pal





Pal's Mulberry Tree

Spring is in full swing!  At my house in old Arabi my backyard is like an episode out of Wild Kingdom! There are caterpillars and butterflies of every color. I’ve never seen so many lizards and squirrels and we even had a raccoon and a garden snake drop in. They say that old Arabi is a bird sanctuary and I can believe that. We have lots of redbirds, doves, blue jays, mocking birds, sparrows, blackbirds and even a woodpecker. The woodpecker is having a great time in an old dead maple tree back there. And the mama birds are nesting everywhere!

We finally got the water fountain working and the water lilies are beautiful. The garden is doing pretty good and the roses are coming along.  I have bananas on my banana tree but, my favorite is the mulberry tree. It’s got thousands of sweet ripe berries on it and the blackbirds are going crazy feasting.  They sometimes let the squirrels get a shot at them.  Sometimes we’ll eat them with cereal or right off the tree, if the blackbirds let us. You know, life can be sweet in your own backyard. We should all stop and smell the roses and oh, eat some mulberries too!

It’s Jazz Fest…
 

It’s a big one for the Crescent City…it ranks up there with Mardi Gras. The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festive happens every spring and this year it was big success. Back in 1970 Jazz Fest was born in Congo Square on Rampart St. and jazz legend Duke Ellington and gospel great Mahilia Jackson were there. What a great history and the legend continues.

This year’s artist line-up was incredible and as always the food was unbelievable!  I never can decide who I what to see. Although, I find myself spending a lot of time in the gospel tent. And if you ask me what’s my favorite Jazz Fest food…pretty much all of it.  

My most cherished memory of the Fest is when I had the honor of emceeing a Fats Domino concert there. Even though it rained this year, it didn't stop the crowds. So go every year and enjoy what makes this place so special! 

Good Business, Great Gumbo... 

Our great city has just hosted two Presidents, a Prime Minster, a Governor and many other VIP’s for the North American Leaders' Summit. Historic Gallier Hall rolled out the red carpet and the city put on a party like nowhere else!  At the end of the summit they planted a tree in Lafayette Square, commemorating Earth Day.  We had a few protesters here but, there were no problems.  Security was everywhere, from NOPD to the Secret Service.

Even though the two day visit was little inconvenient for us who work in the CBD, over-all it was a good thing. It put the Crescent City back on the international stage.  President Bush said, "You know, I chose New Orleans for our meetings with Mexico and Canada because I wanted to send a clear signal to the people of my country that New Orleans is open for business, that it is a good place to visit and that after the devastation of Katrina it has become a hopeful city." 

So, we all welcomed Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Mexican President Felipe Calderon, President George Bush, and all the other dignitaries to town.  I hope they all got a good bowl of gumbo, while they were here and we get a big economic boost!

Viva Papa!...

The hearts of many were filled with joy over the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the U.S.  We here in New Orleans were especially moved by the Pope’s blessing and acknowledgment of the pain and suffering caused by hurricane Katrina. We also thanked him for the special papal gift of a silver chalice. Archbishop Hughes celebrated a Mass with the chalice at St. Louis Cathedral, where it is permanently displayed. 

His visit should encourage all of us to boldly face the many challenges of rebuilding and to better handle the loss. Like the visit of Pope John Paul II to New Orleans back in 1987, it instills hope in all of us.  And maybe with prayer and divine intervention Mother Nature will give us a long reprieve before the next storm!

 


Music Cash Queen…

You can call her what you what, a diva, the material girl, but one thing is true, she’s very rich. Striking a pose has paid off big time for Madonna. She recently topped the Cash Queens of Music list of female singers on Forbes.com.  According to the financial web site, she earned a whooping $72 million in just a 12 month period. I guess now we can call her, “Music Cash Queen!” 

Go Divas…

Recently on our Soft Rock Spotlight page, a story talked about Mariah Carey and Madonna breaking two of Elvis Presley’s Billboard records. Considering he’s the “King”… I was surprised.

Both Mariah and Madonna are making history. Mariah’s latest single, Touch My Body, a few weeks ago, beat Elvis’s no. 1 hit singles record. She’s now second only to the Beatles! Meanwhile, Madonna beat the King with her latest song called 4 Minutes, it was named her 37th top 10 single.

I guess records are made to be broken.  Mariah and Madonna are two great Soft Rock Artists.  We’ll continue to play their great music on Magic 101.9 and I guess they’ll continue to break records.  But, Elvis is still the King!

 GOOD FOR YA...

Crawfish are good, but did you know they’re good for you?  LSU Ag Center nutritionist Beth Reams says crawfish are an excellent source of high quality protein and low in calories, fat and saturated fat. They’re also a good source of vitamin B12, niacin, iron, copper and selenium.  Just hold the salt…it could lead to sodium overload, that’s bad. It can cause your hands and feet to swell and even high blood pressure.

Springtime around here means, festivals, fairs and our favorite crustacean… crawfish.  Boiled, fried, or in many other Louisiana dishes…we love crawdads! We’re now in the middle of crawfish season and backyard boils are going strong. Mud bugs are on menus everywhere.   

But, too much of a good thing isn’t good.  Enjoy your boiled crawfish and all the accompaniments…corn, potatoes, garlic and onions, just watch the salt and oh, the beer too!

I wanted to share this picture with you that a friend e-mailed me a while back. It reminded me of a cute family story. The picture is the opening of the Causeway back in 1956. It’s of the toll plaza on the southern entrance to the new the bridge. Look how much Metairie has changed over the years.  It was really out in the country…way before “where fashion meets fun” at Lakeside Shopping Center. 

My mom, Iris, always told us the story of when she was pregnant with my younger brother. Our family doctor, Dr. Faris, couldn't wait to be one of the first to take the drive across the "longest bridge in the world" in his new Cadillac.  But, only one problem, my mom was getting ready to have my brother any day!  With no cell phones or pagers back them, Doc still took his drive and lucky mom had baby Keith a few days later.  All were happy!

Going Green?...

Everybody’s talking about “going green” these days. At the supermarket, it’s paper or plastic?  Have you bought one of those ridiculously expensive hybrid cars yet?  What about around the house, are you recycling and keeping an eye on that thermostat? Have you bought any of those real expensive “energy” light bulbs? What about high rated insulation and solar panels?  What's your Carbon Foot Print? Are you conserving water?  Oh, we don’t need to worry about that around here, we got plenty water, I had 6 feet in my house for Katrina! 

Are you buying local, so it’s not stuff shipped from who knows where? Shop the farmers market, 
it’s local.  What about those gas prices? Are you worried about global warming?  Have you seen Al Gore’s movie, An Inconvenient Truth?  Even Hollywood types are jumping on the “green” bandwagon as they fly high in their private jets.

The 50’s was the decade of rock n’ roll, a good hamburger, great milk shakes and awesome cars!  The 60’s it was civil rights, the 70’s, hippies, flower power…you get it.   I guess when we look back; this will be the “green friendly” decade…considering we still have a planet!  

 

My dad, Big Al and our dog Hunter

Hunter was rescued from the SPCA in New Orleans eight years ago.

Give a shelter animal a chance at a loving home.  Hunter gives us so much

joy and is now part of the family.  Hunter has made me a dog lover!

To find out more click here:    www.la-spca.org  

Hittin’ the Road "Rich"...

The music genius of Journey makes day-to-day life “rich.”  Like Elvis once said “a day without a song”…I forget the rest, but I think you know where I’m going with this.  I’ve been a big Journey fan from the very beginning. Their raw talent exploded on the stage of the legendary Warehouse with their first appearance here.  I had the honor of emceeing that show and meeting Steve Perry and the boys. That was, to say the least, a stiller night of live music. They recently played the Endymion Extravaganza here in the Superdome back in ’06…with singer number three.

As you probably already know, the band welcomed their latest singer with “open arms” late last year.  The new guy is Arnel Pineda from the Philippines and he’s pretty good…but no Steve Perry!  

Well, four singers later, the band’s hittin’ the road this summer in support of a new CD.  June 3^rd is the release date of the long awaited multidisc set called Revelations.   The band kicks-off their triple header tour with the likes of Heart and Cheap Trick in July… should be awesome!  They’ll be playing some 39 shows. We’ll keep you posted if they’re coming here.  Meanwhile, to think I get paid to play their great music on the radio…that’s “rich!”