Katrina Update #77Katrina Update #77That's the general gist of the email I have been getting from frequent readers of this site. It is unclear whether it is out of genuine concern for our well being, or perhaps they are just jonesing for their next MacChuck fix. No matter, I'm back — and I have a lot of catching up to do.
So what have I been doing this past month? Well, in addition to a trip to Atlanta for presentations in the three Apple stores there, I have been assisting in the release of a new version of software for the company I work for, MacSpeech. In case you aren't familiar with the process, it is a lot like childbirth:
So I have literally been too busy to do an update this past month, and for that, I am sorry.
In case you want to actually learn something about what I do, here are some links:
I recently received an email from John Wilkerson, who had found my site:
Hi chuck
Great site. I have a site that depicts the Bay Waveland area before and after. They are ground level shots of homes and areas before and after. I would be honored if you would include a link from your site. Thanks
John Wilkerson
The honor is all mine, John. Everyone who reads this should look at John's site and take the time to really look at these heartbreaking pictures of what once was and is no more. Here is the direct link to the before and after pictures. Keep in mind as you look at these pictures we are now ten months past the day the storm hit. Ten months!
Speaking of ten months, I have made a decision to continue my Katrina updates through August 29th of this year — the one year anniversary of the storm. At that point, I am going to keep the "Katrina" portion of the site for historical reasons, but my updates will become much more general in nature. Also at that time, anyone still interested in what I have to say will have to let me know, since I don't want to keep filling your mailbox with my drivel unecessarily. I will, of course, still provide commentary on New Orleans and how things are progressing, since that is a major part of our lives. But I won't feel so obligated to stay "on topic" regarding Katrina and its aftermath.
I ran across a video clip this month that I found just amazing. I sent the link out to a few people, but not everyone was able to view it, so here it is:
Amazing "Giant Girl" Marionette
Two things really stood out to me when I saw this video: the amazing craftsmanship, and the incredible teamwork. Both of which make the marionette so lifelike despite the many cables and pulleys involved in her operation. The thought occurred to me that if so many people can work together to make that work of art, then why is it so difficult to get some of the things done that need to get done in New Orleans?
The answer of course is bureaucracy. I guess it takes all kinds, and perhaps I wouldn't want to live in the type of place that this group of puppet masters would govern. But it sure would be nice if those that run our government (local, state, and federal) could learn to work together the way these people do.
- Coop got himself another bulldog this past Thursday. It's a puppy, and pedigreed (of course). I'll get pictures and give you the final choice for his name as soon as I find out (last I heard, "Ozzie" was a front-runner).
- Janis will be laid up for awhile. She is going into the hospital on Thursday for a hysterectomy. The doctor says she'll be in the hospital for three days, then will be pretty much bed-ridden while recovering for two weeks after the surgery (she'll be alowed to go up and down the stairs once a day). Then there will be another four weeks where she won't feel like doing anything. You can send her your well-wishes to thejanis@mac.com, but don't be surprised if she doesn't answer for a while.
- Tom Taylor is back in New Orleans, and respectfully asks you not go to the restaurant mentioned in the last update. Tom is a great guy, and it's nice to have him back home.
- As you have probably already heard, the National Guard has been called back to New Orleans to help curb the growing crime problem here. If this gives you any pause when thinking of coming to New Orleans, don't let it. This all started when 5 teenagers were gunned down in a SUV at about 4AM in the morning. First of all, this was drug related. If you aren't dealing drugs, or in an area where the dealers are likely to get their drugs, you will be fine.
New Orleans' problem in this area is actually no worse than any other big city. The problem is that we don't have enough police to address the problem, which could have been said before the storm as well.
More importantly, what were those kids — most of whom were younger than 18 —doing out at 4AM? Where are their parents in this? It is hard to feel sorry for people who put themselves in harm's way.
Anyway, New Orleans is safe. Uptown and the French Quarter are not places where you will encounter the kinds of people that you are hearing about on the news. We don't go to those parts of town either.
- You may not even have known this, but New Orleans had its own Six Flags theme park. Opened in May 2000 as an economic development project for eastern New Orleans, Jazzland Theme Park, as it was originally named, went bankrupt after just two seasons. Six Flags purchased the property in 2002 for just $22 million — a fraction of the original $135 million development cost. Despite adding new attractions and a massive advertising campaign, it never was "embraced" by the residents of New Orleans. (Well, duh! It was "way out yonder" in East New Orleans, and there was no public transportation to take you to it.)
Six Flags New Orleans
12 feet of brackish water sat in the park for weeks after Hurricane Katrina. The company that owns the park had a 75 year agreement to the city, but now wants out, since the park was not financially successful anyway. This is not surprising, since Six Flags is attempting to sell a bunch of its other parks in an attempt to curb mounting financial losses all over the country. According to an article in the New Orleans' Times-Picayune, Six Flags wants to pay the city $10 million plus a portion of the insurance proceeds over $75 million just to get out of the deal. The city, so far, is saying "no go" and they want six flags to rebuild and re-open.
Here's a thought:
There. That wasn't so hard, was it?
- Surprise! We're rich! An article in the New York Times indicates Louisiana has more tax dollars than ever pouring into the state's coffers. They originally predicted a $900 million drop in tax revenues this year due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, but latest information indicates the state will end up with about $500 million more in revenues than was expected before the storm hit. The biggest surge was due to sales taxes, as hurricane victims have used federal aid, insurance proceeds and their savings to replace items as disparate as socks and S.U.V.'s. Most of that "extra" revenue will be pumped back into the economies of the parishes that were most devastated, such as St. Bernard, where less than a third of their pre-storm population has returned and there is still no place to buy groceries.
- Here's an interesting statistic for you: more than $61 billion in disaster-related funds will come into Louisiana from many sources, such as homeowners and business insurance, federal programs, and the housing assistance program. The portion of that money that will go to construction will equal more than 28 years of normal construction spending.
- The Army Corps of Engineers has produced Flood Protection Maps that show the likely flooding should various amounts of rain occur in New Orleans during a strong tropical storm or hurricane. Be patient, as they take a while to load. Basically, what these maps say is that with as little as 3 inches of rain in a short period of time, areas of New Orleans may flood again this year.
- Yesterday, Louisiana Governor Blanco signed a law that will make it illegal to smoke in a restaurant effective January 1, 2007. I have some thoughts about this that some of you may find surprising. As Dennis Miller would say "I don't want to go off on a rant here, but…"
<rant>
Right off the bat I'd like to say this: smoking is dumb. If you smoke, you should quit. It's that simple. The health risks of smoking far outweigh any possible benefit it might provide. And if you think you are one of those people who has the appropriate mutant X gene that allows you to smoke like a chimney and live until you are 108 before dying by crossing the street too slow and getting hit by a bus, you are wrong. The odds of you living a long and healthy life as a smoker are less than the odds that you will die from an asteroid in the shape of Mickey Mouse hitting the Earth and killing everyone except Franz Kafka and any of his friends and relatives that have already metamophed into cockroaches.
So if you smoke, stop. And don't give me that wussy stuff about how you can't. Just stop. We'd like you to be on the planet as long as possible and die of natural causes — or until the Mickey Mouse asteroid wipes us all out, whichever comes first.
With that out of the way, I'd like to say that I am against a ban on smoking of any kind that is imposed by the government. I had this argument years ago with friends from California shortly after the ban went into effect there. The argument goes like this:
- smoking has been proven bad for your health;
- those who don't smoke — particularly those who work in places where smoking is allowed — have a right to be in an environment that does not endanger their health;
- therefore, a ban on smoking in restaurants and other public places is good.
With very few exceptions it is not. It is evil. People need to be free to make their own choices. The government should not be allowed to tell you whether or not you can smoke in a restaurant (btw, the ban here in Louisiana only applies to restaurants — people in bars and casinos are free to continue posioning themselves to their heart's content). The next part of the argument goes like this: "I don't smoke, so why should I have to endanger my health to enjoy food at my favorite restaurant?"
Here's why: NO ONE SAID YOU HAVE TO GO THERE!! Look, I'll say it again: I don't like cigarette smoke. I think it is bad. But I have two feet. I don't have to go where people smoke. I can make a choice, too. What I think is that the "smoking" or "no smoking" choice should be left up to the business owner. It's really this simple: if you own a restaurant, put up no smoking signs. If people want to smoke, they will do it outside. You won't lose any business. The government doesn't need to get involved, except maybe to protect your right to have a non-smoking establishment.
So I am not pro-smoking. I am anti-regulation of personal freedoms. Business owners should be free to tell people not to smoke in their establishment, people who don't smoke should be free to patronize businesses that don't allow smoking, and people who do smoke should either be considerate enough to smoke outside, or only patronize businesses that allow smoking. It's that simple.
One last thought: one cold and rainy night in Boulder Creek, CA I was at one of the 3 bars located in town, with a friend with whom I was staying. He "got the urge" and went outside to have a cigarette. Not wanting to interrupt the flow of our conversation, I followed him. The point consistently being made to me is that California has this smoking ban in order to protect the health of its residents. Fair enough. So, if I had gotten sick, caught pnemonia, and required hospitalization and medication, I assume it would have been within my rights to sue the state of California for endangering the health of a non-smoker with their smoking ban.
"But Chuck," you say, "you didn't have to go outside. You could have waited inside until your friend had finished his cigarette."
That's exactly my point. I would have never thought of suing the state of California except that if I had not been exposed to the elements due to a law that took away other choices, I would not have gotten sick. Sure, maybe I would have gotten cancer due to second hand smoke. But that would also have been my choice. In a way, California, by taking away a choice is forcing me to choose a less desireable path.
Or maybe I have the mutant X gene and will love a long and happy life despite the second hand smoke. Only time will tell.
</rant>
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