Structures of Wild Grace

There are places I like, but I like New Orleans better. There's a thousand different angles at any moment.

Bob Dylan, Chronicles Vol. 1


Louis Armstrong is singing about Ezekiel and the wheel of fire as it streams WWOZ, the jazz radio station of New Orleans. And I am reading Chronicles. Dylan, like other poets and musicians, spent time in this town.


In a few days, I am travelling to another land. But a few more days here suits me fine. Despite the two feet of rain we received this month, the city of New Orleans has treated me well. I have not had the opportunity to visit many of the places I wanted to this trip, but here's a few tips of where to be if you happen to find yourself in America's premiere city-below-sea-level.

For oysters on the half-shell, raw or char-broiled, grab a seat at Dragos's in Fat City. Dragovitch, the owner, gave away free food for months after Katrina. No Guardsman or volunteer could have eaten better during those days.

For a good cup of coffee, walk over to the Rue de le Course on Magazine after getting off a street car on St. Charles Avenue. The atmosphere is as rich as the coffee, and one could imagine a vampire from Anne Rice's novels sitting next to you on one dusky twilight.


For good music, find a venue where Irma Thomas is playing. She's in the city a bit, but she's also playing Europe and Canada this year. I think the last time I heard her sing was in the Saenger on Canal Street before the big K (Katrina) hit town. She was performing with Garrison Keillor who was off-color and off-key all night. Irma was the star!






For fine dining, nothing can beat Commander's Palace in Uptown. The Brennan family are now dispersed in eating establishments all over the city and the country, but the original restaurant is my personal favorite. No where else captures the elegance of old New Orleans. One can sense the by-gone days of gentlemen dining in linen suits and ladies in silk dresses while eating in Commander's.


For an affordable but classy joint, try Cafe Degas on Esplanade Avenue. It's described as a French bistro, and it's near the Fairgrounds, if you want to catch some horse racing later.


Actuallly, New Orleans defies conventional reviews and banal lists. New Orleans is just a great place to be. You don't have to do anything. Just watch the river near Audubon Park. Or walk around the Quarter. Eat a po-boy. Go fishing on the lake.

Dylan writes, "Everything in New Orleans is good idea. Bijou Temple-type cottages and lyric cathedrals side by side. Houses and mansions, structures of wild grace." Chronicles.

I think Dylan said it best. Wild Grace.

December Deluge

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Bob Dylan

For months before the Great Deluge of '05, I could not get this old recording out of my head. Turning left on Clearview Parkway , I could hear that raspy voice muttering about being drenched to the bone. Or maybe I was on the River Road, with the levee on my right side and I could hear murmurings about sinking like a stone. I finally gave up and put the song on my iPod, and listened to it whenever Dylan's creaky voice rose to my consciousness.

Dylan, like many writers and musicians before him, paid homage to the city of New Orleans by living here for a time. He has been quoted as saying that he often drove down US 90 (the Old Spanish Trail) towards bayou country when he needed time alone. Maybe he saw the fragile wetlands stretching out before him, as he drove past Des Allemands, Paradis, or Raceland. Those wetlands have changed, as I have witnessed great cypress forests and cattle grazing pastures turn into soggy bogs and open waters.

I also witnessed the terrible fury of Katrina, especially its aftermath. That song was trying to tell me something about my immediate future.

The times are a-changin'.

And I won't even bother getting into the discussion of climate change. All I know is we experienced the largest natural disaster in US history with the coming and going of Katrina. This month we have doubled the last record for rainfall in in New Orleans, and that was done by December 15. We are now over 22 inches of rain for the month. The deluge of Old Testament proportions was in '05. This December rain is a mere New Testament deluge. Yet, houses are flooding, and people are dying. A Tulane University professor drove his car into a canal near his home, because the canal and the street had converged. A man who dedicated his life to AIDS research and educating the future slipped away from us in a canal in Harvey, Louisiana

The times are a-changin'.

How many others are experiencing a December deluge? I see too many people walking along the streets of New Orleans, with the garish bright uniforms of some US food chain because that's the only job they can find. Health insurance? Not for them. Affordable car insurance? That's out of reach for a city where the poverty rate exceeds most other cities in the US but our auto insurance is one of the highest in the nation.

Two weeks in a row, I listened to the same message, delivered by two different pastors in remarkably different denominations. The message was Advent, but advent of a different kind than waiting on the birth of Jesus. He was born over 2000 years ago. He died, too. The advent, or waiting for a great event, of today is the advent for the Kingdom reign in its fullness. We can smirk at Bible thumpers who preach the second coming of Jesus Christ. But it's coming nonetheless.

I don't agree with every thumper out there, but I do trust that one day things will be made right. A day will come when good will triumph. When the poor will inherit. The meek will rule. Poor neighborhoods won't flood in December. Good teachers won't drive into swollen canals. Kids in Honduras won't beg for change from drivers along the highway.

The times are a-changin'.

If you want to investigate the good news of the coming Kingdom, find a copy of Tom Wright's commentaries on the New Testament, especially the two volumes on Matthew. He writes a good bit about the Great Reversal. The day when the first shall be last, and the last shall be first.
Jesus' birth began the revolution toward the Great Reversal. His second coming will end it. In the meantime, let's fight for the people caught up in the deluge.

As Dylan sang with these lyrics penned in '63:

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

And I have a message for Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisana, who voted down the opportunity for Americans to import cheaper drugs from Canada and other countries. Senator Landrieu, don't you recall the poor who suffered during Katrina? What about your unemployed constituents today? I can buy antibiotics, Advil, aspirin, and just about every other drug cheaper abroad than here. And I do when I am in those places. Why not let the poor have that right too? And while you are there in DC, make health reform a priority, the kind that makes prices reasonable for everyone.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

What do you with a problem like Zelaya? Part 2

Honduras has been slammed in the international press the past few days for not allowing Zelaya safe passage out of the country. However the news briefs are innacurate. He has been offered safe passage, i.e. no arrest, if he leaves under the petition for political asylum and travels further than our immediate neighbors.

Today in the news briefs, the spin has changed. Honduras is getting savvy. Today's headlines hail Honduras for offering safe passage via political asylum. The press also notes the public message from Brazil that Zelaya must leave before the new government takes power at the end of January

Where will he go now that Mexico has rescinded its generous offer? Apparently, he has an invitation for a staycation in the Carribean. The Dominican Republic wants him to travel today. However, Zelaya's erratic behavior makes that scenario unlikely. The pressure is now upon former President Zelaya to accept an offer of political asylum. Leave Honduras so the country can move on.

I am still in the US where I see the effects of the recession, with stores half empty and many friends without work. A few family friends that had "safe" jobs are facing the possibility of layoffs as well.

However, I ran across a news item about Honduran unemployment. While the US unemployment rate hovers around ten percent, Honduras' rate is now estimated to be around 50%. Of course that's for people over ten years of age. Yep. That's the age of employment. Just ten, and you are counted as a potential wage earner in the beleagured nation of Honduras.

While so many bemoan their economic woes in the richest land on earth, consider the people in the developing world or where political upheavals upset the fragile livelihood of the poor. While I dearly love my friends in the States, sometimes my mind wanders as we sit in palatial homes, whose living rooms often dwarf the size of the average Honduran home, not including the outhouse of course.

As much as I appreciate my beautiful church building in New Orleans, I get distracted by the central air conditioning needed to keep us comfortable in December. After all, who could worship in a stuffy building? I get distracted by the incredibly large number of electronic speakers in the main assembly hall. After all, one needs perfect sound to worship, don't we? I get distracted by the plush seating, the number of meeting rooms, the free coffee and wifi, and all the trappings of the modern church in the US. Not that there are inherently wrong. I just know that I can worship in a building walls with "windows" because the walls are not complete, with a single large amplifier in the front of the building. Lighting? Not during the daytime. Too expensive. Free coffee? Not likely, even though it's very cheap in this coffee-growing nation.

In the US, one hears a good deal of murmuring about retirement costs, insurance costs, and the cost of maintaining mortgages on the McMansions. In Honduras, I get asked often about helping find two things: food and Bibles. Both are in chronic undersupply. No one asks me about health insurance. Or buying fancy electronic equipment for the church buiding.

Food and Bibles.

How does that relate to politics and the burden of housing Mel Zelaya in the Brazilian embassy? Plenty. Honduras needs the good will of the international community. The US pledged to support the new government. However, as far as I know, humanitarian and drug-fighting aid has not resumed.

What the world does with a problem like Zelaya is a question work asking. And finding a quick solution is in everyone's best interest.

What do you with a problem like Zelaya?

The Saga of Manuel Zelaya continues down south. A Gulf Stream jet was sent this week to pick up our least-wanted resident for an all-expense paid trip to Mexico. The Hondurans promised him safe passage. Mexico, for some odd reason, wanted him as a guest. However, in the final hours as the jet was airborne, Mel Zelaya changed his mind. Apparently, he felt his departure was not going to offer him the dignity and respect that he envisioned. He wanted to leave as the current president of Honduras, not as an asylum seeker. The plane diverted to El Salvador in case the rogue had a change of heart.

He did not. The plane went back to Mexico sans Zelaya & Co. Now we are stuck again with the inscrutable Senor. Elections have been held. Porfirio Lobo will be sworn in at the end of January. The Honduran Congress voted overwhelmingly to not allow Zelaya to serve out the rest of his term. The United States, our chief trading partner, has recognized the elections. The European Union has done so, too . Central American countries are slowly recognizing the inevitable change of hands as well, including Costa Rica, the richest of our immediate neighbors.

So, what do we do with Zelaya? He cannot go to the United States, as he sent a rambling letter to President Obama nearly three weeks ago, alternately begging for help and insulting the leader of the free world. Chavez? He has been quiet thus far on granting asylum. Castro? No word thus far as they await the possible lifting of sanctions from the United States.

Personally, I believe he is listening to James Taylor on his iPod when he is not speaking to reporters on his cell phone or sleeping until noon. First he added You've Got a Friend to his playlist.

When you're down and troubled/ and you need a helping hand/ and nothing, whoa nothing is going right.

I can hear Zelaya's inner musings. My leftist priests have left the embassy. My daughter has left me too. Hugo Chavez does not return my voice messages. . and then... the next song on his playlist popped up.

Oh, Mexico/It sounds so simple I just go to go/The sun's so hot I forgot to go home/ Guess I'll have to go now.

As much as I would not want to burden my Mexican friends with the lunatic, I wish Zelaya hadn't changed his playlist. Somewhere over Guatemala, the tune changed to Guillermo Anderson of La Ceiba, Honduras with a tune called En mi pais (In my country). What will president-elect Lobo do with the problem of Zelaya? He's no Julie Andrews. Maybe we can smuggle into the Brazillian Embassy a pre-set mp3 player that plays only Bob Marley songs. Exodus would be the best choice.

More Slices of the Chocolate City

Blogging has been difficult. Closing was last week on the Laurie House. But I have not been able to take a rest from continuing to liquidate my belongings as well as prepare what I will ship eventually to Honduras. So I am featuring some old and new pictures of the Chocolate City, aka New Orleans.

Cafe Luna is a favorite coffee shop in Uptown New Orleans, near Tulane University and Audubon Park. This shot does not capture adequately the awesome porch that is perfect for sipping and watching locals pass by on Magazine Street.

Cafe Reconcile serves the best white beans in the city. It's a cafe started by a ministry intended to bring jobs and training in the restaurant industry. It's located in the heart of Central City, an extremely violent and drug-plagued part of New Orleans. I like meals here, always served with a strong serving of hope.


In this city, Frost Stop was once the best place for frosted root beer and sloppy roast po'boys. This particular location left the upside down mug as is after a long forgotten hurricane.

This place rates five stars on the grunge factor, but the po'boys are the best I have eaten. It's near the River, close to Oschner's Hospital.

I have shared many memories at the Trolley Stop, which is on St. Charles. Just take the trolley and enjoy diner style meals 24 hours a day.

Coming soon....

• A story abourt Lee Christmas, the Baton Rouge mercenary who also became the sheriff of Tegucigalpa
• A post on Etienne Bore, the inventor of granulated sugar, who had a plantation in modern-day New Orleans on what is now Audubon Park. Sugar is the TOP DRUG of Honduras, by far. Just measure our staggering diabetes rate.
• Where I love to dine in Tegucigalpa and New Orleans.
• Bayou vs. New Orleans culture.

Come on down to New Orleans. You will be glad you dropped by this sweet little town.

Notes and Images from the Chocolate City

In January, 2006, only a few months after the largest natural disaster in US history, the mayor pronounced that New Orleans would be a "chocolate city." The moniker has stuck, even if it was ridiculed as soon as it was uttered by hizzoner Ray Nagin. I am not sure if the city is white, dark, or milk chocolate these days. We are a diverse city. We have remained a city of multi-cultural influences. That rich culture sometimes is bizzare, such as our tendency to dance and hold parades at funerals.

Decaying and decadent. Corrupt and crime-ridden. Those fit now as they did before the Great Storm changed us. Clerks in drug stores still call out , "Have a good day, dawlin'!" Muffalettas, po'boys, gumbo, and red beans are still diner specials around town.

The biggest change that I observe is the unifying excitement surrounding the New Orleans Saints. Bottom feeders. The 'Aints. For almost forty years, a football team with no respect. This year, Saints fever is raging. For Monday night's game, three Catholic archbishops and six priests attended the festivities, as they celebrated mass with the team before the game - even retired 96 year old Philip Hannan attended mass and the game. The Saints won 38-17. We stand at 11-0 this week.

This photo going round the email bin captures the mood of the city.

New Orleans still has a long road to recovery from Katrina who left her battered and bruised. Too many empty buildings. Too few honest leaders. But Saints fever has enhanced the atmosphere. To my taste, she's bittersweet these days.