Seriously

While Ray Nagin is not saying much in New Orleans about anything, he did take the time to address the National Newspaper Publisher's Association. According to the Houston Chronicle:

WASHINGTON — New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin has suggested that the slow recovery of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina — which has prevented many black former residents from returning — is part of a plan to change the racial makeup and political leadership of his and other cities.

What happened in New Orleans could happen anywhere," Nagin said at a dinner sponsored by the National Newspaper Publishers Association, a trade group for newspapers that target black readers. "They are studying this model of natural disasters, dispersing the community and changing the electoral process."

Nagin's remarks Thursday recalled the controversy stirred up by his prediction in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day speech in 2006 that, despite the evacuation of thousands of black people after Katrina, New Orleans would once again become a "chocolate city." He later apologized for the comment, which had infuriated many whites and blacks.

I can see how people could perceive this, but I don't know if I can believe this to be true. That seems like a lot of collusion from a lot of sources. And I still think that everyone that wants to come back should be able to come back.

Aren't You Glad?

Last night while not watching the Academy Awards, drinking a few beers, and hoping for a snow day, I heard a familiar song in a commercial. It was Big Chief, way more up beat and less syncopated (if that makes any sense) than Professor Longhair's more popular version. And it was on an add for Sure Deodorant for women. Am I missing the correlation?

UPDATE: I changed this a little bit. I swear I thought it was for Secret. Either I was drunk, not paying attention, or didn't care what the product was. Oyster set me straight...

What to do?

Today, several students that go to my school approached me about doing some community service project in New Orleans or on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. All of them spent time in MS last summer. I love New Orleans, but I am worried. I think it would truly benefit this country, my school, and these students to go and help people in New Orleans get their lives together. However, I also feel that I cannot lead students into harms way which I feel like I may do if we plan a trip. How can I assure parents that their children will not be the victims of violent crime? How can I justify the danger of New Orleans over the relative safety of the MS Gulf Coast? It hurts me to say this, but my heart says go to New Orleans, but my head says we go to Mississippi. I hate that. What would you do?