#i dont remember much of the process of making these. i know pluto took a while because of his hair

[soulchronicity]

pluto and colliope minecraft skins made back in november. definitely some of my favourites

lacuna and eleuthromania aus both belong to @disruptivevoib

plutos is 64x64, colliopes is 128x128

i also have a version of plutos that puts the blindfold up. 128x128. he looks so sad

[thethoughtreport]

Focus: New Orleans & Hurricane Katrina

Ten years ago today, on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Louisiana. Levees broke and caused major flooding which put some parts of the city under 15 feet of water. Residents were stranded and some were forced to make their way to the rooftops of their houses. I still remember seeing the images of that on TV, along with pictures of bodies floating through the city. Katrina claimed the lives of almost 2,000 people and displaced thousands more.

I spent a year in New Orleans in 2010/2011 and fell in love with it immediately. I loved the culture, the music, the food and above all, the people. One day I went to the Lower Ninth Ward and that is where I took these photos. That was five years after Katrina and the devastation was still apparent. Now it’s been ten years and I wonder how much has really changed. How much progress, if any, is the city really making?

Local artist, Pluto says, “The city was nearly totally destroyed. Now the city has been rebuilt and it looks better than ever from the Superdome, to the new Saenger Theatre, and new reconstructed homes. It also made the people of the city stronger because it taught us that hard times never last long.” Tay Miles wasn’t one of the people who left during the storm and he told me, “As soon as the storm was over we wasted no time rebuilding, not just physically but mentally. That’s how the people in New Orleans was raised. 10 years later we’re stronger than ever, like we’re New Orleans 2.0 now. Not speaking for the people who left and never came back, this is coming from someone who never left.” Local rapper LouiVon also has positive things to say about the progress of the city, “There are a lot more opportunities than before, especially for the young ones and schooling has gotten better. They are now focusing a lot on art and multimedia areas.“ Mike Byrd adds, “I see that New Orleans has changed for the better and the reason I say that is because a lot of people were in bad situations before Katrina. If it wasn’t for Katrina forcing people to make changes, they never would have been able to see a better way.”

For all the positive comments I heard, there were also many residents who believe the wrong kind of progress is being made. “10 years after Katrina, the only thing progressed are the buildings being rebuilt. The crime rate has risen,” rapper Young Cam tells me. Spoken word artist John Lacarbiere III also said, “The city has rebuilt its buildings but many of the people are still damaged.” DJ Troy Oubre simply said, “Progress? I don’t know if you could call it that. Higher rents, less locals, more rules. I’m still here though. Loving life. Giving thanks.”

One local who preferred to stay anonymous told me, “I dont see any progress other than big real estate developments. That’s it. I mean I feel like it’s been a slow process. I feel like gentrification is pushing out locals in favor of the out of towners. The government didn’t help much with rebuilding. It’s mostly been a job done by the locals which is sad to see. Property developers are revamping homes and pushing the locals out.“ Andrew L. C. Jr echoes this view, “Properties are being purchased and people are moving in, but the New Orleanians are slowly being pushed backwards and out.” Radio DJ Matt Bruce told me something interesting about the levees, the main cause of all the flooding during Katrina. “The real progress is in the community. You can see a lot of unity with the residents of the city aside from the wealthy areas. Those people mostly just stay concerned with their own. Which is probably why it’s the wealthy areas that were rebuilt quickly and the tourist areas. All about money. You can still see damage in the lower income areas. I also know from working a contract job in 2012 with the Army Corps of Engineers that the rebuilding of the levees is still behind schedule.”

There were 14,000 people in the Lower Ninth Ward pre-Katrina and of all the people who left, fewer than half of them returned home. Most people who left went to Texas, with others going to Atlanta. The ones who stayed couldn’t have imagined just how bad it was going to be. New Orleans had been hit by hurricanes before but it’s safe to say Katrina was under-estimated. Of course it would have been a different story if the levees had stayed intact but it wasn’t to be. Korey Williams, who now plays in the football in the CFL with the Saskatchewan RoughRiders said, “The city has made a lot of progress. They have now rebuilt a lot of New Orleans attractions and they are also attracting more events now. For the lower income side it’s been a slower process. Lower income housing is becoming more available every year with the building of homes. I think the slowest process has been getting the public school sector back in progress.”

Teacher Ben Epstein-Sanchez tells me, “I see a lot of growth and change in the city since Katrina but there are still sections that are neglected. There’s still issues of poverty and violence that continue to lack the resources to deal with it. While the city continues to grow and foster creativity, it still needs to spread the resources to all of its citizens in order to continue the traditions of this great city.“

And what about the future of the Crescent City? What direction do the locals see New Orleans headed in? Music producer Albert Forest has a very positive outlook about it. “Post-Katrina, hopeful residents are still here, working together to rebuild their communities. Protect New Orleans is one organization, among many, that are geared towards this rebuild, as well as stopping the violence in the city of New Orleans. There are also more jobs and opportunities being created. The streets are considering New Orleans to be the “New Hollywood” because of the revamped movie industry in the city. As a New Orleanian, I am sure that this energy will continue to grow, throughout the years to come.“ David Smith says, “The city itself has changed a lot, lots of businesses are starting to pop up everywhere. All of downtown is getting renovated with really nice condos; give it another 10 years and it will be a very wealthy city.”

The Big Easy is definitely changing, that is safe to say and judging by everyone I spoke to there are positive and negative things about that. What I want to say is this. It is the people of the city that make it what it is. They add the Southern charm and make it truly special. New Orleans must hold onto its locals and focus on them as opposed to just on the out-of-towners. If New Orleans’ loses its locals, it loses its heart and soul. Of course the city should flourish and prosper but it should also keep its identity. Without the locals, New Orleans just won’t be New Orleans.