during carnival? And the last two (from yesterday) happened right near where I (and a lot of other people I know) work. Great. I guess I have to watch my back going to Juan's to get a burrito and be ready to hit the deck. This is fucking ridiculous.


Latest murder comes on the heels of a violent Carnival
by Laura Maggi and Brendan McCarthy, Times-Picayune
Thursday February 07, 2008, 6:43 AM
A gunman opened fire Wednesday morning and killed a 26-year-old man driving a rental car in the Lower Garden District, sending the car careening into a nearby building.

The fatal shooting, the 21st murder in New Orleans this year, occurred closely on the heels of a trying Carnival season for police, one in which four people were murdered and 12 others injured in shootings in the past five days, according to police records.

In broad daylight Wednesday, with people standing outside, Edward Causey, 26, of New Orleans, drove a white Pontiac sedan eastbound on Annunciation Street about 10:30 a.m., authorities said.

When he reached the intersection at St. Mary Street, a waiting man sprayed his vehicle with gunfire, said New Orleans police officer Sabrina Richardson. Causey's car continued for several blocks and hit a silver Chrysler PT Cruiser heading north on Felicity Street, police said. The Pontiac came to a stop yards later after it crashed through the wall of an abandoned building.

The driver of the PT Cruiser was not injured. No one else was inside Causey's car, which was registered to a rental agency, police said.

The shooting and crash attracted dozens of neighborhood residents to the scene. Causey slumped at the wheel, bleeding from a single gunshot wound to the back.

New Orleans Emergency Medical Service workers said Causey was dead at the scene. The Orleans Parish coroner's office pulled Causey from the car and later released his identity.

About 80 minutes after the murder, Irish Channel residents reported a drive-by shooting in the 700 block of Washington Avenue. Residents told police the occupant of a passing car sprayed gunfire in the middle of the block. No one was injured.

Violent Carnival weekend

Causey's murder came after a violent weekend.

On Saturday afternoon, police found the body of Terry Robinson, 26, in a vacant lot near the corner of North Johnson and Montegut streets. An official with the Orleans Parish coroner's office said it appeared Robinson had been shot the night before.

Allen Porche, 24, was shot several times on a Lower 9th Ward street late Saturday afternoon.

A day later, police found Jadace Craft, 24, about 1 a.m. on the sidewalk in the 1600 block of Marigny Street with a fatal gunshot wound to the head.

Javonte Morgan, 15, was fatally shot about 9:45 p.m. while sitting in a car in the 1700 block of North Galvez Street during a fight at a fast-food restaurant.

Gunshots injure 12

In addition, 12 people were injured in shootings in the past five days, according to police records.

-- Saturday at 1:30 a.m., at the corner of Basin and Canal streets, a man was shot in the arm during what police described as a drug deal.

-- Just after the Endymion parade passed the corner of Canal and Baronne streets, three men and two women were shot. Two men were arrested at the scene.

-- On Sunday just after 2 a.m., a man was shot in the chest and arm at 900 Common St. He was taken to the hospital, according to a police log.

-- A man was shot Monday morning just after midnight after opening his door in the 2600 block of North Tonti Street. After answering the door, he argued with someone and wrestled over a gun. The man was shot in the left arm, according to a police log.

-- Two men were shot Monday about 1:22 a.m. near the corner of Canal and Bourbon streets. One was shot on the right side, another was shot in his calf, according to police records.

-- Later Monday, at 5:21 a.m., a man was hit by a bullet near North Dorgenois and St. Ann streets. As he was walking, he heard shots, according to a police log. He later noticed he was shot in the hand.

-- Tuesday, at about 5:30 p.m., shots broke out along the parade route at St. Charles Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard, although no people were injured, Richardson said. It was the latest in a string of non-fatal shootings near crowded parade routes.

A group of officers standing near the route saw a young man shoot a gun, Richardson said. They chased him for a half block before catching him. The suspect, 16, was caught with the gun in his hand, Richardson said.

-- On Tuesday about 10 p.m., a 23-year-old man driving his vehicle in the Irish Channel was shot in the head about eight blocks from the scene of the Wednesday morning murder. According to a police description of the Tuesday night incident, the man was shot after a dark vehicle stopped near 2338 St. Thomas St. Several men got out of the vehicle and opened fire, striking the man once in the back of his head, the police log stated.

The men fled, while the victim was taken to University Hospital. The victim, who has spoken to detectives, is in critical but stable condition, said Sgt. Joseph Narcisse, commander of the NOPD's public affairs unit.

Later that evening, shots were fired near the corner of Soniat and Tchoupitoulas streets, Narcisse said, but nobody was hit.