Congratulations, New Orleanians! The April 2012 Travel & Leisure magazine has voted you the fourth hippest city in America! If only we could pin down what “hip” is supposed to mean, we could feel even prouder. There is, of course, a great deal of confusion about what defines “hip,” and the definition also appears to […]
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Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Earl updated: Don’t tweet or blog what you can wink or nod
Eight years ago, I was up at odd hours of the night, helping my wife care for a newborn. After a bit of noodling on the internet I discovered and joined the wonderful (and wonderfully small) community of South Louisiana bloggers. We discussed politics and current events and mocked the stupid things written on other […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Does the Canal Street brothel offer peephole on River Birch strategy?
Federal prosecutor Sal Perricone submitted his resignation to U.S. Attorney Jim Letten on Tuesday. It’s a shame because Perricone is one of the smartest guys in the region. Or at least that’s how he portrayed himself in the comment boards on nola.com. There, Perricone posed as the cyclops in the land of the blind. Everyone […]
Posted inOpinion
Learning from NY: Cutting mental health carries hidden costs
City officials are right to decry the cuts to mental health services that could result from Gov. Bobby Jindal’s effort to plug a budget deficit.
Posted inLand Use
Tulane quest to rezone 'peripheral' properties dominates Master Plan hearing
The Planning Commission as well as the general public logged late hours at City Hall Tuesday night. The occasion was an Amendments to the Master Plan meeting, and while it kicked off smartly at 6 p.m., it didn’t break up until 10. The recently adopted Master Plan has a provision that allows the public to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
Exonerated death row inmate John Thompson digs for the roots of New Orleans crime epidemic
“Now, you can’t even tell who’s the child and who’s the parent. We lost that structure, and instead we got babies having babies. We need to address that.” — John Thompson
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Tea Partyers lick chops as GOP moderate enters presidential fray
Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman announced for president this morning, which may well mean it’s downhill from here. That’s right, national Huntsmania may never get more intense than it is right now, so let’s all savor this political apex. I suspect it will be fleeting. Huntsman is a Republican who served as U.S. ambassador to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion
Flooding? – who cares! We must stamp out looting before it starts!
Surely we all can agree that the first priority in the aftermath of a devastating mega-disaster is very clear: looting must be severely punished, even if the heavens fall. That’s why we should celebrate the upcoming fifth anniversary of the 15 year prison sentence Judge Hans Liljeberg bestowed upon two looters who lifted warm beer […]
Posted inEnvironment, Government & Politics, Investigations
Organizer who specialized in catastrophe conferences admits to financial disasters
A self-described “philanthropist-entrepreneur” specializes in disaster conferences, drawing high-powered speakers but leaving behind-the-scenes contractors looking for a paycheck.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Investigations, Land Use
'Reinventing' New Orleans? Landrieu team steers dwindling recovery dollars to humdrum projects
Despite Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s lofty rhetoric about reinventing the New Orleans, most discretionary federal grant money is going toward rebuilding streets and buildings.