Wow. A documentary called Left Behind has been done about the New Orleans Public School system. It was shot before, during and after Katrina. Hopefully, it will give some ensight to why New Orleans is the way it is. Why so many kids remain uneducated and why so many grow up only to be thrown in prison.

In Sunday's paper Chris Rose writes about how this crazy guy is outside flashing his gun on Causeway Blvd. That was the day before I ran into Mr. Crazy McGunflasher II. What is this? Maybe the guy I saw read the article and thought- 'What a good idea.' I'm really worried about the sanity of this city's people. Seriously.

Here's a story from RightHandThief that's pretty funny and quite disturbing. It puts today's events into perspective. Sure there was a guy walking around holding a gun, but at least a couple of mating wasps didn't hang out on my mouth. Today is weird.

I just had a very weird and frightening experience. So I'm strolling down Magazine Street to take advantage of the beautiful day when I come across a guy who appears to be holding something. At first glance I think, 'he's got a gun!' but then I remember that I always think the worst first and so maybe its not. He's kind of pacing around looking at the cars as they pass, looking at the building across the street, still holding the unidentified object. I think to myself, 'maybe it's a light meter and he wants to photograph the building.' He looks as if he's waiting for a ride, who knows. So I continue walking, though very hesitantly, when a woman turns the corner. As she walks past him I notice her eyes, wide open as hell. She's obviously seen the object and my first thought was correct. This guy's walking around holding up a gun! I continue to walk, trying to nonchalantly pass him without attracting any attention. I glance at it through my sunglasses- yep a freaking glock! As I pass, all I could think was 'god I hope he doesn't shoot!'. So I turn the corner just yards away from the guy and just start shaking like crazy. I keep looking back as I walk to make sure he doesn't turn the corner behind me and I pull out my cell phone and dial 911 to report the guy. Thing is, the guy seemed really normal and not like a thug whom you'd assume would be showing off his weaponry. He was dressed neatly in a polo shirt and jeans and he had a computer case around his shoulder. And he didn't look crazy... except for the gun that is. He wasn't talking to himself, didn't appear angry or even in a bad mood... he just had a freaking gun out! So that's another exciting day in New Orleans. Guess I won't be doing the walking thing too much anymore. Crazy bastard.

New Orleans and Jefferson Parish have come up with a pretty good idea to catch suspected murderers in the area. They will put billboards up with the pictures of seven suspected murderers up on two major highway intersections.

Bad guys' names, faces will be plastered all over town
Billboards to show suspects in crimes

Now I think this is a good idea to help catch killers but its also going to scare the bujeezus out of people on their drive home from work with their children. Its a billboard saying 'Look whose out there and whose going to get you! RAH!' Love it!

Bobby Jindal wants to run for Governor of Louisiana again. Bleck! Can't we get somebody else? He spent all that money getting elected to congress and now he wants to be governor? How do we know he's not going to get the job as governor and then want to run for coroner? Flip flopper!

Jindal asks supporters to load up war chest

And then there's Blanco- can't we just get someone else? Another democrat to run against her? Man, this election is looking pretty bleak. Even T. Lee Horne, III would be better than these people.

When I saw this I couldn't stop watching. Its a commercial I found on Wonkette for a Libertarian candidate for Louisiana governor, T. Lee Horne, III... done to a rap song by Lil' Nuke. Very strange indeed.

In this week's Gambit, there is a story about some guy from the Porky's movies, Roger Wilson, who is working towards making Canal Street in New Orleans into a theatre district- like Broadway. The idea is that it will be a place where shows are previewed before they go to Broadway. So before a show like Cats is seen on Broadway, the people will see it here first and how well it does will determine whether or not its worth the cost of production on Broadway. Very cool. Wilson will try to get the same type of tax incentive legislation that the film industry now has, to be used for theatre productions. I think he can do it. If he can get Christy Turlington to marry him with that mug, he can do anything.

Talk about sour grapes! The New Orleans radio station WSMB 1350AM has just the dropped the 'progressive talk' shows from its program and is now playing re-run shows of their 'sister station', WWL 870am. This makes three channels playing the same frickin shows which include Rush and some local right wing idiots. Then there's the Clear Channel Stations playing O'Reilly and Hannity on WRNO- the once "rock of New Orleans" station. And of course 690am which has really bad conservative talk like Neil Boortz and Tammy Bruce. Bleck! Why are these people competing for the same listeners when there are so many liberals in New Orleans who have nothing worth listening to anymore? The change for 1350 just happened to take place the day after the Democrats took control of the House and possibly the Senate. Very suspiscious being that the ratings would have been up with people wanting to hear election coverage. Some think that its because Air America is going bankrupt. But these shows weren't all Air America shows- like Stephanie Miller and Ed Shultz. Is this happening in other cities too? So far, I have not heard anything about it in the media or on WWL's web site. WSMB's site is gone. So what's going on guys?

Update: This guy says it better than I ever could.

Holy Moly! Donald Rumsfeld just got fired!!! I mean "is stepping down". I wonder if that has anything to do with the democratic victory of the House and hopefully Senate (fingers and toes are still crossed on this one). Do they fear some sort of backlash in the form of impeachment proceedings or criminal indictments? Either way, I'm intrigued.

Poll ranks Bush as most dangerous leader

Carried out as US voters prepare to go to the polls next week in an election dominated by Iraq, the research also shows that British voters see George Bush as a greater danger to world peace than either the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, or Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Both countries were once cited by the US president as part of an `axis of evil�, but it is Mr Bush who now alarms voters in countries with traditionally strong links to the US.

No kidding. Just look at him.

Alan Richman is an ass. He's a food and wine critic who recently wrote a scathing review of New Orleans and its restaurants. Yes, the idiot wrote about the city as if anyone cares about his opinions on cities. He's a food and wine critic! So he also denounces New Orleans for its food, but guess what he listed as his #1 pick for restaurants that matter? Commander's Palace. Again, what an ass.
One of his quotes from a podcast on GQ's website:
"New Orleans shouldn't exist." He says you should go to Charlston, South Carolina if you're looking for food like New Orleans style food. What??? Like gumbo? Jambalaya? Shrimp or Crawfish Etouffe? PoBoys? Is he crazy? How did this guy become a food critic?
He says he doesn't really like New Orleans- no kidding. He tries to explain the difference between Cajun and Creole, but says "Creoles" don't really exist and Cajun cuisine is really from Canada. This guy is such a freaking idiot he shouldn't be allowed within the city limits. If he comes back, chefs around the city should either kick him out of their restaurants or put him on the menu... ewe.
Here is a podcast of the ass speaking.

First of all, racism is a very bad thing. Duh. And I know its an ongoing presence throughout the country, but I'm just so sick of people yelling "racism" when there is no evidence of it. People are using it to take advantage of the system and should be called out for it. For example:

Black residents rip plan to drop busing
They call proposal return to segregation

I'm particularly speaking of the Westbank of Jefferson Parish in the New Orleans area where I grew up, I'm not sure about Metairie's racial make-up. So one Jefferson Parish School Board member decided it might make sense for people who reside in their district to go to school in their district so that the cost of bussing kids all over the parish can go to things like say- books. Isn't that the way the school system usually works (does it work)? The reason they previously bussed these kids from one district to another in the past was to desegregate the schools. Now however, the schools are naturally desegregated because the neighborhoods are racially and ethnically desegregated. There is no need to bus kids all over the city to obey the desegregation law in many parts of the parish. I'm all for letting kids go to whatever school they choose, but for the taxpayer to pay for the transportation is another thing entirely. They're exploiting these elected officials and it just plain sucks.
Seems like other areas around the country are having this same problem:
Word gets out on deseg busing
And by the way, I refuse to spell "bussing"- "busing". Even though neither is wrong it just doesn't sound right in my head. Being spelled that way, wouldn't it rhyme with "fusing". Ick.