New Ethics Laws are Unethical

According to state Ethics Board chairman, Frank Simoneaux, the new ethics laws that were enacted last year during the special session are well.... unethical. He says this because now, instead of the Ethics Board enforcing violations, the power has shifted to administrative law judges (ALJ's), who are appointed by the governor. Marsha Shuler with The Advocate has the full story here.

Voodoo In Spin

Spin magazine's Alison Fensterstock filed this report of the highs and lows of last weekend's Voodoo Fest in New Orleans. Rain and chilly temperatures added didn't help the proceedings, but in true festival style, it didn't snuff out the party. Some artists (and some audience members) dealt better with the adversity than others. Check it out here

iChill, uChill, weallChill, 4 iChill

The life of the lone blogger is not as lucrative as you may think. True, in the beginning I harbored some intentions of serving the community, but in reality, it would've been nice if the community had served me a few bags full of money in return....sort of a give and take process. There are various names for such a process, commerce; capitalism; business; all come to mind. I write, you pay. That would have been a beautiful thing, but alas, it's the paying part that has been lacking. So what is lone blogger to do? I dunno. But what I do is dream about free stuff. So, imagine my delight when I was contacted by a company offering to send me a case of free stuff, and only asking that if I liked the free stuff that I write a post saying so. See? That's give and take...plus if I don't like the free stuff, I don't even have to give...just take! Which I was fully prepared to do. However, a funny thing happened, I actually liked the free stuff...a lot!
The product for which I am willingly whoring myself out for is iChill. They bill it as a "relaxation shot". And I am here to tell you, it works. It looks like those little bottles they use for stuff like 5 hour energy, but it has the opposite effect. And another huge difference....it actually tastes good. It's also sugar free and carb free (if anyone is still watching their carbs) and calorie free. It has Melatonin, Valarian root, Rose Hips and B vitamins. I'm not a doctor, but I'm also not a drinker or a smoker, so those routes to relaxation are not available to me. So, iChill helped me achieve a little bit Nirvana with out turning me into a blithering idiot. I just felt chilled out and relaxed. The wife liked it too, it helped her go to sleep faster and didn't have any hangover effect the next morning.
So, to recap: iChill good! It does what it claims it can do. We like! More samples please! Check out their site www.iChill.com for more product info.

Outreach Center Looking for Sponsors

The Acadiana Outreach Center's primary fundraising event, Palates and Pate is right around the corner and they are looking for sponsors to help make it another success. The event will take place on Thursday, November 19th at the Cajundome Convention Center and in case you aren't familiar with P&P, we'll just say it's THE social event of the season. It is a feast for the senses, including amazing art, fantastic cuisine and incredible entertainment and what's really cool is the event pairs distinguished regional artists with premier area chefs to collaborate and create a unique piece of art and a signature dish inspired by the piece. The art, along with amazing exotic vacations, are then auctioned at the event and the food is enjoyed by all.

Right now, the Outreach Center is looking for major, ticket and table sponsors. Sponsorships include tickets and tables at the event along with lots of other perks. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, or to find out how you can get tickets to this premier event, email jmeauxaoc@gmail.com.

Guests truly enjoy an unforgettable experience at Palates & Pate and because of their generous support the Outreach Center can continue help to transform the lives of so many men, women and children with critical needs in Acadiana. Together they can restore many more shattered lives so please join them by becoming a Palates & Pate sponsor today!

Icegator Switcheroo

The Louisiana Icegators announced recently that GM Brent Sapergia will temporarily replace Ron Handy as head coach. According to the release, Handy will concentrate on community relations and off ice operations while Sapergia, previously the General Manager/President, will step behind the bench in an effort to spark the team to a victory. So far the team has struggled to get it's game going as they are 0-3 but their next chance to score a win will be this Friday against the Pensacola Ice Flyers. The game starts at 7:05 pm in Blackham Coliseum.

The Name Is Tancill....James Tancill

This is the jackpot of Louisiana music clips. What could be better than a remix of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band version of Saint James Infirmary? Well, how about an animated video to accompany it, made all the better because the animator, James Tancill, is based right here in Lafayette. Tancill did amazing work that evokes, for me at least, the kind of cartoons Polycarp Phillipe Pecot Number 2 used to play in the pre-GMA world of local morning television. King Britt from Philadelphia did the remix and he is featured in the second video discussing the process of gathering the source material as well as doing additional recording for the project. Of course, I didn't find this myself. It was submitted by Daily Meaux reader and semi-frequent commenter, the cryptically named CFSH. It's actually not that hard to de-code if you know her. Our thanks to her for the great find.

Hey Battah Battah!

While you're watching this year's World Series between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies, take special notice when Mark Teixeira, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jorge Posada, or Robinson Cano come up to the plate. They'll be swinging bats handmade by Jack Marucci in his warehouse in Baton Rouge. Oh yeah, he's also the head athletic trainer at LSU. Marucci's unlikely jump to the big leagues of bat making is chronicled by Manish Mehta in this article for the Star-Ledger. Read it here. And check out the Marucci Bats site too.

Scary Halloween Cities in Louisiana

Ever been to Frankenstein, Missouri? How about Pumpkintown, South Carolina? No, well, with All Hallows Eve right around the corner The National Realtor's Association came up with a list of the Top 50 Scary Halloween Cities and Louisiana made the list 4 times. So if trick or treating in Lafayette is so last year, take a road trip to Transylvania, Slaughter, False River, or Cut Off, Louisiana.

Photo by Rennett Stowe

Broussard Company Featured on Sundance Channel

The Sundance Channel must love South Louisiana....or we're just so green we keep making their show. Back in September they featured a Jennings company on their 'Big Ideas for a Small Planet" and now they've turned their attention to a Broussard company. FuzziBunz is a cloth diaper company started by Tereson Dupuy of Broussard in 1999 as an answer to her son's problem with diaper rash. Now FuzziBunz can be found in retailers across the world and has many celebrity fans including Matthew McConaughey and Tori Spelling. Big Ideas for a Small Planet is on the Sundance Channel tonight at 7pm.

Maybe Some Hope?

Nancy Sutley, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality toured the Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, as part of the Ocean Policy Task Force and was "humbled" by the experience. She saw with her own eyes the loss of coastal wetlands we here in Louisiana have been shouting about for quite some time. Here's what she posted on the White House Blog:

Standing on the viewing post of Bayou Bienvenue and seeing the extent to which the wetlands have disappeared was a humbling experience that reinforced my belief in the importance of this, and other coastal restoration projects. As the President said during the Town Hall, it is inspirational to spend time with the citizens there who have persevered in the face of the tragedy that was Katrina and are steadfast in their resolve to rebuild. The Obama Administration is committed to enhancing the environmental and economic sustainability of New Orleans and coastal Louisiana, and we recognize that coastal wetland restoration is a key path toward achieving this type of long-term resiliency.

And this:

Our trip allowed us to see both the bird’s eye view of the Gulf from the air, and actual restoration efforts on the ground. The Obama administration is working to strengthen the wetlands and barrier islands that are the first line of defense for the Gulf Coast – a priority that, while critical to this region’s physical protection, is also critical to our environment and to our economy.

Yes, it is overdue, yes it is mere words when action is needed. But at this point, I'll take it. It is a start, and Ms. Sutley is to be commended for her efforts. Now, Madame, if you could please get your boss on the horn. Read her post here.

More BBQ Coming Soon

Back in August we told you about The Shed BBQ that's coming soon to Scott.....well now a new BBQ joint is planning to open next month in Lafayette. Eddie's BBQ, currently with 2 locations in Alexandria, will open it's 3rd location on W. Pinhook in November. Owner Dan Ahrens says in his press release to The Advertiser that Eddie's BBQ specializes in St. Louis style pork ribs, Beef Brisket, Pork roast, Rotisserie Chicken, Spicy or Mild Sausage, Turkey Breast and Smoked Pit Ham as well as many homemade side orders and desserts.

Big Baby Has Bad Buddies

Former LSU Power Forward now Boston Celtic, Glen "Big Baby" Davis looks like he's not going to be playing for a while. According to espn.com Davis apparently got into an altercation with a former teammate from Louisiana that was in town visiting and injured his thumb. No formal statement has been issued yet other than he has been sent for further testing.

Photo by Daniel Torres Bonatto