Now here is some good news indeed. The Lake Area has a second Vietnamese restaurant.<\/p>\n
Pho Saigon is located off Martin Luther King Highway between Lake Charles and Moss Bluff. Pho is the delicious beef noodle soup that\u2019s the national dish of Vietnam. It\u2019s a very user-friendly dish that\u2019s ideal for those who need a gentle introduction to ethnic food. It tastes a great deal like American beef noodle soup, the main differences being the inclusion of basil and bean sprouts and, if it\u2019s really well-cooked, a hint of cinnamon.<\/p>\n
Of course, for years we had the great Vietnamese restaurant on Prien Lake Road, which was taken out by Hurricane Rita. Since then, we\u2019ve had Pho Tien at 4415 Nelson Road \u2014 home of the unique, tasty and filling Tien\u2019s Special. It has a little bit of everything in it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A Welcome Focus<\/strong><\/p>\n The Southwest Louisiana Regional Impact Study was released to the general public on Nov. 7. This 300-page report is the first big official step in organized preparation for the big influx of new employees (both temporary and full-time) we expect for the next five years.<\/p>\n I was pleased as punch to see that the No. 2 priority of those who put together this massive study was the need for an \u201cUrban Renaissance\u201d in the area. Specifically, there is a call to \u201ccontinue downtown investments.\u201d<\/p>\n As loyal readers will know, during his 15 years of outstanding performance, the Up Fronter has asserted that the heart of any vibrant urban area must be a vibrant downtown.<\/p>\n Solid urban culture begins in the downtown and must always be developing in the downtown and spreading outwards. That what\u2019s keeps any urban center from turning into a huge collection of big boxes at the edges of town \u2014 from becoming rotten and lifeless at the core.<\/p>\n One sad note in the report was that local rents have already jumped an average of $300 per unit. It was reported that instances of speculation and price-gouging may increase in the next five years. As the boom takes hold, rise to the occasion and keep in mind your neighbors who aren\u2019t as well off as you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2018Where Politics Is A Contact Sport\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the best things about Louisiana is that the politicians here play hardball. Did that famous, old school, hardball approach have anything to do with the slew of political ads that led up to election day?<\/p>\n If you survey the smart alecks at the Washington Post, you\u2019ll probably hear that there\u2019s a definite connection between Louisiana political hardball and its gaggle of negative political ads.<\/p>\n As many of you know, each year, the Washington Post gives what are called the \u201cPinnochio\u201d ratings to political ads that the Post staff considers especially inaccurate.<\/p>\n This year, the Post decided four of the 10 most inaccurate ads \u2014 or \u201cPinnochios\u201d \u2014 ran in one state: Louisiana.<\/p>\n In its report, the Post stated this top-notch performance was just more evidence of Louisiana\u2019s \u201creputation as a place where politics is a contact sport.\u201d<\/p>\n The Post was non-partisan, choosing two ads each from the Cassidy and Landrieu camps. Here are very brief summaries of the ads and the Post\u2019s ideas about what made them so inaccurate:<\/p>\n First ad: Rep. Bill Cassidy accused Sen. Mary Landrieu of voting for illegal immigrants in favor of veterans.<\/p>\n The Post\u2019s take: There was \u201cno such vote in the Senate.\u201d<\/p>\n Second ad: The NRA ran an ad implying that Landrieu\u2019s vote against lack of background checks at gun shows would prevent a mother from defending her child against an intruder.<\/p>\n The Post\u2019s take: \u201cThe NRA\u2019s own lawyers acknowledged that nothing in the bill would have prevented the mother in this ad from buying a weapon to defend herself, even on short notice.\u201d<\/p>\n Third ad: The Senate Majority PAC ran an ad stating that Cassidy was \u201cbought and sold\u201d by the Koch Brothers, listing as evidence Cassidy\u2019s vote on an obscure tax cut.<\/p>\n The Post\u2019s take: The Koch brothers didn\u2019t take a stand on the legislation. Thus, Cassidy could not possibly have voted \u201cfor\u201d the Koch brothers.<\/p>\n Fourth ad: A second Senate Majority PAC ad repeated the allegation that Cassidy was at the behest of the Koch brothers.<\/p>\n The Post\u2019s take: This is unlikely given that Cassidy voted for a flood insurance bill that the Koch brothers vocally opposed.<\/p>\n Who knows what signs and wonders we will hear and see by Dec. 6? Play ball.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A Little Too Old School<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, we\u2019re all amused by the Louisiana hardball politics. But a few people in New Orleans must have been saying, \u201cenough already,\u201d when a political consultant was firebombed two days after the election.<\/p>\n What the New Orleans Advocate called an \u201capparent firebombing\u201d took place at the intersection of Prytania and Constantinople streets in New Orleans<\/p>\n The target of the attack was Mario Zervigon, \u201ca well-known political fund-raiser.\u201d<\/p>\n Someone torched the Ford Explorer sitting in Zervigon\u2019s driveway at about 3 am Nov. 6. The flames from the car caught Zervigon\u2019s house on fire.<\/p>\n Zervigon and his wife have two children; all four got out of the house safely. In total, eight people escaped the building. Sadly, three cats were most likely killed.<\/p>\n A neighbor, who happened to be walking his dog at 3:10 am, saw the flames. He told police he was \u201cshaken.\u201d<\/p>\n Police are virtually sure Zervigon was being targeted, since a second of his cars, which was parked across the street, was also burned. It\u2019s highly unlikely that an arsonist would by chance pick the two Zervigon vehicles out of the many that were parked along the street.<\/p>\n Zervigon spoke as if he wouldn\u2019t be a likely target for a firebombing. \u201cAll I do is simple basic fundraising and campaign work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In this election, he worked with Forest Wright, who was seeking a seat on the Louisiana Public Service Commission, and Bernadette D\u2019Souza, an Orleans Parish Civil District Court judge re-elected to the family court by a large margin. The perp could easily be some nutjob who saw a case in family court turn out in a way that displeased him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2018Drop The Plate, Sir\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the lists that Louisiana is definitely bringing up the rear on is the list of states passing loopy laws. Competing with Arizona for top (that is, bottom) honors in this category is Florida, home of the if-it-moves-shoot-it law.<\/p>\n Those of you who are following the bad law saga may know that Florida finally sentenced the fellow who shot a teenager with a shotgun 10 times on the grounds that his music was too loud. This gentle soul was sentenced to a manslaughter charge. So he may do at least a few years in jail. The shooter still claims he was within the law and shouldn\u2019t have to serve a day. Given that he chose to kill a noisy black teenager rather than a noisy white teenager, I imagine the prisoner has had some serious thoughts about the advantages of protective custody.<\/p>\n The latest development in the Florida saga of horrible laws; Blue Meanie-bad laws; Oompa Loompa-bad laws; is a law that makes it illegal to feed the homeless.<\/p>\n You may think this is some kind of sick joke. But it\u2019s no joke. On Nov. 5, Ft. Lauderdale police charged 90-year-old World War II veteran Arnold Abbott, who was serving food to homeless people on a Ft. Lauderdale beach.<\/p>\n Two local ministers were also charged.<\/p>\n Abbott told the Associated Press that \u201cone of the police officers said, \u2018Drop that plate right now,\u2019 as if I were carrying a weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n Abbott said he has been bringing food to the homeless for more than two decades in commemoration of the death of his wife.<\/p>\n Now, let me be fair to Florida; the entire state is not implementing such laws. But the huge tourist meccas of Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando are. Ft. Lauderdale has passed a law against leaving one\u2019s belongings unattended. Intrusive much? Spring breakers! Keep your backpacks on your backs or go to jail!<\/p>\n Activists say these ham-fisted laws are just clumsy efforts to force homeless people from urban areas. A few seconds of thought would enable any intelligent person to figure out such laws will never work. Homeless people invariably go where the food and money are. They\u2019re not going to move to tiny rural hamlets where no tourists go. Why? There\u2019s no food and money in those places.<\/p>\n While people in Louisiana \u2014 and even in our own fair city \u2014 have passed laws about such silly stuff as people wearing droopy drawers and pajama bottoms, we have yet to pass anything that comes even close to this degree of silliness in terms of a law. Our mayhaw jelly legislation looks sophisticated in comparison to this Ft. Lauderdale stuff.<\/p>\n Oh, by the way, did you know Houston has also passed legal restrictions on its citizens ability to feed the homeless? Houstonians who don\u2019t feed homeless people in the legal way \u2014 whatever that is \u2014 can face a fine of up to $2,000. Hard to believe, huh?<\/p>\n I\u2019m usually not too keen on punishing people for stuff. However, if there were a way to punish lawmakers who make these sorts of laws, I don\u2019t think that would bother me an awful lot.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Singular Antarctican<\/strong><\/p>\n Isn\u2019t it comforting to know that there\u2019s a handy alphabetical listing of all the types of aliens from outer space who visit the earth?<\/p>\n The official title of this amazing document is \u201cFrom A to Z: Alien Species … Active In Earths Evolution.\u201d And while these species are active in \u201cEarths\u201d evolution, I hazard to guess that they\u2019re also the exact same species who have been active in \u201cEarth\u2019s\u201d evolution.<\/p>\n Well, let\u2019s get started with the list, shall we?<\/p>\n When it comes to alien species that visit us, there are the Arcturians, Agharians or Aghartians, Alpha-Draconians, Alpha Centaurians, Altairians, Amphibians, The Anakim (who can grow as high as 12 feet and who take an article), Antarctican (who is singular), Atlans and the Ashtar Command.<\/p>\n I stopped after the A entries. After all, I don\u2019t have all the space in the world. But the entire list takes up 28 pages. It\u2019s very thorough.<\/p>\n If you want to take some practical, useful advice away from this document, I would recommend this quotation: \u201cif our government makes legally binding agreements with certain negative extraterrestrial groups, they are not allowed to interfere with our free choice.\u201d Please keep that in mind. After all, you don\u2019t want to lose your free choice, do you?<\/p>\n Rather than include the complicated link for this reference tool, I suggest that you search The Google for the title in quotation marks above.<\/p>\n Also \u2014 something we can never be reminded of enough \u2014 steer clear of cigar-shaped UFOs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joke<\/strong><\/p>\n Knock knock.<\/p>\n Who\u2019s there?<\/p>\n Mr. Poppamaticbangbang.<\/p>\n Mr. Poppamaticbangbang who?<\/p>\n Mr. Poppamaticbangbang who? How many Mr. Poppamaticbangbangs do you know?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Now here is some good news indeed. The Lake Area has a second Vietnamese restaurant. Pho Saigon is located off Martin Luther King Highway between Lake Charles and Moss Bluff. Pho is the delicious beef noodle soup that\u2019s the national dish of Vietnam. It\u2019s a very user-friendly dish that\u2019s ideal for those who need a [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":270,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[38,565,37],"yoast_head":"\n