Exoneree John Thompson, of New Orleans, was awarded millions in compensation for wrongful incarceration but has been unable to collect. How much would you need to be paid to spend 25 years in the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola? It’s just a thought experiment. I’m not putting any money on the table. And if I […]
Author Archives: Mark Moseley
Mark Moseley blogs at Your Right Hand Thief. Until mid 2014, Mark Moseley was The Lens' opinion writer, engagement specialist and coordinator for the Charter Schools Reporting Corps. After Katrina and the Federal Flood he helped create the Rising Tide conference, which grew into an annual social media event dedicated to the future of New Orleans.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Punchline drunk: Knock-down fight at a stand-up comedy club
Weapon of choice for open mic stand-up hopefuls. Comic punchlines were interrupted by actual thrown punches last night at Carrollton Station during the weekly “Think You’re Funny?” open mic stand-up comedy show. Green performs at Carrollton Station, sans assailant. photo: Scotland Green Only 10 minutes into the program a fight erupted in the side alcove […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Obama linked to civil rights heroes – in Alabama, not Louisiana
A detail from the Alabama tourism pamphlet links President Obama to heroes of the civil rights era. l While stretching my legs at one of the Alabama “Welcome Centers” along Interstate 10 last summer, I browsed through a formidable collection of pamphlets touting the state’s various tourist destinations. I’d never seen so many travel brochures […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Premature adulation: Should we even ask if Anthony Davis will fit the "Bill"?
After reading Times-Picayune sports writer Jeff Duncan’s June 28 column on the NBA draft, only one question remained on my mind: “Who the blazes compared Anthony Davis to Bill Russell?!” As you’re probably aware, the New Orleans Hornets selected Davis with their top pick in the recent draft. And for good reason. The University of […]
Posted inOpinion, Schools
Why fight it? Let’s embrace textbooks Loch, stock and barrel
Say you’re an executive for a growing company that intends to relocate to the Southeast. One morning, while perusing your robust web news round-up, you click on a Business Insider article. It’s labeled “Hot,” because it’s being so widely viewed and shared. The first sentence begins: Thousands of children in Louisiana are being taught that […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Let’s hope T-P treats readers better than it treated its employees
The Times-Picayune opinion page should razz its ownership for the way it handled plans to cut staff and shrink to a three-days-a-week paper. The inside account of the T-P restructuring story, as reported by Kevin Allman at Gambit, reveals a lack of professionalism among the paper’s new decision-makers: Gambit spoke to more than a dozen […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
The axe falls: Life without that daily dose of ink on paper
It took 10 hours for The Times-Picayune to run a story about today’s big local news, which the New York Times broke last night: New Orleans will soon be out of a daily newspaper. The awards-winning Times-Picayune, one of the most-read papers in any metropolitan market, announced that it will reduce its delivery and sales […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
GOP strategist saw gay marriage shift gaining momentum
More straights are marching under the gay rights banner. credit: Creative Commons In light of my last post on President Obama’s repositioning in support of gay-marriage rights, I found this recent GOP strategy memo fascinating. It’s from President George W. Bush’s 2004 pollster, Jan R. van Lohuizen. Within a few years of Bush’s re-election victory […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Obama catches gay marriage trend, but what about Louisiana?
Last week President Barack Obama publicly unveiled his now fully “evolved” belief that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. Media reports called his announcement a “watershed move.” I disagree. While Obama’s statement might be historic, it merely follows a watershed change in American attitude that occurred over a year ago. It’s important to remember […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Why the hurry, Congressman? A legal payoff lay ahead
Lee Zurik’s Fox 8 report on allegedly fraudulent oil leases owned by Gov. Huey Long’s “Win or Lose” corporation, worth hundreds of millions in royalties over the years, and passed down to Long’s friends and descendants, is a fascinating investigation. Remember that Long, the Kingfish, rose to fame campaigning against Big Oil. But once in […]