The Odds

I receive my google news alert on New Orleans several times a day. It gives me stories from around the world about home, and I often find things to read about that I didn't know. I found the emails I received yesterday the most interesting - two stories about JK Rowling, five stories about the Saints, a personal account of a trip to New Orleans, a press release about a law firm, a "are they ready for business yet"? story, a conspiracy to wipe out New Orleans story, and this from the USA Today about the crackdown on corruption.
I am not sure that I consider the spread on the Saints-Falcons game news. But since it came in an email as such I will count it. That's 9 fluff stories, 1 wacko, and 1 "real" news story.
Basically it's 10-1 in favor of not news. I wish there were more "real" news stories about the struggles, trials, and hardships that New Orleanians were really facing.

Ask Matt

He already knew all this.

Confidence, Motivation, Competence

This is what we thought we were getting from our Saints.

It is not. Drew Brees said that the team was "trying to find itself." This is not confidence.

The team seems beat down, beat up, and embarrassed. The defense could not find their asses if someone gave them a road map and allowed them to use both hands. Getting blown out of 3 of 4 games will deflate sails. Going down on the first drive, stalling, and missing field goals makes all your effort a waste of time. This is not motivating.

Devery Henderson drops passes. Olindo Mare misses field goals. Passes are intercepted. Handoffs are fumbled. Offensive blocks are missed. Defensive coverage is inadequate. This is not competence.

When will our team turn it around?

When they find themselves, make big plays, and hire people to do the job. Hope this happens sooner than later.

I miss Joe Horn. He had all three of these things.

Questions Answered

Anonymous (I know who) asked:

Just out of curiosity: Does it bother you when celebrities get involved with New
Orleans (as in, they don't really understand what's going on down there)? Or are
you just annoyed with the media and the ignorance of people....And how helpful
do you really think shows like K-Ville are in regards to opening up the eyes of
American people?

I reply:
The great people of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana need all the help they can get from whatever source. I think that Brad Pitt and Angelina, for example, are awesome because a) they live in New Orleans, and b) they are giving back to their community. They provide money, time, and bring attention to things that they see as obvious deficiencies.

I do not get annoyed with people because what happened in New Orleans is a complicated issue. I yell at the TV when people say that Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans. It wasn't Katrina. It was poorly built, poorly maintained levees and an outdated and outmoded canal system. But most people don't get that much detail. What they saw was a huge, imposing hurricane pressing down on New Orleans followed by scenes of flooding. When they put the pieces together, that is what they believe even though it is not exactly the truth.

I get mad when people tell me that New Orleans is below sea level. A simple web search would tell them that this is not true (about 50% of New Orleans is not below sea level). Once the storm surge breached the levees, the water poured in. While the levee broke in some places, in most it did not. Therefore, the water that poured in stayed in. There was no where for the water to drain or go down hill or escape in any way. It makes the city look like it's below sea level, but the reality is quite different.

I like K-ville because I can question it. But it brings attention to the city and it portrays the people who live in New Orleans currently fairly accurately. For most, day to day living is exhausting and depressing. Yet you still have to go to work, take care of the kids, and work on your flooded out house without money. How many other Americans could do so much with so little for so long? What the characters in K-ville do, however, is a little short of reality, but it's TV. So they get a pass. For now.

Garlic Fest

You know, I hate when people don't give you ample enough time to weigh options. Today in downtown Easton is the annual Garlic Festival. I apologize for not letting you, dear reader, know sooner. It runs for 10-5, I believe there will be a beer tent, a wine tasting, and tons of garlicky deliciousness. Apparently, an individual can enter some kind of contest to see how good his or her garlic dish is. I had no idea. But I do now, so I plan on making something for next year (I will give you a hint - it involves oysters).

Later today, hopefully, there will be pictures and a post on old job vs. new job.