There’s both good news and bad news in NOLA, and for NOLA exiles and survivors. Here are a few snippets.
- Another body was found this morning under debris in East New Orleans. Initial reports say that the body was so badly decomposed that officials have no idea whether it is a man or a woman, African American or white. Meanwhile, housing on the East Bank is being scheduled for demolition. At least 2500 homes are going under.
- Dogs and puppies, mostly former pets, are having just as much a hard time as the Katrina survivors. Meanwhile, “therapy dogs” from Virginia and New York are making the rounds to lift the spirits of rescue workers and aid seekers in FEMA-run facilities.
Somehow these dog stories do not make sense. You follow me?
Then
- Katrina exiles facing a Christmas away from home in New Orleans, some for the very first time.
- Conspiracy theories abound about what happened in New Orleans. Some of them damn well might be true.
- A view of the United Houma Nation after Katrina, from New America Media.
- One view on how the gay community in New Orleans is faring. Remember, this is mostly white gays speaking. Black and Latino gays, for example, tend to live among their folks. They cannot account for what occurred among lesbians either.
- Fatima Shaik, a former Times Picayune reporter and the author of The Mayor of New Orleans, a short story collection about New Orleans and especially, a childhood reminiscence of Hurricane Betsy, has written about a Christmas far away from New Orleans.
- And here is Lucy Lawless, Xena the former Warrior Princess, saying her bit for a city that she truly loves. Lawless was caught in the hurricane while filming a vampire movie. She is, as the Velvelettes once sang, “really saying something” for New Orleans.
Just talked to my stepfather, living in a cramped Dallas apartment, babysitting the toddler and the teether while his daughter and son-in-law are out working. It’s been tough, waiting for the insurance company to make up their minds.
But everyone is safe and sound. And alive.
I want to tell you that I have been reading your diaries. I have not commented, for I am a severe loss of words to express my sadness here for all of my fellow human being in my country everywhere, especially in NOLA. I worked there for 13 months and loved the area. I pray for you all each and every day. I am still wordless to express my heart filled feelings about all of this. I just wanted to tell you this…God bless you for keeping this alive for us all to read about. I am just so happy that you and your family are still alive to be here with us. For just one family I can convey this to….my heart loves you…
Still, finding bodies after 3 months. The governmnet stopped looking after about only a few days and did so chaotically and did not allow private citizens to go in and try to help.
The people who heard the explosions were hallucinating. Just because they heard explosions doesn’t mean they were explosions. Just because they blew up the levees 60 years ago, doesn’t mean they would do that again to save the wealthy neighborhoods.
Just because they had a forced labor camp going in camp amtrak, wouldn’t let the people left homeless go to safety in Gretna, locked people up in the Superdome, ethnically cleansed the city of black people, abondoned people at the convention center…..why would anyone think ….Conspiracy or Racism?