A recent move by Republic programming director Nick Thomas to ban attire inspired by MTV’s “Jersey Shore” is gaining traction among blogs. FAIL Blog declared the rule, posted outside the club, a “Sign Win,” and other blogs such as Racked and New York Magazine’s Vulture have blogged about it. The Huffington Post stole posted this interview with Thomas from NewOrleans.com.

While waiting behind a velvet rope in anticipation of 90s kitsch and special couches (V.I.P. sections), you may have noticed the sign: “If it’s on Jersey Shore, it’s not coming through the door.” For those unsure about what “Jersey Shore” attire encompasses, the sign singles out designers Affliction, Ed Hardy and Christian Audigier. The sign, however, fails to mention if boob slings are permitted.

There are two reactions to the club’s new dress code:

1. Guidos and guidettes (as the “Jersey Shore” cast members lovingly refer to themselves): who needs `em! I am an affluent white person, and therefore find the mere sight of tattoo jeans offensive (the majority of bloggers have embraced this reaction).

2. Seriously? Not that I am in any way advocating the kind of wardrobe the Republic seeks to ban, but how can Republic deny anyone the right to spend $9 on a Jack and Coke based on the dumb trends they follow? It’s essentially one silly, consumer-based subculture — Urban Outfitters-clad PYTs — seeking to exclude another. And while a wardrobe of True Religion jeans and a metallic, skin-tight graphic tee may be considered offensive for its crimes against fashion and society, it is certainly “appropriate” attire and nothing that any club has any real reason banning.

In the NewOrleans.com interview, writer Karen Dalton Beninato asks Thomas if, hypothetically, “Jersey Shore” cast member Snooki (of getting-punched-in-the-face fame) wanted to see the upcoming Spoon show, would the Almighty Fashion High Priests abide?:

Absolutely [not] … if Snooki is wearing anything that Snooki wears, the same Jersey Shore-esque clothing she is known for and [is] rocking a pouf. If Snooki has a life changing event and starts dressing like a normal human being, by all means — come and see Spoon.

First, what if Snooki sincerely wants to fist-pump her way through the crowds to hear Britt Daniel sing “I Summon You”? What now, Nick Thomas? And second, since when is Republic an authority on how “normal human beings” dress? Not all people would agree that wearing, say, a see-through lace body suit (slightly NSFW), outfits made entirely of lamé or ironic eyeglasses is how a “normal human being” dresses.

This was probably inevitable, since Republic has expressly stated its mission to hand-pick its ideal crowds since its inception. From the Lifestyle Revolution Group Web site:

Republic is a hub of creativity and entertainment for the progressive group of people living in and visiting New Orleans intent on revolutionizing the city’s professional and artistic landscapes, providing first-class social experiences and constantly evolving entertainment through music, fashion, philanthropy, film and the arts. Republic caters to a diverse, interesting and eclectic clientele, and its guests’ experiences are paramount to everything created there.

Diversity, however, is limited to the extent to which you are not a “guido.”

A run-down facility, leaked radioactive materials and untrustworthy executives persuaded the Vermont senate to vote to close the Vermont Yankee power plant, run by New Orleans-based Entergy Corporation.

What does this mean for Louisiana? Well, Entergy fed Vermont misinformation about known faults in the plant’s piping — or, as the Alliance for Affordable Energy states, Entergy showed “at least, profound ignorance of the design of this plant.” What does that say about Entergy Louisiana’s Waterford 3 nuclear facility in St. Charles Parish, or the Entergy Gulf States River Bend facility in St. Francisville? The Louisiana Public Service Commission’s latest renewable portfolio standard strawman proposal suggests nuclear power as a “renewable” source that utilities companies include in Louisiana’s future.

The Alliance issued a statement earlier this week before the Vermont ruling:

Entergy Corporation has shown that it cannot be trusted to safely operate these facilities or to provide honest, accurate information about the risks involved.

This disaster clearly demonstrates the risks associated with nuclear generation.  Nuclear power is not clean, not safe, and not renewable, and it has no place in policies designed to encourage renewable energy generation.  Furthermore, nuclear power is expensive.  The potential for disasters such as the one at Vermont Yankee are both a risk for communities and add to the financial burdens that nuclear projects carry, including large sums for decontaminating the sites that house these facilities.  Importantly, ratepayers are those who foot the bill for these projects, which endanger their very lives.

Subsidies and other incentives for energy generation should be reserved for clean, safe, renewable energy sources that can create jobs for Louisiana residents.  We hope that the Louisiana Public Service Commission sees the risks inherent in these plants and adopts a policy that does not include nuclear power.

If unchallenged, this will be the first time in more than 20 years the public or law closed a reactor. (The last was the 1989 closure of a Sacramento plant with faulty electronics.)

By the looks of the comments section, this little incident has caused quite a stir in our little community. First, and foremost, I’d like to ask that people remain civil. As I’ve said before, name calling is not productive and while we encourage lively debate, it seems like the comments are sliding down a spiral of vitriol and racial tension. The Art House is home to a wide variety of people from different ethnic backgrounds just as is the Treme neighborhood, so trying to pigeonhole one as a “hipster commune” or the other as just “the ghetto” is completely unfair and unproductive. Come on, people, it’s Mardi Gras and the Saints are Super Bowl Champs. Let’s just try to get along.

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In any event, the New Orleans fire department sent out a press release regarding the situation at 1614 Esplanade. It mentions the cease and desist order and the numerous code violations, but makes no mention of the tree house structure or why the residents remain without power.

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Also, the art house residents have set up a blog for taking donations to help raise money to fix all of the code violations found in the house (and which, quite frankly, could be found in most houses in New Orleans).

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EDIT: Here’s the relevant quotes from Fire Chief Norman Woodridge on the subject of the code violations from Doug McCash’s article:

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As [Woodridge] explained, some electrical circuits in the Art House were overloaded and some terminals were “basically exposed.” In addition, the house lacked a fire alarm system, posted emergency instructions, lighted exit signs, and acceptable escape routes from all of the quarters.

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At 8:20 p.m., Woodridge issued a news release saying Thursday’s “cease and desist” order stemmed from the failure of the property owners to correct safety and code violations found in the Jan. 25 inspection. The violations were “based on change of use or occupancy, primary means of escape, electrical code infractions and the lack of detection, alarms or communications system.” The news release emphasized that the department had not ordered anyone out of the house or off the property.

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“It’s a residential property. It’s being used more like a boarding house,” Woodridge said in an earlier interview.

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He said the coming cold snap made things especially hazardous. If “a space heater or something like that overloads a circuit, that could be devastating,” he said.

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The full text of the Fire Department’s press release is after the jump:

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Read the rest of this entry »

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• Permits, permits, permits: More specifically, the tree house’s lack there of. Braden says that she met with Paul May in the city permits’ office and was told that no permit applications were filed. This isn’t good for the tree house. Neither is this quote from Braden: “Mr. May [said] no permits had been issued and he was aware of health violations and problems with fire regulations. He also said that he had information concerning a number of people using that as a residence far in excess of what was allowed” and “They were operating illegally and with no regard for the neighbors surrounding them. The police department as well deserves some consideration.” and “All they need to do is get legal and respect their neighbors.”
• Trash and disturbances: According to Braden, there have been many complaints about the tree house parties emitting too much noise on the weekends and the amount of trash in and around 1614 Esplanade Ave. and the neutral ground.
• The tree house itself: Apparently neighborhood residents have been complaining about the structure itself and the state of it (not to mention the actual house the residents live in). “Complaints were also expressed about the structure which they we calling a “slide” in the side yard that was very visible from the street,” Draden said. “Esplanade Ridge has been struggling for sometime to improve the living conditions in the area.”

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The full e-mail (sic’d) is after the jump:

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Read the rest of this entry »

Be sure to check out all the updates for a complete rundown on the day’s coverage.

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Photograph by Jonathan Bachman

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Chalk this up as one of the absolute worst decisions made by a city government in, well, ever. Per the NOLA Art Houses’ Facebook page:

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The city of NOLA just took a big bite out of its own culture: They’re shutting us down completely, and trying to move us into homeless shelters. Our electricity is minutes from being pulled. We’re gonna be fighting, we’re homeless and we don’t have much by way of resources, but we’re gonna fight this thing all the goddamn way. We’re gonna make sure the GOOD parts of NOLA keep rising! We Love y’all! Goodbye, for now

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As for the city’s reasoning? The Art House had this to say (NOTE: We have yet to get an official word from the City Government):

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they’re citing a bunch of bureaucratic bullshit (like, if we have a shared kitchen, apparently every room has to have a private sink….) and some fire code violations that every house in NOLA is guilty of (stuff under the stairs, outlets without covers, &c). so basically it seems like they’re pulling at any straw they can to shut us down

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UPDATE: Click here to see the Esplanade Ridge/Treme Civic Association has responded to the situation.

Say what you will about the Art House and their parties and whether or not the city acted fairly in canceling their three-day Mardi Gras festival. But there is a difference between shutting down a party and shutting down a house. Most of the Art House residents don’t have much in the way of money and many depended on the house’s parties for revenue. That’s the reason they all lived together in this co-op and why it was such a creative hot bed for any artist looking for inspiration in the Crescent City.

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Red Cotton brought up a fair point in the comment to my initial post about the cease and desist letter the city sent to the Art House. Large parties can be a neighborhood problem and, in a richly historic and proud neighborhood like Treme, it is possible that the Art House residents’ ambitions exceeded what their neighbors would deem acceptable. But, in all fairness, of all the houses in the Treme, this shouldn’t be on the top of the city’s list of places to shut down and force its residents into the street. How much urban plight still litters this city? How many empty houses have turned to crack dens? The Art House contributed something to the city and its culture, to destroy it would be to destroy a part of New Orleans in the realest sense. And all in the middle of Mardi Gras, no less.

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Go to 1614esplanade.com for contact info to help keep these residents from being made homeless.

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HIT THE JUMP FOR UPDATES: Read the rest of this entry »

WWL-AM, like most AM talk stations in the country, will never been mistaken for MSNBC. And “The Big 870″ has a variety of hosts, but none of them is likely to be mistaken for Keith Olbermann, either — much less Rachel Maddow, since the station’s sole female host, Monica Pierre, decamped a few months back and is now working with the Mitch Landrieu campaign for mayor.

All of this is preamble to what Garland Robinette, the station’s least predictable talker, chose to discuss during his “Think Tank” show this morning. The transcript of Garland’s remarks is up on WWL-AM’s site, and it begins:

I have one opinion on the gay rights controversy, and I know my opinion is correct, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Those of you actively fighting against gay marriage have waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much time on your hands.

I don’t believe your real reason for fighting gay marriage is because you are sooooooooooooooo concerned about the threat to the institute of marriage. If you were, you’d be protesting people like me. I have been married three times. Elizabeth Taylor and me are the biggest threats ever faced by the sacred institute of marriage.

Let’s not be a hypocrite…you don’t want gay marriage, because you don’t like gays. It’s that simple. You’re frightened by those icky things they do with their sexual parts. But, here’s another hypocritical part…have you ever seen what them-thar “heterosexuals” do with their private parts? Whoa, talk about icky!!!!!

How do I know you’re being hypocritical in your “great concern about the pristine institute of marriage?” Well, that’s simple. If you have the ability to take time out from making groceries, taking care of your children, making dinner, worrying about two wars, the economy, crime, schooling, how to pay your bills and Angelina and Brad…then you certainly have time to picket in streets about divorce. You should be screaming to the high hills…ordering the powers-that-be to make marriage as difficult as divorce. I ain’t seen one of you on TV with that sign…with that protest.

Judging from the responses, Garland’s callers were not happy with this viewpoint:

WELL YOU HAVE BEEN MARRIED THREE TIMES MAYBE YOU ARE CONSIDERING BECOMING GAY!!!!!!

Where is the blue link to report this news story as being offensive!

I always wonder why Angela left him. I may now have a slight hint.

The fact is that gay marriage is a joke and will never constitute the the definition of marriage because marriage is inherently between one man and one woman. You piece is ludicrous and shouldn’t have been allowed on this site!

He had almost lost me months ago. Now I will not listen, the guy is simply wierd. WWL you really should let this guy move on, maybe to a nursing home.

It’s the most surprising local defense of gay marriage since Saints linebacker Scott Fujita came out in favor of same-sex marriage back in September. (Though I’ll wager no one talked like that to Fu, because he’s a bit more intimidating than Garland.)

But, hey, Garland: Fujita might be an interesting guest for you if you want to pursue the topic. Think your callers could handle it?

Judging from our readers’ reaction last week when Saints linebacker Scott Fujita announced his support for gay marriage, people wanted to hear more from him. Today, Dave Zirin, sports editor of The Nation, conducted a more in-depth interview with Fu on gay rights in general, and it’s a hell of a read.

Some quotes:

DZ: You’ve said to me in previous discussions that one of the reasons why this issue really resonates with you is because of the issue of adoption, and who gets to adopt children in the United States. Can you speak about that?

SF: A year ago or two years ago, I remember reading about an initiative that was proposed in the state of Arkansas. It was some kind of measure that was aimed at preventing adoptions by single parents. Now, the way I read that and the way that I translated that language was that only heterosexual, married couples could adopt children. As an adopted child that really bothered me. I asked myself, what that is really saying is that the concern with one’s sexual orientation or one’s sexual preference outweighs what’s really important, and that’s finding safe homes for children, for our children. It’s also saying that we’d rather have kids bounce around from foster home to foster home throughout the course of their childhood, than end up in a permanent home, where the parent, whether that person’s single or not, gay or straight. Either way, it doesn’t matter. It’s a home that’s going to be provided for a kid who desperately needs a home. As an adopted child, that measure really bothered me. It just boggles my mind because good, loving homes for any child are the most important thing.

DZ: Do you have any concerns that teammates, fans, people will say Scott Fujita may be married and have kids, but maybe on the down low he might really be gay? Do you have concern that teammates, bloggers, the press will talk that kind of smack about you either behind your back or to your face?

SF: No, I have no concern about that whatsoever. I know who I am. My wife knows who I am. I don’t care one way or the other, Dave. I imagine that when some of this gets out guys in the locker room might give me a hard time, and they always give me a hard time. They call me the Pinko Communist Fag from Berkeley. I’m used to it. I can take it all.

Fujita sums up his position thusly: “I always describe myself as a pretty open minded and tolerant guy. But the one thing I am most intolerant of is intolerance. That’s the one thing, you want to get under my skin, to start talking about some intolerant stuff, and I’m quick to talk about it.”

Read Zirin’s interview with Fujita here.

In an interview with The Nation’s sports editor Dave Zirin, Saints linebacker Scott Fujita has taken an unusual stance for an NFL player: openly stating his support for same-sex marriage.

Zirin’s story, “Can the NFL Tackle Homophobia?,” includes quotes from a Huffington Post essay by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, who wrote:

If Britney Spears can party it up in Vegas with one of her boys and go get married on a whim and annul her marriage the next day, why can’t a loving same sex couple tie the knot … But now here in 2009 same sex marriages are prohibited. I think we will look back in 10, 20, 30 years and be amazed that gays and lesbians did not have the same rights as every one else.

Fujita agrees:

I hope he’s right in his prediction, and I hope even more that it doesn’t take that long. People could look at this issue without blinders on…the blinders imposed by their church, their parents, their friends or, in our case, their coaches and locker rooms. I wish they would realize that it’s not a religion issue. It’s not a government issue. It’s not even a gay/straight issue or a question of your manhood. It’s a human issue. And until more people see that, we’re stuck arguing with people who don’t have an argument.

Fujita has spoken out on other social topics before, including Japanese-American interment during World War II (his grandmother, Lillie Fujita, was forced to relocate to a government camp in Arizona in the 1940s). In a 2006 interview with ESPN.com, Fujita said, “Any prejudice has to be unacceptable.”

Zirin reports that Fujita has endorsed the Oct. 11 National Equality March in Washington, D.C., and concludes, “When athletes like Fujita and Ayanbadejo speak out against homophobia, they are not only challenging the status quo but redefining a warped vision of manhood in the process.”