Katrina Update #78Katrina Update #78
25 years ago today Janis was recovering from the birth of our first child, and, well, I was pretty much just in shock. Imagine me, a dad! (Yeah, I know - still hard to believe.) And the irony is not lost (on me, at least) that the 25th anniversary of Cary's birth finds Janis recovering from her recent hysterectomy. She is doing fine, btw. Tired, but fine. The surgery was "textbook," according to her doctor. She went into the O.R. at 7:40 AM last Thursday (7/6/06) and was out of surgery at 8:53 AM. She was even speaking English by late afternoon!
A quick search on the Internet produced the following other people who were born on July 15th:
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Linda Ronstadt (1946) who once said "I wish I had as much in bed as I get in the newspapers." |
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Kim Alexis (1960) who once said "I would rather exercise than read a newspaper." |
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Arianna Huffington (1950) who has a column in newspapers and once said "When I was a Republican, Saddam Hussein was our ally, George Bush owned a mediocre baseball team, Enron was a respected energy company, and Michael Jackson was still black." |
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Jesse Ventura (1951) who made headlines in newspapers by being elected Governor of Minnesota and once said "I think, in 2008, we need a pro wrestler in the White House." |
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Rembrandt van Riji (1606) who didn't make headlines in many papers, but once said "Practise what you know, and it will help to make clear what now you do not know." |
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Ayatollah Khamenei (1939) whose country (Iran) has been making more headlines recently and, regarding upcoming elections for president of Iran once said "The winner must promote social jusitce, remove corruption and discrmination, and stand against political, cultural and economic plots." |
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Adam Savage (1967) who hasn't (yet) made any headlines, but does co-host Mythbusters and once said "I reject your reality and subsitute my own." |
At this time last year we had already seen 5 storms, including Hurricane Dennis, which caused over $9 billion in damage to the Florida panhandle. So far this year we have yet to see the first hurricane and only one tropical storm (Alberto). The residents of New Orleans are still wary of what the rest of the season could bring, yet everyone seems to be breathing a bit easier that with each passing day it seems that New Orleans may escape major incurrsions of tropical storms or hurricanes this year. As I may have mentioned before, a Category 1 or higher passes within 40 miles of downtown New Orleans every 9 years on average, and a Category 5 happens every 40 years on average.
New Orleans water system has been beleagured ever since Katrina hit. Up to 85 million gallons of water per day have been leaking away since the storm, mostly through cracked underground pipes and broken hydrants that were damaged when the storm's winds toppled trees whose roots pried loose the subterranean infrastructure. New Orleans' current population is about 220,000 people (compared to 480,000 before the storm) are using about 50 million gallons per day, or about 63 percent of the volume that was used before Katrina. Over the July 4th weekend one of the city's 3 main pumps gave out. These pumps pull 70 million gallons of water each, so if you do a little math you can quickly see why this is a problem: the pumps can now pump 140 million gallons per day, the city uses 50 million gallons, and we are losing 85 million per day due to leaks. This means if something else happens to the equipment, New Orleans will have water shortages. City officials say that if something else should happen, there is dormant pump in another station that could be put into use until the others are repaired.
- As mentioned above, Janis is doing fine. The doctors have said it will take about 6 full weeks before she is really feeling her old self again. Our family doctor even commented that they don't really know why. He said that surgery of this type should only take about a 2 week recovery period, but it always takes 6 weeks for some reason. My theory is that women are so tired after this particular surgery because their body spends all its time looking for its missing parts.
Anyway, a special thanks to those of you who sent flowers, books, cards, etc. They are really helping with the recovery process!
- New Orleans police arrested 19 year old Michael Anderson as the prime suspect in the killing of those 5 teenagers last month. Police say he squeezed off more than twenty .40-caliber bullets into the SUV that was carrying 5 teens, ages 16 to 19. He apparently blasted the driver first, then waited for the SUV to crash, after which he showered the survivors with gunfire. Drugs are thought to be the motive, either a deal gone bad or retalliation for enchroachment upon Anderson's territory.
The suspect has been arrested 11 times in the past 2.5 years on charges that include extortion, armed robbery, attempted murder, and a litany of drug possession and distribution offenses. Eleven days before the Central City massacre, Anderson was arrested on charges of aggrevated criminal damage, illegal use of a weapon, and aggravated assualt with the discharge of a weapon. He was released on bond. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Crime Commission here in New Orleans called Anderson "a career criminal with little fear of the New Orleans criminal justice system. He knows how to work the system better than some of those who work in it, better than some police and prosecutors."
- Actor Brad Pitt was in town this week, renewing his pledge to a long-term interest in making sure New Orleans is rebuilt safer, smarter and in a more ecologically sound way. "It's a bit shocking," Pitt said of the miles upon miles of ravaged neighborhoods that he traversed during his two-day visit this week. "It's a bit disturbing. There's a lot of limbo — a pervasive feeling that there's little direction."
It was just weeks after Katrina that Pitt lent his celebrity to the efforts of Global Green USA, a national organization committed to stemming global climate change and other efforts. Pitt and the organization eventually called for a contest to plan "a 1.25-acre site that focuses on a green, healthy, multifamily building with a community center and single-family housing" in the Holy Cross neighborhood. A jury that included Pitt and world-renowned architect Thom Mayne was in town this week whittling down 126 entries to five finalists and an honorable mention, which are slated to be unveiled on 7/17/06.
Pitt, who spent considerable time in New Orleans while filming scenes for the 1994 movie "Interview with the Vampire," said the new homes and public buildings will not simply be new versions of the city's familiar structures. "It is impossible to replicate the past . . . but the idea, with New Orleans being so rich architecturally, is: How do you take this to the next level? How do you use the vernacular that is there?"
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