Author Archive
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New Orleanians who like to laugh will be mourning the death of British actor Mollie Sugden, known in the States for one major role — that of Mrs. Slocombe in the Britcom Are You Being Served?, which had a long, long life in reruns on New Orleans public television stations, first on WLAE-TV and then on WYES-TV. With her cotton-candy-colored hair, imperious attitude, and innocent double-entendre references to her housecat (”My pussy got soaking wet. I had to dry it out in front of the fire”) Mrs. Slocombe was always a reliably hilarious companion every time one would stumble across one of the old AYBS? reruns.
Some may remember the controversy in the early 1990s when WLAE pulled the show off the air without warning or notice. In response to readers, The Times-Picayune inquired and was told:
The station involved, Diocese-owned WLAE, at first wouldn’t even say what had happened. When they did respond, it was by fax, saying the series had been withdrawn by order of Archbishop Phillip M. Hannan, then station general manager. And that was all they’d say.
It’s a safe bet that Mrs. Slocombe’s cat displeased the Archbishop. Fortunately, WYES picked up the show shortly afterward and kept it on the air for everyone to enjoy.
Mollie Sugden, one of TV’s true comic geniuses, was 86 when she died yesterday. In her honor, here’s a collection of Mrs. Slocombe’s greatest hits:
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BY ALLEN M. JOHNSON JR.
Gov. Bobby Jindal’s veto of state funding for New Orleans Adolescent Hospital (NOAH) has put pressure on fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao to address the projected Sept. 1 closing of the mental health facility.
One day after Jindal’s June 30 veto of $14.2 million for NOAH, activists passed out leaflets at a Mid-City health care fair — hosted by Cao –- urging the congressman to support keeping the 35-bed hospital Uptown.
Cao said that he asked Jindal Administration officials if NOAH could remain in New Orleans if $4.5 million in federal funds could be found to plug the state funding shortfall for NOAH (which the governor put at $5.8 million). “They did not make a commitment,” Cao said of state health officials.
The congressman added that earlier in the week he asked a City Park “roundtable” of area hospital executives if they could accommodate more mental health beds. However, the executives replied that mental health beds are too costly for private facilities to maintain because of a lack of federal Medicaid reimbursements, Cao said. “Children’s Hospital has space for 16 additional beds for mental health,” the congressman added, but the nonprofit would need $1 million for the expansion.
In his veto message, Jindal said NOAH costs twice as much to operate as other state inpatient facilities. The governor said the consolidation of NOAH and transfer of its beds to the state Southeast Louisiana Hospital at Mandeville would result in $9.1 million in savings and no loss of patient services, while providing “community-based mental health services” in New Orleans.
Critics fear that transportation of mental patients across Lake Pontchartrain will pose a financial hardship on local governments, hospital emergency rooms and visiting family members. A legislative override of Jindal’s veto is widely viewed as unlikely. — Allen M. Johnson Jr.
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Statement from City Council vice president Arnie Fielkow:
“I am truly frustrated with Governor Bobby Jindal’s decision to apply a line item veto to $14.2 million in funds dedicated by the Legislature to the New Orleans Adolescent Hospital - one of the last vestiges of mental health facilities in Orleans Parish.
“Governor Jindal must know what this veto will mean for those New Orleans-area citizens in need of hospitalization: the reduction of in-patient beds by another 35 for a total loss of 231 in-patient beds since Hurricane Katrina; that parents, guardians and/or significant others will be forced to commute 40 miles to see and assist in the assessment and treatment of their loved ones; and there will be zero public sector facilities in New Orleans to provide comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services for children and adolescents.
“I beseech Gov. Jindal and Department of Health and Hospital Secretary Alan Levine to reconsider this critical decision. I heartily thank all legislators who voted against the closure and who voted in favor of additional funding to keep this crucial facility open. Various groups have requested, and I have accepted, to sponsor a forum for advocates to appeal to legislators to override Governor Jindal’s veto. The meeting will be held on July 14, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., in the City Council Chamber.“
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Yep. Just ask the RTA:
# 47-48 CANAL STREETCAR ~ Rider Alert
Effective Monday, July 6, 2009, the inbound and outbound routes of the #47-48 Canal Streetcar will be shut down for 8 weeks.
The RTA is replacing feeder cables underground that were damaged during Hurricane Katrina. RTA Buses will run the regular Canal route. Customers will need to board the bus on the sidewalks.
Thank you for your understanding!
RTA
RideLine ~ (504) 248-3900
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For once it’s not Louisiana caught up in statewide scandal. Let’s look at what happened today in the other Gret Stets of America ….
• DATELINE MINNESOTA! As David Winkler-Schmit noted earlier, the proper term for former comedian-talk show host Al Franken is now Senator Al Franken. Update: Franken’s challenger, Norm Coleman, has conceded.
• DATELINE S. CAROLINA! For those who thought South Carolina governor Mark Sanford was (R-TooMuchInformationville) in his tear-soaked confession, wait till you get a load of this:
The governor said he “never crossed the ultimate line” with anyone but Maria Belen Chapur, the Argentine at the center of a scandal that has derailed his once-promising political career….
During an emotional interview at his Statehouse office with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Sanford said Chapur is his soul mate but he’s trying to fall back in love with his wife.
And this:
In early 2009, after Jenny Sanford discovered the affair, the couple went into counseling. She has told The Associated Press that he asked her several times to visit the mistress and she refused.
Awk-ward. And Sanford’s now gone from (R-TooMuchInformationville) to (R-FunnyFarmMaterial).
• DATELINE ALASKA! Much will be made about “It Came From Wasilla,” the profile of Sarah Palin in the upcoming issue of Vanity Fair (now available online for pre-publication mastication).
That’s got to cheese off the poor editors at Runners World magazine, who must’ve thought they had an Alaskan gubernatorial scoop with their own Palin interview in the new issue. But Runners World has something the Vanity Fair story doesn’t, and that’s this:
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THE EVIL EYE!
What’s this about?
As the summer begins, White House watchers have spotted a new look by President Obama: The Evil Eye!
Staffers have joked about the menacing glance, which comes when the president meets with world leaders who are not aligned with his progressive view.
White House photographers have captured the “evil eye” in recent weeks, during sessions with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Colombia’s Alvaro Uribev.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi got hit with the commander’s malocchio last week in the Oval office.
And at least one White House reporter has been on the receiving end of the daggers during a press conference.
Developing…
Remember, this is developing … so check back with the Weekly World News Drudge later in the day for further terrifying updates.
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Lollapalooza music festival’s giving this stuff away…
Want a taste of the bands rocking Lollapalooza in August? Download the FREE digital sampler from iTunes featuring 15 artists from this year’s lineup. Check them out, then click the button below to download your free Lollapalooza Sampler on iTunes (only available for U.S. fans).
* ALBERTA CROSS - The Thief & The Heartbreaker
* BON IVER - Skinny Love
* CONSTANTINES - Trans Canada
* DEERHUNTER - Nothing Ever Happened
* ERIC CHURCH - Smoke a Little Smoke
* FLEET FOXES - Mykonos
* JOE PUG - Hymn #101
* LANGHORNE SLIM - Rebel Side of Heaven
* LIVING THINGS - Oxygen
* RYE RYE - Bang
* THE HENRY CLAY PEOPLE - You Can Be Timeless
* THE KNUX - Fire (Put It In the Air)
* THE RAVEONETTES - Dead Sound
* WHITE LIES - Farewell to the Fairground
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Today in Tucson, Ariz., the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies held its 14th annual awards ceremony.
In the category of publications with circulation under 50,000, Gambit placed twice: a 1st place win in the category of Editorial Layout for Amy Morvant, and a 2nd place finish in Best Blog for Blog of New Orleans, the weird, undefined, non-mission-statemented, crowd-sourced blog you’re reading right now.
OK, shameless self-promotion over. Thanks, AAN. Have a great weekend in Tucson.
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