HumidCity

Maitri posts the best synopsis of the past several days in New Orleans that I have yet seen. Gets right on down to the nitty gritty, and boy is it gritty….

Via Vatul Blog:

On returning to New Orleans, I�ve discovered that the city wrongly�demolished a home, Jessica Hawk (from Ohio)�was found murdered in her home on the 3000 block of Chartres in the Bywater, two people were�shot to death�at an Uptown intersection where my friend takes frequent afternoon walks,�McSame and Bush will�make their obligatory�New Orleans visits this week (for more cake, I�m sure) and, to top it all off, Mayor Ray Ray will be�presented with��The Award of Distinction For Recovery, Courage, and Leadership� by a group called �The Excellence in Recovery Host Committee,� led by a prominent member of our City Council.� I feel like a bit character in a poorly-reenacted�mashup of The Enemy Within and Mirror Mirror set in New Orleans.

Yes, corruption and incompetence are found wherever power and money are to be had, but not like this, not when we should all be extra-vigilant during this reconstruction.� Returning to pre-Katrina�dysfunctional bullshit�is not recovery.� It makes me want to run screaming back to Ohio�or Wisconsin.��The Upper Midwest is not exempt from flood, government incompetence and crime, but it�s not an excuse to dodge the issue that there are serious problems down here, and�that almost 25% will leave if we as a city don�t address them.

There, short and (not so) sweet.

-Loki, HumidCity Founder

i started out Post K year two with grand ideas… shows to REBUILD NEW ORLEANS: ONE LAUGH, ONE SONG, ONE SHOW AT A TIME… little did i know how trite the rebuild would seem to so many, a catch phrase for catch alls… i put the band back together, I released a mock opera, I hired singers, dancers, and musicians… i enlisted artists from around the world to help (40+ actively involved, including Peter Bagge, Tony Millionaire, and Mark Newgarden– artists from US, UK, Austria, Czech Republic, Australia, France,and New Zealand). a grand plan or a manic delusion?

and so the shows (and the idea of the shows) have been quality.. but the audiences have not been quantity,,, each show brings me deeper in debt… the poster project has turned out well artistically.. but now my gutted house is a warehouse for unsold “art” and i still have my sorry ass in a FEMA trailer… perhaps i should have forgotten the altruistic REBUILD NEW ORLEANS efforts and REBUILT MY LIFE instead… the past few weeks have been flanked by manic black out binges and depressed self inflicted thoughts… i keep myself awake with screams that are racing faster in slow motion… suddenly primal therapy makes sense again…

only a handful of shows to fill out the year…

plus the BLOG gets released in book form

canada is postponed for now… it may occur this summer along with europe (depending on FEMA, insurance, and doctor’s orders)

have to make the big picture smaller for a while otherwise i might wakeup dead– another casualty to post K or the big easy or just my disease BLOG THIS!

The fleur-de-lis. This stylized lily has come to be New Orleans’ little red ribbon of rememberance, solidarity, and pride. It is seen everywhere now on T-shirts, bumper stickers, business promos and lots and lots of tattoos. This coming week we will surely see many fleurs-de-lis as the anniversary of the great flood surges into view.

I pondered the meaning of the symbol and its meaning to our city. The modern interpretation of the fleur-de-lis stems from its association with the ressurection. It represents renewal. A dictionary search of renewal presents some good words that should be in our hearts, minds and actions as we renew our city.

REGENERATE rE-’je-ne-rAt
-restored to a better, higher, or more worthy state
We must regenerate the tourism industry.
We must regenerate our levee systems.

REVIVE ri-’vIv
-to restore from a depressed, inactive, or unused state : bring back
We must revive our spirits.
We must revive our wetlands.

REBUILD rE-’bild
-to make extensive repairs to
We must rebuild our homes and public buildings.
We must rebuild our standing as a great city.

REPEAT ri-’pEt
-to say, do, or accomplish something again
We must constantly repeat ourselves to get the stories of this city out of the city.
We must repeat our own stories to each other so that we can deal with them.
We must find a house. Gut. REPEAT.

RESUME ri-’züm
-to return to or begin again after interruption
We must resume our daily lives.
We must resume thinking about the long now.

REPLACE ri-’plAs
-to put something new in the place of
We must replace our city and federal government.
We must replace our sense of victimization with a sense of pride in our courage.

REPLENISH ri-’ple-nish
-to fill with inspiration or power
We must replenish our faith in ourselves.
We must replenish our faith in each other.

REJUVENATE ri-’jü-v&-”nAt
-to make young or youthful again : give new vigor to
We must rejuvenate our cultural traditions by making sure our kids grow up with them.

REFRESH ri-’fresh
-to update or renew (as an image, a display screen, or the contents of a computer memory) especially by sending a new signal
We must refresh the image of this city from one of suffering to one of hope.(The technology aspect of this definition is appropriate as it may be new technologies that accomplish this goal.)

RENEW ri-’nü
-to make like new : restore to freshness, vigor, or perfection
We must renew New Orleans.

Here is the latest installment in the ongoing stupidity with David Vitter. I am forced to say that my opinion of him is the same it has been since 1981, he is a buffoon. Par for the course with La. politicians. So now, weeks after congratulating me for agreeing with his assinine stance that Gay Marriage is the Uber Issue despite outr devastation, I finally got an email saying this:

Dear Mr. Williams,

I have recently learned that you received a letter from me that incorrectly identified your position on the Federal Marriage Amendment. I am deeply sorry for this mistake and wish to assure you that this is not a common occurrence, but it i s one that I strive to correct as soon as possible.

Thank you for contacting me in opposition to the Federal Marriage Amendment. As you may know, the Marriage Protection Amendment, states, “Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution or the constitution of any State … shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than a man and a women.” This legislation amending the U.S. Constitution would require passage by two-thirds of both the House of Representatives and Senate, and also ratification by three-quarters of the states.

I believe marriage to be a union between one man and one woman. The Marriage Protection Amendment removes the debate regarding the definition of marriage from the hands of the courts and judges and returns this decision to the American people, where I feel it belongs.

Once again, thank you for contacting me to share your thoughts on this issue. Please continue to contact me in the future about other issues important to you.

Sincerely,

Senator David Vitter
United States Senator

Aren’t form letters just precious?

I fired up the laptop to rant and rail about the things that are destroying my city. Before I could I got diverted by an email detailing a venomous online postfest on another blog I read. Reading through it was enough to force a resolve on my own part, to make this a positive post. With that in mind I am going to give a little detail on an organization I am working with here in the city called ThinkNOLA. I have been asked about them a few times lately and figured presenting the data here would enlighten a lot of people.

Capacity Building : We are trying to teach nonprofit organizations how to publish information so that people can find it, and how to use the Internet as office space.

Think New Orleans shows organizations how to share information with their constituents, we show how to lead discussions in public forums that attract participation, we show how to organize events with calendaring tools and authoring tools, how to create living documentsthrough collaborative authoring in a web accessible forum.

With the Internet Workshops, Think New Orleans creates a collaborative environment where nonprofit and neighborhood organizations can share knowledge, publish information, and develop skills and strategies to employ the Internet in the rebuilding or New Orleans.

Collaborative Local Filmmaking Effort to Present Duality of Life in Post-Katrina New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS — In a new approach to telling stories from the front lines of post-Katrina New Orleans, the New Orleans Video Access Center (NOVAC) has collaborated with local filmmakers to produce a series of short documentaries on the people, culture and spirit that make New Orleans an American city worth rebuilding. In addition, NOVAC is producing a one-hour documentary called The Drive. It’s an extensive driving tour through four of New Orleans’ most devastated neighborhoods supported with maps, interviews, and an original score by Emmy nominated composer, Gil Talmi (http://www.giltalmi.com/ ).

“A painful irony is how few people throughout the country understand the extent of what has happened to New Orleans. In many respects, things are progressing. Families are moving home, cultural activities are abundant and, in some neighborhoods, life has a sense of near normalcy; however, a short drive in almost any direction provides a
different picture. The magnitude of flooding was incomprehensible and nearly 10 months later, New Orleans has many challenges to overcome. We hope that this project conveys the duality of life in post-Katrina New Orleans and presents New Orleans as a city worth rebuilding,” says Tim Ryan, NOVAC director/producer.

The documentaries are available for free viewing on YouTube.com -
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=8080681AD2517F7E  (keyword:
NOVACDOC).

The entire series is also available on DVD at cost ($4.75 + shipping)
through a partnership with Customflix.com - http://www.customflix.com/210796 .

In addition, FriendsofNewOrleans.org - http://www.friendsofneworleans.org/ - a non-profit devoted to the rebuilding of New Orleans, features a trailer of The Drive on their website.

The project is funded by the Greater New Orleans Foundation; Newman’s Own Foundation; The RosaMary Foundation; Matt, Suzanne, Andy and Betty Wisdom; Cambridge Community Television; and other private funders. NOVAC continues to accept tax-deductible donations to support ongoing production.

For more information and links to view project, visit http://www.novacvideo.org/

I have decided to adopt Maitri’s datekeeping style, it sorts well with my mood as I sit here waiting for my ride to work. Today we will be ripping out a bathroom floor and rebuilding it up near the Carrollton area. Then home again to an evening of crouching over the laptop fulfilling contracts and storing as much of our data as possible online (Hurricane Season, you know). I’ve actually put up over 3,500 pics in my Flickr Account while the finacee’s been away.

It is also Day 3 since I’ve had a cigarrette. Needless to say I’m probably not the most pleasant humanoid to be around right now. I want one so badly I can feel it in the joints of my jaw.

Personal matters have quite gotten the better of me recently, hence the temporary slow down in postings. I am going to rectify that.

Tonight I will be launching my first column for Powers and Morrison, http://www.transmissionsfromthehumidcity.powersandmorrison.com/
They have set me up a nice page which will be running live feeds of this site, the Humid City LJ Community, and the New Orleans Oral History Project underneath the main column. They have also gone mobile enabled, so you can get it on your cell phone or pocket PC. All things going well that link should go live by about 9pm Central Time. I guess I have been handed the megaphone…

Well, its time to go work on the physical rebuild. Sounds like the truck just pulled up…

Dear Mr. Williams,

Thank you for contacting me in support of a Federal Marriage Amendment. I share your concern on this issue, and I agree with you 100 percent.

You may be pleased to know that I am an original cosponsor of a Senate resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to marriage. The amendment prohibits the Constitution or any state constitution from being construed to require that marital status or its legal incidents be conferred upon any union other than that of a man and a woman.

During my tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives I cosponsored and voted for a proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and woman. Sadly the bill did not get the two-thirds votes needed for passage. I am now working in the Senate to protect the institution of marriage. Like you I feel this is essential to the future of our country, and I recognize the importance marriage plays in the lives of our children.

I believe marriage to be a union between a man and a woman. This definition should be held not to enforce discriminatory acts, but to uphold the sanctity of marriage. The Federal Marriage Amendment removes the debate regarding the definition of marriage from the hands of the courts and returns this decision to the American people, where it belongs. In fact, no state legislature and no popular referendum has passed in any state allowing any other definition of marriage except as between a man and a woman. In addition over 38 states have passed legislation protecting traditional marriage. In Louisiana , our statewide referendum passed with nearly 80 percent of the vote.

Thank you again for contacting me in support of traditional families and in defense of marriage. Rest assured I will continue to fight to protect our shared Louisiana values. Once again, thank you for contacting me to share your thoughts on this issue. Please feel free to contact me in the future about issues important to you and your family.

Sincerely,
Senator David Vitter
United States Senator

Okay David, you obviously do not read the mail nor does your staff. Really makes you wonder what the real public opinion is (on anything). You sorry piece of detritus. (Sorry that word may be a bit obscure for you, try piece of sh*t it sorts better with the vocabulary you had when we knew each other).

I am going to lay another gem on Mr. Vitter, I have just agreed to do a regular column for Powers and Morrison and he is going to get a spotlight thrown on his homophobic, primitive, and ignorant behind. I am fed up to the teeth with the neocon disregard for the will of the people. The fact that I know this one makes it almost too much to bear.

Please add a comment with any documented dirt you have on my dear former classmate as I am getting my keyboard warmed up to begin serving him up a hearty helping of toxic gumbo.

For shame David, do you think the Christian Brothers at De La Salle would be proud of your disregard for your constituents and their opinions?

EDIT: My comments on Vitter seem to have unearthd a vast amount of ill will towards him on the  New Orleans LiveJournal Community (Here’s the thread)

CNN.com - Senate set to reject gay marriage ban - Jun 6, 2006 “I don’t believe there’s any issue that’s more important than this one,” said Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican.

Okay, now you have gone too far. ( Thanks to Peter Dubuque for pointing this out in his comment on my Vitter’s Vitriol post) As we sit amidst the rubble hoping not to get blown to kingdom come by this years hurricane season our most pressing worry is certainly gay marriage!

I’m sorry but this is beyond the pale. The fact that I find him to be a jackass notwithstanding, that comment alone is cause for a recall. Are we really going to tolerate this sanctimonious and self impressed fool to continue to hold office? Category Five Levee Protection! Now! To hell with the homophobia, there won’t be anyone (straight or gay) around to argue it if we all get washed away!

Contact him, tell him what you think is important.

EDIT: Here is the text I just sent him through his website’s form:

Dear David,

your comments to CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/06/06/same.sex.marriage/index.html) “I don’t believe there’s any issue that’s more important than this one,” were absolutely out of bounds. When New Orleans and it’s environs are devastated you cannot think of anything more important than your own homophobia? You should either step down or seriously reconsider your priorities.

You shouldn’t have to be told this, you grew up here. I know, we graduated togetehr at De La Salle back in ‘85. To show the mammoth disdain for your home required in making that statement is indicative of a disdain for your constituency that is unconscionable.

You were under intelligent in High School, but you have become a fool of the greatest caliber as an adult.

Resign,
George “Loki” Williams

By the way, for any of our Air America listeners who have decided to stop by here is a link to my original post where I asked people in the community what they would like me to talk about in my interview. Take a look at their responses and get a taste of the sentiments down here.

I have been working a lot with a great new nonprofit (waiting on the 509A-educational nonprofit to go through) called ThinkNOLA. Last week we launched our first workshop, Web Publishing 101, aimed at bringing the tools of the internet to community and civic organizations here in the New Orleans area.

We are organizing local bloggers and other web based publishers and activists in order to create a positive force for improving our battered city. With this in mind we have formed a group of blogging “elves,” people who are actively assisting those new to the medium in getting their information out.

We are also launching a New Orleans Wiki, an interactive information base where people can go to find important community information and resources as well as being able to easily add their own. In the words of Alan Gutierrez, the man behind ThinkNOLA and the NOLA Wiki, “…nine months later, I see that there is still a online civic resource that is neighborhood focused, and in the hands of the citizens. Please help me build the Think New Orleans Wiki. A web site that any citizen or friend can edit.”
What we need now is help. People with time they are willing to contribute to help us as Elves, to help with the Wiki, to help us use this technology as a force with which to build community where we need it most. If you are willing to assist us please leave a note in the comments section here and we will contact you.

Thanks in avance to everyone willing to join us as we do our digital best to rebuild New Orleans. Get wired!

Last week, Congress could not agree on funding for housing and levees in time for hurricane season before breaking for vacation. Yet, yesterday, Congress convened an extraordinary recess to hold hearings about the raid of Rep Bill Jefferson’s office. They sacrificed their vacation time to draft legislation that would bar the FBI from searching Congressional offices in the future!

Please tell Congress how you feel about these actions by our Congress Members by writing a letter to the Washington Post and the New York Times. Here are some talking points:

1. 95,000 homes were destroyed by flood water in metro New Orleans due to broken levees.
2. Community block grants for housing are still not approved and are in danger of being slashed in the House.
3. A recent study by the U.C Berkeley lays the majority of the responsibility for the flooding on the US Army Corps of Engineers.
4. Hurricane Season begins on June 1. (which means it is probably hurricane season already by the time you’re reading this -Loki)

Your letter will more likely get published if you use your own words. Please send your letter in separate emails to:

letters@washpost.com and to letters@nytimes.com

Writing letters not your thing?   Go to: http://www.levees.org/advocacy/congress1.php and use our letter writing tool and with one click of a mouse, send a letter to your Congress Members! The letter is already there, just add your address and click “Send.”

Thank you,

Sandy

Louisiana Weekly Nine months after Hurricane Katrina displaced thousands of residents, Humana Health Benefit Plan of Louisiana Inc. has returned to the area and is operating out of its offices at One Galleria Boulevard in Metairie, La

“Join us on Memorial Day Morning:
WHERE: Old Hammond Highway Bridge over the 17th Street Canal
WHEN: May 29, at 9:45 am - the moment the 17th St. Canal breached
WHY: The 30 minute ceremony will highlight the federal government’s central
role in causing the metro New Orleans Flood. We will remember the 1577 men and women whose lives were lost and we will focus attention to this American
Tragedy.

Sandy Rosenthal
Founder, Levees.Org
www.levees.org

Wi-Fi Networking News: EarthLink Gets New Orleans
New Orleans taps EarthLink for citywide Wi-Fi: The company will unwire New Orleans, its fifth city, across a 15-square-mile area offer free service at 300 Kpbs and paid service at 1 Mbps.

This coming week I will be interviewed on Air America about the state of New Orleans as we head into our first Post K hurricane season., I am putting out a call for input from you, our loyal readership and new friends, as to what aspects of the situation I should address.

Please leave me a comment here with your input.

Thanks, Loki

EDIT: I just found out it will be The Mike Malloy Show

EDIT: The Mike Malloy Show was this year’s winner of the  A.I.R. (Achievement in Radio) Awards award for best talk radio show in NYC

I see someone was paying attention Tom D’Antoni: The Real Jazzfest: Anger and Sorrow | The Huffington Post

Courtesy of Mark Folse here is an intersting use of the google api that answers that question. http://www.gooferdust.com/maps/midcity.html

Found this on BayouBuzz just now:

“New Orleans has entered into an agreement with Microsoft Corporation to develop a “Phoenix Rising Initiative” which would help with public safety and emergency preparedness and to help create further education initiatives.”

The full article contains a statement by the New Orleans Chief Technology Officer, Greg Meffert, giving more detail and the party line.

Read the complete article here. I am still formulating my opinions. On the one hand anything that can help kickstart us technologically is a boon, on the other this is Microsoft…

I welcome your opinions and comments.