Blogging from New Orleans during a conference proved more difficult than I originally thought. But as my high school, senior honors English teacher used to say, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions."
Nonetheless, I am pleased to report that New Orleans is alive and open for business! The "touristy" places are, for the most part, intact, open and welcoming visitors. I was able to wake up early and enjoy freshly made beignets from Cafe du Monde while strolling along the banks of the mighty Mississippi.
I listened to superb live music ranging from dixieland jazz to rock n' roll to zydeco blues and everything in between. Bourbon Street and the French Quarter is alive and bustling, although much less crowded than normal (which is a good thing, so visit now.) I never waited to get into a restaurant or a drinking establishment to listen to music; and I never had trouble getting a seat. (With the exception of the famous Court of Two Sisters Restaurant -- which was booked for their scrumptious jazz brunch on Sunday because of graduations and first communions.)
I did have dinner at one of Emeril's Restaurants. It was unbelievably good and even better was that Emeril himself was in the kitchen supervising the preparation of food and assisting his cooks from time to time. I was seated at the Chef's Bar (overlooking the kitchen) -- what a treat!
Now for the bad news. The city, outside of the French Quarter, the Warehouse and Garden Districts is still decimated and reeling from Katrina, over 9 months ago. For those of you who know Cleveland, imagine an area the size of Wards 15, 14 and 17 completely under 5 to 12 ft of water for three weeks and you'll begin to have an inkling of understanding of the devastation to many of New Orleans' neighborhoods.
I took the Katrina disaster tour to see for myself (more on that later) and there are no words that can adequately describe the scope of the damage. You truly must see it for yourself to appreciate it.
After learning about the city (on a walking tour of the French Quarter) and spending 5 days immersed in its culture, people and politics (the mayoral election was held on the Saturday I was there -- Mayor Nagin's campaign party was in the hotel I was staying in -- yes, I crashed it.); I am as convinced as ever that New Orleans is a national treasure that must be rebuilt and preserved.
The tour guide on the disaster tour relayed to us that the mayoral candidates were interviewed by Chris Matthews on MSNBC and were both asked a questions something like, "What do you say to the cab driver in Cleveland who doesn't understand why his tax dollars have to pay to fix the problems in New Orleans." The guide then rattled off a myriad of statistics on New Orleans, many related to it being a strategic and economic port of entry and exit for goods and trade. He rambled on about this for some time, and it was very informative, but I couldn't help thinking that he was overcomplifying the the answer.
At the end of the tour I took the guide aside and said, "I'm not a cab driver, but I am from Cleveland and my answer to Chris Matthews' question is much simpler than yours -- it's because we're all Americans."
What struck me most about visiting New Orleans right now is that there are literally thousands, if not tens of thousands of people there from all over the United States -- helping. Helping clean up, helping rebuild, doing whatever is necessary. I suspect there is no other place in the U.S. right now where a cross section of our population has joined together in spite of geography, race, creed color, socio-economic status. It is truly something to see and experience. It made a positive and meaningful impact on me. If you have the means and the time, I strongly urge you to visit this magnificent place and experience it for yourself.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Friday, May 19, 2006
Now I Know How A Submariner Feels--Kind of
Flying in a Continental Express-Jet for a 2 hour+ flight was not too bad, although, the plane is like a small aluminum tube and a bit claustrophobic.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Cleveland One . . . Where Are You?
7:32 a.m. -- I am at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (or, according to Jane Campbell, "CIA"). I'm at gate D28, which, it seems to me, is located within the boundaries of Berea, Ohio. I knew I was in trouble when the TSA screener offered to call me a cab to my gate. Funny guy. (But hey, better to have a TSA with a sense of humor than without, I always say.)
This is my first time departing from D Concourse. It is a journey of epic proportions to get to the gate from Security Checkpoint B. After arriving at Gate D28, "surely I must be at least a third of the way to New Orleans," I muttered to myself.
After getting a Grande Verona at Starbucks (they saving grace of Concourse D is that, as you rise on the escalator after a VERY LONG WALK, the first thing you see is a Starbucks rising like the sun after a week of rain and clouds in Cleveland -- which, by the way, NEVER happens); I found a seat and extracted the laptop from its case; wondering, oh wondering, if there would be WiFi access.
Turns out, there is WiFi access throughout A T & T -- for $3.95 for two hours. Ugh! "I did not know such a thing existed!", I exclaimed to no one in particular. And then I wonder to myself, what ever happened to Cleveland One? I only grudgingly paid $3.95 to get connected to the world from Concourse D of Cleveland Hopkins Airport. This is because of my resentment and general contempt for all things SBC/ATT. I would have been much more willing, indeed -- even eager, to fork over $3.95 to the City of Cleveland, or some community based entity, to have two hours of WiFi. But alas . . .
Where for art thou, oh Cleveland One. How I long for thee.
[Tune in next time when Equanimous Philosopher describes his experience taking flight on a very small express jet for the first time.]
This is my first time departing from D Concourse. It is a journey of epic proportions to get to the gate from Security Checkpoint B. After arriving at Gate D28, "surely I must be at least a third of the way to New Orleans," I muttered to myself.
After getting a Grande Verona at Starbucks (they saving grace of Concourse D is that, as you rise on the escalator after a VERY LONG WALK, the first thing you see is a Starbucks rising like the sun after a week of rain and clouds in Cleveland -- which, by the way, NEVER happens); I found a seat and extracted the laptop from its case; wondering, oh wondering, if there would be WiFi access.
Turns out, there is WiFi access throughout A T & T -- for $3.95 for two hours. Ugh! "I did not know such a thing existed!", I exclaimed to no one in particular. And then I wonder to myself, what ever happened to Cleveland One? I only grudgingly paid $3.95 to get connected to the world from Concourse D of Cleveland Hopkins Airport. This is because of my resentment and general contempt for all things SBC/ATT. I would have been much more willing, indeed -- even eager, to fork over $3.95 to the City of Cleveland, or some community based entity, to have two hours of WiFi. But alas . . .
Where for art thou, oh Cleveland One. How I long for thee.
[Tune in next time when Equanimous Philosopher describes his experience taking flight on a very small express jet for the first time.]
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Equanimous Philosopher in the Big Easy
I will be blogging from New Orleans beginning tomorrow, May 18 through Monday, May 22.
I am attending the Annual Convention and Meeting of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA).
While it may seem ironic (or even a bit crass) that NACBA is holding their convention in N.O.; this was scheduled prior to Katrina. After much debate, NACBA made the decision to support our fellow citizens and legal practitioners in Lousiana and N.O. and keep its commitment to hold the convetion in N.O.
On Saturday afternoon, NACBA has planned a pro bono session for affected persons to come and get free information and advice regarding bankruptcy and other options as a result of their finanical difficulties from Katrina.
I hope to share my personal experiences and observations about N.O. with you.
I am attending the Annual Convention and Meeting of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA).
While it may seem ironic (or even a bit crass) that NACBA is holding their convention in N.O.; this was scheduled prior to Katrina. After much debate, NACBA made the decision to support our fellow citizens and legal practitioners in Lousiana and N.O. and keep its commitment to hold the convetion in N.O.
On Saturday afternoon, NACBA has planned a pro bono session for affected persons to come and get free information and advice regarding bankruptcy and other options as a result of their finanical difficulties from Katrina.
I hope to share my personal experiences and observations about N.O. with you.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
News Channel 5 & Firefighter Response Times
On Monday evening, Channel 5's Ron Regan had an "investigative" news piece aired regarding firefighter response times in our area.
In the past few months, I have spent a considerable amount of time researching the issue of firefighter response times in regard to the closing of Old Brooklyn's Ladder Company 42.
Mr. Regan brought a very important issue to light that should concern all citizen regardless of where they live and I commend him for pursuing this story. Unfortunately, Mr. Regan's news story only scratches the surface of this issue and in some ways was unintentionally misleading; not by what he reported, but by what he didn't report.
For example, Mr. Regans' recitation of response time standards from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) were over simplified, and did not take into account how the response time standard must fit in with other NFPA standards for firefighting operations. While his reporting was dead-on regarding the speed at which fire spreads, the NFPA required response time is slightly more complicated.
For a "box alarm" (which roughly means a call from a live person as opposed to an automatic alarm for the fire department to a structure on fire) NFPA requires the first fire unit to arrive within 4 minutes of the fire company leaving the station. NFPA defines "response time" as the time it takes a fire unit to reach the fire scene once the unit leaves the station. NFPA allows an additional one (1) minute for "turn-out time" which is the time between when the fire unit receives the alarm from the dispatcher and the wheels on the unit begin rolling out the door of the station. So, Mr. Regan's story was very accurate up to the point where the first fire unit arrives on the scene.
However, the NFPA also requires a minimum number of fire fighters at a structure fire who are assigned specific tasks in order to begin SAFELY fighting a structure fire and rescuing people. It is important to remember that fire trucks do not put out fires by themselves. You need people to fight fires and a lot of them. Most suburban and rural departments runs with two or three personnel on a fire truck. The city of Cleveland runs with four personnel. The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) runs with five personnel on a truck.
NFPA standards state that the first due engine should arrive in four minutes or less of response time to 90 percent of the incidents. However, NFPA standards further state that a first "full alarm" assignment of fire units and personnel should arrive in eight minutes or less. A first "full alarm assignment" must include 15-16 firefighting personnel in order to meet NFPA standards to begin SAFE firefighting operations that involve firefighters entering the structure to do search and rescue and an "inside attack" of the fire. Many suburban and rural departments simply do not have that many personnel and, as a result, are not able to do an effective search and rescue, and conduct an "outside attack" or defensive firefighting operations (sometimes referred to insiders as the "surround it and drown it" approach).
For example, given the staffing levels on each fire unit, in order for the City of Cleveland to meet NFPA standards for response time for a first full alarm assignment, the following pieces of equipment are dispatched to a "box alarm": 2 pumpers, 1 hook and ladder; 1 rescue squad; and 1 battalion chief. This a standard first alarm assignment in the City of Cleveland. All of these units must arrive within 8 minutes of response time in order for NFPA standards to be met with the first due engine arriving within 4 minutes. NFPA standards state that this level of response much be achieved 90 percent of the time to meet the standards.
As you can see, Mr. Regan's report left out many details of any issue that is complicated to be sure.
I would add some additional questions for citizens to ask of their fire departments:
1. Is your philosophy of firefighting and training for "inside attack" style firefighting or "surround it and drown it?"
2. How many firefighting personnel are on duty and ready to respond to a fire at any given time of the day or night in my area?
3. How many firefighting personnel are staffed to each fire unit?
4. What "runs" does your average response time include -- does it include non-fires, non-emergencies, medical calls, etc. (The response time that matters under the NFPA standards is to structure fires -- averaging all calls into the time will tend to make the response times look better.)
In the past few months, I have spent a considerable amount of time researching the issue of firefighter response times in regard to the closing of Old Brooklyn's Ladder Company 42.
Mr. Regan brought a very important issue to light that should concern all citizen regardless of where they live and I commend him for pursuing this story. Unfortunately, Mr. Regan's news story only scratches the surface of this issue and in some ways was unintentionally misleading; not by what he reported, but by what he didn't report.
For example, Mr. Regans' recitation of response time standards from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) were over simplified, and did not take into account how the response time standard must fit in with other NFPA standards for firefighting operations. While his reporting was dead-on regarding the speed at which fire spreads, the NFPA required response time is slightly more complicated.
For a "box alarm" (which roughly means a call from a live person as opposed to an automatic alarm for the fire department to a structure on fire) NFPA requires the first fire unit to arrive within 4 minutes of the fire company leaving the station. NFPA defines "response time" as the time it takes a fire unit to reach the fire scene once the unit leaves the station. NFPA allows an additional one (1) minute for "turn-out time" which is the time between when the fire unit receives the alarm from the dispatcher and the wheels on the unit begin rolling out the door of the station. So, Mr. Regan's story was very accurate up to the point where the first fire unit arrives on the scene.
However, the NFPA also requires a minimum number of fire fighters at a structure fire who are assigned specific tasks in order to begin SAFELY fighting a structure fire and rescuing people. It is important to remember that fire trucks do not put out fires by themselves. You need people to fight fires and a lot of them. Most suburban and rural departments runs with two or three personnel on a fire truck. The city of Cleveland runs with four personnel. The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) runs with five personnel on a truck.
NFPA standards state that the first due engine should arrive in four minutes or less of response time to 90 percent of the incidents. However, NFPA standards further state that a first "full alarm" assignment of fire units and personnel should arrive in eight minutes or less. A first "full alarm assignment" must include 15-16 firefighting personnel in order to meet NFPA standards to begin SAFE firefighting operations that involve firefighters entering the structure to do search and rescue and an "inside attack" of the fire. Many suburban and rural departments simply do not have that many personnel and, as a result, are not able to do an effective search and rescue, and conduct an "outside attack" or defensive firefighting operations (sometimes referred to insiders as the "surround it and drown it" approach).
For example, given the staffing levels on each fire unit, in order for the City of Cleveland to meet NFPA standards for response time for a first full alarm assignment, the following pieces of equipment are dispatched to a "box alarm": 2 pumpers, 1 hook and ladder; 1 rescue squad; and 1 battalion chief. This a standard first alarm assignment in the City of Cleveland. All of these units must arrive within 8 minutes of response time in order for NFPA standards to be met with the first due engine arriving within 4 minutes. NFPA standards state that this level of response much be achieved 90 percent of the time to meet the standards.
As you can see, Mr. Regan's report left out many details of any issue that is complicated to be sure.
I would add some additional questions for citizens to ask of their fire departments:
1. Is your philosophy of firefighting and training for "inside attack" style firefighting or "surround it and drown it?"
2. How many firefighting personnel are on duty and ready to respond to a fire at any given time of the day or night in my area?
3. How many firefighting personnel are staffed to each fire unit?
4. What "runs" does your average response time include -- does it include non-fires, non-emergencies, medical calls, etc. (The response time that matters under the NFPA standards is to structure fires -- averaging all calls into the time will tend to make the response times look better.)
Friday, May 12, 2006
Is It Just Me, Or .....
Yesterday, while I was waiting to enjoy lunch at a local Old Brooklyn establishment with some friends who I haven't seen in ages (I got there early -- I seem to always be early), there was a man and a woman couple on the other side of the restaurant who were talking on their cell phone to someone in Florida who knows someone who recently had a bout of diarrhea. The reason I know this is because both the man and the woman were talking to this person over the SPEAKERPHONE of the cell phone. Everyone in the restaurant could hear BOTH sides of the conversation, which seemed to go on for eternity. In addition to hearing about the diarrhea problem, I heard how the weather was in Florida and a great deal of criticism about someone's driving; and a plethora of personal information and conversation that I could have done without.
Now, before all you Dick Feagler curmudgeon wannabes out there shake your collective heads and mutter "kids these days" to yourself; please know that this man and woman were easily both in their late fifties, early sixties, if not older. I love it when older adults embrace technology --- can someone for pete's sake teach them some etiquette!!!!!!!!!
Now, before all you Dick Feagler curmudgeon wannabes out there shake your collective heads and mutter "kids these days" to yourself; please know that this man and woman were easily both in their late fifties, early sixties, if not older. I love it when older adults embrace technology --- can someone for pete's sake teach them some etiquette!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Christianism -- Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself
"Are you a Christian who doesn't feel represented by the relegious right?" begins an essay in this week's issue of Time, authored by columnist Andrew Sullivan ("My Problem with Christianism" p.74). Mr. Sullivan writes an eloquent and thoroughly engaging essay identifying a distinction between Christian and Christianist.
Mr. Sullivan has graciously put words to paper that express almost perfectly the myriad jumbled thoughts that have been rattling around my brain on this issue for a long time now. I suspect I am not alone in this regard, and so I share it with you. For those of you who answer "yes" to his opening question, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did; and I hope you'll join me in taking our relegion back as Mr. Sullivan suggests.
Mr. Sullivan has graciously put words to paper that express almost perfectly the myriad jumbled thoughts that have been rattling around my brain on this issue for a long time now. I suspect I am not alone in this regard, and so I share it with you. For those of you who answer "yes" to his opening question, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did; and I hope you'll join me in taking our relegion back as Mr. Sullivan suggests.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
This Is No Way to Run a City -- Ladder 42 Update
My sources in the Cleveland Division of Fire inform me that, as a result of higher firefighter staffing levels on Tuesday and Thursday shifts; Ladder 42 has been open and staffed many Tuesdays and Thursdays since being officially "browned-out" on April 19th.
Moral of the story: if you live in South Old Brooklyn, try to plan your occupied structure fire for a Tuesday or Thursday. Word to the wise. Amen.
Other Division of Fire sources recently informed me that, despite the "Chiefs'" proclamations that browning out Ladder 42 would not adeversely affect fire division response times; response time data is only gathered and analyzed by the Division of Fire for fires that involve a death or significant property damage. And this data is only gathered to CYA when the media inevitably asks about response times in fatal and/or large fires that garner media scrutiny.
Moral of the story: response times to fire calls only matter to the Division of Fire if someone dies or there is a signigicant value loss of property.
Those of us who continue the fight to bring back all four browned-out fire companies in the interest of public safety; evidently we were more right than we knew when we lamented the fact that it will take someone dying in a fire to get the Division of Fire to pay attention to response time issues.
This is no way to run a city.
Moral of the story: if you live in South Old Brooklyn, try to plan your occupied structure fire for a Tuesday or Thursday. Word to the wise. Amen.
Other Division of Fire sources recently informed me that, despite the "Chiefs'" proclamations that browning out Ladder 42 would not adeversely affect fire division response times; response time data is only gathered and analyzed by the Division of Fire for fires that involve a death or significant property damage. And this data is only gathered to CYA when the media inevitably asks about response times in fatal and/or large fires that garner media scrutiny.
Moral of the story: response times to fire calls only matter to the Division of Fire if someone dies or there is a signigicant value loss of property.
Those of us who continue the fight to bring back all four browned-out fire companies in the interest of public safety; evidently we were more right than we knew when we lamented the fact that it will take someone dying in a fire to get the Division of Fire to pay attention to response time issues.
This is no way to run a city.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
I received a solicitation telephone call yesterday from the above organization. I allowed the solicitor to spin his entire schpeel so I could respond with the following:
I agree with everything you say sir about the need for the Democratic Party to regain control of Congress; however, I'm not contributing to the national party until further notice because of my disappointment in the heavy handed and "undemocratic" way the national party leaders forced Mr. Paul Hackett out of the primary race against Sherrod Brown. I will support selected candidates directly in the pursuit of taking back Congress.
I share this with you in case you are likewise inclined to take a similar position.
I agree with everything you say sir about the need for the Democratic Party to regain control of Congress; however, I'm not contributing to the national party until further notice because of my disappointment in the heavy handed and "undemocratic" way the national party leaders forced Mr. Paul Hackett out of the primary race against Sherrod Brown. I will support selected candidates directly in the pursuit of taking back Congress.
I share this with you in case you are likewise inclined to take a similar position.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Does Mayor Jackson live in the city?
I have it on good authority from several reliable sources that the "ace-in-the-hole" for the City Safety Employees in the battle to end the residency requirement is that Mayor Frank Jackson himself does not live in the City limits.
Stay tuned folks. This is going to get interesting.
Stay tuned folks. This is going to get interesting.
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