Patrick Quinn Takes the Fifth Amendment

Hotel developer Pat Quinn is a mess. His nasty divorce and trip to rehab in Antigua have been the subject of frequent media attention, spiced up with the political angle to it with Julie Quinn, John Young and Mary Lou McCall. The four of them need adult supervision. Quinn appears to be hitting rock bottom. Yesterday, he took the Fifth Amendment and refused to testify in a deposition. He was sworn in and asked his name, which he gave. The next question was "what is your address," and he refused to answer, citing the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination. He then walked out on the deposition and left the building, refusing to answer any more questions.

Armed Robbery at Prytania and Webster

An Uptown resident was armed via a gun to the head at Prytania and Webster Uptown. The victim cooperated with the armed robbers and fortunately was not injured, though the thugs took his wallet and jacket. In an e-mail, his wife recommends that if this happens to you, wait a couple hours before reporting stolen credit cards. That way, in that time, the bad guys may use the credit cards at places like gas stations that take surveillance videos.

Hurricane Katrina Fiction Reading List

Today's Times-Picayune has a Hurricane Katrina fiction reading list in the Living section. I've read more of the Katrina non-fiction than fiction but plan to read more of the fiction next year. Here is the list:

• A Little Bit Ruinedby Patty Friedmann.
• Blink of an Eyeby Rexanne Becnel.
• Jesus Out to Seaby James Lee Burke.
• Life in the Wake: Fiction from Post-Katrina New Orleansby the writers of NOLAFugees.com.
• Last Known Victimby Erica Spindler.
  
• Murder in the Rue Chartresby Greg Herren.
• New Orleans Noiredited by Julie Smith.
• Revacuationby Brad Benischek.
• The Tin Roof Blowdownby James Lee Burke.
• Tubby Meets Katrinaby Tony Dunbar.
  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Wendy Yow Ellis Discusses Relationship with David Vitter

Prostitute Wendy Yow Ellis discusses her relationship with David Vitter.

Trial Date Set for Vince Marinello

Vince Marinello will stand trial on Feb. 25, 2008 for the shooting death of his estranged wife. Things don't look good for Vince, who made a to do list of things to do before he murdered his wife.

It's Time for Eddie Jordan to Resign

Eddie Jordan is a disaster. He needs to resign. He has done the unthinkable -- almost managing to make us forget how incompetent he is at his job, i.e., at prosecuting criminals. His incompetence as a District Attorney has largely been overshadowed this week by the need for taxpayers to pay for his racist employment practices and by his apparent harboring of a fugitive cop killer. We all need to jam the phone lines at the District Attorney's office with calls for his resignation, tell all of our other elected officials they need to publicly call for his resignation, tell our state senators and state house members to impeach him, flood local talk radio with complaints about him, and do anything else you can think of to force him out of office. The Eddie Jordan Should Resign bumper sticker is available here.

Wall Street Journal Column on Bobby Jindal

The Wall Street Journal's John Fund has a column on Bobby Jindal's win.

Quentin Brown for City Council

Just kidding with the post title. I'm not really endorsing him, but I thought I'd share my experience with local character and perennial City Council candidate Quentin Brown, who is now running for the at large slot that is open after Oliver Thomas' guilty plea and resignation.

During the run-up to the last City Council election, I was outside edging my lawn when Quentin walked by and introduced himself as a candidate for the spot that Stacy Head ultimately won. He was funny. Since I was tending to my lawn, he also offered his lawn care services to me. He gave me two business cards, one for the lawn care and odd jobs business, and for some reason, he gave me a second business card with a business name of "Cash Money, Inc." or something along those lines. I looked it up in the Louisiana Secretary of State corporations database, and it wasn't listed there, so if he really has such a company, it must be registered in another state or offshore.

My lawn guy hadn't returned after Katrina at the time, so I called Quentin for an estimate and ended up using him for months. Many yard men come and go whenever they want, and you never know when they may show up, making it difficult to open locked gates, arrange payment, etc. Quentin was different. He came promptly every two weeks and always called in advance to confirm to make sure he was paid on time.

He was also serious about campaigning, saying that he took three days a week away from his businesses to campaign. His handwritten campaign flyers and signs were classic. His signature catch phrase was "No More B.S." On some signs, he wrote out the word "bull" and abbreviated the "s." On other signs, though, he abbreviated the "b" but spelled out the "s" word. If you're going to abbreviate one of the two words in b.s., who would abbreviate the first word but not the second?

I ended up parting ways with Quentin and his lawn service for two reasons. My pre-Katrina yard man returned to the area, and I wanted to support him since he flooded. Also, Quentin pushed his car detailing business as an add-on service he could provide, and I had him detail one of my cars. When he and his assistant were done, the loose change in my console was missing.

Yellow Jacket Problem

I have been having a problem with yellow jackets lately. Apparently, this is an active time of year for them, and they have formed a nest. I tried some wasp and hornet killer, but it hasn't killed them all yet. Today, I sprayed some more of the pesticide, and I put up a yellow jacket trap. We'll see if that works. The trap I purchased is reusable, but I don't think I'm going to want to clean out a bunch of dead yellow jackets to reuse the same trap, so today, I ordered a disposable trap. Hopefully, the combination of the insecticide spray and the trap will eliminate the problem.

Bill Jefferson on List of Most Corrupt Congressmen

I am shocked to report that Bill Jefferson made the list of the most corrupt members of Congress.

Little Tokyo Owner Leases Site of Table 1

The owner of Little Tokyo has leased the site of the restaurant Table 1 at Magazine and Washington. Presumably, he will open another Little Tokyo there. Seems strange given that it's right next door to Sake Cafe.

David Vitter's Prostitute Passes Lie Detector Test

Senator David Vitter's local prostitute Wendy Yow Ellis has passed a lie detector test administered by Larry Flynt. Let's see, it's a credibility call between a politician, a hooker and a pornographer - hard to imagine anyone in any of those professions being less than truthful.

The Ultimate Guide to Surviving a Natural Disaster

Popular Mechanics has the Ultimate Guide to Surviving a Natural Disaster. Popular Mechanics has a surprising number of articles that are of general interest to non-mechanics.

Wall Street Journal Interview with Bobby Jindal

James Taranto of The Wall Street Journal interviews Bobby Jindal.

Bill Jefferson Pre-Paid Bribe Card

Congressman William Jefferson of New Orleans is looking to launch a pre-paid bribe debit card for Louisiana residents to more easily pay off state legislators. Story at New Orleans Levee.

NOPD Second District E-Mail Blasts

On September 1st at or about 10:30 am, Citizens in the area of 826 Octavia St. informed police that a white male suspect had just burglarized that residence. The suspect was in possession of a purse and was running from the scene. Officers observed the suspect and took chase when the suspect discarded the purse and a witness recovered it. The officer pursued the suspect and apprehended the suspect. The suspect was identified as Tim Sandifer, white male, 6/9/1959. If you have any additional information on this case, please contact Sgt. Richard Pari or Det. J. Thompson at 658-6022 or 658-6020. You may also call Crimestoppers anonymously at 822-1111. Remember to report any suspicious persons or activities you see in your neighborhood by calling 821-2222. In an emergency, call 911.

On September 2nd, 2007, 2nd District Task Force members made three arrest and recovered two stolen vehicles, after we beefed up patrols in these areas. Two arrest were made in the 3400 block of S. Carrolton of a vehicle that was stolen from 5614 Camp St. Subjects arrested were Glen Hawkins, Black male, 11/28/93 and Markeisha Lewis, Black Female, 11/28/90. The second arrest was made by Sixth District Officers at Third and South Saratoga of a vehicle that was stolen from 1307 Marengo St. Arrested was Alton Netter, Black Male, 7/24/91.

Weak Field Running for City Council At-Large

So far, a weak field of candidates has signed up to run in the October 20 special election to replace criminal Oliver Thomas. Diana Bajoie, Jackie Clarkson, Cynthis Willard-Lewis, Gail Masters Reimonenq (a cousin of Stan Pampy Barre) and Dyan French have entered the race, and Tommie Vassel is expected to declare today. This is not a stellar group, and none of these candidates seems likely to change anything for the better. We need to do better than this.

DDD Wants Tax Increase

I am shocked -- SHOCKED -- to report that at least one city government agency, the Downtown Development District, does not want to reduce the millage at the same rate that our property tax assessments have increased. In other words, the DDD wants to increase your taxes. Politicians and agency heads somehow must think the taxpayers are not smart enough to figure out that higher assessments coupled with less than a full reduction in the millage equals higher taxes.

Season Shot: Biodegradable Shot in Assorted Flavors

Season Shot is environmentally safe ammunition that is fully biodegradable and comes in cajun, lemon pepper, garlic, teriyaki and honey mustard flavors.