Corporate Campaigning

I am currently co-writing a report that is already a month over due. Yea writing reports in coalitions! One of the sections that I am writing is BP's PR Machine. I thought I share some of the articles I've come across in my research:

BP Manipulating Search Terms

BP's Latest PR Tactic

BP Turns to Political Shop for $50 Million Ad Buy to Convince You the Company Will Get This Done and Make It Right

We are also discussing writing a more detailed manual of the tactics of BP and the oil industry in the aftermath of disasters. Should be really interesting.

Also MC Shan is awesome! Renee Claire speakers this afternoon are featuring the album Down by Law!

It's Good To Be Cajun

Yesterday I finally got to visit the Blanchard's. I left the Broussard, LA around 6pm last night with several pounds of fresh gulf shrimp, a jar of pepperjelly, a book titled "Remarkable Louisiana Women", a Qui Ca Saints t-shirt, go boxes full of bbq chicken wrapped in bacon, redfish, chicken sausage, smoked sausage, bbq shrimp, a new ice chest with my name written all over it, and a plan to go to an insect museum with the newest Blanchard's as well as a Saints game.

No one got into a fight, I did accidentally state that Reagan is a liberal these days, but we kept it to how wonderful New Orleans is and ate a lot of meat and drank a lot of wine and talked about Edwin Edwards, the best part of being Cajun anyway.

The RESTORE the Gulf bill was released on Thursday. This is the legislation that asks that 80% of the Clean Water Act fines return to the Gulf Coast for ecosystem and economic restoration. It doesn't include a number of points that we had been demanding like a Regional Citizens Advisory Council, which would help watchdog the energy industry on the Gulf Coast.

Qui Ca!
Renee Claire

Walk to the Coffee Shop

Good Morning French Quarter

Hidden hallways

Saluting Those That Came Before Us

Today deserves a salute to Marion Barry!

I Will Be Buried in this Town Too

I'm slowly coming to realize that I have more commitment to New Orleans than I have ever had in any romantic relationship. Saturday morning on the way to Barataria Preserve in Lafitte (30 minutes south of New Orleans) My cousin, Georgia and I ran into the second line of the recent ancestor Big Chief Lionel Delpit. It was wonderful and full of life.

Many tribes from around the city came together to bury this young Big Chief who had been struggling with health issues for a quite a while. As his casket was put into the horse drawn hearse there was silence with fists and hats raised in the air for blocks down Franklin Ave. As the door closed and those that surrounded his body looked into the windows, the crowd began to chant Indian Red.  (notice the single black feather in the video being held during the chant). A regular heard song and chant around the city in different varieties, but was at its most meaningful in that moment. "Indian, Indian, Big Chief of the nation, wild wild creation, no, he don't bow down, down on the ground, oh I love to hear him call Indian Red . . ." When the horses began to pull away from the church, the Stooges Brass Band jumped into I'll Fly Away and the second line steppers began to celebrate. The moment of mourning silence quickly both expectantly and suddenly turned into one of the best celebrations I've been lucky enough to witness in this town. It simply showed the strength and the tenacity and the toughness of this town's people. I hope one day I can be a real  New Orleanian and all that that means. 

Turns out Georgia is not as big of a fan of brass bands as I am, though she did love all those Indian feathers passing in front of her. Thankfully she didn't bite any of the Indians! How terrible would that be!

I took a little over 100 snaps during that hour or so. Here are the uneddited photos.

I realized Saturday morning that I may never leave New Orleans again. Sure I'll take trips and visit new places, but I won't live anywhere else. This is my home now. And that feels mighty peaceful in this moment.

Ciao,
Renee

ps. This song gives a good idea of the funeral mentality here in the city. 

It's Just the Way She Looks Today

I love this city so much I've decided to share the places that make me happy day to day. You may have noticed I've been posting photos that I take as I roam the streets. New Orleans whispers in your ears to explore her without boundaries and I often roam without intent in return.

I don't have any particular favorite places, I love the city's small curves and flavors and mistakes and colors. So I decided that instead of just writing about the chaoticness of my little trite world and what makes me angry (corporate control over our democracy and bodies and earth), I would share with you my love of those curves and flavors and mistakes and colors as well.

Also, I'd like to share with you my organization's President reminding me why I go to battle everyday, even if sometimes I get lost in my little trite world. And this one rocks too.

Ciao,

Renee Claire

Sunset over Bywater = Time for a Tallboy

Bywater home

French quarter home

French quarter home

French quarter home

On the way to markeys park

Summertime Shrimp and Crab Boil

Treme Steppers and Fighting Cock

Youngins Coming Up Brass

Frenchmen Street

Opening Night

You Stupid

Georgia is giving me sad eyes for not having yet taken her for a walk this morning. Even though I let her fun under the house this morning all she wanted. So . . . here is a quote I just found. I like it.

"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’"
— Isaac Asimov (via themadeshop)

Don't forget to watch the last episode of Treme tonight! I will be frequenting Hi Ho once again to drink High Life and put my name in a raffle that I will not win.

Ciao
Renee Claire

ps. I changed up the blog look. It's too hot for unnecessarily busy templates.