Dear New Orleans,

How are you? How are things down there? I know you are devastated and feeling lost, but I want you to know that I think of you fondly and often. I feel sad for you. There is no way I can comprehend the pain and suffering you are going through, the despondency, the hopelessness and helplessness. I suffer here, too, in my own quiet way. But your silence is vast and incomprehensible. There are dark secrets behind your fun-loving veneer. Those of us who grew up nearby know some of your past, but it seems as though many of your secrets will be secrets forever - lost or forgotten or ruined.
I know you are doing your best to recover. They say that the healing takes a long time. But each day gets easier. Keep up your spirits, take the high road, think big. It's not easy, but I know you can do it. I have known you all my life. You are resilient and strong-willed, tough yet nurturing, focused but aloof.
We may not say it nearly enough - we love you. You are important to us. We want you to get well and be strong and prepare for the next time. If you can't do it for us, do it for yourself. Whatever you do, don't give up hope. There are lots of us who want you back stronger, better than before. And we know you can do it. We pray for your recuperation daily. Did you know that? Everyday we think of you and pray for your survival and well-being. You can and will beat back this setback.
Take this opportunity to fix the wrongs you did to those who loved you. Give them a chance to come back and welcome them with open arms. Forgiveness is powerful. Sure, you did somethings wrong. Who doesn't? But fixing those wrongs is a big deal and a big responsibility. I know it's tough, but try. Some people need to hear from you that you did wrong, but you are going to try and do better next time. Maybe they will forgive you and try to do better, too.
I hope that I wake up one day and this is all gone away. I know it won't be, but I do hope. And there are a lot of other dreamers out there, too, hoping for the same thing. We love you, we miss you, we want only the best for you, and we hope that things get better for you soon. You deserve it.

Thinking of you,
Stephen Mitchell

Slideshow

Interesting, but I am not sure I see all that is being mentioned in the commentary. I understand it, but I don't see it.

Locals make good

Just watching the basketball game between NJ and Miami on TNT. As they were interviewing Gary Payton, Cowboy Mouth was playing in background (Trouble Looks Good to Me). 8:45 PM. Does anyone out there know who chooses the songs? Whoever it is apparently has good tase.

Thanks, Mom.

My mom told me about this (although I had already read it). Looks like her house flooded around 10:30 AM. And now, only 9 months later, her house is almost back to normal.

Communications Breakdown

This intrigues me. Because I wonder if there is a lot of second guessing at this point. I mean, when the WTC was attacked, people broke down each second of the days and weeks and months leading up to the attack to see if there was anything that they could have done to prevent it. In this instance, something was done. It was done incorrectly and with possible ethical implications just like everything else in New Orleans (or so it seems to the outside world). My questions regarding this are multiple. a) Why did it take until 2004 to think about disaster communications? b) How did the municipal government decide on "Exos Communications" in Denver to deliver the product? c) How did Holcomb decide to invest in said company? d) If all the other pieces had fallen together so nicely, why didn't anyone just ask Holcomb to either step down or sell his stock? e) What is "chief scientist" and can I become one? f) Would any of this truly have made a difference? g) If the "chief technology officer" (and can I be one?) can break into an Office Depot and make a "wi-fi cloud," do we really need $7 million and a communications company in Denver to do it for us? Or did he get directions from Microsoft?
So are we communicating yet?

Charity and Tulane - Link

Before he died in 1991, my dad was a doctor and professor at Tulane Medical School and he died at Tulane Hospital. He didn't practice medicine in a clinic, so I never remember him being on call during hurricanes. I just know that the way things used to be, we never left town during the threat of a hurricane. In any case, I used to work with him over the summer, my mom started working there again after my dad passed way, and I still feel like Tulane Medical Center is part of me in some way. I am reading this 22 part series from the Atlanta-Journal Constitution about what happened there and at Charity during Katrina. Well done, Ms. Hansen.

Red Tape Tangles

So, the SBA, where people have been directed after being refused for FEMA loans, has no idea what it means to cut red tape. Unbelievable. Did they not get the memo? Or watch the news? So, uh, yeah, Peter, we're going to need you to come in on Saturday. Except you are a civil servant so the rules don't apply to us or to you. Nice work, fellas. You really seem to have your finger on the pulse of the country.