tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-303088402012-01-10T13:03:33.752-06:00Musings on living in a FEMA trailer and other Katrina related thoughtsmominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.comBlogger4021100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-59507934356927876102011-10-27T23:30:00.005-05:002011-10-28T00:11:06.275-05:00

Everyone or at least a lot of people seem to think Tim Tebow, a professional football player for the Denver Broncos, is some kind of messiah.I don't get it.Before he was a professional football player he was a college football player and I didn't get it then.I was in Jacksonville Florida near the epicenter of Tebowism two years ago during the height of his collegiate beatification. I had the

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-42455408697307106842011-10-19T09:50:00.009-05:002011-10-19T12:08:14.825-05:00

I recently had a birthday and She took me on a plantation excursion. We spent the night at Nottoway and at Houmas House. Each of those places has evolved into a tourist destination of sorts, with numerous attractions. Both host a lot of weddings and other events, both have fine dining restaurants. Nottoway has overnight accommodations for about 100 people including rooms in the house and

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-37034821471716882542011-10-19T09:12:00.003-05:002011-10-19T09:50:13.331-05:00

I was anxiously awaiting the new improved Superdome this year. I was unable to attend either of the pre-season games so my first look at the new seating was for the home season opener against Chicago.The first challenge is the new more extensive screening procedure. They are now patting people down much more thoroughly, unfortunately they have not increased the number of screeners, not the

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-60842917002018624702011-10-18T17:01:00.003-05:002011-10-18T17:31:31.777-05:00

Today I left town again. Because of my flight time and her schedule She dropped me off at the Airport earlier than necessary.I decided to have breakfast. That turned out to be a mistake. I was on the B Concourse so there is only one establishment there that serves actual breakfast food. Another place does serve a bacon and egg po-boy.I got in line and decided to order the $8.50 breakfast special

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-21731437088642507152011-10-17T09:54:00.004-05:002011-10-17T10:18:51.056-05:00

TSA is at it again. They are enhancing Security by reducing privacy and providing preferential treatment to some people.WASHINGTON – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) today announced that it began testing a limited, voluntary passenger pre-screening initiative with a small known traveler population at four U.S. airports. The TSA PreCheck initiative implements a key

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-8011331635667107782011-09-26T22:59:00.004-05:002011-10-03T00:56:43.771-05:00

The latest dysfunctional Government fight over FEMA was resolved because;FEMA spokeswoman Rachel Racusen, said the agency had $114 million left in its disaster relief fund, enough to last until Thursday or Friday, the final business day of the current budget year. She said the exact timing would depend on the number of emergency victims who apply for aid, and whether any new disasters

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-21576199006465417392011-09-22T01:08:00.003-05:002011-09-22T01:19:24.257-05:00

I have been involved with the annual Rising Tide Conference from the Beginning. This year I was a slacker, significantly reducing my involvement to barely anything. Probably as a direct result the conference experienced a surge of new organizers and a big increase in attendance. Even the MSM had some nice things to say. Like this excerpt by Dave Walker, The

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-19497206900539836142010-11-10T09:18:00.004-06:002010-11-13T17:47:07.330-06:00

Following the BCS madness I'm expecting LSU to play in the Sugar Bowl. If as seems likely Auburn wins out they will be in the BCS Championship. It seems likely that LSU will be the highest ranked SEC teams and the Sugar Bowl will pick them. It seems likely that they will also pick whoever is left, from TCU or Boise State. Mark Schlabach of ESPN seems to agree, here are his picks. BCS National

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-86054268150118856042010-05-16T14:18:00.003-05:002010-05-16T14:44:37.781-05:00

She was reading an old CityBusiness this afternoon. She ran across this story in a side bar.On March 2 New Single Assessor Errol Williams got stuck in the elevators at city hall. There were two numbers posted in the elevator car, along with an explicit notice not to call the Fire Department. He called both emergency numbers posted in the car, they were the engineer's office and the security

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-82908040800024518052010-05-14T15:35:00.004-05:002010-05-14T15:53:12.831-05:00

I found the title quote by Gralen Banks;"I'd rather be in a FEMA trailer in New Orleans than in a penthouse anywhere else,"in this NPR story I hadn't seen before (or forgot about) reading another NPR Story about Treme.Echoes of Lafcadio Hearn;"Times are not good here. The city is crumbling into ashes. It has been buried under taxes and frauds and maladministraions so that it has become a study

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-10627741116781830252010-04-19T20:41:00.004-05:002010-04-20T16:20:02.486-05:00

Here we go again. There are still 350 trailers in New Orleans. I am not surprised you can see them scattered in neighborhoods all over the city. A few months ago I was in an unusual (for me) part of town and was surprised to see one. A shortly after that The Times-Picayune ran a story on the few trailers left in Jefferson.I started this blog to chronicle my life in a FEMA trailer and as self

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-14072454940740423862010-03-15T15:36:00.003-05:002010-03-15T15:47:43.460-05:00

We are trying to buy some Real Estate, in this market you would think that Real Estate people would be all over any credible purchaser, yet getting some people to call back is very difficult.We looked at one property and after several attempts the listing broker never called back. The Owner (a bank) is having trouble selling it, I wonder if the broker is part of the problem?On another property I

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-74636394386749132622010-03-03T21:04:00.001-06:002010-03-03T22:35:44.040-06:00

New Orleans needs to Institutionalize reforms to prevent a relapse. Simply electing good people to a bad system is not enough. It might actually appear that the system is working.Mexico has an Institutional Revolutionary Party originally formed to preserve and extend the ideals of the Mexican Revolution. It hasn't worked out that well. Eventually the party became fat, happy, arrogant and corrupt.

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-53188044918859029812010-02-21T08:57:00.000-06:002010-02-20T23:41:01.623-06:00

I have a theory that for every possible disaster there is a frustrated mid level bureaucrat somewhere secretly hoping that his (or her) doomsday scenario will happen so they can pull that old memo out of the bottom drawer of the desk and say "See I told you this would happen".Since the number of frustrated mid level bureaucrats is effectively infinite and many may harbor more that one

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-83082314301013552642010-02-20T09:00:00.007-06:002010-02-20T23:31:05.104-06:00

I have read and enjoyed the Gingrich/Forstchen collaborations on the Civil War.I think they present a plausible alternative end game and an interesting take on the character of the major figures. At least that's my perspective from a lot of reading on the Civil War and from my family tradition, grounded in Rappahannock County Virginia.My Father graduated from Rappahannock High School in "Little"

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-86320059149927959752010-02-19T00:07:00.002-06:002010-02-19T00:13:38.750-06:00

During all of the Who Dat and Carnival celebrations there was an election. To hear many people you would think it was some kind of massive reform vote. But I think the truth is much different. Very few new comers were elected. The vote was largely a cautious vote for safety and competence. One fact which I haven't seen anywhere (but I've been out of town a lot) , no incumbent was defeated. In the

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-83369806340442580502010-02-18T09:44:00.001-06:002010-02-18T09:53:11.991-06:00

As of the end of the 2009-2010 season, 14 NFL teams have never won a Super Bowl.The teams that have been to the Super Bowl (in years shown) and lost each time: Buffalo Bills (0-4) consecutively 1991-1994Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) 1982, 1989Tennessee Titans (0-1) 2000San Diego Chargers (0-1) 1995Philadelphia Eagles (0-2) 1981, 2005Minnesota Vikings (0-4) 1970, 1974, 1975, 1977Carolina Panthers (0-1)

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-44365356575023569082010-02-17T09:37:00.000-06:002010-02-17T09:37:00.325-06:00

The TP reported on February 12 that the city had replaced some IT contractors and renegotiated some contracts.The new contracts represent a huge cost savings. Combined, the three deals will cost no more than $4.3 million this year, while Ciber and VisionIT averaged a combined $23 million a year since mid-2007. That's a savings of 81 percent.This is a significant accomplishment.The report was lost

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-84976184944363546592010-02-16T09:03:00.003-06:002010-02-18T23:34:58.622-06:00

Siting in the Stadium waiting for the game to begin, surrounded by thousands of Saints fans was a strange feeling. I had been in this same stadium several times before and the vibe was very different. I had never been there with anything vested in the outcome. I had never been surrounded by my people before, outside the comfort of the Dome or long ago Tulane Stadium.As we waited for the game to

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-1407573501883751252010-02-15T13:37:00.004-06:002010-02-16T12:16:35.456-06:00

Super Bowl Game Day started out calm enough. We went down for our Continental Breakfast, still debating where to park and when to leave for the Stadium.One unexpected appearance was De Pope, Lionel "De Pope" Alphonso, NFL Hall of Fame number one Saints fan. We rode down the elevator to breakfast with him. He barely fit into the elevator with his mitre.Our breakfast was occupied with questions of

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-83743523596934618202010-02-14T13:11:00.003-06:002010-02-16T12:21:42.937-06:00

Saturday was sort of a free day, I had only one thing to accomplish, pick up the tickets. I also wanted to check out the Stubhub venue and decide which of the two parking options we would take advantage of.We slept in and barely made it to our "Free Continental Breakfast". The breakfast turned out to be fairly decent. There was hot Oatmeal and Cream o' Wheat, dry cereal, fruit, pastries and toast

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-85338738366788694432010-02-11T09:59:00.003-06:002010-02-11T10:40:36.862-06:00

Friday morning, we were finally off. Our flight left around 11:00 AM so we had time to get ready, eat breakfast park the car and check out bags at a leisurely pace.We booked out flights using frequent flier credit on Airtran. That meant we had to fly through Atlanta. Not a big problem as frequent Airtran Fliers with Corporate and Elite status we know many of the people at the station in New

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-19302602907625032392010-02-10T10:57:00.001-06:002010-02-10T11:26:39.171-06:00

After all of the pieces were in place I began to get anxious about whether it would come together or not. I have never bought such expensive tickets in my life I had never bought tickets from a third party, depending on someone to deliver the tickets the day before an event I was traveling hundreds of miles and spending hundreds of dollars to attend. I was staying in a hotel that I was familiar

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-29295810434925032182010-02-09T09:44:00.019-06:002010-02-10T10:24:51.116-06:00

After taking the decision to got to the Superbowl, we had to scramble to get our final preparations made. I plan on writing a series of posts about our experience, but not too much about the game itself, everybody saw it. If you watched it on TV you probably saw it better than I did.Superbowl TicketsAfter losing the first two rounds of ticket lottery (and apparently a third round no one knew

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-42816173019973188082010-02-02T19:18:00.011-06:002010-02-16T12:01:31.110-06:00

I've been a Saints fan for a long time. I was at the first game. I saw Tom Dempsey kick the field goal. I heard all of the squirrels on WWL talking about a Superbowl after a couple of preseason wins.I'm not as flamboyant as some fans, in fact by New Orleans Standards I quite reserved. I am also an almost compulsive planner, looking forward to what might happen and guarding against what might go

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-79274094573722893332010-01-28T23:44:00.006-06:002010-01-30T12:01:02.258-06:00

Recently corporate attempts to reduce the commons by Intellectual Imperialism , intimidation and bullying in New Orleans by the National Football League have been in the news.This is not the first time I have heard of similar behavior towards New Orleans cultural icons.Years ago after the Pontchartrain Hotel passed from the Aschaffenburg family to David Buras, we were told by one of Buras'

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-22634870897356765112010-01-24T10:15:00.007-06:002010-01-24T23:52:33.286-06:00

This morning I see that LA Times has a story by Sam Farmer headlinedReggie Bush might be the X-factor for Saints.The money quote is"To me, he's the X-factor" against the Vikings, NBC's Cris Collinsworth said. Collinsworth must have been reading Cliff's Crib. Cliff has been on this for months. He's a believer in Reggie's potential to become the Saints X Factor. Starting in September he's written a

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-39014049098841916232010-01-21T10:19:00.001-06:002010-01-21T10:19:00.277-06:00

I'm something of a dilettante when it come to American history. I've read some and thought some and developed a few of my own theories. One is that at pivotal times history often depends on a few people of extraordinary character. Not perfect people but people with extraordinary moral strength.George Washington was many things, but the one thing everyone agreed on was his extraordinary character

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-20072591444306237652010-01-20T10:07:00.001-06:002010-01-20T12:20:56.827-06:00

Anyone who has had any contract with the government of the City of New Orleans knows (or should know) that every office is dysfunctional, every process broken.This dysfunction leads to monumental structural incompetence, which often shields favoritism, cronyism, discrimination and corruption. George W. Bush famously used the phrase "the soft bigotry of low expectations" the soft corruption of

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-41012806654166324452010-01-19T10:38:00.003-06:002010-01-19T10:38:00.092-06:00

I've wondered about the fascination for Urban Tailgating for a while.It seem to me that tailgating was an invention of Land Grant Colleges in small country towns surrounded by trees and Suburban Sports Stadiums surrounded by suburbs, parking lots and massive traffic jams.Wikipedia says;The concept of "tailgating" originated in 1960 in the team parking lot at Yankee Stadium (Bronx, New York), by

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-53954695539207803512010-01-18T10:43:00.002-06:002010-01-18T15:48:33.110-06:00

Recently race has been much in the news locally and nationally. Harry Ried apparently put his foot in it. Cliff, as usual said everything that needs to be said.Locally, WBOK has had several controversial interviews with Da Mayor and Da Chief. The Mayor as usual was smoother but dipped into his own negro dialect by constantly calling the African American Candidates "brothers" (wink wink) and

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-49581013048942851182010-01-17T11:57:00.001-06:002010-01-17T13:08:42.998-06:00

In contrast with previous precident here I'm quoting this article extensively since it's an old one, to allow public comment and to point out the absurdity of the Kafkaesque rules regarding "Help" FEMA offers and the compassion local governments extend. I decided to resurrect this from the crypt because the other evening I was driving down Vendome Place uptown for the first time in a probably two

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-61486159939626313582010-01-15T11:03:00.001-06:002010-01-15T14:38:29.828-06:00

I heard on the radio that the African American Film Critic Association had a meltdown over which of two actresses nominated for the their Best Actress award should receive the award. Apparently there were allegations of vote tampering and some members have left the group to form another group.The NPR analysis of this "issue" proceeded down the predictable path that African Americans are "under

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-39078001609655504072010-01-14T17:02:00.000-06:002010-01-14T22:30:43.366-06:00

We need to reform our institutions, especially our public institutions to do what they are supposed to do. Government should deliver services to the people who use them, whether Public Transit, Building Inspections or Tax Collections (or refunds) or Garbage Collections. Schools should teach. Public officials should serve the public, and not themselves and their allies.Possibly our colonial

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-44453135605815043222010-01-14T10:57:00.000-06:002010-01-14T13:02:35.260-06:00

The Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee endorsed the following candidates.Troy Henry for MayorArnie Fielkow and Cynthia Willard-Lewis for Council at-largeSusan Guidry for Council District ACorey Watson for Council District BKristin Giselson Palmer for Council District CCynthia Hedge-Morrell for Council District DAustin Badon for Council District EDwight McKenna for CoronerKaren Carter

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-42496496250448906772010-01-10T18:42:00.001-06:002010-01-10T21:16:19.961-06:00

The President has received his Nobel Prize. His speech was very good, although it to sounded to me like he was really speaking to the domestic audience, trying to distance himself from the pacifist leanings of the Democratic Party. What better way to make the point than to go in front of an audience inclined to disagree with the content and deliver a "courageous" speech. It is a time honored

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-51090815967536608472010-01-03T21:13:00.006-06:002010-01-03T22:23:42.656-06:00

For the first time ever our annual trip to the Orange Bowl conflicted with the Saints' schedule. The Saints were not playing at home so back in July when we started thinking about this trip we didn't think there would be a problem. The Saints would be an afterthought by January.Later as the Saints performance reached new heights, our planning faltered. We failed to make any accommodation for the

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-7235337302990535792009-12-29T09:55:00.006-06:002009-12-30T13:39:53.828-06:00

The Saints are 13 and 2, have the best record in the NFC, have won the division and a first round bye but had get help to win home field advantage in the playoffs.Some fans are upset that they lost two games. I don't know anyone who thought the Saints would win 13 games before the season started.Of course if you listened to Fox announcers Sunday, you'd have thought the only reason Tampa didn't

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-31093552935382815362009-12-23T08:31:00.001-06:002009-12-27T18:32:35.443-06:00

Is it a sign of the times or a sign of the future.Sugar Bowl Ticket Sales are sagging They were advertising on the big screen on the side of the Arena yesterday. With the Jan. 1 game against No. 4 Cincinnati (12-0) only two weeks away, No. 5 UF (12-1) is nowhere close to selling out the 17,500 tickets allotted to each school by the Sugar Bowl. "We have about 5,000 to go (to sell out)," said Mark

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-73635484447837247332009-12-21T08:54:00.005-06:002009-12-21T11:13:14.419-06:00

The old Pete Seeger song about changing society is one of his best known songs. It is about breaking with the past for freedom and justice.New Orleans needs a BFH to break with the past. The entrenched interests have long held the citizens hostage, stealing the future from them with false promises of opportunity and prosperity, illusions of participation while jealously guarding their own

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-6193661550160119302009-12-15T11:22:00.011-06:002010-01-19T08:51:49.493-06:00

As part of my research into the candidates who qualified for the upcoming election I decided to try to see what I could find out on the Internet. I copied the list of qualified candidate form the Louisana Secretary of State's Web Site and Googled each name. I was surprised at the number of candidates whose sites I couldn't find. I was also surprised by the lack of information on some of them. I

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-82793394795672220482009-12-02T11:48:00.004-06:002009-12-02T12:07:04.834-06:00

In an effort to keep up the negativity after the Saints mind blowing destruction of the Pats I'll return to a thing I wrote a little while ago.Quoting myself;At gate D where we entered only two sets of screening lines were open and the female lines were virtually empty. The screeners refused to allow men through the female line and refused, in spite of the obvious problem and the chants from the

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-8732904780554203132009-11-23T15:08:00.005-06:002009-11-23T15:32:09.540-06:00

We went to a funeral this weekend. It was perhaps the largest funeral I've ever attended filling the parish church full almost to capacity, but that is a different post.After the Mass there was a procession from the church to the cemetery. A police motor cycle escort stopped traffic for the procession as it passed through intersections and held traffic at signal lights.Along the way a car cut

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-53578683998808119722009-11-18T10:14:00.011-06:002009-11-19T14:48:35.679-06:00

File this under theater of the absurd.We have 3 cars. Their registrations all expire at the same time, due to the hiatus following the federal flood. I also lost my titles when my house flooded and I have never gotten them replaced. This year I decided to get them replaced. I discovered that two of them still listed liens from loans long ago paid off. That never bothered me before but if I

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-63264875884587476502009-11-05T22:53:00.011-06:002009-11-06T00:25:25.866-06:00

A lot of local attention has been focused on the incoherent self serving ramblings of the former Recovery Czar.One of the myths I often heard coming up was that "You can't bullshit a bullshitter". Over the years I've learned that it is the most wildly inaccurate conventional wisdom imaginable. In fact it must have been invented by bullshitters.I deal with sales droids all the time. They are

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-77392107903906606322009-11-04T11:29:00.007-06:002009-11-04T12:13:59.295-06:00

Click on the image to email an RSVP

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-48949762932426775362009-10-27T13:53:00.010-05:002009-11-05T20:23:36.412-06:00

New Orleans has been in relative economic decline for more than a century it has actually lost population since about 1970 and economic power since the the 1980's. Katrina and the Federal Flood merely moved us along the same trajectory at hyper speed.Politicians talk of "jobs" but all too often they mean jobs for their supporters, often by taking them away from their political rivals. Giving a

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-85202658905112627772009-10-27T10:58:00.001-05:002009-10-27T11:08:18.309-05:00

She gets confused sometimes about tonic, club soda and seltzer. On a recent trip to Canada she stayed at Falkridge, a house built by Mogens Smed and acquired by Haworth when they bought his company out. They used it as a conference center and guest house for people visiting the factory. We have stayed there a few times, it is stunning.On her last trip (probably the last time either of us will

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-80638827236016227282009-10-21T16:35:00.008-05:002009-10-25T22:20:00.276-05:00

We have the possibility of a BCS implosion this year.The Number 1 and 2 teams are in the same conference but don't play each other this year in the regular season. They could meet in the SEC Championship game, if they both get there.That would upstage the BCS game.But suppose LSU, who does play the number 1 and number 2 teams beats Alabama, and then beats Florida in a rematch in Atlanta. All

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-28143154080818783642009-10-20T13:53:00.009-05:002009-10-22T09:53:13.128-05:00

Sunday was a beautiful day in New Olresns, She started out in Washington D. C. and flew home for the Saints game Sunday. Her flight was early so I picked her up at the airport and we went directly to the dome for the game.The game was great, I can't think of anything negative to say about it. The Saints were virtually flawless, beating the New Jersey Giants 27 -48.After the game we went home,

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-16248823246925285062009-10-19T13:20:00.000-05:002009-10-20T15:08:29.435-05:00

Last Saturday night we had another Geek Dinner. Because its Oktober, in honor of German my heritage, and the Irish Channel, (where we almost were) I decided to create Bratwurst and Red Cabbage.Since I still had one of the throw away aluminum chafing dishes left over from last time it seemed perfect. As usual the problem was getting the quantities right.The cabbage is a variation of smothered

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-10410265362338114762009-10-08T15:06:00.006-05:002009-10-11T10:02:48.436-05:00

We seem to have privacy laws run amok. This morning I decided to stop by the Office of Motor Vehicles and renew my license plates, all three of them are about to expire. I gathered up copies of the registrations, insurance certificates and blank checks, cash and credit cards.When I get there there was a long line of people waiting to see the "Receptionist", actually two people behind a desk who's

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-88313395694785689262009-10-06T15:35:00.003-05:002009-10-06T16:17:31.238-05:00

I have been a strong supporter of the concept of the IG form the beginning. Unlike others who saw it as a tool for rooting out corruption, I thought there was an opportunity for making systemic change to what is obviously a broken government filled with people who have never experienced anything else.The first draft report on City Government "Review of 2009 Budget Process of The City of New

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-83141353540976176262009-09-11T15:11:00.005-05:002009-09-11T15:47:46.769-05:00

Recently we observed the fourth anniversary of the Flood of New Orleans and Katrina's devastation of South Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. A lot is still left to be done.Freedom TowerToday is the eighth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.The Freedom Tower construction is continuing yesterday;Steel installation (two cranes on site)24 jumbo steel

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-14358580555878346532009-09-11T13:28:00.003-05:002009-09-11T13:33:45.082-05:00

I always thought that 6σ was derived from the math for 6 Standard Deviations on a Normal Distribution. That works out to 1 in 506,800,000. zσ percentage within CI percentage outside CI ratio outside CI 1σ 68.2689492% 31.7310508% 1 / 3.1514871 1.645σ 90% 10% 1 / 10 1.960σ 95% 5% 1 / 20 2σ 95.4499736% 4.5500264% 1 / 21.977894 2.576σ 99% 1% 1 / 100 3σ 99.7300204% 0.2699796% 1 / 370.398

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-39760143570478571632009-08-31T09:16:00.004-05:002010-06-16T13:22:25.837-05:00

Here is the text of only my second post on Nola.comDrambala had the goods on Meffert long before the local news media. They waited for confirmation, which might not have come without Drambala's lead.Ellis and Naef showed up at Rising Tide with a posse and were looking for Drambala, yet if you read his post he's passing on rumors and asking for confirmation. Naef or Ellis could have replied

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-25874366283983263802009-08-29T13:44:00.004-05:002009-08-29T17:03:50.810-05:00

Graphic by Mark FolseOn the Fourth Anniversary of the Federal Flood New Orleans is still suffering from the unfulfilled commitments by our nation's leaders to put right the damage the government caused by defectively designed levees.Congress authorized levees 16 feet high. The Federal Government built levees 14 feet high that wouldn't hold back 12 feet of water.

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-52026342552748470242009-08-24T15:29:00.011-05:002010-06-16T13:26:24.020-05:00

I'd been thinking of getting away for a few days. One day I got an email from a condominium in Delray Beach offering discounted rentals for a beach front condo in Delray Beach. The email said I had contacted them before about renting and they were emailing me to let me know about their summer specials. The email had a genuine feel to it with a sort of Craig's List sort of under designed look.I

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-76912106146951360192009-08-24T10:35:00.002-05:002009-09-15T15:23:11.217-05:00

This weekend I was at Rising Tide. A great time was had by all. During our Friday Night reception I was talking to Dr. A about our recent trip to Delray Beach. I told her all about the trip and the post I had done on it. Unfortunately I hallucinated the post part. I never did it. I intended to and in my delusion came to beleive I had. Here is is now.

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-56870095190845053152009-08-21T16:22:00.006-05:002009-08-21T16:47:50.627-05:00

Rising Tide 4 kicks off this evening at 7:00 with a party at Avenue Pub on St. Charles Avenue.If you can't register on line come on by and register in person, we'll be upstairs. They have 31 beers on tap, unfortunately I don't know if they have Schlitz.The beer that made Milwaukee famous has lubricated Rising Tide this year. Unfortunately their local distributor Crescent Crown Distributing

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-19745433948425788262009-08-15T09:35:00.001-05:002009-08-23T16:09:10.864-05:00

I recently discovered that the Rouse's store on Carrollton carries Schlitz, the beer that made Milwakee famous. That's the only place I've seen it in years, so obviously I had to buy some. That Rouse's is the only local store I know of with a "beer room", a walk-in cooler with automatic doors so you can diver you grocery cart in and load it up. I found out I actually like Schlitz.So when

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-66324986656596475592009-08-14T10:28:00.015-05:002009-08-17T13:09:12.564-05:00

All I could think of when GM announced its first new model since leaving bankruptcy was Jim Mora, former Saints Head Coach's beer commercial. Just imagine Jim saying the title.The New Government Motors just released it first new car and it a Buick LaCrosse?.I'm puzzled by that. Buick was positioned by Alfred P. Sloan architect of General Motor's success as the Doctor's Car, back when appearances

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-79766689212733230262009-08-13T13:11:00.010-05:002009-08-14T10:05:46.669-05:00

I attended an Architect's convention last week and one of the sessions was on Solar Energy. Unlike most sessions of this type it actually provided practical, usable information. Like all similar information this should be taken with a grain of salt and tested against actual information on your particular situation.The first and most astounding part is that the government will pay 80% of the cost

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-32412033405481208762009-08-08T17:18:00.007-05:002009-08-08T22:40:18.797-05:00

The government at it again, rewarding past irresponsible behavior. The Cash for Clunkers program is only available to people who irresponsibly purchased gas guzzling, imported oil drinking land yachts. We're paying up to $4,500 each to bail out several hundred thousand of these idiots.I think the government should pay every person who owns a new car that gets more that 30 mpg combined a bonus,

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-51345104657723405112009-08-08T04:38:00.000-05:002009-08-08T04:38:00.260-05:00

Hispanics, at least in my experience don't see themselves as a single group.I think you'll find that Hispanics as a group were largely invented by pollsters and politicians. That unlike blacks(aka African Americans), there isn't a single predominate Hispanic voter profile.A New York Puerto Rican is not that much like a Texas Mexicano or a Miami Cubano. There are people with Hispanic sur-names who

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-12879632792964210592009-08-07T23:32:00.001-05:002009-08-10T13:59:10.223-05:00

Anthony JonesAnthony Jones was fired for among other things, taking a trip paid for by a city vendor.In addition to findings that he took a trip on the dime of a city vendor, hid the spiraling cost of the city's much maligned crime-camera program and lied about his academic credentials, former New Orleans technology chief Anthony Jones was fired for allegedly fabricating a purchase order to buy

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-22744122632998909082009-07-31T19:04:00.004-05:002009-07-31T19:50:50.575-05:00

It's Rising Tide Time Again and we going have a great one there are lots of other posts about the panels and the Keynote Harry Shearer.But I know the most important part is the Great T Shirt designed by Greg Peters. Hurry on over to the Rising Tide Web Site and Register and order your T shirt.See you there!

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-51592555123810183212009-07-30T16:36:00.008-05:002009-08-08T01:29:35.776-05:00

I've been watching the circus surrounding the incident between Professor "Skip" Gates and a policeman. It has been a circus. So far as I can tell the only winner has been Blue Moon Beer.They've gotten a ton of free publicity out of it and probably only donated a few cases of beer to the White House. Nobody seems the slightest bit mad at them.Every time one of these dust-ups occurs I wonder what

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-14925994079691671252009-07-17T09:58:00.005-05:002009-07-17T11:15:36.085-05:00

Thanks to my friend Mark for making me remember this.When I was a kid my grandparents lived in Melbourne Florida, just south of "The Cape".Apollo 11 LaunchWe would often watch the rocket launches from the beach. Once we watched a Saturn V take off from their back yard. You could clearly read the letters U S A on the side and see the tail of flame against a clear blue Florida sky. As is slowly

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-62831752660059257572009-07-15T13:11:00.005-05:002009-07-15T14:29:53.364-05:00

One thing living in a FEMA trailer did was make me aware of travel trailers. Before I hardly ever noticed them anywhere. Now I seem them everywhere and all of the time. I even found one Saturday morning on TV.Around my place Saturday morning is usually spent making breakfast, cleaning up, doing laundry and watching old movies in the background. I think it goes back to my childhood watching Roy

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-39478525031909397442009-07-01T11:25:00.012-05:002009-07-14T13:30:06.876-05:00

I've been watching the Health Care debate with interest, but little understanding. Everyone seems to speak in a code only they understand.As a small business we have provided our employees with 100% paid health insurance almost since the beginning of our firm. It isn't cheap and most employees don't appreciate it. Every year or so I have someone come and ask me to pay them in lieu of providing

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-53027677865240671602009-06-29T16:26:00.005-05:002009-07-01T11:12:54.663-05:00

Coat of Arms of HondourasI don't know much about what happened in Honduras but anytime an elected President is removed by force it isn't a good day for Democracy. On the other hand many people from Honduras seem to support the move.The more I learn the less I know. I have seen President Zelaya described several places as unpopular. How that was determined I have no idea. It's also curious that

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-78028176704671940102009-06-25T21:32:00.008-05:002009-06-25T23:04:46.810-05:00

I fear the Yahoo service is rapidly declining, I don't know why but possibly due to the ascendancy of Goooogle!.For several years I've used myYahoo for my home page. I was able to track local news, national and international news along with weather my favorite sports teams, even a series of real and synthetic investment portfolios. I found YahooMaps superior to the original MapQuest, which I

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-21339881201258105522009-06-24T15:17:00.005-05:002009-09-17T13:53:58.904-05:00

Not my house nor in New Orleans.In Atlanta our office is located next to "Financial Services". Through the wall I can clearly hear them calling people all day every day, saying that their targets they have an exemplary payment history and they can lower the interest rates on all of their credit cards to 7%.I also hear them asking people to confirm the balance on credit cards they got from "the

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-43443669533007240842009-06-19T08:44:00.012-05:002009-06-19T14:23:46.669-05:00

We're going to the Beach!The view from our bedroom.

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-7499221383489602572009-05-29T10:19:00.009-05:002009-06-01T09:15:24.336-05:00

Does this make sense?The Government gave $19.4 billion, would get 72.5% (up from 50%) of the new Government Motors plus $8 billion will still be owed by the new company. Pretty sweet, they get 72.5% for a net of $11.4 billion.United Auto Workers trust will get 17.5% (down from 34%), in lieu of something like $20 billion in payments not yet due.Bondholders would get 10 percent plus warrants to buy

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-22952906174536918182009-05-12T19:39:00.005-05:002009-05-12T20:07:20.605-05:00

For the recent Geek Dinner, I decided to make a shrimp dish. I always like to buy whole shrimp and make shrimp stock but since I was talking about a lot of shrimp ( 5 pounds cleaned) decided I need to replace my Katrina Kasualty Shrimp Deveiner.I thought I could simply go to my Local Rouse's and pick one up. They are, after all, based in the heart of the bayou.No such luck. They apparently don't

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-65091289008988674292009-05-06T22:39:00.006-05:002009-05-07T11:22:20.547-05:00

I'm not a big fan of Ray but recently we're seeing a lot of piling on. I'm not defending his unconscionable secrecy which only fueled the fire. But, the Sharks smell blood in the water. They are feeding on the public's apparent distaste for his antics. When he was popular they wouldn't have dared.I just read the article on WWL's analysis of Ray's schedule. I'd have to say his schedule is a lot

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-76974708920600462712009-04-24T10:32:00.004-05:002009-04-24T16:13:36.536-05:00

Clesus makes some good points about the Recent Six Flags Dust up. It's more complicated that it appears at first glance.It's a little disappointing to have a local AP staffer fail to make any mention of the City's position in such an article. For once the Times Picayune seems to have done a better job of explaining the situation.Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds an acorn. But, contrary to

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-29923394078887891232009-04-23T15:36:00.007-05:002009-04-25T12:12:04.971-05:00

You can tell what's happening in New Orleans by who you meet on airplanes. Yesterday I came back earlier in the week than usual to miss the craziness of the Festistas**. I wasn't entirely successful, but it wasn't unpleasant either.I was happy to meet Terry and to talk to her all the way to New Orelans we shared a beer or two and talked about places we'd been and things we liked to do.She has

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-44294186248254386662009-04-23T11:26:00.011-05:002009-04-28T16:14:45.975-05:00

The Whole Crime Camera Saga just keeps getting better and better.The there was a story on Nola.com that said; Randy Smith (Meffert's Lawyer), also said Meffert was paid "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in consulting fees by the firm, NetMethods, in the months following his departure from City Hall in July 2006. The credit card and the money were given in recognition of what Smith described as

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-89056787383516071062009-04-22T08:56:00.009-05:002009-04-22T13:04:11.434-05:00

Does this make any sense?According to WWLRandall Smith"Attorney Randy Smith said Meffert had use of the card while technology director and was authorized to use it to help NetMethods get business outside the city. Smith said the Hawaii trip had such a business purpose."Why should Meffert be pimping his boyz? Wasn't he supposed to be helping run the city? Isn't accepting something of value for his

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-74346770653924091732009-04-15T16:50:00.013-05:002009-04-17T14:01:45.375-05:00

Much has been written about the 'Toxic Trailers" and other stuff. I've written about the issue before and although that post is one of my top hit getters (whatever that means) there have been no comments. FEMA has never suggested to us that our trailer should be tested.Last fall FEMA was talking us about moving and I asked if we could get ours tested. They said sure, someone will call you and set

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-91437222740305480082009-04-13T10:48:00.013-05:002009-04-19T18:33:26.233-05:00

The 900 plus pages of Greg Meffert's deposition have now been released and I have more or less read every word. It was generally a waste of time.I wonder if one of those tapes has the Mayor's missing emails?The Whiz Kid has a bad case of CRS*, including the names people who worked for him or what they did. He couldn't really articulate what the subcontractors he hired were actually doing.If you

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-17008318583969346422009-04-06T10:50:00.006-05:002009-04-06T11:28:08.594-05:00

As the circus surrounding the current city administration continues, our Mayor has displayed an serious lack of logic in dealing with his ethical responsibility as Mayor.I suppose any father wants to help out his sons start a new business, even to the point of steering business their way. However it seems somewhat illogical to claim that, if as Mayor he helped a major big box retailer, and

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-42845058415605264752009-02-23T13:09:00.006-06:002009-02-24T15:26:11.120-06:00

I'm not very optimistic about fixing the mortgage mess. It looks like no one has any really good ideas and the politicians are not willing to accept the reality than the pre-bust housing market was artificially created by easy credit, speculation and a whole transaction fee industry willing to pass the problem on to the next guy. For the foreseeable future the housing market will be smaller,

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-15326289799308800682009-02-10T14:13:00.004-06:002009-02-12T13:21:01.624-06:00

Recently our mayor declared;“I’m done. I have implemented transparency.”-- New Orleans Mayor Ray NaginHe's so transparent everybody sees right through him.We citizens of New Orleans have been treated to a long running soap opera involving, the Garbage Guru, The Head Witch, Trashanova and the Opaque Cellophane Mayor. It is ridiculous, absurd, humorous and all the time tragic. A Greek chorus of

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-25656660052091817412009-01-29T23:11:00.001-06:002009-01-30T03:05:50.859-06:00

New Orleans first Inspector General resigned today and we are the worse for it.Robert Cerasoli, Former Inspector GeneralI wish him well, and hope he overcomes his health problems.Mr. Cerasoli was dedicated to establishing the Inspector General's office on an solid footing, independant of the incestuous relationships that infest New Orleans.Like many people in New Orleans I had high hopes for the

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-34771666106024661712009-01-25T08:42:00.003-06:002009-01-28T22:38:34.718-06:00

Not long ago Oliver Thomas upped on the "Don't Snitch" pledge and refused to even talk to DoJ officials after making very pubic admissions of guilt and pledging to make it right. He isn't even a good "Stand Up Guy". A "Stand Up Guy" would have "taken the fifth " from the beginning and "taken the fall" for his crew.I am in many ways antique, I believe in nineteenth century ideas of honor, like the

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-63204928889519401632009-01-17T16:30:00.006-06:002010-01-17T13:30:39.994-06:00

Recently there has been a sort of mini brouhaha over Inspector General Robert Cerasoli's requisition of some fire arms.Robert Cerasoli, Inspector GeneralThe initial report did raise my eyebrows, but the TP story quoting Odom and reminding people that the Police Monitor was under the IG's office put it in perspective for me.How many NOPD officers have been convicted of murder?Two I can remember,

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-69254529757230029532009-01-12T08:04:00.003-06:002009-01-12T08:14:09.318-06:00

Departing FLL for home yesterday I had the following exchange with a TSA Employee;TSA DUDE: I bet I can tell where you're from.ME: Where?TSA DUDE: Scotland.ME: ???TSA DUDE: Yeah we had a guy in a kilt come through here.ME: ??????She walks up and hands him her boarding pass and ID.TSA DUDE: You'd better take care of him.I feel much safer knowing TSA Dude is out there protecting me.

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-18485719284759700282009-01-05T19:27:00.020-06:002009-01-12T08:20:02.945-06:00

It's Orange Bowl Time in Miami again so off we go to Hollywood Florida. We decided to start our vacation off right, with piña coladas for breakfast. They have several servings of fruit, so they're even healthy.We packed up 6 - 3 oz. plastic bottles with piña colada mix.6 Maraschino Cherries (with stems)and fresh pineapple sticks.Placed in one quart plastic bags to pass the TSA sooper

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-26734207695782092602009-01-03T13:40:00.006-06:002009-01-04T08:07:17.828-06:00

Ever since Utah was picked to come to the Sugar Bowl and I found out they were know as the Utes, I haven't been able to get the exchange between Fred Gwynne (as the Judge) and Joe Pesci (as a new small time lawyer) out of my mind.Marisa Tomei was great as an out of work hairdresser and automotive expert (she's cute too).I've always liked this movie. It's one of my favorite comedies and one of the

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-22959960293413406812008-12-29T06:41:00.003-06:002008-12-29T14:08:27.794-06:00

Thirty five years ago taday at St. Catrins' in Metry we wuz married up.It's been great. I'm really looking forward to the next thirty five years. I'm lucky to have the best wife and girlfriend all in the same person.Thanks to everyone who helped along the way.

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-47208429203032052612008-12-25T00:05:00.002-06:002008-12-25T00:07:47.871-06:00

It's not really cooked yet, but it will be.One of the hoary Christmas clichés is the Christmas Goose. Many of our traditional Christmas songs have the image of goose. I don't know where that tradition comes from. I have always supposed it was English, probably from the Dickens stories, but I don't really know. This year I decided to actually roast a goose, I've never had one.I still haven't

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-86413374224632646602008-12-20T15:48:00.005-06:002008-12-20T16:15:43.590-06:00

According to da papa in November; 4.5 percent fewer passengers left Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on commercial domestic flights and 8.2 percent fewer arrived. That seems to indicate more people left than came originally or returned. If traffic was merely down then the numbers should be nearly equal.According to Airport Statistics for November 2008 318,453 passengers enplaned

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-14777485426473181952008-12-18T11:46:00.003-06:002008-12-18T15:45:37.221-06:00

Yesterday Inspector General Robert Cerasoli released his report on the Administrative Fleet of the City of New Orleans. Our Mayor was later shown on TV saying he was attempting to wean the city from take home cars. I wonder how many fewer cars there are now compared to 6 years ago? It seems the records were lost in the flood.Here's a similar situation.A friend of mine used to run the cable TV

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-3068399841588083502008-12-18T11:30:00.002-06:002008-12-18T11:37:46.299-06:00

The new New Orleans Inspector General Robert Cerasoli has issued his first report.Robert Cerasoli, Inspector GeneralThe report with the catchy title "Interim Report on the Management of the Administrative Fleet" is a dry read, but every citizen, voter and taxpayer of New Orleans should read it.

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-57890323099732807452008-12-13T16:39:00.006-06:002008-12-14T22:42:22.850-06:00

According to GM they need billions and billions of dollars to stay in business. Government seems willing to give it to them provided GM "restructures" and builds "greener cars".I once owned a green car, a 1974 Chevy Vega station wagon.It was a very nice color green.I haven't bought an American made car since. Not that I disliked my Vega, I kind of liked it. I just never liked anything I've seen

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30308840.post-88755270733851927912008-12-12T14:05:00.004-06:002008-12-12T14:33:16.790-06:00

Bettie Page the all time queen of pinup passed away today. She was famous, and notorious for her nude and swimsuits glamor photography during the 50's. But the bondage, and domination pictures really set her apart and made her the object of a cult following.She completely vanished from public for many years before resurfacing in the early 90's

mominemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13517025007146886987noreply@blogger.com1