8437 South Claiborne Ave. - House for Sale

8437 South Claiborne, New Orleans Louisiana, 70118
Offered at $250,000
Raised basement on large 50x130 corner lot.
Upstairs offers wood floors, spacious rooms, lots of natural light, working fireplace, lovely sunroom, front and rear porches.
The downstairs space (which is being used as a separate apartment) has central A/H, concrete floors, a large den, a private sideyard and porch.
Additional 863 SF of basement storage, laundry and garage.
Lots of room to live and grow!

Take a look at the details and the photos!
http://www.wirthmoorerealty.com/real-estate-commercial-residential/our-listings/8437-s-claiborne-ave-at-joliet-st

2421-23 Joliet - House For Sale

Great Location. Great House.
Great photos.... See link!

http://www.wirthmoorerealty.com/real-estate-commercial-residential/our-listings/2421-23-joliet-st-northwest-carrollton-double

Marilyn G. Barbera

BARBERA 
Marilyn G. Barbera

On Wednesday, July 11, 2012 with friends and family at her bedside, Marilyn quietly slipped away. Her strong Catholic faith in God has sustained her in her long battle with Cancer. Marilyn was preceded in death by her Mother, Mary Bertucci Barbera; her Father, Samuel Joseph Barbera; and her brother, Salvador Joseph Barbera. She is survived by her nieces: Marjorie Jean Barbera Duhon, Janet Barbera Kemp, and Sister-in-law, Marjorie Wolfe Barbera.

Marilyn received a Bachelor of Science from Loyola University and a Master's in Business. She retired from Charity Hospital where she was the Supervisor of their Pulmonary Lab. Family and Friends are invited to attend

The Memorial Mass of Christian Burial on Tuesday, July 17, 2012 at 12:00 noon. Visitation will begin at 10:00 AM at Mater Dolo-rosa Catholic Church, 1228 S. Carrollton Ave, NOLA 70118. Interment will follow at Lake Lawn Cemetery Mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society 3636 S. I-10 Service Road, Metairie, La 70001 (504)837-0945.

http://obits.nola.com/obituaries/nola/obituary.aspx?pid=158528575

Marilyn was great support in NorthWest Carrollton's battle for the quality development of the corner of Claiborne and Carrollton.  When people beam about how "nice" this is now, Marilyn is one of the folks deserving thanks.

2825 Cambronne

JP Morgan Aquisition Corp to Andrew Vanacore $137,000

SELA Meeting with S&W Team - Claiborne Project

Carrollton Area Network

has invited Mrs. Marcia St. Martin and her S&WB of New Orleans Team

to present to the community their SELA and other capital projects to the Carrollton Community.

This Community Meeting is on Monday July 16, 2012 at 6:30PM

in the Sanctuary of Central St. Matthews United Church of Christ,

1333 South Carrollton (corner of Willow and South Carrollton).

The Community Meeting is an event for all residents in the Carrollton Area and residents of South Claiborne Avenue.  This is an informational and discussion event.

AAA Fun in New Orleans

For the 3rd year in a row AAA members voted
New Orleans the  Best Large City for Weekend Getaway
Why?
Resturants, Music, Festivals, ....and Attractions
like WWII Museum which was voted Best Attraction

Best Large Hotel Hotel Monteleone
It has a great spa too - Spa Aria.

Best Bed & Breakfast Grand Victorian on St. Charles Avenue

Those of us who live here can have "weekend" getaway fun any day of the week!

8534 Apricot Street

Succession of Mary Ann Dayteen to Monica L. Smith
$74,000

Crime heat wave???

Uptown Messanger is on it. 

Woman shot at McDonald's on Carrollton

CarJarking and gun play off of Oak Street

And all this week.

Stay alert.  Watch out for yourself and your neighbors!

As requested, the cops are patrolling in the hood.
I've seen a car twice this week.

“Help Us Stomp Out Crime”

 WHEN: Wednesday, June 27, 2012

TIME: 6:00PM

WHERE: S. Galvez and Cadiz

“Help Us Stomp Out Crime”
With the 610 Stompers!!!

Commander Paul Noel

Second District

New Orleans Police Department

504-658-5743

pmnoel@nola.gov

Commander Paul Noel

Second District

New Orleans Police Department

504-658-5743

pmnoel@nola.gov

Parking Enforcement and the bigger picture

Sent to The Mayor and his representatives and City Council on

June 22

Sec. 106-215
No person may
Park cars or other vehicles on the sidewalk,
including the strip between the property line and the street curbing, (emphasis mine!)
without written permission of the parkway and park commission;

There is a law. At least we've cleared that up.
We do have a division of city government (which is not NOPD) that can and has quite effectively enforced parking regulations
(Jazzfest, Crescent City Classic to name a few).
The question still unanswered and on the table is what will it take to have this same arm of city government
respond to citizen complaints and enforce the law and minimally ticket the offenders?
Just this small act of ticketing the vehicle begins the education of the populace. Word of mouth works wonders.
Oh and, dare I remind all, can be a revenue generator.

Lest anyone think that we are simply being petty and have lost our ability to live and let live in this laissez faire city,
THIS IS ABOUT MORE THAN JUST PARKING CARS and "gentrification".
Have you watched the old lady in the walker or the guy with the cane, or the parent with the child in the stroller

have to make their way from the sidewalk to the street because of a parked car?
We "sell" (yes Mitch SELL) New Orleans as being a city of neighborhoods..... WALKABLE neighborhoods,
except you have to walk in the street.
For all new construction of corners for sidewalks the city is required by law to build wheelchair ramps
(why with huge tripping hazard bumps that I can barely manage, heaven help the lady with the walker or the guy with the cane, or the parent with a stroller)
and then these ramps are used like driveways so that people can park their vehicles on the sidewalk.

But there is still more.
Parking on the sidewalk and rolling over those horrible rollover curbs BREAKS the infrastructure,

the very precious, expensive to repair and replace infrastructure.

And I am NOT just talking about the curbs and the sidewalks.

I can and have sent pictures showing how illegal parking (as defined by law noted at the start of this note)

has resulted in broken Sewerage and Water Board infrastructure (the 8300 Block of Apricot has been for almost a year and continues to be a lovely example).

This broken infrastructure takes our tax dollars and increased S&W costs to repair.

And we all know about the state of the budgets of the city and S&W.

But there is still MORE.

Parking on the front lawn or the green space between the sidewalk and the street often results in this "green space" becoming paved space.

Did anyone listen when we had the Dutch Dialogues? Anyone? I know I did.

We are paving paradise. We are paving the very ground that can soak up the rain water, easing flooding risks and

provide places to plant trees that can help with the heat island affect and soak up the C02 that will only make the sea level rise higher and faster.

All these things are connected.

And there is a law on the books that allows an arm of the city to ticket and tow if necessary.

Why can't the city see that all these things are connected? Why can't the city enforce the laws, generate revenue in the process,

prevent damage to expensive to replace infrastructure, support COMPLETE STREETS which provide for walkable neighborhoods, help prevent flooding

and ..... well I think you get the picture.

It isn't going to solve world hunger of give us world peace.... but it is a SMART! long term approach to a solvable problem and that's a start.

Please consider allowing the same "city forces" that enforce parking regulation during special events to respond to citizen complaints regarding

repeat and blantant parking violations.

Yes this note is dripping in sarcasm. But like many who rallied to ensure that New Orleans rebounded from the PostKatrina levee failures

I have made calls to the Quality of Life Officer, asked for parking enforcement from Public Works, taken pictures of repeatedly reported S&W damage,

called Safety & Permits when illegal paving of entire front yards was taking place and put flyers on cars with the parking laws as communicated

to us by the NOPD...... and I'm not seeing things getting any better.

This solvable problem deserves more serious attention than the city as given it to this point.

Jenel Hazlett

8306 Pritchard Place

New Orleans, LA 70118

Recycle your Window Unit - Rebate

Recent Break Ins

There have been recent break-ins in our neighborhood.
They have been reported to NOPD and we have asked for additional patrols.

BE SMART. 
Lock you doors & windows.
If you have a fence or gate, lock these 2.

Don't leave stuff in your vehicles that might tempt thieves.

Pay attention to your surroundings.

Watch out for your neighbors. Talk to each other. Stay alert.

Afternoon Visitor

8300 block of Pritchard Place

Community Conversations on Coastal Restoration

Community Conversations on Coastal Restoration, this Tuesday June 19th at 6PM.

Join us for some conversation, some crawfish pies, and some short films! This will be a laid back, fun and informative event.

Short Film and Conversation Topics include:

• The impact of the BP oil spill on Black and Vietnamese fisherman.

• Coastal Restoration Jobs

• The Federal Restore Act

• 2012 Coastal Master Plan + Louisiana First Hiring Act

Date: Tuesday June 19th, 2012

Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm

Free food will be provided.

LOCATION: New Orleans Healing Center @ 2372 St. Claude Ave.

Save the Times Picayune.... Sign the Petition

Click  here to sign the petition to Save the Times Picayune.

A great city deserves a great newpaper
and we've had one of the best for too long to lose it now.

Add your name to list of those who want Newhouse to know that
New Orleans isn't like other cities
and that a newspaper with loyal readership deserves 7 day a week delivery.

This isn't a choice of newpaper or online.
It's a choice between quality news and drivel.

Pope John Paul II Exhibit @ Notre Dame Seminary on Carrollton Ave.

http://www.nola.com/religion/index.ssf/2012/05/archdiocese_asks_wendy_vitter.html

"The Archdiocese of New Orleans has asked Wendy Vitter to head the local planning and execution of a major exhibit on Pope John Paul II coming to New Orleans in February. The archdiocese said Vitter, a lawyer, will organize and oversee all local operations, from advance planning until the exhibit closes in May. Selecting and delivering the contents of the papal exhibit is the work of the National Exhibits Association, essentially a one-man enterprise headed by the Rev. Malcolm Neyland, a Lubbock Texas priest with personal relationships among Vatican art museum officials.

 

With an assistant, Lamar Edwards, Vitter will be responsible for planning renovations to Schulte Hall at Notre Dame Seminary, where the exhibit will be located. Vitter and Edwards will raise and organize hundreds of volunteers, organize parking and shuttle buses to accommodate visitors, and market the exhibit across the region.

The exhibit, consisting of dozens of personal items belonging to John Paul II, will open Feb. 4, the day after the Super Bowl.  The exhibit will include many of the late pope’s personal possessions, family pictures, and some religious items, including his famous crosier, which he carried through the city on his 1987 visit here.
It leaves New Orleans for to Seattle.
Vitter said in an interview Tuesday the exhibit might well attract more than 200,000 visitors.

Vitter said she has reached out to local City Council members and neighborhood leaders to sound out their concerns, if any, about the impact of the exhibit on the South Carrollton Avenue neighborhood around the seminary.
So far she has heard none, she said.

Vitter said timed tickets giving visitors appointments will likely go on sale on a still-to-be-developed web site in late summer or early fall.

Meeting on Land Use Planning

Neighborhood Participation Program (NPP) for Land Use Actions

The City Planning Commission invites you to attend the presentation of a draft report recommending creation of a Neighborhood Participation Program for Land Use Actions.

6pm – 8pm, Wednesday, June 13

First Grace United Methodist Church

3401 Canal Street

(at the intersection with Jeff Davis Pkwy.)

The NPP for Land Use Actions’ goal is the establishment of a system for organized and effective neighborhood participation in land-use decisions. “Land use actions” include the City Planning Commission’s range of responsibilities under the City Charter. The Commission prepares the City’s Master Plan, Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, and Subdivision Regulations, approves proposals for the disposition of public property, and recommends a five-year Capital Improvement Program.

For more information, call City Planning at 504-658-7033.

Kimono Pillows by Karen Gadbois

See article in New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles.

Pillows made from Kimonos by NorthWest Carrollton resident Karen Gadbois.

"Textile artist Karen Gadbois has been collecting less formal kimonos since her college days as a textile student at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She often purchased frayed kimonos once worn by housewives. One merchant she located sold bags of kimonos by the pound.



Many kimonos were decorated with flowers and nature scenes and told a clear narrative. These were worn mostly by Japanese women. Kimonos worn by men often featured bold geometric patterns with strong graphic designs.
 'Japanese are creative in their dyeing techniques,' says Gadbois. 'The Shibori technique is a sophisticated form of tie-dyeing that results in a beautiful pattern of little dots. The ikat technique forms different gradations of colors. These ancient forms of craftsmanship fascinate me.'

Gadbois loved the sturdiness of the fabrics. By unfolding the kimonos and using the pieces that were not frayed, she began making throw pillows, wall-hangings, curtains and scarves. Today she sells her kimono-inspired textiles at private shows three or four times a year."

The Great NorthWest Carrollton Swamp

This is the 8300 Block of Apricot Street. There has been a leak at this address for almost a year. It has been repeatedly reported to Sewerage and Water Board. It is across from the Head Start School at Incarnate Word. It is mosquito season. The repairs need to be made as soon as possible. This is what happens when folks are allowed to park illegally. They park and rollover the S&W Infrastructure which breaks down and leaks.

8415 S CLAIBORNE AV - Tire pile

Tire Pile on Claiborne needs to be eliminated.

8222 Apple

Please see photos taken on June 9, 2012 of the property on 8222 Apple Street.
The property is open to the elements and has never been remediated since Katrina.
The property is a danger to the neighborhood as it appears that there have been squatters using the building.
Fire is also a concern as this building is *very* close to the other immediately adjacent and occuiped homes.

8424-26 Apple ... Again...

Back in 2009, we tracked down the owner of this property and notified him that we were reporting it to the city.  The city reviewed the property and found the owner guilty of blight.

After boarding up the property the owner has allowed the building to sit and has done nothing to maintain it. Looking at the Assessor's website reveals that the City seems to have some ownership and responsibility for the property now. 
How said that after the neighborhood tracks down the owner and follows protocal in trying to address blight that city fails to follow through and the property is allowed to be stripped and open to the elements so that it is s now in worse shape than it was in 2009.  Notification has been sent to the city regarding the state of the property.

Below are photos taken on June 9, 2012

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

CITY OF NEW ORLEANS - DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS MATERIALS COLLECTION DAY

RESCHEDULED FROM MAY 12, 2012 - DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER

NEW DATE - SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 2012

FROM 8:00 A.M. UNTIL 1:00 P.M.

2829 ELYSIAN FIELDS AVENUE

FOR ORLEANS PARISH RESIDENTS ONLY

PROOF OF RESIDENCY REQUIRED: VALID DRIVER’S LICENSE OR BRAKE TAG

ITEMS ACCEPTED ON JUNE 9^TH ONLY

*BATTERIES (household/auto)	*TELEVISIONS	*AEROSOLS
*INCANDESCENT BULBS	*PAINT (Latex and oil based)	*HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS
*FLUORESCENT BULBS	*PAINT THINNER, VARNISH	*DRAINO, BLEACH
*PESTICIDES	*GROUT	*FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS
*GARDEN CHEMICALS	*OIL, GASOLINE	*MERCURY DEVICES
*MURIATIC ACID	*ANTIFREEZE	* POOL SHOCK

ITEMS ALSO ACCEPTED ON JUNE 9th AND AT ALL MONTHLY (SECOND SATURDAY) DROP OFF DAYS

Paper (newspaper/magazines/office paper/junk mail/phone books)	*Ink Jet cartridges, toner cartridges	*Digital cameras, DVRs, digital picture frames
Metals (aluminum/steel/tin)	*Laptops	*Stereos and Speakers
Plastics (#1 through #3)	*Printers and Fax machines	*Telephones, cords, systems
*Cell Phones/Beepers/Pagers	*Uninterruptible Power Supplies	*Security Systems
*Computers, processors, monitors	*Circuit Boards	*GPS devices
*Xboxes, Playstations, Wii	*MP3 players	*DVD Movies & Video games

Not accepting: explosives, radioactive materials, medical waste, asbestos, glass, hazardous waste from businesses or schools

*These items should never be placed in garbage or curbside recycling carts or bins

Sponsored by: Keep New Orleans Beautiful, CACRC, The Green Project, FCC Environmental, Sewerage and Water Board, Materials Management Group, The Young Leadership Council, Urban League Young Professionals, Coca Cola, Office of Neighborhood Engagement, Office of Coastal and Environmental Affairs, DPM, DPW, NOPD, NOFD, NOEMS, OPSO.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO BECOME A SPONSOR: Email - Sanitation@nola.gov or call (504) 658-3800

Recycle your Window Unit - Rebate

New Orleans 9 MOST Endangered Sites

See Link

Mosquito Season - do what you can....

To assist in controlling the mosquito population and take precautions against coming in contact with infected mosquitos by doing the following:

• Empty all containers of standing water; this includes small containers, old tires, etc.
• Wear lightweight clothing that covers arms and legs.

Every week the city will pick up 2 Tires along with your other garbage as long as these tires are placed *next* to your very large city provided garbage can.

So if you see a tire and have the where with all to pick it up, please take it home and put it out for the city to haul away.  You are paying for it!

New Orleans - top shopping city - Travel & Leisure

See link for source
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2153449/New-York-takes-dismal-FOURTH-place-list-best-U-S-cities-shopping-youll-guess-three.html

"The shopping category was divided into subcategories of luxury stores, independent boutiques, antiques markets, flea markets and interior design stores and the results subsequently combined for an overall score."

"Though New York took the number one spot in the luxury store sub-division followed by Chicago and Los Angeles, it failed to perform when it came to the other types of retail locale."

This comment on the article captures what makes the New Orleans experience special:

New Orleans has had a real burst of entrepreneurship spirit and corporate development since Katrina. I just moved back after 8 years out of the area, and it is astonishing. The music scene bleeds into the art scene, and that bleeds into a great fashion and crafstman industry. If you've never been to New Orleans, you need to see what people are talking about. The food is delish, yes, but the shopping really is killer. There is upscale, for those who have the need for that kind of status symbol. Quite frankly, I'd rather have an original bag designed by a local artist or a stunning piece of jewelry crafted by a jewelry-smith who has original ideas with whimsical themes and doesn't take themselves too seriously. I guess that's the issue with the New Yorkers who are flabbergasted by this survey, they take themselves too damn seriously. Cheers, y'all!

- Lauren, NOLA, USA, 02/6/2012 20:27

Thank you Lauren!

Rock 'n Bowl Tailgate party to support daily newspaper

Rock 'n Bowl tailgate to support daily newspaper. (Click to read more)

Supporters of The Times-Picayune and its employees will gather in the parking lot at Rock 'n' Bowl in Mid-City Monday, June 4 at 4 p.m. "to send a message," according to organizer Anne Rolfes. "It is a gathering to deliver the news to [parent company] Newhouse that we want our paper every day."

The event, which Rolfes says will be a tailgate with live music, is to be held the day that T-P employees will begin to find out whether they will lose or keep their jobs.

The announcement of the rally said a coordinated cancellation plan — of both newspaper subscriptions and advertising — will be discussed as a possible way to get the attention of Advance Publications."

Trees and neighborhood quality

Through our work with Hike for KaTREEna, NorthWest Carrollton encourages planting TREES.

Trees reduce crime
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2012/05/can-trees-actually-deter-crime/2107/
http://www.care2.com/causes/can-planting-more-trees-reduce-urban-crime-rates.html

Trees improve energy efficiency and fight the "heat sink effect" of urban areas
http://forestry.usu.edu/htm/city-and-town/tree-selection/planting-trees-for-energy-conservation-the-right-tree-in-the-right-place


They slow traffic
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/8368917/Trees-could-be-alternative-to-speed-cameras.html
The narrower the street, the slower the traffic.  Trees the effect of making the street feel narrow even when the surface area stays the same.
Parking your car properly ON the street instead of over the curb or sidewalk also SLOWS traffic down.

Trees improve air quality
http://news.discovery.com/earth/trees-pollutants-voc.html

Trees improve the quality of life in a neighborhood.
The same neighborhood without trees will be deemed (by humans walking or riding on the streets) as not as nice as one with trees.
http://www.upworthy.com/the-gap-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-is-so-large-you-can-literally-see-it-from-?g=2
http://billmoyers.com/2012/06/10/how-to-spot-income-inequality-from-space-count-the-trees/

And then there were 2 ????

We've been waiting for the 1 Landis trailer to be moved from the lot. 
And now there are 2.    An email to Landis has been sent asking when the trailers will be moved. Landis must have a place to store its construction site equipment.  Fig Street is not where this belongs.


Could this related enterprise be an option?
Landis 241 Industrial Ave.  Jefferson, LA                                  

Times Picayune and Voting with Dollars

Dear owners of the Times Picayune and The Lens.

It seems The Times Picayune thinks of me more as a product to be sold than as a consumer of information, that they are more interested in selling advertising than they are in providing news content.  In this business model reporters are simply overhead and the news I think I am buying is merely the delivery method for the advertising.

This is why print media are "failing".

I support NPR because I want the highest quality journalism I can find.  The decision the Times Picayune has made caused me to realize that I have the same option for Local News.  I want to support journalists who provide the product I really want and not simply a delivery method for advertising owned by people who are far, far from New Orleans.  So unless and until the TP changes their decision, I'm voting with my dollars.  The Lens will now get the same financial support from me that I formerly gave the Times Picayune. Oh and no more gift subscriptions for others either, so the TP isn't just loosing one delivery address. 

I still think that the Times Picayune is a great loss to New Orleans.  We have too many people who don't have the capacity to "consume" online news.   I still think that a tangible newspaper that can be waved about and pointed to and read without the need for electricity is valuable.   I also think that award winning journalism on disappearance of our coastline or recent reporting on the inner workings of our prison system is important to put in front of New Orleanians.  I want to continue to know what Jarvis DeBerry thinks.  I want to see who James Gill is poking with his rapier wit.  I want to see where Stephanie Bruno has walked this week.  I want to be aware of the offerings and the rhythms of the city, good and bad.  I want to be comforted in knowing that Bob Marshall and Mark Schleifstein are doing their best to keep us aware of the desperate state of our coastline.  I want to sample the opinions of others without having to wade through all the hateful trash that shows up in the comments on Nola.com.

But to the owners of the Times Picayune I am just a consumer of advertising. They don't value me as anything more than something to be offered to their real customers. And they don't value the journalists who provide the wrapper for this advertising and this is why they will eventually fail, in print and online.

2416 Dante corner S. Claiborne owned by DMK ACQUISTIONS & PROPERTIES

The photos above were taken in December 2011. It is worse today.
The property has been like this for a long time.

Pictures speak for themselves. 
The property while gutted and partially renovated, is not being properly maintained.


Property Owner:
DMK ACQUISTIONS & PROPERTIES
2354 LARK ST (The home address of KENNETH J CHARITY)
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70122

While demolition may be the preferable option in some parts of the city it is not in NorthWest Carrollton.

Simple Pleasure and the Times Picayune

All week I work either in front of a computer screen or in collaboration with people who either want something from me and my team or who need to be told and cajoled to follow required corporate practices.

I know technology. My house has Wi-Fi and broadband. We have cable and Roku. We have smartphones and Facebook accounts and then there is Flickr and blogging. We're solidly in the technical age.

But we LIVE in New Orleans, in a city that has always been so far behind it's ahead. We, New Orleanians, relish the simple pleasures: A good cup of coffee or a Sazerac on our patios and porches. The sounds of the calliope or the whistles of trains. We compare the song cycle offerings of our neighborhood mockingbirds. (Ours does Blue Jays, Cardinals, Thrushes, 1 house alarm and 3 different car alarms and the beep-beep associated with locking and unlocking cars and every once in a while lets loose with a unique only in NorthWest Carrollton repartee. But I digress.) We talk about what's growing in our gardens and share plants and seeds and the bounty. We wander to the Art Market and Hollygrove Market & Farm for local offerings of Art and Food. We have a bowling alley that offers live music for crying out loud.

I know how to get to news using technology. But as a New Orleanian I don't want that to be the primary way I get my daily news. At the end of a work day I want to settle into the my patio or couch with a Sazerac or a glass of ice tea and flip the tangible, not virtual, pages of my daily city newspaper. I want to take a look at the silly horoscope and see how many stars the day I just lived had and reconcile that with what actually happened. If it's Friday I want to see what the Lagniappe says is happening in town so I can plan just how ambitious I'll be in taking part in the many festivities or where I can go to avoid them. Or on a weekend I want to spread the paper on the dining room table and wander from the kitchen with a cup of coffee and imbibe slowly but steadily though all the sections. I may do left over dishes in between a section or start a load of laundry or decide to water plants on the patio. But what is lovely and unique about this newsprint newspaper experience is that I while I can take my time and wander from thing to thing, I know when I'm done with all the sections so I feel sated and complete.

With a 75% penetration rate (am I the only one who thinks that's a awful way to talk about the people who pay for the privilege to read the paper?) I'm obviously not alone.

This forced move to digital is not the reason why the TP has so many (compared to other markets) faithful subscribers. What we are paying for is the simple pleasure of unplugging to get our news, to take it slow, to be contemplative, to see a well written story by someone who lives in and knows our city that we might not see or even want to experience if we were to limit ourselves to what we know and like online.

This forced move is all about profits for out of town owners who are greedy and out of touch with the people they serve and on whom their longer term success is dependent. New Orleans knows something about how to be unique and successful. It seems this is something that the Newhouse folks seem to be completely unable to grasp. So instead they are leaping over the digital cliff, leaving behind the town and the advertisers that are willing ready and able to continue to pay the bill for the simple pleasure of reading news in newsprint form.

Rant by Rightandwrong May 26, 2012 at 4:31AM

Day 3 of the war against Newhouse to Save the Picayune.

 

Please read the comment below originally posted on Nola.com.  It is deserving of it's own "page".

Rightandwrong May 26, 2012 at 4:31AM
Dear NOLA Media Group/nola.com/Times-Picayune:

... From a native New Orleanian, life long hard copy paper subscriber, and avid online reader:

1) For a digitally focused company, you have botched your first new product, the new nola.com web site/home page/portal beyond belief. Stop offering your critics navigation advice, your problems are much deeper than that. No one in the area likes it, it is dead on arrival. The old web site, even with its problems, was a thousand times better than this new offering.

2) Your new President/Publisher is finished. He just doesn't know it yet. a) He got scooped by two other products, both DIGITAL. One out of town (the New York Times!?!), and the other local (Gambit!?!). So much for timeliness. b) He botched the announcement. Really, you guys couldn't have done a better job than that? c) He completely mishandled the employees, and some management, and it was widely reported. New Orleans does not easily forget things like this. d) He ticked off Anne Milling. Yes, she is only one person, but a very smart person who also has a darn good feel for the city. For the moment, she is more upset with you than with FEMA or the Corps of Engineers. Think about that.

3) Yes, you guys are more reviled, at least for the moment, than either the Corps of Engineers or FEMA, and not just by locals. Have you paid attention to the reaction across the nation? Your corporate owners are fast becoming pariahs in the industry. Try putting that on your resume.

4) You have humiliated us. The largest city in the country without a daily newspaper? People begging the Baton Rouge Advocate (the Advocate!?!) to enter your market, our City, to give us the news? New Orleanians begging Tom Benson (!!!) to buy the paper? How outrageously ironic!

5) You have, or shortly will have, divided us into the digitally capable, and those who are not. More than just the haves, and have nots, you have seriously upset our senior citizens. You probably don't care, but often a community or society is judged by how it treats its older members. Try explaining to them what it is that you are about to do.

6) You should be ashamed. For all of the above.

Save the Times Picayune

I'm sure that you've heard the news on the Times Picayune.

If the out of state owners have their way, this blog and many others will be the way that we muddle through getting information
.... and
if you don't have high speed internet?
.... then eventually it'll be back to word on the street or TV news for you.
What the greedy out of town owners don't understand is that what they are doing will make them less revalent in the long term not more.

See the recent article from THE LENS which shows that this neighborhood's Broadband coverage over time changes; ranging over the course of Dec 2008 to Dec 2010 betwen 20% to 60% coverage and hovering around 40%.

Newsprint still matters. 

Quoting other web (Facebook Save the Times Picayune) outrage over loss of the Newspaper:
"Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Monroe and even Hammond all support daily newspapers, but New Orleans can not? NOLA can support an NFL team AND an NBA team — both profitable in very small markets — yet we can't support a daily?"

Well it seems we actually can. 
It is the #1 in the Nation in Daily Readership.

Sources say the Times Picayune is profitable. But it is other papers owned by NewHouse that are not and New Orleans is being sacrificed.

Feel free to Express your outrage.

An Open Letter to Steve Newhouse

Take a look at this OPEN LETTER to Steve Newhouse, out of town owner of the Times Picayune:

" Dear Mr. Newhouse

Getting rid of the daily Times-Picayune is like closing down Galatoire's, ending Jazz Fest, and moving out the Saints all rolled into one. I'm writing this not out of nostalgia for the past but out of urgency for the city's future. New Orleans needs a daily Times-Picayune. The city is still recovering and rebuilding from one of the worst disasters in recent American history. It was a disaster that your paper did a heroic job covering. Journalists risked their lives for the city they loved and justly received international recognition for their hard work. It was one the finest moments for your media empire. But you are about to turn that victory into a sad defeat. All of that hard work and recognition is going to be flushed away if the daily paper ceases operations.

While I agree that someday newspapers will be replaced almost entirely by new media, New Orleans is not the place where that bold experiment should be launched. Thousands and thousands of Times-Picayune readers do not have easy access to the Internet or the wherewithal to read the paper electronically. These are the people who your newspaper was designed to help -- and they have loyally read it each day until their own name appeared in the death notices. Your paper championed their cause. These are the people who may miss your daily newspaper the most.
Simply put: by ceasing operation of the daily paper, you are comforting the comfortable and afflicting the afflicted. Corrupt politicians should be celebrating on Bourbon Street tonight, knowing there will be whole days of the week where no newspaper will appear, probing their misdeeds. And don't claim that some web edition will adequately replace the daily paper; that's like telling a man who is getting his arm amputated that he'll still be able to clap. The web does not have the power and reach that a newspaper does. It can't be read over eggs and bacon, folded up and brought to the Fairgrounds or the Superdome. It can't be handed to someone else. And it costs less than a dollar.

New Orleans has so much news, culture, food, and music to write about that journalists in other cities drool at the opportunity that Times-Picayune reporters are given. It's a first-class city and deserves to be treated that way by your corporation. You own a public trust and you're about to close it it down on certain days of the week. I realize that times are tough but pulling the plug on the daily paper is like raising a white flag. Imagine if all the residents of the city gave up on New Orleans and moved away after Katrina? Don't pull up the ladder to the attic.

Lastly, you were the first person to give me a paying job in journalism. I worked at the Jersey Journal in Jersey City, N.J., as an intern in the summers of 1988 and 1989 while I was a college student. You hired me and gave me a start and a chance to make a difference. It hurts me deeply to see someone who I feel contributed so positively to my life make such a negative decision. Please reconsider this move that will be so bad for the Newhouse empire and the great city of New Orleans.

Yours truly,

Bob Hardt
Rockaway Beach, NY"

Express your outrage NOW!

What can you do to Save the Times Picayune?

Call Advance Publications at 718-981-1234

or

Steven Newhouse at Advance Internet at 415-344-0873.

Express your outrage NOW!

2636-38 Dublin

Succession of Mary Ann Dayteen Arnemann to Juanita Tatum
for $120,000

Move to New Orleans .... for the High School

Times Picayune New Orleans - Inside Out http://www.nola.com/homegarden/index.ssf/2012/05/family_falls_in_love_with_an_1.html

Family moves from New Mexico to New Orleans for the High School
"I was talking to one of our new friends in the Marigny and telling him how dissatisfied we were with the schools in New Mexico," Jeff Taylor said. "That's when he told us about Ben Franklin and said we should check it out. We talked it over, Zach applied, and that sealed the deal."

Ben Franklin is easy to get to from NorthWest Carrollton.

Ho Zone...What she said

Times Picayune Opinion by Betty DeCell
Soon I will have been a resident/property owner in the French Quarter for 50 years. The joys of living in this beautiful, historic district are quite wonderful. I would not choose to live any other place in the world.
However, over the years I have observed the tensions between commerce and historic preservation.
Crime, we all agree, we do not want. Otherwise, our interests rarely coincide. Commercial interests think in terms of present day profits. Residents/property owners think in terms of maintaining buildings and preserving a quality of life that will make our neighborhood attractive to residents and tourists for generations to come.
In my opinion individuals devoted to preservation have saved what we have today. Commercial interests have profited from our efforts.
What we need now is enlightened planning for the future. Bigger and bigger crowds every weekend will destroy the French Quarter. Rather than promoting more and more and more tourists, we should be thinking of how we can spread them around to more of our interesting neighborhoods. We should be trying to resolve the problems of traffic, parking, noise, littering. I am very troubled on crowded weekends to see bumper-to- bumper traffic headed in all directions when we might have need for a fire truck or an EM vehicle.
No to the proposed hospitality district being considered by the Legislature.
Betty DeCell
New Orleans

And thanks to Karen Cater Peterson for working with J.P Morrell and others to modify the bill and stand behind representational as opposed to nominated government.

If anyone can explain why New Orleans decisions need to be taken to and managed out of Baton Rouge.... we're listening. It seems this happens when there is a power play in motion.

What he said.....

Times Picayune Opinion by Bob Wisnewski:
While enduring a bumpy ride to church last weekend in a rather old cab, certainly not in the best of condition, I remarked to my wife that this cab was an example of those cabs that would have to be replaced later this year. When we got to our destination the driver turned to my wife and said, "I will have a new cab, but the streets will remain the same."

and the sidewalks
and the leaking Sewerage & Water Board Infrastructure
and the street lights.....

hmmmm.... Violent Crime & Statistics....

Click and see for yourself

Listed 1-10 below
Flint, MI
Detroit,MI
St. Louis, MO
Oakland, CA
Memphis, TN
Little Rock, AR
Birmingham, AL
Atlanta, GA
Baltimore, MD
Stockton, CA

List is based on "Violent Crimes" per 1000 people.


There is also a most Peaceful and Least Peaceful list of states.
Louisiana is number one on the list of "Least Peaceful" States.

As always remember it is important to understand the basis of the calculations.
No list perfectly represents human experience.

New Orleans Recovery

A view from an Oxford scholar... who lived in NorthWest Carrollton for a time....

http://expositionmagazine.com/?p=1387

8501 Apple

Up for Sheriff's Sale.

http://fsjna.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Upcoming-Sheriff-Sales.jpg

2634-36 Dante

Dicarlo Properties LLC sold
2634-36 Dante
to John G. Weilbaecher Jr.
for $90,500

2621-23 Joliet

First Choice Housing LLC sold
2621-23 Joliet
to James Andrew Neil Wine
for $145,000

Cash for Guns - Saturday - 4821 Earhart Blvd.

New Orleans police will pay people for unwanted handguns and rifles

at a gun buyback event Saturday. (May 12th)

The event will begin at 9 a.m. at Little Zion Baptist Church at 4821 Earhart Blvd.

 

Police will pay $75 cash for handguns and $200 cash for assault rifles

with no questions asked about the weapons.

The guns can be new or old. Damaged guns also will be accepted.

The event will end when the money runs out.
The guns should be unloaded and in a bag or container.
Police ask that ammunition be placed in separate containers.

More information is available at the City of New Orleans website.

Anyone with questions should call NOPD's crime prevention unit, 504.658.5590,
or email sylbrown@nola.gov.

Recent Break In

Word is out that neighbors on Cambronne had a break in through the back door...

Many of us have dogs so this may be helping keep us break in free but keep your eyes and ears open and your doors locked.