Louisiana
updated
11:37 a.m.
Here is the Latest ad from VoteVets.org. This group is doing a GREAT job of pointing out what it really means to support our vets! ...
Lafayette Democrats - 7:30 a.m.
If ferry service resumes *, the timing of Saturday's Ferry Night can actually work well with plans to attend Ashley Morris Memorial Fundraiser . Unfortunately, there will be tough choices in the afternoon. Johnny J. and The Hitmen will be at Borders bookstore at 2. There's an ArtinAction installation at the Milne Boys Home from 3-6, but NOLACycle is having a mapping event in my neigh...
Moldy City - Wed 9:31 p.m.
Following all the NOAH stuff has drawn most of my attention over the past couple of days. (The latest post at WCBF is particularly fun, btw) I know everybody comes here to read about football, though. There will be something in that vein forthcoming since today is "Fat Guys Carrying Luggage Day" and all. In the meantime, please rejoice in the fact that the T-P's Mike Triplett has graciously...
Library Chronicles - Wed 6:33 p.m.
Update: This update exists ostensibly to link once again to WCBF where E promises a post-Council meeting clearinghouse for scuttlebutt. But really it's here because I want everyone to know that this post should have been titled "NOAH knowns and NOAH unknowns" Just a primer in case you haven't been following this. Yesterday afternoon, the Mayor escalated the controversy over the New Orlean...
Library Chronicles - Wed 6:33 p.m.
WWLTV: BREAKING NEWS: Sen. John McCain has cancelled his trip to New Orleans this evening, according to Gov. Jindal's press secretary. ...
Library Chronicles - Wed 6:33 p.m.
Well dagnabbit, it sure is a good thing we have “advances in technology.” Update: The press is now correcting earlier reports of a “9000 gallon” spill, revising the unit of measure to barrels (i.e., 9000 barrels). As Ricardo pointed out in the comments, this means that the extended amount of the spill is in the hundreds of [...]...
People Get Ready - Wed 11:30 a.m.
The fundamental problem with Ray Nagin is that he isn’t dealing straight with the press and the public. Why is it that Ray Nagin doesn’t think it’s important to provide prompt, accurate information about the recovery requested by the press and the community? Ray Nagin has exhibited a pattern of misinformation, withholding of information, lethargy, and just [...]...
People Get Ready - Tue 11:34 p.m. - 9 clicks 
How is Karen Gadbois helping (text) the recovery (video) ? What a douche, C. Ray not Karen. The emphasis on the fact that NOAH is funded with federal money might be the best thing about tonight's report. In the past, I've confidently predicted that the federal government will never conduct any serious investigations of the Nagin administration because that would entail investigating Katrina...
Moldy City - Tue 11:00 p.m. - 8 clicks
An article in this week's City Business alleges that the city has seen an increased number of felony prosecutions since Keva Landrum-Johnson has become acting D.A. because of an increase in felony prosecutions for marijuana possession, rather than because of increased prosecution of violent crimes. Since I consider this a serious matter, I'll ask you to read the entire article and draw your own ...
Moldy City - Tue 11:00 p.m.
I spent last weekend up in Chicago. I hadn’t been there in over a decade, and although the City, for the most part, hasn’t changed all that much, there are some notable improvements, many of which provide lessons for those of us here in Alexandria. Like Alexandria, Chicago was also decimated by a huge fire– only [...]...
CenLamar - Tue 9:37 p.m. - 12 clicks
Taibbi: The Obama camp, playing with a big halftime lead as the cliché goes, is going to play this one close to the vest, sticking to a strategy of using larger and larger fonts every week for their "CHANGE" placards, and getting the candidates' various aides and spokesgoons to use the term "McCain-Bush policies" as many times as possible on political talk shows. Obama will also use this pre-c...
Library Chronicles - Tue 3:41 p.m.
SPECIAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2008 12:00 NOON A special meeting of the City Council Criminal Justice Committee is called for WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2008 at 12:00 noon in the City Council Chamber. The items offered for Criminal Justice Committee consideration are presented subject to the chairperson’s approval. City Council Criminal Justice Committee [...]...
People Get Ready - Tue 3:41 p.m. - 3 clicks
Jimmy Fahrenholtz has been disqualified from the District 2 Congressional race for being a big stupid liar ... or something like that. Actually Fahrenholtz's candidacy was disqualified on a technicality exploited by a lawsuit filed by...... I think you see where this is going The challenge was filed by Houma attorney Conrad S.P Williams III, who alleged in a lawsuit that Fahrenholtz, who has s...
Library Chronicles - Tue 2:05 p.m.
Wait... they were actually planning a Republican Primary ? They must have had trouble managing the crowds. John Neely Kennedy Campaign Kickoff event. ( Photo via Daily Kingfish ) ...
Library Chronicles - Tue 12:08 p.m.
It almost doesn’t need repeating that a few really pissed off citizens can be the change they want to see (transcript). Nice work Karen. And Lee Zurik — don’t let it go to your head — but we’ve got your back. The Stone Age mayor could always go to work for his sons busting boulders … oops! Update: Apparently, [...]...
People Get Ready - Tue 11:05 a.m. - 3 clicks
When ethics, experience, leadership, judgment, and duplicitous comments about loyalty to a state recovering from the nation’s worst disaster, are all called into question, John McCain’s ongoing confusion instead leads him to find a running mate. Then again, Louisiana will come out ahead in this game when we get to Mitch it up in the governor’s [...]...
People Get Ready - Tue 11:05 a.m. - 10 clicks
Self-promoting radio a**hole Michael Savage said on air last week, of autistic children, that “In 99 percent of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out.” “What do you mean they scream and they’re silent? They don’t have a father around to tell them, `Don’t act like a moron. You’ll [...]...
People Get Ready - Tue 11:05 a.m. - 3 clicks
Steve Scalise has been in Congress for two and a half months and he’s already billing the taxpayers for a vacation to Alaska? Tsk Tsk. There goes the fiscal conservative label. If the guy can’t make a good argument on the merits of the issue alone, then he shouldn’t even be representing voters in Washington. I [...]...
People Get Ready - Tue 11:05 a.m. - 3 clicks
It occurs to me that I've never known the name for a widely used rhetorical device. I suppose that it's most widely used by smart ass high school students and college underclassmen who consider it wickedly clever, but some people continue to employ the device throughout their adult lives. I'm referring to the practice of condescendingly explaining a simple concept in order to make one's debate opp...
Moldy City - Tue 8:31 a.m. - 4 clicks
If you missed Saturday's paper, it seems that the business arrangement between Home Depot and Stone Age has come to an end . It seems that the mayor's pretenses of being a "champion of transparency" have come to an end as well: The mayor, who has maintained that the business dealings of Stone Age are none of the public's business, responded to an e-mailed query with a request to "stop e-mailing ...
Moldy City - Tue 8:31 a.m. - 3 clicks
Channel 4 tonight ( preview here ): 4 investigates at 10: Money doesn't add up for housing program July 21st, 2008 Tonight at 10pm, 4 Investigates questions about a non-profit agency connected to the City of New Orleans. It claims to have used federal money to fix up damaged homes, but when reporter Lee Zurik looked at the list of properties, we found something quite different. Can City Hall ...
Library Chronicles - Mon 11:34 p.m.
And training camp hasn't even opened yet. Update: Karen graciously sends us this can't-miss Deadspin post . Shockey leaves behind a mixed legacy in New York. And by mixed, I mean pathetic. He was drafted to be the spiritual heir to Mark Bavaro. But Bavaro was quiet, humble, productive, played through injury, and wasn’t a complete moron. Shockey, as you know, turned out to be quite the ...
Library Chronicles - Mon 11:34 p.m.
Republican Charles Boustany, Jr. has voted with the GOP on every single issue since being in office. Is that the kind of change District 7 needs? Don Cravins, Jr. is a conservative Democrat that has and will cross party lines. Cravins, being conservative, shares many Republican values. Such as, pro-hunter and pro-guns. THAT IS WHAT WE NEED! We need someone that will stand up for us. Not s...
Lafayette Democrats - Mon 11:34 p.m. - 8 clicks
Who voted on Saturday against the four millages to fund school programs? The millages passed overwhelmingly, and will raise $32 million a year for school programs at a cost of about $158.54 to the owner of a home valued at $200,000, according to an estimate by the Bureau of Governmental Research. A commercial property assessed at [...]...
People Get Ready - Mon 10:02 p.m. - 2 clicks
In case you missed it, Louisiana Treasurer John N. Kennedy is running for Senate again. The last time he ran for Senate in 2004, he finished third. But in the political career of John N. Kennedy, 2004 was eons ago. Back in 2004, John N. Kennedy was a proud Democrat who endorsed Bush’s opponent, John Kerry, for the Presidency. Back in 2004, most Louisianans had a certain respect for Mr. Kennedy. ...
Lafayette Democrats - Sun 11:50 p.m. - 17 clicks
39 years ago today, on July 20, 1969, an audacious goal set by John F. Kennedy, to land a man on the moon within ten years, was fulfilled. Al Gore is now inspiring Americans to embrace the same audacious hope in a new goal to for the United States to become energy independent, and to stall [...]...
People Get Ready - Sun 10:38 p.m. - 3 clicks
A couple of reflections on news from Iraq. There’s something wrong with our society’s priorities and where it invests its treasure when the option to risk your life to support your family is more attractive than teaching the next generation. Smith remembers driving by a recruiting office and deciding to stop after he’d had a bad day [...]...
People Get Ready - Sun 1:04 a.m. - 2 clicks
"If (the team) plays lousy, if it doesn't do very good, then it ought to be called down, and we ought to be the first ones to do it." --Saints owner Tom Benson addressing the question of whether WVUE his newly purchased television station can be expected to report on the team objectively....
Library Chronicles - Sun 12:11 a.m.
As Karen says , in Naginland, collapsing houses are really just an opportunity for more lying. "Streamlining" the historic review process in response to this is kind of like invading Iraq after being attacked by Saudi terrorists trained in Afghanistan. Just imagine how absurd that would be....
Library Chronicles - Fri 6:01 p.m.
A cadre of us unsavory folk managed to sneak into last night's Ringside Politics with a Punch at the Cricket Club just so that we could say we were once in the same room as Harry Shearer. Here are some quick notes from the proceedings: As the master of ceremonies, Jeff Crouere has an affable enough personality and a decent sense of who might be entertaining on the stage with him. Unfortunate...
Library Chronicles - Fri 6:01 p.m.
Our recent post comparing news articles from Jan Moller and Clancy Dubos has spawned a tangential language dispute in the comments section. It takes place in separate threads so I'll condense them to reproduce the context for you here before I settle this. Daisy writes: Also, "aggressiveness" is not a word and does not need to be created. There is already a noun, "aggression," that would've su...
Library Chronicles - Thu 3:06 p.m.
I dunno, Maitri . I think what is needed is less not more hero worship. The Dragonslaying mentality is part of what gets us into this mess in the first place....
Library Chronicles - Thu 3:06 p.m.
What a tease! For a minute there I thought that Ricky was going to go ahead and read the whole Details profile of Gov. PBJ for me but it looks like even he couldn't make it all the way through. Alright I'll do it later then... when my hangover goes away....
Library Chronicles - Thu 3:06 p.m.
Oh goodie it's another Ozone Action Alert . Everybody prepare to take action according to the following recommendations. The Air Quality Index indicates that ozone will be at the orange level, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Increasing ozone levels may cause unhealthy air quality during afternoon hours. Active children and adults, the elderly and people with respiratory diseases, such...
Library Chronicles - Thu 3:06 p.m.
Does the State charge its own agencies rent for office space ? Before the LSED can even contemplate the sports and entertainment district, however, the state must agree to move some of its offices into the Dominion Tower. That move is key to financing the purchase of all three buildings in the New Orleans Centre. The state has planned for some time to build brand new offices to replace a publi...
Library Chronicles - Jul 17
In the comment thread to an earlier post , Daisy the professional librarian (and most prolific reader I've ever met) writes, "I hate professional writers." It's one of those things that makes you marvel at the complexity of the universe....
Library Chronicles - Jul 17
I really don't care enough about election handicapping to analyze LA-02 in terms of race, party registration and geography well enough to make any kind of educated guess as to what will happen with a closed primary in the Fall election . My guess is that a closed primary makes the kind of strategic voting that we saw last time unlikely. Still, Derrick Shepherd held a press conference to prote...
Moldy City - Jul 16 - 2 clicks
Here's a very interesting criminal defense move. A spokesman for La. Atty. Gen. Charles Foti said the St. Rita's nursing home trial is the first case in Louisiana in which the governor is compelled to testify . Foti was unsuccessful in blocking defense efforts to call Gov. Blanco in the trial against the nursing home owners charged with the deaths of 35 patients in post-Katrina floodin...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16 - 5 clicks
Tests by the insurance industry revealed that some sport utility vehicles don't provide the side-impact protection that many consumers expect. According to reports released Thursday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the 2008 -- Chevrolet TrailBlazer , Jeep Grand Cherokee , Nissan Pathfinder , and Nissan Xterra. All of these vehicles received marginal...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16
Have you used Prempro or Premarin? A Nevada jury ordered Wyeth , formally known as American Home Products , a prescription drug maker, to pay $99 million in punitive damages to three women, because the company’s menopause drugs caused cancer. Jurors had originally awarded the women $135 million in compensatory damages but the amount was later reduced to $35 million. Three other ...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16 - 5 clicks
The good and bad of money…money…. money! Pharmaceutical giant Genetech makes Avastin , a cancer drug that is also used to treat macular degeneration, which causes blindness in the elderly. Genetech also makes Lucentis , a drug used to treat macular degeneration. And, that’s good ! But, here’s the problem: Retinal specialists prefer to use Avastin because of its cheaper, abou...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16 - 2 clicks
In Stoneridge Investment Partners v. Scientific-Atlanta Inc. and Motorola Inc. , the U.S. Supremes stuck it to the middle class again. A conservative Republican Supreme Court ruled that people who buy shares in companies that defraud them can't sue those who helped cook the books. The Supreme's "hey, suck it up" approach was not totally unexpected in view of the Supreme Court's unabashed...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16
Those protecting working families across America have asked U.S. District Court in New Orleans to keep Allstate Insurance documents open to the public from the first federal Katrina-related federal trial in Louisiana. The smoking guns include Allstate's claims-handling manual and instructions to adjusters . The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights and Public Justice filed a motion la...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16 - 7 clicks
Katy Cameron, a veteran auditor at a General Motors / Toyota plant in California, has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the automakers claiming the managers intentionally overlooked serious safety flaws . Ms. Cameron says plant management routinely deleted defects that included brake and seatbelt problems . See, my Blog -- Good guys win: Hawaii Judge Finds for Plaintiff in Seatbe...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16 - 2 clicks
Texas lawmakers, plaintiff attorneys and union groups are challenging a controversial Texas Supreme Court ruling that wrongly shields industrial plants from liability claims filed by contract workers. Continuing the draconian tradition of protecting corporate greed, the conservative Texas Supreme Court ruled unanimously that a contract employee at an Entergy Gulf States plant could not recove...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16
A group of pediatricians told FDA advisers that cold and cough medicines should not be given to children under six years old . An FDA panel is currently considering a petition that seeks government recognition that the medicines are ineffective and unsafe for children under six years of age . Meanwhile, drug makers stopped the sale of over-the-counter medicines for toddlers citin...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16
It’s hard to imagine anything standing in the way of the public’s right to know when a corporation endangers the health and safety of a community. Yet, it happens every day under the guise of protecting a corporation’s “ trade secret .” Here’s a case in point. California officials refuse to disclose the ingredients of a chemical pesticide sprayed over fields, homes, businesses and school...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16 - 2 clicks
Sun Valley is an affluent resort community in central Idaho. Folks in Sun Valley don’t sing, “I ain’t got no money.” That’s because there’s lots of money in “them thar hills.” The “wealthy residents” of Idaho’s Sun Valley are getting some added protection from recent wildfires in the form of a special wildfire protection unit deployed by insurer AIG ( American International Group, Inc...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16
Allstate Insurance Co. has tentatively agreed to reimburse thousands of Washington drivers involved in a class action lawsuit against the company . According to the lawsuit Allstate’s medical bill review practices arbitrarily limited payments for legitimate medical expenses incurred by policyholders . The settlement covers an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 drivers who filed claims under pe...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16
Conservatives have purged the judicial system of judges who are willing to protect the rights of the middles class and working families . Corporate America owns the federal judiciary . Terrible judicial decisions are to be expected. But, this really hurt Louisiana! Here’s what happened. Recently, U.S. District Judge Peter Beer, an icon of Louisiana conservatism , dismissed a la...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16 - 7 clicks
Remember tough-love ? You bet it's tough, more like brutal , if it's ever rational to use tough and love in the same sentence. A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found rampant abuse and neglect at many of the nation’s privately run boot camps and residential treatment facilities for troubled youths . The GAO report showed that the management and employees of such...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16 - 2 clicks
Troy Cornock is a regular guy, not unlike you and me. Like most us, Troy had never heard of the National Arbitration Forum ( NAF ). One day, Troy received a letter from NAF saying he owed money on a credit card. Here's the problem: Troy never signed a credit card agreement , and Troy's ex-wife had made all of the charges . Ex-spouses are known to do that. Yet, the NAF ordered T...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16
The Colorado Court of Appeal unanimously rejected State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance's "exclusive computer database" to calculate medical costs. State Farm used Sloans Lake Auto Injury Management , a medical database that compares physician charges against same or like services in a geographic region. The court conculded that the technique was arbitrary and unreeasonable. ...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16
Horace Mann Insurance Co. group and Amica Mutual Insurance Co. want to increase YOUR homeowners insurance by 21. 6 percent and 20.6 percent. The request came at Wednesday’s meeting of the Louisiana Insurance Rating Commission. Business Staff, The Advocate 08/13/2007 Read Article: The Advocate ...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16 - 3 clicks
They got caught ! They got caught ! The Supreme Court, conservative bent notwithstanding, upheld a ruling Monday that will allow a class action lawsuit against Microsoft Corp. and Best Buy Co. to go forward. The federal class action lawsuit involves thousands of consumers, just like you and me, that were cheated when Microsoft Corp. and Best Buy Co. surreptitiously ch...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16 - 2 clicks
Allstate Insurance Co. has agreed to reimburse thousands of Washington state drivers involved in a class action lawsuit against the company. Allstate uses its medical bill review practices to arbitrarily limit payments for legitimate medical expenses incurred by policyholders. The settlement covers an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 drivers who filed claims under personal-injury pr...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16
Johnson & Johnson has ordered a voluntary recall of certain cough and cold products for infants amid reports that misuse could lead to overdoses. A Johnson & Johnson spokesman says the recall affects infants under two years of age who are particularly at risk for overdose if the products were not administered properly. The products being recalled include: infants' Tylenol ...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16 - 2 clicks
Recently, the American Association for Justice released a report showing that, after natural disasters such as hurricanes, the insurance industry has failed to pay even undisputed, “fair and valid” claims , while raking in profits in excess of $100 billion in two years . The account is chilling. Here are some excerpts: "Bob Kochran CEO of an engineering firm assessing Katrina damag...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16 - 5 clicks
Who hasn’t looked at a doctor’s bill or hospital bill and said, “ That can’t be right !” Well, it probably isn’t right! Consumer advocates say, medical billing errors that range from a few bucks to tens of thousands are an increasingly common problem. Medical Billing Advocates of America (MBAA) warns that coding errors , confusion over in and out of network providers , and high-deduc...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16
A doctor accused of gross negligence in the deaths of at least 2 children he helped deliver remains on the job with the nation’s largest HMO. Beginning in 2002, “doctors and nurses repeatedly” complained to officials at Kaiser Permanente that Hamid Safari posed potential risks to patients under his care. How did Kaiser over the years respond? This year, Kaiser finally restricte...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16 - 3 clicks
Zetia and Vytorin are two widely prescribed cholesterol drugs. Both drug are marketed and sold by Schering-Plough and Merck . Cardiologists have been demanding Schering-Plough and Merck come forward with clinical trials to prove the drugs’ effectiveness and safety. Cardiologists fear that if the drugs prove to be less effective than advertised, patients may be putting...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16
The tacit "communal" unspoken consensus is that "certain things" are NEVER discussed. Heck, we learned that as kids; no one wanted to "snitch" on a friend. The mafia called it “omerta,” the categorical prohibition of cooperation, even when one has been a victim. The "cover-up" exists in all walks of life except medicine, right? "I swear by ...all the gods and goddesses," the Hippocratic Oath ...
Justice is a Fickle Thing... - Jul 16 - 2 clicks
Barack Obama highlights Bush/McCain strategy for staying in Iraq: Bush/McCain argue the U.S. should stay in Iraq when "violence is up," and then they argue we should