Random thoughts on this month in metal, politics, and life in general, once I muster up the courage and energy to write this all down. If I even want to at this point.
"Staring at Mars after the show, I couldn't stop thinking that Piggy is now achieving an old dream of ours: touring the Universe! -Michel "away" Langavin-Voivod..
Let PIGGY (VOIVOD) and DOC (VADER) RIP, for they are legend..\m/ -l-
This has been sutch a tragic month in both metal and American history.
I'll be working on this jourrnal entry for a few days I'm sure. Did anyone pick up the NY TIMES last Thursday?. There was a morbid pic (in the NY times) of a body floating in the river in Lousiana juxstaposed (in the same pic) by an old lady having lunch on the banks of the same river.. LUNCH?!
Fisrt of all, Hurricane Katrina has wiped out one of the most wonderful, and soulful cities in America, New Orleans, Lousiana. We call it, "Nawlins", the Crecent City, the Big Easy, NOLA.
With the wrath of Hurricane Katrina, mother nature poured it's rains upon Louisiana..With the wind and rain, came floods from the Missisippi River that engulfed NOLA and other Southern regions under 15 feet of water, drowning and leaving residents of these regions, homeless, jobless, and with NOTHING. As of yet, the body count is GRIM: Over 10, 000 dead, and more homeless, jobless..Worse yet, there is rampant looting and rioting in NOLA as we speak..The National Guard and troops are being sent in to NOLA to restore "order". ORDER!? . This Hurricane in NOLA, may very well be the worst natural disaster in USA history.
For all accounts, as I write this journal entry on 9/3/05, as horrific as September, 11th, 2001 was here in NY, this natural disaster in Louisiana is even worse.
Now think about this:: Not even counting the Hurricanes in Florida last summer or the Tsunami's of late last year, mother nature has been screaming at us. There had been rampant flooding even here in NY state up to last spring... I even wrote in an journal entry last March about the flooding in downtown New Paltz, NY after rainfall, and snow melting marked the rites of spring.
I wrote in March '05, that after a torrential rainfall mixed with melting snow, the Walkill River (Dowtown New Paltz, NY) began to RIISE. The plains over the Walkill Bridge were flooded turning the Walkill river into "LAKE WALKILL"..New Paltz, NY residents who lived on Springtown Road were detoured to and from work,The Walkill Bridge was closed making it a commuter nightmare, as houses were flooded all over NY state... NY Govenor George Pataki asked for flood relief for many NY residents.... Thankfully, New Paltz, NY is built on a huge UPHILL, going straight up 299 to Highland..Otherwise, New Paltz, NY would be underneath the Walkill River in the event of flooding. If you live right off the muddy banks of the Walkill River here in New Paltz, NY, look out if the rains come, and it floods your home.
Of course, as "pretty" as "Lake Walkill" looked to us New Paltz, NY locals, the flooding in NY last spring doesn't compare to the damage done to Louisiana residents in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Remember, NOLA residents are drowning under 15 feet or more of water.. Evacuating NOLA residents seemed impossible on 3 or 4 days notice.. The poorest residents in NOLA suffered the most, many of whom are on welfare, SSI/SSD and not having enough money for transportation (or time) untill the first of the month. I know that feeling, being disabled myself.
About NOLA, I've been there at a very YOUNG age..Let's say I was about 6 or 7 (1976, 1977) spending 6 years of my life in foster care (due to disfunction in my biological family) from the age of 3 to 9. My foster family are undoubtedly FRENCH CREOLE with my foster fathers first name being "Pierre"..My foster family, whom I still keep in touch with still live in Long Island, NY.
I went down (with my family) to see my foster fathers siblings in the late 70's... Apparently somewhere in rural Louisiana, my fathers family owned this store. All I can say is I got free candy as a kid. I went to my dads families home in rural Louisiana..All I remember is these bats flying around the outside of house and geez there were alot of them. I remember being so scared of the bats that I pissed in my pants..There's something undoubtedly "gothic", dark, and cultural about Lousiana..
With Louisiana's French Creole heritage, Zydeco, Blues and Jazz musical soundscape, and "party down dood, shake yo ass mamma" MARDI GRAS party atmosphere, you wouldn't think NOLA would be 15 feet under water, and generally speaking in abstract poverty...:Shakes Head:
With wildlife, such as Alligators being as common in Lousiana as deer and squirrels are up here in NY. 'Gators, amongst the long buried in their coffins, and recently dead are creeping up amoungst the floods in Lousiana..This is not just "myth" and "legend", but true invloving floods in that swampy Southern region. . .
When I was a kid, I was taught that in the event of a tornado or hurricane, go downstairs to your basement, that is the safest place. Now that I'm grown up, I think not! Why? In the event of flooding, your basement will be your swimming pool..
Perhaps the "safest" place to be in the event of a hurricane is above sea level, on top of a mountain, but NOT underneath a tree.. :(looks out the window to the Shawagunk moutain:). Perhaps on top of a hill, just in case of flooding, and not near a river, sea, ocean, or lake.
Tornadoes or even worse, but if in a car during a tornadoe, pull over, and hide underneath an over pass (not near water), from what I was told...Thankfully, here in the Hudson Valley Area :(knock on wood:) due to the mountains terrain of New Paltz (Ulster county, NY ) it is rare that we have tornadoes, because the mountains act as a natural windbreaker and we are situated in a valley...Once there was a teeny little tornado in '88 when I was a college freshman that had a small effect on Newburgh, NY..
Believe it or not, if there was an Earthquake in Southern, NY we would be FUCKED... NYC ( and Southern NY) is after all, built on a fault line, and unlike San Francisco California, buildings in NYC are ill equipped to withstand earthquakes.
I would like to send out only the best vibes and thoughts to all my extended (foster) family, and Friends in the metal scene down in Louisiana... Specific hails go out to GOATWHORE, SOILENT GREEN, EYE HATE GOD, CROWBAR, and TRENT REZNOR of NIN, COC, PHIL ANSELMO all of whom are residents and great influential musicians in the NOLA scene..Hope you are all safe and are able to rebuild your lives, anything you need, we'll be there for ya in NY. .
Politics abuzz because of Hurricane Katrina, the hypocrisy is that more money was spent by the USA in the war on IRAQ, and to aid to victims of the Tsanami's then helping our own (Hurricane Katrina victims) here in the USA. How impractical of George Bush Jr... However, the bureaucratic buck is being passed between the local, regional and federal government for aid and relief of victims of Hurricane Katrina...Fingers are being pointed between the Mayor of NOLA and George Bush Jr... Meanwhile people in NOLA die, looters are rampant, and people are now refugees.
Do what ya can to thrown some benefit shows, or call the Red Cross to help assist in the rescue, and aid in food, electric, rescue and shelter down in Louisiana..I'm going to give my foster family a call...
More random thoughts later, Thanks-Tee-Stay SAFE, METAL, and BROOTAL \m/ -l-
Written by spakyle . (Link to this entry)
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