Amid last week’s frenzy of protest over the SOPA/PIPA on the internet, it was good to see people doing something about it in a physical realm. Thibodaux High School graduates Anthony Hebert (center) of Thibodaux and his friends (from left) Seth Chamberlain, Aaron Trosclair and Christopher Benoit, have remained close since graduation and decided to forge a local effort to protest the controversial piece of federal legislation.
Cousins, from left, Derius Pharr, 11 and Silthe Mart, 11, ride at the carnival for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in Houma.
Elder Margie Scott of Beacon Light Baptist Church leans over in prayer during the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at the Dumas Auditorium on Monday in Houma.
Neighborhood friends, from left, Jacob Luke, 7, Lawrence Bertoniere,7, and his sister, Megan Bertoniere, 12 pause while playing on Avet Street on Thursday in Dulac, Louisiana.
The mother of one of the friends, who isn’t pictured, approached me to ask the obvious questions relating to strangers and cameras and children. After I had dissuaded her understandable concerns, her tone shifted to curiosity in the article I was photographing for.
The 2012 Louisiana Plan for Coastal Restoration had been released, and outlined where the state was putting its financial resources towards protecting. Most striking was the map found on page 15 of the report, showing the extent of coastal land loss predicted over the next 50 years if nothing was done. The sad thing is, the corresponding map of things planned to help rebuild and defend the coastline, show that more emphasis is being placed on rescuing the area immediate to New Orleans.
The plan proposes significant water diversions and marsh-creation projects around the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers. But due to the high cost and difficulty, fewer restoration projects made the cut for the most-vulnerable and rapidly eroding areas in Terrebonne and Lafourche.
Many local coastal advocates expressed disappointment in the plan and emphasized that it is more important than ever for residents to get involved and give their input to the state.
Read more in this article by Nikki Buskey.
So the mother waited patiently for my answer, and I racked my brain to remember the particulars of the plan, and why I had come all the way down to Dulac to, “y’know… put a human face on a story involving a lot of maps a numbers.”
Her home, adorned with a brilliant white and black and gold sign reading, “Saints Fans Only,” would be under a few feet of water by the end of the century. Even if all of the things they are planning to do to save the coast were implemented and worked, her home would still be gone.
“It’s pretty bleak,” I stammered, as I tried to explain the different things they were doing in the surrounding parishes, even recreating the barrier islands that had been destroyed by erosion.
She cut me off there, with a smile. This was something she was used to hearing, and I wasn’t telling her anything new. After federal plans, and now statewide plans for salvation had fallen through, it was expected that she would have to do like 40% of Dulac residents had done before her, and move.
Students participating in an alternative winter break at the University at Buffalo placed Terrebonne parish’s spare Christmas Trees in the Intracoastal Waterway as part of coastal restoration efforts.
Placing the trees in the wooden cribs is intended to catch silt in the water, hopefully allowing it to build and let organic materials grow in new marshland. Parish President Michelle Claudet says about it, “This is an actual way in which our citizens can participate to prevent the degradation of our coast and our environment.”
I’ve met plenty of locals who are skeptical of the process.
“Hey, I’ll save you some time and let you photograph me setting a bag of money on fire,” said a co worker, “Because that’s all that Christmas Tree stuff is doing, burning money.”
The results were visually underwhelming, but according to LSU studies cited in this article, the process can build a half inch of sediment every year.
In related news, the first draft of the 2012 Master Plan for Louisiana Wetlands was released, with time allotted for public commentary.
A Gulf Fritillary on Bayou Lafourche.
Last night’s matchup between Alabama and LSU in the BCS Championship game was extremely disappointing for the Tigers. After going undefeated in the 2011 season, including a 9-6 win over the Crimson Tide in November’s “Game of the Century,” LSU was completely shut out in their biggest game of the season, 21-0.
Knowing that my pictures were meant for a die-hard Louisiane audience, I sought to express this sense of disappointment and frustration with my pictures.
Francesca Rasgado works in her kitchen at Taqueria Guzman. Rasgado, who is originally from Mexico, has lived in Houma for five years, and has been working at the Taqueria since May.
She makes her tortillas from scratch, something she says her customers don’t believe anyone does anymore. Read more about her and others at houmatoday.com.
Dylan Danos, the subject of a blog post about one month ago, died on January 5th as a result of complications of the double lung transplant he had endured earlier to fight his cystic fibrosis.
After Dylan’s transplant, he wanted one message spread more than anything. He wanted to encourage everyone to register with Donate Life and become an organ donor. Please consider signing up.
Read more of the obituary.
I had only spoke to Dylan for our photo shoot, but from the few moments I shared with him I could tell he was a special kid. He was humble when speaking of his personal and team accomplishments, and was able to deflect any attention I gave with his playful sense of humor. I’m sure he will be missed by his friends and family, and I wish them the best as they continue to live in his honor.
I walked into a kindergarten class at Thibodaux elementary to photograph a story about the need for handwriting training in education. Ironically, as if on cue, all of the students had their laptops out, and were tapping away at an assignment that taught them basic computer interface skills, working with menus and buttons to do simple number exercises.
The handwriting lesson came shortly after, but this shot that I took represents the absolute despair that I feel when I see this going on in the classroom. I realize this activity only happens for a couple hours each day, but its a cold, static way of teaching that prevents doodling. Don’t children spend enough time in front of screens at home?
The teacher said proudly that they were able to afford computers for the students after an anonymous grant. Apparently these computers have been in use since August.
I may be ill-informed, but I don’t think I’ve met too many children who don’t know to use a computer, navigate on the internet, and do basic tasks like check email. I’ve met a lot of children (and adults) who can barely write their name, much less fill out a job application or express their feelings in a thoughtful way.
