Help the St Bernard Project Win $100,000

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/cnn.heroes/archive/liz.mccartney.html

Hey All,

So if you haven't, or have, heard, Liz McCartney from the St Bernard Project--yes, that's right! The very group SHROCKIN' works with, here, in New Orleans, at Loyola, is nominated to be a CNN Hero and is one of the Top 10 finalists! Show your support by clicking the link above and voting for Liz. If she wins, the St Bernard Project will receive $100,000! Wowzers! The announcement of the winnder will over Thanksgiving in LA--whoop!


SO GO NOW AND VOTE!


-j.

Care-giving for the Elderly

Interesting article that speaks a lot about care-giving with the elderly. It relates directly to SMILE (Students Moving into the Lives of the Elderly) which works to bridge the gap between generations and develop fellowship between students and seniors in New Orleans (contact Joelle Brown at jebrown@loyno.edu for more info).

The fact that the question is asked, who is taking care of our elderly?, is indicative as to where they stand in the priority of the American family. How can we better treat and care for our seniors? How do we better educate and prepare family care-givers to be adequate care-takers? Thoughts?

-j.

we think critically about... maps

Over the summer I was in a Ten Thousand Villages store in Alexandria, VA browsing around and found a bin filled with unusual maps.  Map projections have always amazed me - considering that there is no way to put the three dimensional contents of a globe onto the two dimensional contents of a map, something has to be distorted.  Where do we distort?  Why is the Atlantic in the middle of the map?  All questions I still have unanswered.

While the map with countries sized based on their population was cool (India, China = big; Europe, USA = small), I was most intrigued by the map that was inverted.  Antarctica was at the top, the north pole at the bottom.  I barely recognized it as the same map I've seen since grade school.

So for tonight's LUCAP meeting, I made flyers with that upside down map across them.  I this year in LUCAP that seasoned LUCAPers and newcomers alike have their beliefs challenged and learn about the way that others see the world.  This totally makes me want to print a bunch of upside down maps and distribute them to grade schools everywhere.

A found a short essay on the upside down map called Dreaming Upside Down and plan to discuss it tonight at the meeting.  Here's some of it:

In my dream, a cloud of anxieties closed around me. The United States was now at the bottom. Would we have to stand upside-down, causing the blood to rush to our heads? Would we need suction-cup shoes to stay on the planet, and would autumn leaves fall up? No, I remembered, an apple once bopped Newton on the head - no need to worry about these things.

Other things troubled me more. Now that we're at the bottom, would our resources and labor be exploited by the new top? Would African, Asian, and Latin American nations structure world trade to their advantage?

Would my neighbors and I have two-dollars-a-day seasonal jobs on peach and strawberry plantations? Would the women and children work from dusk to dawn to scratch survival from the earth of California and Virginia? Would the fruit we picked be shipped from New Orleans and New York for children in Thailand and Ethiopia to hurriedly eat with their cereal so they wouldn't miss the school bus?

Would our children, then, spend the morning, not in school, but fetching water two miles away and the afternoon gathering wood for heating and cooking? Would a small ruling class in this country send their daughters and sons to universities in Cairo and Buenos Aires?

A late look at guns on campuses

I know its a bit late to blog about this story, but I ran across a Loyolacentric article in the Gambit today regarding guns on campuses.  Louisiana House Resolution 199 proposed that Universities should no longer forbid the concealed carrying of weapons by licensed citizens.  This resolution was defeated and never became law, but it was contentious enough that Loyola University President Kevin Wildes, SJ took a public position on the matter (against).  

Apparently not all of Loyola was not in agreement with the President.  The article details the impending creation of a Students for Concealed Carry on Campus chapter at Loyola University with support from Dr. Walter Block.  Block was quoted in the article wondering why the pro-gun feminist voice was lacking from the discussion, stating that guns are a great equalizer in the physical differences between men and women and would decrease the number of sexual assaults on female students.  Dr. Marcus Kondkar pointed out that such a statement implies a fundamental misunderstanding of sexual assault on college campuses, as only 9% of sexual assault at Loyola occurred at the hands of a stranger.  

The article is a very interesting read indeed.

Lower your carbon footprint with factory farming?

Any casual environmentalist would tell you that local food is more sustainable than factory farmed food shipped from across the country.  And it makes sense - there's nothing eco-friendly about a soot-belching diesel semi blazing across the interstates of America.  

But is eating locally actually a less efficient and therefore more energy intensive activity than eating those delicious Chilean grapes in December?  

Art Carden of the austro-liberatrian Mises Institute thinks that is the case.  While Carden admits there are many reasons to eat locally, getting the lowest possible carbon footprint is not one of them.  He suggests that a more effective step in reducing ones carbon footprint would be to simply reduce consumption of meat and replace it with vegetables.  I couldn't agree more, Art.

Whole Foods Article

For all your Whole Foods-ers!

"The recall is the latest blow for a company already struggling with anemic sales growth because of the economic slowdown.
'The assumption is that for the extra money that you pay for most Whole Foods products, in return you’re getting something that’s safer, fresher and more nutritious,' said Gene Grabowski, head of the crisis and litigation practice at Levick Strategic Communications, who has handled several food-recall cases. 'And this damages that perception a great deal.'"

Do we always get better quality and fresher selection for the higher prices at WF?

-j.

New LUCAP advisor has arrived!

After months of facebook stalking (haha), I finally met the new LUCAP advisor and Director of Immersion trips Josh Daly. He's a Loyola and LUCAP grad from back in 2004 and I'm really excited to be working with him this year. I even found some Maroon articles mentioning him, so he's totally legit.

He'll be working for the last two weeks of July before leaving for two weeks to get married and go honeymooning.

Come visit him in the new University Ministry space in the Danna Center basement. That's the former SGA office.

Glad to have you, Josh!

New Loyola Website--Major Overhaul

Not only does the new website look pretty spiffy, but the first link under "Explore Our Jesuit Identity" (not to mention in a host of other places) is LUCAP! BIG THANKS to whomever made or helped make it happen!

Thoughts and comments?
-j.

Want to advise LUCAP?

LUCAP needs a new adviser, since our beloved Rick Yelton is leaving.

Do *you* have what it takes?

Link.

Colbert rips apart ethanol

Stephen Colbert hits upon energy conservation in an April 28 segment of "tonight's wørd." Colbert pokes fun at the fact that it takes over 120 gallons of oil to make 100 gallons of ethanol, suggests CFLs as the solution to all our woes, and suggests that a gas tax holiday is sacrificing our need to sacrifice. Enjoy.

Orthorexia in America

Michael Pollan, author of the Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, delivers a talk on food vs nutrition at Google. For those worlds healthiest pizza obsessed LUCAPers, this is a very good thing to watch.

Vampire power

If you've been keeping up with environmental issues, you know that vampire power is the power that your electronic gadgets use when they're turned off but still plugged in.

Good Magazine did a great graphic comparing amounts of vampire power used by common gizmos.

Easiest solution to stop losing power to the vampire effect: plug your electronics into a surge protector and turn off the surge protector when the gadgets aren't in use. Or you could get a fancy surge protector that does it by itself.

NOLA residents want recycling, survey says

Over the past few months, the city of New Orleans conducted an opinion poll on attitudes toward a city-wide recycling program. The results are in and they're awesome:

• 10,000 households responded of 120,000 households
• 9,000 (of 10,000) households indicated they would "voluntarily subscribe" to a recycling program.
• When asked how much residents would be willing to pay
• 2,570 would pay nothing
• 2,858 from $1 to $3.50 a month
• 2,127 from $3.50 to $6 a month
• 1,671 from $6 to $10 a month
• 772 would pay more than $10 a month

One would think that Sanitation Director Veronica White would take this information and start a kick-ass recycling program. But no - the City has allocated $500,000 toward recycling, which is roughly enough to fund 6 months of pickup. And don't expect glass or cardboard to be picked up. Link.

98% of Americans Favor Public Transit for Others

Funny and true, yet again the Onion hits the nail on the head with this article.

"Expanding mass transit isn't just a good idea, it's a necessity," Holland said. "My drive to work is unbelievable. I spend more than two hours stuck in 12 lanes of traffic. It's about time somebody did something to get some of these other cars off the road."

Americans love public transportation. They want it readily available, on every street corner, for God's sake. But they sure as hell don't want to ride it.

Green is Universal

Earth Day was this past Tuesday (the same day as our lovely banquet). While watching an enthralling episode of "Law and Order: Special Vicitms Unit" I saw a commercial for NBC Universal's Earth Week. With tv shows that give you tips on making your everyday life more green and ways that you can make a difference, Green Week promotes slogans like, "Big Ideas for a Small Planet," "Green is Universal," and "Awareness. Activism. Results." Check here for more information and their end-of-the-week update.

Happy Greenification!

Unsubscribe Me: Waterboarding

Amnesty International released a new commercial as a part of their Unsubscribe Me campaign to end torture. The ad will be playing in select movie theaters in the coming months.

Tell me what you think.

Social Justice for Life Expectancy?

Overall, the United States has a relatively high life expectancy; women have a couple of years on men. However, as the article posted below shows, that overall number is not the same across the United States:

The study found that 4 percent of the male population and 19 percent of the female population experienced either declines or stagnation in their life expectancy in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Although this deadly trend is mostly centered in the southern parts of the nation, several largely rural counties in Washington – Cowlitz, Lewis, Benton and Grays Harbor – are also on the verge of seeing a decline in overall life span.

Surely, there's something to be said for where the life expectancy is lowest: southern parts of the nation (yes, that includes us!) and in some rural counties. What does this say about the (lack of) quality of life in our own nation? Why are these areas targeted?

Check out the full article for more information.

yours in wondering why some people live longer than others,
-j.

And we thought Nalgene's were so good!

So, as Chad disappointingly mentioned to me the other day, skipping out on plastic bottles for resuable polycarbonate is NOT as good as an idea as we once thought. If yours has a 7 on the bottom--sorry! You're probably drinking bisphenol-a, which unfortunately is most dangerous for the very old and very young. Check out the article on Canada's new ban below:

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5215109782482807501

Yours in thinking of other ways to not buy plastic bottles,
-j.

School Busing

Here's a very interesting slideshow on controversy surrounding busing in Northeastern cities in the 1970s. It focuses on some jarring pictures taken during the era, and concludes with a picture taken during the immediate aftermath of Katrina that I hadn't seen, yet was powerfully moving.

Shame on you, polluters

The Catholic Church released an article in "L'Osservatore Romano" listing several new ways to sin. Among them: polluting. Its always a good feeling when the Catholic Church supports what you've been believing for a while.

This raises the question. What's the penance for driving an SUV getting 12 mpg?

Presidents: Loyola and Abroad

Today's LUCAP meeting is focused on the chief executive. As the nation's primary elections close, the country grows closer to the general election in November. Many LUCAPers have been following the races closely and will lead discussion on various positions of candidates.

This week also marks the start of active campaigning for SGA President at Loyola. LUCAP is having both candidates for SGA President speak at the meeting, giving the candidates a chance to explain their platforms and answer (usually tough) questions. This year, pre-med/finance/sociology student Greg Fontenot (pic above)and political science student Cade Cypriano (pic below) are running to represent the student body.

Be thinking of questions you might want to ask the candidates.

Check out their facebook groups, websites, flyers etc. for ideas on their platforms.


Greg Fontenot: website
Cade Cypriano: website

Fair Trade across Freret and beyond

Fair Trade certified products are items that (in their simplest form) are guaranteed to have paid the people who produced them a fair wage.

While there are tons of places to buy fair trade products online, a few stores are right in New Orleans for your shopping convenience. Whole Foods has a few things, but here's a few more you might not have heard about:

InExchange
Tulane University
Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life
http://www.inexchange.org

A new store in Tulane's LBC (student center) sells exclusively fair trade products and local art. The founder, Erica Trani, is a Tulane alumna and is active in the justice groups of both Tulane and Loyola Universities. Trani drew upon her experiences working with artisans and growers in Ecuador as well as selling handmade jewelry made by independent artists at a French Quarter store. InExchange carries chocolates, coffee from Cafe Justo (starting March 2008), jewelry, rugs, ceramics, glasswork, textiles, reusable shopping bags and so much more. The inventory changes quickly, so check often.

Blue Frog Chocolates
5707 Magazine Street
http://www.bluefrogchocolates.com/

This candy store sells several kinds of fair trade chocolate as well as lots of locally made candy. Not everything is fair trade, but its still a delicious stop.

Fair Grinds Coffeehouse
3133 Ponce de Leon
http://www.fairgrinds.com

By far my favorite coffee house in New Orleans. Its located in the Mid City/Fair Grounds area. All coffee used is locally roasted by Orleans Coffee Exchange and 100% fair trade. Their cold drink cups are made from biodegradable corn plastic. Fair Grinds also hosts some cool community events such as a recent series relating sustainability to spirituality. This is the kind of coffee shop you want to live next to.

More crime in public housing

The public housing issue has caused so much controversy over the last few months, that it seems as if the City Council and HUD want it to just go away. Well, it isn't, largely thanks to only two reporters, Edward Pound from the National Journal and Lolis Eric Elie from the Times-Pic. I should also note that I only found these articles through the blog run by local artist/advocate/voice of Mr. Burns Harry Shearer.

The articles show what a corrupt fraud the HUD Secretary, Alphonso Jackson, is.
Here are some of the big highlights:

"Federal investigators and a grand jury in Washington are exploring the secretary's ties to contractors who have been handed lucrative business at HANO under HUD. In at least one case, Jackson helped a friend, William Hairston, obtain contracting work, according to an account that Hairston has given to National Journal. Jackson testified before a Senate panel last year and during an earlier federal inquiry that he never intervened in awarding contracts. Jackson's problems may be growing. It turns out that his wife, Marcia, a consultant in Washington, had financial ties to at least two companies that did business at HANO."

-Pound

The news is damning enough, and there is more in Pound's article. But it takes local reporter Elie to put this corruption in the proper context:

"Evidence is mounting that a new, multimillion-dollar crime wave is poised to hit public housing in New Orleans, replacing common street-level operators with well-connected, out-of-town confidence men.

One of the prominent arguments in favor of the destruction of public housing has been the contention that public housing is a breeding ground for crime. If current demolition plans go through, crime in public housing won't go away -- it'll only change class."

The Blog is Back...Again!!!

LUCAP,
This week's meeting was full of information and insight regarding fair trade and our other projects. Here are some of the highlights and announcements:

Thursday, February 14: 4PM- Global Justice Week Meeting
LUCAP office
4-7PM- InExchange Valentine's Day Bash
Food, Fun and Fair Trade
Tulane University Center
Saturday, February 16: 8AM- Walk for the Hungry
Meet in the LUCAP Office

Sign up on the board or write Rick

10AM- Green Light New Orleans
Exchange incandescent lightbulbs with CFL's in the homes
of low income families
Sign up on the board or contact Jamie or Rob for more info
Sunday, February 17 11AM Hunger Relief
Meet in the LUCAP office
contact Roy for details

Fair trade seeks to provide a viable and humane economic alternative to the effects of free trade, which often benefits the richest countries while debilitating the economies of developing nations. Check out the In Exchange fair trade store in the Tulane UC to buy fair trade products and contact Erica Trani for other ways you can help!

Also, Catholic Relief Services is very dedicated to promoting fair trade and sustainable economies for developing communities. Their microfinance work is especially commendable as it targets building up communities for women in poor, rural communities.

Social Entrepeneurs

There's a semi-inspirational op-ed in today's Times by Nicholas Kristof on young social entrepreneurs making huge differences around the world. Take a look.

New Orleans Housing in Sunday's New York Times

As the parades start rolling down St. Charles, the NYT publishes a bit of a summary of the hosuing situation in New Orleans. It is incomplete by not delving deeper into the issue, but I think it provides a fair summary of the diverse and oddly developing situation here. The article's confusion over the LRA's redevelopment program is not shoddy journalism, but rather is reflective of the confusing situation the program finds itself in. Not even the highest level of administrators seems to have a clue about what they're going to do with all of the property it is buying up around the region.

It also is in a similar spirit to the latest column I wrote for the Maroon this past week about a report on recovery. Not to toot my own horn, but that can be found here. I always appreciate any feedback I can get on my columns.

The title of the NYT piece is particularly poignant: "So Many Places to Live, but so Far Out of Reach."

Jesuits elect new Superior General

On Saturday Jan 19 the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) elected a new Superior General, the leader of their order.  The new Superior General is Father Adolfo Nicolás, a Spaniard who has lived most of his life in service to the people of Japan.

It was a rare step for a Superior General to resign as the the position carries a lifetime term.

Many people in the Jesuit community are suggesting that Nicolás may be more akin to the radical former Superior General Pedro Arrupe than his more conservative predecessor Peter Hans Kolvenbach.

Its super-hard to find a photo of the new leader and I may be completely wrong, but I believe the photo below is Fr. Adolfo.


Time Magazine reports "Will the new 'black pope' work?"

Pull your pants up or you're gay

Update: article amended because I didn't do my research and made some accusations that I can't substantiate and may be completely inaccurate.  See the comments.  Deletions indicated in strikethough, additions in red.

In response to the city of Dallas' campaign to end sagging pants, a Dallas rapper named Dooney da Priest wrote and released a song called "Pull Your Pants Up." While I would normally support all efforts to end the abomination that is excessively sagging pants what I believe to be a silly looking style, Da Priest employs homophobic lyrics to discourage sagging in youth.

From the song:

You walk the streets with your pants way down low

I dunno looks to me you're on the down low.

...

I think its gay, but some of y'all think its cool

Walking around showing your behind to other dudes.

In case you don't know, "down low" is slang for person who lives a straight life but also has secret gay relations.

To discourage sagging by implying that those who wear their pants low are homosexuals plays upon the homophobia that is already prevalent and well-documented in Black communities among young men. Yesterday, Democratic hopeful Barack Obama addressed a Black congregation and spoke out against the rampant exact kind of homophobia Da Priest perpetuates as a failure in achieving Dr. MLK's goals of equality.

Thanks a lot "da Priest" for perpetuating stereotypes and expousing hate speech.

The city of Dallas plans to erect a billboard featuring da Priest and his song.

Listen to the whole song on Da Priest's myspace page.

Gov't ties college funding to cooperation with RIAA

The Electronic Fonteir Foundation reported that hidden within H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007, lies language that could withhold federal funding from colleges where "illegal" file-sharing takes place.  While the overwhelming majority of the 800 page bill will serve college students by making college cheaper, the RIAA/MPAA have clearly gotten their way by forcing colleges to prohibit file-sharing technologies from being used (even legitimately) and making universities buy in to new subscription based music services that rob users of their rights through convuluted digital rights managment (1,2) schemes.  

Nobody wants to rob the artists from they money they deserve, but clearly the RIAA is not going about this in a sensible way.

This very well might impact your years at college, so you better follow this story as it develops.

Note: the RIAA is the same industry group that claims that ripping CDs to your iPod is not fair use and is illegal.

See also:  Digital Millenium Copyright Act

How the City Sank

Here's an interesting, if old, article from the Times about the flooded infrastructure in the city. The story of the guy at the pumping station is particularly interesting.

Tear it Down

The international human-rights giant Amnesty International has launched a campaign to close the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay (where the U.S. holds many prisoners illegally) called Tear It Down. The website brings you to a picture of detainees, and when you sign the pledge, one pixel of the photo is removed.

It takes 50,000 signatures to get rid of the photo and demonstrates how many concerned U.S. citizens want to shut down Guantanamo. I know there are tons of important online pledges you can sign, but I thought this was an interesting and powerful site, and I thought y'all might like to check it out.

How is New Orleans doing?

The Brookings Institution has been releasing quarterly (occassionally monthly) reports about the status of important indicators in and around New Orleans surrounding housing, the economy, population, and other demographics. Beyond being a very useful research tool, it provides a good snapshot of where the city is, and where some trends say the city is going. Here's the link to the Executive Summary of the newest one, released this week. A few of the most important points:

• Repopulation has slowed in recent months
• Public school enrollment grew significantly from fall 06 to fall 07, as did the rate of Hispanic students.
  
• More Road Home applicants have received money, but they have received less money than expected.
• Unemployment rates have become the lowest since the storm.
  
• The first library opene dup in St. Bernard since the storm. This is not an important indicator, but just sort of a depressing/uplifting detail

Read through the summary and gain a sense of what is going on right now in the city.

Tiny Cars and a New Governor

Here are two interesting pieces, both with a connection to India, oddly enough:

1. Last week, the Tata Motors introduced the smallest, cheapest car on the market: the Nano. Anne Applebaum at Slate brings up an interesting conflict: the opposition of the anti-poverty movement and the environmental movement. As Applebaum correctly outlines, the technology that creates cheaper important goods--like the Nano, the world's cheapest laptop, new agricultural techniques that improve food production--will improve the quality of life of the poor.
   
   The company hopes that the car, available for only $2500, will be used by Indians who currently often pack an unsafe number of family members on scooters or bicycles. The car would never pass the safety regulations in most Western countries (including the U.S.), but the lack of extra safety features allows it to be sold for so cheap. While that trade off is certainly interesting, But those same technologies will also damage the environment very greatly. Thousands of Indians will now be able to drive around the Indian countryside with the Nano. But the increase in pollution and emissions from such a cheaply made car could be enormous. Likewise, many of the new agricultural techniques that are used to feed more people in the world have significant environmental drawbacks, too.
   
   Applebaum doesn't do much in her article except point out the conflict, and refute the central argument put forward by both sides (that the two sides are not actually in opposition to each other). I can see how environmental activism can help the poor, including advocacy for more fair location of power/manufacturing plants. But what about when correct environmental policy, such as clean air, directly conflict with the struggle to help the poor climb out of poverty?



2. Louisiana's new Governor, Bobby Jindal, was inaugurated yesterday. Even if you don't support him, you should at least have a clue about his plans for governing the state. His inauguration speech focused on ethics and economics, unsurprisingly. Here's the somewhat fluffy T-P editorial on the speech.

Clinton's remarks insult Dr. King's legacy

As the Martin Luther King holiday approaches, now is the time to bring to mind Dr. King's commitment to equality, justice, and social change. Many of you may have heard Hillary Clinton's remarks last Monday that referred to King's role in the Civil Rights Movement:

“I would point to the fact that that Dr. King’s dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, when he was able to get through Congress something that President Kennedy was hopeful to do, the president before had not even tried, but it took a president to get it done,” she said. “That dream became a reality, the power of that dream became real in people’s lives because we had a president who said we are going to do it and actually got it accomplished.”



I find this sweeping comment gravely insulting. To say that "Dr King's dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act" completley overlooks the initiative Dr. King took to lead a movement so that the act could be passed in the first place. To say that it "took a president to get it done" minimizes the monumental role that King played in the Civil Rights movement and disregards the power that lies with the PEOPLE to push for social change.

The New York Times has an article today that goes into detail about the ramifications of her comment since last Monday. Note in this article that the primary figure in Hillary's defense is the founder of Black Entertainment Television, which I find to be more than a little bit ironic. Furthermore, he made a cheap shot at Obama's history of drug use (which Obama candidly wrote about in his first book in 1995) and then later passes his comment off as a reference to Obama's "community organizing." (You can read further details in the above article.)

The legacy of Dr. King should be regarded with much more respect than this. While Clinton was clearly trying to promote her own agenda and suggest that she as a president will make change in our country, she certainly made a huge mistake with this comment. Now the question is whether it will cost her votes in South Carolina.

ALSO: Stay tuned for tomorrow's LUCAP meeting, the theme of which will be the radical side of Martin Luther King.

Maroon reports, mischaracterized public housing movement

The Loyola Maroon reported today on the demolition of public housing in New Orleans.

Mr. Hultine's article, Bill of Rights, a piece mainly on Bill Quigley (Loyola Law), was spot on. Glad to see that Quigley has his tenure to protect him and that the University is honoring it.

The second piece, an editorial entitled Housing Issue nuanced, mischaracterized the public housing movement, ignored the many voices of reason who have advocated for 1:1 replacement of residents in the new housing, and ultimately came to no meaningful conclusion about the issue.

Both pieces are ripe for letters to the editor.

They report, you decide.

Come Meet a Public Housing Developer

Hey LUCAPeeps (My first post!):

I know that you all are really interested right now in the New Orleans public housing debate. With that said, I'd like to invite you to a presentation held jointly by the Rockefeller Foundation and UNO's Urban Planning department. It's going to be tomorrow - sorry about the short notice- so call or email me if you want to come with me.

The three hour seminar will be given by a St. Louis-based firm that has been given the contract (and all those juicy LIHTC - low income housing tax - credits!!) to redevelop one of the "big four" housing projects. In other words, they are a HUMONGOUS force in this saga. I don't know exactly what the format will be for the evening, but I encourage all of you to come and think critically about their proposal and be challenging. And if anyone wants a little background on the issue, stop by my office.

Here's the info...



Please join us for the Rockefeller Foundation Redevelopment Fellowship public speaker series featuring
Richard Baron, Chairman and CEO, McCormack Baron Salazar

McCormack Baron Salazar is a firm specializing in the development and management of mixed-income communities with an emphasis on large-scale redevelopment projects in central city locations. They are partnering with the New Orleans Neighborhood Development Collaborative to plan the redevelopment of C.J. Peete public housing community.

The event will take place on Thursday, January 10, 2008 from 6-9pm at the Hampton Inn University of New Orleans Downtown Center, Gravier Room, 3rd floor, 226 Carondolet Street

Dixville Notch Fails

So the small town with only 17 voters failed to adequately predict the winners in the primaries in New Hampshire.

It looks like, with close to 90% of the districts reporting, that Hilary Clinton, and John McCain have one the state. Complicating matters and making the election a little more weird.

View this fairly coherent chart at cnn.

For the Ron Paul Revolutionaries

So below you will find a quite friendly looking picture of Ron Paul, Don Black, and Derek Black. Derek is Don's son, and Don Black is founder of the white nationalist neo-nazi web forum http://www.stormfront.org/. You'll find that the nazi's are quite fond of Ron Paul.

New Hampshire

The town of Dixville Notch was the first to finish voting and turn in ballots today, according to this foxnews article.

According to this bordering on hilarious article the town "The town has 17 voters — two Democrats, three Republicans and 12 independents. Turnout was 100 percent. Four votes were cast by absentee ballot despite the fact that each voter was given his or her own booth at the town’s single polling station".

Also mentioned in the article were the results." McCain with 4 votes, Mitt Romney with 2 votes, Rudy Giuliani with 1 vote. Those were the only Republican votes cast". And on the Democrat side, "Obama won a landslide 7 votes compared with 2 for John Edwards, one for Bill Richardson and none for Hillary Clinton".

Lets see if this small town adequately predicts the N.H. primary.

Meeting Update and News

Hope everyone had a WONDERFUL break! Although our wonderful blog seemed to die out (or is that die-in?) over break, just know that it's back--alive and kicking (think Easter baby!) By no means a full re-cap, here are just a couple of announcements, updates, and new snippits from the meeting today:

1. NewCAP OFFICE LOCATION!
   Please stop by and see us! LUCAP has moved to the old New Student Orientation offices in the basement of the Danna Center between Black Student Union and the new Christian Life Community offices. Our lights are up, posters are hangin' and we're open and ready for business--the business of social justice!
   
2. ISN - The Ignatian Solidarity Network's Family Teach-in
   March 7-9, Los Angeles, CA. A three-day trip, we have space for around 11-13 students. If you are interested (and, I mean really interested) then please come by the LUCAP office or Rick's office to fill out an information sheet to let us know you're interested.
   
3. Recycling - Loyola has recycling! In a recent speech to the faculty, Fr. Wildes announced Loyola's commitment to recycling on campus. Here's the recycling proposal for more information and to learn more about where you can look forward to putting those aluminium cans and mixed paper.
   
4. SMILE (Students Moving into the Lives of the Elderly) - Come join Loyola Students and the folks at the Uptown Shepard center for a "Breakfast at Tiffany's" themed Brunch. Mark the date for Saturday, January 19th, from 12-2. Please email Vivi Tran for questions or more information!
   
5. Hunger Relief - This Sunday (Jan. 13th), from 11am - 1:30pm, join Roy and the Hunger Relievers for fellowship and conversation with the men at Ozanam Inn. Meet us in the LUCAP office to make sandwiches before we leave.

That's all for now--have a fantastic first day and hope to see you bloggin' soon!