What Can I Say?

No explanation needed. Thanks for the pic, James.

The Death Penalty – Beginnings to an End.

Some of the best news in American ethics in a decade – the state of California today postponed indefinitely the execution of a San Quentin State Prison death row inmate, because no doctors, nurses, or licensed medical professionals allowed to give a lethal injection would come forward with the federal ruling that the state's execution methods were cruel and unusual punishment.

"“We are unable to have a licensed medical professional come forward to inject the medication intravenously, causing the life to end,” (the spokesman for the prison said).

Glory Alleluia. Long live Michael Morales and may he pay fully for his sins while he rots in a cold cell, a much worse, realized punishment than the easy-out of lethal injection that has no solid proof of deterring other criminals.


Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn, Director of Amnesty International USA's Program to Abolish the Death Penalty, said regarding the execution:

"The lethal injection issues surrounding Michael Morales' impending execution further reinforce the fact that there is no humane way to take a life. Amnesty International commends the anesthesiologists and other medical personnel who took a principled stand, abided by their ethical obligations and refused to participate in this macabre protocol. The fact that the state of California would carry out this execution regardless flies in the face of human decency..."

Why Mardi Gras Must Go On:

1966 – Just after Hurricane Betsy, another horribly deadly hurricane took many lives, Bourbon Street was reported "topping all previous records."

1906 – Yellow Fever killed 437 people, the first epidemic of its kind in 25 years, Carnival continued, floats, balls, and marching military bands.

1862 – Soldiers of the Confederacy from New Orleans, both black and white, threw a Mardi Gras party during its campaign in Virginia, with young soldiers dressed as tranies.

1950 – With the onset of the Korean War, instead of honoring Rex as the king of Carnival, it was "King Patria" a Korean War Marine vet and his queen, a corporal in the Women's Army Corps Reserve.

"It's had floods, it's had hurricanes, yellow fever, fires, hot summers. But by the time you get to Mardi Gras, everything has calmed down and eased off. It's time to party." – John Magill, curator of the Historic New Orleans Collection.

[ GRANTED - I do personally believe (not to get you unmotivated for this glorious time) it must be noted that only 14 years ago, 1992, "two of the oldest and most revered Carnival organizations stopped parading... after a city ordinance forced them to open membership up to minorities." –this phenomenon does continue, but primarily only in the "balls" and highly exclusive dinner parties of a select few. ]

Source.

Islam

Muslim leaders have condemned the use of violence across the world over the cartoon a Denmark paper, Jyllands-Posten, published in January – the Muslim people do not care. More blood must be shed.

The most infamous cartoon, one of 12, is shown here, and just yesterday resulted in the deaths of 16 people and 11 churches in Nigeria. Protests have been continuing across the world, almost all violently, including Turkey, Libya, and Pakistan.




While the other two major religions of this planet don't have the greatest record either, I can't help but bring up even further proof of this deadly, dark religion of Islam - if you have a chance: Look up the two following words on google:

1. Ashoura

2. FGM

Two more reasons another major religion is causing severe pain, suffering, and in my humble opinion, evil.

The Clayton Brothers

These two brothers do some of the best illustration and fine art in the world. Weird, freaky details, been in many magazines like Rolling Stones.

Dude, Where's My City

Most average Februarys find me in a slump somewhere between Christmastime and spring, at which point I can either wear sandals or snowboard boots with summer just on the cusp. This February I find myself in Chicago, the first real freeze settling in this weekend around 15 degrees for a high.

The past few months, I’ve been traveling, back to New Orleans in October, Denver for the holidays, Florida last weekend to visit my girlfriend’s mom, and next weekend for Mardi Gras. I guess I mention all of this, because I’ve come to grips with life as a regular drifter, since being displaced from New Orleans. Several friends have returned, including my sister, who all live in that now increasingly eccentric place. I’ve tried to “setup shop” here in Chicago, a town I’ve come to love since I was 5, landed another fulltime job today as a designer for a non-profit company, but I still can’t help but wonder how long I’ll last here. I suppose I’ll push for the full year or two, because I don’t see anywhere else I SHOULD be.

… And that’s my problem, I guess. I only live in cities now and hold jobs I SHOULD have. I took a job I SHOULD have taken, I signed a lease on a nice place far from any hurricane zone, I’ll keep this job and live here because I SHOULD. And that’s the difference between now and my days before August 28, 2005 when I left the place I CHOSE and WANTED to be. I’m not complaining – if anything, I have it luckier than most Katrina Kids. FEMA provided plenty of support to me personally and I’ve landed 2 jobs since I’ve been here. But I knew I could do this, bring in the benjamins in any huge place like Chicago, NYC, or LA, before I even graduated from school in the dirty dirty.

The difference now is that I can’t personally find a solid reason as to why I SHOULD return to New Orleans … Sure, there’s that ceaseless request to help rebuild and I am on a daily basis checking job postings, but ultimately I don’t feel as though I can contribute like I had before the Storm. I played music in venues now destroyed, I had art in galleries that are now shut down, I did community service around southern Louisiana, and I worked for an ad agency that survived, but its clients have close to no need for promotion.

And I know there are hundreds of elitists still in that city cursing people like me for not giving the place an immediate chance, but those people don’t realize I need to feed myself, pay my bills, and hopefully one day have my own business and family. Kudos to my sister who just graduated and CAN just waitress while her boyfriend goes to grad school as an environmental engineer.

I am not saying I’ve abandoned New Orleans. All I am saying is that I doubt anybody except those who have been displaced truly understand the gray feeling of being a nomad of sorts, no matter how solid their situation may be, be it in LA, Chicago, New York, Dallas, Denver, or a FEMA trailer in their front lawn of Lakeview.

Finally, I just hope nobody reading this feels any pity for me; I am simply explaining myself and why I may drift from place to place and never quite seem content. It is not “the grass is greener syndrome.” I found the greenest grass in 1999, lost it August 29, 2005, and hope it one day returns so I may too.

The Dutch & The Dough

THE DUTCH
Newer Orleans - Shared Space Symposium took place today in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It was an architectural conference between six American and Dutch architecture firms on the rebuilding of New Orleans as a port city, focusing on the levees and water management issues post-Katrina. The picture shown above is a solution by Dutch firm MVRDV for a school built within a hill.

At the same time in all modesty, professionals in the Netherlands can possibly contribute to some of the Water Management and Urban Planning Issues in New Orleans. Our country in terms of Flood Risk Management is rediscovered recently as several American visits were paid to our country (US Army Corps of Engineers; Louisiana State representatives). How can we, Dutch professionals and experts, support our colleagues in New Orleans to develop both sustainable technical solutions and ideas of spatial planning. How can we achieve urban quality in New Orleans? How can we give the city both old and new identities? Rebuilding New Orleans has to happen fast. Many people can not return to their homes yet, because all kinds of city facilities are not in use or connected. The ruins of destroyed houses, schools, offices and other buildings still need to be cleaned in many areas of the city. Can urbanism also help to solve the major social disaster after Katrina, which is a black exodus from the poorest areas of New Orleans?

THE DOUGH
$4.2 billion more federal money will hopefully be flowing into Louisiana thanks to G-Dubya Bush's request to Congress today. Perhaps the people are finally getting noticed, the millions of Nola-lovers pushing for attention that the problem is not over and is unlikely to be fixed without the much needed support of the feds. Looks like vacation time's up for W. Keep it comin.

SEE YOU SOON NOLA… NINE DAYS AND COUNTING. BEST GRAS EVER, I CAN SEE IT NOW.