Larry Blumenfeld on New Orleans After Katrina

BLANK Jul 24, 2009 Why are New Orleanians -- along with people from all over the world who continue to flock there -- so devoted to a place that was, even before the storm, the most corrupt, impoverished and violent corner of America? "Nine Lives" by Dan Baum helps provide an answer.Why are New Orleanians so devoted to one of the most corrupt, impoverished and violent corners of America? Dig deeper ( 12 Min. Read )

Playing Chicken of the Sea

Staff / Truthdig Mar 20, 2009 The same day that President Obama released a message of new understanding and diplomacy to the Iranian people via his vlog, two U.S. Navy vessels collided in the Strait of Hormuz off southern Iran. More than 25,000 gallons of diesel fuel was spilled and 15 sailors were slightly injured. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

OMG, Brad Pitt in D.C.!

Staff / Truthdig Mar 6, 2009 Mayhem ensued Thursday when actor Brad Pitt visited Capitol Hill to meet with President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about rebuilding New Orleans. An anonymous Senate source told the AP that Pitt was possessed of a "nice face" but was "waaaay too skinny." These politicians need to get their stuff together. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Haiti Seeks Aid in Catastrophic Floods

Staff / Truthdig Sep 5, 2008 With the mainstream news largely riveted on the U.S. election campaign and convention mania, little attention has been paid to the aftermath of the series of storms that rocked the Caribbean this past month. Flooding in Haiti has put 600,000 people at serious risk as hunger and disease rise in what Haitian President Rene Preval calls a "catastrophe." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

New Orleans Spared by Faltering Storm

Staff / Truthdig Sep 2, 2008 As it turned out, New Orleans dodged the full brunt of Hurricane Gustav, which had substantially weakened by the time it reached the Louisiana shoreline on Monday, but Hurricane Hanna still looms as a potential threat to the nation's East Coast. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

New Orleans Mayor Orders Evacuation

Staff / Truthdig Aug 31, 2008 New Orleans residents began fleeing the city this weekend in preparation for Hurricane Gustav to hit the Louisiana coast just three years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the region. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin underscored the severity of the situation, telling locals they had to evacuate starting at 8 a.m. Sunday but would be wise to start earlier. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Back to the Drawing Board for Disney’s First Black Princess

Staff / Truthdig Jul 18, 2008 Disney's popular animated films have been criticized for creating 2-D characters from various non-Western (or non-white Western) cultures, so the Mouse House made an attempt to clear its name by creating a "black princess" character who works as a chambermaid for a bratty white Southern debutante in 1920s New Orleans And that's not the half of it . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Jazz Fest ’08: Homecoming on Muddy Ground

Larry Blumenfeld / Truthdig May 27, 2008 It's easy in New Orleans these days to read meaning and purpose into every lyric or song choice -- was Sheryl Crow commenting on the housing crisis by covering "Gimme Shelter," or was she just doing a Stones tune? Also, it's impossible to take in all the music and all the messages emanating from the Jazz Fest's 10 stages. Still, a good deal of what I did catch was timely, topical and worth remembering. Dig deeper ( 14 Min. Read )

McCain on Katrina Scandal: ‘Never Again’

Staff / Truthdig Apr 25, 2008 Sen. John McCain has a tough path and a lot to prove in his presidential campaign: that his age isn't an issue, that he doesn't have an anger problem and that he's like Bush in ways some voters admire but unlike him in other ways. Thursday was a day for McCain to make himself appear very different indeed as he campaigned in New Orleans. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Larry Blumenfeld on New Orleans’ Refusal to Vanish

Larry Blumenfeld / Truthdig Feb 22, 2008 Ned Sublette's remarkable new book tells an inspiring story of resilience and resistance by ordinary men and women who won't cooperate in their own erasure. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )

NRA Targets New Orleans

Staff / Truthdig Dec 27, 2007 The National Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation are suing the mayor and police superintendent of New Orleans because, they say, the city unconstitutionally seized some 1,000 guns during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Police say they took only stolen or abandoned weapons. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

New Orleans Homes to Be Demolished

Staff / Truthdig Dec 13, 2007 The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development plans to demolish thousands of public housing units in New Orleans this weekend, despite an urgent need for affordable homes in the city. This video explains why, and what you can do about it. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )