Michael Homan

46

2012-01-26T00:06:00.003-06:00

I just turned 46. That's the atomic number of palladium. The "discoverer" named it after the asteroid Pallas. That asteroid was named after the Greek god Pallas. According to myth, Athena killed Pallas who was the husband of Styx. Styx is a band that Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force thinks "rocks". Carl is my hero. And to be honest I don't believe that my 46-47 epoch will bring me any more

Attacking New Orleans Teachers: A Math Problem for Bobby Jindal and the Media

2012-01-25T11:49:00.006-06:00

So Governor Bobby Jindal has decided to make education reform the flagship of his second term. It's a smart political move. It plays well nationally. It's very pro-business for the companies making fortunes off of the charter school movement. It gives the impression that Jindal cares about youth and the intellectual future of this country. It perpetuates the myth that anyone can escape poverty

CRASH!

2012-01-15T10:34:00.002-06:00

One week ago I, like many, thought that LSU would win the BCS Championship game and that the New Orleans Saints would win their first ever road playoff game. Neither happened. Time to pack up my Saints shrine and put it in the attic until next August.

Can You Teach Teaching? A Letter to John White & Bobby Jindal Fans

2012-01-11T13:27:00.005-06:00

Can you teach teaching?Yes you can. Ask my wife. She earned Bachelors degrees in Studio Art and Art History. Neither of these focussed on how to be an effective teacher. Therese decided she wanted to follow in the footsteps of many in her family and become an elementary school teacher. In California they decided that there was value in learning how to teach. So Therese enrolled in an intensive

Christmas Photo

2011-12-25T13:01:00.001-06:00

Here is our latest family photo. It was taken Christmas Day at noon on the shores of Lake Ponchartrain:

Vegagain

2011-12-24T09:14:00.003-06:00

Therese and I for the most part kept a vegan diet back in the 1990's. This was challenging in Omaha, a bit less so in San Diego and Jerusalem, but mostly it was challenging because I very much enjoy eating animal products. As a family we decided to try once again the vegan diet back in September. There are a few caveats though. We eat eggs from our own 8 chickens and we don't shun honey, though

Saint Steve Gleason

2011-09-26T12:17:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was the five year anniversary of the reopening of the Superdome. It was one of the most memorable days of my life. I wrote about it here. Here's a picture of me and Mark Gstohl at the game.All last week the Times-Picayune ran articles about that amazing event. There were behind the scenes interviews with the players, coaches, musicians, workers, and broadcast professionals. Some of my

9-11 Christmas Song

2011-09-14T14:12:00.005-05:00

I watched just about all of the 9-11 anniversary material. I find it is important to be aware of politics and tragedy. But I'm also cynical and a big fan of kitsch. My favorite part of the 9-11 anniversary was an amazing painting that I think accurately depicts the sentiment of America. (HT gregp1134 on Twitter)Yes, that's Santa having a hard time with 9-11, and Jesus is there to comfort him.

A Redheaded Eskimo from Nebraska Responds to David Simon's Assertions about Standing

2011-08-31T12:07:00.008-05:00

"I'm going to make an argument here that standing is the lamest way of reducing genuine debate, discussion, and argument in our political culture, in our culture in general, and in our society." David Simon, Rising Tide 6, Xavier University of Louisiana I very much enjoyed Rising Tide 6, a conference in New Orleans about social networking and blogs. David Simon was the keynote speaker. I am a

Commemorate

2011-08-29T15:49:00.003-05:00

Today I began class by telling the students my experiences from six years ago. They were amazed that I swam to Xavier one day, and also that I naively thought that the world would change after those horrible events. I thought America would shift from policies that only benefitted the wealthy share holders to help some of the most disenfranchised. This afternoon I walked with my dogs to the

First Day Times 10 at Xavier

2011-08-22T11:43:00.003-05:00

Today was the first day of the Fall Semester here at Xavier University of Louisiana. I have been here 10 years, having moved from Jerusalem to New Orleans in the summer of 2001. I would say that overall it's been a good fit. To be honest, there were frustrating times when I thought about leaving. I often believed that I would be better matched at a Division One research institution. It would also

$15,033.79 Insurance Costs

2011-08-13T10:11:00.009-05:00

I have insurance, but I don't have much faith in it. When New Orleans flooded, I figured that because we had insurance we'd be fine. We did come out fine, but it took several years of fighting with the insurance companies. We've also had several problems over the years of getting insurance companies to pay various healthcare and auto costs that were supposed to be covered. But in order to drive

Colbert Knows I'm a Hero

2011-07-20T12:00:00.002-05:00

I believe that Stephen Colbert has done a better job than anyone in exposing the ridiculous nature of campaign finance laws in this country. Thus, I contributed $25 to Stephen Colbert's Superpac. Then, on Monday night's show, he aptly pointed out that I am in fact a hero. Check out this picture:

Wide-Eyed Among the Believers: Ralph Adamo Goes to the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans

2011-07-07T09:43:00.002-05:00

My friend and colleague Ralph Adamo went to the Republican Leadership Conference held recently in New Orleans. Here's his eyewitness account: On day one of the Republican Leadership conference in New Orleans, I walked the Hilton to see what true-believing Republicans look like in larger groups. New Orleans is a Democratic stronghold – or has been – by virtue of its African-American majority, its

Poverty Point State Historic Park

2011-06-29T14:17:00.004-05:00

Poverty Point is an amazing archaeological site in northern Louisiana that I've wanted to visit for many years. We went yesterday, and the visit left me very intrigued and wanting to learn more about this bizarre group of people. The site consists of massive earthen mounds constructed at about the same time as Hammurabi, ca. 1750 BCE. The site is best viewed from the air, as it is huge. Here is

Pharaoh Nagin

2011-06-26T09:06:00.004-05:00

There's been a great deal of unfavorable reaction to Nagin's memoir Katrina's Secrets, self-published no doubt because publishers force authors to fix typos and more important, to fact check. Basically Nagin presents a scenario where it is him against the world. Untrustworthy government officials at worst are trying to poison him, and at best they are doing nothing because they are cowards,

More Solar Panels

2011-06-18T14:58:00.003-05:00

In January of 2009 we had 16 Solar Panels installed by Solar Works on the roof of our house. It cost about $25,000, and the only reason we were able to afford the panels was because of tax credits: 30% Federal and 50% Louisiana State (the highest in the country I believe). Here is a picture from Google Maps showing the panels:We were very pleased with their production, so in April of this year we

Greece is the Word

2011-06-17T08:25:00.002-05:00

Cassandra was cursed to see the future clearly, but unable to do anything to change the outcome. Such was the case for our wise friends in Athens, Lefteris and Daniel. Many summers after doing archaeological projects in Israel and Jordan, Therese and I would stop over for a few weeks in Greece. I remember vividly Daniel and Lefteris warning about the repercussions of Greece joining the European

Ain't That A Kick in the Head

2011-06-13T18:32:00.002-05:00

Last weekend my brother Jim and his family were in town. They are fans of the Miami Heat so I was glad when they left. While they were here we went to Ship Island. There, my son Gilgamesh climbed on top of me and kicked me repeatedly in the face. Therese took pictures.

Bacon Donut Served by Pigs

2011-05-15T13:10:00.004-05:00

I have lived 45 years without knowing that such an amazing culinary combination was possible. Some local police opened Blue Dot Donuts right around the corner from our house. They have many regular donuts, but one certainly stands out. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give to you, Blue Dot Donut's Bacon and Maple Donut:

Trained and Experienced Teachers with No Value

2011-05-13T11:51:00.002-05:00

I just finished a week-long seminar during which I focused on how to improve by Religions of the Ancient Near East class by promoting an open space learning environment. This informative workshop about student self-authorship was put on by Xavier's Center for the Advancement of Teaching. While reflecting it struck me that so much of my work the past ten years has focused on the scholarship of

Cecilia Fitzpatrick

2011-05-13T11:39:00.003-05:00

Therese is on her way to Omaha. Her grandmother, Cecilia Fitzpatrick, passed away. Therese was very close to GeeGee, as Therese called her, or Ceil, as others did. In fact, Kalypso's middle name is Cecilia, named in honor of Cecilia Fitzpatrick. Cecilia was born on October 31st in 1913. As a Halloween baby, she had a large collections of witch dolls. I will always remember her sense of humor,

St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 video

2011-04-10T10:06:00.004-05:00

Students in my and Dr. EY Hammer's Freshmen Seminar classes, for their Service Learning project, researched some of the famous people buried at St. Louis Cemetery No. 2. This was in an effort to promote our community partner, Save Our Cemeteries. Here is their video:

Worst Muses Shoe Ever

2011-04-05T16:12:00.002-05:00

I have a God given gift for getting the prize shoe throws at Muses parades. I've gotten at least one every year. I'm like eye candy for the Muses, and I tell the lovely ladies who are riding that I will do anything, and I mean ANYTHING, for a shoe. But this past year I received the worst Muses shoe ever. It's a crappy thrift store tennis shoe that was partially covered by ineffective glue and

No Heroes Home Movie

2011-03-25T20:42:00.003-05:00

Back in Omaha from about 1983-1987, I documented some of the punk scene by shooting my band No Heroes and many other things. Members of the first incarnation included Greg Spence on vocals, Dave Loomis on guitar, Mark Blackman on drums, and me on bass. Later we added my brother Jim Homan on guitar, and I took over on vocals. The sounds on the video comes from Mr. Fink, who recorded a No Heroes

Hortons (Sequel)

2011-03-19T20:59:00.001-05:00

Continuing with the Super 8 movie theme, this was a sequel we made to the original movie my mom called The Hortons. I shot this with a super 8 camera back in the early early 90's, and it stars Therese, Chris, Jim, my mom the Spider Woman, our first 1966 Catalina, Omar and Tigger.

Canoe Trip on Niobrara River ca. 1992

2011-03-19T19:52:00.003-05:00

Some good friends, four canoes, a river, and all kinds of beer back in 1992. A super 8 movie I recently had digitized. Warning: more super 8s to come when time permits. Movie shows me and Therese, Patrick Chase, Matt McAllister, Marc LeClerc, Jackie Sterba, and Vicki and Scott Castleman.

Blue on a Green Day

2011-03-17T09:20:00.003-05:00

Lately I've been overwhelmed by tragedy. Nothing too personal, as my grief stems from the events unfolding in Japan, the Middle East (especially Libya, Bahrain, Yemen and Palestine), Haiti, and any number of places in Asia and Africa. But mostly I'm saddened by events in Japan. I lie in my bed and think about people I'd seen in many videos that day running or driving as the tsunami hit. I wonder

Conservatives Attacking Teachers

2011-03-01T17:25:00.002-06:00

I was very impressed with this segment from Jon Stewart, and as always, thanks to all the hard working teachers out there. I, unlike these talking heads, appreciate your efforts.LINK: CRISIS IN DAIRLY LAND

Who's Your Favorite Dictator?

2011-02-22T08:40:00.005-06:00

Several years ago my librarian polymath friend Alison invited me to participate in the "Who's Your Favourite Dictator?" game. Did you notice the excessive "u" in her spelling-she's British. With all the recent political changes in the Middle East, the game has become decidedly more complicated. But back in 2008 the game was much easier. The Redcoat librarians favored Mugabe, Franco, and Hitler,

i-Confession Dooms Me to Hell with Onan

2011-02-11T08:16:00.006-06:00

So I confess, I bought the i-Confession application for $1.99. I'm a Bible scholar, Mac addict, and a Catholic, so had to check it out. The application is interesting, but frustrating in its ignorance and obsession on sex. First, the authors like most traditional Catholics count the commandments different from the way the original authors intended, leaving out the commandment about false idols (

Birthday Infrastructure Katrina

2011-01-26T14:09:00.005-06:00

This afternoon near my house a water main broke and water shot more than 40 feet in the air, closing down Banks Street in front of Jesuit High School. Here's a picture I just took. Notice the rainbow:This sort of thing happens all the time in New Orleans. Since Katrina, the Sewerage and Water Board averages 17,000 repairs per year, and only half of the drinking water pumped into the pipes makes

I'll Meet You At The Door

2011-01-22T09:48:00.002-06:00

Therese's paintings of Kalypso and Gilgamesh, and our fleur du lis doorbell with Mardi Gras decorations, appeared on page 10 of the Inside Out (Home/Garden) section of the Times-Picayune this morning.

Eggs

2011-01-17T13:42:00.005-06:00

Yesterday morning we awoke to some louder than usual squawks from our chickens, and we were delighted to find two eggs in their nesting boxes. With today's developments, the total is up to three now. Pictured here is egg #3:The eggs start off a bit small and get to their regular size in about a month. We got our Rhode Island Red hens on Therese's birthday, so that means they are now just over

Charles Portis

2011-01-17T12:49:00.002-06:00

Interested in the Coen brothers' remake of one of my favorite films, True Grit, I picked up the original novel by Charles Portis. I'm glad I did, as now I'm a big Portis fan. His brilliant portrayal of landscapes and characters, especially Mattie, led me to another of his novel's, The Dog of The South. There he creates one of my all time favorite characters, Ray Midge. Midge reminds me of another

725 Days of Smelling the Greatness

2011-01-09T08:53:00.003-06:00

Beginning with the victory over the Detroit Lions on September 13th 2009, until the loss yesterday to the Seattle Seahawks, I certainly had the time of my life. The Saints next year, if there is a season at all, will certainly have a very different personnel and coaching staff. So thanks to the 2009-2010 team. You did so much for this city and region.

Attention To Detail

2011-01-06T13:14:00.003-06:00

Buried in my 5 page syllabus is the following phrase: "Look at my webpage Course Commitments and send me an email saying hello and stating whether or not you can keep these commitments."In a class with 30 students, I typically would get 3 or 4 emails fulfilling this task. Invariably, this is the strongest forecaster of success in my class. Students who send me this email, even before I meet them,

End of a Homan Farming Era

2011-01-04T20:21:00.005-06:00

Immediately before the end of 2010, my siblings and I sold the farm we inherited from my father. It was located in Cedar Rapids, Nebraska, and had been in my family for quite some time. My father liked very much the man J.K. whom we sold the farm to, and my dad thought he farmed well. My father grew up farming, his father farmed his entire life, as did my great grandfather, and his dad immigrated

What's Up With That? Xmas 2010

2010-12-25T10:48:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone from New Orleans.

Deadlines

2010-12-14T19:39:00.002-06:00

I used to be very punctual about turning articles and book manuscripts in on time. Now, not so much. I need to have a very productive week now that all my grades have been turned in. Tomorrow I will be at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary's library writing about Ezra, Nehemiah, and the return of exiles in the 6th century BCE. Sounds like fun? No, it won't be fun.

Nebraska-Oklahoma

2010-12-02T19:03:00.003-06:00

Being a 44-year-old football fan from Nebraska, there is no sports rivalry that has been bigger in my life than the college football pairing of the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Oklahoma Sooners. They have played each other in 85 games and the winner almost always won their conference. Since 1950, these two programs have earned 53 conference titles in the Big 8 and now the Big 12. All other teams

The Bumble

2010-12-02T10:33:00.003-06:00

Yesterday the 1966 Pontiac Catalina that we bought from a lady in Omaha arrived. Therese and I were both born in 1966 in Omaha, so that is very cool. It's white on the outside, light blue on the inside, and thus we call it "Bumble" after the Abominable Snow Monster in Rudolph. Here are some pictures:Notice the Saints World Champions license plate? Sweet.

Smoked Turkey

2010-11-28T18:54:00.003-06:00

For Thanksgiving we smoked a turkey on the Big Green Egg. By we, I mean me, and by smoked, I mean I used pecan wood chunks. The turkey was very good. The pecan wood turned the turkey a darker color than I would have desired, but it was delicious. The past few years we've fried turkeys, and this was a nice change.

Teaching My Son The Game of Football (Testicle Squeeze Edition)

2010-11-22T10:03:00.007-06:00

My son Gilgamesh just finished his first season playing youth football. His team went undefeated and he learned some of the basics including blocking and tackling. Yesterday we spent his 10th birthday biking to the Superdome to see the Saints beat the Seahawks. So being that he has the fundamentals down, I thought I'd step up the lessons and show him how to how to get 30 yards of penalties

A Movie for Katrina Dogs and the People Who Love Them

2010-11-07T11:38:00.004-06:00

I thought the documentary Mine 2009 was very well made and highly recommend it for people interested in the plight of animals and humans after Hurricane Katrina and the flooding of New Orleans area. I watched it with my dogs, who as Katrina survivors, they are interested in the topic too. We all cried a little I have to admit. It's a happy story for some of the participants, especially the

Awesom-O Robot Predicted Saints' Superbowl Victory

2010-11-02T14:24:00.002-05:00

While the Southpark Awesom-O episode, in which Cartman dresses up like a robot to prank Butters, originally aired in 2004, I hadn't seen it until this summer. I find this clip, in which Awesom-O predicts that the Saints will win the superbowl to be amazing. The people laughing afterwards shows just how unlikely it was. The authors had to pick a team that had no chance of winning to make the joke

Who Dat Say They Gonna Eat Some Brains?

2010-11-01T18:51:00.001-05:00

Some more Halloween pics on Flickr.

Why I Reward Phone Losers

2010-11-01T16:24:00.006-05:00

Kalypso lost her phone at Voodoo Fest. So this afternoon I went to the AT&T store on St. Charles Ave. There, after two hours, I left with a new phone for Kalypso, one that cost $109 (allegedly $59 after rebate) and has many fancy features including internet access, and now we have a new data plan that will cost an extra $10 per month. I didn't plan on this, essentially rewarding her for losing

2 Questions for Senator David Vitter

2010-10-28T19:54:00.002-05:00

Hey Senator David Vitter, watched you in the debate tonight, and I'm left with 2 questions:First, I keep hearing you talk about the U.S. government giving out more than 1 billion dollars to dead farmers. My father is a dead farmer. Could you give me more information so my siblings and I can tap in to this program? It sounds fantastic.Second, you claim that your wife and your God have forgiven you

Interesting

2010-10-19T20:43:00.001-05:00

As a teacher and a parent I was intrigued by the message and animation in this video making its rounds on the net:

Credit

2010-10-16T17:46:00.004-05:00

As much as I hate to admit it, Texas owned Nebraska during the Big 12 Tenure. It wasn't even close to a rivalry, as it was dominance. I still hate Texas, now more than ever.

I Hate Texas

2010-10-15T20:51:00.005-05:00

I can't stand Texas. I've been there many times, to awful places like Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. My hatred of Texas might stem from an early encounter. The first time I entered Texas was to transfer buses at the Dallas Greyhound station. It was after an awful trip to Arizona, and Therese and I had to spend about 8 hours in this hell. This bus station was full of men wearing boots, giant

Off the Market

2010-10-14T15:03:00.003-05:00

We bought this house at 224-226 South Hennessey a few years ago for $207,000. We lived in the downstairs unit for a couple of years while our house, 1 block away, was being rebuilt. When we finally moved back home we rented out both units.Being a landlord is at times a hassle. One of our tenants became very late in payments and eventually left owing us quite a bit of money. Over the summer we

Three Years Waiting for Home Elevation Grants

2010-10-06T17:19:00.004-05:00

We elevated our home in October of 2007. You can actually see it go up up up in this video:My government, as part of a Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), claimed they would reimburse us for the costs. It cost a lot, about $90K. But the thinking is that it wouldn't flood again and thus would potentially save the tax payers hard-earned money in the long run. That was three years ago. We got

2 Tattoos 2 Days 2 Sports

2010-10-05T20:17:00.005-05:00

My sister Chris, or Poncho as we call her, was in town over the weekend. Like a good brother, last Christmas I paid for us both to get tattoos. She got a Cubs logo on her ankle, I got a Saints fleur-de-lis on my calf. We ambitiously sought out to see our two favorite professional teams play over the course of two days. So we all drove to Houston to see the Cubs play the Astros. Our first stop in

When the Anti-Government Fringe Runs Government

2010-10-04T10:49:00.003-05:00

When I lived in Israel I was amazed to learn that their parliament (the Knesset) included religious Jews who always voted against legislation that would favor Israel. This was because these elected officials believed that the nation of Israel had no right to exist until the Messiah returned, and thus they were bent on destroying it. This of course seemed to me to be a bad way to run a

Jefferson Parish and Vial Lemmons

2010-09-22T11:18:00.005-05:00

When we moved to New Orleans 10 years ago, we quickly learned to dislike Jefferson Parish. This mostly came from the fact that whenever we went there to shop, older Caucasian people would approach us wanting to comment on our cute young children. They would shudder when we told them we just moved to New Orleans, and they told us to leave the city quickly. We'd ask why, and they'd tell us they

12th Man

2010-09-09T09:58:00.002-05:00

The most frequent topic of conversation this past week has not directly involved Katrina or BP oil. It's whether or not tonight's Saints game in which the championship banner is revealed will be louder than the Return to the Dome game against Atlanta in 2006. It is hard to imagine it will be. Back in 2006 we were screaming with primal frustrations that a year since the flood had wrought. We were

Happy

2010-09-03T10:32:00.003-05:00

The five year anniversary of Katrina was difficult for me to get through, but I did, and right now, I'm sort of surprised to find myself happy. At home my kids are doing well. Gilgamesh is starting his first year playing football, and Kalypso is doing well at cross-country, violin, and she is going to work for the school newspaper. So my kids are engaged. Not in the southern/Mormon marriage way,

Dash for the 'Stache

2010-08-31T13:41:00.006-05:00

Do I have a bicycle? checkDo I like to drink beer? checkAm I a Saints fan? checkDo I sometimes wear a fake mustache? checkThis Saturday, September 4th, I invite you and your bike to join us under the flavorful leadership of Chef Who Dat as we peddle from pub to pub in Mid-City and then arrive at the Superdome for the annual blessing and application of the sacred stache to the sacred fleur du lis.

Katrina's Five Year Anniversary & Parenthood

2010-08-29T23:42:00.004-05:00

This past week has been difficult. All the terrible memories have been stressful. I was lucky enough to be able attend President Obama's speech at Xavier University today. But all things considered, the main thing I worry about with all of the Katrina stuff is my children. Did Therese and I make the right decision in staying in New Orleans, or would we have been better parents by moving elsewhere

Hate from California

2010-08-23T14:51:00.002-05:00

Writes James from Sacramento:Mr. Homan: I read your column in the Sunday, August 22nd edition of the Sacramento Bee. First, let me say, I am sorry for your loss and the loss to everyone in New Orleans from the tragedy caused by Katrina, a hurricane, a natural disaster. Being from California, I find your column not only offensive, but more of the same, "I'm a victim, feel sorry for me" narrative

The New Phone Book's Here! The New Phone Book's Here!

2010-08-21T13:51:00.002-05:00

Neither Therese nor I are listed in the new phone books. We never reinstalled our land phone after the flood.

Ready to Forgive, but Never to Forget

2010-08-18T18:18:00.002-05:00

My 7th guest column appears in the Times-Picayune tomorrow, though you can read it on nola.com now. It's about, you guessed it, Hurricane Katrina and five years. It's hard to write about Katrina reflections and not sound pedantic and smug. Thanks to A. Sisco of the T-P for her help with this.

Happy Birthday Chickens

2010-08-14T14:48:00.003-05:00

Therese turns 40-something tomorrow, and to show our love and appreciation, we got her four Rhode Island Red chickens. Here is one of them watching the inspiring video by Samwell, "What What in the Butt"

The Zoo in Cairo: A Photo Essay

2010-07-26T08:35:00.004-05:00

For extra fun today, Gilgamesh and I headed towards Cairo University to take in the Giza Zoo. We knew to ignore the negative comments on Trip Advisor that said things like “Worst zoo ever,” "Don't take young kids," and “Shut it down-it is a disgrace.” Therese and I had been here a couple of times before and we know that for a fun day of watching kids throw rocks at monkeys

Egypt

2010-07-24T08:56:00.004-05:00

The internets was down the last time I had a day off from excavating in Jordan, so I'll do a weeks 3-4 post about Barqa later when it all comes into better focus as the sands of the Jordanian desert fall away, but for now, Gilgamesh and I are in freaky deaky Egypt! We're hanging out with my student Shavonda and her mom Eula. We got to know them very well during the dig, so they're sort of like

Barqa Week Two

2010-07-05T07:01:00.004-05:00

The second week of excavations in the Barqa region are in the bag. My area is working on a large Iron Age II house and last week we started uncovering large amounts of ceramic vessels, some intact, and a few metallurgical pieces along with walls, floors, and a large layer of ash from the destruction. Shavonda, my student at Xavier, found many of the ceramic vessels one day last week. Currently

First Week At Barqa

2010-06-28T01:30:00.005-05:00

We just completed our first week of excavations in the Barqa region of southern Jordan. My team of seven volunteers is working on an Iron Age structure that dates to the late 10th century/9th century BCE. Thus far the best find has been a shard of imported and painted Midianite pottery. It's a one period occupation site so the excavation has been pretty easy, except the floor is hard to find and

Social Networking Freaks Gilgamesh Out in the Holy Land

2010-06-18T03:45:00.004-05:00

Our five days in Israel are winding down, as we head to Jordan tomorrow morning. One interesting thing that I've noticed is that because of social networking, Gilgamesh has been freaked out more than a few times by strangers who know quite a bit about him. For example, while Gilgamesh was running at Kibbutz Galon, a large man he'd never seen before named Mike Hammerschlag shouted in a South

One of My Favorite Places

2010-06-15T09:15:00.004-05:00

Today I had the great privilege of taking Gilgamesh to one of my favorite places on earth. We went to al Haram al-Sharif, which translates literally as "the noble sanctuary" though most English speakers call it the Temple Mount. There we talked about Jebusites, King Solomon, Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac/Ishmael, threshing floors, the Holy of Holies, Herod, Jesus, sacrifice, Mohammad and

Barqa Bound

2010-06-08T17:48:00.003-05:00

This summer Gilgamesh and I will be traveling to southern Jordan where we'll be excavating a large Iron Age structure in the Barqa/Feinan region of southern Jordan. This will be Gilgamesh's first excavation, and his first trip back to the Middle East since he was born in Jerusalem in 2000. Before the excavation we'll be visiting some friends in Israel and Palestine, and after the dig, we'll be

Another Katrina/BP Oil Spill Connection

2010-06-04T07:00:00.003-05:00

It seems we only work on fixing disasters when the press is taking pictures.On September 2, 2005, Senator Mary Landrieu accompanied President George Bush on a helicopter tour of the breach in the 17th Street Canal. Hundreds of people were feverishly working to stop the flooding. The next day, Landrieu was shocked to see that there was nobody there working. It had been a staged photo-op. Today I

19 Years of Marriage

2010-06-01T14:30:00.005-05:00

Today is the first day of Hurricane Season. It is also my wedding anniversary. Therese and I got married on June 1, 1991 in Omaha Nebraska. It's been 6 years of marital bliss and 13 additional years. To mark the event, I spent the day today converting some old VHS into a short digital movie. So feel free to time travel and witness our wedding and reception. Be warned, there is a tornado warning

Legitimate Claims of Pessimism

2010-05-31T15:51:00.002-05:00

They're calling this the "Summer of Oil." I'm confident about two very depressing things:1. A hurricane is going to throw the oil in the Gulf onto the wetlands killing a large portion of it.2. In 3 months BP America will go bankrupt. Few people with "legitimate claims" will get reimbursed. BP Global will prosper.Sure hope I'm wrong, but being a super genius, I rarely am.

Your Logo Here: Barrier Islands for Sale

2010-05-27T19:36:00.004-05:00

I've heard that the company hired in Dubai to create new islands shaped like palm trees is from Louisiana.So let's bring them home and ask them to create barrier islands such as these. I'd even consider building a house on the bottom point of the question mark.

Sex and Oil and National Impotence

2010-05-27T07:51:00.004-05:00

The first time I'd heard of the Minerals Management Service was two years ago. I read with interest that MMS employees engaged in sexual acts with oil company representatives. This intrigued me. As a Bible scholar who now and again dabbles in literary criticism, I'm well aware of the connection between water wells in literature and sexuality. Just about every time there is a well in the story, a

Geauxjira

2010-05-20T03:00:00.006-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, with the oil leak now a month old, here is Geauxjira. Geauxjira is a brief homage to some famous scenes in Ishiro Honda's movie Gojira (1954), better known in English as Godzilla. Whereas Godzilla was created from nuclear explosions, Geauxjira is a giant crawfish spawned by leaking crude oil. On April 21st, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the coast of

Making A Movie

2010-05-12T16:40:00.002-05:00

I'm making a Godzilla movie. Want to be in it? We're shooting two crowd scenes near the Mardi Gras Fountain on Lakeshore Drive this Sunday, May 16th, at 2 PM. Here's some background about the movie. It's called Geauxjira, and its a brief recreation of the famous Japanese Ishiro Honda movie Gojira (1954), better known as Godzilla in English. We're trying to copy a few key scenes. Godzilla was

Using Cats to Save the Gulf

2010-05-06T18:17:00.004-05:00

My friend Sue has a dilemma. She lives in Indiana with about 100 cats and she wants to stop the oil spill. She has heard that animal hair can be used to sop up the oil, but unlike dogs, cats don't like to get shaved. So I am asking all cat owners to send me their felines. I will attach them to my fishing poles and launch them into the oily water. After a few minutes I will reel in the cats, clean

Mayday on May Day

2010-04-30T09:27:00.004-05:00

Things are looking pretty grim in Louisiana. Our economy is based largely on oil and fishing. This time of year birds nest and fish spawn. Now oil has entered the fragile marshes and wetlands. The state has closed all commercial and recreational fishing east of the Mississippi River. The oil is a heavier and more damaging crude than was previously thought, and it's spewing out faster than earlier

Robot Submarines & Oil-Sucking Domes

2010-04-27T14:37:00.008-05:00

What an amazing world in which we live, at least according to the oil industry spokespeople. Here I was worried about the environmental impact of massive quantities of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. Some sources said it's 1000 barrels a day, others say 7400 barrels. That's a difference of 268,800 gallons per day. Is that big? Frankly I'm surprised they don't have some sort of meter on the

Solar Panels in Sunny New Orleans (Part 2)

2010-04-25T14:36:00.007-05:00

In January I posted that we had a 3.36 KW solar panel system installed. Though I've still not heard from the Feds or State of Louisiana about our 2009 tax rebates (we should get back about $20,ooo of our $26,225 investment), we have received two Entergy bills. I should point out early that this post is full of technical data and boring numbers so you should probably stop reading here unless

"Truth Will Rise above Falsehood as Oil above Water"

2010-04-25T13:45:00.007-05:00

Or so said Cervantes many years ago.More recently, or five days to be exact, the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig tragically exploded in the Gulf of Mexico about 40 miles south of the coast of Louisiana. Sadly, 11 people died. During the first 48 hours after the explosion, we were told that we need not worry about the environment. We were told that the deep-water hole was spewing an estimated

So No Human Bones In Donner Hearth?

2010-04-21T11:20:00.006-05:00

As a Bible scholar who seeks to better understand ancient texts through the disciplines of history and archaeology, I've been fascinated by a recent debate concerning the Donner Party. Historians have little doubt that these people ate human flesh to survive the harsh winter of 1846-47. Survivors said they did, and historically speaking, it's well documented. But enter the anthropologists... Gwen

Ezekiel and Resurrected Bones

2010-04-16T20:33:00.002-05:00

My sixth opinion piece in the Times-Picayune appears in tomorrow's paper. It's about Ezekiel and the work Mark Gstohl and I have done with our Xavier students at St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 in collaboration with Save Our Cemeteries. Thanks to Annette Sisco of the T-P for her help with this.

Steven Seagal's Unique Reaction To Sexual Arousal?

2010-04-13T13:43:00.006-05:00

Forget about HBO's Treme, the best thing about being in New Orleans right now is that Jefferson Parish lawman Steven Seagal is being sued for more than $1 million by Kayden Nguyen for allegedly recruiting her on Craigslist to be an assistant and then changing the job description to that of a full time sex slave. She claims Steven Seagal always seems to have two human sex toys on hand for special

Will The Treme Make Me Cry?

2010-04-09T08:52:00.004-05:00

I am very much looking forward to seeing HBO's new series The Treme. I'm a huge fan of David Simon's previous shows, especially The Wire. Plus John Goodman's character is based on the late great man of letters and punk rock fan Ashley Morris. Most (but not all) predict that The Treme will be a great ambassador for the unique culture of New Orleans. It should also help in educating America that

Cameras & War

2010-04-06T14:02:00.002-05:00

This morning I watched a disturbing video from Wikileaks that shows two U.S. Apache helicopters use 30 mm canons to kill 12 people and injure two children back in 2007. The military claimed the dead were armed insurgents, though they later learned that two of the dead worked for Reuters. The pilots mistakenly thought a camera stretched over a shoulder was a gun. Listening to the two pilots is the

An Archaeology Dream

2010-04-05T11:22:00.003-05:00

Last night I dreamt that I was excavating a Late Bronze building in southern Jordan, and against a wall I discovered a golden cultic vessel from Egypt. As I was showing this very important find to the dig directors, one of them noticed some writing on the object. As I looked carefully, it said in English "Radio Shack copyright 1982." I was very upset because the stratigraphical sequencing for the

The Crossroads

2010-04-04T08:06:00.003-05:00

We went to the Crossroads, the place on Highway 61 where legend has it that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil. The plan was that Kalypso would bring her violin and Gilgamesh would bring his drumsticks and they would exchange their souls to the Prince of Darkness for musical mastery. It didn't work out that way, as the devil never showed up. Perhaps it was because we went on Good Friday?

Mardi Gras Indians

2010-03-29T19:17:00.003-05:00

Kalypso and I went to see the Mardi Gras Indians parade yesterday near Washington and Claiborne. It's truly one of the most visually beautiful and uniquely New Orleans events. Thanks to all the Indians who worked so hard on their wonderful costumes. Here is one picture:You can see Kalypso's other 42 pictures in this Flickr set.

The Steep Price of Success in the Dome

2010-03-23T17:33:00.005-05:00

This might seem like whining especially after 1200 season ticket holders lost their seats due to the moving of the press box, but still the increase in ticket prices is worth telling:In 2006, the day the Saints signed Drew Brees, I bought season tickets in section 327. The price for two tickets: $800, or $50 per seat per game. That year Tom Benson said ticket prices would not go up. However the

Mark Gstohl Gets Excited On the News

2010-03-22T21:40:00.006-05:00

Last night on WWL TV Bill Capo talked about our project with Save Our Cemeteries. Over the past two years, about 200 Xavier students have worked at St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 recording names on tombstones, hoping to preserve the record as the tombs are rapidly deteriorating. My student Jarred Honora did a great job representing Xavier. I was very proud of him, and yes, he'll get some extra credit.

Healthcare and Moore's "Cottage Cheese Ass"

2010-03-22T13:44:00.005-05:00

I am happy that the House passed the health care reform bill last night. It is not the bill I would have written, but it's a step in the right direction. I believe it does make the world a better place, and it promotes social justice. I don't think it will be as bad politically as Republicans claim. Oyster points out that Newt Gingrich claims this will be as bad for the Democrats as when Johnson

Japanese Magnolias

2010-03-21T13:05:00.002-05:00

Today in the front of our house we planted three Japanese magnolias. Part of the decision to plant these particular trees comes from the fact that our china has a pattern depicting Japanese magnolias. Our china comes from my father, who purchased it in Japan when he was in the Far East in the army just after the Korean Conflict. On the back of the China it reads "Noritake China Japan 5473."Note:

7 Years of Operation Iraqi Freedom

2010-03-19T10:04:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow is the 7th anniversary of the U.S. military's invasion of Iraq. During the past 7 years, approximately one million people have died, and many more have been refugees. The world was told that the war was necessary because Sadam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction. He wasn't. We were told that the oil in Iraq would pay for the war. It didn't. War profiteering companies such as

Chef Where Dat

2010-03-19T08:42:00.006-05:00

My good friend and colleague, Chef Who Dat, found out yesterday that his Saints' seats are being eliminated to move the press box up to make room for more suites. Shoot! At the dome I often visit Chef and his section 641, called "The Cafe," as the group's enthusiasm, comradery, and general fan zaniness are second to none. Who has witnessed the triple, or even quintuple dirty dog and not been

From The Prophet's Mouth To Students' Eyes

2010-03-17T17:43:00.003-05:00

My students in Prophets and Prophecy are writing papers due Monday that chronicle the steps involved in the biblical journey beginning with an oracle from Jeremiah's lips to the student reading a verse from Jeremiah in an English translation. After a long conversation, the dry erase board at the end of class looked something like this:Jeremiah speaks > Baruch writes it down > Dtr and others

Bishops versus Nuns on Senate Healthcare Bill

2010-03-17T16:12:00.004-05:00

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have lately stepped up their campaign against the Senate version of healthcare reform claiming the bill's language is not restrictive enough on the issue of abortion. Earlier this week, the Catholic Health Association, and then today, NETWORK, an organization representing about 60,000 nuns, have lobbied in favor of the legislation. They cite how the current