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Whistleblowers and Wiki-leaks: Hater Talk, Half-Step Walk

New Orleans Reading the long story in The New Yorker recently, it was clear that Thomas A. Drake was no dream employee at National Security Agency (NSA), but it was even more obvious that trying to convict him of the Espionage Act was ridiculous, so seeing him plead out on a misdemeanor deal is probably [...]

Treme for Tourists: The Shell of the City Set to Music

New Orleans Henry Butler, the well known New Orleans piano player, and his music were featured on the Treme episode in the regular HBO Sunday slot.  Early in the show, he said it was “good to be home.”  In the real world of post-Katrina, Butler had showed up with thousands of others on the porch [...]

Politicians Slip and Fall: Oliver Thomas’ “Reflections”

New Orleans Contrary to popular opinion, it is actually a very, very rare event for a New Orleans city politician to go to jail for some kind of corruption, regardless of our reputation.  The hometown paper, The Times Picayune, campaigned mercilessly for investigations and convictions of Mayor Marc Morial and his troops, largely to no [...]

Fifty Years Since the Freedom Rides

NewOrleans Thanks to my new library card, I stumbled onto the library’s homepage last weekend to learn how to order books on-line, and what do you know there was an announcement of a event commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides of 1961 complete with a traveling exhibit and speakers, so I trundled [...]

Craig, Zach, and Ed’s Unique View of Vietnam

Bangkok I hate the Bangkok international airport.  It’s an overpriced mall with planes in the parking lot.  A cup of coffee can cost $3 to $4 bucks USD, and I’m stuck here for 8 hours on the cheap route from Hanoi to Delhi, so making the best of it.  Leaving a new [...]

Moving the Money: Kartina Plus Five

Vanessa's picture in the Times Picayune by David Grunfeld

New Orleans    These things all take time.

I finally am bothering friends and family about how to make our fishing camp on the bayou abutting the Big Branch National Wildlife Refuge a mile up from Lake Ponchartrain useable again without rebuilding. A pontoon and pulley operation rather [...]