Thursday, July 10, 2008
Assessing Jefferson’s Chances
Posted by Clancy DuBos on Thu, Jul 10, 2008 at 10:57 PM
Despite facing 16 federal criminal counts in the Northern District of Virginia, Congressman Bill Jefferson has to like his re-election chances after Day 2 of qualifying for Congress in Louisiana’s Second District.
Jefferson faces six opponents in the Sept. 6 Democratic Primary, but as far as Dollar Bill is concerned, the more the merrier. (I discount the rumor that he will pull out of the Democratic primary at the last minute and run as an independent on Nov. 4. With no Republican in the race, he’d surely lose on Nov. 4 to the Democratic nominee, who almost certainly will be a well-known African-American. He fares much better running as a Democrat against a crowded field, which is what we’re seeing already.)
Why?
Simple mathematics.
The Afro-American Book Stop returns
Posted by Kevin Allman on Thu, Jul 10, 2008 at 9:02 PM
Two and a half years after Katrina knocked out Michele Lewis' bookstore, she's reopened The Afro-American Book Stop in New Orleans East, in a 1500-sq.ft. space on Read Boulevard just off the I-10.
"We have about 5000 titles currently," Lewis says. "Novels, Christian literature, children's, everything. We're back."
Lewis, who had two locations in New Orleans before the storm, lost her house, her car, and much of her inventory in the aftermath of Katrina: "It's been a long haul," she says. She reopened the Book Stop on July 1 and had several signings over the Fourth of July weekend in hopes of capturing Essence Festival visitors, "and they came out!" she says. Next up: a signing by the bestselling and wildly popular E. Lynn Harris (July 30, 12:30 p.m.).
"We weren't sure how it was gonna turn out in the East," Lewis says, "but it turns out the community is much more excited than they ever were before. We don't have a lot in the East, and I think people feel like one of their own is back."
The Afro-American Book Stop
7056 Read Blvd.
New Orleans, La. 70127
(504) 243-2436
A Place in the Sun
Posted by Will Coviello on Thu, Jul 10, 2008 at 8:47 PM
It’s hard to match the cast of the 1951 Paramount classic A Place in the Sun, with Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, Shelly Winters and Raymond Burr, but this comes close. Running With Scissors updates the memorable film version of Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy.
Sagging: not just a Louisiana crisis any more
Posted by Kevin Allman on Thu, Jul 10, 2008 at 6:32 PM
State Sen. Derrick Shepherd couldn't get it done on a statewide level. The town of Delcambre, La., did get it done on a city level. And now the town of Flint, Mich. is going after it in a big way. The crime? Sagging pants:
Flint residents now have to watch their butts because Police Chief David Dicks is on the lookout.Dicks, who took over the department last month on an interim basis, announced that his officers would start arresting people wearing saggy pants that expose skivvies, boxer shorts or bare bottoms.
"Some people call it a fad," Dicks told the Free Press this week while patrolling the streets of Flint. "But I believe it's a national nuisance. It is indecent and thus it is indecent exposure, which has been on the books for years."
On June 27, the chief issued a departmental memorandum telling officers: "This immoral self expression goes beyond freedom of expression."
The crime, he says, is disorderly conduct or indecent exposure, both misdemeanors punishable by 93 days to a year in jail and/or fines up to $500.
As the Columbia Journalism Review points out, Chief Dicks' edict inspired one of the greatest newspaper graphics in history, by the Detroit Free Press' Moses Harris:
Starbucks closings: will they affect you?
Posted by Kevin Allman on Thu, Jul 10, 2008 at 12:51 AM
As you've probably heard, Starbucks is planning to close beaucoup U.S. locations by next year (600, to be accurate), though the company has been tight-lipped about which ones will get the axe. The java-anxiety has spawned rumors, blogs, and now a Web feature by the Seattle Times, which is plotting the supposed closings on an interactive Google map.
New Orleans, of course, has never been as Starbucks-saturated as most other major cities. When it comes to coffee, we've been ahead of the "support your local business" curve for, well, decades. According to the Web site Starbucks Everywhere, we only have a few dozen Starbucks in the metro area. (In L.A. or Seattle, of course, there seem to be a few dozen per person.)
Interestingly, the Times' Google map doesn't show any closings in Louisiana.
I'm mixed on Starbucks. I hate the way they try to muscle out the local guys; I like the fact that they offer health insurance...something that many of the "buy local, support local" coffeehouses don't do. I hate the fact that many of their stores charge for WiFi; I like the fact that they finally dumped their signature Burned-to-Hell French roast for something more palatable.
But my last few cups of coffee came from Morning Call, PJ's, and St. John's. I'm just not in the Starbucks habit.
Are you? Would you miss Starbucks if the few outlets in New Orleans went the way of K&B?
