bankruptcy and broadmoor March 22, 2006
A delightful, cool, sunny day which I spent almost entirely within the law school. I had my usual classes, plus the last of a series of mini-courses about bankruptcy. Bankruptcy turns out to be one of those things I thought would be complicated but it’s easy. The guy who taught it was a practitioner and he was very funny. He couldn’t hide how easy it is. You just put all the client’s income, asset and debt information into a computer program and push the button. If they qualify for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, a smiley face comes up on the screen. If a frowny face comes up, ut oh!, they need another chapter.
The interesting thing for blog readers to know is that the new bankruptcy law, which is much friendlier to creditors and more bureaucratic for debtors, has been suspended for people on the Gulf coast because of Hurricane Katrina. The old law is still in effect temporarily. If you know anyone who is in danger of losing their house because they can’t make the payments, tell them to get a lawyer now.
The most interesting thing I did today was a favor for Steve. I took some photos for him, and it took me into Broadmoor. I drove back to school on streets that I had never been down before. The destruction from the flooding was bad there. By the time the water got to Broadmoor, it had picked up every piece of floating junk in town. Every fence and bush was smashed down. The streets look pulverized. The Exploder was bouncing all around. Some of the houses look like they were bloated from soaking up flood water. These looked like they had been picture-book homes full of young families. It was terrible to think of all they must have lost. Yet, the neighborhood was full of people. Workers repaired roofs, families pulled out walls, one house was being jacked up about 9 feet. Steve told me that FEMA will pay a very large amount of money toward jacking your house up. If I had a beautiful house in Broadmoor, I would definitely consider doing that. There were signs everywhere with the message that Broadmoor was coming back. I didn’t see many trailers in Broadmoor, but every day I see more in Carrollton and Uptown around Claiborne.
Speaking of Uptown, I guess the new stoplight at Broadway and Willow was some kind of cruel tease. It was off today and the 4-way cluster-fuck was back. I was thinking as I drove down St. Charles this afternoon that I really miss the sound and sight of the streetcars. I guess it’s a frivolous thing to want with all that’s going on, but has anyone heard of any plans to put the streetcars back on St. Charles Avenue? I hope I can take my grandson for a streetcar ride down one of the most beautiful avenues in America before he goes off to college.
Someone told me at school today that the Sugar Bowl is going to be sponsored by All-State. Well, ain’t that a coinkydink? I guess if you want action from All-State, call the Marketing department!
I don’t write much about Loyola Law School on the blog because law school takes up all of the time that I am not writing on the blog. It is a fine school, though, and New Orleans is lucky to have it. The law school as an institution and the individuals who teach there have risen to the occasion in the most admirable ways since Katrina. Dean Bromberger’s amazing feat in moving us all lock, stock and barrel to Houston for the fall semester is totally unique in the history of American law schools. Since we have been back, the law school has made itself a resource for people in the community who have been affected by this catastrophe. Here is a program they are putting on this Saturday morning. Please pass the information along to anyone who might need it:
What: Loyola Law School Clinic Know Your Rights - Katrina related issues
Where: Loyola Law School
When: Saturday, March 25, 2006
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Contact: Ramona Fernandez, 504-861-5592
The goal of the Know Your Rights Day is to educate the public so they may have a better understanding of the law and their rights regarding post-Katrina issues that are affecting our community. Issues to be addressed include:
Buyouts/Footprint
Contracts/construction/contractor
Credit and Bankruptcy
Criminal Law
Employment/labor
Family Law (divorce, custody & support)
Immigration
Insurance Coverage
Landlord/Tenant
Mediation
Mortgages
Notary Services
Successions
Tax
Worker’s RightsThis event will be held at:
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY NEW ORLEANS SCHOOL OF LAW526 Pine Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70118
Corner of St. Charles Avenue & Pine Street
One Block off Broadway and St. CharlesOpen to the Public and No Registration Required
the exploder
I drive an old Ford Explorer that I inherited from my stepson when he went off to Princeton. Before the hurricane I was a little embarrassed to drive this car because 1) It’s a piece of junk, 2) It is incredibly inefficient and wastes gas so badly that I can see the needle dropping as I drive, and 3) I’m one of those people who hates SUVs. But, it was free and I’m a student, so off I go in my gas-guzzling rollovermobile. I was able to pack an amazing amount of stuff into it to get back and forth from Houston, where it gave me absolutely no trouble. So, the Exploder and I have made friends.
When I came back to New Orleans, I felt for the first time that I actually needed a big ole all-terrain, rugged, completely paid-for, unstoppable, sport-utility piece of shit with good tires to get around on what was left of our pitiful New Orleans streets. With people parking all over the place and driving like they’re in Rome, it also didn’t hurt to have a car that is more dings than fender at this point. It’s beyond worrying about.
Well, here it is March and the Exploder and I can finally report that the car-eating pothole at St. Charles and Pine has been partially repaired, enough that you can drive around it and not scrape the bottom of your car. One of the trenches across Broadway has been filled, but the other one is still there. Even better, there are now working stoplights at the usual intersections on Broadway, eliminating the last of the yellow-flashing-light/stop-sign combinations.
By the way, what’s up with that? Red flashing light means “stop” and yellow flashing light means “go slow,” right? So, if you put up a stop sign, shouldn’t you have a red flashing light instead of a yell…oh, forget it, we’ve gotten used to it now. Proper procedure at an intersection is to look at the faces of your fellow drivers and try to determine what they are going to do before you proceed. If they are distracted enough, pull out in front of them and gun it.
