New Orleans, LA

You know, we read and hear about these stories just about every day, but it never stops breaking my heart every time I read another one.

According to Nola.com, a 4-year old boy in Kenner accidentally shot himself in the head Monday and died during surgery. He apparently found the gun hidden in his home, and there is an investigation underway.

This is such a sad story. A child so young should never fall prey to such a horrible accident happening. It is far too common that there are guns “hidden” in homes all around America these days. The truth of the matter is that unless your guns are locked away in a gun cabinet, they’re never hidden. And even then, a gun cabinet doesn’t necessarily make them unaccessible to curious eyes.

No matter how careful you are with your firearms, there’s really no such thing as “careful” when you have children in the house. Young children are curious by nature and want to touch, feel, practice, etc. They naturally want to explore and learn.

If you have guns in your home, do you keep them in a locked, “safe” place? Or are they merely “hidden” in a spot where you think your children won’t find them?

New Orleans, guns, gun safety, children and guns, accidental gunshot death, firearms

According to the latest reports from the Associated Press, professional sports are still thriving in New Orleans despite Katrina’s wrath of fury. College sports, however, are struggling terribly.

Reports say that even though the Tulane men’s basketball had a best record since 2000, attendance to the games was low. And while Tulane celebrated a victory win again Central Florida in the Superdome last football season, no more than 3,000 people were the in the Superdome to celebrate with the team on their winning.

So what does this say for college sports in general? Will the attendance numbers slowly rise, or has Katrina halted college sporting events for good? Of course, in contrast to the professional leagues, college sports don’t have the kind of money that the NFL has to market their events. But still, doesn’t word-of-mouth help the home games?

New Orleans, sports, professional sports, college sports, basketball, football

City and state officials are working together in an attempt to vie to host on of three planned presidential debates in 2008. According to The Advocate, seventeen other locations across the country are in competition for the prestigious occassions.

And why not? What better place is there, than New Orleans, to discuss issues like health care, education, housing, etc.? I think we can all agree that New Orleans is the perfect place for such debates to take place in.

Mayor Ray Nagin reminded that New Orleans successfully hosted 800,000 visitors during Mardi Gras this past February. With that in mind, he believes the presidential debate will show the world that New Orleans is alive and making her comeback, slowly, but surely.

The proposed debate could potentially be hosted at the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau, where the 1988 Republican National Convention was held.

I’m proud to see New Orleans throwing her hat into this ring. I think this is something New Orleans needs. She needs to be motivated and encouraged again. More than anything, the world needs to see that she can take a licking and keep on ticking. A presidential debate is just the forum to show this.

Source: 2theadvocate.com.

New Orleans, 2008 presidential debate, Ray Nagin, health care, housing, education, Mardi Gras