PERSEVERANCE, noun:
1. continuing in a course of action without regard to discouragement, opposition or previous failure
2. persistent determination to adhere to a plan of direction; insistence
"He whose courage has made way against the turbulence of opposition, and whose vigour has broken through the snares of distress, has many advantages over those that have slept in the shades of indolence, and whose retrospect of time can entertain them with nothing but day rising upon day, and year gliding after year." - Samuel Johnson
Yesterday I posted a SCRAPBOOK entry based upon my experiences in New Orleans a few years ago and I mentioned that Google Maps had finally sent their specialized panoramic camera mounted vehicle to cruise the streets of the city. I talked a bit about the post-Katrina devastation that could now be witnessed, as if you were actually there, from a virtual hands-on perspective.
Tonight, I just finished watching a documentary I rented from Netflix, "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" directed by Spike Lee and heard all the tragic personal stories about life in New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina.
I was reminded of a curious scene that the Google Maps cameras had captured:
First, you'll notice, if you look at the older satellite image here, you see fresh debris just after Katrina and the aftermath. Not one house is standing. It's all just totally destroyed.
Now, fast-forward a couple of years later, in the same exact spot, and we see in the 360-degree shots that the debris is gone, having long ago been trucked away. The street remains, even the fire hydrants dot the road intermittently, ready to service empty lots of grass and bushes.
But here, in the middle of what is now just open country, stands one newly-placed little trailer-sized house. It can't be more than one or two rooms, and it's probably FEMA-supplied, but it has pretty flowered pots and is being tended to by this landowner we see here. They're not going anywhere. This is their land and you know they'll eventually rebuild a permanent home. If you look closely, in the previous north-facing picture, you can make out that they've even placed a campaign sign on their front lawn supporting a local political candidate. They refuse to give up hope for the Ninth Ward.
This is how a proud community is rebuilt.
One lonely little house at a time.
1. continuing in a course of action without regard to discouragement, opposition or previous failure
2. persistent determination to adhere to a plan of direction; insistence
"He whose courage has made way against the turbulence of opposition, and whose vigour has broken through the snares of distress, has many advantages over those that have slept in the shades of indolence, and whose retrospect of time can entertain them with nothing but day rising upon day, and year gliding after year." - Samuel Johnson
Yesterday I posted a SCRAPBOOK entry based upon my experiences in New Orleans a few years ago and I mentioned that Google Maps had finally sent their specialized panoramic camera mounted vehicle to cruise the streets of the city. I talked a bit about the post-Katrina devastation that could now be witnessed, as if you were actually there, from a virtual hands-on perspective.
Tonight, I just finished watching a documentary I rented from Netflix, "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" directed by Spike Lee and heard all the tragic personal stories about life in New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina.
I was reminded of a curious scene that the Google Maps cameras had captured:
First, you'll notice, if you look at the older satellite image here, you see fresh debris just after Katrina and the aftermath. Not one house is standing. It's all just totally destroyed.
Now, fast-forward a couple of years later, in the same exact spot, and we see in the 360-degree shots that the debris is gone, having long ago been trucked away. The street remains, even the fire hydrants dot the road intermittently, ready to service empty lots of grass and bushes.
But here, in the middle of what is now just open country, stands one newly-placed little trailer-sized house. It can't be more than one or two rooms, and it's probably FEMA-supplied, but it has pretty flowered pots and is being tended to by this landowner we see here. They're not going anywhere. This is their land and you know they'll eventually rebuild a permanent home. If you look closely, in the previous north-facing picture, you can make out that they've even placed a campaign sign on their front lawn supporting a local political candidate. They refuse to give up hope for the Ninth Ward.This is how a proud community is rebuilt.
One lonely little house at a time.