Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Nobody planned to implement the plan
Certainly such a thing is without precedent.
Here is the same NOAA document on "In-situ" burning we linked to last week. (PDF) The "Required conditions" section is instructive.
Corollary 4-a. The currently available fire resistant booms must be freaking currently available.
I'm sorry if this seems repetitive but I'm going to keep harping on it. The more I read about ways in which this situation could have been contained or possibly avoided if BP and Mary Landrieu had spent more time preparing to do that and less time deceitfully arguing that there was no reason to, the angrier I'm going to get.
Furthermore I predict that what will eventually make me the angriest is the building conventional wisdom that we should, in Pat's words below this AZ post about more BP criminal behavior,
If U.S. officials had followed up on a 1994 response plan for a major Gulf oil spill, it is possible that the spill could have been kept under control and far from land.
The problem: The federal government did not have a single fire boom on hand.
The "In-Situ Burn" plan produced by federal agencies in 1994 calls for responding to a major oil spill in the Gulf with the immediate use of fire booms.
But in order to conduct a successful test burn eight days after the Deepwater Horizon well began releasing massive amounts of oil into the Gulf, officials had to purchase one from a company in Illinois.
When federal officials called, Elastec/American Marine, shipped the only boom it had in stock, Jeff Bohleber, chief financial officer for Elastec, said today.
Here is the same NOAA document on "In-situ" burning we linked to last week. (PDF) The "Required conditions" section is instructive.
To burn oil on water, four major conditions must be met:
1. The oil layer has to be thick enough to support combustion. Oil layers thinner than 1 to 2 mm lose too much heat to the water and cannot support combustion.
2. The ignition devices used must be hot enough and last long enough to ignite the oil.
3. The water-in-oil emulsion may not contain more than 30 to 50 percent water to ignite and support combustion.
4. To use currently available fire resistant booms, environmental conditions must be favorable: wind speed should be below 20 knots, and wave height should be below three feet.
Corollary 4-a. The currently available fire resistant booms must be freaking currently available.
I'm sorry if this seems repetitive but I'm going to keep harping on it. The more I read about ways in which this situation could have been contained or possibly avoided if BP and Mary Landrieu had spent more time preparing to do that and less time deceitfully arguing that there was no reason to, the angrier I'm going to get.
Furthermore I predict that what will eventually make me the angriest is the building conventional wisdom that we should, in Pat's words below this AZ post about more BP criminal behavior,
Focus on clean-up, safety, redundancy, and smarter production. That grounds the arguments heavily in a reality that "arrest everyone," while cathartic, ignoresI think, actually, the opposite is true. I think, by now, if we had arrested everyone involved in Bush's illegal wiretapping program, Obama wouldn't be institutionalizing the same procedures. I think if we had arrested everyone on Wall Street trading in dishonest conceptual derivatives maybe we wouldn't have to worry about the same reckless behavior repeating itself. Maybe if just once we really did decide it was time to hold someone accountable and arrest everyone, someone would finally learn something. We've tried using the suffering of the poor victims of these crises to "ground the arguments heavily in a reality" for generations now. It's time to start making somebody who matters bleed for the cause for a change.
Like we said last week
Dispersants as bad as oil? Worse? Who knows?
My pessimist's sense of things tells me that the primary advantage of dispersants is cosmetic. Keep as much of the slick off of the surface of the water and off of the sandy beaches as possible. But if it doesn't do anything to protect the fisheries and oyster beds then it certainly isn't doing anything to protect the people whose livelihoods depend on those things.
Once they are dispersed, the tiny droplets of oil are more likely to sink or remain suspended in deep water rather than floating to the surface and collecting in a continuous slick. Dispersed oil can spread quickly in three directions instead of two and is more easily dissipated by waves and turbulence that break it up further and help many of its most toxic hydrocarbons evaporate.
But the dispersed oil can also collect on the seabed, where it becomes food for microscopic organisms at the bottom of the food chain and eventually winds up in shellfish and other organisms. The evaporation process can also concentrate the toxic compounds left behind, particularly oil-derived compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs.
My pessimist's sense of things tells me that the primary advantage of dispersants is cosmetic. Keep as much of the slick off of the surface of the water and off of the sandy beaches as possible. But if it doesn't do anything to protect the fisheries and oyster beds then it certainly isn't doing anything to protect the people whose livelihoods depend on those things.
"Not unprecedented"
Nobody could have predicted this unprecedented disaster... except that they did and it wasn't.
Via Suspect-Device
A 1999 report commissioned by the federal agency that oversees offshore drilling suggests failures of underwater blowout preventers designed to stop oil spills like the massive one threatening the Gulf Coast are not unprecedented, as claimed by BP CEO Tony Hayward in an interview with NPR, and are far from unknown, reports McClatchy Newspapers' Les Blumenthal.
Via Suspect-Device
Oh yeah. That guy
Under ordinary circumstances, Sunday would have been the day that everyone in New Orleans was required to revisit the Ray Nagin experience in their minds and burp some semi-profound thought as to just what it all might have meant. The T-P set its two regular opinionators upon the task Sunday with so-so results.
Stephanie Grace's article, I didn't care for very much. After all this time, she still appears to subscribe to two of the popular myths about Nagin which sort of get him off the hook with a lot of people. Those myths, we all know by now, are 1) Nagin, the "outsider businessman" was not prepared or equipped to take on the big nasties of local politics and so was taken advantage of by them and 2) Nagin mysteriously "changed" or "lost it" after Katrina and suddenly became some sort of unhinged criminal clown.
I, unlike, I assume, Grace, was never much a fan of Ray Nagin's. The primary reason he became Mayor in 2002 was that he was seen as kind of on the outs with the Morials and that appealed to most white voters in the city. At that time, white voters concentrated in significant enough numbers made up an effective enough block to swing an election with no incumbent. One way to concentrate enough white voters into significant numbers was to convince them you are a "reformer" and so that's the role Ray Nagin played.
Of course, as we all know, "reform" is an empty and open term which can mean all kinds of crazy things or nothing at all. But as long as one pulls enough reformy-ish looking stunts then the empty-headed fetishists of the empty term remain fairly well placated. The headdy days of the first Nagin term were comprised of a series of these stunts. He frog marched a line of poor hapless cab drivers in front of TV cameras, closed a few brake tag stations and claimed that this indicated he was cleaning up City Hall. He attempted to privatize our municipal water system in the name of reforming local government. He hired Greg Meffert to Jetsonize our Flintstonage or something and was widely praised for it. (Even the cynical T-P columnist James Gill was still referring to Meffert as a "Whiz Kid" even as the allegations of corruption in his department were beginning to take shape.) Through all of this, Nagin seemed to me to be as at least as criminally full of shit as the next guy. Maybe I thought he was a somewhat more remarkable phony than most but that's become a difficult field in which to distinguish oneself these days.
Grace writes that Nagin's weakness, if we are to call it that, rested in his entrepreneur's distaste for detail as compared to his talent for the "Big Idea". Nagin feels differently about that quality and describes it this way.
I think Grace has charitably misinterpreted Nagin's "strategy" here. Rather than the tragically undisciplined "Idea Man" Grace sees, I see a con-artist who at heart just doesn't give a shit about anything but himself.
Jarvis DeBerry's was the superior column in the Sunday paper. I didn't agree with all of it, but DeBerry does come closer to nailing the essence of Nagin from my point of view.
After Katrina, the phony just found new ways in which to be that way. In order to succeed politically, Nagin no longer needed to appear a "reformer" so much as he needed to tap into the reactionary spirit of an electorate confronted with an all-out siege of its homes, communities, and way of life. Nagin survived the 2006 election and the following four years by stroking the limbic brain of a traumatized populace. Nagin exploited the racial fears of many, the conspiratorial impulses and political mischief of some, and the general rancorous mood of everyone to maintain his advantage. As DeBerry says, Nagin's advantage was usually not the city's gain.
I take issue with those who see Nagin's trademark flippant and often outlandish remarks and chalk them up to insanity, incompetence or stupidity. Like DeBerry, I think Nagin was quite competent at promoting and maintaining himself for the sake of his own gain and ego. And nothing in his behavior ever led me to question his sanity. As for intelligence, I think that's such a misunderstood and misapplied term that it's nearly as empty as "reform". One can be clever or well-informed or analytically gifted or, as we've heard a lot in recent years, "intellectually curious" to greater or lesser effect on the world around oneself. And none of this should be considered remarkable. Most politicians possess adequate magnitude of enough of these qualities to do whatever job it is they're tasked with.
In an older post that I frequently refer back to, I compared Ray Nagin to the other quintessential man of his age, George W. Bush. Like Bush's, Nagin's brain is often misunderestimated. What both men appeared to lack in so-called intellectual curiosity they more than made up for in cunning. Both had a talent for connecting with voters in a way that appeared authentic or folksy at a time when many people were wary of the shadowy motives of the haughty pretentious alternatives.
Neither man was known to have what you would call a passion for detail. Which is a key reason both men presided over the decade of Disaster Capitalism, a term coined by Naomi Klein in her book The Shock Doctrine to describe the booming business of manipulating crises to the advantage of the governing parties and their cronies. Both men were "survivors" in DeBerry's since. As they survived, they or people close to them were able to take advantage of terrifying events. Most of the people who elected them were worse off for it.
One of the most remarkable things I've read about Ray Nagin was this article by Ethan Brown in Details magazine where it turns out that Nagin is not only reading Klein's book but offers the following thoughts on it.
One can read that comment a number of ways. Many suggested that Nagin was using the book as a how-to manual. I don't know if we can go that far but we do have to grant him credit for a certain amount of self-awareness there. And the implication of that paints a pretty damning picture of Ray Nagin. One of a man who knew more what he was doing (or not doing) at a crucial time during which he was this city's steward. And one of a man who more than likely just didn't give a shit.
Update: Here's a fun fact. It has been pointed out to me that Nagin arranged to have a copy of The Shock Doctrine delivered to Oliver Thomas in prison. From Sunday's email dump
It's hilarious that they were passing this book around. My theory is that Nagin just kind of thought it was cool his disaster was in it. I wouldn't be surprised at all to learn he has a large collection of books at home acquired solely because they contain his name somewhere in the text. Perhaps he would be interested in donating this collection to the library someday. Perhaps someone will be inspired to open an entire Excellence in Recovery Reading Room complete with Veronica White's masterpiece the forthcoming works of Ed Blakely and the photography of Bernardo Wade. Think of it as my own personal "Big Idea"
Stephanie Grace's article, I didn't care for very much. After all this time, she still appears to subscribe to two of the popular myths about Nagin which sort of get him off the hook with a lot of people. Those myths, we all know by now, are 1) Nagin, the "outsider businessman" was not prepared or equipped to take on the big nasties of local politics and so was taken advantage of by them and 2) Nagin mysteriously "changed" or "lost it" after Katrina and suddenly became some sort of unhinged criminal clown.
I, unlike, I assume, Grace, was never much a fan of Ray Nagin's. The primary reason he became Mayor in 2002 was that he was seen as kind of on the outs with the Morials and that appealed to most white voters in the city. At that time, white voters concentrated in significant enough numbers made up an effective enough block to swing an election with no incumbent. One way to concentrate enough white voters into significant numbers was to convince them you are a "reformer" and so that's the role Ray Nagin played.
Of course, as we all know, "reform" is an empty and open term which can mean all kinds of crazy things or nothing at all. But as long as one pulls enough reformy-ish looking stunts then the empty-headed fetishists of the empty term remain fairly well placated. The headdy days of the first Nagin term were comprised of a series of these stunts. He frog marched a line of poor hapless cab drivers in front of TV cameras, closed a few brake tag stations and claimed that this indicated he was cleaning up City Hall. He attempted to privatize our municipal water system in the name of reforming local government. He hired Greg Meffert to Jetsonize our Flintstonage or something and was widely praised for it. (Even the cynical T-P columnist James Gill was still referring to Meffert as a "Whiz Kid" even as the allegations of corruption in his department were beginning to take shape.) Through all of this, Nagin seemed to me to be as at least as criminally full of shit as the next guy. Maybe I thought he was a somewhat more remarkable phony than most but that's become a difficult field in which to distinguish oneself these days.
Grace writes that Nagin's weakness, if we are to call it that, rested in his entrepreneur's distaste for detail as compared to his talent for the "Big Idea". Nagin feels differently about that quality and describes it this way.
"I know this city," Nagin said in an interview last week. "You throw one idea out and everybody swoops around and kills it. My strategy is to throw eight to 10 out at time. And if six or seven got through, to me that was a hell of a batting average."
I think Grace has charitably misinterpreted Nagin's "strategy" here. Rather than the tragically undisciplined "Idea Man" Grace sees, I see a con-artist who at heart just doesn't give a shit about anything but himself.
Jarvis DeBerry's was the superior column in the Sunday paper. I didn't agree with all of it, but DeBerry does come closer to nailing the essence of Nagin from my point of view.
What matters is that he survived Hurricane Katrina. After that, he survived what his critics said was his insufficient response to Hurricane Katrina. Even if it meant appealing to voters who had spent most of his first term hating him. Even if it meant accepting his abandonment by voters who, in 2002, said they loved him so.
No matter the devastation lingering around him, no matter the criticisms he got for his flippant remarks, his laissez-faire approach to the city's recovery, or for the incompetence of his staff, Nagin persevered.
Was the mayor's gift for survival good for New Orleans? Clearly it wasn't. Nagin seemed interested in surviving for surviving's sake, surviving just to say he'd survived; not to accomplish anything once he could prove he wasn't dead.
After Katrina, the phony just found new ways in which to be that way. In order to succeed politically, Nagin no longer needed to appear a "reformer" so much as he needed to tap into the reactionary spirit of an electorate confronted with an all-out siege of its homes, communities, and way of life. Nagin survived the 2006 election and the following four years by stroking the limbic brain of a traumatized populace. Nagin exploited the racial fears of many, the conspiratorial impulses and political mischief of some, and the general rancorous mood of everyone to maintain his advantage. As DeBerry says, Nagin's advantage was usually not the city's gain.
I take issue with those who see Nagin's trademark flippant and often outlandish remarks and chalk them up to insanity, incompetence or stupidity. Like DeBerry, I think Nagin was quite competent at promoting and maintaining himself for the sake of his own gain and ego. And nothing in his behavior ever led me to question his sanity. As for intelligence, I think that's such a misunderstood and misapplied term that it's nearly as empty as "reform". One can be clever or well-informed or analytically gifted or, as we've heard a lot in recent years, "intellectually curious" to greater or lesser effect on the world around oneself. And none of this should be considered remarkable. Most politicians possess adequate magnitude of enough of these qualities to do whatever job it is they're tasked with.
In an older post that I frequently refer back to, I compared Ray Nagin to the other quintessential man of his age, George W. Bush. Like Bush's, Nagin's brain is often misunderestimated. What both men appeared to lack in so-called intellectual curiosity they more than made up for in cunning. Both had a talent for connecting with voters in a way that appeared authentic or folksy at a time when many people were wary of the shadowy motives of the haughty pretentious alternatives.
Neither man was known to have what you would call a passion for detail. Which is a key reason both men presided over the decade of Disaster Capitalism, a term coined by Naomi Klein in her book The Shock Doctrine to describe the booming business of manipulating crises to the advantage of the governing parties and their cronies. Both men were "survivors" in DeBerry's since. As they survived, they or people close to them were able to take advantage of terrifying events. Most of the people who elected them were worse off for it.
One of the most remarkable things I've read about Ray Nagin was this article by Ethan Brown in Details magazine where it turns out that Nagin is not only reading Klein's book but offers the following thoughts on it.
“I understand exactly the premise that they’re presenting,” Nagin says, holding the book aloft, “that’s for sure. Look, man, after this disaster there is big money! The shock-and-awe piece of what they’re talking about is absolutely correct.” I ask if he’s read the chapter in which Klein laments that the public sphere in New Orleans is “being erased, with the storm used as the excuse.” Nagin replies cheerily, “I haven’t gotten that far! I just picked it up.”
One can read that comment a number of ways. Many suggested that Nagin was using the book as a how-to manual. I don't know if we can go that far but we do have to grant him credit for a certain amount of self-awareness there. And the implication of that paints a pretty damning picture of Ray Nagin. One of a man who knew more what he was doing (or not doing) at a crucial time during which he was this city's steward. And one of a man who more than likely just didn't give a shit.
Update: Here's a fun fact. It has been pointed out to me that Nagin arranged to have a copy of The Shock Doctrine delivered to Oliver Thomas in prison. From Sunday's email dump
-----Original Message----- From: Cheryl Mendy To: Ray Nagin Sent: Fri Nov 07 14:16:05 2008 Subject: RE: Oliver Book
It is in paperback and has been ordered.
----Original Message---- From: Ray Nagin Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 10:36 AM To: Pat Smith Subject: Oliver Book
Can you check to see if the book, The Shock Doctrine - Disaster Capitalism, is in paperback so we can send it to Oliver Thomas.
C. Ray Nagin - Mayor Bringing New Orleans Back! 2008 will be great! Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Device
It's hilarious that they were passing this book around. My theory is that Nagin just kind of thought it was cool his disaster was in it. I wouldn't be surprised at all to learn he has a large collection of books at home acquired solely because they contain his name somewhere in the text. Perhaps he would be interested in donating this collection to the library someday. Perhaps someone will be inspired to open an entire Excellence in Recovery Reading Room complete with Veronica White's masterpiece the forthcoming works of Ed Blakely and the photography of Bernardo Wade. Think of it as my own personal "Big Idea"
Monday, May 03, 2010
Nylons, hair, or fur
Anything to get more goggles out there
The Ritz-Carlton in downtown New Orleans is accepting donations of nylons, hair and fur on behalf of Matter of Trust, www.matteroftrust.org), to create booms to combat the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The hotel is currently the only donation location in New Orleans and one of only nine locations along the Gulf Coast.
They sent in Tracy Porter!
[Except, no. See Below]
Okay it's not that dramatic but this is the first good (relatively speaking) bit of news I've seen in over a week.
Keep in mind the immediate sources of information are Richard Shelby and guy from BP so it's not out of the realm of possibility that this news won't be adjusted worse-wards in the coming hours. But still I'll take it.
UPDATE: Reports from this afternoon's press conference indicate that Childs and Shelby are in fact full of shit. If you're pulling your hair out by this point you may want to consider donating. (See above post)
Okay it's not that dramatic but this is the first good (relatively speaking) bit of news I've seen in over a week.
MOBILE, Ala. -- BP has significantly cut the flow of oil leaking from its damaged Deepwater Horizon rig on the Gulf of Mexico sea floor, a company spokesman said this morning.
Jeff Childs, a deputy incident commander for BP, said in a briefing with Alabama officials that the company successfully shut a set of hydraulic shears known as annular rams, helping to clamp the ruptured pipe and block the leaking oil.
"We've significantly cut the flow through the pipe," Childs said at the Mobile briefing hosted by U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa
Keep in mind the immediate sources of information are Richard Shelby and guy from BP so it's not out of the realm of possibility that this news won't be adjusted worse-wards in the coming hours. But still I'll take it.
UPDATE: Reports from this afternoon's press conference indicate that Childs and Shelby are in fact full of shit. If you're pulling your hair out by this point you may want to consider donating. (See above post)
Somebody had a plan
Photo by Karen G
Nobody could have predicted this "unique and unprecedented" event. (Except that it wasn't and they could have) And so naturally nobody could have had anything like a response plan in place until way after the "impossible" (except that it was quite possible) worst-case scenario had already blown everything to hell.
Except, of course, BP had some forethought. They at least had the presence of mind to distribute the little forms that say each individual is responsible for his/her own safety (photo above). Oh and they brought their liability waivers too.
This morning on WWL David Vitter and Steve Scalise were questioning why it was that as late as this weekend, all command and coordination for clean-up and response efforts were still going through BP. We all know Vitter and Scalise are pretty thick but you'd think the answer would be obvious to even them. BP was still in charge because BP had the closest thing to a plan. Of course, that plan was lie for as long as possible and then deploy the ass-coverage but hey at least it was something.
Update: Via Oyster, we are informed of this sobering look at BP's motivation to avoid as much liability as possible for the potential black hole of a financial and economic crisis that looms ahead.
Thousands of small and independent businesses as well as larger public companies in tourism are hurt here. This is not just about the source of half the nation’s shrimp. That is already a casualty. It’s also about the bank loans for the $200,000 shrimp boat and the house the boat owner and/or his employees live in and the fact that this shock piles on a fragile financial system that is trying to recover from a three-year financial crisis. Case study, my fishing guide in the Everglades splits his time between Florida and Louisiana. His May bookings in LA have cancelled. His colleagues lost theirs and their lodge will be empty. They are busy trying to find work in the clean up. For him, his wife and eleven year old daughter, his $600 a day guide fees just went “poof”. When I asked him if he thought he had a legal claim on BP, he said he hadn’t thought about it yet but it gave him pause. As we suggested above, the $12.5 billion loss estimate is only a starter.
But hey, I hear everyone had a great time at Mary's brother's inaugural prom this morning. T-P's Stephanie Grace was on hand to tweet out the big fashion news.
End of an era: City Council decided en masse to ditch the traditional white linen suits.We forgot to tell her the linen was requisitioned yesterday to make more useless boom.
Upperdate: The doc in the photo is a certification that the ad hoc employees had completed a "training " course. This implies that they bear a degree of responsibility for their safety. Not exactly rock solid exculpation of BP. But it's designed to discourage the workers from challenging anything in court.
However BP did try getting these folks to sign more detailed disavowals of company responsibility which you can read about at The Lens.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
The goggles do nothing
I read somebody complain somewhere that the boom-laying operations feel like pointless busywork to occupy the hundreds of anxious volunteers. Kind of looks that way.
BAY ST. LOUIS — Resident Dave Depreo reports booms have broken apart across the mouth of the Bay of St. Louis.
They were placed from Bay St. Louis shores in Hancock County to Henderson Point in Pass Christian to protect the bay and its estuaries, including the Wolf and Jourdan Rivers.
“They broke apart and are doing absolutely no good,” said Depreo, who watched the rough surf on the shoreline in downtown Bay St. Louis. “Some of the booms are laying right here on the beach.”
Evolving nomenclature
Now it's Great Lake Landrieu
The crucial difference, of course, is that in a rational world we would expect a profit-maximizing entity like BP to cheat and lie to the greatest degree the application of the law will allow. They have a natural incentive to do so. But Mary Landrieu and Barack Obama decide instead to trust the natural liars to act in good faith. Which makes them either remarkably stupid or corrupt or maybe it means that they just don't give a shit. In any event it means they aren't doing the job we would have hoped our elected representatives... particularly our Democrats who pride themselves on protecting the little guy... would have done. Which means the bigger part of the lake is their baby.
But don't take my word for it. Just ask Chef John Besh
The point is you can't absolve those who we entrust our safety to of responsibility when they have so clearly abdicated authority to the criminals they are supposed to protect us from. They're working for the other side and they have been for some time.
And now I'm supposed to worry about whether or not Obama is being unfairly "slammed" when he flies down to emote all over our mess? If he's dammed if he does that or doesn't I don't really care. He should be dammed. We are fucked. They helped to fuck us. And damn them all.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson flew over the gulf oil spill Saturday, later telling people at a meeting in New Orleans that “it’s like all five of the Great Lakes and the Great Lakes are oil sheen.”Good thing there's enough for Lakes (pl) though. Because that way we can name part of it after BP as well.
A former contractor who worked for British Petroleum (BP) claims the oil conglomerate broke federal laws and violated its own internal procedures by failing to maintain crucial safety and engineering documents related to one of the firms other deepwater production projects in the Gulf of Mexico, according to internal emails and other documents obtained by Truthout
The crucial difference, of course, is that in a rational world we would expect a profit-maximizing entity like BP to cheat and lie to the greatest degree the application of the law will allow. They have a natural incentive to do so. But Mary Landrieu and Barack Obama decide instead to trust the natural liars to act in good faith. Which makes them either remarkably stupid or corrupt or maybe it means that they just don't give a shit. In any event it means they aren't doing the job we would have hoped our elected representatives... particularly our Democrats who pride themselves on protecting the little guy... would have done. Which means the bigger part of the lake is their baby.
But don't take my word for it. Just ask Chef John Besh
I'm bitter that after 10 days, government continues to fumble the football, wondering whose job it is. Saying BP is ultimately responsible is a bunch of hogwash. We can't keep waiting for disasters to happen when we know how to prevent them in the first place. Yes, we've had luck with offshore drilling. But it's just like Wall Street: we can't expect companies to police themselves.
The point is you can't absolve those who we entrust our safety to of responsibility when they have so clearly abdicated authority to the criminals they are supposed to protect us from. They're working for the other side and they have been for some time.
And now I'm supposed to worry about whether or not Obama is being unfairly "slammed" when he flies down to emote all over our mess? If he's dammed if he does that or doesn't I don't really care. He should be dammed. We are fucked. They helped to fuck us. And damn them all.
More timelines
When I'm less furious I'll try and explain why I think the response to this whole thing was botched. Short version is, it looks from a distance like there was no "worst-case scenario" mobilization until well after something like the worst-case scenario was underway. And even then that mobilization appears mostly improvised. Which shouldn't surprise anyone when Mary Landrieu has been running around lying about the possibility that such a scenario could even occur.
Meanwhile here's the T-P's rough sketch of events.
Meanwhile here's the T-P's rough sketch of events.
"I'd rather face another Katrina"
It's remarkable that within the space of one decade we're now on our third horrifying trauma which we feel compelled to watch unfold on a 24 hour schedule to both satisfy and perpetually renew our rage at events beyond our control. It is even more remarkable that each new trauma brings a seemingly higher order of magnitude than its predecessor.
"This isn't going to cripple us, it's going to totally kill us for at least this year and -- what's even scarier -- maybe for several years to come, " said Robert Campo, of Campo's Shell Beach Marina. "How are we going to pay our bills? Where do we get the money for the mortgage? How do we pay the utilities to keep the lights on?
"What the hell do we do to survive now that all of a sudden none of us can fish?"
Help may be on the way. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham, said the state today will announce a program that would provide funding to commercial fishers, boat captains, marina owners and others who have been shut out from their livelihoods by the closures. He said the payments would be long-term to cover the spill and its aftermath.
But marina owners and fishermen wondered about the long-term impact.
Campo's has been a New Orleans fishing and cultural landmark for more than 100 years, a period in which the only closures were for Christmas Day and hurricanes. The marina and Shell Beach community has been wiped out by storms three times and moved from its original location on the Lake Borgne shoreline when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredged the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet. Each time the community and marina rebuilt.
Campo said the spill is a more serious hurdle.
"Katrina put us out of business for three months, but what do we do if we're out of business for a year or more?" he said. "I know how to rebuild and keep going after hurricanes. I don't know how to deal with this. I'd rather face another Katrina."
Last Supper
I am going to miss the oysters with a most painful sort of missing.
Tonight I made a kind of Oyster Rockefeller cream sauce which we ate over some bow tie pasta I had laying around.
Since we were commemorating both the death of the oyster and the dawn of oil on the Louisiana coast, I figured this was the ideal style of preparation with which to do that. I've actually experimented with this dish a few times in the past with varying degrees of success but tonight I think it was just about perfect. I was really proud of myself to have executed this as well as I did on such a solemn occasion. The recipe is pretty simple. You just get some onion, celery, parsley, a bulb of fresh fennel, green onion, spinach, garlic, a quart of fresh...... aw fuck it. Nobody's gonna need to use this recipe anytime soon anyway.
But some Gulf Coast oyster beds and other seafood harvesting grounds are already awash in oil, according to Casi Callaway, executive director of the Alabama-based environmental group Mobile Baykeeper.
"It's already covering shrimp beds and shrimp grounds in the Gulf," she said. "So it's here and it's now and it's happening."
Callaway said that the oil could ruin oyster beds for up to two decades.
Tonight I made a kind of Oyster Rockefeller cream sauce which we ate over some bow tie pasta I had laying around.
Since we were commemorating both the death of the oyster and the dawn of oil on the Louisiana coast, I figured this was the ideal style of preparation with which to do that. I've actually experimented with this dish a few times in the past with varying degrees of success but tonight I think it was just about perfect. I was really proud of myself to have executed this as well as I did on such a solemn occasion. The recipe is pretty simple. You just get some onion, celery, parsley, a bulb of fresh fennel, green onion, spinach, garlic, a quart of fresh...... aw fuck it. Nobody's gonna need to use this recipe anytime soon anyway.
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Bucking the trend
Think positive. It's an opportunity.
Bootstraps, people. Get out there and de-oil some wildlife. [Update: Seriously. It's a very labor intensive industry]
Meanwhile I'm going to take this last quart of oysters I reckon I'll see for some time and make myself a Rockefeller sauce, which I think has obvious relevance here.
NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana Workforce Commission is now taking job applications for positions with an oil cleanup company hiring 500 people for temporary jobs to respond to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Bootstraps, people. Get out there and de-oil some wildlife. [Update: Seriously. It's a very labor intensive industry]
Meanwhile I'm going to take this last quart of oysters I reckon I'll see for some time and make myself a Rockefeller sauce, which I think has obvious relevance here.
Dispersants
Sometimes the cure is as bad as the disease
But BP spokeswoman Marti Powers told CNN the tests near the wellhead were successful and large amounts of the chemical will be dispensed Saturday. These types of tests have never been done before, Powers said.
The dispersants, she said, attach themselves to underwater concentrations of oil, causing the oil to sink to the bottom and dissipate.
While the dispersants can help dissipate oil slicks and help birds and other land-based or water-surface wildlife, the chemicals can hurt fish and other underwater species, environmentalist Charter said.
"The scale of the event and the likely duration of the event ... really leaves responders with no good options," Charter said. "While [dispersants] can protect terrestial wildlife ... out in the ocean they make toxic biocomponents available to the marine food chain."
More post-k flashbacks
I distinctly remember trying to get my mind around it the first time I was told by a South Florida veteran of Hurricane Andrew that the rebuilding process in New Orleans would take 10 or 15 years. Seems obvious now but just days after the flood it was pretty amazing.
Having been through that, I'm a little more well prepared to hear that it could take decades to recover from Lake Landrieu (if we ever really do). Not that that helps any.
Having been through that, I'm a little more well prepared to hear that it could take decades to recover from Lake Landrieu (if we ever really do). Not that that helps any.
New phrases
One interesting thing about disasters is that they teach us all this new terminology. My favorite in the wake of the Federal Flood was "white goods" which was the strange term used by sanitation crews to describe the ruined refrigerators they were picking up from people's curbsides.
So far we're learning lots of new terms from the Lake Landrieu disaster. Most of them are engineering-related. "blowout preventer" "dead man switch" I like those. But my favorite so far is "oiled wildlife"
So far we're learning lots of new terms from the Lake Landrieu disaster. Most of them are engineering-related. "blowout preventer" "dead man switch" I like those. But my favorite so far is "oiled wildlife"
Still waiting for the good news
Not finding any
VENICE, La. -- The surface area of a catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill quickly tripled in size amid growing fears among experts that the slick could become vastly more devastating than it seemed just two days ago.Could use a Vicodin or six about now
Frustrated fishermen eager to help contain the spill from a ruptured underwater well had to keep their boats idle Saturday as another day of rough seas kept crews away from the slick, and President Barack Obama planned a Sunday trip to the Gulf Coast.
Documents also emerged showing BP PLC downplayed the possibility of a catastrophic accident at the offshore rig that exploded. BP operated the rig, which was owned by Transocean Ltd.
How far the spill will reach is unknown, but the sheen already has reached into precious shoreline habitat and remains unstopped, raising fears that the ruptured well could be pouring more oil into the gulf than estimated.
Uh oh
Time to cut Kevin Houser again
Interesting thing about that Neworleans.com article by Brian Allee-Walsh. It reads,
Update: Oh wait nevermind. It's all over the freaking internets.
NEW ORLEANS – Less than three months after winning Super Bowl XLIV, the reigning World Champion New Orleans Saints suddenly find themselves playing a major part in a potentially scandalous story involving prescription painkillers and alleged theft, cover up and extortion.
In a 12-page lawsuit filed Friday in Jefferson Parish, Geoff Santini, the team’s former security director and a retired FBI special agent, accused the team of covering up the theft of Vicodin pills from the team’s training room by two “senior staff members’’ before the 2009 season.
Interesting thing about that Neworleans.com article by Brian Allee-Walsh. It reads,
The two “senior staffers’’ who were caught on a hidden camera taking the pills from a drug cabinet were not named in the lawsuit.And yet the big bold headline says
Head coach Sean Payton, top assistant Joe Vitt implicated in Vicodin theft at New Orleans Saints facilitiesObviously Allee-Walsh didn't just pull those names out of his ass. Where did they come from?
Update: Oh wait nevermind. It's all over the freaking internets.
Based on extensive discussions with multiple sources having knowledge of the situation but who have requested anonymity given the sensitive nature of the case, the two unnamed senior staff members are assistant head coach/linebackers coach Joe Vitt and head coach Sean Payton.Let me just take a second here to add my completely irresponsible speculative blogger's opinion. Sean Payton as a fiending pill-popping type? Yeah I'd believe that.
Per the lawsuit, "Senior Staff Member A" (i.e., Payton) allegedly was receiving sufficient Vicodin to constitute abuse. The lawsuit does not specifically allege that "Senior Staff Member A" was stealing the pills.
More palate cleanser
The Lake Landrieu disaster which continues to spread itself out over the Gulf is difficult to read about without repeatedly having to trip one's own personal blowout preventer and walk away. I'll try and get it together in a minute. Meanwhile, please enjoy highlights of the Ray Nagin farewell comedy tour.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Lake Landrieu
Cannot stress this enough Fuck. You. Mary Landrieu.
In two previous congressional hearings, Landrieu minimized the chance of such a massive accident occurring on an offshore oil rig and also downplayed the impact of any oil spill, saying it would hardly fill one-third of the reflecting pool outside of the Capitol.
At a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last November to discuss the environmental impact of offshore oil drilling, Landrieu dismissed concerns about the chances of a blowout -- which occurred off the coast of Australia last August -- happening in the Gulf of Mexico:You said it was the largest spill in Australia's history. It's true. It leaked 823,000 gallons of oil. As Mr. Cruickshank testified, it wouldn't even be allowed in this country because it doesn't stand up to our strict environmental rules.
But let's say we had messed up and allowed it to produce oil off of our shores, it would be one-third of the amount necessary to fill the Reflecting Pool outside of this Capitol. It's the largest spill in the history of Australia. It's a pretty long history. The rig that blew didn't meet our standards but if we had it slip through and we had allowed it to drill, the oil that spilled would fill up a third of the Reflecting Pool.
Or it might already be worse than it just was
WASHINGTON—The Gulf of Mexico oil spill could be leaking at a rate of 25,000 barrels a day, five times the government's current estimate, industry experts say.
WSJ (requires subscription)
We're gonna need a timeline of misinformation on this event. Every day we learn that what we learned yesterday wasn't true and that the truth is worse.
Update: No sooner do I write that than do I find this TPM timeline already in production.
In case you were wondering how bad it can still get
Pretty bad.
I don't know how to comprehend 6 million gallons per day as compared to 210,000 gallons per day as I understand that the latter is plenty bad enough. But there are two items in this worst-case-scenario description that should be very alarming right off the bat.
First,
Second,
In either case, I am not impressed.
The worst-case scenario for the broken and leaking well gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico would be the loss of the wellhead currently restricting the flow to 5,000 barrels -- or 210,000 gallons per day.
If the wellhead is lost, oil could leave the well at a much greater rate, perhaps up to 150,000 barrels -- or more than 6 million gallons per day -- based on government data showing daily production at another deepwater Gulf well.
By comparison, the Exxon Valdez spill was 11 million gallons total. The Gulf spill could end up dumping the equivalent of 4 Exxon Valdez spills per week.
I don't know how to comprehend 6 million gallons per day as compared to 210,000 gallons per day as I understand that the latter is plenty bad enough. But there are two items in this worst-case-scenario description that should be very alarming right off the bat.
First,
"The loss of a wellhead, this is totally unprecedented," said (former NOAA official Ron) Gouget. "How bad it could get from that, you will have a tremendous volume of oil that is going to be offgassing on the coast. Depending on how much wind is there, and how those gases build up, that's a significant health concern.""Offgassing" sounds very unpleasant and it raises the possibility in my mind of evacuation or relocations of a very large number of coastal residents which... well that's pretty darn apocalyptic right there.
Second,
Minerals Management Service data indicates that the deepwater Thunderhorse production platform, also owned by BP, has produced up to 150,000 barrels per day.The company we are currently still entrusting with the bulk of the clean-up operation here named a piece of equipment Thunderhorse which sounds like a pet name Alex Rodriguez would keep for himself.
In either case, I am not impressed.
Enter Chief Zeno
Am I the only one who finds the repeated narrowing-of-the-police-chief-search headlines amusing?
BREAKING: They're down to 6
ITEM: Now there are 4
FUCK THAT: We actually meant 3
WHOAH: Now it's 2
I predict that the number will continue to divide on into infinity or until they say fuck it and hire one of those oil-soaked booms to run things on the grounds that it will do a better job of protecting us than did the previous chief.
Update: The Lens is naming names
BREAKING: They're down to 6
ITEM: Now there are 4
FUCK THAT: We actually meant 3
WHOAH: Now it's 2
I predict that the number will continue to divide on into infinity or until they say fuck it and hire one of those oil-soaked booms to run things on the grounds that it will do a better job of protecting us than did the previous chief.
Update: The Lens is naming names
Boom boom boom let's go back to the drawing board
Nobody could have predicted
Thank god we've got "15,000 miles" of this stuff hanging around to protect ourselves with. I'll go back to remaining calm just like BP flack Mary Landrieu told me to do.
The good news is five years from now, we'll all get to watch this again on HBO. I guess we could line up a few disaster tours via airboat or something as well.
Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser said this morning that a recent flyover showed areas where oily water was lapping over the boom set out to contain the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Also, he said, because of the rough weather in the Gulf, some of the boom appeared to have broken free and washed onto an area beach and other boom appeared to have sunk, he said.
"It's not keeping the oil out,'' Nungesser said. "And it's only going to get worse before it gets better.'
Thank god we've got "15,000 miles" of this stuff hanging around to protect ourselves with. I'll go back to remaining calm just like BP flack Mary Landrieu told me to do.
The good news is five years from now, we'll all get to watch this again on HBO. I guess we could line up a few disaster tours via airboat or something as well.
Palate cleanser
You can take that literally if you like given the smell outside yesterday. But I thought it might be nice to start today with some good news. I think the Saints did pretty well in the draft last week. GW thinks so too and explains why in his incomparable fashion here.
Meanwhile, I'm not sure what to do about the oil river. I feel like I should be out looting or something.
Meanwhile, I'm not sure what to do about the oil river. I feel like I should be out looting or something.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The goggles. They do nothing.
Mary Landrieu told us to remain calm
By sunset Thursday, the oil had creeped into South Pass of the river and was lapping at the shoreline in long, thin lines.
Booms in place to protect grasslands and sandy beaches are being over topped by 5-foot waves of oily water in choppy seas.
Profiles in courage
Mary Landrieu stands up to be counted in Washington on behalf of her constituents when they need her the most.
I'm not saying that the Horizon spill should mean the END OF ALL DRILLING or anything like that. But certainly this is an occasion for our elected representatives to be applying pressure on the oil industry to make their operations less catastrophically dangerous to us and our livelihoods. Mary seems to be taking the opposite approach here. Which begs the question. Who exactly does she think she represents?
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., took to the Senate floor this afternoon to warn that the response to the deadly oil rig accident and spill shouldn't be to limit future off-shore drilling - as some environmental groups advocate.
While Landrieu said the spill is a major disaster and substantial threat to her state's coastlines and wildlife, at least the oil isn't the thick kind that caused substantial damage to the Santa Barbara, Calif., coastline in 1969, leading to an four-decade moratorium on drilling off the California and Florida coasts.
She said the federal government should spare no effort to find out the cause of the rig accident and make needed changes in regulations to assure "this never happens again."
I'm not saying that the Horizon spill should mean the END OF ALL DRILLING or anything like that. But certainly this is an occasion for our elected representatives to be applying pressure on the oil industry to make their operations less catastrophically dangerous to us and our livelihoods. Mary seems to be taking the opposite approach here. Which begs the question. Who exactly does she think she represents?
Nobody Could Have Predicted
Barack Obama:
Generally, I guess he's right. But given that the second worst oil spill in history was caused by an oil rig and that, as we all can plainly see, it just takes one damn accident to severely fuck an entire ecosystem, is that sort of Pollyanna talk really the appropriate approach to deepwater oil production?
According to this morning's Wall Street Journal, American rigs are not required to be quite as "technologically advanced" as their counterparts in Norway or Brazil from a safety perspective.
So far the other back-up plans are not performing. Which may, in fact, be the reason the industry opts for those plans over ones that, at times, tend to work too well.
I wonder how much weight companies give the risk of "unnecessary shut-downs" as compared to the risk of total destruction of over 400 species of wildlife in the fragile Louisiana estuaries when they do their analysis.
Deep water rigs like the Horizon appear to have brought oil exploration to a place where the technology necessary to do the drilling has outstripped the technology necessary to maintain the safety of the people who do the work and the people affected by possible mishaps. While it shouldn't surprise anyone that BP's strategy will always be to do the least expensive thing possible and then lie its away out of any (inconceivable) consequences, it should disappoint us to see representatives of a party ostensibly dedicated to protecting working people and their environment stupidly parrot those lies in the media.
Just yesterday, here was BP CEO Tony Heyward's description of the slick:
And yet this morning, I tuned in to WWL just in time to hear Senator Mary Landrieu scold the host and callers for "being hysterical" Landrieu angrily repeated Heyward's line about "iced tea" several times and insisted that everybody "remain calm" while we get the "15,000 miles of boom" in place that she seemed fairly convinced would actually do something worthwhile. Unless Mary is referring to some sort of super boom (perhaps stuffed with old newspapers?) Mr. Hayward has told her about, I seriously doubt what they will be able to contain the slick during this weekend's expected high seas.
In the meantime, we'll all try to remain calm just like our elected representatives have asked us to do. After all, if they haven't found any reason to get "hysterical" about ensuring the public safety then there's no reason we shouldn't follow their example.
"It turns out, by the way, that oil rigs today generally don't cause spills. They are technologically very advanced."
Generally, I guess he's right. But given that the second worst oil spill in history was caused by an oil rig and that, as we all can plainly see, it just takes one damn accident to severely fuck an entire ecosystem, is that sort of Pollyanna talk really the appropriate approach to deepwater oil production?
According to this morning's Wall Street Journal, American rigs are not required to be quite as "technologically advanced" as their counterparts in Norway or Brazil from a safety perspective.
The oil well spewing crude into the Gulf of Mexico didn't have a remote-control shut-off switch used in two other major oil-producing nations as last-resort protection against underwater spills.Now, upon close examination of what this acoustic switch is supposed to do, one can reasonably conclude that it probably wouldn't be any more likely to trip the well's blowout preventer than the robotic subs currently failing to perform this task. But, of course, we'll never know for sure because,
The lack of the device, called an acoustic switch, could amplify concerns over the environmental impact of offshore drilling after the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig last week.
The U.S. considered requiring a remote-controlled shut-off mechanism several years ago, but drilling companies questioned its cost and effectiveness, according to the agency overseeing offshore drilling. The agency, the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service, says it decided the remote device wasn't needed because rigs had other back-up plans to cut off a well.
So far the other back-up plans are not performing. Which may, in fact, be the reason the industry opts for those plans over ones that, at times, tend to work too well.
Industry consultants and petroleum engineers said that an acoustic remote-control may have been able to stop the well, but too much is still unknown about the accident to say that with certainty.
Rigs in Norway and Brazil are equipped with the remote-control devices, which can trigger the blowout preventers from a lifeboat in the event the electric cables connecting the valves to the drilling rig are damaged.
While U.S. regulators have called the acoustic switches unreliable and prone, in the past, to cause unnecessary shut-downs, Inger Anda, a spokeswoman for Norway's Petroleum Safety Authority, said the switches have a good track record in the North Sea. "It's been seen as the most successful and effective option," she said.
I wonder how much weight companies give the risk of "unnecessary shut-downs" as compared to the risk of total destruction of over 400 species of wildlife in the fragile Louisiana estuaries when they do their analysis.
The area under threat produces the largest total seafood landings in the lower 48 states, is a vital wintering or resting spot for more than 70 percent of the nation's waterfowl, is used by all 110 neo-tropical migratory songbirds, and produces 50 percent of the nation's wild shrimp crop, 35 percent of its blue claw crabs and 40 percent of its oysters. Researchers say 90 percent of all the marine species in the Gulf of Mexico depend on coastal estuaries at some point in their lives, and most of those estuaries are in Louisiana -- endangered by an oil spill that could last months.
"This is a really important time for so many species in this ecosystem, because they're just begun spawning and nesting," said Melanie Driscoll, a Audubon Society staffer who is director of bird conservation for the Louisiana Coastal Initiative.
Deep water rigs like the Horizon appear to have brought oil exploration to a place where the technology necessary to do the drilling has outstripped the technology necessary to maintain the safety of the people who do the work and the people affected by possible mishaps. While it shouldn't surprise anyone that BP's strategy will always be to do the least expensive thing possible and then lie its away out of any (inconceivable) consequences, it should disappoint us to see representatives of a party ostensibly dedicated to protecting working people and their environment stupidly parrot those lies in the media.
Just yesterday, here was BP CEO Tony Heyward's description of the slick:
Earlier on Wednesday, Tony Hayward, BP’s chief executive, described the spilled oil as very light, like “iced tea,” and only one-tenth of a millimeter thick, as thin as a human hair.In the above-linked post, Judy responds appropriately,
Sorry, Tony. We don't buy the description of the size. As of tonite it's being described as the size of Jamaica What you saw was from space. What WE ARE GOING TO SEE is going to be on our coastline. It is going to DEVASTATE our seafood industry. It is going to RUIN our wildlife refuges when the "iced tea" oil slick washes ashore. Louisiana already has an extremely strong dislike for you and your company, Mr. Hayward based on your slow-as-a-tortoise response to this tragedy. But we DO appreciate that you had your people add the "iced tea" reference for us 'ignorant' Southerners.
And yet this morning, I tuned in to WWL just in time to hear Senator Mary Landrieu scold the host and callers for "being hysterical" Landrieu angrily repeated Heyward's line about "iced tea" several times and insisted that everybody "remain calm" while we get the "15,000 miles of boom" in place that she seemed fairly convinced would actually do something worthwhile. Unless Mary is referring to some sort of super boom (perhaps stuffed with old newspapers?) Mr. Hayward has told her about, I seriously doubt what they will be able to contain the slick during this weekend's expected high seas.
In the meantime, we'll all try to remain calm just like our elected representatives have asked us to do. After all, if they haven't found any reason to get "hysterical" about ensuring the public safety then there's no reason we shouldn't follow their example.
What's the opposite of "Smell Greatness"?
Smell BPFAIL?
A pungent fuel smell is wafting over much of the New Orleans area, and residents curious about its source have been jamming government phone lines for information.
Though emergency preparedness officials haven't been able to confirm the source of the odor, a Jefferson Parish official said he assumes the smell is emanating from the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that is creeping ever closer to the Louisiana coastline. The coast is about 80 miles south of the city.
Hours
The Guardian:
Adding, it sure smells funny outside this afternoon
The United States mobilised its military tonight in an attempt to help deal with the vast oil slick spreading across the Gulf of Mexico amid predictions that it will begin to hit the Louisiana coast within hours and could cause one of the country's biggest environmental disasters
Adding, it sure smells funny outside this afternoon
Weighing risks
On Saturday evening, Menckles and I had a lovely dinner at Coquette. Given all the lofty praise one hears around town, the chances were pretty good for a disappointing experience but I am happy to report that Coquette managed to overcome both her expectations and my suspicions generated by the universal plaudits. This isn't a restaurant review so I won't go into every detail but I will say that I was very glad to have had that meal for two reasons.
First, it helped to have a fresh recommendation handy when, on Monday night Ros and I overheard a bartender suggest Cochon to a pair of tourists. I actually think Cochon is pretty okay but Ros has made it something of a whipping boy as of late. She thinks of it as a kind of scam to sell cheap homey food to tourists at fine-dining prices. Tuesday morning, she still hadn't let it go and so was sending me random comments on the menu via text message.
I think she's got a point but I haven't been turned off enough by the food there to get all bent outta shape over it. Still I'm glad I was able to suggest Coquette as an alternative. Something tells me it probably didn't matter, though.
The second reason I'm glad to have had this trip to Coquette has to do with the fresh seafood on the menu that day. From what I understand, the menu changes frequently with whatever happens to be in season and that definitely seems to be the case as neither of our entrees appears on the website's sample menu here.
Here's what I had.
That's a fresh Louisiana softshell crab perfectly fried and served over a tasso and lemon Hollandaise like emulsion with fresh vegetables.
And before that came, there were these.
Roasted oysters in a fennel bacon sauce. Not my favorite oysters I've ever had but very good. And, more importantly, they could be the last Louisiana oysters I get a hold of for quite some time given the circumstances.
The article didn't go too far in the direction of spelling out what those "risks" might be so I googled up this NOAA document which generally recommends the technique but also paints a messy picture of its application.
The article is pretty fuzzy on the hazard posed by gasses and particulates released during the process. Mostly it suggests that they will not exist in high enough concentrations to threaten the health of the general public although, if I am reading it correctly, this would depend on 1) most of the "plume" of smoke dissipating without returning to ground level and 2) the general public not being too immediately downwind of the event.
I also found this interesting.
So, yes, there will be some sort of air pollution no matter what they do. Ultimately, what difference does it make? This evening, we learned that the amount of oil spilling into the Gulf could be as much as 210,000 gallons per day or five times the previously announced estimate. I know people are tired of hearing these Valdez comparisons but it's worth pointing out that the burn technique only managed to remove at most 30,000 gallons of oil in that event. Burning oil isn't likely to prevent a major catastrophe in this case either.
So the risks of burning are a definite but indeterminate negative effect on air quality which may or may not be much worse than the effect of doing nothing. Meanwhile the benefit could be as little as a 5 percent reduction of the total hazard. Looks like the risk of having to settle for more nights of $18 black eyed peas in the future is getting bigger every day.
First, it helped to have a fresh recommendation handy when, on Monday night Ros and I overheard a bartender suggest Cochon to a pair of tourists. I actually think Cochon is pretty okay but Ros has made it something of a whipping boy as of late. She thinks of it as a kind of scam to sell cheap homey food to tourists at fine-dining prices. Tuesday morning, she still hadn't let it go and so was sending me random comments on the menu via text message.
Ham hock, sweet potato, greens, black eyed peas $18 No. Fuck them.
Oysters and bacon on toast $14. Fuck off!
I think she's got a point but I haven't been turned off enough by the food there to get all bent outta shape over it. Still I'm glad I was able to suggest Coquette as an alternative. Something tells me it probably didn't matter, though.
The second reason I'm glad to have had this trip to Coquette has to do with the fresh seafood on the menu that day. From what I understand, the menu changes frequently with whatever happens to be in season and that definitely seems to be the case as neither of our entrees appears on the website's sample menu here.
Here's what I had.
That's a fresh Louisiana softshell crab perfectly fried and served over a tasso and lemon Hollandaise like emulsion with fresh vegetables.
And before that came, there were these.
Roasted oysters in a fennel bacon sauce. Not my favorite oysters I've ever had but very good. And, more importantly, they could be the last Louisiana oysters I get a hold of for quite some time given the circumstances.
Underwater vehicles have not been able to stop the flow of oil from a damaged pipe more than a mile below the surface of the Guilf of Mexico after the explosion of an oil rig.. U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry said today that authorities are considering a controlled burn of the oil floating on the Gulf's surface.
The oil is coming from two damaged sections of pipe from the Deepwater Horizon rig which exploded and collapsed into the Gulf last week. The damaged pipe is more than 5,000 feet under water. The underwater vehicles have been trying to trigger the well's blowout preventer, a 450-ton device resting on the seabed that is intended to prevent such leaks.
But so far efforts to trip the blowout preventer have been a bust.
Landry and other officials who spoke during a Tuesday news conference said the controlled burn has been used before on spills. Crews would light the oil on fire within containment booms.
There are risks, notably air pollution and ash clouds. Those risks will be weighed in tandem with the benefits of preventing the oil from coming ashore, officials said.
The article didn't go too far in the direction of spelling out what those "risks" might be so I googled up this NOAA document which generally recommends the technique but also paints a messy picture of its application.
In-situ burning of oil is going to generate waste. Even the most efficient burning will leave a taffy-like residue that will have to be collected and treated or disposed of. Burning the oil at sea will not be as efficient as burning it in engines, furnaces, or power plants, and will generate a substantial amount of particulates. However, by minimizing the solid and liquid waste generated by beach cleanup, and by reducing the energy required to support the response operation, burning even some of the oil at sea is likely to reduce the overall waste generation of a spill.
The article is pretty fuzzy on the hazard posed by gasses and particulates released during the process. Mostly it suggests that they will not exist in high enough concentrations to threaten the health of the general public although, if I am reading it correctly, this would depend on 1) most of the "plume" of smoke dissipating without returning to ground level and 2) the general public not being too immediately downwind of the event.
I also found this interesting.
A point to keep in mind is that leaving the oil in place will have a deleterious effect on air quality. Spilled oil left untreated would evaporate at a rate that depends on the type of oil, time elapsed from release, wind, waves, and water and air temperatures. The amount evaporated is substantial. For example, 32 percent of spilled Alberta Sweet crude would evaporate after 24 hours in 80 degree water, and after five days 42 percent would have evaporated. This evaporation pattern, similar in other oil types, emphasizes the need for quick action if in-situ burning is selected as the response tool.
The decision whether to burn or not to burn involves a tradeoff: burning the oil would reduce or eliminate the environmental impact of the oil slick and convert most of the oil to carbon dioxide and water. Burning, however, would generate particulates and cause air pollution. Not burning the oil would enable the slick to spread over a large area and impact the environment. Particulates would not be produced, but up to 50 percent of the oil would evaporate, causing a different kind of air pollution.
So, yes, there will be some sort of air pollution no matter what they do. Ultimately, what difference does it make? This evening, we learned that the amount of oil spilling into the Gulf could be as much as 210,000 gallons per day or five times the previously announced estimate. I know people are tired of hearing these Valdez comparisons but it's worth pointing out that the burn technique only managed to remove at most 30,000 gallons of oil in that event. Burning oil isn't likely to prevent a major catastrophe in this case either.
Kerry St. Pe, program director of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, worked for years doing oil-spill cleanup with the state Department of Environmental Quality. He said the burning method is a worthy and well-tested approach, although it is not in any way a panacea.
"I don't think this is the solution to this spill. I think it's a solution that they should try, and if they do get it cut off then the burn has been a great success," St. Pe said. "When you have a spill like this, you try everything. You use all the cleanup methods you have at your disposal, and if the burn gets rid of even 5 percent of the oil, it's 5 percent that wouldn't have gotten rid of otherwise."
So the risks of burning are a definite but indeterminate negative effect on air quality which may or may not be much worse than the effect of doing nothing. Meanwhile the benefit could be as little as a 5 percent reduction of the total hazard. Looks like the risk of having to settle for more nights of $18 black eyed peas in the future is getting bigger every day.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Not one drop
I was so excited about "Drill Baby Drill" that I can't believe I forgot about "Not one drop"
Quote of the day
Mitch Landrieu:
“I will inherit a city that is in financial trouble,” Landrieu said. “… I think the public is going to be shocked to know the financial situation the city is in.”
Saturday, April 24, 2010
42,000 gallons per day
And it's been three days.
For days, the Coast Guard has said no oil appeared to be escaping from the well head on the ocean floor. Rear Adm. Mary Landry said the leak was a new discovery but could have begun when the rig sank on Thursday, two days after the initial explosion.
"We thought what we were dealing with as of yesterday was a surface residual (oil) from the mobile offshore drilling unit," Landry said. "In addition to that is oil emanating from the well. It is a big change from yesterday ... This is a very serious spill, absolutely."
Coast Guard and company officials estimate that as much as 1,000 barrels -- or 42,000 gallons (160,000 liters)-- of oil is leaking each day after studying information from remotely operated vehicles and the size of the oil slick surrounding the blast site. The rainbow-colored sheen of oil stretched 20 by 20 miles (30 by 30 kilometers) on Saturday -- about 25 times larger than it appeared to be a day earlier, Landry said.
By comparison, Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons (40 million liters) in Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1989 -- the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
Bullets actually very difficult to dodge
Trouble
I'm gonna go out and get some nice Louisiana seafood for dinner tonight. Just in case there isn't any for a while.
ROBERT, La. – Coast Guard officials confirmed that a drill pipe connected to the well head from the Deepwater Horizon is leaking oil. The amount of oil which has leaked is unknown, according to officials.
Nearly 1,000 barrels of oil is estimated to be leaking from the pipe every day, according to Coast Guard officials. Two leaks were discovered by a robot earlier.
I'm gonna go out and get some nice Louisiana seafood for dinner tonight. Just in case there isn't any for a while.
Quote of the day
Saints 7th round draft choice Sean Canfield on his fallback position.
Toward the end of this video via NOLA.com
Wow that's 4 video posts in a row. Doubt that's ever happened before. Also, Tyler Palko, Mark Brunell, and now this guy. What the hell is up with Sean Payton and lefty QBs? Oyster is kind of a lefty philosophy student. Maybe he should try out for the team.
If football doesn't work out, as far as something real specific... uh.. I really don't know. I have a philosophy degree. Maybe something related to that would spark my interest.
Toward the end of this video via NOLA.com
Wow that's 4 video posts in a row. Doubt that's ever happened before. Also, Tyler Palko, Mark Brunell, and now this guy. What the hell is up with Sean Payton and lefty QBs? Oyster is kind of a lefty philosophy student. Maybe he should try out for the team.
Old fashioned country medicine
I'm sure you've all seen Nevada Senate candidate Sue Lowden's "chicken for checkups" comments by now.
For a few days, I was trying to work out some way to make a cock-fighting joke. Something about how Louisiana voters might prefer a system that allows them to make wagers with their insurance companies for treatment in a way that at least gives patients a sporting chance. But I gave up on that when I read that the unrestrained socialists in the Louisiana Legislature were not only criminalizing attendance at cockfighting events but also seeking to confiscate citizens' free-marketedly obtained gambling winnings for the benefit of some nefarious nanny state purpose. So the cockfighting for colonoscopies program is out. I'm sorry I even brought it up.
Instead, I'll just point you to this Krugman blurb on the compound absurdity of the whole concept.
And then, of course, it's straight back to mocking. Here's a dramatic interpretation of the sort of medicine Ms Lowden seems to be advocating.
For a few days, I was trying to work out some way to make a cock-fighting joke. Something about how Louisiana voters might prefer a system that allows them to make wagers with their insurance companies for treatment in a way that at least gives patients a sporting chance. But I gave up on that when I read that the unrestrained socialists in the Louisiana Legislature were not only criminalizing attendance at cockfighting events but also seeking to confiscate citizens' free-marketedly obtained gambling winnings for the benefit of some nefarious nanny state purpose. So the cockfighting for colonoscopies program is out. I'm sorry I even brought it up.
Instead, I'll just point you to this Krugman blurb on the compound absurdity of the whole concept.
But I think even the mocking critics are missing the main point. Sure, it’s funny to see a 21st-century political candidate pining for the days of a barter economy. But her remarks would have been breathtakingly ignorant even if she had called for payments in cash.
The key fact about health care — the central issue in health care economics — is that it’s all about the big-ticket items. Checkups don’t cost much; neither does the treatment of minor illnesses. The money that matters goes to bypasses and dialysis — costs that are highly unpredictable, and that almost nobody can afford to pay out of pocket. Modern health care, if it’s going to be provided at all, has to be paid for mainly out of insurance.
And then, of course, it's straight back to mocking. Here's a dramatic interpretation of the sort of medicine Ms Lowden seems to be advocating.
Nagin's last act
Suddenly he has no problem with people releasing his schedule
Word has it that a last-minute addition to the sculpture garden will be this item originally unveiled back in February
During his final 10 days in office, it seems, he plans to play host to the visiting president of Honduras, who arrives in New Orleans Saturday for a three-day visit; preside over the first meeting of the city's Revenue Estimating Conference in six months; and unveil the Roots of Music Cultural Sculpture Garden, the controversial $1.2 million collection of sculptures honoring famous New Orleans musicians and cultural landmarks that he commissioned for Armstrong Park.
Word has it that a last-minute addition to the sculpture garden will be this item originally unveiled back in February
Friday, April 23, 2010
Not gonna argue
Dick Cheney is right. This really was sort of the best thing he ever did.
Although even that was kind of lame. People who know what they're doing bring in backup singers.
Although even that was kind of lame. People who know what they're doing bring in backup singers.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Bernie Goldberg Fires Back | ||||
| ||||
Thursday, April 22, 2010
He hangs it on the wall and he looks at it to make him smarter every day*
Nagin unveils his official portrait for all posterity to enjoy.
From the actual description of this artwork
This morning EA Sports announced that Drew Brees will grace the cover its Madden 11 NFL video game.
As most of us who follow such things are aware, the "Madden Curse" associated with appearance on the cover of this game is one of the most serious superstitions in all of sports. ESPN's Pat Yasinkas catalogs the curse's gruesome history here. The prospect of watching the Saints go through the 2010 season with their first "cursed" quarterback since Heath Shuler is unsettling for all sorts of reasons.
We're not so much worried about the Saints themselves. As I've said over and over and will continue to say, it just doesn't matter if they win anymore no matter what Teddi Bruschi thinks. What we're worried about are the numerous causes and organizations around New Orleans that Brees has associated himself with outside of football. Children's Hospital, the Krewe of Bacchus, several schools parks and playgrounds, Cox high-speed internet and many others are all in danger of incurring collateral damage from the Madden whammy.
My 2009 brake tag displays an ominous number nine in black and gold right here on my windshield.
How the hell am I supposed to Tweet while driving anymore when there's no longer any guarantee that I'm not taking my life into my own hands?
So here's what I think. Ray Nagin wants to appropriate the Saints' Superbowl victory for himself? That's fine. I say let him. He can have all the cred he wants. Hell he can even have the trophy as far as I'm concerned. I'm pretty sure that Coach Soupy is done riding around on floats and shaking it at people by now. At this point it's either hand it over to Nagin or bury it in the back yard at Saints camp. The more we do to palm all this off on Nagin the better. Which hopefully means, and I think you see where we're going here, he gets to take the "curse" off with him as well. It certainly couldn't do anything to "hurt this recovery" by this point. He's cursed that enough on his own already.
Anyway that's my idea. Because I'm lazy and I want to finish this post before the end of the day, here's the beginning of a list of ways the curse might affect Nagin in the coming years which I will leave to you to finish.
1) Announces sudden and immediate retirement from politics and public life altogether. Is rarely if ever heard from again.
2) Breaks leg and is subsequently arrested for operating an illegal crane-fighting ring.
3) Unexpectedly leaves New Orleans for good. Resurfaces two years later as the Mayor of a rival city (Perhaps Dallas) which he very nearly leads to spectacular new heights of civic bliss only to badly disappoint everyone at the very last second. Somehow this results in a harebrained change to NFL overtime rules the following season.
Enjoy the NFL Draft tonight. I have no clue what the Saints are up to. All I know is that they sure as shit won't be needing a punter.
*
From the actual description of this artwork
Inside the portrait, painted by Mr. Newt Reynolds, two symbols emerge from a shadowy background. A hurricane graphic, representing Hurricane Katrina, and an image of the Lombardi trophy, symbolizing the Saints first-ever Super Bowl victory, signify the challenges and difficult times as well as the unity and resiliency of New Orleanians.Forget the "shadowy background" and the questionable decision to include the image of Hurricane Katrina aside the soon-to-be-ex-Mayor's smiling visage. Did they really try and include the Superbowl win in a representation of Nagin's legacy? Because um... Hey wait a minute I've got an idea.
This morning EA Sports announced that Drew Brees will grace the cover its Madden 11 NFL video game.
As most of us who follow such things are aware, the "Madden Curse" associated with appearance on the cover of this game is one of the most serious superstitions in all of sports. ESPN's Pat Yasinkas catalogs the curse's gruesome history here. The prospect of watching the Saints go through the 2010 season with their first "cursed" quarterback since Heath Shuler is unsettling for all sorts of reasons.
We're not so much worried about the Saints themselves. As I've said over and over and will continue to say, it just doesn't matter if they win anymore no matter what Teddi Bruschi thinks. What we're worried about are the numerous causes and organizations around New Orleans that Brees has associated himself with outside of football. Children's Hospital, the Krewe of Bacchus, several schools parks and playgrounds, Cox high-speed internet and many others are all in danger of incurring collateral damage from the Madden whammy.
My 2009 brake tag displays an ominous number nine in black and gold right here on my windshield.
How the hell am I supposed to Tweet while driving anymore when there's no longer any guarantee that I'm not taking my life into my own hands?
So here's what I think. Ray Nagin wants to appropriate the Saints' Superbowl victory for himself? That's fine. I say let him. He can have all the cred he wants. Hell he can even have the trophy as far as I'm concerned. I'm pretty sure that Coach Soupy is done riding around on floats and shaking it at people by now. At this point it's either hand it over to Nagin or bury it in the back yard at Saints camp. The more we do to palm all this off on Nagin the better. Which hopefully means, and I think you see where we're going here, he gets to take the "curse" off with him as well. It certainly couldn't do anything to "hurt this recovery" by this point. He's cursed that enough on his own already.
Anyway that's my idea. Because I'm lazy and I want to finish this post before the end of the day, here's the beginning of a list of ways the curse might affect Nagin in the coming years which I will leave to you to finish.
1) Announces sudden and immediate retirement from politics and public life altogether. Is rarely if ever heard from again.
2) Breaks leg and is subsequently arrested for operating an illegal crane-fighting ring.
3) Unexpectedly leaves New Orleans for good. Resurfaces two years later as the Mayor of a rival city (Perhaps Dallas) which he very nearly leads to spectacular new heights of civic bliss only to badly disappoint everyone at the very last second. Somehow this results in a harebrained change to NFL overtime rules the following season.
Enjoy the NFL Draft tonight. I have no clue what the Saints are up to. All I know is that they sure as shit won't be needing a punter.
*
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
You can keep your David Simon
I am still a Matt Taibbi fan boy myself. Via Oyster, here's his NFL Draft preview.
That's fun writing. Or at least better than, "Red beans? It ain't even Monday!"
Before the draft, teams spend far too much time worrying about the “character” issue, when the real question to ask is much narrower: “Can this player make it through his four- or five-year rookie contract without missing actual games due to incarceration?” Guys with drinking problems or who throw cell phones at their girlfriends’ heads or get pulled over driving 110 with loaded unregistered pistols in their glove boxes are bad bets. Guys who just stay home and smoke weed while giggling at Manswers are not. Thus: Always draft the guy who falls in draft position due to a positive weed test. In fact, if a guy is regularly smoking buttloads of weed and he’s still kicking ass in Division I football, grab that motherfucker quick.
That's fun writing. Or at least better than, "Red beans? It ain't even Monday!"
Drill baby drill
This is horrifying.
Oil and gas production has meant a lot to the Gret Stet. It has fueled much of the civic and industrial progress that pulled Louisiana out of the mud (sort of) during the Twentieth Century. At the same time it has poisoned many of us, exploded some of us, and wrought large scale environmental catastrophe that threatens to send us from the mud back into the sea. It's like one of those Faustian whaddayacallits or something. Whatever it is, it's not particularly useful to reduce the dilemmas it presents to simple slogans like the one at the top of this post.
11 oil rig workers still missing after explosion, Coast Guard says
Twelve workers on an oil drilling rig that exploded and caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico late Tuesday are still missing today, the Coast Guard said.
Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser had said that he had received reports that the missing workers were found about 11 a.m., and it was noted that the Coast Guard could not verify his report. About 12:30 p.m., the Coast Guard's public affairs office said it was in constant contact with searchers in the field and had not received reports that the workers were found.
Oil and gas production has meant a lot to the Gret Stet. It has fueled much of the civic and industrial progress that pulled Louisiana out of the mud (sort of) during the Twentieth Century. At the same time it has poisoned many of us, exploded some of us, and wrought large scale environmental catastrophe that threatens to send us from the mud back into the sea. It's like one of those Faustian whaddayacallits or something. Whatever it is, it's not particularly useful to reduce the dilemmas it presents to simple slogans like the one at the top of this post.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Who gives a shit how many they win anymore?
The schedule has some fun quirks nonetheless. Week one on Thursday Night vs Minnesota (Will Favre have made up his mind about returning vs retiring by then? Seems kind of early) Week two at San Francisco on Monday Night.
I also like that we play at home on Halloween night. Not that Saints fans need any excuse to dress up. And then... is that... a Thanksgiving Day game at Dallas? Cool.
I also like that we play at home on Halloween night. Not that Saints fans need any excuse to dress up. And then... is that... a Thanksgiving Day game at Dallas? Cool.
Joyous moments
Nothing like that first mumkin bite of the season. Whatever happened to Mumkinfest anyway?
Might as well find a way to cope
We can all pretty much agree that Drew Brees is going to be on the new Madden cover, right? The reigning Superbowl MVP is the media darling of the moment. Two months ago he was Bacchus. He has a second kid on the way. His team leads the league in merchandise sales this offseason. The announcement will be made days before the opening of Jazzfest. The embarrassingly pretentious HBO drama Treme is soaring in popularity. From EA's perspective, nothing is more marketable than New Orleans right now. Even if the fans don't vote him onto the cover (they will) he's going to be the guy.
The question, then, is what do we do about it? As anyone who pays attention to such things knows, the Madden cover spot carries with it a heavy and eerie curse. The T-P article notes some of its victims.
The good news is twofold. First of all, the Saints already won the freaking Superbowl so none of this shit even matters anymore. Secondly, the NFL draft is this week, and so there is ample opportunity to begin planning for the future. (hint)
The question, then, is what do we do about it? As anyone who pays attention to such things knows, the Madden cover spot carries with it a heavy and eerie curse. The T-P article notes some of its victims.
The most notorious examples were Detroit Lions tailback Barry Sanders in 1999 (abruptly retired before the season); Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in 2003 (broken leg in the summer); Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb in 2005 (season-ending hernia); and Seattle Seahawks tailback Shaun Alexander in 2006 (broken foot).But there are many more. Neither Daunte Cullpepper nor LaDanian Tomlinson was ever the same player after appearing on the cover of Madden. Immediately after Brett Favre showed up on the 2009 cover in his Packer uniform, his Green Bay career came to its ignominious end and Favre himself became known as much for his selfishness as for his more purely football-related exploits. The point is, the Madden appearance is a turning point in a player's career and not in a good way so be prepared to preserve your memories of Drew Brees at his high point because pretty soon that's all you'll have left.
The good news is twofold. First of all, the Saints already won the freaking Superbowl so none of this shit even matters anymore. Secondly, the NFL draft is this week, and so there is ample opportunity to begin planning for the future. (hint)
Authenticity tourism
When is a hot sausage po boy not really a hot sausage po boy?
The breadth and depth of food offerings at Jazz Fest is explained no better than by the grand dame of Creole cooking, Leah Chase: “You go to other festivals and they have rinky-dink foods like corndogs and hamburgers. Jazz Fest is unique because it serves food-food.”Here's something you won't read most places. Leah Chase, please STFU. Yes we all know the word chaurice. You still see it on grocery packaging every now and then. But when New Orleanians (yes, real, authentic, born and raised New Orleanians) go to order a po boy we all say hot sausage. The item is listed as hot sausage on every menu on which it appears or has appeared for as long as anyone currently alive can remember. Rest assured, ordering a "hot sausage po boy" will not "brand you as an outsider"
For Ms. Leah, that means the absinthe-flavored oyster Rockefeller bisque or a hot sausage po-boy from Vance Vaucresson. Be mindful, though, that calling it a hot sausage po-boy will brand you as an outsider. To Chase, the proper nomenclature for any self-respecting Creole is a chaurice po-boy.
There are plenty of peculiar phrases New Orleanians do use on a daily basis without affectation. Neutral ground would be one. A lot of people still "make groceries" although I think that one is dying out a little bit. Some words and phrases like banquette, for example, are more or less arcane and out of currency. Use of such words is more likely to "brand you as an outsider" or at least a hyper self-conscious local than their more common synonyms.
But now we live in a time when outsiders, hyper self-conscious locals, and most importantly, people in the business of selling our image to visitors and to Hollywood are asserting more and more ownership over how we live our lives in New Orleans. And the local lexicon is being subtly redefined to meet those purposes. One particularly grating example of this I've noticed as of late is the new enthusiasm for referring to what locals call the CBD and Warehouse District by the vestigial 19th Century term "American Sector" in order to facilitate a clever branding effort by a locally-based national celebrity.
The Jazzfest, which opens next weekend, has for many years been the primary engine behind this kind of hip re-branding of New Orleans for the benefit of the smug segment of the tourist market. Like most of post-industrial America this city doesn't produce and sell things anymore as much as it sells services and experiences. In a tourism-based setting, this means we basically sell ourselves... or at least some idealized version of ourselves.
And that's demeaning for two reasons. First, by reducing your cultural touchstones to marketable commodities you allow your customers to redefine you and your traditions in ways that suit their understanding. Second, the traditions themselves become less of a celebration and more of a performance or worse a job. In a way we are really selling ourselves and in the process making the fact of being ourselves less enjoyable.
And this, ultimately, is what I think Treme will end up doing as well. Sometime soon, maybe a year from now, I'm expecting some outfit to start offering a "Treme tour" or some such thing. People will visit and want to see things as they were on HBO. And those things, although they are based on more realistic concepts than much of what Hollywood has produced on New Orleans, still distort things in irksome ways. But eventually the distortion becomes the consensus reality.
Here's a sort-of trivial example of what I'm talking about. Just last week, on the Back of Town blog, Treme was praised for its attention to detail in rendering the "first second line since Katrina" The impressive detail was the fact that some of the marchers at the parade in the show were carrying torn down street signs from the flooded 7th 8th and 9th Wards. The street names were poignant words for the moment like "Desire" "Benefit" "Humanity" and "Pleasure" Because I was at the event being replicated, I can tell you that this really happened. I took this picture of the signs as they were carried in front of me.
That's pretty neat but here's the funny thing. This actual parade, which was a big big deal "All Star" parade on Martin Luther King Day weekend and staged to help raise money for flood-affected musicians, happened in January of 2006. Treme presents the "first second line after katrina" in November of 2005. Maybe this doesn't matter much but I think it's likely that over the long term the lasting influence of Treme history can supplant the actual history in people's minds which leads to a fictionalized version of events gaining a place in the official record.
The punch line, of course, is that the real parade wasn't even the "first second line" The actual first second line I saw after Katrina happened in December 2005 and it happened Uptown, not in or anywhere near the Treme. If you read down in the BoT thread you'll find commenters cite other examples of earlier forgotten second lines as well. But because Treme depicts something like the January 2006 parade, people are now calling that event the "first second line after Katrina" So now we have a fictional history which causes people, in the process of attempting to reassert the actual history, to then misremember a crucial fact about the actual history itself. And so now not only do our cultural idioms become altered for the sake of someone else's product but our memories do as well.
Maybe the next time the Treme producers decide to film a second line scene, they'll remember to add the guy with the chaurice cart. I'm sure Leah would appreciate that kind of attention to detail.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Tom and Rita Benson demand weaker protections for Louisianians hurt on the job
Worker's comp laws undermined because, you know, Who Dat!
BATON ROUGE -- A bill that started out trying to lower the New Orleans Saints payouts of workers compensation benefits to injured players was expanded in a House committee today to apply to all employers and employees in the state.
On a 6-3 vote, the House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations approved House Bill 1097 by Rep. Cameron Henry, R-Jefferson, that would have prohibited Saints in the future from filing workers' compensation claims in a more liberal state like California and have the Saints pick up the tab in Louisiana.
Out of the mouths of... um... babes
From Stormy Daniels' statement indicating (finally) that she will not run for Senate.
From there it devolves into libertarian "fair tax" blah. But the above point is well made.
The simple fact that David Vitter has $5 million in his bank account pretty much says it all. Against that shear accumulation of special interest dollars, I have no legitimate means of winning a race for the United States Senate under these circumstances. As a businesswoman, I know that better than anyone.
I am not running for the US Senate because I am an adult entertainment star. I am not running for the US Senate for the same reason that so many dedicated patriots do not run--I can’t afford it. On this day inparticualar (sic), we should all take time to reflect on the loss to our country that comes from the sad fact that those who may truly desire to contribute to our society are barred by those who only seek to unjustly profit off it.
From there it devolves into libertarian "fair tax" blah. But the above point is well made.
It's what you do when you've tried everything else
WVUE:
Right now the jabber about Federal oversight of NOPD mostly addresses the question of whether or not this constitutes some sort of sudden radical step. Which is why I'd like to remind everybody that, since the flood, we've already turned these responsibilities over to the National Guard, the Louisiana State Police, Blackwater (now known as Xe or some such unpronounceable symbol... which is hardly surprising for an organization founded by a man named Prince but I'm digressing) Let's see who else? Oh yes, there were the Guardian Angels, some scary dudes running around Algiers with shotguns, and, of course, who can forget, the Ghostbusters.
After all that is there any argument that Department of Justice oversight would be the absolute last ditch gambit at reforming law enforcement in this town anyone could possibly conceive of?
New Orleans - In 1996, the Department of Justice launched an 8-year investigation into the New Orleans Police Department.
The feds never assigned an official monitor to New Orleans. But now, there are some experts who say today's problems within NOPD are much worse than the issues in the late nineties and early 2000's.
Last time the Department of Justice was considering stepping into local police affairs in New Orleans, two NOPD officers, Len Davis and Antoinette Frank, were convicted for their roles in two unrelated murder cases.
Rafael Goyeneche of the Metropolitan Crime Commission says today's crisis within NOPD is worse and the feds know it.
"To me it's not a question of whether the feds will step in and monitor. It's a question of to what extent will it be?"
Right now the jabber about Federal oversight of NOPD mostly addresses the question of whether or not this constitutes some sort of sudden radical step. Which is why I'd like to remind everybody that, since the flood, we've already turned these responsibilities over to the National Guard, the Louisiana State Police, Blackwater (now known as Xe or some such unpronounceable symbol... which is hardly surprising for an organization founded by a man named Prince but I'm digressing) Let's see who else? Oh yes, there were the Guardian Angels, some scary dudes running around Algiers with shotguns, and, of course, who can forget, the Ghostbusters.
After all that is there any argument that Department of Justice oversight would be the absolute last ditch gambit at reforming law enforcement in this town anyone could possibly conceive of?
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