What's in a name?

I thought I would end the month on a lighter note. Enter your name in the box provided below and, if you do not have a very unusual name, you will enjoy the results as I did.

This was taken from a site at http://yougottafriend.com. See you next month where all of us on the coast will be counting down to Katrina's one year anniversary.

RUTH

From a Hebrew name which was derived from the Hebrew word רְעוּת (re'ut) meaning "friend". This is the name of the central character in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. She was a Moabite woman who was the ancestor of King David.

RUTH is the #19 female name in the US.

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Pascagoula, Mississippi Video

Yesterday my daughter Anita and I decided we would take a video of Pascagoula's beach for a future remembrance of Hurricane Katrina's devastation of so many homes on the beachfront. Anita was the photographer and I was the driver. Although my speed was only 20 mph, when we first viewed the video, it looked as though I was moving at a 100 mph. Anita was able to slow it down to what appears normal.

It is very sad for us to watch the video as we know all that was lost and the heartache it caused the people. While watching the video and seeing the emptiness, try visualizing the beautiful homes that were there.

Did Katrina taint soil?

Did Katrina taint soil?: "In Mississippi, more than 90 percent of samples exceeded the acceptable standard set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. The highest concentrations of arsenic were found in Moss Point, Gulfport and Pearlington, Subra said."

I have managed to not write for almost ten days but an article I read today has me riled up. You can read the article in its entirety at my daughter's site Fema Bans Reporters From Katrina Victims

Although the incident took place in Morgan City, LA, I believe that the rules would apply wherever Fema trailers are located. Throughout my previous writings, I have been consistent in my concern for the citizens and the deplorable conditions that they live in. I do not fault the national news for their lack of coverage but I do find fault that the PEOPLE have not been given a voice to report the actual happenings. In my way I have tried to do just that but what is one lone voice compared to thousands. This morning I went looking for the "dwindling" trailers they are reporting. I actually found another park that I didn't know about on Wright Avenue in Pascagoula. The three pictures below is my attempt to show as many of the trailers that I could.




All the other trailer parks that I have shown you in my blog are still there. Let's not forget the trailers that are on empty devastated home sites or nestled up to somebody's damaged home. There are thousands throughout Pascagoula. To look at the big picture, try visualizing them in Louisiana and parts of Alabama too. Horrific, isn't it?


Since this involves Fema, it brings one other concern to my mind. When unprecedented Katrina dealt her mighty blow, Fema gave out emergency money to people with the announcement that it didn't matter if your home was destroyed or not. It was to help ALL in the area to have cash on hand as banks were not operable etc. Now they are claiming "fraud". I was eligible too but I didn't claim mine because I didn't want to stand in the long, hot lines. Even credit card companies got in touch immediately and delayed any payments due for a month and to call if you needed more time. Just being in the disaster zone and living the nightmare was considered hardship. But ... human nature being what it is, after the dust settled but not the misery, things have gotten back to normal everywhere but down south. We still need help, the people do. My daughter goes to her mailbox each day to see if she has been given a grant as do thousands of other people. Is it not torture to make them wait for a form letter to tell them what they got or, worse yet, that they didn't get anything?

Requiem

This will be my final post, it's time for me to move on. I have spent over eight months writing about Katrina and how it not only affected me personally but the hardships being endured in varying degrees by each and every coastal resident. The fighting in the world is escalating and, in my opinion, I feel that America is in grave danger. So as a christian, a Catholic, I am going to concentrate more on prayer than blogging.

Yes, the entire Coast is in serious trouble, none of that has changed. I spent the better part of this morning having three flat tires patched. Little things like nails in the roads cannot be avoided. Maybe homes will be built again, maybe people will get enough of a State grant to help them at least begin building a home for their families, maybe there will be jobs for everyone and maybe my prayers will help it all come to fruition.

I have added a link to a song that you may enjoy even if you are not of my faith.

Requiem

YouTube - Mississippi

YouTube - Mississippi

I think you will find the link below very interesting. My daughter has put two videos on, one of Katrina's storm surge and the storm surge of Hurricane Dennis as a comparison. The third video is a surprising one. Thank you!

1st Video - Navarre, FL - Catergory 3 - Hurricane Dennis

2nd Video - Gulfport, MS - Catergory 4 - Hurricane Katrina

3rd Video - ???

Hurricane Dennis and Hurricane Katrina Storm Surge

This morning I heard on WLOX news that a Fema trailer off Ingalls Avenue in Pascagoula caught fire and the occupant died from smoke inhalation. Yet another tragedy wrought indirectly by Katrina. Nostalgia for what was yesteryear not yesterday is overwhelming most of the older citizens of Pascagoula. The City Council agreed that they do not want highrise condos, they want a family oriented "small town" city. In my younger years we had lots of entertainment . We had the Ritz and Pix theater in town. There were two drive-in theaters, Lake Drive In and Do Drive In. Moss Point had the Joy theater. Beach Park had a pavillion where you could roller skate and other times you could dance there. We had local beauty pageants at the park, bands, bingo and booths were set up to sell crafts and food. Remember when you could go into a photo booth, insert a quarter and you got instant pictures of yourself? I still have some of those pictures. There was a red brick post office that was very pretty when compared to the one we have today (it has not been repaired). A Fema trailer is our post office for over ten months now. We have a chance to build a much nicer town but absolutely NOTHING is happening. I can understand the nostalgia for the past because things were so much better than the life we are living now.

Today I had my two young grandsons with me and we whiled away the day by talking about everything, watching, "Creature From The Black Lagoon" on TV and playing the piano. They both seem to be naturals on the piano.


Before I took them home we spent a little time on the beach.

A video of Hurricane Katrina making landfall in New Orleans, Louisiana

Landfall

Our New Orleans Neighbors

I have linked a video that depicts a sad situation in St. Bernard Parish in New Orleans that has been ongoing for the past ten months. Note the barbed wire atop the fence. Also there is a link to a video of Six Flags amusement park that has been abandoned ... but an aerial view shows an unexpected find.

Are we living in a time when human life has no value? Sometimes it appears so!

t r u t h o u t� - MultiMedia

t r u t h o u t� - MultiMedia: "VIDEO

Katrina Plus Ten Months - Professor Bill Quigley Speaks
A Film by Chris Hume and L. Wild Horse

Over 7,200 family dwellings sit empty throughout New Orleans. No, not FEMA trailers. These are solid brick public housing projects that survived Katrina. They only require interior repairs, and thousands of displaced low income families want to move back in. But instead, they are being fenced off and condemned. Why? Chris Hume and L. Wild Horse speak with Professor Bill Quigley and several former tenants. "

t r u t h o u t� - MultiMedia

t r u t h o u t� - MultiMedia: "VIDEO

425
A Film by Chris Hume and L. Wild Horse

From the haunts of the abandoned Six Flags in New Orleans, Chris Hume and L. Wild Horse find out why the number 425 is important. "

The Sun Herald | 07/13/2006 | Hand grenade donated to thrift store causes quite a stir

The Sun Herald | 07/13/2006 | Hand grenade donated to thrift store causes quite a stir: "OCEAN SPRINGS - Maureen Carroll has received a lot of interesting and unique donations since she began managing America's Thrift Store in Ocean Springs, but she says a World War II-era hand grenade tops the list.

The grenade was discovered Tuesday in a box of items that had been donated to the store, Ocean Springs Police Chief Kerry Belk."

The Sun Herald | 07/13/2006 | 'City of tomorrow' will bring back Pascagoula of old

The Sun Herald | 07/13/2006 | 'City of tomorrow' will bring back Pascagoula of old: "PASCAGOULA - The Planning Commission adopted a comprehensive plan for Pascagoula's future at a meeting Wednesday night at City Hall.

Calling the plan a 'living document,' the commission adopted it to 'plan for the city of tomorrow.'

The commission will send the plan to the City Council for their consideration.

The plan includes mixed use and covers a wide range of issues such as transportation, education, housing, natural environment, community services, land use and government.

It will take the city back to old Pascagoula.

The commission said in its report that it didn't want Pascagoula to look like Biloxi with high-rises. Instead, they want a family-friendly city."

Moss Point gator snagged

Moss Point gator snagged: "MOSS POINT -- A Sunday afternoon crabbing in a bayou near Griffin Street cemetery, turned exciting for the May family and their neighbors, when a 7-foot alligator made an appearance.

Duncan May of 5230 North Shore Circle, said despite the inconvenience, he might be glad the alligators have returned to his backyard.

'Last year we didn't have a problem cause they hightailed it out of here,' he said. 'I think it was because they knew hurricanes were coming. This year they are sticking around, so maybe we won't have any hurricanes.'"

Blue Monday

Not too long ago, my favorite days of the week were Monday and Friday. Why? I like beginnings and endings. That is why I find it very hard to contend with Katrina's aftermath. On August 29th there was the beginning and now, as of July 10th, there is no ending in sight. Try as I may, I can't see the progress that is reported to be taking place. I snapped some more pictures this morning in Pascagoula and I wasn't encouraged at all. I admire the "grit" of the people trying to survive with all the obstacles that hinder their progress.





When the news speaks of how far along we are in our recovery efforts, it gives an impression that we are at a point of completion. The percentage they use has nothing to do with rebuilding of homes and businesses. They are speaking of how many homes that still have to be demolished and the amount of debri that has to be hauled away. I see it in Pascagoula every day, there is much to do.




The vacant lots on Beach Blvd. and Washington Avenue are overgrown with weeds. A homeowner would not be able to use a regular lawnmower as there is still debri embedded in the soil.



Hancock Bank must be ecstatic being out of the Fema trailers!


Well that's about all the news that I have today but I know I will be out there again in search of perhaps some interesting news. On an ending note, I thought you might also be interested in a little trivia about me. Barbara Walters and I share the same birthday!!! :)

"fI I Can Dream"

Today is a lazy kind of Sunday, one that allows me to sit back and recollect on the good and bad in my lifetime. I certainly have had my share of ups and downs. Last night I was introduced for the first time to "YouTube" and I, of course, gravitated toward Elvis Presley. As most everyone knows, he was born in Tupelo, Mississippi and, maybe everyone doesn't know, for a very brief time his parents lived in Pascagoula in 1940 when Elvis was four or five yrs. old. So... those two facts gave me a way to put Elvis on my blog.

His song, "If I Can Dream" gives a little insight into what we are experiencing.

YouTube - Elvis Presley If i can Dream

YouTube - Elvis Presley If i can Dream

The Sun Herald | 07/08/2006 | The laws sometimes stand in the way

The Sun Herald | 07/08/2006 | The laws sometimes stand in the way: "WAVELAND - State and federal laws dictate how a city is to replace a damaged backhoe or front-end loader, but when a city is faced with losing all its public works equipment at once, the law may be what is standing in the way of a quick recovery.

'When you write the law, you don't think of little cities with 15 pieces of equipment rendered useless,' said Marty Wiseman, director of the Stennis Institute, a government think tank at Mississippi State University.

That's why Wiseman arrived on the Coast this week with marching orders from the Legislature. He and his team are to determine if there are any local, state or federal laws that could be changed to make life a little easier for first responders to a disaster like Katrina."

The Sun Herald | 07/08/2006 | Harvard psychologists visiting Coast for a week to help people overcome unhealthy feelings after the stormKatrinaCycle

The Sun Herald | 07/08/2006 | Harvard psychologists visiting Coast for a week to help people overcome unhealthy feelings after the stormKatrinaCycle: "'Everyone here is impacted, whether or not you had damage to your property, and that is because the whole community is impacted. You can't get away from Katrina. Everyone is talking about it, and it's in the news. The ongoing sensory impact is significant.

'You don't have the advantage here of getting away from it for a while.'"

The rain came down so hard today in Pascagoula that it couldn't drain fast enough and the streets flooded. It was pouring when I left the house to do some banking. It was exhilarating to ride through the waterlogged streets. A few times the water splashed OVER my car and I didn't care that I couldn't see for a few seconds, I was having fun. At last, a refreshing, cleansing rain! I realized a couple of weeks ago that some of the fear that I have had all these months was slowly ebbing. I no longer slept in the recliner if it was raining. I didn't think about the big pine tree that is behind my house falling and crushing me if I slept in my bedroom. My going out today while it was raining just came natural, I had business to take care of. So I am over my terrible Katrina phobia. Three cheers!

There aren't any big changes in our coastal cities that I have noted. It was reported this morning that the City of Biloxi was without insurance coverage as their premium doubled from last year. At this writing I believe they now have partial coverage while negotiations are taking place.

Moss Point has a firefighter shortage and has been seeking assistance from neighboring cities and volunteers. They have lost some of their men to retirement and others to higher paying jobs.

The banks are thriving as I noted in an earlier post. The casino industry expects to have ten of their establishments up and running by the end of this year

Area Banks Awash In Money

Our citizens in Fema trailers are still waiting for their nightmare to end. My daughter's house, as well as other's homes, are falling into more disrepair as time rapidly approaches a year since Katrina made landfall.

Tragedy seems to breed tragedy. We have had murders, excessive fatalities from car crashes and this past Wednesday afternoon lightning struck the home of a family of nine and set it afire. Ironically, their home had survived Katrina.

Saucier Home Struck By Lightning

Personally, the way I survive all this is by praying incessantly.

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: Scattered Showers Helping Ease Drought

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: Scattered Showers Helping Ease Drought: "Cars in downtown Pascagoula needed paddles, not tires on Thursday morning. Heavy rain turned streets into streams downtown.

Same soggy story a little further east. Flood-prone Market Street ran like a river.

Busy wipers kept a rhythm with the steady rainfall. It's a sound that's been noticeably missing most of this year.

'We need it. Yeah, we need it,' said one man, as he hurried under the cover of a shopping center awning."

The Sun Herald | 07/05/2006 | Housing, housing, housing

The Sun Herald | 07/05/2006 | Housing, housing, housing: "here are reliable estimates that more than 70,000 new housing units will be needed in South Mississippi just to recover from the losses inflicted by Hurricane Katrina.

There are also reasonable projections that there could be as many as 30,000 casino workers along the Coast by the year 2010. That's double - double! - the number of casino employees prior to Katrina.

Then there is the additional pressure that will be placed on our housing market by the non-gaming jobs that will be created by our post-Katrina building boom and sustained by our post-Katrina recovery.

Unless South Mississippians soon find ways to quickly ramp up the building of housing units, our recovery - one that has the potential of being the most significant rebuilding story in American history - will stumble."

Dave, Anita, myself and their children went to Pascagoula's beach to watch the fireworks display. Before the "show" people were allowed to "shoot" their fireworks from the sand out over the water. The crowd was larger than those there for the Memorial Day fireworks.

As we set on the seawall, the reported news that said North Korea had fired three missiles and that one was capable of reaching the USA weighed heavily on my mind, until the first firework rose high in the sky. It was fantastic as the night lit up with brilliant colors. I am sure that all of us present were, for at least 45 minutes, transported from our dismal world of Katrina to one of fantasy

I couldn't capture the beauty of the fireworks so please take a look at my daughter's video by going to Fireworks

Our Katrina Fourth of July was a very enjoyable holiday!!! We love you Pascagoula ... thank you!!!

Pascagoula

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: Gulfport Freedom Fest Draws Families To Jones Park

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: Gulfport Freedom Fest Draws Families To Jones Park: "When the Mississippi Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo moved to the fairgrounds, Gulfport lost more than a bunch of fishermen hanging out at Rice Pavilion. It lost an annual event that brought hundreds of families to the banks of the Mississippi Sound."

As we celebrate the 230th birthday of our country tomorrow, I personally look back on the year 1976 as the most memorable celebration. True, we were only seven years into Camille's recovery but, unlike now, there was much evidence that we were recovering. Patriotism was high and people were proud to be an American. The yearly celebration was held at Jones Park in Gulfport, MS. (it no longer exists). A fishing rodeo was one of the major events that took place beginning in early July and ending on the 4th of July. There was something for all ages to enjoy.

Now we are celebrating America's 230th birthday. Many things have changed for us in coastal Mississippi. Oh!.... sure we will celebrate but with much less enthusiasm as in previous years. Depression is exacting a high toll from all of us. Yesterday after church I talked to two ladies I know, one is nearing 80 yrs. old and she finally got a stove to cook on. Another classmate of mine spoke to me about how she felt. They were back in their home but she doesn't recognize anything. They lost their mementos, a tangible remembrance of their past. She looked, as most of us do, drained.

I object to all the new laws being enacted in our State. They seem so inconsequential with all we have to contend with. We have had eight fatalities from car crashes just this week. Seven of them have been in Jackson County. Someone's husband, wife or child has been killed but it is always noted that they weren't wearing a seat belt. Their families have to handle the loss of their loved ones, don't add to their grief by blaming the victim. If a smoker gets caught smoking in a public place or even near a public place they will be fined. If anything ..... smoking has increased in the area. Most drivers I see every day are smoking.

The daughter, son in law, myself and their children will have more of an "at home" picnic but we will definitely see the fireworks display. Wish we could "shoot" a few but that has been banned this year. So to all of you, I wish you a Happy Fourth of July!!!