Is it just me, or are there far fewer Christmas lights up around town this year? It seems like even less than last year. I guess as is true to human nature, the novelty of having electricity again has worn away compared to last Christmas, the same way our new toys lose their luster after a few months.
I can't believe this is the THIRD Christmas since Katrina. What can one say to that? I got nothin.' So, I'll just pretend time isn't flying by by posting this little montage I made last year. It's a collection of images representing my memory of 2005 during Thanksgiving & Christmas of that year, my first trips home after having evacuated 8/28/05. It's a mixture of personal photographs and shots from the Times-Picayune that I was sifting through last year, and it turned into this, which ended up being quite therapeutic.
Actually, I guess we have come quite a ways since then.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, y'all.
"I'm not going to try to lay down in words the lure of this place. Every great writer in the land, from Faulkner to Twain to Rice to Ford, has tried to do it, and fallen short. It is impossible to capture the essence, tolerance and spirit of south Louisiana in words...IT JUST IS WHAT IT IS." -Chris Rose, N.O. Times-Picayune, 8/29/06
Monday, December 24, 2007
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Let's Be Honest Here
Can we please just call this battle to annex Timberlane subdivision to Gretna what it is? It's nothing more than the manifestation of that sick Greater New Orleans disease that causes wealthy and even barely-middle-class whites to insist they have the right to not have "people" (pronounced with the disgust normally deserved for rats) drive down THEIR street!! You can practically see their goosebumps from their gated entrances, can't you?
And the people in Bellemeade are just mad because the people in Timberlane are whiter and richer and about to beat them to the punch in closing their subdivision off.
Why does it irk me so? Because this is just the proliferation of the isolationism and parochialism and PURE SELFISHNESS that has destroyed this city and eventually this region, pretentious people with inflated concerns about securing their antiques while pretending to not have the time to tutor the schoolkids who, ironically, will drop out of school and grow up more likely to be the guy unloading their stupid antiques off the back of a delivery truck than the guy trying to steal them. It's no longer good enough to live in Jeff Parish because those black people have now moved to Terrytown and it only costs the ones from across the river .40 in toll with a toll tag to get to Timberlane Drive and -- yes, take the 3 minute drive down your street to get to either Lapalco or Belle Chasse Hwy at 30mph because no one is stupid enough to speed through there knowing how heavily police patrolled its been for 30 years. Jesus Gawd, the horror.
But whatever, go ahead. Go buy your fucking gate.
And the people in Bellemeade are just mad because the people in Timberlane are whiter and richer and about to beat them to the punch in closing their subdivision off.
Why does it irk me so? Because this is just the proliferation of the isolationism and parochialism and PURE SELFISHNESS that has destroyed this city and eventually this region, pretentious people with inflated concerns about securing their antiques while pretending to not have the time to tutor the schoolkids who, ironically, will drop out of school and grow up more likely to be the guy unloading their stupid antiques off the back of a delivery truck than the guy trying to steal them. It's no longer good enough to live in Jeff Parish because those black people have now moved to Terrytown and it only costs the ones from across the river .40 in toll with a toll tag to get to Timberlane Drive and -- yes, take the 3 minute drive down your street to get to either Lapalco or Belle Chasse Hwy at 30mph because no one is stupid enough to speed through there knowing how heavily police patrolled its been for 30 years. Jesus Gawd, the horror.
But whatever, go ahead. Go buy your fucking gate.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Insurance is a Fraud
SUCH A FREAKIN' FRAUD! I'd call it a "joke" if it weren't so immoral, or if it didn't make me want to cry from utter hopelessness everytime I think about it. So what the hell am I rambling about, you ask? The following is written VERBATIM in State Farm's Louisiana renter's insurance policy under the section titled "Losses Insured":
OK, simple enough. Right? One would think -- until one turns to the very next page titled "Losses Not Insured" and reads the following regarding "nuclear hazards":
My initial involuntary reaction was: "huh?", followed by the quickly growing realization of "WHAT THE F*-K IS THIS?!?"
What it is is a shameless, unconscionable, blatant tactic that allows the company to "rightfully" decide that they don't feel like compensating you for a particular loss.
"1. Fire or lightning"
OK, simple enough. Right? One would think -- until one turns to the very next page titled "Losses Not Insured" and reads the following regarding "nuclear hazards":
"Loss caused by the nuclear hazard shall not be considered loss caused by fire, explosion or smoke.
However, we do insure for any direct loss by fire resulting from the nuclear hazard, provided the resulting fire loss is itself a Loss Insured."
My initial involuntary reaction was: "huh?", followed by the quickly growing realization of "WHAT THE F*-K IS THIS?!?"
What it is is a shameless, unconscionable, blatant tactic that allows the company to "rightfully" decide that they don't feel like compensating you for a particular loss.
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Hanging on for Dear Life: Katrina Survivors" Daily Struggle to Live
- The representative of the neighborhood "Lakeview" (an upper middle class mostly white neighborhood of NOLA) just told a story that will stay with me for the rest of my life. She told the story of 2 volunteers from Boston, a mother and a 9 year old daughter. After a week of working, the daughter turned to the mother and asked her when they would be returning to America. The lady representative broke down into tears and asked the senate panel the same question. When will we be returning to America?
- 2005 homeowners insurance: $1926... 2006 homeowners insurance: $2343... 2007 homeowners insurance bill: $4599
- That ain't shit. 2005 Farmers: $2400 / 2006 Farmers: $4000 / 2007 Farmers: $11,000
- "I hope the levees break again and kill you."
- The average cost for a 2,000-square-foot home has jumped, probably, to the $80,000 range just for foundation work