A little garden in which to walk and immensity in which to dream

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by Robert Thompson

On Saturday, November 19, 2016,  neighbors turned out in numbers to make the City Beautiful Club’s Capdevielle Green and Clean Day a real success. Litter pickup, leaf raking, weeding and trimming, and gutter clean outs were just some things done.

An impressive project managed and executed by neighbor Pushpa has also resulted in planting the next installment of the Esplanade liriope border. Another great achievement was the conversion of the center bed “crater” into a presentable mound ready for a spring planting. 10 yards of soil, bales of pine straw, and 20-30 garbage bags were among things used that were purchased with donated funds from neighbors. Beverages and snacks were in part provided by our new neighborhood restaurant on Gentilly Blvd, TOAST.  It was the people power that made the real magic.

About 25-30 people came by and helped or supported the action in some way.  My joy was that the collection of individuals included folks from all walks of life, all age groups, and all economic classes. It is important to note participation by staff and residents of our neighbors at Odyssey House.   Sharing a love of the public space as a commonality was especially uplifting.   NOLA Parks for All had a couple of board members down in the dirt with us as part of their support and encouragement of our grass root efforts.

I wish I could enumerate all and thank them here but I would miss some simply because I wasn’t organized enough to document who came and went. I have a few photos which tell the story better and urge you to check them out in the link below:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/CityBeautifulClubs/photos/?tab=album&album_id=934998696632213

On the horizon – can we reach a consensus on what the important center circle bed should be?
Can we convince Park and Parkways to let us do it?

Stay tuned…

Robert Thompson
2653 DeSoto

Here’s a shot of the flurry of activity from young and old as Pushpa harnesses the raw power of our volunteers!
Here’s a shot of the flurry of activity from young and old as Pushpa harnesses the raw power of our volunteers!

Rickie Lee Jones was working with other Faubourg St. John neighbors to help beautify the neighborhood on Saturday, November 19, 2016. In the video above, learn why she lives in New Orleans.
***

backhoe-city-capdevielle-2016oct18

On October 18, 2016, Capdevielle Park received attention from the crews at Parks & Parkways. Diseased trees were removed, others trimmed and thanks to a large backhoe, a large step toward rehabbing the center mound for new plantings took place.

mound-capdevielle-2016oct18All this support from the City means we need to double down on our commitment to restore the central circular bed in Capdevielle Park. On Saturday, November 19th, please bring shovels and rakes, gloves, and muscles so that we can clean up the soil and prepare this bed for greater things to come.

Friends,

Headed toward our second Capdevielle Place (or Park) improvement action. Your help in the past has qualified you to receive more begging appeals from me!
Lucky!
Seriously, I and others have appreciated the commitments you have made to improve our little neglected park at Crete and Esplanade. I think we are slowly making a difference and are on the way to a much improved public space, one we can proudly claim for our special community.
At the moment we only have a couple of hundred dollars collected. I would like to continue plantings on the periphery begun by Pushpa last meet. Additionally, we have a special gift from Tammany Baumgarten (http://www.baumgardens.com/) of a garden plan for the bed closest to N Broad. More dollars will mean more plants to execute these goals. Large donors seeking tax deduction should contact NOLA Parks For All (a 501c3 http://www.nolaparksforall.org/contact-us.html) who is partnering with us at this time to support citizen actions related to park improvements.
The bulk of the work however is good ole fashioned labor. Litter removal, gutter cleaning, trimming and weeding, bed preparations – all driven by personpower. I have stockpiled pine straw for bed dressing. So please distribute this information in the notice below to interested parties, and respond if you can think auxiliary activities, provide refreshments or have appropriate plant material to donate.
Hope to see you that Saturday, Nov 19 (10a-2p).
Thanks
Robert Thompson
2653 DeSoto
capdevielle19nov

***

Paul Capdevielle (1842-1922)
Paul Capdevielle, the forty-second Mayor was of French descent. He was born in New Orleans, January 15, 1842. His father, Augustin Capdevielle, was born in France, but settled in New Orleans in 1825, becoming a prominent merchant in the commission business and active in politics. It was from his father’s interest in politics that young Paul inherited his interest in governmental affairs. His mother, Virginia Bertrand, was born in New Orleans in 1816.Paul Capdevielle was educated at the Jesuit’s College in New Orleans from which he was graduated in 1861. He served with credit in the War between the States, enlisting in the New Orleans Guard Regiment of Infantry, but in 1862 joined Boone’s Louisiana Artillery, and was wounded at Port Hudson.

After the close of the war he returned to civil life, taking up the first employment that offered itself, studied law in April 1868 was graduated from Louisiana State University. In 1892, he gave up law to accept the presidency of the Merchant’s Insurance Company. He served as its President for sixteen years, until it was liquidated and sold.

His political history began in 1877 when he was appointed to the School Board. Later he was a member of the Orleans Levee Board, a Commissioner of Prisons and Asylums and Chairman of the Finance Committee of the drainage commission. Mr. Capdevielle was an outstanding figure in Louisiana politics from the time of his election as Mayor of New Orleans in 1899. He was appointed auditor of Public Accounts in 1904, and re-elected three times, and held this office up to the time of his death. He survived the political storms attending the fall of the state administrations, the last in 1920, when Governor Parker was swept into office.

The Flower administration was a turning point in the history of New Orleans. It closed one epoch and opened another. With it began the period of commercial prosperity which extends into the present time.

Mayor Capdevielle’s administration was noted for two events, both inseparably connected with the beginning of New Orleans’ industrial development; the installation of the modern sewerage system and the organization of the Public Belt Railroad. The Board of Port Commissioners also began to function actively during this period.

City Park stands as a monument to his energy and civic spirit. The upbuilding of the park was his constant care, and he served continuously as President of the City Park Improvement Association for more than two decades, holding the office at the time of his death.

The new administration went into office May 9, 1900, at the beginning of the twentieth century when a wave of prosperity passed over the country and was felt in New Orleans. Mayor Capdevielle in his inaugural address spoke of the drainage system about to be constructed and stated if the city desired to have its own electric light plant it could do so without great additional cost by using the power house of the drainage system.

The contract to erect a modern jail, to be called the House of Detention, was awarded for $112,800 and the site of the old Marine Hospital, on Tulane Avenue and Broad Street, was selected.

The Clay statue, being in the way of safe operations of the street cars, was removed from Canal Street to the Lafayette Square on January 12, 1901. The consolidation of various street railways into one corporation under the name of the New Orleans Railways Company was an important factor of the years 1901-1902.

On May 1, 1901, New Orleans was honored by the visit of the President of the United States, William McKinley, accompanied by Mrs. McKinley and Secretaries John Hay, Charles Emory Smith, and E. A. Hitchcock. He was received in the Cabildo by the Governor of Louisiana, attended by his staff in full uniform. The bells of the Cathedral of St. Louis announced the arrival of the President and his cabinet, escorted by Mayor Paul Capdevielle, and a committee of distinguished citizens. As the cortege entered the Supreme Court Hall, Chairman Zacharie announced in a loud voice “The President,” and the assembly arose and remained standing while the Chief Justice conducted the President to a seat of honor at his right on the Supreme Court Bench. The Governor of Louisiana took a seat on the left of the Chief Justice, and the Mayor of New Orleans the one on the right of the President, the Justices occupying seats immediately in the rear of the bench. Chairman Zacharie then conducted the members of the cabinet and their wives to places on the left of the dais, where a seat, filled with roses, had been reserved for Mrs. William McKinley, who, at the last moment, was too ill to attend.

In 1873, Paul Capdevielle married in New Orleans, Miss Emma Larue, who died several years ago. Three sons and two daughters blessed this union; the sons are Christian, Auguste and Paul, Jr., and the daughters are the Misses Edith and Yvonne Capdevielle.

Paul Capdevielle was found dead at his home in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, August 13, 1922.

November 19 at Capdevielle Park

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by Robert Thompson

backhoe-city-capdevielle-2016oct18

Today, October 18, 2016, Capdevielle Park received attention from the crews at Parks & Parkways. Diseased trees were removed, others trimmed and thanks to a large backhoe, a large step toward rehabbing the center mound for new plantings took place.

mound-capdevielle-2016oct18Sadly, our palm was stricken with Texas Palm Decline, a infectious tree situation requiring its removal. Another tree was found to be infested with termites. The crew courteously responded to several neighbors who had concerns about the work. They also managed removal of a dangerous limb on a street tree at the request of a Bell Street resident. The crew also did some cleanup work in the area. The day didn’t end there as the crew returned to grind the stumps so those eyesores are gone.

All this support from the City means we need to double down on our commitment to restore the central circular bed in Capdevielle Park. On Saturday, November 19th, please bring shovels and rakes, gloves, and muscles so that we can clean up the soil and prepare this bed for greater things to come.

Friends,

Headed toward our second Capdevielle Place (or Park) improvement action. Your help in the past has qualified you to receive more begging appeals from me!
Lucky!
Seriously, I and others have appreciated the commitments you have made to improve our little neglected park at Crete and Esplanade. I think we are slowly making a difference and are on the way to a much improved public space, one we can proudly claim for our special community.
At the moment we only have a couple of hundred dollars collected. I would like to continue plantings on the periphery begun by Pushpa last meet. Additionally, we have a special gift from Tammany Baumgarten (http://www.baumgardens.com/) of a garden plan for the bed closest to N Broad. More dollars will mean more plants to execute these goals. Large donors seeking tax deduction should contact NOLA Parks For All (a 501c3 http://www.nolaparksforall.org/contact-us.html) who is partnering with us at this time to support citizen actions related to park improvements.
The bulk of the work however is good ole fashioned labor. Litter removal, gutter cleaning, trimming and weeding, bed preparations – all driven by personpower. I have stockpiled pine straw for bed dressing. So please distribute this information in the notice below to interested parties, and respond if you can think auxiliary activities, provide refreshments or have appropriate plant material to donate.
Hope to see you that Saturday, Nov 19 (10a-2p).
Thanks
Robert Thompson
2653 DeSoto
capdevielle19nov

***

Paul Capdevielle (1842-1922)
Paul Capdevielle, the forty-second Mayor was of French descent. He was born in New Orleans, January 15, 1842. His father, Augustin Capdevielle, was born in France, but settled in New Orleans in 1825, becoming a prominent merchant in the commission business and active in politics. It was from his father’s interest in politics that young Paul inherited his interest in governmental affairs. His mother, Virginia Bertrand, was born in New Orleans in 1816.Paul Capdevielle was educated at the Jesuit’s College in New Orleans from which he was graduated in 1861. He served with credit in the War between the States, enlisting in the New Orleans Guard Regiment of Infantry, but in 1862 joined Boone’s Louisiana Artillery, and was wounded at Port Hudson.

After the close of the war he returned to civil life, taking up the first employment that offered itself, studied law in April 1868 was graduated from Louisiana State University. In 1892, he gave up law to accept the presidency of the Merchant’s Insurance Company. He served as its President for sixteen years, until it was liquidated and sold.

His political history began in 1877 when he was appointed to the School Board. Later he was a member of the Orleans Levee Board, a Commissioner of Prisons and Asylums and Chairman of the Finance Committee of the drainage commission. Mr. Capdevielle was an outstanding figure in Louisiana politics from the time of his election as Mayor of New Orleans in 1899. He was appointed auditor of Public Accounts in 1904, and re-elected three times, and held this office up to the time of his death. He survived the political storms attending the fall of the state administrations, the last in 1920, when Governor Parker was swept into office.

The Flower administration was a turning point in the history of New Orleans. It closed one epoch and opened another. With it began the period of commercial prosperity which extends into the present time.

Mayor Capdevielle’s administration was noted for two events, both inseparably connected with the beginning of New Orleans’ industrial development; the installation of the modern sewerage system and the organization of the Public Belt Railroad. The Board of Port Commissioners also began to function actively during this period.

City Park stands as a monument to his energy and civic spirit. The upbuilding of the park was his constant care, and he served continuously as President of the City Park Improvement Association for more than two decades, holding the office at the time of his death.

The new administration went into office May 9, 1900, at the beginning of the twentieth century when a wave of prosperity passed over the country and was felt in New Orleans. Mayor Capdevielle in his inaugural address spoke of the drainage system about to be constructed and stated if the city desired to have its own electric light plant it could do so without great additional cost by using the power house of the drainage system.

The contract to erect a modern jail, to be called the House of Detention, was awarded for $112,800 and the site of the old Marine Hospital, on Tulane Avenue and Broad Street, was selected.

The Clay statue, being in the way of safe operations of the street cars, was removed from Canal Street to the Lafayette Square on January 12, 1901. The consolidation of various street railways into one corporation under the name of the New Orleans Railways Company was an important factor of the years 1901-1902.

On May 1, 1901, New Orleans was honored by the visit of the President of the United States, William McKinley, accompanied by Mrs. McKinley and Secretaries John Hay, Charles Emory Smith, and E. A. Hitchcock. He was received in the Cabildo by the Governor of Louisiana, attended by his staff in full uniform. The bells of the Cathedral of St. Louis announced the arrival of the President and his cabinet, escorted by Mayor Paul Capdevielle, and a committee of distinguished citizens. As the cortege entered the Supreme Court Hall, Chairman Zacharie announced in a loud voice “The President,” and the assembly arose and remained standing while the Chief Justice conducted the President to a seat of honor at his right on the Supreme Court Bench. The Governor of Louisiana took a seat on the left of the Chief Justice, and the Mayor of New Orleans the one on the right of the President, the Justices occupying seats immediately in the rear of the bench. Chairman Zacharie then conducted the members of the cabinet and their wives to places on the left of the dais, where a seat, filled with roses, had been reserved for Mrs. William McKinley, who, at the last moment, was too ill to attend.

In 1873, Paul Capdevielle married in New Orleans, Miss Emma Larue, who died several years ago. Three sons and two daughters blessed this union; the sons are Christian, Auguste and Paul, Jr., and the daughters are the Misses Edith and Yvonne Capdevielle.

Paul Capdevielle was found dead at his home in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, August 13, 1922.

Just Be Thankful for Faubourg St. John

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Just Be Thankful for Faubourg St. John

 

Sometimes, it’s important to simply enjoy what you’ve got

“I ARISE IN THE MORNING TORN between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world,” wrote the essayist E.B. White, “This makes it hard to plan the day.”

Faubourg-St-JohnThat’s the dilemma. You live in a nice place. But, it could be nicer if only the park were fixed up or the traffic slowed down, if the schools were better or the business district brighter. So what to do first? You’d like to plop down on a bench for a while, soak up the sunshine, listen to the birds sing or kids play, and just watch the world go by. But you really ought to be organizing a meeting, handing out flyers and enlisting volunteers for the big event.

 It’s important to do both. Without taking time to truly savor your neighborhood, you lose touch with why you love it in the first place. Soon, all you see is what’s wrong. And that quickly diminishes your effectiveness as community advocate. No one is inspired by harried, humorless, negative leader who would really rather be doing something else.

On a strategic, as well as a personal level, it’s smart to take a long stroll every evening, linger at the sidewalk café, stop for a chat with neighbors, and just generally revel in all the great things your community offers.   Otherwise, what’s the point of living in Faubourg St. John?

best-neighborhood-in-new-orleans

Faubourg St. John, established in 1708, is a neighborhood located just north of Broad Street at the intersection of Orleans Ave.

It is approximately 75 city blocks in area and has an average elevation of about 1 foot above sea level. Not bad when you consider about half of New Orleans is several feet under sea level. More than 4,000 residents call Faubourg St. John home.

One of New Orleans’ finest neighborhoods, Faubourg St. John is famous for its stately trees, abundant parks, spectacular homes, world-class museums, vibrant bayou, excellent restaurants and fine shops throughout the neighborhood especially along its business districts on Ponce de Leon and Broad Streets.

Faubourg St. John contains the full range of residential uses, fun and friendly business districts, office space, a wide range of medical services and a small amount of light industrial property. This full range of land use, plus the economic and ethnic diversity of the neighborhoods’ population qualifies Faubourg St. John as a premier destination.

FAUBOURG ST. JOHN
“Where Big Dreams Grow!”

 

***

Meditation and Your Brain

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Article courtesy delanceyplace.com — from “Mind of the Meditator” by Matthieu Ricard, Antoine Lutz and Richard J. Davidson.

Brain imaging shows that when we master a task such as playing an instrument or the advanced performance in a sport, specific parts of the brain are transformed — certain neural pathways grow and strengthen. Neuroscientists have now shown that the same is true for mastery of meditation with direct benefits for improving focus, overcoming depression, dealing with pain and cultivating emotional well-being:

“A comparison of the brain scans of meditators with tens of thousands of hours of practice with those of neophytes and nonmeditators has started to explain why this set of techniques for training the mind holds great potential for supplying cognitive and emotional benefits. …

“The discovery of meditation’s benefits coincides with recent neuroscientific findings showing that the adult brain can still be deeply transformed through experience. These studies show that when we learn how to juggle or play a musical instrument, the brain undergoes changes through a process called neuroplasticity. A brain region that controls the movement of a violinist’s fingers becomes progressively larger with mastery of the instrument. A similar process appears to happen when we meditate. Nothing changes in the surrounding environment, but the meditator regulates mental states to achieve a form of inner enrichment, an experience that affects brain functioning and its physical structure. The evidence amassed from this research has begun to show that meditation can rewire brain circuits to produce salutary effects not just on the mind and the brain but on the entire body. …
A) 12 expert meditators had greater overlap of increased activation of attention-related brain regions.
 B)12 non-meditators had less overlap and activation. Orange hues equal higher correlation between individuals & activation. Blue hues equal little to no correlation between regions of activation.

“Neuroscientists have now begun to probe what happens inside the brain during the various types of meditation. Wendy Hasenkamp, then at Emory University, and her colleagues used brain imaging to identify the neural networks activated by focused- attention meditation. … Advanced meditators appear to acquire a level of skill that enables them to achieve a focused state of mind with less effort. These effects resemble the skill of expert musicians and athletes capable of immersing themselves in the ‘flow’ of their performances with a minimal sense of effortful control. …

“In our Wisconsin lab, we have studied experienced practitioners while they performed an advanced form of mindfulness meditation called open presence. In open presence, sometimes called pure awareness, the mind is calm and relaxed, not focused on anything in particular yet vividly clear, free from excitation or dullness. The meditator observes and is open to experience without making any attempt to interpret, change, reject or ignore painful sensation. We found that the intensity of the pain was not reduced in meditators, but it bothered them less than it did members of a control group. Compared with novices, expert meditators’ brain activity diminished in anxiety-related regions — the insular cortex and the amygdala — in the period preceding the painful stimulus. The meditators’ brain response in pain-related regions became accustomed to the stimulus more quickly than that of novices after repeated exposures to it. Other tests in our lab have shown that meditation training increases one’s ability to better control and buffer basic physiological responses — inflammation or levels of a stress hormone — to a socially stressful task such as giving a public speech or doing mental arithmetic in front of a harsh jury.

“Several studies have documented the benefits of mindfulness on symptoms of anxiety and depression and its ability to improve sleep patterns. By deliberately monitoring and observing their thoughts and emotions when they feel sad or worried, depressed patients can use meditation to manage negative thoughts and feelings as they arise spontaneously and so lessen rumination. Clinical psychologists John Teasdale, then at the University of Cambridge, and Zindel Segal of the University of Toronto showed in 2000 that for patients who had previously suffered at least three episodes of depression, six months of mindfulness practice, along with cognitive therapy, reduced the risk of relapse by nearly 40 percent in the year following the onset of a severe depression. More recently, Segal demonstrated that the intervention is superior to a placebo and has a protective effect against relapse comparable to standard maintenance antidepressant therapy. …

“About 15 years of research have done more than show that meditation produces significant changes in both the function and structure of the brains of experienced practitioners. These studies are now starting to demonstrate that contemplative practices may have a substantive impact on biological processes critical for physical health.”
Author: Matthieu Ricard, Antoine Lutz and Richard J. Davidson
Publisher: Scientific American
Date: November 2014
Pages: 39-45

Monday 7 pm

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Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association Board Meeting
Monday, October 13, 2014 at 7 p.m.
in the cafeteria at
Morris Jeff Elementary
1368 Moss Street
New Orleans, LA

 

annual_meetingGuests
Gentilly Food Mart – NPP
Graham Bosworth
QOL Officer
Capt. Scott NOPD – Fairgrounds Patrol

Approval of September 2014 General and Executive Minutes

Committee Updates/Actions
Membership Outreach Committee – VooDoo on The Bayou / Bounty on the Bayou
Landscape Committee- update
Treasurer’s Report
Re-Bridge – update
Public Safety – update
Zoning Committee – update

Old Business

Board Nominations

New Business
From floor

Adjournment

When strangers start acting like neighbors… communities are reinvigorated.

by

Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association

General and Board Meetings

Fair Grounds Black & Gold Room

December 10, 2013

 Councilwoman Susan Guidry was our first guest to speak.  She spoke of the Lafitte Greenway bids that were opened today and that the City Council moved an additional $1M to the project for lighting and other items.  Construction should begin next year.  She explained the enforcement procedure. The bike symbols for Esplanade Avenue should be installed by the end of the year.  She is working hard to address the recruitment issues pertaining to the NOPD.  She helped see to it that there would be a total of five recruitment classes this year (2014).   She also worked with Councilwoman Clarkson to have a proposal to drop the domicile requirement for NOPD, NOFD & EMS recruits for one year.  The primary emphasis in the city budget is safety issues.  In response to a question about the Railway proposal she said that it would take 15 years to get it built along with a number of other time intensive issues.  She said that the old Home Depot has been purchased by Rouse’s and will be retail.  There is a continued traffic review with relation to the new Mid-City Market.  Currently the city has only one traffic engineer and in response to that problem, she has budgeted for one additional full time engineer.

 Officer Gill said that there were few complaints this month from the area.  He asked for us to donate money or items to the 1st District Toy Fund.  Toys for Tots is another program the 1st District is working with closely.  They are trying to fund toys for 14 children.  A motion by Dean Burridge to donate $300 to the NOPD 1st District for this purpose passed by unanimous consent.

 Gaye Hamilton from the state Cultural Districts Program addressed the FSJNA cultural district and its two important tax benefits.  Tax exemptions on original art and historic buildings were addressed.  Historic buildings include commercial and residential.  Our district went into effect on July 1st 2013. 

 Heather Pohnan, the representative from Energy Smart, spoke of their low income insulation program.  It offers automatic discounts and rebates.  There are programs for rebates for items such as hot water heaters and appliances.     

 Morgan Clevenger, FTNA President, spoke of the Fairzone Liquor Store issue.  Their attorney has filed in court to overturn the BZA decision.  Sara Stogner, a FSJNA member and attorney, has stepped forward to work pro bono to represent FTNA during this appeal.   

 Election of Board Members.  A motion by Conrad Abadie was made to accept all nominated Executive Board Members by acclamation.  Barabara Ferguson seconded.  The motion all that were nominated passed with 24 votes in favor with one opposed and one abstained.

 Treasurer’s Report was presented by Michael Cohn due to Mona McMahon’s absence.  The report is on file.

 Michael Cohn read a brief statement by Greg Jeanfreau in accepting his incoming term as president.  The statement is on file. 

 Committee Reports.  Brenda London mentioned the membership renewal.  The Landscape Committee is working on placing the large trees we have been seeing on the bayou. Safety Committee Chair Jim Danner asked everyone to keep extra lights on as the Christmas season does have an uptick in property crimes.   Charlie London provided an update on the 1311-13 Vignaud BZA waiver situation.  Michael Cohn spoke on the Re-Bridge Project in that $60K has been provided for in the city budget.  We need to have the bridges repaired this summer and he asked everyone to email their city council members.  Rocky Seydel agreed to help write the CEA for the bridges to be fixed. 

 Linda Landesberg discussed the Refresh Project.  They are trying to raise $18K to build a community garden immediately adjacent to the new Whole Foods, and has asked FSJNA to budget $500 for the project. Linda made a motion to provide $500 for that project.  Dean Burridge seconded.  The motion passed unanimously.

 A motion by Michael to adjourn passed unanimously at 8:09pm

Immediately after the Membership Meeting, Michael Cohn opened his final Board Meeting as president of this neighborhood association.   The item for the evening was the election of fifteen advisors from a slate of twenty candidates.  After a brief discussion and recommendation for Advisory Board member(s) nomination review, the following election took place.

The elected advisors are: Conrad Abadie, Suzanne Accorsi, Matt Amoss, Vincent Booth, Richard Cahn, R. Erich Caufield, Katie Gray, Layla Messkoub, Thea Morgan, Mike Pearce, Jennifer Pearl, Cynthia Scott, Nancy Shepard, Keith Twitchell and Bobby Wozniak.

A motion by Charlie London to pay for the mobile app for the FSJNA website passed unanimously.  A motion to approve the $300 appropriation passed unanimously. 

The minutes are reflected that Michael Cohn has done a wonderful job as president for the past two years. 

A motion to adjourn passed by unanimous consent.

 

When strangers start acting like neighbors… communities are reinvigorated.

Ralph Nader
Meeting card1
fsjnalogo1a

Neighbors are invited to attend the General Membership Meeting on Tuesday, December 10th at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Fair Grounds Black Gold room. The Black Gold room is in the back on the left hand side.

 

Bring Your Non-Perishable Donations for Second Harvest

 

 

Egg Nog and Cookies will be served.

 

FSJNA+Executive+Board+Ballot+-+2014

 

 

 

I.                Guests

·       Officer Kenneth Gill – First District Quality of Life Update

·       Dan Shea – New Orleans Advocate

·       Erik deVries – Cobalt Medical

·       Heather Pohnan – NOLAWise/Energy Smart

 

II.              Election of Executive Board Members – 2014

III.             Treasurer’s Report

IV.            Committee Reports/Updates/Actions

·       Events/Fundraising Committee  – update

·       Membership Outreach Committee – update

·       Landscape Committee – update

·       Public Safety – update

·       Zoning Committee – update

V.              Old Business

·       From Floor 

VI.            New Business

·       Linda Landesberg – BCC Refresh Urban Garden

·       From Floor

VII.           Adjournment

 

 

Give Your Bicycle a Boost

by

UPDATE: October 25, 2016. I strongly recommend this thing. 17 minutes from the New Orleans Convention Center to my home in Faubourg St. John. This included stopping at red lights, stop signs, and crossings. And, I never shifted out of the highest gear of the 7 gear bike. The motor assists when you start out and when you need it. It also helps you stop when you back pedal. It is truly amazing.

It arrived last Friday.

The video below is a review of the wheel:

***
by Lloyd Alter


http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/copenhagen-wheel-bike-booster-rolls-out-available-pre-order.html

In 2009, TreeHugger April spotted the Copenhagen Wheel in, logically, Copenhagen. Unveiled at COP15, it was ” conceived and developed by the SENSEable City Lab for the Kobenhavns Kommune” with the prototypes built by Ducati. A lot of hype ensued, and then- silence.

But the Copenhagen Wheel wasn’t vaporware. SENSEable City Lab Associate Director Assaf Biderman licensed the technology and set up Superpedestrian to build it; Lab director and wheel co-inventor Carlo Ratti is strategic advisor. The company has been working away in “stealth mode,” (defined as ” a company’s temporary state of secretiveness, usually undertaken in order to avoid alerting competitors to a pending product launch or other business initiative.”) They got their funding ($2.1 million) from Spark Capital (who also backed little unknowns like Twitter and Tumblr) and David Karp, founder of Tumblr.

Now they loudly ring their bell and toot their horn that this thing is real, it is in production, and you can pre-order it for just $1,199

This is not your usual electric bike.

It doesn’t have a throttle that lets you just run it like a motorbike. It senses how you ride and gives you a boost when you need it.

Riders are given a boost as they pedal by measuring their effort, instead of using a throttle. This preserves the normal biking experience while enabling riders to bike faster, farther, and easier….All actuation of the wheel happens automatically via the pedals through sensing and control algorithms. When the rider pedals harder, such as when going uphill, the wheel pushes with increasing power. Using your smartphone with the Superpedestrian app, you can vary the level of powered assist.


Superpedestrian/Screen capture

It’s social.

It has regenerative braking that charges the unit as you go downhill. Of course there is an app that will “allows you to lock/unlock your wheel, chose amongst a menu of customizable rides, and track personal usage statistics including time, distance, calories burned, elevation climbed and more, all of which can be compared and shared with friends.”


Superpedestrian/Screen capture

The 13 pound wheel has a 48 volt replaceable lithium battery with a motor sized and governed to appropriate legal limits: 350W push it to 20 MPH in the USA, 250W and 15.5 MPH in Europe. I think they should use the lower European standards in America, it is more than fast enough, and Europeans are better cyclists, but they are following the legal limits, sensible or not.


© Superpedestrian via Gizmag

The design is, as they point out, seamless; there is no wiring harnesses or controls to be installed.

The Copenhagen Wheel makes your bike look even better. It’s completely wireless, compact and simple; all designed for your everyday commute. Twist two nuts, install the wheel, download the app and you’re ready to go!

The Copenhagen Wheel will make cycling easier for a lot of people who struggle up hills; it will make it easier for people to travel longer distances by bike than they might have completely under their own power. It is an assist, not an electric bike. that means it can go a lot farther on a smaller battery (which is how it all fits into the hub) and with a much lower learning curve, as the wheel learns the cyclists habits and adapts to them. Considering what it does and the opportunities it opens, the way it helps makes bikes accessible to such a wider audience, it is cheap at $1,199. I certainly want one.


© Superpedestrian

Order it at SuperPedestrian


http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/copenhagen-wheel-bike-booster-rolls-out-available-pre-order.html

Coffee with Your Neighbors

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Indigo Building
Joan Mitchell Center
2285 Bayou Rd
Wednesday, September 11th
8:30 am to 11:30 am

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This fall, the Joan Mitchell Center invites YOU to join us for Community Coffee at the Indigo Building! On the second Wednesday of every month, from 8:30am to 11:30 am, stop by to visit with us and learn about the Center, our programming, and opportunities for community partnerships.

* Take a tour of the site
* Join our mailing list
* Meet and greet staff

Join us every month:
* Wednesday, September 11th
* Wednesday, October 9th
* Wednesday, November 13th
* Wednesday, December 11th
For more information, email mailto: info@joanmitchellcenter.org or just stop by and say hi!
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The core program of the Center will be an artist in residence program, which will offer both time and space for artists to create work in a contemplative environment, as well as provide opportunities for visiting artists to engage with the local arts community and experience the rich cultural possibilities of New Orleans.

For more information contact info@joanmitchellcenter.org
2275 Bayou Road, New Orleans, LA 70119
office: 504-940-2500 fax: 504-940-2501
– See more at: http://joanmitchellfoundation.org/artist-programs/center#sthash.3QqxTUA3.dpuf
Joan Mitchell Center | 2275 Bayou Road | 504.940.2500
www.joanmitchellcenter.org | info@joanmitcellcenter.org

The Joan Mitchell Center has an artist-in-residence program.
You can read about Joan Mitchell below then click on the link at
the end to learn more about the Joan Mitchell Center on Bayou Road.

joan-mitchellJoan Mitchell was born in Chicago in 1925. After graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1947, she was awarded a James Nelson Raymond Foreign Traveling Fellowship, which took her to France for a year in 1948-49, and it was there that her paintings moved toward abstraction. Returning to New York, she participated in the famous “Ninth Street Show” in 1951, and soon established a reputation as one of the leading younger American Abstract Expressionist painters. She exhibited regularly in New York throughout the next four decades and maintained close friendships with many New York School painters and poets.

In 1955 she began dividing her time between New York and France, and in 1968 she settled in Vétheuil, a small town in the countryside outside of Paris, where she worked continuously until her death in 1992. During the almost 50 years of her painting life, as Abstract Expressionism was eclipsed by successive styles, Mitchell’s commitment to the tenets of gestural abstraction remained firm and uncompromising. Summing up her achievement, Klaus Kertess wrote, “She transformed the gestural painterliness of Abstract Expressionism into a vocabulary so completely her own that it could become ours as well. And her total absorption of the lessons of Matisse and van Gogh led to a mastery of color inseparable from the movement of light and paint. Her ability to reflect the flow of her consciousness in that of nature, and in paint, is all but unparalleled.”

Mitchell gave personal support to many young artists who came to stay with her at Vétheuil—sometimes for just one night, sometimes for an entire summer. Correspondence in her papers reveals that this generosity often had a life-changing impact on those who spent time with her. Her generosity in her own lifetime continued after her death with the formation of the Joan Mitchell Foundation, called for in her will in order to create support and recognition for individual artists. In addition, the Foundation’s mission includes the promotion and preservation of her legacy, which includes her remarkable body of work, her papers, including correspondence and photographs, and other archival materials related to her life and work. –

Learn more about the artists in residence program at: –
http://joanmitchellfoundation.org/artist-programs/center

Inspirational Leader Gets Praise

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Commander Robert Norton

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. ~John Quincy Adams

May 25, 2013
Dear Bobby:

For the past six years, you have brought the First District out of its Katrina depression into one of the safest communities in New Orleans. There has never been a problem too small or too large that you could not personally respond. Even though you worked all day, you went to all of our crime walks and whatever other little thing we did.

Every police officer in the First District is professional in appearance and demeanor. It’s no accident that the First District has lower crime statistics than many areas in New Orleans: this condition is the result of a cohesive, professional unit of law enforcement officers. You have been a beacon of hope, kindness, and effective law enforcement for the First District.

Although we can be a fussy, picky group of people, you have always dispatched exactly the right Quality of Life Officer for Faubourg St. John. I know of no one who would hesitate to ask or tell Robert Norton anything. You have always responded to our email complaints and questions, phone calls and conversations graciously and attempted to understand our points of view.

Not long ago, you mobilized this entire community to find an armed robber. As vigilant as we were–and we were extremely observant and communicative with each other– we didn’t find him. But we ceased to be targets of opportunity, were able to relate information in a timely fashion that led to the arrest of others, and never heard from the armed robber again.

When Commander Norton asked for tips, everyone looked everywhere and came up with some tips! Actually, you probably got way too many tips. Still, this incident stands out for me as emblematic of our respect and trust in Robert Norton.

Bobby, you have been a unifying presence in a district that likes to be divided into little neighborhoods! You have taught us that we’re all in this together and have illustrated how far a little teamwork can go. Whenever I talk to neighbors in Esplanade Ridge, Treme, and Fairgrounds Triangle, everyone knows you and speaks fondly of working with you and your department to solve real problems.

Although you are leaving, you have made permanent changes in the police-community relationship in the First District. You will bring the same professional and caring spirit to your new post as you continue to be a change agent wherever you go. I will miss you terribly and want you to know if there’s every anything I can do for you, I would be so happy to do so.

Kindest Regards,

Mona McMahon

Last Jazz Fest for Faubourg St. John Couple

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couple-fortinphoto by Charlie London
mendels-moving2Catherine and Ed Mendel have been married for 47 years. During all of those years they’ve lived at 3048 Fortin Street directly across from Jazz Fest. Pass by and you’ll hear “Happy Jazz Fest” from the Mendels. Their affable personalities have made them many friends near and far. But, this will be their last Jazz Fest in Faubourg St. John. They will be moving soon. So, stop by 3048 Fortin on your way to Jazz Fest to hear “Happy Jazz Fest” and wish Catherine and Ed well as they turn the page to a new chapter in their lives.
mendels-moving1photo by Mischa Mendel

HOME SECURITY

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neighborhood-watch1If you were locked out of your house, would you still be able to get in? Maybe you keep an unlocked window in the back, or a hidden key in your mailbox, or on top of a window ledge.

You may think this is a good idea, but guess what? If you can break in, so can a burglar!

For a small amount of time and money you can make your home more secure and reduce your chances of being a victim. Many burgulars spend no longer than 60 seconds to try to breaking into a home. Good locks — and good neighbors who watch out for each other — can be big deterrents to burglars.
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crime-prevention2click on the graphics for a larger view