On Thursday, May 16, 2013, Justin L. Winch of Smith Stag, LLC will be petitioning the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans as the Plaintiff in the matter of Justin L. Winch v. J. Stephen Perry, President and CEO of New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, Steve Moeller, and Kelly Schulz to declare the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau as being subject to Public Records Law.

If successful, this private entity that receives public funds will be required to be responsive to Public Records Requests (PRRs).

Historically The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau has played the role of “public agency” when it suits the agency to do so (for example, when seeking public sources of revenue via tax dollars), but also holds itself to be a private entity in general. However, this action would establish that if even one penny of any particular report or project was funded via the taxpayers of New Orleans, its records would be considered a public matter by default.

When Senate Bill 573 regarding the proposed “Hospitality Zone” was considered during the 2012 Louisiana Legislative Session, I filed a PRR to obtain a copy of the Boston Consulting Group’s report that was being cited as a blueprint for the future of the tourism industry in New Orleans. I received the following response via email an email (received 5/9/12) and a follow-up letter (received 5/10/12) from a prestigious law firm:

“We have been asked by the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau (the CVB) to respond to your email of May 9, 2012 requesting a copy of the full report of the Boston Consulting Group. We advise you that the CVB is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(6) corporation, organized under the Louisiana Nonprofit Corporation Law as a membership corporation and is not a public body within the meaning of the Louisiana Public Records Law. Accordingly, it does not respond to public records requests. [Emphasis added.]

 

“We are not taking any position as to whether the documents you seek are the proper subject of a public records request addressed to a public body in possession or control of such documents.”

It should be noted that I was ultimately successful in obtaining access to the report described as “proprietary” by a NOCVB staff member from the Office of the Lt. Governor Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, which identified the exact same document as being a public record.

Mr. Winch, however, has not been as successful in obtaining access to the records that he wishes to review:

“At the time of the filing of this petition, Plaintiff has still not been provided access to examine the requested public records, and as such, Plaintiff is being deprived of his Constitutional right to participate intelligently in the political process and engage in discourse involving the expenditure of public funds.”

It is my understanding that this petition is soon to be amended; an updated version of the document will be posted when the revisions are made available.

Update 5/16/13:

The petition was heard today before Judge Ethel Simms Julien.

As expected, legal counsel for the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau primarily argued that the NOCVB, as a private, nonprofit corporation, is not required to respond to public records requests. (This was conveyed to Winch in an initial response similar to the one that I received regarding my own request noted previously in this post.)

Apparently Winch sent his public records request on a Friday and received a response from the NOCVB’s legal counsel that same day indicating that the corporation would not, in any way, be responding to his request. On the following Monday, Winch sent an email in reply, stating “Okay, you won’t give me the documents that I requested, so at least provide your 990s, which although not originally requested are now all that I have to go on regarding your expenditures until I can get the court to order you to respond to the original request.”

Today, however, the NOCVB’s legal counsel attempted to portray their willingness to produce the 990s as a response to Winch’s request. Winch then clarified that the 990s and his formal public records request were two completely separate matters, and that their willingness to produce the 990s did not answer his initial public records request. It seemed that the Judge saw through this legal sleight-of-hand.

Although I am not fully aware of the original records requested by Mr. Winch, the subsequently requested Form 990 records for the NOCVB are an annual report that certain federally tax-exempt organizations must file with the IRS to provide information regarding the organization’s mission, programs, and finances. As stated by Winch, these forms are “clearly subject to public inspection.”

Legal counsel for the NOCVB also alleged that some of the information requested in his public records request simply did not exist and that some of what was requested could instead be provided by city agencies. One of the attorneys for the NOCVB stated, “If we have to give you documents that are in the public domain to make you go away, we’ll do it.”

It is my opinion that Mr. Winch was, to a degree, successful in arguing that the NOCVB’s initial complete refusal to answer to the public records request was unacceptable and of consequence. It is my understanding that Winch is seeking a specific accounting of “the expenditure of income received from public tax dollars” by the NOCVB. At times during this hearing, however, it seemed that technicalities and details were possibly of greater significance than the general consideration of the public’s right to know.

Because of the discrepant response by NOCVB’s legal counsel, the judge determined that the petition action was premature, meaning that she simply found that Mr. Winch should have waited for a longer period of time before filing his petition. Due to Winch’s filing of a subsequent amended petition, another hearing has been set for Friday, 5/25/13.

The fact that Judge Simms Julien did not dismiss this matter today or decide in favor of the NOCVB as the defendant in this action was encouraging — the NOCVB is not yet in the clear regarding this action.

Either legal counsel for NOCVB will make available any existing public records that will satisfy the request and fulfill their responsibility to demonstrate that perhaps some of the records were instead paid for with private (non-tax dollar) funding, or there’s a distinct possibility that this matter will be ruled in favor of Mr. Winch. The latter would establish that the NOCVB is, in fact, responsible to answer to public records requests in the future.

All posts by lunanola

The post New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau to be petitioned to be responsive to Public Records Requests appeared first on HumidCity.

Nearly four years ago, a young boy by the name of Jeremy Galmon was shot and killed after a second line had passed by, a casualty of people using bullets to settle arguments.

The fundraising for Jeremy’s family was held only a few blocks from my home, sponsored by members of the community and by Young Men of Olympia Social & Pleasure Club, who had sponsored the parade on the day that the boy was caught in the crossfire. The city was in an uproar over this latest victim of gun violence here, and the finger-pointing at the parade as a cause of the violence was happening in too much earnest. Casting blame on the second-lines was far too easy to do at the time, but the bands were out in force, and people were driving by the Goodwork Network to give funding to the Galmon family and to deliver the message that second-lining was not a cause, but strove to be a solution in a number of ways. It was there that I met Deborah Cotton for the first time, working right alongside the organizers, enjoying the Baby Boyz Brass Band, the Roots of Music in one of its earliest incarnations, and assisting with style and grace.

I knew the name from her book Notes From New Orleans, which was one of the first post-8/29/2005 chronicles I’d read – I feel to this day that it is still unjustly overlooked as a smart, occasionally sassy, and heartfelt window into that time. I then found that she was contributing to Nola.com under the name Big Red Cotton via a blog there entitled Notes On New Orleans (I wonder where that title came from?), where her amazing voice and perspective jumped off the web browser and stood out among all that hot mess. She’d made it a point to immerse herself in the second line culture and invited me out to do so sometime.

I’ll tell everyone a secret: for quite a while, I wanted to write like Deb. Her frankness about how many people were on some sort of antidepressant to deal with the aftermath of the levee breaches helped make me bolder about admitting that I was on them and will most likely be on them for the rest of my life. There’s one post of mine that’s directly inspired by her examples: a multimedia account of a visit to another fundraiser, the Dinerral Shavers Educational Fund, filled with brass bands, love, laughter, and even some “Halftime,” anticipating the Saints’ Super Bowl win later that same month. I was happy to see her posting at the Gambit’s Blog of New Orleans, and touted her extensive online archive of second line YouTubes when I could.

Life gets crazy, and 2010 flew by, then 2011, 2012. I saw Deb again at a Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities program, then at Rising Tide 6, but I wasn’t able to take advantage of that opportunity to dance with her as she took in another of the second lines she so loved. Once I heard she was among the 19 shot by someone lying in wait for the procession to come by this past Sunday, my heart was in my throat. She’d worked so hard for so many years to show that this was a welcoming part of New Orleans culture, and one kid with a gun had struck that down, taking her with it…

She and a few others are still recovering from their injuries. The suspect(s) in the shooting is(are) still at large. And, for whatever reason, I find myself thinking about James.

James is no one specific. In Notes From New Orleans, Deb wrote about wanting a James to come along, and referred to him in one of her most recent tweets. James isn’t someone who can come and take her away from it all completely, but he can certainly make it all bearable for quite a while. James will know just what makes Deb tick, and will respond to her in all the right ways when she’s low, bringing her out of whatever doldrums she’s in. James is a supportive, seductive dream of a black man who hasn’t arrived in her life…but I wonder…

New Orleans may not have been perfect, and it may have lashed out at her, but it has sustained her all these years. She’s believed in it for so long, worked so hard for it, that I couldn’t help but think that one of the greatest tributes to her toils was Ronal Serpas making the point that the second line was not to blame for the shootings – and most everyone agreeing with that assessment. Jeffrey the yaller blogger is correct in saying “no one has done more to cover and celebrate this generation of NOLA street culture.” Deb treated it so well that if it were a person, I’m sure it would be a James.

It’s now time for us all to do what a James would do – support Deb and those others hurt in the shootings.

The Gambit is working with the Tipitina’s Foundation on a fundraiser for them all. Go here and stay alert for further details.

Deb kick-started New Orleans Good Good shortly before Sunday’s parade. Sign up for updates on her condition and details on fundraising. It would also be great, if you are in a position to do so, to sponsor some advertising on the site and keep her work going.

A blood drive effort for shooting victims is being scheduled for May 22, from 2-7 PM. At least 25 donors are needed for the blood drive. Contact meglousteau@gmail.com for further details and to volunteer.

Liprap

Cross-posted at NOLAFemmes

The post Her James appeared first on HumidCity.

Google Glass. It’s nifty. It’s stupid. It’s revolutionary. It’s a no-starter. Etc, etc.

The near wearable computer elicits very strong pro and con reactions as more people hear about it. I’m one of the lucky ones. You see I got picked to be a “Glass Explorer”. This means that I get to be one of .003% of the public to give Glass a test drive, an idea that has immense appeal for an media maker like me. The down side is expense. The unit itself is going to run $1500 and then there is the trip up to Google Offices in NYC to get it and get trained.

So I dove into the wonderful world of crowd funding. The IndieGoGo campaign has now raised enough for the Glass unit itself. If I can raise about $200 more (bringing it to the $1800 mark) I’ve got matching funds promised from two sources that will cover the fees and travel expense.

So, I’ve got just over two days and roughly $200 to raise. That is nail biting territory, I’ll admit. Of course I think that I should be one fo the people top get my mitts on one before they hit the market. I’m greedy that way. Of course I also have planned on how to use them to get some really fun interviews adn inside looks at New Orleans places and traditions. Despite the title of this post I do not intend to become a “Glasshole” although I do intent to explore and take notes on how people react to me while I am wearing them.

So, while I don’t make a habit of asking for things you all know that the stuff I produce with Glass will all end up here on HumidCity first.

Consider this an internet based tip jar. New Orleans through Google Glass on IndieGoGo

Related articles

• The Rise of the Term ‘Glasshole,’ Explained by Linguists – Rebecca Greenfield – The Atlantic Wire
• The Inevitable Happened, Someone Coined a Term For Using Google Glass Like a Jerk
• Operation Loki: Google Glass in NOLA

The post Make Loki a Glasshole appeared first on HumidCity.

Well, today’s the day they play for the forty-seventh Lombardi Trophy and seeing as I can’t stand either team, (Niners hatred for all those years they beat the Saints; Ravens disdain for being there instead of the Steelers,) I thought I’d post a few incredibly useless factoids that you can use to impress your friends at whatever party you’re hanging out at today!

Ravens 34 – 49ers 31

The NFC (25) leads the AFC (22) in SB victories. The current streak is 1 victory by the AFC.

10 – Record for a city hosting the SB (Miami, New Orleans)
07 – Record for a venue hosting the SB (Louisiana Superdome)

55 – Most Points scored by winning team (49ers: SB24 – 1990)
14 – Least points scored by a winning team (Dolphins: SB7 – 1973)
31 – Most points scored by a losing team (Cowboys: SB13 – 1979)
03 – Least points scored by a losing team (Dolphins: SB6 – 1972)
75 – Most points scored by both teams (49ers 49 – Chargers 26: SB29 – 1995)
21 – Least points scored by both teams (Dolphins 14 – Redskins 7: SB7 – 1973)
45 – Biggest blowout (49ers 55 – Broncos 10: SB24 – 1990)
01 – Closest game (Giants 20 – Bills 19: SB25 – 1991)

08 – Most appearances (Cowboys, Steelers)
06 – Most Championships (Steelers)*
00 – Least Appearances (Browns, Lions, Jaguars, Texans)
00 – Least Championships (the four teams above plus the Vikings, Bills, Bengals, Eagles, Chargers, Falcons, Titans, Panthers, Seahawks, Cardinals)
* A 49ers win ties them with the Steelers. [Oops.] The Packers were the first team to two Championships, the Steelers first to three, four and six and the 49ers first to five.

20 – Most appearances by a conference (NFC East)*
04 – Least appearances by a conference (NFC South)*
08 – Most Championships by a conference (AFC North)* **
11 – Most losses by a conference (AFC East)*
* These stats compiled using current NFL conferences.
** A Ravens win breaks the tie in favor of the AFC North. [Yay!]

Undefeated teams: 49ers (5-0), Ravens (2-0), Jets, Buccaneers, Saints (each 1-0)
[Both the Ravens and Niners risk their undefeated status today!]

The Bills and the Vikings are both 0-4 in the Superbowl, but the Bills take the record for utter futility, losing four straight Championships. (Giants in 1991, Redskins in 1992 and Cowboys in 1993 and ’94. All NFC East teams.)

Six Superbowls were rematches of five previous championships:
(victories in parentheses)
Steelers (SB10, SB13)  Cowboys (SB30)
Dolphins (SB7) Redskins (SB17)
Niners (SB16, SB23) Bengals
Cowboys (SB27, SB28) Bills
Giants (SB42, SB46) Patriots

If there’s one thing that stands out in all these stats it’s that the Steelers and 49ers own the NFL Championship yet they have yet to meet in the Big Dance. While I remain a loyal Saints fan, I’m adding a Pittsburgh-SanFran Superbowl to my Christmas List, just below the line that reads “Saints Second Championship!” And if either happens here in the ‘Dome, so much the better!

And of course, you’ll want to know my pick.

Considering I’m not enamoured of either team, I don’t really care who wins. Except if the Niners tie the Steelers at six Championships I’m going to be a very grumpy boy. Of course, the only way to prevent that is if the Ravens, (arguably the Steelers’ Falcons,) win the game.

Now any football fan will tell you that proper etiquette demands one root against one’s rivals. This is ticky-tacky spiteful bullshit. Your rivals belong to your division and conference and a win for them is a (vicarious) win for you. Rivalry should end in the post-season. (Unless, of course, your team is still alive!)

So, armed with logic (and shunned by relatives,) I’m rooting for the Ravens and  predicting a 29-28 [Close!] defeat of the Niners. That being said, common sense says that the Niners D is going to destroy the Ravens passing attack and give the Niners a 35-26 victory. You can make your own call, but I’m going with logic!

Edits in bold reflect results of SB47.

-M

The post Superbowl Minutiae and a Pick appeared first on HumidCity.

Special Video Commentary by M Styborski

Old Indictment Roll Blues

Special thanks to Norman Robinson for the introduction and Big Tiny Williams for the Old Piano Roll Blues!

The post C Ray Nagin Indicted appeared first on HumidCity.

I haven’t posted here in a while but when someone gets their comeuppance, the old schadenfreude kicks in and I gotta post. It did yesterday: US Attorney Jim Letten packed up his mustache, drum kit, and gynormous ego and resigned from his post. He, of course, held a melodramatic presser, which had all the goo -goos, wingers, and media types weeping and wailing over his departure.

Here’s the deal. Letten did a good job for many years but his office began to display the arrogance and cockiness that comes naturally to lawyers. The whole commenting thing was an enormous ethical blunder, and there are indications that Letten was wearing ethical blinders when it comes to his number 2 and personal friend, Jan Mann.

It is unclear what exactly Letten knew and when he knew it but while he threw Sal Perricone to the wolves, it looks as if he protected Jan Mann until a month ago. Their commenting frenzy damaged the office’s credibility and may have compromised a string of cases including, most ominously, the Danziger Bridge convictions. Mind you, it’s hard to reverse a criminal prosecution but Letten’s ethical laxness has made that a possibility and has already led to a Justice Department investigation. Defense attorneys are dancing in the streets in anticipation of a windfall of business. I hope Buddy Lemann’s toup doesn’t fall off…

Jim Letten’s major failing is that he believes his own press clippings and the fulsome praise he has received over the years. He came to believe that he was indispensable because a sycophantic press corps told him that he was. Nobody is indispensable. To believe otherwise is hubris plain and simple.

So, Letten worshippers, the sun will rise and shine even after his departure. The investigative processes will grind on without the pompous, annoying and strident Letten calling a press conference and preening in front of the cameras. If there’s a case to be made against C Ray, it will happen without the presence of the mustachioed podium pounder. Nobody is indispensable.

In a word, Jim Letten is overrated. He’s managed to be re-appointed 3 times by kissing the right asses (calling Bitter Vitter) but his fanboys/girls are acting as if he has a divine right to be US Attorney. It is not meant to be a lifetime appointment and the way things have turned out for Letten shows why. His arrogance and that of his colleagues have subjected them to public ridicule and, potentially, sanctions for ethics violations.

But don’t cry for Jim Letten. He’ll land on his feet and cop a fat salaried gig with some local law firm. The sob sisters can put their towels away and look for a new hero because Jim Letten has held his last press conference as US Attorney. If only he would fade away quietly but drummers never do.

Nobody is indispensable.

The post Nobody is indispensable appeared first on HumidCity.

Thor and Loki (Photo credit: tenthousandcubans)

Loki and Cormac have been harvesting video at this year’s New Orleans Comic Con so buckle up.

First off, from Friday, a quick video of the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus as they roll through the main room!

Then on day two we talked to some of the artists and attendees, as well as bringing you The Tedd Report. Among others we spoke with international cosplay star Ya Ya Han to Cincinnati, Ohio’s Maydak and the Krewe Du Who.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJtNJk1uy4A

We also snapped a lot of photos. After all, this is New Orleans, we have closets full of costumes already!

Related articles

• NOLA Comic Con 2012: Loki Talks with Kevin Eastman
• On The Line with Kevin Sorbo
• Comic Con 2012 New Orleans, Chewbacchus parade and Mars hoax
• Fan Communities at New Orleans Comic Con
• Tom Hiddleston Loves Kid Loki’s ‘Journey Into Mystery’

The post Loki at the Comic Con appeared first on HumidCity.

Jon Bernthal as Shane in The Walking Dead

Next up in our rogues gallery of interviews Loki talks to Jon Bernthal (Shane in AMC’s The Walking Dead) live from the set. Please pardon the occasional dropouts and static.

Click the Play button below to start the interview!

The post Walking Dead’s Jon Bernthal On The Line | NOLA Comic Con 2012 appeared first on HumidCity.

As part of our ongoing Comic Con coverage Loki was able to hop on the line with Kevin Sorbo. Enjoy!

The post Kevin Sorbo: Hercules Speaks appeared first on HumidCity.

As part of this year’s coverage of the New Orleans Comic Con I had the pleasure of hopping on the phone with Kevin Eastman, co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and owner/publisher of Heavy Metal Magazine.

Enjoy!

Related articles

• DeviantART Empowers Artists at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2012
• Raphael & Casey Jones Kick It Old School In Kevin Eastman’s New Ninja Turtles Annual [Preview]
• Today’s Comic> Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual 2012
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Change is Constant Limited Edition at IDW Limited
• IDW Limted Launches with The Turtles

The post Kevin Eastman Talks Turtles, Heavy Metal, and more appeared first on HumidCity.

Just when you thought nothing in the world could make Aaron Kromer’s double-interim babysitting tenure look good, along comes Joe Vitt. In just one short week Vitt managed to dissemble every positive step forward the Saints had made in the last six games.

While the Saints defense hadn’t managed to stop the little things like running and passing plays, they had improved to the point where they were stopping opponents from scoring at the drop of a hat. Whatever wisdom Vitt imparted to Steve Spagnuolo in the last seven days certainly didn’t work.

In Vitt’s post-game press conference, he actually uttered the following words, “We said last week that we were not gonna fool Peyton with a lot of different coverage disguises…”. And he was wrong, last week and post-game. That is exactly how you beat Peyton Manning. It’s exactly what the Saints did to him in the second half of Superbowl 44. Christ, Joe, you were there!

As for the offense, Vitt essentially cut it in half. The offensive line was virtually invisible, allowing the Broncos D free reign behind the line of scrimmage. And while they only managed one sack on Brees and a separate fumble, their relentless assault created hurried, panicked passes that were poorly timed and off the mark. Brees was a dismal 22/42 for just 213 yards, 2 TD’s and an interception; his worst performance this season.

The rushing attack provided a paltry 17 attempts for 51 yards; second and third worst, respectively. It’s baffling how the offensive line can leave gaping holes for opponents to get to Drew but can’t create the tiniest crack for a runner to slip through.

And while we’re on the subject of runners, where the hell are Chris Ivory, Jed Collins and Travaris Cadet? All three were listed as active and Collins and Cadet apparently took the field at some point, (according to the NFL Gamebook,) though you wouldn’t know it by looking at the stats. Or for that matter by watching the game. I understand that you want to bring in substitutes to make the other team wonder if they’ll get the ball, but if you continuously bring them in and ignore them, well, the other team is going to notice and ignore them too!

Joique Bell is actually doing well this season. Unfortunately we cut him and kept Mark Ingram, and while their rushing stats are similar, Bell has 227 receiving yards compared to Ingram’s negative 1. But Bell is Detroit’s third option and third down back. Had we kept Bell and traded Ingram, we might have had enough cap space to hold onto either Tracy Porter or Carl Nicks. Or possibly both. We’d have, at worst, the same running game and a stronger, closer knit defense. Hindsight, huh?

Up Next:
A pissed off 3-4 Philadelphia Eagle team that might possibly be in worse shape than the Saints, organizationally speaking. Philly recently fired DC Juan Castillo and Michael Vick’sstarting QB job may actually be up in the air for Nick Foles to grab. (Note to Tom Benson: Juan Castillo is available as a Defensive Coordinator. He’s coached offense for the last 23 years unless you count his 6-game stint in Philly, so he’s probably just as qualified as Spags and certainly a hell of a lot cheaper. Just sayin’…)

Philly leads the series 15-10 but since Sean Payton took over the Saints are 2-1 including a 48-22 blowout in 2009. Of course, Sean’s not here so… it’s anyone’s guess what’s going to happen. Rest assured though that everyone will be watching as it’s another Prime Time showdown, this time on Monday Night. (So we’ll have an extra day to prepare…) I still have Faith, but I’m sad to say that most of it is only the Faith that we couldn’t possibly play any worse than we did against the Broncos. Could we…?

The Numbers:
Drew Brees:
A statistical category unto himself, Brees holds all the Saints passing records so the only thing left to track is his rise through the NFL’s Top Ten quarterbacks.

Brees (3801) passed Vinnie Testaverde (3787) for 7th place on the NFL’s all-time passing completion list. He is now just 39 completions away from Drew Bledsoe’s (3839) 5th place mark.

Drew Brees (43052) also passed Dan Fouts (43040) for 9th place on the NFL’s all-time passing yardage list and is now 1559 yards behind Drew Bledsoe’s 8th place spot which he should have by season’s end.

And of course, with two TD’s in a dismal effort against the Denver Broncos, Brees (301) tied and then took 6th place from John Elway on the NFL’s all-time passing TD list. Brees and Tom Brady (316) are now chasing Fran Tarkenton’s (342) 4th place spot, but Brady has a 15 TD lead on Brees and is clearly not showing any sign of slowing down.

Games Played:
Will Smith (130) tied Joe Federspiel for 19th place on the Saints all-time games played list. His next game played will tie him in 18th place with Willie Roaf (131).

Receptions:
Pierre Thomas (181) needs two catches to pass Wes Chandler (182) for 15th place on the Saints all-time list. Jimmy Graham (160) needs three to take 19th pace from Michael Haynes (162).

Receiving Yards:
Lance Moore (3216) needs nine yards to step into Henry Childs (3224) 8th place spot.

Receiving TD’s:
Pierre Thomas (7-tied for 35th) and Darren Sproles (11-tied for 25th) each need just one receiving TD to move to the next level. Jimmy Graham (20-12th) and Devery Henderson (26-8th) each need two TD’s to advance.

Kicking:
Garrett Hartley (49) remains in 5th place, three FG’s behind Charlie Durkee (52) on the Saints all-time FG list.

-M Styborski

The post 2 And 5 appeared first on HumidCity.

I can’t remember the last time the Saints were counted down and out before a game. Wait… it’s coming to me… yes… every game this season and last season and all throughout the 2009 playoffs and Superbowl 44. Oh well, it’s nice to know some things never change.

Unless you regard our defense. Jonathan Vilma defended one pass last week but other than that he recorded no stats. Even Curtis Lofton didn’t make 50% of his average tackles, but that’s because every other player on the D stepped up. Is it Vilma’s leadership or is this a defense that is finally finding it’s rhythm? Tonight, I predict, will illustrate changes for the better. Yes we’re still hemorrhaging yardage but we’ve managed to staunch the scoring blood enough to put our offense in control of the game and that is a step in the right direction.

The Saints face the Denver Broncos tonight whose greatest threat is Peyton Manning: 2-3 against the Saints. His only wins were blowouts in 2003 and 2007, before the Saints knew what teamwork and victory really felt like. Manning’s greatest loss to us came, of course, in 2010 as Tracy Porter picked him for 6 to propel the Saints to their first Superbowl victory. Now, however, Tracy and Peyton are like, BFF’s or something in Denver. I gotta wonder what that locker room was like in training camp!

And Tracy is the Broncos’ second biggest threat. Unfortunately for them, it looks like he might have to miss the game due to seizures resulting in vertigo-like symptoms. He’s been having these since training camp and sat out the SD Chargers game because of them. I feel for him–still love him–but he’s on the other side tonight and I just gotta say: Sit, Tracy. Sit. Don’t even get up to tell your coaches what you think we’re about to do. Just sit.

I’ll give the same advice to the Saints for this matchup as I did when they beat Peyton in 2010… control the run and disrupt the pass. Denver’s run game is barely scratching 100 yards/game so we should be able to handle that despite previous empirical evidence. All that’s left is to pressure Peyton. He couldn’t handle it healthy–ask the 2004-05 Championship Steelers–and he certainly can’t handle it after sitting out a full season with a pencil-neck injury. Dog him. Pursue him relentlessly until he cries the bitter tears of failure. I’m not kidding.

You see, Peyton Manning is a football robot. He’s an uber-accurate reader of defenses and if they do exactly what he thinks they’ll do, picks them apart. But if Steve Spagnuolo can manage to disguise our D and send players off in unanticipated directions, Peyton’s program locks up. He’s not Big Ben or Mike Vick, hell, he’s not even Eli Manning, and he can’t think and move at the same time. I’m really not trying to dog him out here, that’s just who he is… a wax-on, wax-off kind of guy. Get close to him. Put your breath in his face. Force him out of the pocket and watch him eat the yardage or throw the ball away, hopefully into Roman Harper’s waiting arms. (Or Vilma, or Lofton, or White, Jenkins, or Robertson… I don’t really mind which Saint comes down with Peyton’s passes.) And when he makes eye-contact with you as he’s dragging himself back up from the turf… give him a wink and a smile. The kind of look that says, “I’ll be right back, dear!”

That’s really all there is to it. Despite what the mavens and programs say, I’m going out on a limb here calling it New Orleans Saints: 34 – Denver Broncos 24. And I think Roman Harper pulls a Porter on Manning just for kicks… or possibly, six! Now let’s all get our Crunk on and make it happen!

 The Numbers:
Drew Brees (3779) needs 9 completions to take 7th place from Vinnie Testaverde (3787) on the NFL’s all-time pass completion list. Brees (42839) needs 202 passing yards to take 9th place from Dan Fouts on the NFL all-time yardage passing list. Brees (299) needs one passing TD to tie John Elway (300) for 6th place on the NFL all-time passing TD list and two to take it from him. The irony keeps coming as he’ll attempt this against Elway’s beloved Broncos.

Brees sole INT early in the 1Q last week was his 100th as a Saint. He remains in 2nd place, 57 interceptions behind Archie Manning.

Pierre Thomas‘ (24) moved out of his tie with George Rogers and Reuben Mayes and into sole posession of 5th place on the Saints all-time rushing TD list. Tony Galbreath (27) sits in 4th awaiting the inevitable.

Marques Colston (318) tied Dalton Hilliard for 5th place on the Saints all-time points list. He’s now two TD’s away from Deuce McAllister’s (330) 4th place mark. Colston (53) also tied Hilliard’s number 2 spot on the Saints all time TD list.

Lance Moore (272) moved into 7th place past Hoby Brenner (267) and Quinn Early (270) on the Saints all-time reception list.

Garret Hartley’s next XP will be his 100th! After that it’s just 44 more to take 3rd place from Doug Brien! Hartley (49) is also just 4 FG’s away from Charlie Durkee’s 4th place spot on the Saints all-time list.

Roman Harper (444) passed Sammy Knight (440) on the Saints all-time tackles list taking 6th place with him.

-M Styborski

The post 2 And 4 appeared first on HumidCity.

The BIG News:
Jonathan Vilma will be on the field versus Tampa Bay. So Will Curtis Lofton. Interim-interim team manager Aaron Kromer says it’s possible both linebackers could be on-field at the same time. I betcha ten-grand they break Josh Freeman in half! (Too soon?)

And speaking of bounty jokes… Kommandant Goodell has recused himself from the latest round of appeals, no doubt embarrassed by recent evidence which implicates the NFL as a “Pro Bounty” entity. Goodell has appointed former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue to preside over the next round of the farce. My guess? Tagliabue will probably slash the player suspensions in half just to try to get the NFL out of the swamp of bad press that Goodell has submerged it in. Unfortunately, that won’t stop Jonathan Vilma who has repeatedly stated the only thing that will stop his lawsuit is complete exoneration. The next appeal will be heard on October 30th, giving us at least one more game with Vilma and Will Smith against the Denver Broncos on October 28th.

And with each tick of the clock, Goodell’s massive wall of evidence crumbles a little further. The latest “rock-solid, irrefutable, take-it-to-the-bank” piece of evidence to implode on Goodell is Jimmy Kennedy, former Vikings defensive lineman, whom Goodell says is the “whistleblower” in the Brett Favre bounty. Kennedy says his reputation and character have been ‘‘irreparably damaged by the shoddy, careless, shameful so-called investigation…’’.

If QB’s got points for TD passes, Drew Brees would now be the Saints all-time top scorer with 1326 points, 8 past Morten Andersen. With 370 yards, Brees remains on pace for 5504 yard passing season. Brees started his 100th game as a Saint. Marques Colston (312) took 6th place from Cellphone Horn (306) on the Saints all-time scoring list. Devery Henderson (126) moves past Benny Ricardo (124) and into a 27th place tie with Mario Bates and Hoby Brenner. Colston (52) also took 3rd place from Horn (50) on the Saints all-time TD list. He is now one TD behind Dalton Hilliard (53) and 3 behind Deuce McAllister (55). Those same numbers mean that Colston is now the Saints all-time leader on the TD reception list! Devery Henderson (237) moves past Deuce McAllister (234) on the Saints all-time reception list.

Roman Harper’s INT brings his Saints career total to 5 entering him into a 14-way tie for 42nd place that includes current Saints J Vilma, J Greer and P Robinson. The Saints rracked up 5 sacks on Phillip Rivers, one each for Will Smith, Martez Wilson, Junior Galette, Cam Jordan and Curtis Lofton who recorded his first sack as a Saint placing him in a 31-way tie at 100th place on the list of 134 players. Roman Harper’s (439) 6 tackles displaced Brett Maxie (438) from 7th place on the Saints career tackles list. Two more tackles will move him into 6th past Sammy Knight (440). Darren Sproles (7960) took 8th place from Desmond Howard (7959) on the NFL’s career KR yardage list. 1151 more yards and he will displace mario Bates from 7th place.

The post 1 And 4 appeared first on HumidCity.

I don’t often mix this blog up with my work, but today is one of those rare exceptions. I recently moderated a panel with four of the top people in the National Juvenile Justice Network as part of my ongoing work with Humane Exposures. I believe that the content is well worth sharing here.

If you have an interest in the subject of juvenile justice in the U.S. then this is for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWEUcSXDgQ0

DISCLAIMER: The opinions, articles, humor, photos, video and all other media and content shared on HumidCity are the personal views of the blogger presenting them.  They do not represent the opinions, plans, views or interests of any of our clients or employers.

Related articles

• Hangout On Air with the National Juvenile Justice Network!
• Live Broadcast With The National Juvenile Justice Network!
• Criminal Justice, Civil Liberties Issues Missing From 2012 Campaign – Huffington Post
• Juvenile crime sees significant dip in N.C.
• Juvenile Justice to privatize last five residential programs
• US Juvenile Justice System Inhumane, Breeds More Crime
• Youth crime’s decline

The post A Conversation with the National Juvenile Justice Network appeared first on HumidCity.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has joined forces with Spike Lee for one of those futile “end the violence” PR campaigns. An asshole with a gun and a grudge doesn’t care about what’s said in a public service announcement, after all.

Local jewelry legend Mignon Faget is always game to help a good cause so her firm designed a pin to benefit the Mayor’s new pet project, NOLA For Life. Who among us is against life? The pin, however, appears to have been designed by NRA Grand Vizier Wayne LaPierre:

Here’s the blurb that describes the pistol pin:

New Orleans artist and jewelry designer Mignon Faget has designed a
provocative collection to benefit the Fund and raise awareness to stop
gun violence in the City. The collection includes a gun pin designed to
be worn on a black ribbon in the tradition of mourning jewelry and a
graphic gun motif scarf that proclaims “Stop the Shooting.” The
collection is available in Mignon Faget stores and online at www.mignonfaget.com.

“My collection is bold, powerful and to the point. It
acknowledges New Orleans’ epidemic while supporting and encouraging the
widespread efforts to curb the violence,” Faget said.

Faget frequently designs jewelry to highlight a particular cause; her recent pin commemorating the demise of the daily Times-Picayune was a big seller, and in 2010 she created an entire line of jewelry inspired by the Gulf oil disaster, which benefited the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.

The “Stop the Shooting” pewter pin, which retails for $25, is designed to be “provocative and encourage conversations,” Faget says.

I’m not sure if this hits the, uh, target but it *has* stirred up conversation and I’m sure all the gun nuts will want one. As far as I’m concerned, the “stop the shooting” pin is a bizarre and inappropriate way to support an effort to end violence as if a public relations campaign had any hope of doing so.

My advice to Mignon is to holster the pistol pin and to stop shooting herself in the foot. The worst thing about this whole episode is that it’s given me a raging earworm:

Hmm, I bet Steven Tyler would like one of those gunny, ribbony things to put on his mike stand…

The post Mignon’s got a gun appeared first on HumidCity.

Browse more infographics.

The post What’s Wrong with La? Start Here appeared first on HumidCity.

Packers 28
Saints 27

Well, we held Green Bay to 102 ground yards, but considering the Pack is averaging 84.25 rushing yards/game this season I don’t know if that’s improvement or not. The Saints D added an interception and a fumble recovery, (with 3 INTs and 6 FUMs GB loves to give the ball away this season as well,) but the secondary still appears content to play zone. This wouldn’t be a problem if they were actually playing it in the same zone as their opponents. I have no idea what the coaching staff is doing, but damned if I don’t miss the Vicodin-fueled days of yore!

Aaron Kromer showed some life on the sidelines but remains a corpse in the driver’s seat. (Have we ever had any success with anyone named Aaron?) Drew Brees had the opportunity to improvise on a few broken plays, one of which netted an 80-yd TD strike to Joe Morgan, his first NFL TD. Brees put up an impressive 446 yards through the air, but let’s face it, he had to. Kromer’s insistence on running the ball straight ahead and into the pile resulted in 45 pitiful rushing yards. Kromer’s tunnel-vision resulted in 19 carries for an average of 2.37 yards. The longest run was a 9-yarder from Darren Sproles. Chris Ivory, Travaris Cadet and Jed Collins did not carry the ball at all. (Collins caught a first-down pass, but that’s the extent of his role under Kromer. When you see Collins on the field for his one third quarter appearance, it’s a guarantee he’ll be targeted.)

And how ’bout that O-Line! For four straight weeks, the O-Line has crinkled, crumpled and collapsed ensuring that every play we run looks like a last-second desperation effort. Nine sacks and a safety in four games! Are you kidding me? The only reason those numbers aren’t higher is due to Drew Brees’ dirt-ball parade this year. Brees’ completion rate is at 57.6%, a far cry from the last five years of 71.2%, 68.1%, 70.6%, 65.0% and 67.5%. (2011 back to 2007). That missing 10% of caught balls is about half dirt-balls and half drops. Just once this season I’d like to see an offense that isn’t run from panic-mode!

Up next:
A nationally televised Sunday Night home game against the San Diego Chargers who lead the series 7-3. The Saints have never beaten the Chargers in the Superdome, but we do have one “home” win against them in 2008 at Wembly Stadium. San Diego is somehow 3-1 despite an offense that looks like our own.

Now, some of you may remember that San Diego was the team that cut Drew Brees loose after his shoulder injury, allowing him to land in New Orleans. Well folks, thanks to a one gmae sit-down vs Carolina in 2009, this will be Drew’s 100th game as a Saint! Tell me someone in the NFL scheduling office doesn’t have a fine flair for the dramatic!

I’ve fired up The Machine for this one, but unfortunately it points to a 29-27 Saints loss. Hopefully a National stage and the grudge-match/anniversary atmosphere will be the monkey wrench that undoes it’s delicate dials and gilded gears, because it certainly won’t be the coaching…

The Numbers:
With a W/L percentage of ZERO, Aaron Kromer and the Saints 2012 squad remain in dead last as the worst team in our 46 seasons. Only 6 other squads started 0-5: Tom Fears’ teams in ’67 and ’69, John Roberts’ ’72 team, the 1-15 Dicks of ’80, (Nolan and Stanfel,) and Jim Mora’s last two squads in ’95 and ’96, the latter of which was shared with Rick Venturi. Let’s try real freakin’ hard not to be in that number this week, OK boys?

Not only did Drew Brees tie Johnny Unitas with 47 consecutive games with a TD pass, (lucky for Drew they don’t count his Jan 3 “safety-benching” as interfering with “consecutive”…) he also dropped Unitas (290) into 9th place on the NFL’s all-time TD pass list with #291 to Joe Morgan, which ties him with Warren Moon for 7th. Drew needs 10 more to dislodge John Elway (300) from 6th place. Unofficially, as QB TD passes don’t count toward career points, Drew Brees (1302) is just 16 points behind Morten Andersen (1318) on the Saints all-time scoring roster. In reality, Brees remains in a ten-way, 75th place tie at 36 points.

Joe Morgan caught his first NFL TD, an 80-yarder, debuting on the Saints all-time scoring list at 198th place tied with 95 other bozos at 6 points. Well, ya gotta start somewhere! Welcome to the team, Joe!

Marques Colston (294) slid past Eric Martin (288) for 8th place on the Saints all-time scoring roster. Colston’s TD, his 49th, moved him past Martin into 4th place on the Saints all-time TD list and he’s now one away from sharing Joe Horn’s (50) 3rd place spot. Additionally, on the Saints all-time TD reception list, Colston moved into 2nd, past Martin and Quinn Early, and is one away from tying Joe Horn’s 1st pace mark of 50.

The GB match was Jimmy Graham’s first game this season without a TD pass, but he did catch seven balls for 76 yards moving him into 20th place with 1914 yards, past Bob Newland (1877), on the Saints all-time receiving yards list.

Darren Sproles (7911) is 49 kick return yards away from taking 8th place from Desmond Howard on the NFL’s career KRY list. Sproles TD catch puts him in 47th place with 76 points on the Saints all-time scoring list, jumping over Ike Harris, Boo Williams and Garo Yepremian. Sproles (917) also took 50th place from Aaron Stecker (908) on the Saints all-time receiving yards list.

Patrick Robinson’s 5th career interception moves him From a 15-way tie for 54th into a 13-way tie for 42nd, a pack which includes active Saints Jabari Greer and Jonathan Vilma.

And finally, Detroit Lions K Jason Hanson (2060) is 3 points shy of displacing former Saint John Carney (2062) from 3rd place on the NFL’s career points list. After that he still has about 400 and 500 points to go in order to catch the “Andersoens“, Gary and Morten, respectively.

-M Styborski

The post 0 And 4 appeared first on HumidCity.

At 1-2, the Redskins, Panthers and Chiefs each have a better record than the 0-3 Saints, and the sad fact is that New Orleans gave them each of those solitary wins.

An 0-1 start is nothing new for the New Orleans Saints as we’ve started thirty seasons that way. Nineteen seasons started at 0-2 and now we’ve had twelve 0-3 starts. Based on record and points for and against, the Saints 2012 season ranks 31st out of 46 seasons. Only eight Saints teams have started 0-4 including Sean Payton’s  sophmore 2007 squad which finished 7-9.

Dick Nolan’s 1979 squad finished 8-8, our best record for an 0-3 start, but the spectre of 1980′s 1-15 squad lurks in the shadows of all our minds. That was Nolan too, for the first twelve games, until he was replaced by Dick Stanfel who managed our only win that year in W15 against the (then) 3-12 New York Jets.

And management might just be what Aaron Kromer’s problem is. In each of our losses, Kromer looks more and more like he’s “managing” the team rather than actually coaching, which I’m certain is what he’s been told to do. There’s been nothing in Kromer’s tenure to show he’s qualified to run an NFL franchise, much less a Championship team. Poor play-calling, abysmal clock management and most notably, a lackluster performance that recalls the days of Jim Mora’s Think-And-Dink teams filled with turf-passes and one-yard carries regardless of down and distance. It’s become evident that Kromer is working from a script which succeeds only as long as the other team is willing to play by it, and once off-script, Kromer’s actors forget their lines and blocking, the sets fall apart, someone yells fire and the audience demands their money back.

Take a look at Drew Brees on the sidelines for proof. The Saints have been in losing situations before, but generally Brees is a a sideline cheerleader for the defense; an inspiration in times of stress. In our first three games this season, Brees has been riding the bench with a mopey look on his face that you usually only see on people who’ve been handcuffed. And that’s exactly what’s happened. Brees knows what he could do, but Kromer’s script demands that the players follow it no matter the outcome, and what it’s doing to Drew and the rest of the team is simply heartbreaking.

Of course, you can’t put all the blame on Kromer. If you were the interim-interim coach, would you dare to cross the two-headed control-freak tandem that is Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis? Kromer is in a no-win situation. Disobey orders and you’re out of the Black-N-Gold Club. Follow orders and your career is essentially over because those orders are making you look like a fool. Unfortunately for Kromer, it may already be too late to fix his future.

The Numbers:
The Saints trail the series against the Packers 7-15 and after the Monday Night officiating farce Green Bay was forced to endure, they’re going to be a true test as to whether the Saints are headed in the right direction under Kromer. And now that the NFL’s Official Boneheads are back, the team won’t be able to blame the replacement boneheads anymore. All future bad calls are Official from this point on.

Drew Brees (5616) displaced Dan Fouts (5604) from 10th place on the NFL’s all-time passing attempt list. Brees (3688) also passed Fran Tarkenton on the NFL’s passing completion list landing in 8th place. This week Brees (288) is knocking on the door of another NFL legend, Johnny Unitas’ (290) on the all-time TD list. One TD will keep his streak alive. Also, with four sacks last week, Drew Brees (123) has taken 3rd place from Bobby Hebert (119) on the Saints all-time sack list.

Pierre Thomas (1463) caught 4 passes for 55 yards taking 33rd place from Jeremy Shockey (1460) on the Saint all-time receiving yards list. Going three-for-three on extra points, Garret Hartley (87) moved into a 4th place tie with Charlie Durkee. He now needs 58 extra points to pass Doug Brien (144) in 2nd place. We’ll get back to you sometime next year when this happens.

In a game where the defense looked, at times, invisible, Junior Galette (6.5) notched two sacks moving him from 53rd place on the Saints all-time sack list (tied with six other players) to 41st, tied with Darren Mickell, Troy Wilson and Hollis Thomas. This puts him half-a-sack behind current Saints Scott Shanle, Jeff Charleston and Jonathan Vilma, and former Saints Gene Atkins and Richard Harvey, all tied at 36th place with seven.

-M Styborski

The post 0 And 3 appeared first on HumidCity.

The estimable Jason Berry aka Ashe Dambala filmed the Rising Tide conference for the second year in a row. He did double duty as one of my panelists this year. It was the end of a long day and everyone, myself included, was exhausted. The mood in the room was positively funereal. I looked at the audience and saw a section of former and soon-to-be-former Picayune-ites and decided to play it straight for once. I had a few puns and zingers planned but had to file them away for future use. Tone is everything when you’re performing in public so I had to shackle Shecky.

My goal as moderator was to get NOLA.com’s James O’Byrne on the record with the paper’s position. I’d promised him fair treatment and I believe I kept my promise. One of the puns I discarded was a play on the similarity of his last name to the leader of one of my all-time favorite bands. I saved just for y’all: O’Byrning Down The House. It’s what Advance publication has done to the Times-Picayune, after all.

At the party the night before the conference I had a long chat with former TP photog John McCusker. His take: the Times Picayune as we knew it, is already dead, the formal interment will be Monday, October 1st but the spirit left the body the day of the great bloodbath in the newsroom earlier this summer.

Back to the panel. I made a new friend, laid off Picayune reporter, Katy Reckdahl, who stole the show with her insightful comments and keen analysis. As I said before, I wasn’t really on my game. I even passed up a straight line from my friend Clay who asked the last question of the panel. I usually never pass up straight lines but this time I did. There’s nothing funny about the demise of a local institution and 200 people being fired. Sounds Romneyesque doesn’t it?

I mentioned the funereal atmosphere. Since it’s New Orleans, you might think that it would be a jazz funeral. Nope. It felt like one of those funerals that has you poleaxed because it was for someone who died way too young. I recall being at the funeral of an elderly in-law who was born cranky and stayed that way until her death in her Nineties. My brother-in-law turned to me and said “that was the period at the end of the sentence.” He was talking about his Grandmother but he was absolutely right.

The death of our daily paper merits stronger punctuation than a period but since I don’t believe in exclamation points, I am somewhat at a loss. Suffice it to say that the death of the Picayune we used to know feels like a crushing blow because of how important the paper and its staff were to all of us after Katrina and the Federal Flood.The reporters and staff at the Times-Pic were like soldiers who became a family because of shared circumstances and, yes, suffering.They became a part of the community’s extended family as well. That’s why this hurts us so much.

My primary lament is not for the *form* of the paper but for the way its institutional memory has been erased by rich cocksuckers from New Jersey and their local henchmen. If I thought they could be shamed, I’d give it a shot but shameless is as shameless does. Uh on, I sound like Forrest Fucking Gump.The suits have erased the institutional memory of their own news organization by discarding talented people like my friend, Stephanie Grace, whose insightful political columns I already miss.

Okay before I get even more maudlin and morose, it’s time to pour a shot of Jamesons,  toast the end of an era and cue up the media panel:

Rising Tide 7 – Black and White and Red All Over from Jason Berry on Vimeo.

The post Requiem for the Picayune: the Rising Tide 7 Media Panel appeared first on HumidCity.

Oil and Water from Jason Berry on Vimeo.

On August 29, 2012, South Louisiana underwent a sobering exercise in deja vu when Hurricane Isaac’s storm surge nearly matched that of Katrina causing major damage outside of the federal levee system and catching many residents by surprise. Was Isaac an aberration or was it a “reality check” for a region whose decimated coastal wetlands no longer protect inhabited areas from even the most common storms?

When Isaac turned out traces of the recent BP Macondo oil disaster with its surge it left a calling card of one of a main contributor to the growing threat to coastal communities. According to the Times-Picayune’s landmark 2002 special report, Washing Away, oil and gas exploration has been responsible for “a third to more than half of the erosion that has occurred along Louisiana’s coast in the past 100 years, when more than 1 million acres of Louisiana’s coast, mostly wetlands, have eroded — an area the size of Rhode Island.”

The boom rush to develop Louisiana’s oil and gas wealth has taken a toll not only on the land itself but also on the people and wildlife who inhabit it. Coastal residents, fisherman, and clean up workers report chronic health impacts of exposure to oil and chemicals associated with its production. And despite the barrage of BP funded advertising from tourism promoters, many questions remain about the health of coastal fisheries as well as the consequences of consuming their product.

In 2012 a salt dome operated by a gas production company collapsed into a chemical sinkhole demonstrating once again the risks the industry poses to nearby communities do not exist only in myth and stories. The consequences of exploiting Louisiana’s vast mineral wealth in oil and gas are threatening to destroy its natural wealth in wildlife, fisheries, and the communities built around them. Can Louisiana find a way to tame the hazards of an economy that mixes oil and water? Or is it already too late?

The post Oil and Water – A Rising Tide 7 panel discussion appeared first on HumidCity.

I was able to catch up with an amazing young man at Rising Tide last weekend, Zack Koppelin. As a high school senior he became one of the few voices of reason in Lousiana on the subject of education. His now legendary battles against Bobby Jindal’s creationist corruption of our educational system have garnered the support of over seventy-five Nobel laureates.

Here is a quick conversation I had with him after his panel appearance. We talk about how Jindal’s unconstitutional school voucher program is funneling funds into schools that present creationist “theory” in lieu of education.

Zack Kopplin is a freshman at Rice University and a recent graduate of Baton Rouge Magnet High School. Zack grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and he is working to make sure that he and other Louisiana kids will be able to get jobs after they graduate. Since June, 2010, Zack has led the effort to repeal the Louisiana Science Education Act, Louisiana’s misnamed and misguided creationism law. He is organizing Louisiana students and citizens in support of his repeal. When not fighting for science, Zack likes to play soccer and swim.

Find out more about Zach and help support his efforts at RepealCreationism.com

The post Zack Kopplin of Repeal Creationism.com at Rising Tide 7 appeared first on HumidCity.

 Well Aaron Kromer has fixed the Saints problems. This week he affixed a small mirror to each players’ locker with a note saying something to the effect of, “If you’re looking for someone to point the finger at, start with the man in the mirror.” Strong stuff, huh?

That’s got to be some kick in the teeth for Drew Brees who was the 2nd ranked passer in W1 and 4th ranked in W2. And Pierre Thomas was the 5th ranked rusher in W2. Among receivers, Lance Moore ranked 2nd in W1 and Darren Sproles came in at 5th in W2. Granted, they didn’t seal the deal in either week, but I can’t help thinking that anger and resentment are soon to follow when the guy who’s been making the wrong calls tells players who have been busting their asses to point the finger at themselves.

Of course, Kromer probably pulled Drew and Darren and a few others aside and told them, in the strictest confidence, “Hey, that’s not really directed at you, ya know!” And when word spreads about Kromer’s elementary school, un-Jedi mind-tricks, the players move from anger and resentment to plain befuddlement and loss of respect. If there was any to begin with.

Now, these Pop Warner tactics might work on a few of the denser players, but what this team needs, specifically the defense, is a straight-up, smack-ya-mama, All-American ass chewing.  The smoke-screen and mirror act is something you pull after a one-loss stumble, if you must. A two-week skid needs sterner stuff. Sean Payton would be bellowing so violently he’d have the Saints piddlin’ in the pink skirts he’d be forcing them to wear during practice. But he’s not here, is he.

A worrisome rumour is that Kromer is afraid to nut-up and exert his authority over the other coaches on the sideline because he doesn’t want there to be any bad blood when he joins their ranks again in a few weeks. If true, then Kromer really needs to think about an immediate career change. Right now, it’s his job to exert authority. If the other coaches have a problem with it, too bad, because Kromer has the reins right now.

Now you’re all saying, “It’s only two games, man, chill out!” And I could chill if it weren’t for the fact that the Saints have been playing catch-up the whole time. It would be different if we had shown up in either first half or led late in the 4th and lost on a tough opposing drive. But we haven’t. We’ve been sleepwalking out there, not waking up until late in the 3Q, and the defense is practically made up of extras from ‘Night of the Living Dead’. It bodes unwell for the season, my friends!

If anyone needs a mirror, It’s Aaron Kromer, and he needs it to be full-length.

The Numbers:

The Saints lead the currently-winless Kansas City Chiefs in the series 5-4 since their first meeting at Tulane Stadium back in 1972, a 3-point Chiefs victory. Overall, the Saints are 2-3 at home and 2-2 in the Superdome vs KC. We currently have a 2-game winning streak, beating the Chiefs 27-20 at home in 2004, and 30-20 in a 2008 match in Arrowhead Stadium.

Pierre Thomas (23) needs one rushing TD to move out of his three-way tie with Reuben Mayes and George Rogers and secure 5th place for himself. Marques Colston (48) needs one receiving TD to break his 2nd place tie with Quinn Early and Eric Martin. Two would tie him with Joe Horn at 50 each.

Drew Brees (5580) needs 25 passing attempts to take 10th place from Dan Fouts on the NFL’s All-Time Passing Attempts list. That’s should happen on either side of halftime. Nineteen completions will move Brees (3668) into 8th place ahead of Fran Tarkenton on the NFL’s All Time Passing Completions list.

The Saints need just one win to stave off the spectre of a winless season, but given our track record with bottom of the barrel teams, I’m not holding my breath this week.

Ahhh, who am I kidding? We’re gonna destroy them!

-M Styborski

The post 0 And 2 appeared first on HumidCity.

Watch the Rising Tide conference live all day, with our own Loki as MC!

The post Livestream Rising Tide appeared first on HumidCity.

Aaron Kromer was never my choice for the New Orleans Saints interim-interim head coaching job and now we see why. His calm, demure presence on the sidelines left me in mind of a wallflower at a high-school dance, too afraid no to show up yet too scared to ask a boy to dance, and until the 4Q, it looked like it might stay that way.

We all know Sean Payton has a penchant for scripting the first dozen or so plays of the game. One begins to wonder if Kromer scripted the first three quarters and refused to alter that script even when it resulted in busted plays and stalled drives. The sullen look on Drew Brees’ face for most of the game leads us to believe that there was indeed something rotten in the State of Denmark.

The signature high-powered Saints offense that we’ve grown accustomed to didn’t show up until somewhere in the 4Q and it was a complete surprise when it did. Until then I was under the impression that the Saints had completely forgotten every fundamental football skill they had ever learned, but no, there they were playing like Champions in the 4Q. It was as if Kromer eventually folded to pressure and told Brees, “Fuck it, do whatever you want.” Unortunately, that happened about 30 seconds too late in the game to alter the outcome. Conjecture? Certainly, but have you ever see an angrier hail-mary pass than the one Drew fired downfield as time ran out? That ball was just plain Mean!

We hear a lot about teams being out-coached and it’s usually said about our opponents. I heard stirrings of this nature yesterday about the Saints and let me tell you, buddy, that’s wrong. We were out-played by our own players. While there were mental errors on the field they were far out-wieghed by physical mistakes made by both rookies and veterans and this is where the absence of Sean Payton was really felt. There should have been facemasks.

When an opposing ball carrier runs right into the arms of our defense then bounces off and cuts a corner for a 15-yard gain it’s a mistake. When it happens repeatedly it’s inexcusable. Had Sean Payton been on the sidelines he would have grabbed the entire D-line by the collective facemask and rained a torrent of spittle and brimstone down on their heads ending the matter right there. Kromer, apparently, casually paced the sidelines wondering if dinner would include stuffing or potatoes.

Defense was solid early and Special Teams made a brilliant punt block for a TD, but as the clock wore down, so did the energy of Spag’s Squad. You want to travel in time? Watch that game again and tell me you’re not looking at shades of the Dome Patrol slowly losing steam over the course of a game. Of course, the Dome Patrol would have managed a half dozen sacks in the first half…

And yes, the scab refs did their part, ignoring blatant holding and pass interference calls, but that went both ways during the game. The trouble there is that it usually happened at critical points for the Saints and not-so-critical points for the Redskins. Yet we can’t use these striped morons as an excuse for our own failures. We had innumerable bad calls form the regular striped morons during our Championship run and we overcame those all season long and won the Superbowl. There’s no reason we can’t do that now.

I know… it’s only the first game, and only time will tell what may come. I guess we should resort to that highly quotable platitude that this will be “a game we can all learn from and build on”. It’s a nice, positive spin that coaches and players use to trick themselves into thinking they’ve learned something, and admittedly, it sometimes works. And honestly, it was a fantastic saying the first few times it was used over a half a century ago. The trouble is, there are 16 teams using it 16 times a year, season after season, and it’s getting old.

And now for the numbers:
With his last completed pass in Sunday’s dismal opener against the Washington Redskins, a 26 yard strike over the middle to Lance Moore, Drew Brees cracked the 4000-yard mark as a Saint. Brees now sits atop the Saints Career yardage record with 4009 and if he continues to throw like his usual self we might see him crack 9000 yards. After just one game, it’s far too early to start projecting numbers, but hypothetically Brees is looking at another 5400-yard season similar to last years record-breaking performance!

Brees also climbed over Colts backup QB Kerry Collins on the NFL’s career passing yards roster. Brees 41,081 yards lands him the number 10 spot and sets him 1959 yards behind Dan Fouts (43040). Drew shouldn’t have any trouble passing Fouts or Drew Bledsoe (44611) this season and he could come very close to Vinnie Testaverde’s (46233) 7th place spot by season’s end.

Brees’ 2 sacks gives him a total of 118, placing him one away from a third place tie with Bobby Hebert. After that it’s a long climb to take the number two spot away from Aaron Brooks who racked up a career total of 209 sacks as a Saint. (But we’re not going to hold our breath on this one.)

Pierre Thomas’ (525) 4 carries was just enough for him to displace Reggie Bush (524) from 10th place on the career rushing attempts roster. 134 more attempts will move him past Wayne Wilson. For all the running backs on the team, the Saints rushing attack was downright pathetic. Thomas and Mark Ingram combined for 10 carries and 32 yards, however even with numbers as bad as that next week, each stands to move up on the career rushing yards roster. We’ll cover that if it ever happens.

Without a running game the Saints were forced to go to the air. Considering half our drives stalled, it’s amazing that Drew Brees managed a 339-yard passing game. Lance Moore (250) caught 6 passes moving him into 9th place past Dalton Hilliard in career receptions. Jimmy Graham’s (136) 6 catches moved him past Irv Smith and Ricky Williams and into a 25th place tie with Lonzel Hill. Darren Sproles (91) reeled in 5 passes and jumped over Alvin Maxson and Billy Miller and into a 42nd place tie with Keith Poole. David Thomas’ (71) singel reception moved him into a 49th place three-way tie with Larry Hardy and Jack Holmes.

Lance Moore (2903) added 120 yards to his career reception total moving him into 9th place past Wes Chandler and Donte Stallworth. Jimmy Graham’s (1751) 85 yards sling-shotted him from 29th place to 22nd, bypassing Andre Hastings, Deuce McAllister, Ike Harris, Lonzell Hill, Keith Poole, Jerome Pathon and Eugene Goodlow! Marques Colston burned off 71 yards but remains in 3rd place. With number like these, all three wideouts stand to see 1000-yard seasons this year.

Darren Sproles fourth quarter touchdown catch and separate two-point conversion moved him into 50th place on the Saints career scoring roster with 70 points, jumping Ray Zellars and Keith Poole. Jimmy Graham (102 points) moves into 35th place past Bill McClard and Dave Parks. Lance Moore (196) takes 15th place from Rich Szaro and Garret Hartley (210) kicked his way into 12th past Tony Galbreath and Reggie Bush.

In addition to a single field goal, Garret Hartley made all 3 of his extra points attempted bringing his total to 81 and moving him into 5th place past Rich Szaro on the Saints career XP roster. He is now 6 XP’s behind Charlie Durkee.

Defense, what there was of it, was pretty bleak. Roman Harper (413) moved into 8th place past Mark Fields on the career tackles roster. Curtis Lofton’s and Corey White each had 4 solo tackles, the first of their Saints career. Even still, that’s enough to move them into an eleven-way tie for 181st place out of the 240 Saints to have ever made a tackle.

At 0-1 Aaron Kromer made his interim-interim head coaching debut landing him dead last among the Saints 15 (until it’s Joe Vitt’s turn) head coaches with a 0% winning percentage. If he manages to beat the Carolina Panthers next week he can leapfrog every coach except Jim Mora (55.69%) and Sean Payton (64.58%) for third place in career winning percentage at 50%. And this is the folly of numbers.

We’d like to extend a warm welcome to eight players who claimed their first game as a New Orleans Saint: Brodrick Bunkley, Travaris Cadet, David Hawthorne, Curtis Lofton, Joe Morgan, Jerome Murphy, Johnny Patrick and Corey White. These gentlemen currently share 772nd place on the Saints career games roster along with twenty-three other players. You have a long way to go to catch Will Smith’s 124 games, but your next game will knot you up in 743rd place with 29 other players!

-M Styborski

The post 0 And 1 appeared first on HumidCity.