Cigarette commercial

When was the last time you saw a cigarette commercial? The Internet Archive has it all. (Sorry, I wasn't able to embed the video. You'll have to use the link above).

Wiki Entry for 'Yat'

Ran across this today: Yat

Brad Pitt aims to keep focus on Katrina recovery

Brad Pitt aims to keep focus on Katrina recovery

Essay: Two Years On

From the PBS Newshour 8/20/2007: Essay: Two Years On
Chris Rose of the New Orleans Times-Picayune considers New Orleans two years after Hurricane Katrina (audio).

U.S. paid $1 million to ship two 19-cent washers

A small South Carolina company run by twin sisters managed to collect $1M from US Department of Defense to ship two $0.19 lock washers. This happened due to procedures used to streamline procurement for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Who do these folks think they are? Haliburton? U.S. paid $1 million to ship two 19-cent washers

Virtual Chainsaw

The prestigious Fraunhoffer Institute in Germany (which, among other things, holds key patents on the MP3 audio format) has invented the 'virtual chainsaw'. This gives me an idea for a video game ...

There’s Money in Oil, Oystermen Find

An interesting story on Louisiana oyster leases and the oil industry: There’s Money in Oil, Oystermen Find

Katrina Aid Goes Toward Football Condos

Katrina Aid Goes Toward Football Condos in Alabama, 200 miles from the coast.

Thomas expected to plead guilty

Thomas expected to plead guilty
New Orleans Councilman Oliver Thomas could resign Monday
Sunday, August 12, 2007
By Frank Donze
In the most dramatic development to date in a sprawling probe of corruption in New Orleans city government, longtime city councilman and mayoral hopeful Oliver Thomas has reached an agreement with federal prosecutors to plead guilty to charges of demanding illegal payments from a City Hall vendor and is expected to resign his at-large council seat as early as Monday, sources familiar with the case said Saturday. ...

Live Free Music

I have used archive.org to look up old or deceased web sites, but I just ran across their music archive. They have all sorts of other digital media archived for download, but the music caught my attention. Lots of Grateful Dead, but also stuff like the Radiators. The names of the indie bands kill me. My favorites: 'Kung Fu Hippies', 'Public Display of Funk', 'Lesbian Afternoon', 'Wino Riot' and 'The Joint Chiefs'.

More Katrina News

The pillage continues. I'm (finally) getting fatigue from all the bad news still coming out of New Orleans and the region. Toxic trailers, corruption, etc. But here are two more that deserve to be recorded:
Court Rules Against Katrina Homeowners in Flood Insurance Case and
Missteps Found in Awarding Katrina Deals
The upshot: about 7% of rebuilding contracts go to small local businesses, down from an alleged 12%. Although nearly $100M in money tagged for small business was fradulently given to big companies.