Katrina tick-tock, pt. 6

Sept. 8: Ambra Nykol asked what would people take from home if given 15 minutes' advance warning. Keto at The Colorblind Society said pretenses had been washed away. Ray Garraud spoke of amateur radio efforts to reopen regional communications.  

Sept. 9: Farai Chideya was having a tough time locating her uncle. Larry D. Lyons passed along an eyewitness report from the previous week. James Lamb Jr. spit riffs that curled whimsical one moment and white-hot furious the next. No4Real4Real was surprised by aftereffects within part of the black-blogging community. Whitewashing the Black Storm: We Are Watching continued their coverage of life for evacuees inside Houston's Astrodome.

"Elsewhere/otherwhen": Things that Go Bump in the Night's "Umoja" looked back on life in Kenya.  The Ragamuffin Diva had thoughts on magic and stories and change. The Brutha Code departed, marking the end of an era. Ndesanjo Macha rounded out a busy day with the end of a conference in Helsinki. Rethabile Manso offered a lesson on a rather useful Sesotho-language phrase. Negrorage considered the minority-within-minority plight of black conservatives. Writing is Fighting offered moving and brave personal testimony on a difficult decision. Sleepless in Sudan continued her indispensable slice-of-Darfur-life posts. Queen Esther got a guitar lesson from James Blood Ulmer (and I tried not to turn inside out with envy). Tee at Urbanflower enjoyed her sons' first day of school. Harold M. Clemens republished an old post to mark September 11th.

Katrina tick-tock, pt. 5

Been one of those weeks, hasn't it?

For some reason, Kitty Power's "The War at Home" is resonating with me this week.

Katrina tick-tock, pt. 4

Via the indispensable Gwen Harlow's rawr, I see White Washing the Black Storm: We are Watching: Two Houston Law Professors' First Hand Blog Accounts of the Real Treatment of Black Americans in Hurricane Katrina's Aftermath

Sept. 6: Danyel Smith had a lesson before dying, and thoughts on the new great migration. Cobb offered a meditation on Derbigny Street. Abeni at And Still I Rise greeted Natalee Holloway coverage's end with relief. Laina Dawes at Writing is Fighting weighed in on Katrina and Kanye West. Mahogany Elle wondered if hope floats. Diary of a Peculiar Soul pointed readers to Steve Gilliard's "Letter to Black Conservatives."  Trent Fitzgerald of Beats and Rants offered accolades to Charmaine Neville. Responding to Leonard Pitts' column, RBG at If You Don't Understand Yourself said she couldn't have said it better herself. Tragically Deep Thoughts wondered if he was the cynic. 

Sept. 7: Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast listened to Wynton Marsalis and Cassandra Wilson, and asked "whose blood? whose fields?" Guandu focused on black hair care supplies.Mandrake Society proprietor JW Richard noticed a encouraging Washington Post story about a family reconstituted in Houston. Mark Anthony Neal's New Black Man race-d Katrina and offered Dr. Maurice Wallace's  "our tsunami" text. Minister Faust suggested that the moral levee was dry.  D.L. Foster had thoughts on ultimate suffering. Natalie Davis considered fingerpointing and nausea. On a lighter note, Laura Swisher wants a new job. Blackfeminism.org's Tiffany B. Brown said Katrina's aftermath was about Bush, not race. 

Elsewhere: Chippla has thoughts on Nigerian ethnicity. 

Katrina tick-tock, pt. 3

Sept. 4: Bob Marovich of the Black Gospel Blog shared the storm's impact on the community and its response, as well as how readers could help victims.

Sept. 5: Shannita of Creative Soul Confessions shared New Orleans stories and couldn't stop watching the news. Black Ink links about the thanks-but-no-thanks attitude she saw. Bullet Proof Diva meditated on the upside of anger. Hopluv found one of the more affecting photos I'd seen so far. Ian at A Different Kitchen mulled Black America's Sept. 11. Tiffani at Cynikal One says Kanye West doesn't speak for her. Jace at Mudd Up! had a bad dream. Kenyon Farrow at Every Shut Eye Ain't Sleep offered a framing document on behalf of the displaced. Sudan Watch returned with an account of a televised Friday sermon at a Khartoum mosque.  

Thulani Davis doesn't blog, but her Black Commentator esssay has got me stuck.

Katrina tick-tock, pt. 2

Sept. 3 (continued): Black Book Blog put focus on raising money. Soul Imperialist had a phone conversation with a friend. James Lamb, Jr. wrote about the wretched of the earth. Butta On ... shared her Hurricane Kanye thoughts. Devas T. Rants and Raves sighed in relief for an out-of-town colleague and volunteered at an Austin, Texas, shelter. Siddity in the City pointed to others who'd said it better.

Sept. 4: The Prodigal Sun offered Bush reminders. Obi from South London offered the left-behind series. Rhythms of Grace noticed a Mississippi shelter wedding. Mtume and Kalamu ya Salaam put up another stellar issue of Breath of Life, despite evacuating from New Orleans to Austin. Shotta M of Poet in Wisconsin talked about Katrina in her contracts class. Nichelle vented over a newspaper letter. Hip Hop Music linked to Charmaine Neville's (of the New Orleans music-royalty Nevilles) escape account. L.A. Brain Terrain put out a call for donations. ReidBlog just said no to Rudy Giuliani and links to Errol Brown's Newsday column. Faheem at Black Perspective and Introspection took a deeper look at looting. (Jdid sorta joined in.) Afro-Netizen pointed to Aaron Broussard on "Meet the Press." Isn't She Lovely? said call it what you will. The Adventures of Princess Dominique declared: no more pretending. Frank Leon Roberts had never been a fan of stating the obvious. Alli-Babe thought she didn't have any more tears. Bejata focused on people helping people. 

Sept. 5: ThatColoredFella said he can see clearly now. George Conard slammed the meltdown in NOLA and the politics of Katrina, and read Matt in Houston. Writing is Fighting shared Kimya Dawson's take. Jewels in the Jungle listed how to help victims. Farai Chideya's post drips with irony. Ms. World checked in. Copia offered his Gulf Coast catastrophe take. Avery Tooley asked for a late pass. E.J. Flavors said: don't stop. Heartbreak arrived for Cobb's Michael Bowen. Keith Boykin said we knew this would happen. Quaheem offered a poem. 

Katrina tick-tock, pt. 1

Sept. 1: Rashunda Tramble had just a few questions about the New Orleans situation. Christopher Priest had a quartet of reactions. Ejovi Nuwere called the situation a national disgrace. U.S.S. Clueless: Earth to Timi said it's survival. Six Impossible Things asked: What to say? The Moderate Republican blanched at Denny Hastert's remarks and speculated about the Chicago effect. Bare and Bitter Sleep had a wakeup call for other U.S. coastal cities. Tim'm West shared a Marvin K. White poem.

Sept. 2: B.E.G. at Songbirds was overwhelmed. Bits & Pieces had her say on priorities. Jackson G. Tickle mused on lives lost, looting and the federal response. Politopics shared concerns about Baton Rouge and Houston. Scentiments wondered about TV crews' presence and federal foot-dragging. Gecko Girl offered ways for Atlantans to help evacuees. BrothaLove RantSpace, well, ranted. Blackboard Journal called it a debacle of support. Nehanda Dreams asks "is it me, or are you all black?" The Black Saint has equal measures of sobriety and snark. Ramblings of an African Geek spoke of a tragedy of mismanagement. Pondering Negro decided to turn off CNN. Uncle Sam's Cabin updated her wonderings. Nita shared some stuff. Professor Kim's News Notes pointed to an interview with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. unfinished brooklyn asked: "Refugees? Here?" Negrorage wanted men deputized at the New Orleans Convention Center. Kamau's Business Blog Page had a trio of posts. Kenyon Farrow at Every Shut Eye Ain't Sleep forwarded friend Jordan Flaherty's "Notes from Inside New Orleans." Rainmayun talked about the new diaspora. Misled Youth said "... God bless Texas." Kyra Davis said we should have watched out for the swing. J. Dakar at N-Retrospekt wanted someone to do something. goddess at NAI' shared her "shoot'em up, loot'em up" stress. Liza Valentino said "thy will be done."

Sept. 3: Dr. Strangejazz at bitter daze picked up the black-people-loot, white-people-find meme. The Brutha Code riffed on "the American way." Ms. Audacity at Diary of a Peculiar Soul vented displeasure over a Wolf Blitzer word choice. D.L. Foster shared his opinion of Kanye West, while Candicissima at Kitty Types shared hers. Tavares Forby at Blackpundit asked: "Are they refugees?" Steven Barnes of Dar Kush pointed to FitnessAid.org. Life on da Rock's The Seed 2.0 mused on "Katrina Before and After." D. Sekou of the Deskrat Chronicles rapped Bush officials' knuckles. Brohemian thought about the hardest times in the Big Easy. The Fabulous and Funky World of a Diva's Jazz lauds West, as well as Harry Connick, Jr. Sudan Watch's Ingrid pauses to reflect. Keith Jenkins of Good Reputation Sleeping said the small world was now smaller. Nordette of N.J. Spoken Word said West's words gave her the best laugh she'd had in days. Danyel Smith of naked cartwheels sent out a hurricane S.O.S. and said dark is a way and light is a place. Marian Douglas noticed Jeff Koinange's New Orleans dissonance. New York City's pride Ronn Taylor of a burst of light ...* noticed Tayari Jones' hurricane-relief book offer. Will of In My Write Mind has an amazing post called "An Easy Call to Make."

Crescent City confidential

I've been tied up since coming off of vacation and heading back into my day gig's orbit. I've got a few screens' worth of links to read. If you're tired of what the TV screen loops, then maybe it's time to review the troops.