Okay, okay. So there was some interesting stuff out there about New Orleans and how it stands after Katrina but you needed to go to NPR and PBS to get the best reporting. I just listened to two really interesting podcasts. I put a link to them below if you're interested:

Katrina & Recovery
New Orleans Suffers Crisis in Mental Health Care
on NPR
&

Pioneers Work to Revitalize New Orleans
on PBS

I do find it strange to call people coming to help in the recovery "pioneers". This isn't the wild west people, although you are liable to get shot if you're not careful especially in places like Central City. But "pioneers" makes it sound like they're coming to take over and create a new city when we already have a rich cultural heritage that doesn't like change. At all. Even for the better. The government bureaucracy alone makes it hell for people wanting to rebuild. All of a sudden the permitting office is making people jump through hoops and asking for things that no one ever required pre-Katrina before they are able to get started on their house. And most requirements are not hurricane related. One example is the air flow calculations for an attic some wise ass asked for in a project someone in my office is working on. I've worked in architecture for over 10 years and no one has ever required this on a residential project. Ridiculous. Especially for people who can't afford an architect, which is most people.
Then there is the NPR story about the state of mental health in the city, which is especially scary since just two weeks ago some crazy dude went into Pal's bar and slashed an innocent girl's throat. He didn't even know her. Crazy bastard. But the report makes some really interesting points as to why New Orleans is unable to treat the people who can not afford treatment, usually being the ones who need it the most.

Georgeykins came into town yesterday on the second anniversary of Katrina. Not that many New Orleanians were that thrilled... well except for Mayor Nagin- check out the love there. Most people I talk to around here aren't that excited about being reminded that our city is still suffering from a storm that hit two years ago. But of course it was all over the T.V. ad nauseum. I put in a movie. Too much. And of course on the same day, Georgiemuffins announced plans to ask Congress for another $50 billion for Iraq. Nice one. And what day he will "formally" ask? September 10th. What? Did he overbook for photo-ops on September 11? Well here is a website I found on Rachel Maddow's blog along with the picture above, showing our president and his delight in the bald.

So get this: The White House is now comparing the Iraq War to the Vietnam War in this truly strange new tactic to drum up support for the U.S.'s continual occupation in Iraq.

"the president will say that the lessons of Vietnam teach that the U.S. should stay in Iraq, not withdraw."

So he's saying that the reason people look back so negatively at the Vietnam War is cause we left too soon? Which would mean that 58,226 U.S. deaths was not enough for them, they wanted more. Crazies.
Another thing that is happening is that a group called Freedom Watch is conveniently putting out ads at the same time the president is making these ridiculous arguments. They are telling people to call their Congress members to tell them not to surrender. Surrender? Really? Against who exactly? Anyway I did a little googling on Freedom Watch and found that the director is Bradly A. Blakeman. So then I googled him and found that he was once the Deputy Assistant to the President of The United States, George W. Bush. Yet they are calling themselves a grassroot organization. My question is: Who's actually paying for all of this numbskullery?

If you want to get an idea of how bad the city of New Orleans is with its municiple duties like fixing the streets and its public water and sewerage system look no further than the ever popular Magazine Street. A block of this main thoroughfare through uptown New Orleans has been closed for about four years. Four years! The Times says its over two, but I live there and know its quite a bit over two. So if you were driving from downtown on Magazine Street you have to detour adding about 4-6 blocks extra to your drive since all the streets around there are one-ways. I live on Camp, a block parrallel to Magazine and have pretty much given up on it ever being opened again. But today I read its finally freaking open!!! Whooohooooo!!!!!

This is a very important site that you must see.

I watched The Bourne Ultimatum the other night and I must admit my movie meter must be broken because Rotten Tomatoes has this thing currently rated at 93%. In butters that would be approximately 4 5/8 out of 5, which is crazy. Crazy! I would say its about 3 11/64 butters. Approximately. For starters, I was so aware of the score emotionally leading the viewer that I kept laughing when nothing would happen. I mean how long can you be suspended without anything happening? This is how it went:Bourne is walking. Da da da! Now he's crossing the street. Da da dada da! Some people are watching him. Da da da! Da da dada da! Daa daaaaaa! But for what felt like 20 minutes at a time. Just a little too much at times, mostly in the first half hour of the movie. But when something was actually happening, it was suspenseful and quite entertaining. The fight scenes were good (but seriously needed a steady cam), so were car chases and the many, many foot chases. The plot was okay but not spectacular. I would sometimes forget that there was more to the story besides the 'this guy is after this guy' plot. And of course since this is probably the last of the saga, we find out what happened to JasonBourne or who ever that guy is. Its a pretty good ending. Not 93% good. But good. Like if I was a tomato I'd be 63% fresh for the Bourne Ultimatum. Its a definite recommend for people who like the action genre. For everyone else, its okay.

I need one of these. Especially on lonely nights like in the second picture.