New York Times Article

Posted on November 14, 2009 by James Mughal

I think David Carr is pretty balanced in his article. Niche media outlets have limited resources and they cover the news for specific demographic. Not paying attention to Fort Hood incident was a good example to show that priorities of niche media outlets should not change.

I think Texas Tribune is a good effort to save the news, when newspapers are dying out or merging across the nation. Newspaper need to move with the times and their audience. In next generation, we will only have major papers like New York Times still available in print.

I think Carr paid very little attention to business model of Texas Tribune in his article. I would like to have seen more detailed information about the business model of Texas Tribune. Paper are dying out, because they are not making the bucks. I would like to have known the view of Texas Tribune Editor of Google, which is killing news business. There is slight bias in the story, but it is still a well balanced story as I stated earlier. You cannot be a writer without any bias.

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Brussels Sprouts Media?

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Dave Feldman

I believe the most important strength of “brussels sprouts” media is that it is an outlet that is way less dependent upon other media sources. In fact, it is a sort of anti-media outlet, and so when one major news source (CNN, Fox, the NY Times, etc.) reports on a story, they are less likely to piggy back on what that source has already said, or in the example of the David Carr article, not talk about the source at all. However, its main disadvantage is that because it is such a grass-rooted campaign, media consumers might find the source to be less credible simply because it is an unknown source. This is why jump-starting a brussels sprouts media outlet is so risky: if you have no history of hard-hitting independent journalism, then why should people want to listen to what you have to say?
I believe David Carr did a pretty good job of covering this news trend without too much bias, although he only mentioned one of these websites (TexasTribune.org). It would have been interesting to see if more of these non-profit journalism sites are on the rise. After all: one website doesn’t necessarily indicate a trend. Also, I want to know if the website has accepted any donations from politicians or groups who are affected by Texas politicians, because this could completely influence what the writers would write about Texas law-making. Is there any sort of firewall to separate the writers’ viewpoints from the sources of donations that they are receiving?
To Carr’s credit, he did play ball interviewing with the site’s contributers, who told him that starting a new news source was less risky than staying at a newspaper. The in-your-face irony is that this Carr writes for the New York Times.

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When the Levees Broke

Posted on November 3, 2009 by atavoularis

In Spike Lee’s documentary When the Levees Broke, Lee depicts a story of the ultimate devastation that Hurricane Katrina caused to all of its victims in New Orleans. Through the lens of the camera, the director is trying to make us feel as close as possible to the people living there and to make us resonate with the unfair treatment they have been put through at the hands of the unresponsive government, along with the sadness felt by all those who have lost not only their homes, but also their livelihood. Lee is representing how the government is supposed to protect and aid its people and FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency did nothing in the way of helping all those effected, white or black, in the realest form of film expression possible, a documentary.

In what is almost an ongoing display of emotion throughout the film, from anger to sadness to helplessness, Lee does not hide anything or downplay the sheer devastation that is New Orleans right after the hurricane. The whole film shows a great deal of turmoil, and exemplifies the notion that because many of the victims are African American and many are living along the poverty line, the government response was slow to help all due to this.

In one scene where Vice President Dick Cheney is present to survey the destruction in one town, the aggravation that is conveyed by one of the victims is nothing less than powerful in him cursing at the Vice President, and the viewer can definitely sense the frustration felt by not only that person, but by everyone collectively. It conveys the general message of anger between the people of New Orleans and the government that is supposed to help them.

Toward the end of that section of the documentary, Lee also demonstrates the strength of the people and how they can still come together to find happiness when he films Mardi gras. With all of the chaos and destruction around them, they can still find hope and a way to express themselves through art and shows just how even in going through such trauma; everyone can still come together in celebration.

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When the Levees Broke

Posted on November 3, 2009 by mlipsius

Act III, “When the Levees Broke,” by Spike Lee, aims to convey the aftermath of hurricane katrina.  It gives accounts of the U.S. government’s response as well as that in the media and the devestation experienced by New Orleans residence.

I found particularly horrible the facade the media created when former president Bush came to survey the disaster of the aftermath of the hurricane.  To create a semblance of a return, of rebuilding, the media basically prepared a set so that the president could speak in front of a building with lights, working electricity, as though the government had things under control and everything was returning to normal.  The government might have benefitted from this propoganda, but the residents of New Orleans certainly did not, as one resident recalled feeling deceived and disappointed upon returning to this building with newfound hope at the prospect of it again being functional, only to discover that the electricity was temporary, for the president’s media appearance, and would not be maintained for the residents of New Orleans.  The people of New Orleans grew to abhor the government’s apathy to their plight. 

Another point that Spike Lee conveyed was the agony of displacement.   While former president Bush’s mother acted like the rellocation of New Orleans residents “was some forward, upward mobility,” many residents felt otherwise.  They identified themselves with the state of New Orleans and only longed to return.  What further upset these people was the term the media used to refer to them, “refugees.”  “We are calling on the media to stop calling them refugees… These are American citizens… and the connotation of refugees is others who need charity.”

A final point I wish to note is the utter devastation experienced by New Orleans residents, and a certain surrender to the futility of everything.  People’s life’s work amounted to nothing once the hurricane swept through the town.  It decimated everything they had invested themselves in, anything they identified with, and left them with nothing to come back to.  Suicide became a viable option for people to escape the ravaged remains of nothing, and it is noted in this documentary that those who committed suicide in the aftermath, therefore, aught to be counted among hurricane victims.  These people endured an unfathomable horror and were met with insufficient sympathy or aid.

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When the Levees Broke

Posted on November 2, 2009 by bmohamed

 Act III of the Spike Lee documentary, “When the Levees Broke” opens with a prayer recited by one hurricane Katrina’s victims. The angle of the documentary focuses on the hardships and cruelty that mother nature and the government placed upon the citizens of New Orleans. Spike Lee captures the devastating aftermath of the hurricane, houses no longer stand side by side instead they are caved in with huge “x”‘s on them with ruined reamains if any. Citizens were dispersed among the entire country because living conditions were not sufficient enough to stay in New Orleans. One of  Lee’s main focuses was the president’s late response to this tragedy, rather then taking immidiate action president Bush arrived two weeks after hurricane Katrina had taken place.

 Lee portrayed the government and media in a negative light, mainly showing that FEMA was no help to the citizens of New Orleans and that nothing has been done by the government to help restore the city back to its vibrant coulture and stature. One way tickets where given to citizens, which indicated that New Orleans did not want them coming back.  Hotels were no longer being funded by FEMA which left citizens worrying what will happen next for them. Families were separated and had difficulty in reuiniting. While touring the Astrodome, Barbra Bush makes a comment saying that citizens were underpriliged before and “this is working well for them.” The media kept referring to the citizens of New Orleans as “refugees” which was insulting to the victims because they felt as though their citizenship got washed away with the hurricane.

 Lee gave a little background history on what New Orleans was originally like and the intense culture it contained, then he focused on the present reality which is increased crime rate a failing education system and a city which needs a lot of work to rebuild its foundation. The excerpt from “When the Levees Broke” is an emo tionl account from those who have witnessed and survived the tragedy along with those who are against the “efforts” for reconstruction.

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When the Levees Broke

Posted on November 2, 2009 by ll078754

“When the Levees Broke” is a four act documentary chronicling the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 2006, director Spike Lee focused on the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the people and families living in New Orleans, the United States government, and the media.

In Act Three, Spike Lee examined the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina through the lens of an inquirer. Spike Lee worked as an investigative reporter to put this documentary together, but he shot the footage to bring to light the effects of the disaster that have been swept under the rug.

Many families and residents of New Orleans were given the opportunity to share their feelings of negligence and abandonment they felt from the U.S. government’s slow response time and they’re manipulation of the media.

In one scene in the documentary, a resident explains how the power in his ruined house finally surged on to only be shut down in an instance. The man was at first puzzled, but later on learned that the power was shut down manually for a media opportunity for the news. The news channel wanted to frame the situation to make it appear that although there are hardships, their perseverance will keep them alive.

Spike Lee is better known for addressing the inequalities of racism in the United States than his coverage of national disasters, but he chose to shoot this documentary to portray the negative effects both whites and blacks shared from Hurricane Katrina.

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When the Levees Broke

Posted on November 2, 2009 by afong

A constant ominous theme underlies the entire documentary. Spike Lee opened Act III with the boisterous and rowdy jazz of the Hot 8 Brass Band, to give the viewers a taste of the culture of New Orleans. The band played “When the saints go marching in,” but there was no quick and competent solution that America expected from the federal government after a national disaster.

Spike Lee focused on the connection between the residents of New Orleans and their homes. Lee showed how the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina was not limited to demolished homes and a demolished city.

He gave a brief history of New Orleans. The residents of the city had strong ties to their ancestors, who all lived and died in the area. People who lost homes also lost family pictures and the family Bible.

There were residents who were disconnected from their family members  sent elsewhere in the United States. It was hard for the city to entice the residents to return when the crime returned faster than the revival of the city. One resident compared New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to a disfigured friend who was barely recognizable.

These people who were relocated wanted to return to their city but were faced with financial obstacles. It did not help when the rest of the country felt that they were harboring “refugees.” Cities like Houston, where most of the evacuees were relocated, did not welcome the new residents, blaming them for the increase in crime in the city. Barbara Bush’s comment made it seem that the evacuees were from a third world country, were rescued by the United States and relieved from their poverty.

The effects of the hurricane could not be contained. Many of the evacuees needed drugs to put their lives back on track. Lee’s documentary was the other story of Hurricane Katrina, told by those who are still recovering from its damage.

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Spike Lee’s When the Levees Broke

Posted on November 2, 2009 by tabdrakhmanova1

Surrounding the great disaster of Hurricane Katrina was an even greater upheaval of false accusations and untimely reports. One measly excuse for such behavior by journalists, reporters, and maybe even the government, was the severity of the hurricane and the entirely devastating effect that it rendered on the region. Still, putting all of this aside, the people that suffered the most  because of this were the residents of Louisiana. Spike Lee took his time to reveal the story and actually spoke to the victims themselves, to make “When the Levees Broke”, his documentary of Hurricame Katrina.

Spike Lee took on the job that many others, including President George Bush, mainly ignored, and he condemned the President for doing so. That is seen through the repetition of Kanye West’s comment “Bush doesn’t care about black people” three times! This negative view of the governments participation was upheld through all of Part III, when Lady Bush made allusions to her opinion, that living in the arenas had a better life there than they had in their homes. this greatly attributed to the opinion that the government does not care about the residents of Louisiana.

Lee also listens to the people and allows their opinion to be heard in his documentary. His audience feels his sympathy to the citizens of America that were wrongly called refugees in their own land. He made sure that his audience understood that the people were betrayed by their country, their government organizations like FEMA,  and their President, who was on vacation for two weeks until he responded to Hurricane Katrina.

After the events passing, people left their lives behind to find different identities. Lastly, Spike Lee portrayed Louisiana as he place where culture will not die, even though it lost a lot to the calamity that the government made of Hurricane Katrina.

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When Leeves Broke: The Real Aftermath of New Orleans

Posted on November 2, 2009 by mmicko

Spike Lee’s documentary on Hurricane Katrina showed the troubled aftermath of the many citizens of New Orleans. In the documentary, he focuses on showing the emotional feelings of the people and the neighborhood. He had many residents of New Orleans show their true feelings about the hurricane and how the citizens of US were helping. A lot of people were pissed off at President Bush because he wasn’t treating them right and wasn’t helping. Besides Bush, the victims were treated with great disrespect. Many of them were being called “refugees”. The fact is that even though these people were victims of a major hurricane, they are not refugees, they are still citizens of America, which most of them argued.

As the documentary showed, there was a lot of destruction and loss. Spike Lee focused on showing this. He showed how separated families were found after being lost. A mother was reunited with her two children and started a whole new life in Utah. Lee also showed the tremendous damage caused by the hurricane. An elderly women went back into her home, which was still standing, but was literally flipped around on the inside with great damage.

The documentary showed the real damage and suffering of many New Orleans residents. Spike Lee focused on showing the real images that cannot be seen on TV. He also showed that New Orleans was made of strong residents. Even after the hurricane hit, the city still had its annual Mardi Gras parade. Many residents said, “New Orleans needed it,” which is completely true.

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“The Roots Run Deep Here”

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Sabrina Smith

The Analysis of Spike Lee’s When the Levees Broke
         Although we were unable to hear Spike Lee’s commentary directly through the film, the development of the piece reveals his point-of-view and how he interprets the ‘resulting views’ of this tragedy. In a nutshell, When the Levees Broke is the reflection of the people during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. The film brought out many of the emotional aspects as well and demonstrative expressions from the victims and the people who spoke on their behalf.
       Throughout part three of the film, there is a great emphasis on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the idea that they failed to assist the people after the hurricane took its course. According to fema.gov, the mission of FEMA is to “support our citizens and first responder to ensure that a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards.” Based on the documentary this federal agency failed to do its job during the aftermath, leaving people to question the concern of the government, and from the interviewees we learn that FEMA had become a ‘long lost support system.’
       Another profound concern raised in the film was the media’s interpretation of the victims, and it is not how they reported the victims, but it is what they called them that is so compelling. The people were considered “refugees” and under the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is an individual residing outside of their native country and is unwilling to avail himself protection of the country in which he/she is residing. The media has given them the title of ‘refugee’ even though the victims, according to Al Sharpton, are American citizens who pay their taxes. “Did the storm come and blow away our citizenship too?” stated one of the Hurricane Katrina victim interviewees.
       What I found to be intriguing difficult to understand was the comment made by the former First Lady Barbara Bush. She stated her opinion that many of the people in the domes were better off because they were receiving treatment and aid that was what she considered better than what they had back in New Orleans. The fact that this political figure has said something so bizarre reveals the fact that the government is greatly responsible for the lack of appropriate aid received for the people, because if this is what they are thinking about, it is highly expected that they will not do the best job in helping the victims. The film also brings up an important point, the fact the former President George Bush did not visit the state of New Orleans until two weeks after the storm.
       If any person was unsure about what really happened in New Orleans and the aftermath of the hurricane, Spike Lee’s film provides an anecdotal sense of the experiences of the victims and what the political system failed to do during the aftermath. It is also a display of how the media jointly gave a misrepresentation of the people who suffered after the storm.

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When the Levees Broke

Posted on November 1, 2009 by ying

In Spike Lee’s documentary, When the Levees Broke, Lee focuses on the horrendous aftermath for victims of Hurricane Katrina as well as on the failures of FEMA and the Bush administration. This documentary, while plainly giving a one-sided perspective, is by no means, wrong in its approach. If the media was insensitively able to refer to these black victims as “refugees,” then Lee’s documentary is, in many ways, providing a more detailed understanding of the other, unheard, perspective. One of the more memorable quotes  in response to the term, “refugee,” was:  “What, when the storm came, it blew away our citizenship too?”

This film is poignant and heart-wrenching in portraying the lives of post-Katrina Americans. Near the end of Act III, a mother’s agony towards losing her child is but only one of many tragedies that befall residents of New Orleans. But what is most disturbing in all this is the lack of government help, a thought that is echoed throughout the entire documentary.  Even after months had passed since the hurricane, debris continued to litter the streets.

In the documentary, Lee showed the beauty and the strength of victims of the natural disaster as well.  What I found so amazing was that regardless of the damage done to the city, the traumatic experiences they all faced, when Mardi Gras came, residents still came together and celebrated.

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When the Levees Broke

Posted on November 1, 2009 by Angel Rosario

Act III of Spike Lee’s When the Levees Broke reiterates the devastation caused by hurricane Katrina on New Orleans. His point of view in the documentary was that the government wasn’t doing enough to help the people of New Orleans. The tone of the documentary, and something that was hinted at in the news, was that the process of cleaning up and restoring New Orleans took much longer than anyone expected. They were still recovering bodies from the rubble and many of the streets were still not cleaned up well after the hurricane occurred.

Many of the people in the documentary were upset because they wanted to return to New Orleans, but there wasn’t much to return to. It was as if no one cared that there were thousands of people displaced from the homes that they have known all their lives. The citizens of New Orleans were also upset at being called refugees by the media. The fact that the streets took so long to clean up and people being displaced and called refugees, the people of New Orleans truly felt like foreign citizens.

Another issue caused by the hurricane was that people’s medical records were flooded and destroyed, so people with illness and disease got sicker and died because they weren’t being treated fast enough.

One of the most damning facts in my mind was Bush staying on vacation after this tragedy occurred. I think that the film stated that Bush took two weeks to get to New Orleans and that certainly took me by surprise.

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Two sided story (When the Leeves Broke)

Posted on November 1, 2009 by Richard Ortega

They say that there are two sides to every story.  The story of Hurricane Katrina and the events that followed are no exception.  The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is a point of much debate some say Katrina and its victims were showcased with a biased, at times racist light by all the major media outlets.  After watching Spike Lee’s When the Levees Broke, it can be said that he too agrees with the notion that the events in Louisiana were not reported with an unbiased media perspective.

Spike Lee presents his perspective on what actually happened before, during and after Hurricane Katrina. When the Levees Broke accuses both FEMA and President Bush of inadequately responding to Hurricane Katrina.  Although his view is extremely negative he uses interviews with Kanye West, Reverend Al Sharpton and many former Louisiana residents to show that he is not alone in his view.

His main criticism is of the amount of time it took the government to respond to and provide aid for the victims of Katrina.  The fact that it took President Bush almost two weeks to visit Louisiana after Katrina brings up the point that Louisiana and its residents have never been a priority on the Presidential agenda.  Spike Lee also brings the point that once the disaster relief effort actually did begin, FEMA’s efforts were inadequate and poorly executed.

Spike Lee takes it upon himself to present his own opinion about what occurred in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina stormed through.  He presents a strong case against the Media and their coverage of Katrina.  He proves that there are always two sides to every story.

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When the Levees Broke

Posted on November 1, 2009 by mpozin

I have long been under the impression that documentaries were supposed to, at the very least, appear to be objective in their coverage. Act III of Spike Lee’s documentary was clearly anything but. I do not recall having seen any of Lee’s films, thereby placing myself at a slight disadvantage for keen in-depth analysis.

It was clear that Lee had a very active intention of portraying the survivors of Hurricane Katrina as victims, and rightfully so. Lee, however, further developed his portrayal with a consistent barrage of coverage surrounding the assorted failures of the government on behalf of those affected most intensely by the disaster. He effectively vilified FEMA, its delayed responses, and its decision to gradually reduce the amount of coverage/aid provided several months later. Likewise, the administration received its fair share of cleverly spliced criticism, particularly the president and vice-president.

The facts were certainly on Lee’s side. Not only did Bush refuse to cut his vacation short (his total vacation time over the course of his two terms totaling over a year) to take charge of the situation on the ground, the vice president’s similarly delayed visit was likened to a pitiful attempt to simply ‘save face.’ Bush’s eventual speech, delivered from the affected region, was in and of itself a farce—the power in the area was turned on solely for this event, and was shut off once more shortly thereafter.

Lee succeeds in giving a voice to the people of New Orleans, one perhaps that is overly sensationalistic and arguably instigating in nature. Perhaps then, that was his underlying goal—to capture the attention of the nation in the precise manner in which it most frequently enjoys distributing said attention. Had that been the case, I suspect the film would have been made just slightly shorter. Spike Lee certainly wants to drive the point home, and drive the point home he does, with extensive coverage of the most outspoken of subjects interviewed, and seemingly little coverage of the less “boisterous” participants.

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When The Levees Broke

Posted on November 1, 2009 by Simona

If Spike Lee’s point of view in When The Levees Broke is lost on anyone, he/she must not have been paying very much attention. From the images of destruction and devastation, to the stories of loss and utter depression and resentment towards the government, it is clear that Lee wants his audience to see that the victims of Hurricane Katrina have been slighted not only by the disaster, but the aftermath as well.

The documentary places emphasis on personal anecdotes, “experts”, close-ups of tired, forlorn faces and near-prophetic words, like the little old woman who says she will not be drowned and will not leave New Orleans, no matter how hard a Category 5 hurricane (“the government”) tries to kill her. Others echo her sentiments, stating that New Orleans is the only home they’ve ever known and that their roots run deep in the place, suggesting that the hurricane/government was audacious to even suggest that they leave.

Then there is the rescue effort, or lack thereof, stemming from the highest authority, the government. Lee paints the audience a picture of a ghost town, neglected by FEMA, abandoned by its former residents, thoroughly ignored by a President who chooses to remain on vacation instead of tending to the disaster. There are the careless and uninterested house checks of rescue workers, with the explanation of the marking system for houses delivered, ironically, in detail and to a somber soundtrack. Black people stand in front of their destroyed homes, staring into the camera; Lee cuts to a prominent white government figure standing in front of his untouched house with its immaculate green lawn and fancy porch.

The overall effect is the message that African-Americans are still treated as second-class citizens in a country of which they are citizens, especially when it seems as if the government’s response to the hurricane was deliberately slow and ineffective.

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When the Levees Broke

Posted on November 1, 2009 by llentine

Spike Lee’s When the Levees Broke shows his point-of-view on the Katrina disaster. Throughout the duration of Act III, Lee dedicates most of the time to showing that the Bush administration hasn’t done enough to help New Orleans during this ordeal. The first instance of this is when Kanye West is shown saying “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” The reason he gave for saying this is that he thought it would be refreshing to hear, and that his main concern was putting himself in the victims’ shoes and not about the after-effects of his statement. From this, Lee went into showing victims’ opinions on what the government was doing to help New Orleans. He showed people who thought Cheney only visited New Orleans to make himself look good, and that when Bush came to make his speech, the administration made it look like New Orleans was putting itself back together, such as showing electricity in the spot where the speech was made. Then when the speech was over, things went back to how they were, with no power in any other spots of the town. This leads to the conclusion that Lee himself did not feel the government did all they could to help New Orleans.

This point-of-view is supported by the fact that Lee also decided to show the excuse the Bush administration had for waiting as long as they did to take action. They wanted to see what lawyers thought was the best move. Lee also decided to put in the fact the FEMA decided to no longer pay for the evacuee’s hotel rooms that were living in, even though many of them couldn’t afford to live on their own. This is followed by showing George Bush’s mother saying that the evacuees were better off in other places of living because it was better than how they used to live. So in a way, evacuating to other places was a good thing. From all of the above stated, it is safe to assume that Lee has a very strong viewpoint of how the government dealt with the Katrina disaster.

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When the Levees Broke

Posted on November 1, 2009 by James Mughal

The documentary of Spike Lee tells the devastation of Hurricane Katrina from his view. It shows the terrible condition victims of hurricane Katrina were facing after Katrina and the failure of FEMA to help the victims of Katrina in New Orleans. It also show the failure of media after the Hurricane.

Mainstream American media called the Katrina victims refugees and the people took issue with the use of word refugee. Rev. Al Sharpton said, “We are calling on media to stop calling them refugees. They are citizens of United States.” I think calling the victims of Katrina refugees sent a wrong message from media. People around the globe move from small villages to big cities and from poor countries to rich countries for various personal reasons. Katrina victims were not moving for any personal reasons. Devastations of Katrina had left them no choice to leave their homes and move to other states to start a new life.

“Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality, and so many of the people in the arenas here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this (she chuckles slightly) is working very well for them.”, said Barbara Bush. This quote from former first lady and the mother of incumbent President at the time sums up the Presidency of his son and leaves a bad taste. President Bush did not end his vacation after hearing about the devastation Hurricane Katrina brought to people of New Orleans. FEMA also failed to protect and helped the victims of Katrina. Aurdey Mason, New Orleans resident said, “They are doing nothing for people of Louisiana.” We are the richest country in the world. We are happy to fight expensive wars thousands of miles away from our country, but Govt. of George W. Bush let down the people of New Orleans big time. It is four years and people are still coming to terms with hurricane Katrina.

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When the Levees Broke

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Mary Iannone

It was clear right from the outset of our viewing of Spike Lee’s When the Levees Broke that this was a documentary designed to show the fight for life and purpose of those New Orleans residents affected by 2005’s Hurricane Katrina.  To show this immense struggle, Lee juxtaposed devastating stories of those who didn’t make it with stories of celebrations of life.

Haunting images floated through the documentary – a broken doll half-buried by a mound of dirt, an abandoned shoe in a foot of water – as well as heartbreaking stories.  Act III ended with the funeral of a five-year-old girl who drowned in the storm, given with commentary from the girl’s mother.  She knows that this is a tragedy that will never leave her, but says she looks to God for strength.

This faith is a common theme in the film.  Some looked to the heavens, some to one another.  The most universal source of strength came from family; unfortunately, we heard stories of families that had been broken apart not only by death, but by displacement from the hurricane.  Various residents said the only way to truly rebuild New Orleans is to welcome back its residents; this is an action that even today is not complete.

Although we were not able to hear the director’s commentary, Spike Lee’s focus on the backlash against FEMA and President Bush shows his disdain for governmental action following Hurricane Katrina.  Many interviewees blamed the government for the heightened crime and racial tension following the storm, and thought that various visits by officials were only for media attention.

However, among the anxiety and stress was a release in the form of music.  Mardi Gras was still celebrated six months after Katrina, despite criticism for having such an iconic celebration in a still-destroyed city.  Attendees knew that the celebration, and New Orleans itself, can never be the same, but the only way to rebuild is to come together.

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When the Levees Broke

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Dave Feldman

Anyone who has ever seen a Spike-Lee-directed film knows that there is an obvious message being bullhorned at the audience, usually about how African Americans are being taken advantage of. In his documentary, When the Levees Broke, Lee’s point-of-view is not focusing so much on “who is the victim?” but rather “who is responsible?” And with that question in mind, Lee seems to show that many people were responsible for Katrina’s devastating aftermath.

The documentary is arranged not so much with a big sense of coherency but rather a collage of disaster and cultural importance that the city encompasses. For example, Kayne West’s comment on how “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” seemed to come out of nowhere, as did one New Orleans native’s less-than-approving message to Dick Cheney. But the people in the documentary (including Mr. West and the Rev. Al Sharpton) thought both comments were valid.

There are countless references to the late and shoddy way in which FEMA performed their duty to rescue the city. There are many shots of FEMA members checking over evacuated homes; they do not look to be the most thorough house-checks, and one member of the Louisiana Hot 8 Brass Band seems sure that there are still dead bodies in the houses.

Lee also  shows the media’s responsibility falling through the cracks as they referred to the evacuated citizens as “refugees” time and time again (it is a perfect example of one news station using the term, and then all other stations jumping on the wagon). The quotations Lee has selected show his viewpoint: it’s outrageous to refer to the evacuees as “refugees” because they were tax-paying citizens just before the disaster. Now, it’s as if they don’t have a country, and Lee  implies that their country’s government is not looking out for them.

Although I only saw one portion of the film, it seems that Lee is trying to finally attribute responsibility to the horrors of the hurricane. We all know how devastating the aftermath was, and indeed Lee gives many, many terrifying and truly saddening images and soundbites to hammer in the fact that Katrina was horrible and conditions still are horrible in New Orleans (viewers become audience members at the funeral of a little Crescent City five-year-old). However, all of us knew it was terrible just from watching the news. Lee is showing that at the end of the day, you cannot simply pass the buck to Mother Nature.

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The Corner Pharmacy, Still One of a Kind

Posted on October 27, 2009 by tabdrakhmanova1

On the seemingly never-ending stretch of Queens Boulevard, amidst many other businesses there stands Healthy Corner Pharmacy. The pharmacy, like many other small businesses struggles to maintain and identity different from the mega retailer at every other corner. In this case, there is a CVS across the street, and a Duane Reade down the block. And still it prospers because it is different.

Customers depend on the individual attention that they receive from the pharmacists, who most know by name. Others, who just venture into the store notice that it is a smaller establishment in comparison to a CVS. However, upon inquiry, you will quickly find out that they can order almost anything you need, as long as you can pick it up the next day. In addition, they have a wide array of organic vitamins and supplements. They offer an array of bath and body products, including mineral lotions from Israel,a and makeup from Russia.

I would interview the owners and ask them what obstacles they face as small business owners in a chain store dominated field. If possible, I would uncover that what makes them special is the great customer service they provide in an industry that is now closely mimicking an automated customer service representative.

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