Red Is Life

NOLA Oyster Scene

Another heart wretching story of the BP oil spill's severe impact on New Orleans - its oysters - the people who depend on them for a living - who contribute so much to making NOLA the unique place that it is - 

Afloat - 080910 - The New Yorker - Raffi Khatchadourian - 

Oyster Shucker Agony

Thomas "Uptown T" Stewart shucked oysters for me at Pascal's Manale in mid May - two days earlier - it was Mike Rogers at Casamentos - Storm'n Norman at Acme gave us a lesson in Oysters and New Orleans a few years back - along with this card as "Master Shucker" - and - the night - two years ago - when Julius was manning the Oyster bar at Pascal's - prompted memories from 30 years previous - along with a bounty of P&J Oysters that almost prompted me to pass on supper - (Pascal's Manale Oyster Redux) -

Gulf Oil Spill Puts Oyster Shuckers, Traditions On Ice - 071110 - Time-Picayune - Brett Anderson - brings the BP Spill to another personal level - these are "fisherman" or "oil rig workers" or "local residents" - these are stories of people I personally know - and - if you've ever been to NOLA - likely have been too -

A moving read -

Don't Let This Happen

You're supposed to "link" or "reference" articles from one source to another blog - but we cannot take the chance - our readers won't click through - to read - The Day The Shucking Stopped - NYTimes - 10/13/10 -  Mireya Navarro - so here's the whole thing - 

JUNE 13, 2010, 8:31 AM 
THE DAY THE SHUCKING STOPPED
 By Mireya Navarro

Last weekend, Sal Sunseri, co-owner and vice president of P&J Oyster Company, the oldest oyster processor and distributor in New Orleans, presided over the city’s inaugural Oyster Festival. Throughout, he refused to entertain the notion that, given the closing of many gulf oyster beds because of the oil spill, the first such festival could be the last.

“I’m optimistic,” he told me. “I believe in God and in miracles.”

But the disaster that has already robbed thousands of fishermen of their livelihood led Mr. Sunseri to announce on Thursday that his 134-year-old business has ceased shucking oysters for the time being. He told The Times-Picayune newspaper that he will not shut down his operation entirely because some oysters are still coming in.

But regular production has been halted and he is not sure what will become of P&J and its employees in the long run.

Similar businesses are also having a hard time and are relying on suppliers from out of state. (New Orleans restaurants are still serving oysters; some report that demand for them is even up because customers sense that the end of an era is coming.)

At the oyster festival in the French Quarter last weekend, Mr. Sunseri, one of the organizers, effusively told the audience: “We feel very blessed to be able to do this and hopefully we’ll be doing it for the next 134 years.”

But there are no miracles yet.

NOPD Katrina Follow Up

Two amazing articles on actions by the New Orleans Police Department during the disaster we know as - Katrina - 

The first - In New Orleans - Chaos In the Streets - And In The Police Ranks Too - A.C.Thompson - ProPublica - Brenda McCarthy & Laura Magggi - Times-Picayune - 121209 - a look at "post Katrina" and "actions of police who shot civilians" - 

The second - Shot Or Not - Dead Or Alive - Two Men's Fate Lost In Chaos - Gordon Russell - Times-Picayune - 121209 - a first person account - "Sept 1,2005 - in my limited view, the day things completely fell apart in New Orleans" - 

Karina was a disgrace that prompted the question - was this actually happening in America ? - were the people forced to evacuate New Orleans after the levees broke "refuges" ?

We cannot erase what happened - we can look "hard" at what people did - and - make sure the "wrongs" do not occur a second time - if - God forbid - a similar event ever takes place - 

FEMA Bigger Than The Sum Of Its Constituents

FEMA continues to be the agency that still insists its snowing in New Orleans because their memos say its snowing in New Orleans - 

It that doesn't make sense - read NYT - Leaving The Trailers - Ready or Not, Katrina Victims Lose Temporary Housing - FEMA wants anyone still living in a trailer - because their house was blown away - or - they never got the Grant promised by the Bush Administration - to vacate by May 31 so that they can -  "scrap or sell them for a fraction of what it (FEMA) paid for them." 

What (who) is being served? - 

In the same breathe - FEMA sent a letter saying anyone in a trailer could buy their $74,000 dinosaur for $300 - but when any tenant tried - they were refused - 

Katrina was 3 1/2 years ago - we have a new Administration - can't FEMA get its act together? - 

CDC Copies FEMA

Last July we learned that when confronted with complaints of probable poisoning FEMA's general counsel "advised that we not do testing, which would imply FEMA's ownership of the issue.''

This week we learn the bosses at the Centers for Disease Control thought FEMA was onto a good idea as a Federal scientist testified before congress that they - ignored pleas to alert Gulf Coast hurricane victims about formaldehyde dangers in government-issued trailers and told him last year not to write e-mails about his warnings of potentially widespread health problems. 04/01/08 - AP - Ben Evans

Are the "bosses" responsible for these actions still drawing paychecks ? - Are FEMA and the CDC out to kill the victims of Katrina ?? - Let's hope the House Sub Committee gets to the truth -

FEMA Shame

The CDC confirmed (02/14/08) that FEMA trailers provided as temporary housing to Katrina victims were impregnated with unacceptable levels of formaldehyde - six months after it was revealed that FEMA lawyers blocked testing for fear of agency liability - i.e - the storm may have cost them their homes - FEMA may have cost them their health - via Associated Press -

FEMA's expedited effort (02/18/08) to move affected trailer residents to suitable housing - via The Times Picayune

Let's hope its not too little - too late -

Absurd FEMA Fish Tale

Just when FEMA looked to be straightening out - this absurdity regarding a requested reimbursement by the New Orleans Aquarium - 17 months ago -

Not Treated Equally

The amount of federal aid provided to Mississippi and Louisiana is not proportional to the amount of damage each state suffered...

So states the independent GulfGov project -