Too much to respond to now in your Bill Cosby post…much of which I agree with and want to elaborate on…but I will answer your last comment, and that is to say that the building I used to live in in the Quarter made it through with what looked like no flooding at all. I dont know if he evacuated, but you know, he’s the kind of guy that I’m willing to bet if he still lives there, and nobody came to his door to drag him out, he probably just did some extra shopping, tucked up, and waited it out. He barely uses his kitchen anyway for more than food storage; he’s probably stacked up with five years’ worth of grilling supplies. All the same, I wish him well, wherever he is. He was a really nice man.

I have the satellite photo of my old block somewhere, from right after Katrina hit. When I have time later I’ll dig it out and post it. :)

*MWAH*

I was pissed to read about how rude some evacuees were to their hosts. They were provided free food but complained that it wasn’t tasty enough. (From the NY Times a week or two ago.)

Sometimes it seems that people just roll over and take shit, but powerlessness is probably hell to overcome. Status quo is a more attainable goal, but then I’ve seen people slip into poverty from a mostly comfortable existence and never resume their previous norms, despite real effort.

I’m a letter writer (and boy am I tired of senatorial form letters… they need new interns), but starting to despair that my own actions are useless. I couldn’t give a legally elected president his seat or stop an unjust war. I couldn’t keep W from being reelected, even though I spoke with my wallet. I couldn’t effect a real recount in Ohio.

That said, my lack of apathy won’t let me stop trying. I can see, though, how it’s easier just to roll along sometimes… it’s easier to eat frozen dinners and watch Desperate Housewives with your head up your ass than to soak your beans and read the news. At least we’re fighting apathy with the next generation! (P.S. Hannah may not go into vet medicine, but she does want to be a crossing guard).

This coldy/flu thing sucks ass!

While I’m satisified with some of the points I managed to make in this essay, I am disgruntled by the fact that I was not able to be more clear in other areas, due to time constraints (we’re really busy at work) but more importantly a lack of the skill needed to translate thought to keyboard. I wrote this yesterday, did a first edit today, and wanted to get it posted or it would have never gotten posted at all. I am coming across as a lot more inflexible and a lot less compassionate than I really am. When I have a little more time, I’m going to perhaps clarify myself, if I can.

I’m going to check out your link as soon as I am finished working (tomorrow). In the meantime, I’m more interested hearing opposing viewpoints…where you disagree…than I am in hearing halellujahs. There’s no sense preaching to the choir, and the only way progress is made and things move forward is through communication, understanding, and knowledge.

And yes, libraries do indeed rock! WOOHOO!

“Ebonics” is a language, though the name seems to be a fabrication of the Oakland school district. However, the language spoken by the blacks of New Orleans is a legitimate language with its own internal system. It is different from the received dialect in the U.S. (a.k.a. “Standard American English”), and stigmatized because of the race and class with which it’s associated. Standard dialects are the languages of literacy and not being fluent in the standard can be a barrier to learning to read and write. So, keeping your native language is a good thing for the sake of cultural continuity, group identity, etc., but learning the local Standard is important — as a bridge to higher learning, better jobs, opportunity overall. This is not without controversy, however! I remember my Dad telling me about one of his fellow teachers chastising his students for “talking white.”

Ack, someone else has got to say this better than I can (I’m all fluish today as is your big girl Tinkerbell): http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/ebonics.lsa.html

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately with respect to New Yawkish, which is fortunate enough to only really vary from the Standard in pronunciation and some syntactic features at its most informal, unlike others (including Appalachian English), which have major distinctions.

I blame Babel :)