New NYTimes Travel Article On New Orleans

[AtPontchartrain]

There's nothing particularly revelatory about this piece .. but I'm glad they ran it!! Every little bit helps.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/12/16...l?8td&emc=tda1

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I like this one on Tikal better, from the same paper.

[breambob]

Originally Posted by AtPontchartrain

There's nothing particularly revelatory about this piece .. but I'm glad they ran it!! Every little bit helps.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/12/16...l?8td&emc=tda1

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I like this one on Tikal better, from the same paper.

Nice articles, AtP. TY

[mightyradgumbo]

Thanks AtP...great article...good to see focus still exists at some level.

[mymecca]

the SF chronicle has had a weekly story since the thing

[AtPontchartrain]

Uh-oh. Now NYT has one of those downside stories.

"You feel like, when you go there, you're walking into a strange country. It's just totally different."
- PAULINE HURST, on visiting New Orleans after being forced out by Hurricane Katrina.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/us...html?th&emc=th

[swag]

Well, as someone posted here in another thread...

Because it's realistic...the portrayal of the city...not the storylines per se but about the issues in the city post K...I think viewers need to see and hear the pain that still exists, and witness the strength of those committed to rebuilding....warts and all.....yup.

[jazzykeb]

yeah, that, unfortunately is reality. Wish it wasn't the case, but no reason to hide it either.

[funkkjunkie]

And I think Kville showed just that last night.

[AtPontchartrain]

Here's one I like better ... not that NYT shouldn't run the reality or the boosterism, they both need to be there ... but this... hoo-ray for the next generation!!

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At Benjamin Franklin High School, it's not unusual for any number of students to be named semifinalists for the programs of the National Merit Scholarship Corp. But counselor Janet DeGrazio was pleasantly surprised recently to learn that 17 of Franklin's seniors, the most of any school in the country, were named National Achievement semifinalists.

The National Achievement program, which was started in 1964 to recognize promising African-American students, requires semifinalists to present a record of high academic achievement, qualifying PSAT scores and the endorsement of their school principal. This year, in addition to the 17 National Achievement semifinalists, 26 Franklin seniors were named National Merit semifinalists and three seniors named National Hispanic Scholars.

According to the National Merit program, the nationwide pool of semifinalists represents less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

"The students who've been designated National Achievement semifinalists have shown outstanding potential for success in rigorous academic studies by their performance on the qualifying test, the PSAT," said Elaine Detweiler, the program's public information officer. "To advance to the finalist level of the competition to compete for scholarships, they must meet some additional requirements before award announcements are made next spring in April."

To be listed among the program's semifinalists, DeGrazio said, is always a wonderful boost for students who are applying to competitive colleges and universities.

"We've always had a lot of opportunity here at Franklin. These students have so much ahead of them, this is one more feather in their cap," said DeGrazio as she watched the group pose for a photograph. As a college and academic counselor, she can list the school each student would like to attend after graduating from Franklin, and these include some of the finest institutions across the United States.

Dolores Winfield, principal of the 548-student school, agreed.

"This is incredibly awesome for us, after everything the students have gone through, being away from us and us away from them," Winfield said, referring to displacement in the immediate aftermath of Katrina, when the school was closed until the following January. "Here we are, a smaller school, and to have the most students selected in the country, this is beautiful, they are beautiful -- just look at them!"

Standing on the school steps, senior Jade Fleury, 17, said she gives much of the credit for the honor to her school and teachers. Next fall, she hopes to study communications at the University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communication in Los Angeles. It's her dream some day to become a professional journalist, and she's banking on being a finalist to fund her out-of-state tuition.

"I am really proud of our school because Franklin isn't a historically black or predominately black institution, and for us to have so many students selected it's really an honor," Fleury said. "To me, it speaks to the fact that no matter what we've been through, good things are still happening here at Ben Franklin."

http://blog.nola.com/living/2007/12/...in_no_1_i.html

[BigDag]

Originally Posted by AtPontchartrain

"I am really proud of our school because Franklin isn't a historically black or predominately black institution, and for us to have so many students selected it's really an honor," Fleury said. "To me, it speaks to the fact that no matter what we've been through, good things are still happening here at Ben Franklin."

http://blog.nola.com/living/2007/12/...in_no_1_i.html

Outstanding!