The NOLA News Round-up...

It's entirely possible that New Orleans is best known not for its amazing food and history and musical heritage, but more for its culture of corrupt politics.

"All the King's Men," anyone?

Yeah. Whether our local congressman is found possessing frozen bricks of cash, or our senator is found to have cavorted with prostitutes after piously and sanctimoniously decrying Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky, there's just something about Louisiana. Our governor is mercifully not running for re-election, our mayor suddenly went from sounding like Carlton to speaking like local rapper Juvenile in the months before his re-election, and our levee boards take more kickbacks than the Rockettes. Our DA seems to be on a perpetual witchhunt while ignoring the scarily violent criminals prowling the streets of east New Orleans or Central City. Our other senator is a chip off the ol' block - voted into office by scores of deceased Lousiana residents just like her dear old papa. (I actually feel sorry for Mitch Landrieu - he could be the nicest, most qualified politico in the state, and he still wouldn't be elected to office in New Orleans sheerly because of his last name.)

Occasionally there is room for hope - case in point, Bobby Jindal. It's ironic that a state that almost elected David Duke governor is poised to elect the nation's first Indian-American governor. But that tells me that despite the antiquated approach to race relations and politics, increasingly voters in Louisiana (at least, the living voters) seem to be forward-thinking.

So that's good.

But on the flip-side:

http://blog.nola.com/updates/2007/08/some_fear_corruption_scandal_c.html

Gah. That's not good.

Today also marks the start of the trial of the owners of St. Rita's Nursing Home. The owners are charged with 35 counts of negligent homicide after restraining their patients to their beds, dooming them when the floodwaters began to rise.

http://www.nola.com/newsflash/louisiana/index.ssf?/base/news-33/1186941248246310.xml&storylist=louisiana

I'm pretty sure there's a special circle of hell reserved for people who do things like this. I genuinely hope there is - no earthly justice could make this right.

In other news, there's a reason weather like this is called "hurricane heat." It's not even 11:00 AM yet, and the heat index is already at 112 degrees.

http://www.wdsu.com/weather/13879001/detail.html?treets=no&tml=no_break&ts=T&tmi=no_break_1_10020308132007

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATWOAT+shtml/131517.shtml

Halloween in the Big Easy...

It appears as though THREE major (okay, I'm definitely reaching on the third event) events will overrun the Crescent City over Halloween weekend. Halloween in New Orleans might be only second to Mardi Gras in terms of sheer madness and libertine tendencies. People here take Halloween SERIOUSLY - I mean, this is a nearly three-hundred year-old city, with the dark underbelly of its history inspiring how many ghost and vampire stories?

The most important news is the Hornets are returning to New Orleans. Their 2007-2008 schedule was announced yesterday. I know C.D. will be psyched about this - he's been adamant about calling them the NO Hornets, despite the fact they've been playing in Oklahoma City for two years. Per NOLA.com:

The biggest Halloween party in town will be at the New Orleans Arena.

The Hornets will open their 2007-08 regular season at home against the Sacramento Kings, marking their momentous return to post-Katrina New Orleans. This coming season will be the team's first full season in the Crescent City since 2004-05. The Hornets moved to Oklahoma
City for the two seasons following Hurricane Katrina, playing nine scattered games in New Orleans while the team and city prepared for a permanent reunion.

Opening night on Oct. 31 will be the first of 41 home games, featuring a youthful Hornets team that was in the playoff hunt last season up to the final week.

(Source: http://blog.nola.com/tpsports/2007/08/hornets_release_schedule_open.html)

And then there's VooDoo Fest, which will this year feature performances from the reunited Rage Against the Machine, Smashing Pumpkins, Wilco and your humble blogger's much-adored Spoon and Cold War Kids. Check it out:

http://www.voodoomusicfest.com/2007/index.html

Because of more widespread interest, the festival in NOLA's gorgeous City Park has been extended to three days. Here's a random factoid - did you know that City Park is the second largest municipal park in the country, behind New York's Central Park?

D. and I will also begin what we hope will be an annual tradition - a seven deadly sins-themed Halloween party, inspired by two certain Auburn residents. ;)

Which sin would you dress as for Halloween? And don't say "lust." I mean, "Mean Girls" said it best, I realize, by noting that Halloween is an excuse for gals to dress as slutty as possible...but where's the creativity? Where's the fun?

That said, I plan on dressing as Britney Spears - ratty black wig and all (yeah, I'm so NOT shaving my head). I figure she embodies at LEAST 5 of the 7, right? What could be more fun than that? M. is dressing as La Lohan, complete with powdered sugar smeared on someone else's pants and under her nose.

So, folks? What about you?

(P.S. Welcome back to New Orleans, Hornets players and staff. You've been missed. Here's to hoping we show you the same support we've shown the Saints!)