From Westley at da-parish.com Thu Nov 5 07:39:00 2009 From: Westley at da-parish.com (Westley Annis) Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 06:39:00 -0600 Subject: [StBernard] Now this is disgusting... Message-ID: <007901ca5e14$f57876f0$e06964d0$@com> The director of the film 2012, Roland Emmerich was asked about all the buildings and things that were "destroyed" in the film and the one thing that wasn't: For "2012," Emmerich set his sites on destroying the some biggest landmarks around the world, from Rome to Rio. But there's one place that Emmerich wanted to demolish but didn't: the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure located in the center of Mecca. It's the focus of prayers and the site of the Hajj, the biggest, most important pilgrimage in Islam. "Well, I wanted to do that, I have to admit," the filmmaker told scifiwire.com . "But my co-writer Harald [Kloser] said, 'I will not have a fatwa on my head because of a movie.' And he was right." Emmerich went on: "We have to all, in the western world, think about this. You can actually let Christian symbols fall apart, but if you would do this with [an] Arab symbol, you would have ... a fatwa, and that sounds a little bit like what the state of this world is. So it's just something which I kind of didn't [think] was [an] important element, anyway, in the film, so I kind of left it out." link to article: http://tinyurl.com/yjln2vj JY From Westley at da-parish.com Thu Nov 5 08:17:46 2009 From: Westley at da-parish.com (Westley Annis) Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 07:17:46 -0600 Subject: [StBernard] Online Healthcare Townhall Today Message-ID: <008c01ca5e1a$5dacd950$19068bf0$@com> Dear Supporter, On Tuesday, Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats released their written plan to reform healthcare. We expect that the Democrats are going to try and pass their Government takeover of your healthcare on Saturday, November 7th. I want to personally alert you to an online townhall this afternoon, in which House Republicans will systematically expose 12 truths about Nancy Pelosi's Government-Run healthcare plan. Please scroll down for a detailed list of topics and the event schedule. I hope you can join online at www.GOP.com/12Truths beginning today at 1pm. Thank you, Pete Sessions, NRCC Chairman ________________________________ CHAIRMEN STEELE AND PENCE ANNOUNCE A 12 HOUR ONLINE TOWN HALL EXPOSING PELOSI'S HEALTH CARE PLAN AND PROMOTING REPUBLICAN ALTERNATIVE WASHINGTON - Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele, House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-IN), and other House Republicans will hold an online town hall meeting on Thursday, November 5, 2009. This online health care forum named "Pelosi Plan Exposed" will run for 12 hours and expose the 12 truths of Nancy Pelosi's health care bill. House Republicans will also promote and discuss the GOP health care legislation introduced in the House this week. During this unique and interactive online broadcast, Americans will be able to ask questions and interact with Members of Congress through Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail starting Thursday at 1:00 PM EST, and ending Friday at 1:00 AM EST. Republicans will expose the 12 truths in Speaker Pelosi's health care bill on the following topics: 1:00 PM EST Government Takeover General Overview 2:00 PM EST Rural/Low Income 3:00 PM EST Spending/Your Money 4:00 PM EST Seniors 5:00 PM EST Small Business 6:00 PM EST Patients/Doctors 7:00 PM EST Young Americans 8:00 PM EST Culture of Life 9:00 PM EST Women/Families 10:00 PM EST Taxes 11:00 PM EST Economy 12:00 AM EST States To learn more about this online discussion visit: http://gop.com/12truths/ From Westley at da-parish.com Thu Nov 5 08:31:57 2009 From: Westley at da-parish.com (Westley Annis) Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 07:31:57 -0600 Subject: [StBernard] Governor Jindal Awards Over $21 Million in Grants to St. Bernard Parish Message-ID: <009601ca5e1c$5ac1dc70$10459550$@com> The largest of the grants, for $20.4 million, was from a pot of Community Development Block Grant money to reimburse the parish for the demolition of almost 1,000 homes----------------------- that just seems so costly, about $20,000 per house. guess it includes slab removal and proper disposal ? ---SJK From Westley at da-parish.com Thu Nov 5 19:01:27 2009 From: Westley at da-parish.com (Westley Annis) Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 18:01:27 -0600 Subject: [StBernard] The Financial State of St. Tammany Parish Message-ID: <038201ca5e74$4a03f0f0$de0bd2d0$@com> I wanted to let everyone know that this coming Monday, November 9, there will be a presentation on the financial state of St. Tammany Parish by local officials. This is a good exercise in transparency that gives citizens more knowledge about and confidence in their government. I have recently been meeting with the fire districts to discuss efficiencies in fire protection services and our goal is to provide a better service at a cheaper cost to the taxpayer. FINANCIAL STATE OF ST. TAMMANY PARISH Monday, November 9, 2009 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Parish Council Chambers - St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis - Sheriff Jack Strain - Assessor Patricia Schwarz Core - St. Tammany Parish School Superintendent Gayle Sloan - Fire Protection District One Chief Larry Hess - Fire Protection District Four Chief Merrick Tassin This program is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of St. Tammany. For information call Sandra Slifer at 875-9388, send an email to sandraslifer at gmail.com or visit the League's website at www.lwvst.info. From Westley at da-parish.com Thu Nov 5 19:04:57 2009 From: Westley at da-parish.com (Westley Annis) Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 18:04:57 -0600 Subject: [StBernard] Poster Contest Illuminates Sun-Safe Behaviors Message-ID: <038401ca5e74$c6b5c920$54215b60$@com> Poster Contest Illuminates Sun-Safe Behaviors Annual competition gives students chance to raise awareness, win prizes; deadline: April 7, 2010 (Dallas, Texas ? November 5, 2009) Students can help raise awareness about sun safety and win prizes by entering the 2010 SunWise with SHADE poster contest. The annual contest is a joint effort by the SHADE Foundation of America, WeatherBug Schools and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to teach children ways to protect their skin and eyes from excessive sun exposure. Last year?s winner, a 13-year-old from Bernville, Pennsylvania, showed a girl talking to her friend about her unhealthy relationship with the sun. ? Too much sun can lead to skin cancer, cataracts and other eye damage, and immune system suppression. Sun protection is especially important for children because unprotected exposure in childhood increases the chances of developing the most dangerous form of skin cancer, melanoma. One in 55 children born in 2005 will develop melanoma during their lifetime?almost 30 times higher than the rate for people born in 1930. ? ?As the school year gets under way, this contest is the perfect forum to remind families and schools that simple steps like wearing hats, sunglasses and shirts, using sunscreen, and staying in the shade can greatly reduce their risk of getting a sunburn, or worse, skin cancer,? said Acting EPA Regional Administrator Lawrence E. Starfield. ?In fact, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. The SunWise with SHADE poster contest is a fun, creative way to increase awareness of the importance of being safe in the sun.? ? In 2009, the poster contest featured entrants from all states in EPA?s Region 6, a noteworthy accomplishment. State winners included: ? ??????? Arkansas: Alexis B. of Greers Ferry ??????? Louisiana: Deborah K. of Mandeville ??????? New Mexico: Angel R. of Las Cruces ??????? Oklahoma: Jessica S. of Tulsa ??????? Texas: Kaylie M. of Hewitt ? The contest due date is April 7, 2010. Starting this year, there are two age categories for poster entries?kindergarten through third grade, and fourth through eighth grade. Students in both categories must submit hand-drawn posters on 8.5 x 11 inch pieces of paper. Entries must be original, creative, show ways to prevent skin cancer and raise sun safety awareness, and must be attached to an official entry form, which can be found at http://www.shadefoundation.org/programs/poster-contest/. ? Poster winners receive state and national prizes, with the national winner in the 4th-8th grade category receiving a family trip to Disney World and a WeatherBug Tracking Station for his/her school with lifetime access to WeatherBug Achieve. ? The WeatherBug Schools Program (http://www.weatherbugschools.com) is committed to providing an engaging teaching tool for schools nationwide. With WeatherBug, teachers can create customized learning activities based on current and historical weather conditions from the WeatherBug Tracking Station and compare local conditions to 8,000 other stations nationwide. ? The SHADE Foundation?s mission is to eradicate melanoma through the education of children and the community in the prevention and detection of skin cancer and the promotion of sun safety. ? EPA?s SunWise Program is an environmental and health education program that uses classroom and community tools to teach children and their caregivers how to protect themselves from overexposure to the sun. ? More than 80,000 students have helped spread the message of sun safety by participating in the annual contest since its creation in 2003. Additional information on SunWise and the 2010 SHADE poster contest is available at http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/ From Westley at da-parish.com Thu Nov 5 19:05:22 2009 From: Westley at da-parish.com (Westley Annis) Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 18:05:22 -0600 Subject: [StBernard] St. Bernard Parish Thanksgiving Music Festival Sunday, Nov. 15 from noon to 9:30 p.m. at Torres Park Message-ID: <038501ca5e74$d5f6f7b0$81e4e710$@com> St. Bernard Parish Thanksgiving Music Festival Sunday, Nov. 15 Seven bands and children's activities at Torres Park from noon to 9:30 p.m. The St. Bernard Parish Thanksgiving Music Festival presented by Jimmy's Kids and St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro, Jr. will be Sunday, November 15 and will feature seven bands, craft booths, children's activities and more. The festival will be from noon to 9:30 p.m. in Torres Park and in the parking lot behind the St. Bernard Civic Center at 8201 West Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette. Featured bands and music will be by: Harvey Jesus, Bobby Cure, Orleans, Rockin Jerry, Chee Weez, Kayla Woodson, Juliet Secret and DJ Troy. Entertainment will include JoJo Magical Clown. There will be booths with food, arts and crafts, western wear, a children's boutique, patio and porch planters and more. Call Jimmy Besson at 504-452-9093 for more information. ### From westley at da-parish.com Thu Nov 5 19:07:37 2009 From: westley at da-parish.com (Westley Annis) Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 18:07:37 -0600 Subject: [StBernard] Governor Jindal Awards Over $21 Million in Grants to St. Bernard Parish Message-ID: <038601ca5e75$264aa090$72dfe1b0$@com> This was federal Community Development Block Grant money. It should have been rejected without discussion. Richard From Westley at da-parish.com Thu Nov 5 19:08:53 2009 From: Westley at da-parish.com (Westley Annis) Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 18:08:53 -0600 Subject: [StBernard] Ground Breaking on Reggio Pump Station held Message-ID: <038701ca5e75$53c22f20$fb468d60$@com> Ground Breaking on Reggio Pump Station held $390,000 project promises improved tidal flooding protection St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro Jr. and Parish Council members recently held a Ground Breaking to mark the beginning of construction of the Reggio Drainage Pump Station. "Drainage pump stations such as this one in Reggio are important recovery projects and are sorely needed for the people who live in this area," President Taffaro said at the event celebrating the progress that promises to offer improved tidal flooding protection when more than $390,000 in construction is completed. A temporary pump will remain operational until the new station is completely rebuilt in about six months. FEMA's Acting Deputy Director of Programs Mark Landry promised FEMA's ongoing assistance in funding such needed recovery projects. Landry said that FEMA is working to put such projects on a "90-day fast track" to speed recovery efforts. Parish Councilman Fred Everhardt, Jr., who represents the eastern end of the parish, said he was glad to see this project starting. "It's been a long time coming, and it's needed to address flooding problems in Reggio." The Reggio project involves the replacement of one submersible 16-inch hydraulic driven pump. The pump will have a pumping capacity of 7,500 gallons per minute. In addition to the pump, the project includes diesel engines and related facilities. As part of the work at this station, the diesel engines and other facilities will be raised about 15 feet higher than the facilities damaged by Hurricane Katrina were originally elevated. The station was designed by Evans-Graves Engineers, Inc., and will be constructed by Hensley R. Lee Contracting. Camp Dresser & McKee Inc. is the project manager. Staff members of the St. Bernard Public Works Department and Water and Sewer Department under Parish Acting Director of Public Works Logan Martin also are working on the project. The Reggio Drainage Pump Station is located in the southeastern end of St. Bernard Parish in the community of Reggio. For more information about Recovery and Growth in St. Bernard Parish, visit our website at www.sbpg.net . ### From Westley at da-parish.com Thu Nov 5 19:18:27 2009 From: Westley at da-parish.com (Westley Annis) Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 18:18:27 -0600 Subject: [StBernard] EPA Announces Regional Administrator for Region 6 Message-ID: <038f01ca5e76$a97ace30$fc706a90$@com> EPA Announces Regional Administrator for Region 6 Regional Agency Headquarters in Dallas (Dallas, Texas - November 5, 2009) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced President Barack Obama's selection of Dr. Alfredo "Al" Armendariz to be the Agency's Regional Administrator for EPA's region 6. This region encompasses Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and 66 Tribal Nations. "I look forward to working closely with Al Armendariz on the range of urgent environmental issues we face, in region 6 and across the nation," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "At this moment of great challenge and even greater opportunity, I'm thrilled that Al will be part of our leadership team at EPA. He will certainly play an instrumental role in our Agency's mission to protect our health and the environment." Regional Administrators are responsible for managing the Agency's regional activities under the direction of the EPA Administrator. They promote state and local environmental protection efforts and serve as a liaison to state and local government officials. Regional Administrators are tasked with ensuring EPA's efforts to address the environmental crises of today are rooted in three fundamental values: science-based policies and programs, adherence to the rule of law, and transparency. Dr. Alfredo "Al" Armendariz is an Associate Professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where he has taught environmental and civil engineering. For the past 15 years, Armendariz has worked in a variety of research and academic positions and has published several research papers. After college, he worked as a research assistant at the MIT Center for Global Change Science at their Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratory in Massachusetts. He later joined Radian Corporation in North Carolina as a chemical engineer and in 2002 he joined the faculty at Southern Methodist University and also spent a summer on special assignment to EPA's Dallas office as an Environmental Scientist. At Southern Methodist University he's received several outstanding faculty awards and was selected as a Royster Society Fellow at the University of North Carolina. Armendariz received his S.B. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), received his M.E. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Florida and his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. More about activities in EPA Region 6: http://www.epa.gov/region6 EPA audio file is available at http://www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/podcast/nov2009.html From westley at da-parish.com Thu Nov 5 19:20:01 2009 From: westley at da-parish.com (Westley Annis) Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 18:20:01 -0600 Subject: [StBernard] President Craig Taffaro dishes out Rocky's favorite dishes to all Message-ID: <039001ca5e76$e1c00490$a5400db0$@com> President Craig Taffaro dishes out Rocky's favorite dishes to all Josie O'Brien was high bidder for a community service day Josie Gioe O'Brien said she was amazed by the speed of St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro, Jr., as he served customers and fixed all the favorite dishes at the Rocky and Carlo's Restaurant. And Taffaro was in the kitchen of the long-time Chalmette eatery before it opened its doors to the lunch crowd on Thursday helping to prepare all the lunch dishes with O'Brien's mother, Leonarda "Nana" Gioe, one of the owners of Rocky and Carlo's Restaurant and wife of Carlo Gioe. O'Brien said she wanted to be the highest bidder for the day of community service offered by President Taffaro at the Our Lady of Prompt Succor School annual fundraiser dance so she could have him work with her mother Nana, as she is widely known. "I watched him... I didn't even see him stop to take a drink," O'Brien said of Taffaro's volunteer stint as a cook and server on Thursday, November 5. "Even though I have been in real estate for 30 years, I have done every job in this restaurant. I have been a waitress; I have been a bar maid; I have cooked. We used to come in at 1 in the morning to serve the night shift at Kaiser. I know how hard the work is, and Craig did a really good job." O'Brien, an OLPS alumni and a local Realtor with Prudential Gardner, said she knew her mother would have a good time with President Taffaro. "Nana" can always be seen at Rocky's often cooking lasagna, red gravy and other Italian dishes. Both daughter and mother are parishioners at OLPS Church as well. ###