Friday, August 29, 2008

Huh?

10 Things You Didn't Know About Sarah Palin - US News and World Report
Palin and her husband have five children, Bristol, Piper, Track, Willow, and Trig.


Names of people? Really?

Not impressed

Board members accuse governor of interference with LSU

2theadvocate.com | News | LSU board defers vote — Baton Rouge, LA
“Then on Monday I found out there was a coup under way,” Kimble said, noting “extreme pressure” exerted on some board members to support George, specifically coming from Jindal Chief of Staff Timmy Teepell.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Don't let your guard down.

2theadvocate.com | News | Gustav weakens but could become hurricane again — Baton Rouge, LA

The latest storm track has Gustav sitting just off the Louisiana coast come Monday morning. It may be cat 5 by then, too. Gov. Jindal says that evacuations could begin as early as Friday.

Batteries, water, flashlights, gas in the car, -- and where are those important papers?

Go to Golden Triangle Weather for great hurricane information.

Best political coverage? Jon Stewart as usual.

The best political coverage of the convention was on the Daily Show with John Stewart. In a segment with John Oliver called "Healing Clinton Supporters," Oliver asked a panel of very disgruntled Hillary Supporters, with blogs like "Democrats for McCain," why they were so upset. They whined that they were accused of racism for not supporting Obama. Then (and there might have been some sneaky editing here) they all agreed that Obama's campaign had been sexist. Wow! Psychological Projection caught red handed.

Later on CNN Susanne Malveaux gave a crybaby Democrat at least ten minutes to snivel about how Hillary was "Presidential" and had "experience," and we had lost an opportunity, and she wasn't sure she could vote for Obama. Malveaux apparently sought out the only person in the hall who had missed Clinton's speech, when she said, essentially, "Don't vote for me, vote for the cause."

Hillary's right-- a vote for Obama is a vote to end the war, to fight for health care, to raise the minimum wage, to keep the Supreme Court from becoming totally crazy right-wing.

Points to Jindal for this.

2theadvocate.com | News | Jindal seeks funds to pay energy bills — Baton Rouge, LA
Gov. Bobby Jindal on Monday announced plans to divert $10 million to help pay monthly electric bills for some low-income customers, according to a news release by the governor’s office.

Or is this just a scheme to take pressure off of the energy companies? Too cynical, right?

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Landrieu leads 53-37


Rasmussen Reports™: The most comprehensive public opinion coverage ever provided for a presidential election.
Senator Mary Landrieu, once viewed as the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent this election year, has opened a significant lead over Republican challenger John Kennedy in her bid for re-election.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state shows the Louisiana Democrat attracts 53% of the vote while the Republican hopeful earns just 37% support. A month ago, Landrieu was leading Kennedy by only five percentage points, 49% to 44%.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Saints fans rejoice.

WWL - AM870 • FM105.3 | News • Talk • Sports - Saints and state could have long-term deal "by the end of this year"
Superdome commission chairman Ron Forman says the Saints are happy with the support they're getting at the Dome, and they could have big news soon.

"There's a realistic goal by the end of this year, before the end of this football season, to hopefully lock up a long-term agreement with the Saints," Forman said.


But how much money will the state have to give up?

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Jindal at a loss for words. Mirabile dictu!

Think Progress » Jindal stumped when asked to name new ‘big ideas’ that McCain is proposing.
This morning on NBC’s Meet the Press, host David Gregory asserted that the Republican Party “used to be the party of big ideas.” Gregory then asked his guest Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), “What’s the big idea Senator McCain is campaigning on?” Jindal responded, “I think there’s several,” but couldn’t provide an answer. Gregory asked again, “Where are the new big ideas of the Republican Party that John McCain is, is championing?” And again Jindal couldn’t provide an answer.



This is the second time a McCain supporter has been stumped. Is Jindal still a genius?

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Lafayette to the Olympics?

Three trampolinists who train in Lafayette have excellent chances to make the U.S. Olympic team - Olympics Beat - Times-Picayune - NOLA.com


It's just too bad thatLafayette's Jeff and Leigh Hennessy are not mentioned in this article, since Coach Hennessy established a virtual trampoline dynasty in the 60s through the 80s. His accomplishments in gymnastics and trampolining are many and he is one of the premier figures who made trampolining an Olympic sport. For a number of years, Lafayette was the center of the trampolining world.

Jeff's Official Page
Leigh's Official Page


Monday, August 04, 2008

Walmart: China workers free to unionize; US workers not so much.

The Raw Story | First Wal-Mart union begins in China thanks to gov't
The first Wal-Mart trade union in China was formed after the company bowed to government demands for organized labor in its stores, The New York Times reported Friday.

Wal-Mart's reluctance to allow unions, particularly in the United States where they remain banned from stores, has been a point of controversy for many years. But the government-controlled All-China Federation of Trade Unions fought for the right to create branches in the company's 60 outlets.


Sure those commie Red Chinese are trying to . . . um . . . destroy freedom by giving their workers . . . um . . . forget it.

Saturday, August 02, 2008

Vitter: Welfare recipients should be drug tested

CQ: Boustany's seat no longer "Safe Republican"

CQ Politics | Dems’ Craving for Upset of Boustany Prompts New Rating in Louisiana House Race
The recent entry of a politically experienced challenger, Democratic state Sen. Don Cravins Jr., has created the possibility of an unexpectedly competitive race this fall for two-term Louisiana Republican Rep. Charles Boustany Jr.

This development — and the announcement Friday by national Democratic officials that they have listed Cravins as one of their top challenger candidates this year — has prompted CQ Politics to change its rating on the race in southwestern Louisiana’s 7th District to Republican Favored, from the former category of Safe Republican.

Friday, August 01, 2008

Congratulations to the Times Picayune.

In New Orleans, A Riveting Murder Series (And Not Chandra Levy)
This op-ed by Mark Fitzgerals compares the Picaune's crime series with the Washington Post's series on the murder of Chandra Levy.

The Post takes on an old and singular case with an atypical victim of D.C. street crime.

Homicide 37, on the other hand, is about a young black youth all too typical of those dying violently right now in New Orleans. And its story is emblematic of all that besets a city that's rebounding in restaurants and restorations -- but struggling to contain a crime wave with overworked cops, scared-to-death witnesses, and so few resources that the New Orleans Police Department doesn't even have its own machine to make photo lineups.

But the most striking contrast is in the storytelling and packaging.

The Post follows the usual newspaper playbook for an Important Story -- go long. The series kicks off with 1,700 words, and by the tenth chapter, with two to go, the article still crams in 1,600 words.

But the Times-Pic took a different strategy with the story by McCarthy.

Installments run to about 700 words, and McCarthy has the page-turning writing style of a latter-day Raymond Chandler.

More from the IND on Melancon vs. Vitter.

The Independent - Charlie’s Free Ride

Many Democrats feel Melancon is their perfect candidate against a seriously weakened Vitter. Right out of the blocks, he could cut deeply into a key demographic that helped put Vitter over the top in 2004 — Cajuns. In a head-to-head match-up, Melancon wouldn’t even be a philosophical stretch for most Acadians; his moderate-to-conservative credentials make him an easy vote in his home base — and the Democratic party label will give him all the help he needs against Vitter in urban precincts, particularly the New Orleans area. Against Vitter, he would even appeal to suburban moderates.

Jindal: Nonpartisan? You're kidding, right?

Louisiana Gov Jindal: Partisan Politics or Statesman
When Jindal first was elected Governor, he openly said that he wanted to be the Governor of all of the people of Louisiana. His recent national foray into the partisanship is the inapposite of his previous promise. He is Governor of Louisiana, not a talking head speaking about Iraq. In fact, the last I checked, Louisiana does not have an official policy regarding Iraq which he admitted recently on national television.

Also, having a private luncheon with Republicans is not exactly sitting down with the entire delegation and discussing in a give and take to see what gives and what it will take to move this state forward.

FEMA: Dog ate my homework.

OpEdNews
Top officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offered a report that deferred most of the responsibility for post-disaster housing and plans to a ghost entity.

“FEMA was instructed by a law Congress passed and was signed by the President to make and implement a plan for housing disaster victims,” Landrieu said today at a hearing of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Disaster Recovery Subcommittee. The committee has been conducting an investigation into FEMA’s failed housing strategy in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. “But instead, FEMA has just passed the responsibilities under its jurisdiction off to an unformed body. I’m trying to figure out why these pages are blank.”

Under questioning from Landrieu about the seven blank pages in the Disaster Housing Strategy that were called “Under Development,” Deputy Administrator Harvey E. Johnson responded, “The strategy is in fact a strategy. It’s a precursor to a plan.”

“Precursor to a plan,” sounds an awful lot like the “dog ate my homework,”
Sounds like pure nonsense to me.

Go forth and spend!