From the Times-Picayune:
To help people who have lost health insurance, a second-year Tulane University medical student has built an online guide to free and low-cost local clinics.
Richard Brucker created Nola Free Health Care, which is also available on paper at homeless shelters and community centers. The information includes clinic hours, the type of care available and the cost, if any.
What a great thing to do. Richard is an example of a good citizen who sees a need and jumps right in with a solution, instead of waiting for the local officials or some other agency to do the job. Since the homeless and those without health insurance often do not have computers, having the information available on paper handouts is an excellent idea.
The site includes information on pharmacies which sell a list of drugs at low cost and a mobile dental van which serves persons who are HIV positive.
Richard is a mensch.
Mensch - A person having admirable characteristics, such as fortitude and firmness of purpose: "He radiates the kind of fundamental decency that has a name in Yiddish; he's a mensch" James Atlas
From the Free Online Dictionary.
Do I hear an "Amen!"?
Monday, February 2, 2009
Don't Take Your 92 Year Old Dad To The Mall
I took my dad to the mall the other day to buy some new shoes (he is 92).
We decided to grab a bite at the food court. I noticed he was watching a teenager sitting next to him. The teenager had spiked hair in all different colors: green, red, orange, and blue. My dad kept staring at him. The teenager would look and find him staring every time.
When the teenager had had enough, he sarcastically asked, 'What's the matter old man, never done anything wild in your life?'
Knowing my Dad, I quickly swallowed my food so that I would not choke on his response, knowing he would have a good one, and in classic style he did not bat an eye in his response.
'Got drunk once and had sex with a peacock. I was just wondering if you were my son.'
Don't blame me, blame Susan S., who was sent this story by another person. Susan is not related to the character in the story, nor does she vouch for the truth of the story.
We decided to grab a bite at the food court. I noticed he was watching a teenager sitting next to him. The teenager had spiked hair in all different colors: green, red, orange, and blue. My dad kept staring at him. The teenager would look and find him staring every time.
When the teenager had had enough, he sarcastically asked, 'What's the matter old man, never done anything wild in your life?'
Knowing my Dad, I quickly swallowed my food so that I would not choke on his response, knowing he would have a good one, and in classic style he did not bat an eye in his response.
'Got drunk once and had sex with a peacock. I was just wondering if you were my son.'
Don't blame me, blame Susan S., who was sent this story by another person. Susan is not related to the character in the story, nor does she vouch for the truth of the story.
Doorman-Priest Made Me Do It
Could you put this appeal out on your blog please.
Could all British regulars of Wounded Bird please contact Doorman-Priest via his blog where his e-mail address is shown. He has a proposition to put to you.
Thanks
Jack
May I say that Jack has been the kindest and most helpful of virtual friends as I planned my trip. I'm greatly looking forward to meeting him and his family. They've taken me under their wings, and I'm not even there yet. I can't thank him and his lovely Rachel enough.
I'm also looking forward with much pleasure to meeting others in the English blogging community while I'm "over there".
Could all British regulars of Wounded Bird please contact Doorman-Priest via his blog where his e-mail address is shown. He has a proposition to put to you.
Thanks
Jack
May I say that Jack has been the kindest and most helpful of virtual friends as I planned my trip. I'm greatly looking forward to meeting him and his family. They've taken me under their wings, and I'm not even there yet. I can't thank him and his lovely Rachel enough.
I'm also looking forward with much pleasure to meeting others in the English blogging community while I'm "over there".
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Am I The Only One...
in the whole USA who is not watching the Superbowl? Check in if you are NOT watching the BIG GAME. Grandpère popped in periodically to give me a play-by-play of the pre-game festivities, and he cannot believe that I'm not watching. Millions of people in the country and around the world have eyes glued to their tee vees, so why not me? I can't think why he's surprised, because I don't remember ever watching. I missed the whole Janet Jackson affaire du teton, but I saw the rerun. If the New Orleans Saints ever make it to the Superbowl, I'll watch.
New Orleans, Katrina Was All Your Fault!
From the AP via USA Today:
Pope Benedict XVI's decision to promote a pastor who called Hurricane Katrina divine punishment for sin in New Orleans was criticized by Austrian priests and church groups on Sunday.
The Vatican announced Saturday that the Pope has tapped the Rev. Gerhard Maria Wagner, 54, to be auxiliary bishop in Linz, the capital of Upper Austria province. Wagner caused a stir in 2005 when he was quoted as saying that he was convinced that the death and destruction of Hurricane Katrina earlier that year was "divine retribution" for tolerance of homosexuals and laid-back sexual attitudes in New Orleans.
There you go, people in New Orleans, you brought Katrina and the federal flood on yourselves with your wicked ways. Nightclubs, brothels, and abortion clinics were destroyed. That proves beyond a doubt the truth of Fr.Wagner's statements, right? Too bad about all the good folks who died, lost their families, their homes, their livelihoods, and their businesses, but retribution is retribution, and sometimes the good must suffer with the bad.
Upper Austrian priest and church dean Franz Wild said he was "appalled" by the decision and that he found it astonishing that someone with such extreme positions could be appointed to a post that was meant to unify.
"I hope it's clear to the church that we're living in the 21st century and that it also has to live there," the newspaper quoted Wild as saying on its website.
....
"The conditions of immorality in this city are indescribable," Wagner was quoted as saying.
I wonder what kind of pure land Fr. Wagner inhabits. If he put his mind to it, I'll wager he could manage a description of the indescribale. People want to know.
I continue to attempt to give Pope Benedict XVI the benefit of the doubt in his policies, but it gets more and more difficult to discover a benign motive behind several of his recent decisions.
Pope Benedict XVI's decision to promote a pastor who called Hurricane Katrina divine punishment for sin in New Orleans was criticized by Austrian priests and church groups on Sunday.
The Vatican announced Saturday that the Pope has tapped the Rev. Gerhard Maria Wagner, 54, to be auxiliary bishop in Linz, the capital of Upper Austria province. Wagner caused a stir in 2005 when he was quoted as saying that he was convinced that the death and destruction of Hurricane Katrina earlier that year was "divine retribution" for tolerance of homosexuals and laid-back sexual attitudes in New Orleans.
There you go, people in New Orleans, you brought Katrina and the federal flood on yourselves with your wicked ways. Nightclubs, brothels, and abortion clinics were destroyed. That proves beyond a doubt the truth of Fr.Wagner's statements, right? Too bad about all the good folks who died, lost their families, their homes, their livelihoods, and their businesses, but retribution is retribution, and sometimes the good must suffer with the bad.
Upper Austrian priest and church dean Franz Wild said he was "appalled" by the decision and that he found it astonishing that someone with such extreme positions could be appointed to a post that was meant to unify.
"I hope it's clear to the church that we're living in the 21st century and that it also has to live there," the newspaper quoted Wild as saying on its website.
....
"The conditions of immorality in this city are indescribable," Wagner was quoted as saying.
I wonder what kind of pure land Fr. Wagner inhabits. If he put his mind to it, I'll wager he could manage a description of the indescribale. People want to know.
I continue to attempt to give Pope Benedict XVI the benefit of the doubt in his policies, but it gets more and more difficult to discover a benign motive behind several of his recent decisions.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Inauguration Pictures
Ann sent me a link to an amazing set of pictures of the inauguration of President Obama from the Boston Globe. President Obama. I love the sound and look of that. I'll type it again. President Obama.
The picture above is my favorite. Schadenfreude? I don't think so. It's a picture rich with significance on many levels.
The pictures show people from the US and from all around the world watching the inauguration.
The picture above is my favorite. Schadenfreude? I don't think so. It's a picture rich with significance on many levels.
The pictures show people from the US and from all around the world watching the inauguration.
We Will See More Of This
Please read the moving post by Elizabeth Kaeton on the unemployed Tom who went to the parish hall of her church, The Episcopal Church of St. Paul, seeking help. Elizabeth's blog is Telling Secrets.
Two members of our blog community, JCF and JimB, who are both currently without employment, left comments to the post. It's a heartbreaking read all around, and we are likely to hear more and more stories like this, and perhaps go through the experience ourselves or, vicariously, with close family members. And then, there is David, who was recently laid off. It will get worse before it gets better.
Two members of our blog community, JCF and JimB, who are both currently without employment, left comments to the post. It's a heartbreaking read all around, and we are likely to hear more and more stories like this, and perhaps go through the experience ourselves or, vicariously, with close family members. And then, there is David, who was recently laid off. It will get worse before it gets better.
They Made MR-GO; Now They'll Unmake It
From the Times-Picayune:
The closing will end 45 years of navigation on the 60-mile shipping channel that provided a shortcut from New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico. Although the corps contended that the channel, completed in the 1960s, had minimal impact on Hurricane Katrina's storm surge, MR-GO took the brunt of criticism for the massive flooding in St. Bernard Parish and part of New Orleans during the 2005 storm.
Environmentalists also have blamed it for killing off thousands of acres of cypress wetlands and marsh, vital to helping the area absorb the pounding of hurricanes.
....
The corps has been working with state and federal agencies to devise a supplement to the MR-GO closing plan to address restoration of areas affected by the shipping channel. The plan could include marsh creation, barrier island building, shoreline protection and freshwater diversions from the Mississippi River.
This is good news, one step in the right direction, but's only the beginning of a vast amount of work that needs to be done to restore the marshes and coastal areas of Louisiana. The people spoke out long and loud, and the Corps responded - finally.
The closing will end 45 years of navigation on the 60-mile shipping channel that provided a shortcut from New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico. Although the corps contended that the channel, completed in the 1960s, had minimal impact on Hurricane Katrina's storm surge, MR-GO took the brunt of criticism for the massive flooding in St. Bernard Parish and part of New Orleans during the 2005 storm.
Environmentalists also have blamed it for killing off thousands of acres of cypress wetlands and marsh, vital to helping the area absorb the pounding of hurricanes.
....
The corps has been working with state and federal agencies to devise a supplement to the MR-GO closing plan to address restoration of areas affected by the shipping channel. The plan could include marsh creation, barrier island building, shoreline protection and freshwater diversions from the Mississippi River.
This is good news, one step in the right direction, but's only the beginning of a vast amount of work that needs to be done to restore the marshes and coastal areas of Louisiana. The people spoke out long and loud, and the Corps responded - finally.
Meet Crapaud
I'd like to introduce y'all to a new Louisiana blogger, Crapaud. Now how Louisiana is that name? His recent post on the new "Man of Steele" chairman of the Republican Party, Lawn Jockey Alert, is wise and funny. He can say stuff He quotes The Field Negro, who says stuff that I can't say, because I'm the wrong color, and it would not be PC. The title of his new blog is Times a'Changin'. Check it out.
UPDATE: I figured Crapaud all wrong, but I corrected the post as well as I could, while still showing that I made a big faux pas. All I had to do to get it right was to read Crapaud's post with a little more care. Let me say that I was proud to have what I thought was my first known black fan. But, hey! I should know that I'm not that cool. Crapaud, that don't mean that I don't like you, too, because I do. I have an idea. In solidarity with our new president, how 'bout we say, "We are all black now!"?
And you should read The Field Negro, too. He's a force!
UPDATE: Crapaud has apologized beautifully for MY mistake in misreading his post. That's Louisiana gallantry at its best. In addition, he provides us with the response of our own Louisiana man, David Duke, to the election of Michael Steele as chairman of the Republican National Committee, true pearls of wisdom from our very own Klansman.
But, Crapaud, surely you're too harsh on yourself.
UPDATE: I figured Crapaud all wrong, but I corrected the post as well as I could, while still showing that I made a big faux pas. All I had to do to get it right was to read Crapaud's post with a little more care. Let me say that I was proud to have what I thought was my first known black fan. But, hey! I should know that I'm not that cool. Crapaud, that don't mean that I don't like you, too, because I do. I have an idea. In solidarity with our new president, how 'bout we say, "We are all black now!"?
And you should read The Field Negro, too. He's a force!
UPDATE: Crapaud has apologized beautifully for MY mistake in misreading his post. That's Louisiana gallantry at its best. In addition, he provides us with the response of our own Louisiana man, David Duke, to the election of Michael Steele as chairman of the Republican National Committee, true pearls of wisdom from our very own Klansman.
But, Crapaud, surely you're too harsh on yourself.
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