Just a couple of questions/heads up this Monday morn:

Is this happening all over the country, or just here?:

Basically, the President of the LCTCS (Louisiana Community and Technical College System) Board has dictated that Delgado can not give pay increases with any promotions this year, despite the fact that Delgado has the money to do this and has budgeted the money to do this. His bizarre reasoning for this is that, since the other schools in the LCTCS system are strapped for cash and cannot afford to give promotions or raises, Delgado should somehow show more empathy for their hardships and not fund its promotions. Thus, they are currently asking any faculty up for a promotion to take on the added responsibilities associated with the promotion without any additional pay. Part of his goal is, supposedly, to do away with any position beyond "Instructor", thereby removing all promotions altogether. This would put Delgado (and probably the other community colleges) at a disadvantage in trying to hire better qualified faculty to teach, which would obviously have a negative affect on their ability to provide a decent education.

Address your letters to Dr. Joseph D. May , president of the LCTCS Board. You can google him and read about his vision and plans for the LCTCS. This may give you more ideas to address in the letters. We don't know if the letters will be read, but we hope the effort will produce a positive impact. This is an address I found when I googled the LCTSC Board: 265 South Foster Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70806 PH. 225.922.2800

1. Receiving promotions every four years is the only fixed means for teachers to increase their salaries. We work for 4 years prior to the date of promotion to receive these increases. This isn't work we are going to do, but work that has already been done.

2. These increases also determine teacher retirement income. Example: If someone was planning to retire in 2012,and was depending on their 2009 promotion to be the highest 3 consecutive years salary, their retirement income would be less because the salary increases were not given.

3. Our promotions correspond to promotions given to administrative and staff personnel. When administrators or staff are promoted their salaries increase without question.

4. How was $125,000 found for a newly created position during a time of financial cut backs?

Also, at a time when Second Harvest Food Bank is all over the place in desperate need of funding and food donations, and volunteer programs are setting up hot food lines at the foot of Elysian Fields Avenue by the river each night to feed the homeless at "The Wall", it looks as though the Wall will be taken away as a location to feed these people. I don't know the exact story - most of what I've heard says a neighborhood association is finally getting their wish of turning the Wall area into green space. Please enlighten me in the comments, if you would.

Anybody got a neutral ground or a location nearby to offer for the purpose of feeding the hungry, in the meantime?
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Last night, Edie, Dan, the little guy and I headed for Atlantic Aviation to see what waiting on the Saints to come home from an away game was like and pretty much confirmed it was like waiting on a Mardi Gras parade only with much more fast moving traffic, lots of passing cars honking to support the black & gold-clad masses, lots of people standing on SUVs for a better view, and only a few Kenner police cars there to keep people from getting run over or the players from leaving the parking lot molested in some way. It proved to be too cold for us to stand out there for too long, though, so we retreated to the car, listened to the geriatric bowl on the radio for a bit, and high-tailed an exhausted little guy back home after seeing the chartered flights land.

The euphoria hasn't quite worn off yet.



Update, 12/14: The Gambit now has the Basin Street Records video up in honor of the 13-0! Shortened version of "Saints Christmas", but with more Kermit mojo workin'.

I'll be putting in a word with Hannukah Harry while I'm at it.