KATRINA & THE LOST CITY OF NEW ORLEANS by Rod Amis New Orleans is the Lost City of America. New Orleans has disappeared as surely as the lost city of Atlantis or the lost city of Pompeii, which former mayor Marc Morial and Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA.) have compared us to in their statements. That New Orleans, the New Orleans I mean to tell you about, that will never, ever, exist again--that city of love, lust, death and sex--will never exist again. A portion of the proceeds of this book will go to the New Orleans Hospitality Workers Fund. The cooks, servers and restaurant workers of New Orleans have provided fabulous times and memories for millions. Now we must remember them in their time of need. Buy the book or get a downloadable PDF Copy now! To order on Amazon.com, go here! A small, independent and outspoken magazine like this one can't reach you every week without the support and patronage of its readership. As our way of thanking those who have committed to keep your World's Magazine here on your desktop through their generous donations, we feature their names and cities here in our Roll of Honor. SUSTAINING PATRONS RON DIENER, Wendell, NC, USA DARHL STULTZ, Largo, FL, USA MATT STOWELL, New Orleans, LA, USA TIMOTHY MEADOWS, Anaheim, CA, USA CHERYL HILL NATION, West Fairlee, VT, USA DRAGAN & DRAGANA VICANOVIC, Belgrade, SERBIA LESZEK MICHAELWICZ, New Orleans, LA, USA MARIE SINSABAUGH, Granville, OH, USA TERRY TERRIAN, Sebastopol, CA, USA BECKY ALTEMUS, Houston, TX, USA Supporting Patrons BARBARA ATWELL, Berkeley, CA, USA IAN CRYSTAL, Ph. D, New Orleans, LA, USA LARS KEFFERSTAN, New York, NY, USA MEREDITH TUPPER, Tampa, FL, USA NGOZI RAZAK-SOYEBI, Jos, NIGERIA NICK ALLEN, New Orleans, LA, USA RIC WILLIAMS, Austin, TX, USA ROBERT PURVIS, Montclair, NJ, USA STEVE VIVIAN, New York, NY, USA STUART ALTMAN, ESQ., New York, NY, USA We encourage you to add your name to this Roll of Honor. GENERATOR 21 cannot continue and thrive without your support. Thanks in advance. To support G21, please send checks or money orders to: G21: The World's Magazine Attn: Rod Amis 1116 Crestline Road Wendell, NC 27591-9245 USA To donate by credit or debit card, please go to the Western Union website by following the highlighted link. Should you donate via Western Union, please notify us via e-mail. Please make all remittances payable to Rod Amis. Again, thanks. CURRENT MOON lunar phases

Rod Amis - Unbound

SMOKE

"Where there's smoke, there's fire ..." Popular Adage.

24 November, 2005: The end of the year is rushing toward us, the feeding-frenzy of "I want" and "I wish" and "Let's buy" dominates most of American media, with the exception of the leftists who are totally preoccupied with the Rubik's Cube of how to get the Democratic Party in the United States back in power - a misguided effort if ever there was one. I keep waiting for the people on the left, with whom I have a little sympathy, to realize that the D party is just another side of the awful corporatist coin. I'm not hopeful that they will, of course. Liberals still believe things can be fixed, as I've said in this space often.

They refuse to admit that the system itself is toxic.

It takes a radical dissident to recognize that we need innovation, meaning a new system altogether, and there are precious few of us around these days in the empire.

Evidence? Look at the people the D party has testing the Presidential waters for 2008. Not a one of them has taken a courageous stand and said we need to get out of occupying a country that never did anything to us. Instead, they offer milquetoast variations on the "stay the course" mantra of the criminals in the White House. That's not the stance of an opposition party; that's the stance of Losers.

Which brings us again this week to:

NEWS TO ROD

26 November, 2005- ITEM ONE: You've heard a lot pro and con about what Rep. John Murtha said in the Mouthpiece Media (MM) but have you noticed, as I have, that none of the MM actually quotes Murtha's now-infamous speech. Alexander Cockburn, in a great article over at CounterPunch helps remedy that. Here's just a snippet:

It truly was a great speech, as the Marine veteran (37 years in the US Marine Corps, then 31 years in Congress) actually delivered it with extempore additions to the prepared text handed out after his news conference.

Listen to Murtha and you are hearing how the US commanders in Iraq really see the situation. Murtha is trusted by the military and has visited Iraq often. "Many say the Army is broken. Some of our troops are on a third deployment. Recruitment is down even as the military has lowed its standards. They expect to take 20 percent category 4, which is the lowest category, which they said they'd never take. Much of our ground equipment is worn out."

On Iraq's condition: "Oil production and energy production are below prewar level. You remember they said that was going to pay for the war, and it's below prewar level. Our reconstruction efforts have been crippled by the security situation. Only $9 billion of $18 billion appropriated for reconstruction has been spent. Unemployment is 60 percentClean water is scarce and they only spent $500 million of the $2.2 billion appropriated for water projects.

"And, most importantly -- this is the most important point -- incidents have increased from 150 a week to over 700 in the last year."

Then, amid his tears, came Murtha's sketches of war's consequences in today's America:

"Now, let me personalize this thing for youI have a young fellow in my district who was blinded and he lost his foot. And they did everything they could for him at Walter Reed, then they sent him home. His father was in jail; he had nobody at home -- imagine this: young kid that age -- 22, 23 years old -- goes home to nobody. V.A. did everything they could do to help him. He was reaching out, so they sent him -- to make sure that he was blind, they sent him to John Hopkins. John Hopkins started to send him bills. Then the collection agency started sending bills. Imagine, a young person being blinded, without a foot, and he's getting bills from a collection agency."

And finally, Murtha's call for rapid pullout of US troops from Iraq capped by one of the most amazing resumes of political reality ever administered to an audience on Capitol Hill:

"I believe we need to turn Iraq over to the Iraqis. I believe before the Iraqi elections, scheduled for mid-December, the Iraqi people and the emerging government must be put on notice: The United States will immediately redeploy -- immediately redeploy. All of Iraq must know that Iraq is free, free from a United States occupation. And I believe this will send a signal to the Sunnis to join the political process."

This was no wimp. This was a 73-year old Marine veteran with Purple Hearts and Bronze Star, one of the Armed Forces' most constant supporters. What more credible advocate a speedy end to an unpopular war could the Democrats ever hope for?

ITEM TWO: David Lazarus writes in the San Francisco Chronicle ("Nations Spending Out of Line," 27 November, 2005)

Free spending big government Republicans are breaking the country. After all the talk about fiscal responsibility and small government from these guys, this is what they give us.

... Last month, the national debt reached yet another miserable milestone, passing the $8 trillion mark for the first time. As of last week, the United States was $8,084,858,891,735.31 in the hole, according to the Treasury Department.

... Here is the depressing stuff you should now consider before the 2006 elections:

In fact, Bush has borrowed more money - $1.05 trillion - from foreign governments and banks since taking office than all other presidents combined.

From 1776 to 2000, the nation's first 42 presidents borrowed a combined $1.01 trillion from foreign interests, official statistics show. In just five years, Bush has out-borrowed them all ...

ITEM THREE: I received an interesting e-mail this week from my friend, Ric, the son of a Marine Drill Instructor (DI) who passed away a few years back. I'd like to share it with you:

Major General Smedley Butler on Interventionism
http://www.fas.org/man/smedley.htm
Excerpt from a speech delivered in 1933, by Major General Smedley Butler, USMC.

War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.

I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.

I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket.

There isn't a trick in the racketeering bag that the military gang is blind to. It has its "finger men" to point out enemies, its "muscle men" to destroy enemies, its "brain men" to plan war preparations, and a "Big Boss" Super-Nationalistic-Capitalism.

It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a comparison. Truthfulness compels me to. I spent thirty- three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all the members of the military profession, I never had a thought of my own until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service.

I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912 (where have I heard that name before?). I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.

During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.

Major General Smedley Butler, USMC
Awarded two Congressional medals of Honor: General Butler was the only recipient of two Congressional Medals of Honor.

1. Capture of Vera Cruz, Mexico, 1914
2. Capture of Ft. Riviere, Haiti, 1917

Distinguished service medal, 1919
Major General - United States Marine Corps
Retired Oct. 1, 1931
On leave of absence to act as director of Dept. of Safety, Philadelphia, 1932
Lecturer -- 1930's
Republican Candidate for Senate, 1932
Died at Naval Hospital, Philadelphia, June 21, 1940

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1 December, 2005: Today is United Nation World AIDS Day. As this day comes and goes, I'm proud of our small effort to raise public awareness of this issue in our pages this year. Special thanks to A.J., RAHEEM and MPHUTHUMI NTABENI for taking the time to contribute to our series on the Pandemic. If you didn't read their fine articles this year, I encourage you to go back and take a look.

COMMENT on SMOKE of 3 December

The G21 READERSHIP POLL

Yes, Kids, it's that time again! It's the time of the year when G21 readers start making their lists and checking them twice.

No, I'm not talking about Christmas Lists. I'm talking about our now-notorious list of the Bottom Ten people of the year. It's time for the dish. As Longtime Loyal Readers know, our "Bottom Ten" list is much like Mr. Blackwell's "Worst Dressed" list. So I'll ask you the same question I've asked readers for the last nine years:

POLL QUESTION: What ten people could we have done without this year in order for the world to have been a better or happier place? Who were the Lowest of the Low?

DEADLINE for your nominations is 17 December, 2005. The results will be published in our final edition of 2005.

Send your nominees for the 2005 Bottom 10 to rod@g21.net with the "Subject" line "Bottom 10". Thank you!

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MIRRORS

BECOME A SPONSOR OF THE WORLD'S MAGAZINE. WHY should you advertise here? We'll tell you. VETERAN? Need to know how to access more of your benefits? Need help buying a home for your family? These folks can help: VA LOAN INFORMATION and VETERANS' MORTGAGES KATRINA & THE LOST CITY OF NEW ORLEANS by Rod Amis New Orleans is the Lost City of America. New Orleans has disappeared as surely as the lost city of Atlantis or the lost city of Pompeii, which former mayor Marc Morial and Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA.) have compared us to in their statements. That New Orleans, the New Orleans I mean to tell you about, that will never, ever, exist again--that city of love, lust, death and sex--will never exist again. A portion of the proceeds of this book will go to the New Orleans Hospitality Workers Fund. The cooks, servers and restaurant workers of New Orleans have provided fabulous times and memories for millions. Now we must remember them in their time of need. Buy the book or get a downloadable PDF Copy now! To order on Amazon.com, go here!

2 December, 2005: Language is my life, as you know. So I was especially touched by an article I read last week. John Ross did a wonderful article on the death of languages over at CounterPunch last week. Running as punctuation to his reporting was a wonderful poem addressing the issue. I'd like to share it with you. The poem is by Miguel Leon Portillo written in the Aztec (English translation: John Ross) and entitled "When a Language Dies." Here is a brief excerpt:

"Cuando muere una lengua,
las cosas divinas,
estrellas, sol y luna,
las cosas humanas,
pensar y sentir,
no se reflejan en eso espejo."

"When a language dies,
the divine things,
stars, sun and moon,
the human things.
to think and to feel,
are no longer reflected
in this mirror."

"Cuando muere una lengua
todo lo que hay en el mundo,
mares y rios,
animales y plantas,
ni se piensen, ni se pronuncian
con atisbos, con sonidos,
que no existan ya."

"When a language dies,
all that there is in this world,
oceans and rivers,
animals and plants,
do not think of them,
do not pronounce their names,
they do not exist now."

Languages, as those of us who are paying attention - and as Mr. Ross points out - have been dying off as rapidly as most of the non-human species on our planet for decades now. Some of us consider it an immeasurable loss. Perhaps you should, too.

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The United Nations Climate Change Conference begins in Montreal, Canada, on Saturday, 3 December, 2005. To coincide with the opening of the ten-day conference, there will be actions in cities around the globe, most especially in Montreal, but even in places as far-flung as New Orleans, the Associated Press reported this week. The action (and we all know that in NOLA an action is just another excuse for a party) to be held in the French Quarter, in New Orleans, has the theme, "Save New Orleans, Stop Global Warming." Very appropriate.

From Rod's Photo Album

This week I feature another series of photo sent on by my friend DC in Florida. We've all been forced to pass trucks on the highways of the United States and, usually, they are pretty boring.

So I enjoyed seeing this usage of the sides of those big rigs to enhance the driving experience. (You know I'd rather you didn't drive but, since you insist, passing a couple of the se trucks looks like it would be fun.

Any creativity to be connected with your heinous obsession is a good thing, I think. As Bill Maher has joked, if you could hump your cars, you probably would, wouldn't you?

So while you're enjoying these pix, I'd love it if you also took the time to, please, read this article. Thank you.

Life of Rod

There's only one reason I'd feature this tree on my page, you know. It's time to make my last plea for support of your World's Magazine for this year.

I'd stop asking if you took me up on this plaint and actually showed your support for our tireless efforts here in more substantial numbers. While I wait for you to do so, I have to be like PBS, Truthout.org and most of my fellow-travelers and continue to remind you that you get this for free but it still costs us to produce it week after week. Hell! I still haven't even finished paying for the used computer this work is done on!

Let's face it, as m embers of our Mailing List know, we don't send out nearly as many annoying e-mails as other Web sites to which you might subscribe. (We'll leave the names of some of the most egregious offenders unmentioned.) I know of one site - that, yes, I consider of value but -- who must send me more than five newsletters PER DAY. The Huffington Post sends a minimum of one a week. Your World's Magazine (for the most part) only sends our subscribers a message when something special happens and normally only when we have new articles ready for you to read. And we always include some very sweet jokes to brighten your day.

As I say in our newsletter: "Our numbers show that about 1% of the regular readers of your World's Magazine actually contribute to its existence. IMAGINE what we could do if a mere 10% of you who enjoy our offerings week after week made a donation! IMAGINE what we could do if you committed to donate as little as $5 a month.

"We depend on you for support. Drop something in the Tip Jar. Help Rod pay for the new (used) computer he uses to put this magazine out. Send your kind donations to:

"G21: The World's Magazine
1116 Crestline Road
Wendell, NC, USA
27591-9245

"Make checks payable to 'Rod Amis.' Send Western Union if you are so inclined.

"Or send 'care' packages. We do need and appreciate your support. Remember us during your holiday giving."

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I SUPPOSE I CAN ONLY HOPE that by now most of you have gotten over your feelings of loss about the old column that used to occupy this spot and have begun to warm up to the New Kid on the Block. I hope you'll see, as I do, that this was the natural evolution up from that long-running column. (I did produce over four hundred of those, after all. It was time for a change.)

As is always the case here, expect more changes. Our gala tenth anniversary edition approaches rapidly - right after Mardi Gras - and I've got some more design moves in mind by the time we reach that landmark.

3 December, 2005: December; a few ragged colors cling to some of the trees, umber, brown, occasional dark tatters of red, but except for the evergreens most of the trees are denuded so that you can actually see the far-off houses from behind the rising, slatted trunks. The lawns are blanketed with dead leaves, brown and crackling, skittering with the same noises as squirrels making their last dashes. This is that month I so look forward to, that month when the first of the American, gathering holidays has passed; that month when the beginning of winter approaches, followed that second gathering holiday that mocks my existence. I look forward to December in the way that the condemned man looks forward to the headman's axe. What a wonderful time of the year.

"Don't you write anymore? Your column has become a catalogue of sharing the words of other people, admittedly tasty, that you have read. When do we get something from you?"

The question was bound to arise. I can only respond that I have been busy writing away from the Web for a bit. I have been editing other projects, the dead tree stuff I piled on, and yes, writing a bit for those. Writing for here has essentially ceased since Katrina hit New Orleans. My blast about that is my last for you until next year, Luvs. Next year I shall be all and only yours once more.

IT'S BEEN a rather strange year for me. First back to New Orleans, then leaving New Orleans again - just in the nick of time - before New Orleans left itself. North Carolina and the exile to "Green Acres," the abortive shot at the Kiplinger, three book projects in rapid succession. And now? I sit eating my liver. I await a kill-fee from a publisher in Texas who tanked. No idea when it will arrive. Because my main contact is Ric on that one, I get cryptic assurances at best but no time-table. There is a small check ($25) from one of the advertisers but because it was sent to New Orleans and landed at Matt's I've known it was there for two and half weeks but Matt hasn't seen fit to send the proceeds on to me. He's out at the bars, as per usual.

You know how some days you wake up with song lyrics in your head? I'm having one of those days. All morning, as I drank my coffee, went out to cut wood to start the fire for the wood stove with which we heat the place, thus saving on the awful expense of fuel this year, the lyrics to David Bowie's wonderful "Life on Mars" have been rattling around in my brainpan. Especially the refrain.

She could spit in the eyes of fools
As they ask her to focus on
Sailors fighting in the dance hall
Oh man! Look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the Lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man! Wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?

It is one of those tunes that lonely kids play in their heads, looking around themselves at all those people with whom they seem to have so little in common. During this season, especially, I feel like the alien. There is little in this month for me. What a wonderful time of the year.

Thanks for coming back this week. Keep me in your prayers as I keep you in my own.

COMMENT On MIRRORS 3 December

THINGS I PRAY FOR THIS WEEK

1 - Money.

2 - A brainstorm to help me kick-start book sales.

3 - Seeing the end of the tunnel.

"Work like you don't need the money,
"Love like you've never been hurt,
"Dance like no one is watching ... "

Love,
Rod

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ROD AMIS has published this magazine since 1990. It first appeared as a hardcopy 'Zine. In March, 1996, he launched it here on the Web. Rod was a Contributing Editor at Suite101.com, where he wrote the " 'Net Publishing" feature. His work has been featured in the San Francisco Bay Guardian Online, NRV8, and at the (U.S.) Public Broadcasting System (PBS's) WebLab's Reality Check site. Rod was a contributing writer on technology for Faulkner Information Services. He wrote on Web issues for MethodFive.com's Hyper newsletter.

Rod was a columnist for the Andover News Network, where he wrote over two hundred articles on web design and development issues. He was principal writer and Editor for IT Manager's Journal, where he reviewed technology issues weekly, producing 383 editorials. He became the Managing Editor for Electronic Mail/Newsletter Publications at Andover.net at the end of February, 2000, and left in September of the same year. He was a contributing writer for ACCESS Internet magazine, which appeared both on- and offline for 10 million readers in 100 newspapers like the San Francisco Chronicle, New York Post, Boston Herald, Austin American-Statesman, Denver Post and Orlando Sentinel, among others. Rod was the US reporter for Silicon.com, a division of Network Multimedia Television in London, UK, r eaching 3.5 million European readers, until May, 2001.

In 2002, he worked as Assistant to the General Manager of a Big Easy company that does restaurants and nightclubs. He did stints as the Resident Philosopher at three separate gin mills in that city in the French Quarter and the Marigny, earning his stripes during two successive Mardi Gras seasons. Oh yeah, Rod's had Day Jobs working construction. Mostly renovations of old New Orleans structures, houses and a bar. Sometimes he designs Web sites for other people so that he can get his creative juices flowing the way he can't at a staid publication like this one. And he's been the instructor in Editing for Internet Publications at the Novi Sad School of Journalism in Yugoslavia.

Our Resident Philosopher h as exchanged his legend mobility for a means of keeping your World's Magazine. Now he must become earnest about gaining a financial underpinning for this enterprise. (Read: Buy back his freedom and then go home.}.

In his spare time, he chases women in the manner that a fly pursues a spider.

He continues to be committed to integrity, chastity and a dose of humility.

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E-mail your comments. We always like to hear from you. Send your kudos, brickbats and suggestions to rod@g21.net.