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>>Not being disagreeable but I was saddened to read a news story about New Orleans the other day. NOLA has always had a hold on me, both as our most romantic big city (along with San Francisco) before Katrina and as our most tragic since. The article said it has had the highest murder rate in the U.S. for the past six years running. Yes, poverty and crime go hand in hand, everywhere. It just hurts for it to happen in such a soulful city, a city that makes no sense in the first place other than being a natural port. The recruiter who brought me to Baton Rouge, a New Orleans native, put it perfectly. "We live in a bowl. And we wouldn't live anywhere else." Very much reminiscent of Californians who remain there even though they know in their hearts the Big One is coming some day.
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>>Repeating myself, anyone with any interest in New Orleans or recent American history is highly recommended to watch Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke." It's the best documentary I have ever seen.
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>For me NO also holds a very special place; my first couple of years in the USA. Imagine the culture shock; from russia of soviet era to the new orleans <g>. The party was non stop, 24 - 7 <g>.

I can imagine. Being a young man at the time, I'm sure you were eager to assimilate ;-)