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"Drill," "Trojan," "human to animal": Tweet this and the Department of Homeland Security may spy on you
12/28/2011

[Via Gawker]

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) uses fake Twitter accounts to monitor people. Really?…

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Giant albino spiders to terrorize New Orleans
12/28/2011

From the director of Swamp Shark: Next year, Syfy, pioneer of cable-only intentional camp, will release Arachnoquake, its latest portmanteau-horror, starring Growing Pains' Tracey Gold (Carol Seaver!).

In the film, earthquakes unleash ancient giant spiders (albino spiders, even, because albinism is really scary, y'all!)…

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Food trucking at the markets
12/28/2011

Going to farmers markets is a great way to keep up with which local foods are in season. These days, though, such visits are also pretty helpful for keeping up with what’s new in the local food truck scene.

For instance, the truck Geaux Plates is serving today, Dec. 27, at the Uptown edition of the Crescent City Farmers Market.…

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On the subject of Drew Brees' unquestioned greatness
12/28/2011

A lot will be written about Drew Brees breaking Dan Marino's 27-year-old single season passing record, thousands of words all pretty much saying the same thing: Brees is one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks that has ever played.

There really isn't any way to overstate it.…

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Dinerral Shavers Education Fund New Year's Blowout
12/28/2011

Jan. 1 A brass band extravaganza raises funds for the Dinerral Shavers Education Fund.…

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Sugar Bowl 2011
12/28/2011

Alejandro de los Rios on what football fans can expect to see in the Superdome by Alejandro de los Rios The Allstate Sugar Bowl may be New Orleans' premier college football bowl game, but once every four years it plays dress rehearsal for the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) National Championship game. This is one of those years, and some sports fans have argued that the talent pool for the Sugar Bowl this year is diluted.…

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The Dirt
12/28/2011

NOLA Green Roots' compost program saves landfill waste and turns restaurant and household trash into rich fertilizer by Alex Woodward Gambit has kept you apprised of just how busy Joseph Brock has been the past couple of years. When we first met Brock in 2010, he was laying soil at his first large-scale community garden, the Wise Words Community Garden near Tulane and Carrollton avenues.…

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Rabasa Switches Kitchens
12/28/2011

Chef Baruch Rabasa has left Meson 923 (923 S. Peters St., 523-9200) and will begin next week as the new chef at Atchafalaya (901 Louisiana Ave., 891-9626; www.cafeatchafalaya.com). He's the second chef to depart Meson 923 since it opened in March 2010.…

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The 50 New Orleans Newsmakers of 2011
12/28/2011

Kevin Allman and Alex Woodward on the people who made a name for themselves this year ... for better or for worse by Kevin Allman and Alex Woodward The famous, the infamous, the people of substance and the flashes in the pan: this year brought them all. These are 2011's persistent headline-makers in New Orleans and south Louisiana, the people who at times seemed as ubiquitous as honey badgers, pop-up restaurants and pumped-up kicks.…

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The Mayor Responds
12/28/2011

Gambit's recent article, "Broken Record-Keeping" (Cover story, Nov. 15) was off base and riddled with inaccuracies. This story was out of tone and out of context, given the sweeping reforms we have instituted, specifically those related to the contracting process and open government.…

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Irma Thomas with Lance Ellis
12/28/2011

Dec. 29 Irma Thomas flipped the switch for the Joy Theater marquee last Tuesday.…

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Black Lips with Jean-Eric
12/28/2011

It's either divine intervention or dumb luck that Black Lips' tour van is passing through New Orleans on New Year's Eve. There's evidence on both sides: The Atlanta quartet did write a holy testament of hands-in-the-air gospel rock as the Almighty Defenders (in 2009, with Memphis mental cases King Khan and BBQ Show); they're also known as much for their hedonistic, heathenistic swamp meets as for the regular setpiece of loosing their one-eyed jacks midsong.…

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Occupy Protesters Turn Over Complaints to Police Monitor
12/28/2011

The Occupy New Orleans legal team last week submitted more than 100 affidavits regarding New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) actions to Susan Hutson in the Office of the Independent Police Monitor (IPM). In response to the complaints, Hutson, Deputy Police Monitor Simone Levine and IPM spokeswoman Ursula Price attended the group's Dec. 20 general assembly in Duncan Plaza, where protesters continue to convene for meetings even though their round-the-clock encampment was cleared from the park on Dec. 13.…

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The Year in Cuisine
12/28/2011

Ian McNulty on the New Orleans restaurant world's highs and lows of 2011 by Ian McNulty If you couldn't find someplace new and different to eat in New Orleans in 2011 it was your own fault. Local chefs and restaurateurs did their part to bring new options, new flavors and new concepts to the scene, and if you had a very specific craving in mind when setting out to sample them that was all the better.…

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National Review: Please, Bobby Jindal, run for President!
12/28/2011

RIch Lowry of the National Review is the latest pundit to go handwringing over the current crop of GOP presidential candidates. But! He has an idea:

I talked the other day to a pretty prominent conservative officeholder who’s constantly been discussing with people around the country the possibility of a new entrant or a push to draft someone.…

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Y@ Speak: Put a bow on it edition
12/28/2011

Merry Christmas, happy Hannukah, joyous Kwanzaa, etc.! As you awake from your food coma, hangover or general post-holiday malaise, it's time to reflect on and be grateful for the gifts Santa — or whoever your designated made-up giver of gifts is — bestowed on us this season.…

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A Year of Coastal Questions
12/28/2011

The future of the Gulf Coast following the BP oil disaster is in the hands of congress, but will there be any help in 2012? This year, both chambers of Congress successfully drafted near-identical bills that dictate where fines against BP will go.…

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The Year in Stage
12/28/2011

Dalt Wonk on what the New Orleans theater scene had to offer in 2011 by Dalt Wonk Ring out the old, ring in the new. In 2011, there was quite a bit of ringing, and some of the ringing out was disappointing.…

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Five spots for crepes
12/28/2011

Merchant The Maritime, 800 Common St., 571-9580…

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Looking Back at 2011
12/28/2011

As we celebrate what went right in 2011, we know what we have to fix in 2012 This is the time of year we look back and reflect on the past 12 months in New Orleans. In many ways, our city continues to enjoy blessings amid tragedies.…

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OIG Records Access Delayed ... Again
12/28/2011

For a third month, the New Orleans Civil Service Commission has delayed a vote on a major change to city employment policies. The proposed change is an agreement between the Civil Service Department and the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and would provide the OIG, as well the Independent Police Monitor (an autonomous office within the OIG), unfettered access to now-confidential personnel records.…

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The Year in Art
12/28/2011

D. Eric Bookhardt surveys the New Orleans art scene of 2011 It's been a hell of a year. That can be taken in a number of ways, but what stands out is that more changes have occurred in this city's art scene over the past 12 months than typically would take place over many years in more normal times.…

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Randazzo's Camellia City Bakery Launches King Cake App
12/28/2011

Randazzo's Camellia City Bakery (3501 Pontchartrain Drive, Slidell, 985-781-2253; www.kingcakes.com) recently launched a king cake app. Customers can order and design custom king cakes on their smart devices.…

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Huey's 24/7 Diner
12/28/2011

A familiar name from the pre-Hurricane Katrina restaurant scene is back. Jason Doyle, who once ran a small network of bars and restaurants in New Orleans, has reopened one of his earlier concepts, Huey's 24/7 Diner (620 Decatur St., 535-4839; www.hueysneworleans.com).…

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Museum spotlights nameless
12/28/2011

Museum spotlights nameless

express-news Copyright 2011 express-news. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Published 12:50 a.m., Wednesday, December 28, 2011

By the time 84-year-old Rose Williams finished telling her life story about surviving the Holocaust, tears flowed freely down the faces of a few dozen 8th grade students from the Frank Tejeda Academy.

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