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Photo by Jonathan Bachman

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With their pretty decisive 104–91 win tonight against the Shaq- and Nash-less Phoenix Suns, the New Orleans Hornets have won five of their last six games, including a four-game win streak last week. Four of those five wins have been by double-digits while only the Denver Nuggets managed to break the 100-point barrier.

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Quite a turnaround from that sluggish start to the season that had fans a bit nervous. But, as Byron Scott noted, the season is still long and there is still much to play for.

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“As long as they don’t feel that we’ve arrived, then we’re going to be OK,” he said. “When they get to the point where we’ve arrived, then we’re in trouble.”

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(It’s celebrity week, here at Gambit, apparently.) 

 

Continuing his efforts to turn the Lower Ninth Ward into an environmentally sustainable, largely solar-powered and “high-powered neighborhood,” Brad Pitt and Co. (through his Make it Right Foundation) today opened the most technologically advanced playground in North America. 

 

Kellogg Park (so-named after the contributing Kellogg’s Corporate Citizenship Fund) features $500,000 worth of equipment, landscaping and donated manpower, with donations from architectural firms BNIM and John Williams, and the mid-century modernists at KOMPAN Inc. (I guess the days of tanbark, sawdust and rusty monkey bars are over.) 

 

Make it Right, along with the PlayGreen Initiative, developed an eco-friendly play space, with all the bells and whistles Pitt and Make it Right have integrated into their batch of sustainable homes — rest assured, they’re not replacing the Lower Ninth with an Ikea. The site is another example of the power of potential Pitt’s invested in the neighborhood’s future. 

 

Tim Knowlton, Kellogg Company vice president of corporate social responsibility, dedicated the park to the kids, who, after three years, finally get a post-K playground — that just happens to be worth half a million dollars. 

 

In further New Orleans playground news, on Nov. 28, KaBOOM!’s Operation Playground completed a project at the Abramson Science & Technology Charter School with the help of more than 200 volunteers from the community and from the State Farm Bayou Classic. The next scheduled Operation Playground construction is Dec. 6 at Gentilly Terrace Elementary School.

An invitation arrived for me today with a memorable inscription: “Art is a timeless expression of a moment,” George Rodrigue. And cookies were attached. The Blue Dog is everywhere these days. There was the big show at NOMA. Now media enticements. Rodrigue has produced a series of pieces on chrome paper that will be on display at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel. It includes more several one-of-a-find Blue Dog Paintings. After the show, the artworks will be donated to metropolitan museums around the country.

According to United Health Foundation’s “2008 America’s Health Rankings,” Louisiana has replaced Mississippi as the least healthy state in the nation. Some of the outcomes that lead to the state’s abysmal rating include:

• 49^th in terms of infant mortality rate (10.3 deaths per 1,000 births)

• 45^th in cardiovascular deaths
• 49^th in cancer deaths
• 49^th in premature deaths

What helps produce these unfortunate outcomes? The reports lists the following determinants:

• 48^th in preventable hospital admissions
• 47^th in lack of health insurance (20.2 percent of Louisianans have no insurance)
• 46^th in high school graduations (slightly less than 70 percent of incoming Louisiana ninth graders will graduate from high school)
• 47^th in children’s poverty
• 47^th in prevalence of obesity (more than 30 percent of the population is considered obese)

It’s not a pretty picture, but if you’re interested in seeing more of it, here you go.

(United Health Foundation is funded by the United Health Group, which owns a number of businesses in the health-care industry including United Healthcare. Gambit Communications purchases health-care insurance through United Healthcare.)

Trouble the Water, a documentary about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, won the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Documentary, which kicks off a long season of film awards. It already won best documentary at Sundance this year.  See Gambit’s review here. Tia Lessin and Carl Deal’s film is expected to collect more top nominations. Stay tuned.  

Last week, Weezy put out his latest official mixtape, The Drought Is Over Part 6: The Reincarnation. (Download it here.) Now let’s all take a minute to parse the cover art. Lil Wayne wades through a sea of blood, away from a burning city menaced - or guarded - by imposing bird-men with glowing eyes. Wayne, though, also has huge, scary, furry black wings. Um… discuss. 

In honor of the brand new slots facility and the 2008-09 racing season, the New Orleans Fair Grounds and Gambit Weekly present the Blake Ponchartrain Challenge. Think you know the answers to all the trivia questions in this video? If so, log onto BestofNewOrleans.com for your chance to win! 

 Answer all of the questions correctly and your name will be entered to win a $100 gift certificate to the Fair Grounds club level restaurant.   Search past Blake articles for the correct answers.