IT'S HERE!

From NOLA.com:

Orange-colored oil from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has washed up on the western side of North Island, the northenmost sliver of the Chandeleur and Breton Island chain.

"On a small section of the northernmost island, we could see a pretty significant buildup of oil," said Times-Picayune photographer John McCusker, after an aerial tour of the spill this morning. "It's not inundated, but oil has definitely reached the island."

St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro confirmed there was oil on Freemason Island, which is about a mile west from the middle of the crescent of the Chandeleur chain. He also said there are reports of birds covered with oil.
....

"The heaviest oil has not reached the Chandeleurs and Breton Sound, though," he said. "It breaks up from a heavy glob to a sheen."

Earlier Thursday, a BP executive told Louisiana officials some oil had reached coastal islands last night.

The already fragile chain of barrier islands off the coast of Louisiana, the Chandeleur and Breton Islands, battered and broken by hurricanes, get another hit. Pardon me, while I mourn for this and, no doubt, for worse to come.

Counterlight had it first.

WE ARE ALL NEANDERTHALS...

...at least, those of us of European heritage.

From the Telegraph:

Experts are now convinced that early modern humans and Neanderthals interbred between 50,000 and 100,000 years ago.

As a result, between one and four per cent of our DNA comes from the prehistoric creature, according to the research.

Human-Neanderthal relations occurred as the first pioneering bands of homo sapiens ventured out of Africa, scientists believe.

When they reached the Middle East they ran into groups of Neanderthals who preceded them and it is now thought that they mated.

The discovery emerged from the first attempt to map the complete Neanderthal genetic code, or genome. It more or less settles a long-standing academic debate over interbreeding between separate branches of the human family tree.
....

Professor Svante Paabo, director of evolutionary genetics at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany, who led the international project, said that humans in Europe all have "caveman biology".

African humans did not come into contact with Neanderthals but may have bred with other unknown human sub species, he said.

Oh dear! What will the creationists say about this? I suppose the findings won't matter, because the world is only 6000 0r 7000 years old, and the scientific results cannot possibly be true. Oh, but they will mock those of us who do not share their opinions all the more!

And when we tell a person, "You're acting like a Neanderthal," the accusation will have no bite.

Thanks to Lapin for the link.

FROM THE LECTIONARY TODAY

When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

(Leviticus 19:33-34)


Am I picking and choosing Bible verses to make a point? I didn't pick and choose. The link to the passage from Leviticus was right there in the Lectionary.

YOU KNEW THIS WAS COMING, GOV. JINDAL...

 

...or you should have. You can't decry federal spending at every turn and then beg at the federal trough without suffering, at least, a few verbal raps on the knuckles.

From TPM:

In Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) has been a vocal critic of federal spending under President Obama, but as the state closest to the undersea leak, he already has requested various forms of federal disaster assistance. He's also anticipating the possibility that British Petroleum either won't, or won't have to under the law, foot the the full cost of all the damages associated with the spill.

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) took a swipe at Jindal when I asked during a brief interview this week if Congress was considering any funding to add to what BP will do. "Well you know, here we go. You know, the governor of Louisiana says the federal government should stay out of the state's business," Menendez told me Tuesday night. Jindal's office said they would respond but haven't yet gotten back to me. We'll update if they do.

The help that you ask for in Louisiana is going to run up the federal budget, you know, Gov. Jindal. Ah, but that's all right, because it's you who requests the money. And if help comes, you will take credit. And then you will campaign on cutting federal spending.

The who-will-pay-for-what game is already in progress. BP has said only that it will pay the costs of the clean-up.

Menendez is pushing Congress to raise the liability cap because he sees astronomical costs to communities, fisheries, processors and the tourism industry including hotels and restaurants. He said it's the "whole ripple effect of the economy when we have a disaster like this" that he's worried about, adding, "I'm not quite sure why the administration continues to take the view that BP is responsible for everything. They are certainly responsible for everything related to the cleanup. ... I'm not sure that liability is as extensive as they believe."

We shall see.

LANDRIEU NAMES NEW ORLEANS POLICE CHIEF

From NOLA.com:

Ronal Serpas, who served as second-in-command to New Orleans Police Chief Richard Pennington and now runs the Nashville Police Department, has been selected to take the reins of the city's troubled police department, Mayor Mitch Landrieu said today.
"As mayor... my top priority is to transform the culture of death on the streets of New Orleans into a celebration of life," Landrieu said at an 11 a.m. news conference at Gallier Hall. "The first step, the one step that needs to be taken is to find an individual who will help lead the New Orleans Police Department. The second step is to work with the Department of Justice to reform the police department."

The appointment of a new police chief is one of Landrieu's most important decisions. I hope Ronal Serpas can do the job, because NOPD needs cleaning up and especially because the murder numbers must be reduced, if New Orleans is to have a decent future.

Serpas will be working closely with the U. S. Dept. of Justice, because Landrieu has asked the feds to evaluate NOPD, and several federal investigations of the police department are currently in progress.

COLBERT'S ALPHA DOG OF THE WEEK

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Alpha Dog of the Week - George Rekers
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News

Since mine is a family-oriented blog, I hesitated to post Stephen Colbert's segment from last night on the Rev. George Rekers and the boy he rented to carry his luggage. However, Stephen's was at the top of of my list for the best commentary on the affair. (No pun intended, but I must add that avoiding puns on the subject is like walking through a minefield.)

Enjoy if you have not seen the video already.

The Louisiana Family Forum carries great political weight here in Louisiana. According to their website:

Louisiana Family Forum maintains a close working relationship with Focus on the Family and Family Research Council.

According to the website of the Family Research Council, the organization's motto is:

"DEFENDING FAITH, FAMILY AND FREEDOM"

UNDERSTANDING WOMEN

 

"AND THUS, DEAR STUDENTS, WE HAVE ARRIVED AT THE FORMULA FOR UNDERSTANDING WOMEN".

Don't blame me. Blame my BIL.

WHY HUSBANDS MAKE POOR SECRETARIES

Husband's note on refrigerator for wife:

Someone from the Guyna Colleges called.
They said the Pabst beer is normal.
I didn't know you liked beer.
Better pick up some extra.

Cheers,

Paul (A.)

You know whom to blame.

STORY OF THE DAY - TODAY'S MENTAL CHECKLIST

1. Things I know for sure - quite a few
2. Things I don't know for sure - quite a few more
3. Things I'll discover I don't know as I go along (only a rough estimate) - about as much as things I currently don't know
4. Things I tell my children that I don't believe myself - lots, but now they're older I tell them I'm making it up & they can believe it at their own risk
5. things that make sense if you stop to think about it
a. in daylight - lot unless there's media or government involved
b. late at night - almost nothing, so it's better to just go back to sleep
6. Things I believe that people a thousand years ago believed, too - quite a few but I lived in L.A. when I was younger, so I have a good excuse

From StoryPeople.

THE DILLENKOFFER ENDOWMENT

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

The picture on the upper right is my sister, Gayle. Today, May 5, is her birthday. Four years ago, it was also the date of her memorial service. A friend of Gayle's established the Dillenkoffer Endowment in her honor. I usually write about the Endowment, but this year, I let the Endowment speak for itself. Gayle is, I'm sure, quite proud that she is honored through this scholarship program for GLBT young people. The first year that the scholarship was given, I had the pleasure of meeting the four outstanding winners and hearing their stories.

If you'd like to make an online donation, click here. Don't let the big numbers frighten you. Donations in lesser amounts are gratefully accepted. :-)

Checks may be sent to the address below.

The Dillenkoffer Endowment
10109 North Lane Drive
Kansas City MO 74157