HumidCity

Some of our readers may well have noticed that once again a new crop of authors are appearing on the blog. You see, HumidCity is an organic community that continually grows and shifts. While I remain the dictatorial overlord the cast of characters goes through a pretty consistent state of flux.

Rooted firmly in the “pass the mic” ethos of the hip-hop scene we try to bring in new voices that we beieve need to be heard. Unlike the well known Metroblogging sites we do not make any money from the effort. As a pro blogger I wholeheartedly support being paid for my words, it is what keeps a roof over my wife’s head. I also believe that there are times when purity of message requires a removal of profit motive. HumidCity exists perpetually in one of those times: post levee failure New Orleans.

That said  would like to share the current roster of internet reprobates that have agreed to share their wit, wisdom, rants, and perspectives with you.  As always the list of active authors will change as people join and leave. I’m going to try to recap the current culprits monthly (we’ll see how that works out…)

• Bigezbear
• Dirtysouthbureau
• Editor B
• GBitch
• George Ingmire
• Liprap
• Lord David
• Loki, Founder (Me!)
• Louis Maistros
• M Styborski
• Maitri
• NOLARising
• PH Fred
• Kami Patterson
• Rachelle Matherne
• Greg Peters
• Eli Ackerman
• Wet Bank Guy

[EDIT: I am a clod. I completely forgot that the madcap snarking of Adrastos will also be found here on occassion. Omission now rectified. -Loki the clod]

As always, these voices are brought to you free of censorship by HumidCity. Please go check out their blogs, especially if you live outside of the New Orleans area. It will be infuriating and educational, I promise!

-Loki, Founder HumidCity

(For a complete and updated list of all Blog Carnival Posts visit this page.)

What the fuck happened? Or, in pukka: Why are we they way we are?

Pirates, mostly. Privateers, if you want to split hairs.

Look, I’m not *blaming* anything on pirates. I like pirates. But the fact is, it was Jean Laffite who provided the tipping point after which Louisiana started the long slow slide.

Laffite, for you out of towners, was a privateer (that is, a pirate with a license). He and his brother roared around the gulf near the turn of the nineteenth century, liberating the contents of ships of all nations and carting them back to the island nation of Saint-Domingue, from which they were transferred (okay, smuggled) into New Orleans.

In 1808, however, the Louisiana government (such as it was) decided to start enforcing the Embargo Act of 1807, which barred any American ship from docking at a foreign port. Saint-Domingue was now problematic, so Laffite moved his operation to Barataria, near Grand Isle in Barataria Bay. Once unloaded there, the swag was transported to New Orleans through the bayou via pirogue (that’s a boat for your corn farmers). Read the rest of this entry »

Ganked unashamedly from Greg Peters over at Suspect Device, a really great piece of humor:

Mayor Nagin and Police Chief Riley visited a class in a local elementary school yesterday and the teacher suggested that they participate in the day’s vocabulary lesson.

“Today’s word is tragedy,” said the mayor. “Can anyone give an example of a tragedy?” asked the police chief.

One child raised her hand. “If a drug dealer was trying to shoot another drug dealer and hit my sister instead,” the child offered. “No,” said the police chief, “that would be an accident. Anyone else?”

“How about if everyone quit visiting the city, my daddy lost his job and couldn’t provide for me?” another child ventured. “No,” said the mayor, “although that would be a great loss. One more answer from Johnny in the back.”

“Well,” said Johnny, “if the mayor and police chief were shoved off the viewing platform during a Mardi Gras parade and killed when a float ran them over, THAT would be a tragedy!” “Now that’s correct,” agreed the mayor and police chief. “And can you tell us why?” “Because,” said Johnny, “it sure as hell wouldn’t be a great loss, and I doubt very seriously if it would be an accident.”

Suspect Device | Greg Peters today provides a wonderful perspective on William Jefferson. It really is amazing the place thta refridgerators have taken in our new Post K mythology…