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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 2 to 26 of 26. Go back in thread:
Posted by Sigismund on November 12, 2008, at 15:17:15
In reply to My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm., posted by fayeroe on November 12, 2008, at 10:10:18
The current President (like the current Vice-President) has other priorities.
Yesterdays paper had this, about how Obama might be feeling about meeting president Bush.
>Senator Obama might also have been ruing his frankness in his earlier memoir, 'The Audacity of Hope', in which he recounted his first meeting President Bush after being elected in 2006.
>"'Obama!' the President said, shaking my hand", wrote Senator Obama. "'Come here and meet Laura. Laura, you remember Obama. We saw him on TV during election night. Beautiful family. And that wife of yours - she's one impressive lady.'"
>Then he recounts, "The President turned to an aide nearby, who squirted a big dollop of hand sanitiser in the President's hand. 'Want some?' the President asked. 'Good stuff. Keeps you from getting colds.' Not wanting to seem unhygienic, I took a squirt."
Posted by healing928 on November 12, 2008, at 19:50:19
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm., posted by Sigismund on November 12, 2008, at 15:17:15
Your point is? I use hand sanitizer all day long.
Posted by Sigismund on November 12, 2008, at 20:46:59
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm., posted by healing928 on November 12, 2008, at 19:50:19
Let's just say I am pleased that the age of imperial narcissism is over.
Posted by fayeroe on November 13, 2008, at 11:01:16
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm., posted by healing928 on November 12, 2008, at 19:50:19
> Your point is? I use hand sanitizer all day long.
You didn't ask me but would you shake hands with any President-Elect and then use hand sanitizer asap? Or would you wait until the ceremony was over? Emily Post, Manners 101.>
>
Posted by Sigismund on November 13, 2008, at 14:13:25
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm. » healing928, posted by fayeroe on November 13, 2008, at 11:01:16
Could you imagine the Queen doing it?
Posted by Sigismund on November 13, 2008, at 14:14:59
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm. » fayeroe, posted by Sigismund on November 13, 2008, at 14:13:25
Actually, that just shows my ignorance. No one touches the Queen. But anyway.......
Posted by fayeroe on November 13, 2008, at 14:40:18
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm., posted by Sigismund on November 13, 2008, at 14:14:59
> Actually, that just shows my ignorance. No one touches the Queen. But anyway.......
Annie Liebovitz sure pissed her off during a photograph session. She asked her to remove her crown! It is my understanding (which could be wrong) that the queen said something to the equivalent of "screw this" and stomped out.
Posted by clipper40 on November 29, 2008, at 10:52:08
In reply to My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm., posted by fayeroe on November 12, 2008, at 10:10:18
LOVE THAT SONG!!! She came out with it a while ago when Bush was more popular than he is now. It was very brave of her. Only one TV show would allow her to debut it. Letterman I think but I'm not sure.
Posted by Sigismund on November 29, 2008, at 16:20:00
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm. » fayeroe, posted by clipper40 on November 29, 2008, at 10:52:08
Some months ago in (I think) the south of the US a whole batch of doctors and nurses set up field hospitals to do free emergency health care.
Thousands of people turned up to have all their teeth out, and like *anything*.
And a decent proportion of those interviewed reflected on the fact that this was happening in the richest country in the world.
Posted by fayeroe on November 29, 2008, at 17:26:10
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm., posted by Sigismund on November 29, 2008, at 16:20:00
And how said is Katrina now? People are still living in shacks...I read that there is $845M unclaimed. The citizens of NO didn't even know about it~
Posted by Sigismund on November 29, 2008, at 18:05:50
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm., posted by fayeroe on November 29, 2008, at 17:26:10
Is it true that Brad Pitt has paid for the new houses in NO?
Posted by Dinah on November 29, 2008, at 18:53:03
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm., posted by fayeroe on November 29, 2008, at 17:26:10
Shacks?
Do you have photos? Or locations?
I haven't seen anything on the local news...
Posted by Dinah on November 29, 2008, at 19:02:22
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm., posted by Sigismund on November 29, 2008, at 18:05:50
Not all of them certainly. :)
He is active in a charity that funds home rebuilding here. He and his wife also keep a home here, I think.
I think all the local parishes save St. Bernard have now put in regulations requiring the removal of FEMA trailers, though there my be individual exceptions granted perhaps. St Bernard is going to put theirs in effect in January. My assumption is that this means the parish leadership believes that rebuilding is well underway.
Certainly things aren't back to normal, and to some extent may never be. The current major struggles seem to center on the allocation of scarce city services to those areas that were sparsely rebuilt. And the levees of course.
The crime rate is awful. It wasn't great beforehand, but it is likely worse now.
Posted by Dinah on November 29, 2008, at 19:06:51
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm. » Sigismund, posted by Dinah on November 29, 2008, at 19:02:22
To clarify, I don't mean any ingratitude toward Mr. Pitt. Certainly the city appreciates his activities, as do I.
But the scope was so enormous...
Posted by fayeroe on November 29, 2008, at 20:32:52
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm., posted by Sigismund on November 29, 2008, at 18:05:50
> Is it true that Brad Pitt has paid for the new houses in NO?
Yes and he had a great deal to do with the design of them.
Posted by fayeroe on November 29, 2008, at 20:35:20
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm., posted by Dinah on November 29, 2008, at 19:06:51
Harry Shearer is from New Orleans and he writes frequently about the rebuilding efforts. You can google him. (he is one of the voices on the Simpsons) :-)
Posted by Dinah on November 29, 2008, at 21:01:10
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm. » Dinah, posted by fayeroe on November 29, 2008, at 20:35:20
I googled him and shacks. The only thing I found was a criticism of descriptions of traditional New Orleans shotguns as "shacks". It wasn't written by him, was he the one that used that term?
Since I'm one of the people who would object to traditional homes being replaced by generic homes found elsewhere, I'd have to object to the description myself. And to their credit, the people like Brad Pitt are trying to replace the homes with ones that are very similar to the homes that were destroyed.
I really can't imagine what he's talking about.
You know, we have nothing to complain about the Bush Administration, past the immediate response. We don't count them an enemy at all, and they have been far more supportive of the rebuilding than a good number of members of Congress, who seem to think that New Orleans had no business being rebuilt.
I hope the new President is as supportive of our area as the outgoing one.
Posted by fayeroe on November 29, 2008, at 22:05:18
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm. » fayeroe, posted by Dinah on November 29, 2008, at 21:01:10
> I googled him and shacks. The only thing I found was a criticism of descriptions of traditional New Orleans shotguns as "shacks". It wasn't written by him, was he the one that used that term?
I haven't read that. He is very passionate about N0 and mostly directs his criticisms at Congress.
>
> Since I'm one of the people who would object to traditional homes being replaced by generic homes found elsewhere, I'd have to object to the description myself. And to their credit, the people like Brad Pitt are trying to replace the homes with ones that are very similar to the homes that were destroyed.
>
> I really can't imagine what he's talking about.
>
> You know, we have nothing to complain about the Bush Administration, past the immediate response. We don't count them an enemy at all, and they have been far more supportive of the rebuilding than a good number of members of Congress, who seem to think that New Orleans had no business being rebuilt.We'll have to agree to disagree on how the rebuilding is going. They have torn down some significant public housing that the poor people needed and haven't replaced it.
>
> I hope the new President is as supportive of our area as the outgoing one.http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/dec/04/film.usa
I really didn't see that the houses will be traditional. I wonder if cost has anything to do with it. I remember seeing a photograph of a blue square one with Brad Pitt standing in front of it. Pat
Posted by fayeroe on November 29, 2008, at 22:12:29
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm. » Dinah, posted by fayeroe on November 29, 2008, at 22:05:18
Dinah, I found this in Time.
Hurricane Katrina..Two Years Harry Shearer
I'll cheat enough to say New Orleans needs two things: a true hurricane-flood-protection system and the restoration of Louisiana's coastal wetlands. The Dutch have done it right a state-of-the art system engineered to a 1-in-10,000-year factor of safety. We've been promised 1-in-100-years, by 2011. As the Army Corps' own reports have proven, dividing responsibility, and dividing the costs, have just resulted in buck-passing, inertia, and a 40-year-long project that failed when faced with a storm that wasn't even The Big One. If we can't do it right, let's call in the Dutch. The wetlands have been our buffer against stronger storms. The good news is rebuilding the wetlands is not rocket science; it's not even levee science. The nation has committed to restoring the Everglades. We should do no less for the source of almost half of the nation's fresh seafood, if for no other reason than to avoid having to eat Chinese crawfish.
Since Katrina, defenders of the Administration's tepid response and people who just don't like New Orleans have lectured us about not demanding handouts, about the necessity for pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. Actually, in the face of recalcitrant insurers and a homeowner compensation program that is just starting to disgorge compensation money from the state-federal maw, and despite the 200,000 still unable to come home because of lack of resources and lack of rental housing, homes and businesses are being rebuilt by everyone who has resources, friends and/or volunteers. The good-news story is that, today, New Orleans is Bootstrap City.
He has come down really hard on certain members of Congress at different times and then he pummels the entire group when he wants to. :-)Have you been in the poorer parts of New Orleans? The housing truly was shacks. I've been there and was truly shocked to see the living conditions. I have only seen worse in Mexico. I have an internet friend there and she is still in the trailer.
Posted by Dinah on November 29, 2008, at 22:35:07
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm. » Dinah, posted by fayeroe on November 29, 2008, at 22:05:18
The public housing was already slated to be torn down before Katrina and replaced with mixed income housing. The St Thomas housing project was the first to be rebuilt, and that was before Katrina. They were in pretty bad shape before, and worse shape after. There was no point to rebuilding them as they were, if the entire idea was going to be revamped.
There is certainly controversy involved in that. There are arguments on each side, and I don't have any real knowledge of which is right. My understanding is that it went well for St Thomas, but I may be wrong about that.
There has also been a shortage in rentals, affordable and otherwise, since funds aren't as readily available to owners of rental properties, as opposed to homes.
They are currently planning a new VA hospital to be combined with the teaching hospital in Midcity. But there's a lot of controversy involved in that as well. People are very protective of their neighborhoods in New Orleans.
Certainly we agree in the hope that all those who wish to come home will one day be able to do so. But to the best of my knowledge people coming back come back to homes. Or FEMA trailers, where they are still permitted. Not shacks. If they're no longer allowing FEMA trailers, I can't believe the local ordinances would allow shacks.
There is certainly is plenty still to be done in rebuilding the area. But I don't see lack of federal funding or support as the primary issue.
Now if we're talking coastal restoration, that's different, and I will gladly complain about that. They're eventually supposed to do revenue sharing on the oil passing through the state, to fund the coastal restoration. But because of the balanced budget rules, they had to put it off several years. Even then...
Still, I have no idea if the holdup is in the Administration or Congress. With the Democrats holding both, it should be easy to see if the will is there. If coastal restoration and flood control is a priority, they will release the funding for it.
I'm familiar enough with my own local news. The homes that Brad Pitt's organization, and the musicians village, and the Katrina cottages, are largely based on the traditional architecture. They are being respectful of local tastes. Those that love New Orleans enough to stay here after Katrina usually feel pretty strongly about the local flavor.
Posted by Dinah on November 29, 2008, at 22:57:25
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm. » fayeroe, posted by fayeroe on November 29, 2008, at 22:12:29
Yes, of course I've been in the poorer parts of New Orleans. New Orleans has always had rich and poor living side by side.
The housing was not shacks. It was shotgun houses, built to fit the small lots that a limited land area dictated. I'm intimately familiar with the architectural style.
Yes, some of the homes were in very bad repair. Is that not true of other areas of the country? Some areas were being gentrified, and walls have been torn down and the interior made more spacious, while the exterior stayed the same. But yes, there were poor people in New Orleans, who did not have the funds to keep up the repair on their homes.
Yes, New Orleans is a city with high levels of poverty and has been for some time. I don't see how the Administration is to blame for that.
I know people in all parts of the city. I know some people who remain in trailers by special permission. I know some people who did very well by The Road Home, and others who had to borrow money to finish their repairs. There are also issues that have nothing whatsoever to do with the government.
I have lived here all my life, except for a few years. I do know New Orleans and the challenges it faces.
Posted by fayeroe on November 29, 2008, at 23:45:39
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm. » fayeroe, posted by Dinah on November 29, 2008, at 22:57:25
> Yes, of course I've been in the poorer parts of New Orleans. New Orleans has always had rich and poor living side by side.
>
> The housing was not shacks. It was shotgun houses, built to fit the small lots that a limited land area dictated. I'm intimately familiar with the architectural style.I'm not arguing with you, Dinah.
>
> Yes, some of the homes were in very bad repair. Is that not true of other areas of the country? Some areas were being gentrified, and walls have been torn down and the interior made more spacious, while the exterior stayed the same. But yes, there were poor people in New Orleans, who did not have the funds to keep up the repair on their homes.Still not arguing.
>
> Yes, New Orleans is a city with high levels of poverty and has been for some time. I don't see how the Administration is to blame for that.I am not arguing with you. We have different views of this administration and I think that is part of what the Politics Board is about. I hope that is still true.
>
> I know people in all parts of the city. I know some people who remain in trailers by special permission. I know some people who did very well by The Road Home, and others who had to borrow money to finish their repairs. There are also issues that have nothing whatsoever to do with the government.
> Sigh.
> I have lived here all my life, except for a few years. I do know New Orleans and the challenges it faces.
I know you live in New Orleans. As a caring human being, I don't have to live there to be concerned about the city. Just as I can worried about dozens of other cities.If I brought this subject up, I'm sorry.
Posted by Dinah on November 30, 2008, at 0:13:51
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm. » Dinah, posted by fayeroe on November 29, 2008, at 23:45:39
I certainly have no desire to argue.
Perhaps a bit of a desire to defend local architecture.
I don't think you've got the right idea about my feelings for this administration, which is perfectly understandable given that I've never really disclosed them.
I was merely talking about New Orleans and Katrina. It really doesn't do the area much good for people to picture us as living in shacks. We have enough image issues as it is. If I can correct that impression where possible, it's the least I can do for my city and its proud and unique culture.
And, well, fair is fair. I may be swift to blame when blame is due, but I hope I will be equally swift to give credit when credit is due.
However, this is clearly an area where my passion will exceed the norm, and I do not wish to argue.
Posted by fayeroe on November 30, 2008, at 11:41:19
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm. » fayeroe, posted by Dinah on November 30, 2008, at 0:13:51
> I certainly have no desire to argue.
>
> Perhaps a bit of a desire to defend local architecture.Dinah, when did I talk badly about the local architecture? The town where I live is filled with old beautiful victorian homes. We also have areas where the houses are barely standing up. No one in my town acts as though we only have beautiful victorian homes.
I do not know how you decided that I criticized the architecture of an entire city when I am very clearly talking about certain sections of the town.
>
> I don't think you've got the right idea about my feelings for this administration, which is perfectly understandable given that I've never really disclosed them.Sigh......
>
> I was merely talking about New Orleans and Katrina. It really doesn't do the area much good for people to picture us as living in shacks. We have enough image issues as it is. If I can correct that impression where possible, it's the least I can do for my city and its proud and unique culture.Dinah, WHERE did I say that the city was made up of shacks where everyone lived? I feel certain that anyone who reads my posts realizes that I am only talking about certain areas of New Orleans. I am going to repeat this, I did not say that New Orleans is made up of shacks.
>
> And, well, fair is fair. I may be swift to blame when blame is due, but I hope I will be equally swift to give credit when credit is due.I hope so also.
>
> However, this is clearly an area where my passion will exceed the norm, and I do not wish to argue.
I am absolutely not going to say that I won't comment on New Orleans again. I'm still sending a small amount of support monthly and I care very much about what happens there. As I told you last night, New Orleans is one of my favourite cities.
Posted by Dinah on November 30, 2008, at 12:19:10
In reply to Re: My idea of perfect coverage for this Adm. » Dinah, posted by fayeroe on November 30, 2008, at 11:41:19
I am also talking about those areas of the city.
However, this conversation has done me some good. A good number of my friends are strong supporters of the Preservation Resource Center. I had always been a bit reserved about the toll the preservationists placed on those wishing to make improvements. I had never really realized how strongly I felt until now, so I now I can look into supporting their work.
A house doesn't have to be a mansion to be historically or culturally important. It's important to repair and restore, rather than tear down and rebuild.
This doesn't in any way try to hide that the homes were often dilapidated and in need of repair. But I hope it does explain that the people of those neighborhoods wished to rehabilitate and reoccupy the homes, and that they were proud of the architecture and history.
It's all I have to say on the topic at this time. But given that I wake up to the Eyewitness morning news here, and receive the Times Picayune on my doorstep, and live in this city every day, I hope you understand that I will also not promise to comment on New Orleans, if what others say is not in keeping with what I have understood to be true.
This is the end of the thread.
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