Gambit: Jan. 3, 2023

Happydaze

HENRYWINKLERISEXCITEDTOATTEND

FANEXPOINNEWORLEANS

this week

It’s been threeyears sincehe’s appeared at aComic-Con-style conventiontogreet fansofhis iconic roles,fromFonzieon“HappyDays” to Gene,the self-absorbed acting guru he currentlyplays on “Barry.”

Butnovisitwill likely topthe trip he made in 1977 —duringthe height of hisstardom as TheFonz —when he reined as themonarch of theBacchus parade

“Oh, man. Iremember every moment of it,” Winklersays. “I gotoff theplane andI wassurroundedby13 police officers.The girls would yell at such ahighpitch that Iwould almost passout.The smellofthatyearwas strawberry lipstick,and it stuckin your nose forweeks. They were so generous. Iate well —Iwentto Brennan’s.I wasonafloat about100 feet in theair,dressed in gold lame, throwing doubloons. Istill have those doubloons. It wasmagnificent.”

Winklerand actors including Sean Astin(whowas Bacchusin2005) and Carl Weatherswill be joined by voiceactors,comicsartists,tattoo artistsand cosplayers at FanExpo at theErnest N. MorialConvention Center on Jan.6-8.Winkler is scheduled forappearances each day: at 5p.m.& 6:40 p.m. Friday,Jan.6; 2:40 p.m. Saturday,Jan.7;and 2:20 p.m. Sunday,Jan.8.The conferenceincludesphoto and autograph sessions,acosplay costumecontest and runway, videogamingand a market forcomics, anime, horror and allsorts of sci-fi fandom

When he startedon“HappyDays” in 1974,ArthurFonzarelli wasnot amajor character, buthebecame theleadwithinacouple of seasons, and it made Winklera global star.

Theshowended in 1984,though it spun offother series,which he appeared in,aswellasreunion projects.Winklerwentontoplay differenttypes of characters who have drawntheir ownfans.

“Itdepends on (the fan’s) age,” he says.“Thereis‘TheWaterboy.’ Thereis‘Arrested Development,’ ‘Parks andRec’and now‘Barry.’ They also come up and love the (realityTVtravel) show ‘Better Late Than Never.’”

Winkler’s creditsalso include the recent WesAndersonfilm, “The French Dispatch.” He’s finished filmingofthe fourth season of “Barry,” thedarkcomedycrime dramaco-written by and starring

Bill Haderasan unhappylowlevelhitman who sees acting as anew career.It likely will begin airing in spring 2023.

Some Winkler fansare far tooyoung to remember “Happy Days” and don’t know Winklerfrom work in front of thecamera They knowhim as theauthor, along with Lin Oliver,of39 booksfor young readers, especially thesomewhat autobiographicalstories of Hank Zipzer.The books areabout kids with learning differencesand were inspired by Winkler’sstruggles with dyslexia

“Theyare allaboutthe children whoare on theoutside looking in and thinking ‘I want to be there,’” he says.“Oneofthem is me, Hank Zipzer.Idid poorlyinschool. Itell everychild in theuniverse, ‘School doesnot define howbrilliant you are.’Parents come up to me and say, ‘I am tellingyou my kidjust read theirfirst book.’ Children come up and say, ‘How did you know me so well?’ That’s apretty greatcompliment.”

Thenextbook due forrelease is “DuckDetective,” in which aduckling aspires to become adetective and workswith asalamander friend to take care of thepond wheretheylive. Most of thestars appearingatthe Expo come from theworldsofsci-fi and fantasy.CarlWeathers, who is aNew Orleans native,starred as Apollo Creedinthe Rockyfranchise. On thesci-fifront,heappeared in “Predator” andplays Greef Kargaonthe Star Wars series “The Mandalorian.”Giancarlo Esposito also appears in “The Mandalorian,” and is known forhis work in “BreakingBad”and “BetterCall Saul,” as well as numerousSpike Lee films. Actressand fashion designer AshleyEcksteinhas voiced characters in numerous Star Wars projects on film,TVand video games.

Sean Astinplayedhobbit Samwise Gamgee in “The Lord of theRings” trilogy, andhealso playedthe title

by Will Coviello |

Walter “Wolfman” Washingtontribute

ANALL-STARLINEUPPAYSTRIBUTETO WALTER“WOLFMAN”WASHINGTON, theguitaristand bandleader whodiedDec.22. Hislongtime band TheRoadmastersare joined by LeoNocentelli, JonCleary, Galactic,IvanNeville, Little FreddieKing, JohnnySansone Band and more. At 6p.m.Sunday, Jan.8,atTipitina’s.Tickets$25 viatipitinas.com.

KrewedeJeanne d’Arcparade

role in thesports drama“Rudy,” as well as appearingin“TheGoonies.” He wasinthe horror series “StrangerThings,”and fellow stars Joseph Quinnand GraceVan Dien also will be at FanExpo.

Other visiting stars include Leslie DavidBaker and Kate Flannery from “The Office”; MatthewLewis and Bonnie Wright from Harry Potter films; and SamRaimi,who directednumerousMarvelComics movieadaptations.

Comicsartists include Arthur Adams(Longshot, X-Men),Mark Brooks (Marveltitlesincluding Spider-Man), Simon Bisley (ABC Warriors,Lobo, Harley Quinn), JimShooter(editor at Marvel and Valiant), Kami Garcia (Beautiful Creaturesbooks), KlausJanson (Batman andnumerousDC and Marvel titles), Gigi Dutreix (Sonic theHedgehog), illustratorJeffGaither,Guy Gilchrist (The Muppets),Terry Kavanagh (Marvel),Bill Morrison (Bongo Comics) and more

FanExpoalso hasvideo game tournaments,anareafor tabletopgames,fan groupmeetups,a family activities area,anime trivia, atroupeofcosplayaerialists, and boothsfor regionalconvention events and groups

Single ticketsand family and weekendpassesare available. Visit fanexpohq.com/fanexponeworleans fortickets andinformation.

THEKREWEDEJEANNED’ARCPARADES in medievalcostumesinthe French Quarteronits patron saint’sbirthday. WWOZ director Beth Arroyo Utterbackisthe Queen, Laura Plantation’s Joseph Dunn is King, and EmmelineMeyerrides as Joan TheprocessionstartsatBienville and N. Peters streetsand goes by theSt. LouisCathedral and statueofJoanand endsatJackson Square.The parade begins at 7 p.m. Friday,Jan.6.Visitjoanofarcparade.org fordetails

PhunnyPhortyPhellows

THEPHUNNYPHORTYPHELLOWS

CONTINUETHEIRTRADITION of kicking offthe Carnivalseason with aride on thestreetcar.The costumed and masked kreweshares atoast with theKrewe of OAKatthe Willow StreetcarBarnbeforedeparting ona loop allthe waytoCanal Street andbackwiththe Storyville StompersBrass Band.The festivitiesbegin at 7p.m.Friday, Jan.6 Visitphunnyphortyphellows.com fordetails

FunkyUptownKrewe

DJMANNIEFRESHPROVIDESTHEMUSIC forthe FunkyUptownKrewe’s celebrationofthe arrivalofthe Carnival season.The kreweboards its streetcaratthe 1500 blockofSouth Carrollton Avenueand headsdowntown to HarmonyCircleand eventually ends at FatHarry’s. Krewe memberstosshand-decorated vinylrecords,cupsand koozies. Theprocessionbeginsat7:05 p.m. Friday,Jan.6.Visit funkyuptownkrewe.com forinformation.

King Cake Pageant

KINGCAKEHUBHOSTSAKINGCAKE MONARCHPAGEANT at Zony Mash Beer Project. There’smusic by Soul Projectand entertainment from Carnival groups El LuchaKrewe,

HenryWinkler,SeanAstinandCarlWeathersappearatNewOrleans’FanExpo

PROVIDED PHOTO BY CHRISHASTON/NBC HenryWinklerwillgreet fansatFanExpo.

THUMBS UP/ THUMBS DOWN THE COUNT #

JeeYeounKo,aXavierUniversity professor andcellist, organized a“Coats forKids” eventthatdistributed morethan 100coats on Dec.21toNew Orleans children Ko,XavierUniversityPresident ReynoldVerretand representativesfromthe UrbanLeague held thecoatdistributionat Benjamin Franklin Elementary Mathematics&Science School. Each year,Kohosts afundraising concertfor the“Coats forKids” drive, which washeldinNovember at GallierHalland featured membersofthe Ellis Marsalis Quartet, theFaubourg Quartet, tango dancers,anAfrican dance groupand other entertainers.

TheBensonFoundation raised almost $1.8 millionfor theOchsner Cancer Instituteatits 10th annual Moonlight andMiracles Gala in November.The foundation held ablack-tie gala at theCaesars Superdome, with musicbySimplyIrresistible,acar raffle and laterinNovember,atelethon aired on WVUE.The fundsgo directlytohelpOchsner Cancer Institutepatientsand programs at centersinNew Orleans,Baton Rougeand on theNorthshore.

KreweofOrpheusnamesDarrenCriss monarchofits30thparade

THEKREWEOFORPHEUSNAMED

DARRENCRISS themonarchofits 2023 parade,which marksthe group’s30thyear.

Theparade rollsonthe Uptown routeat6 p.m. Monday,Feb.20, with thetheme “DarkDictums of Childhood.” Therewill be 1,500 riders on 42 floats,according to aparade announcement. The routebeginsNapoleon Avenue and endsatthe Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, wherethe Orpheuscapade will be held.

Lachey andJustin Jeffre of 98 Degrees, Eric-MichaelEstrada of O’Town,Jamie JonesofAll-4Oneand Ryan Cabrera. Themusicalentertainmentalso includes tributes to Tina Turner,Britney Spearsand Taylor Swift, and performancesbyParty Crashers, MixedNutsand SugarShaker —WILLCOVIELLO

This is your reminderitisonlyacceptable to consumekingcakebetween Jan. 6, when theseasonofficially kicks off, andFat Tuesday, which lands on Feb. 21.Though thedesserthas becomea year-round phenomenon in recent years, eating it outsidethe confinesofCarnivalseason is clearly cursingthe NewOrleans Saints,soenjoy your month andahalfofrevelry —and sugarhighs —and getthatlastpiece in before AshWednesday

Louisianais holdinginparishjails morethan 100people whohave been criminally chargedbut foundincompetenttostand trial. Therecurrently is no room at thestate’s onlyforensicpsychiatrichospital,The Lens recently reported.Currently,139 people have been ordered by judges to receivetreatmentatEastern Louisiana Mental Health System, butthe hospital hasabacklog forpatient beds.Some patients languish in parishjails formonths at atime.

Singer Joey Fatone of theboyband *NSYNC also will ride in the parade,and he’ll perform at the Orpheuscapade

Crissstarred in theTVseries “Glee”and wonan Emmy and Golden Globeaward forhis role as Andrew Cunananin“The AssassinationofGianniVersace: American CrimeStory.” On Broadway, he starredasHarry Potter in “A Very Potter Senior Year,” as Hedwig in “Hedwigand theAngryInch” andin“Howto Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”

TheOrpheuscapade will presenta tributeto1990s boybands featuringJeffTimmons,Drew

LEGENDARYNEWORLEANSMUSICIAN WALTER“WOLFMAN”WASHINGTON passedawayDec.23rdfrom cancer,justtwo days afterhis 79th birthday. Calling Washington a“bluesman”feels woefully inadequatein describingthe dapperly dressed, musically diversemainstayof thecity’sscene formorethansix decades. Washington combined traditionalblues with funk,jazz and R&Btocreateasound that wasatonceutterly unique and yetimmediately identifiable as

PHOTO PROVIDED BY KREWEOFORPHEUS

springingforth from thestreets and bars of NewOrleans

And like thecitythatbirthed himin1943, Washington couldstrut.Fromhis perfectly appointedhatsthrough hisstunning suits,shirts, shoesand especiallyhis socks, Washington was an icon who’sfashion sense, like hismusic,transcended changes in populartasteand fleeting fads.

Washington startedoff his career backingNew Orleans luminariesIrmaThomasand Lee Dorsey andJohnnyAdams.While he mayhave been playing with some of themostlyinfluential musiciansinhistory,Washington wasequally so —athis 75th birthdayshowatTipitina’s, Thomas told thecrowd of how Washington hadtaughther,the Queen of Soul,toplayguitar. Eventually,Washingtonwould step forwardhimself,taking center stagewithhis ownband, TheRoadmasters, in 1981 before quicklyestablishinghimself as oneofthe cornerstone’sofNew Orleans’ music.

Former Gambit writer AlexWoodward described Washington’s voiceasextending“from alow,sandy howl to anear-tearscry.Onguitar, his fluid movements from ecstatic, treble-richblues riffs, sometimes picked with histeeth,bendto rich,emotional jazz broadcast onstagesaroundthe worldand into thesmallestcornerbarsin NewOrleans …Thattimeand the stories within it revolvewithinan infinite loop,spinningsofast it

appears completely still,where thepeopleand events that shaped Washington liveinthe presentwithhim as they did 40 or 50 years ago.”

Washington is survived by his wifeMichelle, twodaughters, Sada and MamadouWashington, and ason,Brian Anderson

Visitation at Jacob Schoen & Son Funeral Home is Jan.4 from 8a.m.tonoon, to be followedby afuneral serviceat2 p.m.

AccordingtoThe TimesPicayune, abenefit concertto helppay medical andfuneral expensesisplannedfor Jan.8 at Tipitina’s.—JOHNSTANTON

Copshootsselfinlegat firingrange,NOPDsays

ANEWORLEANSPOLICEOFFICERLAST WEEKWASTREATED fora gunshot woundafter accidentally shooting himselfinthe legatthe NOPD Training Academy’s Firing Range.

The officer, aretired sergeant in NOPD’sReserve Division,is assignedtothe training academy as an instructor.Hewenttothe hospital with anon life-threateningwound viaEmergency MedicalServices.

NOPD’sForce Investigation Team is investigatingthe accidental discharge of afirearm in the13400 block of OldGentilly Road,according to spokesperson AaronLooney.

No additionalinformation was available.—MISSY WILKINSON

PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER /THE TIMES-PICAYUNE Walter“Wolfman”Washingtonandthe Roadmastersperformingduringthethirdday ofthe2022FrenchQuarterFest.

For2023,weaskforjust

INYEARSPAST we presented an annual list of NewYear’sresolutionswe’dliketosee from the people andinstitutions we cover. Previous resolutions have ranged from urgingthe City Council to recommit to holdingutilities accountable to callingonour state’s senators to “resolve to stop beinginvertebrates when it comestoPresident Donald Trump.”

As NewOrleans closedout 2022 on agrim, violent note,we have only onerequest of our city’s leaders:thattheyfinally, and firmly,resolve to make good on decadesofbrokenpromises to combatthe root causes of violenceand crimeinour city

Successivecouncilsand administrations have vowedtobuild up thepublic infrastructure needed to keep youths outofthe criminaljusticesystemand to help keep those in that system from returning. Sadly, systemic criminal justicereformremains elusive. Notbecause it doesn’twork, but becausepoliticianshave consistently failed to follow throughon theircommitments

That hasled to an out-of-control situationinNew Orleans. One 24-hourperiodlast week sawat leastnineshootings,accordingto NOPD, including deadly attacksin theFrenchQuarter andLower 9th Ward.Those shootings were part of particularly deadly holidayseasonthatalso sawthe murder of comedianBoogie B, yetanother deadly shooting on theI-10and severalother killings.According to Datalytics’ founder Jeff Asher, NewOrleans had thehighest murder rate in thenationthis year forthe first time since2011, though cities measuretheir murderrates differently.

It’s notjust theviolence. As crimespiralsout of control, it’s increasinglyclear that NOPDfails to investigatemanycrimesafter thefact, letalone deterthem beforehand.Sue Ward reported herGPS-trackedcar wasstolenDec.22. Untilthe tracking companyturned offher access 24 hours later, shewatched as it traversed NewOrleans.Ward obtained apolicereport, butasof Dec. 29 shestill hadn’theard from adetective Ward’s storyisn’tunique. Responsetimes have lagged,and NOPD’ssolve ratefor most major crimes is abysmal.

Thereisnofast, easyfix to the problemofviolenceand crime in NewOrleans.Increasingthe size of NOPD’sranks is every politician’stop priority,but that is neitheraquick noreasyfix.Cops quit in drovesthispast year,far outpacingthe smallrecruit classes in NOPD’strainingacademy

Moreover, significant questions remain aboutthe qualityoftrainingrecruitsreceive,aslast week’s self-inflictedgunshotwound at NOPD’sfiringrange by an academyinstructor demonstrated

Even if NewOrleans could recruit, hire and trainqualified officers at breakneckspeed,it would take yearstosee asignificantincreaseinNOPD’sstreet presence.Meanwhile,too many NewOrleaniansstruggleunder theyokeofsystemicracism, crushing povertyand aburgeoningmental health crisis

That’s whycityleaders must commit,inameaningfulway,to address therootcausesof violenceand crime. That means investingmoney,timeand personnelineducation,job training,mental health andcrisis response programsdesignedto endour city’s unrelentingcycle of crimeand suffering.That’sa resolution allNew Orleanianscan getbehind.

PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THETIMES-PICAYUNE

Anofficerliftsupthepolice tapetoallowthecrimelab inastheNewOrleansPolice Departmentinvestigatesa fatalshootinginAugust.

ClancyDuBos:For2023’stop stories,thepastisprologue

LASTWEEKICATALOGUEDTHETOP10 POLITICALSTORIES OF2022. This week Iturnour attention to thefuture. As is oftenthe case,the past is prologue.

THEGOVERNOR’S RACE—

Will Sen. John NeelyKennedy finally run?Ifhe does(he promises adecisioninJanuary),he’ll create amassivedominoeffect. If he opts to remain “Senator Foghorn Soundbite,” thebig storywill be thesearchfor an alternative to theever-performativeJeff Landry. GOPwannabesabound Meanwhile, theDems’ bench appears thinner than one-ply toilet paper— though some are encouragingCityCouncil President Helena Moreno to run.(Herdecision could hang on thenextitem.)

Thepushfor anational search will intensify, as will themayor’s attempttokeep it locally focused. InterimChief Michelle Woodfork hasalready begunreshapingthe NewOrleans PoliceDepartment’s leadership structure.We’ll seehow that affectslocal crimestats and thefederal consentdecree, both of which will make headlines.

CANTRELL’SWOES—

CouldMayor LaToya Cantrell possibly have a worseyearthan 2022?

We’llknowsoonenough.The recall drivethatbegan last August facesanAsh Wednesday(Feb. 22) deadline.Recallpromoters want an April referendum, which would be anational story. Even if recall organizersdon’t getthe signatures, Heronner’s troubles will continue. Reportsofafederal investigation will continue,the City Council will puther newpolicechief (and herother majordecisions)under amicroscope, andofcourse herown penchant forunforced errors will make 2023 another interestingyear.

RUNUPTOTHENEXTMAYOR’S RACE—

Thecity’smajor politicalplayers arealready making movestodetermine whowill succeed Cantrell.The obvious potentialcandidates rightnow areMorenoand DistrictE Council MemberOliver Thomas. District Attorney JasonWilliamswill be a factor, if notacandidatehimself Some even speculate that former Congressman CedricRichmond mayrun.Money maybethe mother’s milk of politics,but rumors whet theappetite.

COPSANDCRIME— Whowill be Cantrell’s newpolicechief?

JEFFERSONPARISHELECTIONS—

District 4Councilman Dominick Impastato threwdownagauntletbeforeincumbent Division B Councilman-at-Large ScottWalker in late November,and that could becomethe marquee race in Jeffersonnextfall.

LOCALLEGERACES—

NewOrleans gainedastate House seat anchored in Mid-City as a resultofreapportionmentin2022, and therewill be ascramble among progressivecandidates to winitin thefallelections.Everywhereelse, we’llsee if redistrictingchanges anything.One safe prediction: Partisanship willremain.

LOCALSONTHENATIONAL

SCENE— MitchLandrieu will becomeapopularguy across the countryashehandsout billionsin hisrole as PresidentJoe Biden’s infrastructureczar. SteveScalise waitsinthe wings to be House Speaker as everyone waitsfor the hopelesslyineptKevin McCarthy to implode.And Cedric Richmond will expand hisnationalprofile as atop Demconsultant whilekeepinghis hands in localpolitics.

Beyond theseforeseeable stories,2023issuretoprovide some surprises. HappyNew Year —and buckle up!

MAYORMARTINBEHRMAN

appointedAlice Monahanas thecity’sfirst femalepoliceofficer “I knowitisn’tgoingtobean easyjob,” Monahan, 45,saidinThe NewOrleans Item.“People will take it as ajoke, therewill be plenty of menwho will feel they must ‘try out’ thenew womanofficersand Imust expectpetty annoyances and thesortofconduct with which schoolboystest thepatienceand resourcefulness of anew teacher.”

Monahan patrolledthe Milneburg lakefrontresort—which had becomenotorious forvice— fora year before dyinginAugust1916 aftergallbladdersurgery

WomenservedNOPDinmostly supportrolesfor thenext35years. AFebruary 1949 NewOrleans Item articlereported“theNew Orleans police forceincludesmorethan 900men and onewoman.”She wasKateVictory,who joined the department in 1926 and by 1949 wasworking in thejuvenileand missingpersons bureau

InJanuary 1950,three females were named desk sergeants

—a “trioofnew typewriter-totin’ policewomen,”accordingtoThe NewOrleans Item.

Beginningin1950, theNOPD allowedwomen to take thecivil serviceexamtojoin theforce Irene Guggenheim Chettawas thefirst womantopin on abadge afterpassing theexam. She and Stella Gorman became thefirst twofemale patrol officers of the modernera

In 1985,Sgt.YvonneBechet, a pioneeringBlack femaleNOPD officer, became thefirst female deputy chief. She wasappointed by MayorErnest “Dutch”Morial and Supt.WarrenWoodfork, the city’s first Blackpolicechiefand uncleofthe currentinterim chief Woodfork also appointed the first femaledistrictcommander, CarolHewlett

Born on Jan.6,1923, Mrs. Chasewas raised in Madisonville, theoldest of 11 children. AftergraduatingfromSt. Mary’sAcademy,she went to work in theFrenchQuarter as awaitress

In 1946,she marriedEdgar“Dooky” Chase II,a musician whose parents had opened DookyChase’s Restaurantfiveyears earlier.Joiningthe family business,LeahChase expanded what had been apo-boyshopintoa fine dining spot forthe Blackcommunity.“African-Americansdidn’thave restaurantslikethattogoto….I said,‘We’vegot to change things,’” she told TheTimes-Picayune.

She also helped change societybyhosting meetings of Blackand white civilrightsleaders in asecond-floor diningroom during the1950s and‘60s Such dining arrangements were illegal underprevailing segregationlaws. Mrs. Chase remained afixture in therestaurant’skitchen well into her 90s. ShehostedPresidentsGeorgeW.Bushand Barack Obama,amongother high-profile diners.

In 2011,her portrait wasadded to theSmithsonian Institution’sNational Portrait Gallery. Oneofher signature redchef’sjackets is in theNational Museum of AfricanAmerican Historyand Culture.

She diedin2019atthe ageof96. Herrestaurantremains alandmark, nowrun by herchildren andgrandchildren. Theywill star in anew television cookingseries this spring.ProducedbyWYES,“TheDookyChaseKitchen: Leah’s Legacy”will aironpublic TV stations nationwide

BLAKEVIEW

THISWEEKMARKSTHE100THANNIVERSARYOFTHEBIRTH of thequeen of Creole cuisine, chef Leah Chase.

PHOTO BY CHRISGRANGER /THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

MichelleWoodforkisthe interimsuperintendent oftheNOPD.

Animal of theMonth: Playfulblack bearscharm visitors at AudubonZoo

By Amanda McElfresh amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

Thisarticle is brought to youby Audubon Nature Institute

On anygiven day, thethree black bearscubsresidingatAudubon Zoo area delighttowatch.Whether they’re climbing trees, swimmingthe lagoon or playingwitheachother,the 11-montholdbears love to stay active andexplore theirsurroundings. LizWilson, curator of primates at LouisianaSwamp and Jaguar Jungle at AudubonZoo,spoke to us aboutthe black bears’ personalities as well as theimportanceofthe species to theworld’s ecosystem

Wheredid AudubonZoo’s black bearscomefrom?

Allthree bear cubs were orphan rescues. LouisiananativeSassafras came from Dubach,Louisiana found as asmall cub. Untiltheir relocation to AudubonZoo,Sakariand her soon-tobe-named sister were orphan rescues from Alaska caredfor by TheAlaska ZooAnimal Care Staff.

Howwould youdescribe theblack bears’ personalities?

Sa ssafra shas abolda nd sa ssy personalitylendinginspiration to her name.She hasaclose relationshipwith her keeperssince shewas hand-reared but maintainsaspunky, independence The“sweetheart” of thecubsand most reserved is Sakari.She is shyand prefers theother cubs lead theway.Her fellow Alaskansister,the largestofthe cubs, is boisterous andenergetic, andloves to explore andplay. She’sbeenknown to spontaneously tacklethe othercubs outofnowhere!

What kindsofactivitiesdothe blackbears enjoy?

They enjoyscaling trees,bathing and splashinginthe lagoon,romping through theirhabitat andtakingnaps together.Bearcubsneed to be together, andtheylearn by playing andinteracting with oneanother,which is integral to theirdevelopment.These cubs areno exceptionand areextremely playfulwith oneanother,which meanstheyalsonap hard together.Theylovetoeat anddoit allthroughoutthe day!

Tell us alittlebit abouthow theAudubon Zoostaff caresfor the blackbears.

Strong relationships betweenthe bearsand care team arecrucial.These trusting relationships allowthe care team to getvoluntarybodyexams and weight checks andmoreeasilymovethe groupofgirls from onearea to another. Thecareteamfor thebears focuseson welfare-basedbehavioralenrichment (fun activities andobjects for thecubs to interact with)toensuretheyhave optimalmentaland physical wellness. Dailycarebythisteaminvolvescleaning thehabitat,dietpreparations, feeding, trainingsessions, etc. Alot of work goes into healthyand happybears!

In general,whatroledoblack bears play in theenvironment?

Ourmissionisanimal conservation, with animal educationbeing an vital part of what we do. LouisianaBlack Bearsare theonlyAmericanBlack bears ever listedas“threatened.”Bears are considered keystone or umbrella species, whichmeans that each bear population is of greater significance to thewider ecosystem in whichit lives. If bears

andtheir habitats areprotected, it will benefitthe otherwildlifeand plantlife in thearea. Restorationofbearhabitats, monitoring of bear populationsand the continuedban on huntingthe animals have resulted in theincrease of Louisiana BlackBearnumbers.

Want to visit?

This is agreat time of year to visitthe blackbearcubsatAudubon Zoo. The Zooisopenfrom10a.m.to5p.m.every dayuntil theend of this year (except closed Wednesday, December28).Check audubonzoo.com for themostuptodate operatingschedule.

Need alast-minute holidaygift? Foralimited time only, Audubonis offering 15%off Membershipsfor all new, renewing andgiftmemberships Offerexpires NewYear’sDay.Members

will be amongthe firsttosee the AudubonAquariumand Insectarium upon theirgrand re-openings in 2023 Membershipscan be purchased online at audubonmembership.com

In addition,Audubon is honoring firstrespondersin December with Frontline Heroes Appreciation Month. Doctors,nurses, EMTs,policeofficers, fire fighters, etc. will be admitted for free with proofofoccupation and canbringuptofourfamilymembers at 50%off.First responderswillalso be elig iblefor a20% discount on AudubonMemberships,the gift shop andconcessions.

Formoreinformation on theblack bear cubs,other animalsatAudubon Zoo, and ourspecialoffersvisit audubonzoo.com

cENsORED’s

BY PAUL ROSENBERG OF PROJECT CENSORED

ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANSON STEVENS-BOLLEN

SINCEITSFOUNDINGIN1976, ProjectCensoredhas been focused on stories —likeWatergate before the1972election—that aren’t censoredin the authoritariangovernmentsense,but in abroader,expandedsense reflective of what afunctioning democracy should be

It is,after all, thereason that journalism enjoys special protection in theFirst Amendment: Withoutthe free flow of vitalinformation,government based on theconsentofthe governed is butanillusory dream.Yet,fromthe very beginning, as A.J. Liebling put it,“Freedom of thepress is guaranteed onlytothose who ownone.”

In theirintroductiontothe annualState of theFreePress, whichcontainsthe top10censoredstories and much more, ProjectCensored’sMickey Huff and AndyLee Roth take this conditionhead-on.Theynote that like themedia tycoonsof old,ahandfulofcompanies includingFacebook,Apple and Twitter, “appeartobeconvenientlyoblivioustothe main frame through which they filter news —thatofclass,including

class structureand classinterests,”Huffand Roth write

.Thisobservationperfectly frames themajorityofstories in ProjectCensored’stop 10 list, starting withthe first twostories:massivesubsidiesofthe fossil fuel industry and rampant wage theft— concentrated on themostvulnerable workers —thateclipsestreet crimein themagnitude of losses,but is rarely punished,evenwhen offendersare caught dead to rights. It echoesclearlythrough thestories on congress members’ investments in thefossil fuel industry,the role of corporateconsolidationindriving up inflationinfood prices and Bill Gates’ hiddeninfluence on journalism.

Everyyear, Inotethatthere aremultiple patterns to be foundinthe list of Project Censored’s stories,and that thesedifferent patterns have much to tell us aboutthe forces shaping what remains hidden That’s still true,but thedominanceofthisone patterntruly is remarkable.Itshows how profoundlythe concentration of corporatewealth and power in thehands of so fewdistorts

everything we see— or don’t —inthe worldaroundusevery day. Here then,isthisyear’slist of ProjectCensored’stop 10 censored stories:

1FossilFuelIndustry SubsidizedatRateof$11 MillionperMinute

GLOBALLY,THEFOSSILFUEL INDUSTRY receives subsidies of $11million perminute, primarily from lack of liability forthe externalized health costsofdeadly air pollution(42%),damages caused by extreme weather events (29%), and costsfrom trafficcollisionsand congestion (15%). Andtwo-thirdsofthose subsidiescomefromjust five countries— theUnitedStates, Russia, India,China and Japan. Theseare key findings from a studyof191 nationspublished by theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF) in September 2021 that were reported in the Guardian and Treehugger the next month buthave been ignoredinthe corporatemedia No national government currentlyprices fossil fuelsat what theIMF callstheir “effi-

cient price” covering both their supply and environmental costs. “Instead, an estimated 99 percent of coal, 52 percent of road diesel, 47 percent of natural gas, and 18 percent of gasoline are priced at less than half their efficient price,” Project Censored noted.

“Efficient fuel pricing in 2025 would reduce global carbon dioxide emissions 36 percent below baseline levels, which is in line with keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees, while raising revenues worth 3.8 percent of global GDP and preventing 0.9 million local air pollution deaths,” the report stated. The G7 nations had previously agreed to scrap fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, but the IMF found that subsidies have increased in recent years, and will continue increasing.

“It’s critical that governments stop propping up an industry that is in decline,” Mike Coffin, a senior analyst at Carbon Tracker, told the Guardian “The much-needed change could start happening now, if not for the government’s entanglement with the fossil fuels industry in so many major economies,” added Maria Pastukhova of E3G, a climate change think tank

“Eliminating fossil fuel subsidies could lead to higher energy prices and, ultimately, political protests and social unrest,” Project Censored noted.

“But, as the Guardian and Treehugger each reported, the IMF recommended a ‘comprehensive strategy’ to protect consumers especially low-income households impacted by rising energy costs and workers in displaced industries.”

No corporate news outlets had reported on the IMF as of May 2022, according to Project Censored, though a November 2021 opinion piece did focus on the issue of subsidies, which John Kerry, U.S. special envoy for climate change, called “a definition of insanity.” But that was framed as opinion, and made no mention of the indirect subsidies, which

represent 86% of the total. In contrast, “In January 2022, CNN published an article that all but defended fossil fuel subsidies,” Project Censored noted. “CNN’s coverage emphasized the potential for unrest caused by rollbacks of government subsidies, citing “protests that occasionally turned violent.”

2 WageTheft:U.S.BusinessesSufferFewConsequencesforStealing MillionsfromWorkers EveryYear

IN2017,THEFBIREPORTED the cost of street crime at about $13.8 billion, the same year that the Economic Policy Institute released a study saying that just one form of wage theft minimum wage violations costs U.S. workers even more: an estimated $15 billion annually, impacting an estimated 17% of low-wage workers.

One reason it’s so rampant is that companies are seldom punished, as Alexia Fernández Campbell and Joe Yerardi reported for the Center for Public Integrity in May 2021, drawing on 15 years of data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division “The agency fined only about one in four repeat offenders during that period. And it ordered those companies to pay workers cash damages penalty money in addition to back wages in just 14 percent of those cases,” they wrote. In addition, “The division often lets businesses avoid repaying their employees all the money they’re owed. In all, the agency has let more than 16,000 employers get away with not paying $20.3 million in back wages since 2005.”

We’re talking about some major companies Halliburton, G4S Wackenhut and Circle K Stores were among “the worst offenders,” they reported

That report kicked off the center’s “Cheated at Work” series,

which showed that “U.S employers that illegally underpaid workers face few repercussions, even when they do so repeatedly This widespread practice perpetuates income inequality, hitting lowest-paid workers hardest.”

“Wage theft includes a range of illegal practices, such as paying less than minimum wage, withholding tips, not paying overtime, or requiring workers to work through breaks or off the clock. It impacts service workers, low-income workers, immigrant and guest workers, and communities of color the most,” Project Censored explained.

Wage theft also includes worker misclassification as independent contractors long the case with port truckers, and more recently gig workers. A 2014 study from the National Employment Law Center estimated that “California’s port trucking companies are liable to drivers for violations of wage and hour laws for $65 to $83 million each month, or $787 to $998 million each year.”

Lack of resources is largely to blame for the lax enforcement, Project Censored explained: “As of February 2021, the Wage and Hour Division employed only 787 investigators, a proportion of just one investigator per 182,000 workers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, Campbell and Yerardi noted. For comparison, in 1948 the division employed one investigator per 22,600 workers, or eight times the current proportion.”

Lax enforcement is “especially problematic” in some 14 states that “lack the capacity to investigate wage theft claims or lack the ability to file lawsuits on

behalf of victims,” according to a 2017 Economic Policy Institute report In contrast, the center’s report “mentioned local successes in Chicago (2013), Philadelphia (2016), and Minneapolis (2019),” Project Censored noted, but “workers’ rights advocates continue to seek federal reforms.”

“Since May 2021, a handful of corporate news outlets, including CBS News, covered or republished the Center for Public Integrity’s report on wage theft,” Project Censored noted, but “Corporate coverage tends to focus on specific instances involving individual employers,” while ignoring it “as a systemic social problem” as well as ignoring the “anemic federal enforcement.”

That could change, if Congress were to pass the “Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act of 2022,” which “would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to protect workers from wage theft, according to Ariana Figueroa of the Virginia Mercury,” Project Censored noted, concluding with a quote from U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar: “It is clear more DOL [Department of Labor] funding and additional federal reforms are needed in our localities in order to protect our most vulnerable workers.”

3 EPAWithheldReports onDangerousChemicals

INJANUARY2019, the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA stopped releasing legally required disclosures about chemicals that present a “substantial risk of injury to health

or the environment.” They had previously been posted in a searchable public database called ChemView

In November 2021, as part of the Intercept’s “EPA Exposed” investigative series, Sharon Lerner reported that EPA had received “at least 1,240 substantial risk reports since January 2019, but only one was publicly available. The suppressed reports documented “the risk of chemicals’ serious harms, including eye corrosion, damage to the brain and nervous system, chronic toxicity to honeybees, and cancer in both people and animals,” Lerner wrote.

“The reports include notifications about highly toxic polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, chemical compounds that are known as “forever chemicals” because they build up in our bodies and never break down in the environment,” Project Censored noted. “The Environmental Working Group explains that ‘very small doses of PFAS have been linked to cancer, reproductive and immune system harm, and other diseases For decades, chemical companies covered up evidence of PFAS’ health hazards.’” Their spread throughout the world’s oceans, along with microplastics, was Project Censored’s No 5 story last year

It wasn’t just the public that was kept in the dark, Lerner reported. “The substantial risk reports have not been uploaded to the databases used most often by risk assessors searching for information about chemicals, according [to] one of the EPA scientists They have been entered only into an internal database that is difficult to access and search As a result, little and perhaps none of the information about these serious risks to health and the environment has been incorporated into the chemical assessments completed during this period.”

“Basically, they are just going into a black hole,” one whistleblower told Lerner. “We don’t look at them We don’t evaluate them And we don’t check to see if they change our understanding of the chemical.”

Apart from the Intercept, “only a handful of niche publications have reported on the matter,” Project Censored noted.

However, in January 2022 Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) filed a lawsuit to compel EPA to disclose the reports, following up on an earlier public records request which, the National Law Review reported, was “built upon information reported in a November 2021 article in The Intercept.”

Just weeks later, EPA announced it would resume posting the reports in ChemView, Project Censored noted. “Clearly, independent journalism contributed significantly to this outcome,” they said. “Had it not been for the work of investigative journalist Sharon Lerner at the Intercept, EPA whistleblowers would not have had a platform to share concerns that ultimately led the agency to resume these critical public disclosures.”

4 AtLeast128Members ofCongressInvestedin FossilFuelIndustry

ATLEAST100U.S.REPRESENTATIVES

AND28U.S.SENATORS have financial interests in the fossil fuel industry a major impediment to reaching climate change goals that’s gone virtually unmentioned by the corporate media, despite detailed reporting in a series of Sludge articles written by David Moore in November and December of 2021 Moore found that 74 Republicans, 59 Democrats, and one independent have fossil fuel industry investments, with Republicans outnumbering Democrats in both chambers

The top ten House investors are all Republicans. But it’s quite different in the Senate, where two of the top three investors are Democrats, and Democrats’ total investments, $8,604,000, are more than double the Senate Republicans’ total of $3,994,126.

Topping the list is Joe Manchin (WV), with up to $5.5 million of fossil fuel industry assets, while John Hickenlooper (CO) is third, with up to $1 million (Most reporting is in ranges.) Many top investors are Texas Republicans, including Rep. Van Taylor, with up to $12.4 million worth of investments.

“Most significantly, many hold key seats on influential energy-related committees,” Project Censored noted. Senators include Manchin, chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Tina Smith (D-MN), chair of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy, and Tom Carper (D-DE), chair of the Committee on the Environment and Public Works. “Manchin cut the Clean Electricity Performance Program, a system that would phase out coal, from President Biden’s climate bill,” they added In the House, they explained, “nine of the twenty-two Republican members of the Energy and Commerce Committee are invested in the fossil fuel industry.

As Project Censored detailed in the No 4 story on the Top 25 list two years ago, these individuals’ personal financial interests as investors often conflict with their obligation as elected legislators to serve the public interest.”

Oil and gas lobbying totaled $119.3 million according to OpenSecrets, while 2020 election spending topped $40 million for congressional candidates $8.7 million to Democrats and $30.8

million to Republicans. This came as the International Energy Agency warned that no new fossil fuel developments can be approved for the world to have a 50/50 chance to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, Moore reported. And, yet, “production of oil and gas is projected to grow 50 percent by 2030 without congressional action,” Project Censored noted. “The fact that so many lawmakers have invested considerable sums in the fossil fuel industry makes it extremely unlikely that Congress will do much to rein in oil and gas production.”

As of May 21, 2022, Sludge’s reporting had gotten no corporate coverage, repeating the whiteout of a similar report in 2020. “Corporate news outlets have only reported on the fact that clean energy proposals are stalled in Congress, not the financial conflicts of interest that are the likely cause of this lack of progress,” Project Censored concluded.

5 DarkMoneyInterferenceinU.S.PoliticsUnderminesDemocracy

THESAMEGROUP of conservative dark money organizations that opposed President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nomination Judicial Crisis Network (JCN), The 85 Fund and their affiliated groups also funded entities that played a role in the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to a report by the watchdog group

Accountable US They’re closely linked to Leonard Leo, co-chair of the Federalist Society, with money coming from Donors Trust (a dark-money group backed by the Koch network) and the Bradley Foundation

“These dark money groups not only funded Leo’s network of organizations to the sum of over $52 million in 2020, but also funded entities in 2020 that played a role in the insurrection to the sum of over $37 million,” Accountable.US reported

While there has been coverage of dark money spending on Supreme Court nominations, Igor Derysh at Salon was alone in reporting this the related involvement in Jan. 6.

Just one group, JCN, spent $2.5 million “before Biden even named his nominee” Ketanji Brown Jackson, Derysh reported, “accusing Biden of caving in to leftists by promising a ‘Supreme Court nominee who will be a liberal activist.’” On the other hand, “JCN spent tens of millions helping to confirm Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, according to Open Secrets, and launched a $25 million effort to confirm Justice Amy Coney Barrett just weeks before the 2020 election,” he reported.

But more disturbingly, “Donors Trust has funneled more than $28 million to groups that pushed election lies or in some way funded the rally ahead of the Capitol riot,” while “Members of the Federalist Society played key roles in Donald Trump’s

attempts to overturn the election,” including attorney John Eastman, architect of Trump’s plan to get Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election, Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who led the objections to the certification of Trump’s loss after the riot, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who filed a lawsuit to throw out election results in key states, effectively overturning Biden’s victory. In addition, 13 of the 17 other Republican attorneys general who joined Paxton’s suit were also Federalist Society members

“It should worry us all that the groups leading the fight against Biden’s historic nomination of Judge Jackson to the Supreme Court are tied to the Jan. 6 insurrection and efforts to undermine confidence in the 2020 election,” Kyle Herrig, president of Accountable.US, told Salon.

“The influence of dark money political spending by organizations that are not required to disclose their donors presents a major challenge to the swift functioning of the judicial nomination and confirmation process, and the U.S. government as a whole,” Project Censored noted. “[D]ark money deeply influences political decisions in favor of select individuals’ or groups’ agendas rather than in support of the public’s best interests.”

Right-wing dark money’s role in fighting Judge Jackson’s nomination and confirmation process was highlighted by Business Insider in February 2022, along

with op-eds in both the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post that covered the discussion of dark money during Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearings, and a March 2022 Mother Jones report “However,” Project Censored noted, “none of the articles featured in the corporate press covered dark money supporting Trump’s Big Lie, the impact such funding had on promoting and reinforcing anti-democratic ideology, or the ramifications of how such dark money spending erodes public trust in government and the election process.”

6 CorporateConsolidationCausingRecord InflationinFoodPrices

“CORPORATECONSOLIDATION is a main driver of record inflation in food prices, despite claims by media pundits and partisan commentators to the contrary,” Project Censored reports “The establishment press has covered the current wave of inflation exhaustively, but only rarely will discuss the market power of giant firms as a possible cause, and then usually only to reject it,” as they did when the Biden administration cited meat industry consolidation as a cause of price increases in September 2021, “treating administration attempts to link inflation to consolidation as a rhetorical move meant to distract from conservative critiques of Biden’s stimulus program.”

But as Food and Water Watch reported in November 2021, “while the cost of meat shot up, prices paid to farmers actually declined, spurring a federal investigation.” That investigation is ongoing, but meat conglomerates Tyson Foods, Perdue Farms, Smithfield Foods and JBS have paid just over $225 million to settle related civil suits in the poultry, beef and pork markets That’s just part of the problem. A July 2021 joint investigation by Food and Water Watch and the Guardian “reported that a handful of ‘food giants’ including Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Conagra, Unilever, and Del Monte control an average of 64 percent of sales of sixty-one popular grocery items,” Project Censored noted. Three companies own 93% of carbonated soft drink brands; while another three produce 73% of the cereals on offer, and a single company,

PepsiCo, owns five of the most popular dip brands 88% of the market. Altogether, “four firms or fewer controlled at least 50% of the market for 79% of the groceries,” the Guardian reported.

It’s not just producers: “In an October 2021 article for Common Dreams, Kenny Stancil documents that food producers, distributors, and grocery store chains are engaging in pandemic profiteering and taking advantage of “decades of consolidation, which has given a handful of corporations an ever-greater degree of market control and with it, the power to set prices,” according to research by the Groundwork Collaborative.

As for grocers, “Kroger, the largest supermarket chain in the country, cited rising inflation as the reason for hiking prices in their stores even as they cut worker pay by 8 percent,” Project Censored noted. “Yet, as Stancil explained, Kroger’s CEO publicly gloated that ‘a little bit of inflation is always good for business.’ That CEO earned 909 times what the median worker earned, while worker pay decreased by 8% in 2020, and “the company spent $1.498 billion on stock buybacks between April 2020 and July 2021 to enrich its shareholders,” the Groundwork Collaborative reported. Kroger was one of just four companies that took in an estimated twothirds of all grocery sales in 2019, according to Food and Water Watch.

More broadly, “A report for the American Prospect by Rakeem Mabud, chief economist at the Groundwork Collaborative, and David Dayen revealed that one of the most common inflation scapegoats, supply chain problems, is itself a consequence of consolidation,” Project Censored noted. “Just three global alliances of ocean shippers are responsible for 80 percent of all cargo.” These shippers raked in “nearly $80 billion in the first three quarters of 2021, twice as much as in the entire ten-year period from 2010 to 2020,” by increasing their rates as much as tenfold.

Supply chain consolidation reflects a broader shift in the global economy, the Prospect argued “In 1970, Milton Friedman argued in The New York Times that ‘the social responsibility of business is to increase its profits.’

Manufacturers used that to rationalize a financial imperative to benefit shareholders by seeking

the lowest-cost labor possible.” This led to a surge in outsourcing to East Asia, and eventually China. “This added new costs for shipping, but deregulating all the industries in the supply chain could more than compensate.”

Occasionally articles touched on the issue of consolidation (mostly to debunk it), though there are a couple of opinion pieces to the contrary “But these isolated opinion pieces were far out-numbered by the hundreds, even thousands, of reports and analyses by commercial media outlets that blamed everything but oligopolistic price gouging for the rising cost of groceries,” Project Censored concluded.

Foundation, and found it had donated “more than $319 million to fund news outlets, journalism centers and training programs, press associations, and specific media campaigns, raising questions about conflicts of interest and journalistic independence,” Project Censored summarized

“Today, it is possible for an individual to train as a reporter thanks to a Gates Foundation Grant, find work at a Gates-funded outlet, and to belong to a press association funded by Gates,” MacLeod wrote.

THELISTOFBILLIONAIRES with media empires includes familiar names like Rupert Murdoch, Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and, most recently, Elon Musk But, “While other billionaires’ media empires are relatively well known, the extent to which [Microsoft co-founder Bill] Gates’s cash underwrites the modern media landscape is not,” Alan MacLeod wrote for MintPress News in November 2021 MacLeod examined more than 30,000 individual grants from the the Bill and Melinda Gates

“Recipients of this cash include many of America’s most important news outlets, including CNN, NBC, NPR, PBS and The Atlantic Gates also sponsors a myriad of influential foreign organizations, including the BBC, The Guardian, The Financial Times and The Daily Telegraph in the United Kingdom; prominent European newspapers such as Le Monde (France), Der Spiegel (Germany) and El País (Spain); as well as big global broadcasters like Al-Jazeera,” he reported

“MacLeod’s report includes a number of Gates-funded news outlets that also regularly feature in Project Censored’s annual Top 25 story lists, such as the Solutions Journalism Network ($7.2m), The Conversation ($6.6m), the Bureau of Investigative Journalism ($1m), and ProPublica ($1m) in addition to the Guardian and the Atlantic,” Project Censored noted.

“Direct awards to news outlets often targeted specific issues,

MacLeod reported. For example, CNN received $3.6 million to support ‘journalism on the everyday inequalities endured by women and girls across the world,’ according to one grant.

Another grant earmarked $2.3 million for the Texas Tribune ‘to increase public awareness and engagement of education reform issues in Texas.’ As MacLeod noted, given Bill Gates’ advocacy of the charter school movement which undermines teachers’ unions and effectively aims to privatize the public education system ‘a cynic might interpret this as planting pro-corporate charter school propaganda into the media, disguised as objective news reporting.’”

“[T]here are clear shortcomings with this non-exhaustive list, meaning the true figure is undoubtedly far higher First, it does not count sub-grants money given by recipients to media around the world,” because there’s no record of them, MacLeod reported.

“For a tax-privileged charity that so very often trumpets the importance of transparency, it’s remarkable how intensely secretive the Gates Foundation is about its financial flows,” Tim Schwab, one of the few investigative journalists who has scrutinized the tech billionaire, told MintPress

Also missing were grants aimed at producing articles for academic journals, although “they regularly form the basis for stories in the mainstream press and help shape narratives around key issues,” he noted.

“The Gates Foundation has given far and wide to academic sourc-

es, with at least $13.6 million going toward creating content for the prestigious medical journal The Lancet.” And more broadly “even money given to universities for purely research projects eventually ends up in academic journals, and ultimately, downstream into mass media. Neither these nor grants funding the printing of books or establishment of websites counted in the total, although they too are forms of media.”

“No major corporate news outlets appear to have covered this issue,” only a scattering of independent outlets, Project Censored noted. This despite the fact that “As far back as 2011, the Seattle Times published an article investigating how the Gates Foundation’s ‘growing support of media organizations blurs the line between journalism and advocacy.’”

8 CIADiscussedPlansto KidnaporKillJulianAssange

THECIASERIOUSLYCONSIDERED

PLANS to kidnap or assassinate WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in late 2017, according to a September 2021 Yahoo News investigation, based on interviews with more than 30 former U.S. officials, eight of whom detailed U.S. plans to abduct Assange and three of whom described the development of plans to kill him. If it had been up to CIA Director Mike Pompeo, they almost certainly would have been acted on, after WikiLeaks announced it had obtained a massive tranche

of files dubbed “Vault 7” from the CIA’s ultra-secret hacking division, and posted some of them online.

In his first public remarks as Donald Trump’s CIA director, “Pompeo devoted much of his speech to the threat posed by WikiLeaks,” Yahoo News noted, “Rather than use the platform to give an overview of global challenges or to lay out any bureaucratic changes he was planning to make at the agency.” He even called it “a non-state hostile intelligence service often abetted by state actors like Russia,” a designation intended to grant the CIA wide latitude in what actions it took, while shielding it from congressional oversight “Potential scenarios proposed by the CIA and Trump administration officials included crashing into a Russian vehicle carrying Assange in order to grab him, shooting the tires of an airplane carrying Assange in order to prevent its takeoff, and engaging in a gun battle through the streets of London,” Project Censored summarized “Senior CIA officials went so far as to request ‘sketches’ or ‘options’ detailing methods to kill Assange.”

“WikiLeaks was a complete obsession of Pompeo’s,” a former Trump administration national security official told Yahoo News. “After Vault 7, Pompeo and [Deputy CIA Director Gina] Haspel wanted vengeance on Assange.” It went so far that “Pompeo and others at the agency proposed abducting Assange from the embassy and surreptitiously bringing him back to the United States via a third country a process known as

rendition,” they reported. (Assassination entered the picture later on.) Since it would take place in Britain, there had to be agreement from them “But the British said, ‘No way, you’re not doing that on our territory, that ain’t happening,’” a former senior counterintelligence official told Yahoo News

There was also pushback from National Security Council, or NSC lawyers and the Department of Justice, which wanted to put Assange on trial. But the CIA continued to push for capturing or killing Assange. Trump’s “NSC lawyers were bulwarks against the CIA’s potentially illegal proposals, according to former officials,” Yahoo News reported, but the CIA’s own lawyers may have been kept in the dark “When Pompeo took over, he cut the lawyers out of a lot of things,” a former senior intelligence community attorney told them “Pompeo’s ready access to the Oval Office, where he would meet with Trump alone, exacerbated the lawyers’ fears. [The NSC’s top lawyer John] Eisenberg fretted that the CIA director was leaving those meetings with authorities or approvals signed by the president that Eisenberg knew nothing about, according to former officials.”

“US plans to kidnap or assassinate Julian Assange have received little to no establishment news coverage in the United States, other than scant summaries by Business Insider and The Verge, and tangential coverage by Reuters, each based on the original Yahoo News report,” Project Censored notes. “Among US independent news outlets, Democracy Now! featured an interview with Michael Isikoff, one of the Yahoo News reporters who broke the story, and Jennifer Robinson, a human rights attorney who has been advising Julian Assange and WikiLeaks since 2010 Rolling Stone and The Hill also published articles based on the original Yahoo News report.”

organizations to disclose who the dark money donors are.

Recently-passed laws in Arkansas, Arizona, Iowa, Oklahoma, Mississippi, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia are based on model legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, which brings together corporate lobbyists and conservative lawmakers to advance special-interest, business-friendly legislation.

“ALEC is deeply enmeshed with the sprawling political influence networks tied to billionaire families like the Kochs and the Bradleys, both of which use non-disclosing nonprofits that help to conceal how money is funneled,” Donald Shaw reported for Sludge on June 15, 2021 “Penalties for violating the laws vary between the states, but in some states could include prison sentences.”

“Shaw explained how these bills create a loophole allowing wealthy individuals and groups to pass ‘dark money’ anonymously to 501© organizations which in turn can make independent expenditures to influence elections (or contribute to other organizations that make independent political expenditures, such as Super PACs), effectively shielding the ultimate source of political funds from public scrutiny,” Project Censored summarized “‘These bills are about making dark money darker,’ Aaron McKean, legal counsel

for the Campaign Legal Center, told Shaw.”

The South Dakota law was overwhelmingly passed by the GOP-dominated legislature despite the fact that voters passed a 2016 ballot measure requiring disclosure of “the identity of donors who give more than $100 to organizations for the purpose of political expenditures,” a requirement the legislature repealed a year later, Shaw reported in February 2021

There’s a federal impact as well. “In a March 2022 article for Sludge, Shaw documented that the federal omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal year 2022 contained a rider exempting political groups that declare themselves ‘social welfare organizations’ from reporting their donors, and another preventing the Securities and Exchange Commission from ‘requiring corporations to publicly disclose more of their political and lobbying spending,’” Project Censored noted, going on to cite a May 2021 article from Open Secrets about Senate Republicans’ “Don’t Weaponize the IRS Act,” that “would prevent the IRS from requiring that 501©(4) nonprofits disclose their top donors.”

Democrats and good government groups have pushed back “On April 27, 2021, thirty-eight Democratic senators sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig urging them to roll back an anti-disclosure

rule put in place by the Trump Administration,” Project Censored reported. “In addition, the Democrats’ comprehensive voting-rights bill, the For the People Act, would have compelled the disclosure of all contributions by individuals who surpass $10,000 in donations in a given reporting period The bill was passed by the House but died in the Senate.”

While there’s been some coverage of some aspects of this story a Washington Post story about Democrats pressuring the Biden administration, the Associated Press reporting on South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s defense of her state’s law except for regional papers like the Tampa Bay Times, Project Censored reports, “There has been little acknowledgment in the establishment press of the stream of ALEC-inspired bills passing through state legislatures that seek to keep the source of so much of the money spent to influence elections hidden in the shadows.”

10 MajorMedia OutletsLobbyAgainst Regulationof“Surveillance Advertising”

“SURVEILLANCEADVERTISING”— collecting users’ data to target them with tailored advertising has become a ubiquitous, extremely profitable practice on the world’s most popular social media apps and platforms Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, etc. But now, as Lee Fang reported for the Intercept in February 2022, the Biden administration’s Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, is seeking to regulate user data collection. Lobbyists for the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) are pushing back.

“In a letter, IAB called for the FTC to oppose a ban on data-driven advertising networks, claiming the modern media cannot exist without mass data collection,” Fang reported.

“The IAB represents both data brokers and online media outlets that depend on digital advertising, such as CNN, the New York Times, MSNBC, Time, U.S. News and World Report, the Washington Post, Vox, the Orlando Sentinel, Fox News, and dozens of other media companies,” Fang explained. “The privacy push has largely been framed as a showdown between technology companies and the administra-

tion,” but “The lobbying reveals a tension that is rarely a center of the discourse around online privacy: Major media corporations increasingly rely on a vast ecosystem of privacy violations, even as the public relies on them to report on it.” As a result, “Major news outlets have remained mostly silent on the FTC’s current push and a parallel effort to ban surveillance advertising by the House and Senate by Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and Sen Cory Booker, D-N.J.,” Fang concluded.

“The IAB argues that targeted advertising and, by extension, the siphoning of user data has become necessary due to declining revenues from print sales and subscriptions,” Project Censored summarized “Non-digital advertising revenue decreased from $124.8 billion in 2011 to $89.8 billion in 2020, while digital advertising revenue rose from $31.9 billion to $152.2 billion in the same period, according to Pew Research.” Complicating matters, “The personal information collected by online media is typically sold to aggregators, such as BlueKai (owned by Oracle) and OpenX, that exploit user data including data describing minors to create predictive models of users’ behavior, which are then sold to advertising agencies. The covert nature of surveillance advertising makes it difficult for users to opt out.” In addition, “The user information collected by media sites also enables direct manipulation of public perceptions of political issues, as famously happened when the British consulting firm Cambridge Analytica tapped into personal data from millions of Facebook users to craft campaign propaganda during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.”

“The corporate media have reported the FTC’s openness to new rules limiting the collection and exploitation of user data, but have generally not drawn attention to IAB lobbying against the proposed regulations,” Project Censored noted, citing articles in the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post as examples “[N]either outlet discussed IAB, its lobbying on this issue, or the big media clients the organization represents.”

Paul Rosenberg is a Los Angeles, California-based writer, senior editor for Random Lengths News, and a columnist for Salon and Al Jazeera English. ©Random Lengths News, a division of Beacon Light Press, 2022

FamilyTies

FORNDEYE“QUEEN”NDIR,JULY21

MARKED ALOT of firsts. Notonly wasitthe dayshe opened her first restaurant, Ndindy African Cuisine, at 2600 Martin Luther King Jr.Blvd.,but it wasalso the first time sheevercooked in a restaurantkitchen

“Cookingfor two, threeor10people at home is nothinglikerunning arestaurant,”saysthe chef,who lives in Chalmettewithher husband and four children,including her son Naby whowas borninNovember

Ndir movedfromher home in Dakar, Senegal to theU.S.toattend college.Motherhoodchangedher plans,and Ndir raised childrenand braidedhairtoearna living.After shecame to NewOrleans and met her currentpartner,she helped her husband in hisAZAfrican Clothing business in theFrenchMarket. There, many merchants of African descentand Muslimsasked her to cook thefoods of home forthem.

“When I’mcooking, I’mhappy. Nothingelse matters,”Ndirsays. “Ittakes stress away.I’m so in love with food and makingother people happy. Iknowit’swhatI was meanttodo.”

She had been lookingfor arestaurant location forawhile,but nothing wasa good fit. Then afriendtold her aboutthe place forrenton Martin Luther King Jr.Boulevard “Itwas really perfect,”she says.“It took my husband aminutetofeel comfortablewith thelocation— he putupcameras andalarms. Iwas pregnant when we opened,and he wanted to be sure Iwas safe.”

Open forlunch throughearly dinner hours Wednesdaythrough Sunday,the restaurantdraws a steadystream of her countrymen and neighbors.

Ndindy (pronounced nin-dee)is named forher great-great-grandfather’s village. Hisfather was AhmadouBambaMbacke,aSufi saintand religious leader andfounder of alarge Islamic brotherhood

“HeiswelllovedinSenegal,likea Gandhi —agood andhumbleperson,”she says.“He’s an important part of ourfamily history.”

Most of thedishes at Ndindy are Senegalese, although thereare also specialties from Nigeria and Ghana, as well as afew Jamaicandishesthat shelovestoeat and cook,including curried goat, jerk chicken and slow-braised oxtail stew.Shrimp, chicken and steak shawarma also areoffered,with abit of her signature blend of spices.

“I can’tleave home behindnomatter what Imake,”she says “I make shawarma traditionally butuse a differentsauce and spice.”

DakarNOLAchef Serigne Mbayeisa closefriend. “Queen’s food is really homey,” he says.“Isendpeople to her allthe time to getatasteofreal Senegalesecuisine.”

Senegalesefoodisanamalgamation of influences from North Africa, Franceand Portugaland relies heavily on braising, grilling overcharcoal anddishesmade with cassava, millet andplantains Yassachicken is abig seller that coaxes deep flavorfromsimple ingredients: grilled chicken with a hintofsmoke, caramelizedonions, brightcitrus andgingerand spicy Scotch bonnet chilies

Egusiisa popularNigeriansoup made with atraditional one-pot method that combines melon seed,pepper, leafyvegetables and meat.Manyofher fish disheshave anutty taste derivedfrompalm oil, acommoncooking ingredient in Senegal.

NewOrleaniansmay find her okra soup akissing cousin to gumbo, withoutthe pork.Jolloff rice is similar to jambalaya,although it’s traditionally cooked overanopen fire so the flavorissmoky.She makesfantastic fataya,orseasoned ground beef pies

which aresimilar to empanadas or Natchitoches meat pies.

Therestaurantdoesmostlytakeoutbusiness, although thereare a fewtables forguests to dine in.A bright bluecolorpalette is accentuated with artand artifacts from acrossAfrica. “Mycustomersbring me thingswhentheygohometo visit,”Ndir says

As shecontinues to learn the business,Ndir wantstobring more of her countrytoNew Orleans and beyond,including an Africanbaby clothingline. Shealso dreams of addinga second restaurantlocation in theFrenchMarketorFrench Quarter, butfor nowshe’stakingit onestepata time

“I just started,” shesays. “I am very happy.”

FORK +CENTER

Emaildining@gambitweekly.com

Hubbahubba

JENNIFERSAMUELSANNOUNCEDTHE

OPENINGDATESANDLOCATIONS

for

King Cake Hub, theseasonal market offering awideselection of king cakesfromareabakeries.

ThemainKingCakeHub opensat 8:30 a.m. Friday,Jan.6,at1464S BroadSt.,inaspace adjoiningZony Mash Beer Project. An opening party includesmusic by Josh Paxton.It will be openfrom8:30 a.m. to 6p.m dailythrough LundiGras.

TheShop at TheHistoricNew OrleansCollectionwill be an outlet again this year.Itopensat9:30 a.m. Friday,Jan.6,and therewill be music by DJ Eureka Starfish.Its regularhours willbe9:30a.m.to4:30 p.m. Tuesdaythrough Saturday,and 10:30a.m.to4:30p.m.onSundays

King Cake Hubwill offermore than 70 versions and varieties of kingcakefrombakersincluding BittersweetConfections,Breadson Oak, Brennan’s,Bywater Bakery,

Caluda’s King Cake,Cannata’s, Caywood &Randazzo’sBakery, Hi Do Bakery,GraciousBakery+ Cafe, JoeGambino’sBakery, NOCCA/ Cake Cafe,SugarLoveBakery, Nolita,Mad Batter Bakery,Waffles on Maple andMarguerite’s Cakes. Therealso will be king cake doughnuts from PawPaw’s Donuts,aswell as other king cake-related sweets King Cake Hubisholding a King Cake MonarchPageant at Zony Mash Beer Projectat9 p.m. Thursday, Jan.5.Therewill be musicbySoulProject and entertainmentfromCarnival groups includingLaLucha Krewe, Sassyracsand Voulez Krewe. At midnight,slicesofkingcakewill be cutand amonarchcrowned. Food truckSoutherns also will be on hand.

PHOTO BY CHERYL GERBER OwnerNdeye“Queen”Ndir, hersonPrinceNdirand NdeyeFatourNdiayeat NdindyAfricanCuisine.

PHOTO BY IANMCNULTY / THETIMES-PICAYUNE

King Cake Hubwas started by Samuelsand herlatehusband Will Samuels.Theyopenedthe LakeviewrestaurantPizza NOLA and thegelatoparlorLaDolce NOLA, andhostedeventslike “Sharknado”watch partiesatthe restaurant.TheylaunchedKing Cake Hubin2018tooffer awide selectionofkingcakes at one centralizedspace.Will Samuels diedinSeptember 2021.

Alistofbakers and available king cakesispostedat kingcakehub.com.Deliveryis available throughd’Livery.

—WILLCOVIELLO

Choregroups

CHOTHAI,THERESTAURANTSTARTED BYJIMMYCHOANDTHEBRGHOSPITALITYGROUP,has been closed sincefall. It’s notpermanently closed,its operators say, butits future is still aquestionmark.

OctavioMantilla, amanaging partnerfor BRG, says therestaurant wastemporarily closedin

theshort-livedBRG concept Warbucks,and before that wasa coal-fired pizzarestaurantcalled Amici.For many years it wasa location of theMiddleEastern restaurant Byblos.

—IAN McNULTY/ THETIMES-PICAYUNE

Outpostnews

WHENTHELAKEVIEWRESTAURANT

ELLE-J’SCLOSEDLASTSUMMER,its address at 900Harrison Ave. did notstayupfor grabslong. The ownersofthe nearby restaurant Velvet Cactus andthe Mid-City barWrong Iron on theLafitte Greenway pounced, leasing thespace right away whilestill developing plansfor what they’d open there.

Thoseplans have progressed

It will be anew restaurant called Outpost45, says RustyWhite, oneofthe partnersinthe project.

While themenuisstill in the works, theaim is to be acasual, family-friendlyrestaurantmixing localflavors with American comfort food.Itwill have alarge bar, which haslongbeenpartofthe designhere.

Outpost45isontrack to open in March.

Thenumberinthe name comes fromthe buslineserving Lakeview.

Whitesaidearlier that he andhis partnersweresurethe restaurant address would be asought-after spot andquicklynabbeditto take on anew venture.

BY IANMCNULTY / THETIMES-PICAYUNE ChoThaiclosedinfall2022.

Octoberbecause thecompany washired to runanemergency feedingprogram in Fort Myers, Florida, afterHurricane Ian. BRG tapped stafffromthe restaurant forthatwork, which is nowwrappingup.

However,with theleasecoming dueonthe restaurantspace at 3218 Magazine St., Mantillasays he and Cho arestill discussing theirnextmoves.

They mayrenew at thesame location,pending some repairs to theproperty, or they could potentiallyrelocateCho Thai elsewhere, Mantillasays.

Cho is best knownfor his Gretna restaurantBanana BlossomThai Cafe,which he startedina storesmallstrip mall in 2009 and latermovedtoits larger currentlocation.

Cho worked with BRGtoopen Cho Thai in thespringof2020, oneofthe first newrestaurants to open during thepandemic.

Thespace hasa long restaurant history. It waspreviously

“Weall livehereinLakeview, and we want something that’s goingtobegoodfor Lakeview,” he says

This corner spot along Lakeview’s main street has seen anumber of restaurants through theyears,includingLeano’s, Barataria andLago

Before becomingElle-J’sin 2019,ithad a10-year run as Mondo,aneclectic, neighborhood-style restaurantfrom acclaimedlocal chef Susan Spicer. TodaySpicerruns her casual restaurantRosedale nearby and her original restaurant Bayona in theFrenchQuarter and hasa differentversion of Mondo in theLouis ArmstrongNew OrleansInternational Airport.

Forthe next restaurant here, White says he and hispartners arefocused on bringingsomethingaccessible to theneighborhood foranytime dining

“The thingaboutLakeviewis, if youdosomething good theneighborhood is so loyal theywill supportit,”hesays.

—IAN McNULTY/ THETIMES-PICAYUNE

PHOTO

WINE OF THE WEEK

BIN No.27

Fonseca Porto

Myisha‘Maya’Mastersson

by Will Coviello

THOUGHSHEALREADYHADACULINARY DEGREE,MAYAMASTERSSONFIRSTCAME TONEWORLEANS in the1990s to studyatDillardUniversity, thinking about pursuing medicine. Butcookingisher calling,and shereturned to thecityseveral yearsago to pursue culinaryprojects, including catering andteachingevents. On Sunday,Jan.15, shepresentsthe multicoursedinner SOUL at the Margaret PlaceHotel.For information and tickets, visit eventcreate. com/e/soul.Findmoreinformation aboutMastersson on Instagram, @blackrouxculinarycollective.

Howdidyouget intocooking?

So Iwas in school full time and wasthe sous chef at anew restaurant.I ranthe catering departmentfor theHotel MonacoinBaltimore.

This sweetwineshows fresh,richblackberry and cassis aromas. On the palate,ithas awell-knit structure, with avelvety, luscious mouthfeeland smooth tannins.This wine pairs well withstrongflavoredhardcheeses—a good farmhouse Cheddar or an aged Gouda would be perfect.

DISTRIBUTED BY

MAYA MASTERSSON: Ialways had apassion forcooking. It’s somethingI love to do.Igrewupin afamily that cooked allthe time. I have been cookingsince Iwas 10, when Iwould cook with my grandmother andmymother.Cooking at home wasa bigproduction. Whenever we didsomething, it’d be 20 or 30 people coming to the house.Idid my first Thanksgiving dinner cooking by myself at age11. Imadeturkey,cornbread dressing, some greens and monkey bread. When Iwas maybe18or19, my mother gotremarried.I wasbroke, so my gift to them forthe wedding wastocook allthe food forthe reception. It wascool. It was75 people,and Imadestuffed pasta, like raviolistuffed with shrimp and spinach,and Idid barbecue meatballs,fingersandwiches and crudites.Itwas anicelittlespread. I missed thewedding because Iwas in thebasementofthe church cookingthe whole time

Before that Ihad summer jobs working in kitchens. Ihad beenin theindustry.But afterthe wedding Idecided to pursue it professionally. IwenttoBaltimore International College.Igot accepted to Johnson &Wales andthe CIA, butthislittle schoolgavemethe most scholarship and thelowest cost.I already knew howtocook,soitwas more instillingthe fundamentalsofdoing things moreefficiently

Whathaveyou pursuedprofessionally?

M: WhileIwas in culinaryschool, Ihelpedtoopen anew restaurant.

Iwas theclubhouse chef forthe BaltimoreOrioles IwenttoSeattle for10years.I was thepastry chef at acafe,and we did allthe pastry for theWashington Stateferry system.I became theexecutive chef at Vashon Island Golf &Country Club,onanisland outsideofSeattle

Istarted my own catering company.

Ihave been on Food Networka couple of times. Iwas on “Guy’s GroceryGames” twice. Iwon $18,000 on thefirst episode, and I wasinvited back to atournament. Idid acouple of other showsthat haven’tbeenreleasedyet.One’son Food Networkand one’sgoingtobe on TV One.

When Imovedhere, Idid alot of culinary classesand traveltied together.But then Covidhit.I did abunch of pop-upsaroundtown, catering and privatechefgigs. One of my focuseswas to find avenue formyown supper club, butit’sdifficult because so many venues are so expensive. Or people would offer to letmeuse adivebar forfree, but Ithink theambienceneedstomatch thefood andthe vibe

NowwithSerigne (Mbaye)getting hisnew spot,the spacehewas usingatthe Margaret PlaceHotel opened up.SoIwentand metthe manager. We’redoingthe first event on the15th.

Whatdoyouhaveplanned fortheSOULdinner?

M: Thedinner is sevencourses Thereisanoptional cocktailpairing Therewill be musicand betweenthe coursesI’lltalkaboutthe historyof thefood.

Isay it’s aculinaryessay definingthe food lineageofthe African diaspora.It’sthe food that came overtothe Americas during the transatlanticslave trade, and the

food that wasgiven to slaves that they took andmadeintodishesthat havebecomepopular— and some of them still have some stigma to them Alot of things that happenedinthe culinary worldatthattimegreatly impact howweeat now.

This is my wayoftakingthese foodsand itemsthathad been looked down upon and elevating them.Watermelonand peanuts come over from Africa and were giventoslavesbecause they stayed cool whileitwas hot. Therewas a lotofpeanuts and ground nutstews thatslavesate.And therewas offal, ham hocks andchitlinsand stufflike that.Theycreated acuisineoftheir ownout of necessity. Some of these things have made it into fancy restaurants. Nowwe’re making fancy pig tails. This is whywe’re eating oxtails now. Ifeellikethat’sreally important. Thereare twofamilies of rice.There is rice from Asia and rice from Africa Ninety-fivepercent of thericegrown and consumed in theAmericas is descendedfromthe ricefromAfrica.

Sorghummolasses wassomething that wasgrown on plantations. So Iamdoingadishwithfermented molasses andLouisiana popcorn rice,cooked in thestyle of stickyrice.

It’s crispy ricewithwhipped butter beans. These(ingredients) were consideredslave’s food and then poor man’s food.Iwanttofeellikemy ancestors whocame over andhad to eatthiscan look down andsmile and seepeople whowanttoeat this

PROVIDED PHOTO BY AMYTONEY

Chef

Out 2Eat is an indexofGambit contract advertisers. Unlessnoted, addresses arefor NewOrleans and all accept credit cards. Updates: Email willc@gambitweekly.com or call (504) 483-3106.

Acorn— 12 HenryThomas Drive, (504) 218-5413;acornnola.com— Thecafe a at theLouisiana Children’s Museum haskid-and adult-friendly menu Blackenedshrimpfillatrio of tacos toppedwith arugula,radish, pineapple-mango salsaand cilantro-lime sauce.Noreservations.breakfast and lunch Wed.-Sun $$

Andrea’s Restaurant— 3100 N. 19th St.,Metairie,(504) 834-8583;andreasrestaurant.com Speckled trout royale is toppedwith crabmeatand lemon-cream sauce. Capelli D’Andrea combines house-made angel hair pasta andsmokedsalmonincream sauce. Deliveryavailable.Lunchand dinnerdaily,brunchSun $$$

Angelo Brocato’s — 214N.Carrollton Ave.,(504) 486-1465;angelobrocatoicecream.com This sweetshop serves itsown gelato, spumoni, Italianice, cannolis,biscotti,fig cookies, tiramisu, macaroonsand othertreats. Lunch anddinner Tue.-Sun $

Annunciation— 1016 Annunciation St.,(504) 568-0245;annunciationrestaurant.com Themenuhighlights Gulf seafood in Creole,Cajun and Southerndishes. Gulf Drum Yvonne is served with brownbuttersauce with mushrooms andartichoke hearts Reservations recommended.Dinner Thu.-Mon $$$

TheBlue Crab Restaurant andOyster Bar— 118Harbor View Court, Slidell, (985)315-7001; 7900 Lakeshore Drive, (504)284-2898;thebluecrabnola.com

Themenuincludessandwiches, friedseafood platters,boiledseafood and more. Basinbarbecueshrimp areservedovercheesegrits with acheesebiscuit.Outdoor seating available.Noreservations.Lakeview: lunch and dinnerTue.-Sun. Slidell: lunch Fri.-Sat., dinnerWed.-Sun. $$ Broussard’s— 819Conti St.,(504) 581-3866;broussards.com Themenu includesCreole andcreativecontemporary dishes.Rainbow troutamandine is served withtassoand corn macque chouxand Creole meuniere sauce.Reservations recommended. Outdoor seatingavailable.Dinner Wed.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$$

Cafe Normandie— Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew HigginsBlvd.,(504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining The menu combines classicFrenchdishes and Louisiana itemslikeCrabbeignets withherbaioli.Noreservations Breakfastand lunch daily $$

Common Interest HotelIndigo, 705 Common St.,(504) 595-5605;commoninterestnola.com Shrimpremoulade Cobb salad comeswith avocado, bluecheese, tomatoes,bacon,egg and corn relish.Beefdebris tops goat cheese and thymegrits.Reservations accepted.Breakfast, lunch,dinner and late-night daily $$ Curio— 301Royal St.,(504) 717-4198; curionola.com ThecreativeCreole menu includes blackenedGulfshrimp served with chicken andandouillejambalaya.Reservations accepted.Lunch and dinner daily $$

Desire Oyster Bar— RoyalSonesta NewOrleans, 300Bourbon St., (504)586-0300;sonesta.com/

$ —average dinner entrée under $10

$$ —$11-$20 $$$ —$20-up

desireoysterbar— Themenu higlights Gulf seafood in Creole dishes Char-grilledoysters aretopped with Parmesan and herbs.Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunchand dinner daily. $$

Dickie Brennan’sBourbon House 144Bourbon St.,(504) 522-0111; bourbonhouse.com— Theseafood restauranthas araw barand alarge selectionofbourbon.Redfish on theHalfshelliscooked skin-onand served with lemon buerreblanc Reservations accepted.Lunch and dinnerdaily $$$

Felix’s Restaurant&OysterBar — 739Iberville St.,(504) 522-4440; 7400 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 3044125;felixs.com Louisiana oysters areservedraw or char-grilled with garlic,Parmesanand breadcrumbs. Themenuincludesseafood platters, crawfish etouffee,po-boys and more. No reservations.Lunch and dinner daily $$

Frey Smoked Meat Co.— 4141 Bienville St.,Suite 110,(504) 488-7427;freysmokedmeat.com Thebarbecue restaurantservespulledpork, St.Louis ribs,brisket, sausages andmore. Fried pork belly poppersare tossed in pepperjelly glaze.Noreservations.Lunch and dinner daily $$

FrootOrleans — 2438 Bell St.,Suite B, (504)233-3346; frootorleans.com— Theshop serves freshfruit in platters, smoothie bowlssuchasa strawberry shortcakesmoothie and more using pineapple,various berries,citrus and more. No reservations.Outdoor seatingavailable.Breakfast and lunch daily. $$

Joey K’s— 3001 Magazine St.,(504) 891-0997;joeyksrestaurant.com— The menu includes friedseafood platters, salads,sandwiches and redbeans and rice.Sauteed troutTchoupitoulas is toppedwith shrimp andcrabmeat. Delivery available. Lunchand dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$

Juan’s FlyingBurrito 515Baronne St.,(504) 529-5825; 2018 Magazine St., (504)569-0000; 4724 S. Carrollton Ave.,(504) 486-9950;8140Oak St., (504)897-4800;juansflyingburrito.com

TheFlying Burritoincludesgrilled steak,shrimp, chicken,cheddar-jack cheese,black beans, yellow rice,guacamole and salsa.The menu also has tacos, quesadillas,nachosand more. Outdoor seatingavailable.Noreservations.Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue $$ Katie’sRestaurant— 3701 Iberville St.,(504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity. com— ACajun Cubanhas roasted pork,grilled ham, cheese andpickles onbutteredbread.The Boudreaux pizzaistopped withcochon de lait, spinach, redonions and roasted garlic.Deliveryavailable.Reservations accepted forlarge parties.Lunch and dinnerTue.-Sun. $$

Kilroy’s Bar— Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew HigginsBlvd.,(504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining— The barmenuincludessandwiches,flatbreads,saladsand more. ALouisiana peach flatbreadhas prosciutto, stracciatellacheese,arugula and pecans. No reservations.Dinner Wed.-Sat $$

Legacy Kitchen’sCraft Tavern — 700Tchoupitoulas St.,(504) 6132350;legacykitchen.com— The menuincludesoysters,flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches,saladsand more.ANOLAStyle GritsBowl is topped with bacon,cheddar and apoached egg. Reservations accepted.Breakfast, lunchand dinner daily $$

LegacyKitchen Steak&Chop — 91 Westbank Expressway,Gretna, (504) 513-2606;legacykitchen.com The menu includes filets mignons, bone-in rib-eyesand topsirloins,aswellas burgers, salads andseafood dishes Reservations accepted.Outdoor seatingavailable.Lunchand dinner Mon.-Sat $$

MartinWine Cellar — 714Elmeer Ave.,Metairie,(504) 896-7350;3827 BaronneSt.,(504) 894-7444;martinwine.com— Thespiritsshop’s deli serves sandwiches,saladsand more TheSenasalad includes roasted chicken,raisins,blue cheese,pecans and greenswith Tabascopepperjelly vinaigrette. No reservations

Lunchdaily $$

MidCityPizza — 6307 S. Miro St., (504)509-6224; midcitypizza.com— Thepizza jointservesNew York-style pies,calzones, sandwiches and salads Shrimp remoulade pizzaincludes spinach, onion and garlic.Delivery available.Noreservations.LunchThu.-

Sun.,dinner Thu.-Mon $$ Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504)488-1881; mikimotosushi.com TheSouth Carrollton roll includestuna tataki,avocado and snow crab.The menu also has sushi, sashimi,noodle dishes,teriyakiand more.Reservations accepted.Deliveryavailable.Lunch Sun.-Fri., dinner daily $$ Mosca’s— 4137 Highway90West, Westwego,(504) 436-8950;moscasrestaurant.com This family-style eateryservesItaliandishesand specialties including shrimp Moscaand chickena la grande. Bakedoysters Moscaismade with breadcrumbs and Italianseasonings.Reservations accepted.DinnerWed.-Sat. Cash only. $$$

Mother’s Restaurant— 401Poydras St., (504)523-9656; mothersrestaurant.net— Thiscounter-servicespot is knownfor po-boysdressed with cabbage and Creole favorites, such as jambalaya, crawfish etouffee and redbeans and rice.Deliveryavailable No reservations.Breakfast, lunchand dinner daily $$ Nephew’sRistorante— 4445 W. Metairie Ave.,Metairie,(504) 533-9998; nephewsristorante.com ChefFrank Catalanottoisthe namesake“nephew” whoran thekitchen at Tony Angello’s restaurant. TheCreole-Italianmenu features dishes like veal,eggplant or chicken parmigiana.Reservations required.Dinner Tue.-Sat $$ Neyow’sCreole Cafe — 3332Bienville St.,(504) 827-5474;neyows.com The menu includes redbeans with fried chicken or porkchops, as well as seafoodplatters, po-boys,char-grilled oysters, pasta, salads andmore. No reservations.Lunchdaily,dinner Mon.Sat.,brunch Sun. $$

Nice Guys Bar&Grill — 7910 Earhart Blvd., (504) 302-2404;niceguysbarandgrillnola.com Char-grilled oystersare toppedwith cheese.The menualso includeswings,quesadillas,burgers, sandwiches,salads, seafood pasta and

more.Noreservations.Lunchdaily, dinner Mon.-Sat $$$

Nonno’s CajunCuisine andPastries 1940 Dauphine St., (504) 354-1364; nonnoscajuncuisineandpastries.com

Themenu includes home-style Cajunand Creoledisheswith some vegan options.Shrimpare sauteed withonions andpeppers, topped withcheeseand served with two eggs andtoast.Deliveryavailable Reservations accepted.Breakfast and lunch daily. $$

PeacockRoom— KimptonHotel Fontenot,501 Tchoupitoulas St.,(504) 324-3073; peacockroomnola.com Blacklentilvadouvancurry comeswith roastedtomatoes,forest mushrooms and basmati rice.The menuincludes smallplates, aburger,salads and more. Reservations accepted.DinnerWed.Mon.,brunchSun $$

Rosie’sonthe Roof— HigginsHotel, 480AndrewHigginsBlvd.,(504) 5281941;higginshotelnola.com/dining The rooftopbar has amenuofsandwiches, burgersand smallplates. No reservations.Dinner daily. $$

Tacklebox— 817Common St., (504)827-1651; legacykitchen.com— Theseafood restaurantservesraw andchar-grilled oysters, seafood, burgers, salads andmore. Redfish St.Charles is served withgarlic-herb butter,asparagus,mushroomsand crawfish cornbread. Reservations accepted.Breakfast, lunchand dinner daily. $$

Tavolino Pizza&Lounge— 141 Delaronde St.,(504) 605-3365; tavolinonola.com— Themenu features thin-crust pizzas,salads,meatballs and more.ABehrman Hwy. pizzaistopped withporkbelly,caramel, carrots, radishes,jalapenosand herbs.Noreservations.Outdoor seatingavailable Dinner Tue.-Sat $$

Theo’sNeighborhoodPizza — 1212 S. ClearviewParkway,Elmwood,(504) 733-3803;2125Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie,(504) 510-4282; 4024 Canal St.,(504) 302-1133;4218 Magazine St.,(504) 894-8554; 70488 Highway21, Covington,(985)2349420; theospizza.com AMarilynn PotaSupreme pie is toppedwith mozzarella,pepperoni,sausage, hamburger, mushrooms, bellpeppers andonions.Therealso aresalads, sandwichesand more.Takeoutand deliveryavailable.Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat $

Tito’sCeviche& Pisco— 1433 St. CharlesAve., (504) 354-1342;5015 Magazine St., (504)267-7612; titoscevichepisco.com— Peruvian lomo saltado is adishofbeefsauteed with onions,tomatoes,cilantro, soysauce and pisco, andservedwith fried potatoes andrice. Outdoorseating available on Magazine Street. Delivery available.Reservations accepted Lunchand dinner Mon.-Sat., brunchSun $$$

Zhang Bistro — 1141Decatur St., (504)826-8888; zhangbistronola. com— Themenu includes Chinese and Thai dishes.The Szechuan Hot Wokoffersa choice of chicken, beef,shrimportofuwith onions,bell peppers,cauliflower, jalapenosand spicySichuan sauce.Reservations accepted.Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue $$

TUESDAY3

BAYOUBAR AT THEPONTCHARTRAIN

HOTEL —Peter Harris Quartet, 7:30 pm

GASA GASA —FREELiveBand Karaoke, 8:30 pm

ROYALFRENCHMENHOTEL &BAR TrumpetMafia,6 pm

THERABBITHOLE —Rebirth Brass Band,10pm

WEDNESDAY4

BAYOUBAR AT THEPONTCHARTRAIN

HOTEL —Peter Harris Trio, 7:30 pm

BLUE NILE —New BreedBrass Band,9pm

D.B.A. —CristianDuque&The Roadmasters,9 pm

GASA GASA —Byron Danielwith Callie Hinesand OldBar Stools,9 pm

HARDROCKCAFE NEWORLEANS Adam Pearce,7 pm

HOTELMONTELEONE —JamesMartin Band,8 pm

THEJAZZPLAYHOUSE —Funkin' It Up withBig Sam, 7:30 pm

THURSDAY5

BAYOUBAR AT THEPONTCHARTRAIN

HOTEL —Peter Harris Quartet, 8pm

BLUE NILE —WhereY’atBrass Band,9pm

BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM —Reggae Nightwith DJ Troy,11pm

BUFFAS —Tom McDermott and MeschiyaLake, 7pm

CAFE NEGRIL —SierraGreen and the SoulMachine, 10 pm

GASA GASA —Mad Dog Menageriewith TeenaMay and Alex Pianovich,9 pm

LE BONTEMPS ROULE —Soul Rebels, 11 pm

MAPLE LEAF —RossHoppe: Booker Piano Sessions,6 pm;Johnny Vidacovich Trio, 8pm

NEW ORLEANSJAZZNATIONAL HISTORICALPARKINDUTCH ALLEY JohnetteDowning,11am

THEJAZZPLAYHOUSE —Brass-AHolics,7:30 pm

FRIDAY6

BAYOUBAR AT THEPONTCHARTRAIN

HOTEL —Peter Harris Trio,8pm

BLUE NILE —The CaesarBrothers’ Funk Box, 7pm; KermitRuffins &The BBQ Swingers,11pm

BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM —Trumpet Slim &Brass Flavor,10pm

CHICKIEWAHWAH —KickoffToCarnival withCreole String Beans,8pm D.B.A. —Honey Island Swamp Band,10pm

GASA GASA —Palomino Blond with Smelter and Will Roesner,9pm

HIDEAWAY DEN&ARCADE —Sinners Revival,SpringHeeledJax,RoomOne0-One, 8pm

KERRYIRISH PUB —PatrickCooper,9pm MAPLE LEAF —101 Runners, 10 pm

NOLABREWING TAPROOM —CardboardCowboy, 6pm

THERABBITHOLE —BoDollis&The Wild Magnolias, 7:30 pm

TIPITINA’S —Amanda Shaw’s Twelfth NightCelebrationw/SpecialGuests Choppa &Big Sam, 7pm

SATURDAY7

BAYOUBAR AT THEPONTCHARTRAIN

HOTEL —Jordan Anderson, 8pm

BJ'S LOUNGE —Magnetic Ear+ Sweet MagnoliaBrass Band,8 pm

BLUE NILE —George BrownBand,7 pm

BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM —The MarignyStreetBrass Band,10pm

BUFFAS —The MerryLadies-Jazzvocal groupfromFinland,7 pm

BOURREE —Cast Iron Cactus,5 pm

CHICKIEWAHWAH —PaulSanchez,7pm

D.B.A. —Tuba Skinny,6 pm;LittleFreddie King,10pm

GASA GASA —War Bunnieswith Prey ForNeighbors ,9 pm

LOUISJ.ROUSSEL PERFORMANCE HALLATLOYOLA UNIVERSITY "The Conductor's Spellbook",11am MAPLE LEAF —Louis Michot,8 pm

NOLA BREWING TAPROOM —Jamie Bernsteinand theYakameiniacs, 6pm

SANTOS —Thornprick w/Endurethe Affliction,Archosand Pixelcreep,8pm

SIBERIA —ForsakenProfits,The Bills, WaxOffering, OX45,The Chodes, 9pm

THEALLWAYS LOUNGE &CABARET TheNew Orleans High SocietyHour, 8pm

THERABBITHOLE —420 Funk Mobft. members of ParliamentFunkadelic,9pm

TIPITINA'S —Dave BartholomewExperience,8 pm

SUNDAY8

BLUE NILE —The BakedPotatoes, 7pm; StreetLegends Brass Band,10pm

BUFFAS —Traditional Jazz Brunchwith Some Like It Hot!,11am

NOLABREWING TAPROOM —The Tanglers,3pm

THEJAZZPLAYHOUSE —GlenDavid AndrewsBand,7:30pm

TIPITINA’S —ATribute to Walter “Wolfman”Washington, 8pm

MONDAY9

D.B.A. —The Iguanas ,6 pm;Meschiya Lake and theLittleBig Horns, 9pm

MAPLE LEAF —George Porter Jr.Trio, 7 &10pm

SCAN FOR THE COMPLETE GAMBIT CALENDAR

MUSIC

FindingVoice

by JakeClapp

LOUISMICHOTSTARTED RECORDINGASOLOALBUM by accident.Atthe height of thepandemic shutdowns, Michot spentlongdaysinthe studio he’d builtonahouseboat dry-docked at hishome in PrairieDes Femmes

He began recording a series of shortdemos around theworkand time he spent there: abeathemadeon asampler, inspirationhe founddiggingthrough oldrecordings from ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax, or an idea he’d had upon waking up at 4a.m.

“The pandemic wassoslowat some points that Ihad twomicrophones outsideofmystudio,” the Grammy-winning musician says. “I’d always record whatever nature washappening whileI’m recording my music, so thesoundsofthe seasons were embeddedinthe original tracks.”

Before long,he’dbuilt up asolid collection of demos—but they didn’t quitefit with themusic he makes as part of Lost BayouRamblers or his more experimental Michot’s Melody Makers.For thefirst time in hisnearly 30 yearsasaLouisiana French musician,Michot realized he wasworking on asolo project.

“Itkindoftookmea while to swallowthatphrase, ‘solo record,’”hesays. “And Ijust finally embraced thefactthatthisismy music. I’ve been performing music forsolong andI’vehad so many bands, Ithink Ishould letmyself have my ownvoice.”

Michot is still finishing hisfreshmen solo outing,and thereisn’ta release date yet. Buthewill debut them as part of aSaturday concertseriesthis month at Maple Leaf.StartingJan 7, Michot will hone hisnew material along with specialguests.

Bassistand guitaristBryan Webre and drummer Kirkland Middleton— both of whom playinthe Ramblers and Michot’s Melody Makers —will join Michot foreachperformance Followinggigswill featureCorey Ledetand BruiseyPeets (Jan.14); LeylaMcCalla and JonnyCampos (Jan.21);and Quintron andMark Bingham (Jan.28)

Thoseguest performers allappear on Michot’s upcomingalbum, along with NigerienTuaregguitaristBombino, saxophonistDickie Landry,fifeplayerShardeThomas and theviolinduo String Noise.

Michot’s last residencywas a string of 12 gigs at NewYorkCity’s TheStone in 2016.Halfofthe 12 shows were with established bands, like theRamblers and LesFreres Michot,but theother sets were concepts,suchasThe Stoned, an experimental performance, and Le StringNoise,which featured McCallaoncello with String Noise.

“The Stonestarted so many wheels in motion,” Michot says.

Thefiddler in theRamblers, Melody Makers and hisother outfits,Michotswaps instruments for acoustic andelectricguitarinhis newsolo material.Michotgrewup learning differentinstruments —at 14,hestarted playingbass with hisfather and uncles in LesFreres Michot —and he gravitated to the guitar during high school.But he picked up thefiddleprofessionally at 19 when he andhis brother Andre Michot startedthe Lost Bayou Ramblers.His solo pieces gave hima chance to reconnectwith theguitar, alongwithworking with sampling andsynth-drum

Most of thenew record,Michot says,will be originalswritten almost entirely in Louisiana French,ranging from balladstopoeticrapping. There also is apiece by Creole composer

LouisMoreau Gottschalkaswellas usageofmusic recorded by Lomax.

“It’ll be really exciting to rework the waythatwehave been continuing to evolve theperformanceofLouisiana French music, andwe’ll keep getting deeperintosoundsand samples and dynamics,”Michot says.“That’s really been thefun journeyafter playing this musicfor over20years.”

Louis Michot performs at 8p.m Saturday,Jan.7.Tickets are$15 in advance at mapleleafbar.comand $20atthe door

PROVIDED PHOTO BY RUSH JAGOE CajunmusicianLouisMichot

Sassyracsand Voulez Krewe. Monarchswill be chosen by king cake when thefirst slices of the season arecut at midnight.Zony Mash will release King Cake Imperial Stoutaswell. Thecelebrationbegins at 9p.m.Thursday, Jan.5.Visitfacebook.com/kingcakehubfor information.

Feastofthe

Epiphany Revue

RAMOFHAITIHEADLINESACARNIVAL

CELEBRATION at Cafe Istanbul. RAMwas aleaderinthe mizik rasin, or rootsmusic,movement in Port-au-Prince in the1990s. Thegroup relocatedtoNew Orleans. This show focuseson rara,orthe horn-basedparade musicofHaiti.Also performing is psychedelic funk band Gitkin, featuringmembers of Pimpsof Joytime, andtherewillbea tributetoSade by CarolC.At7 p.m. Friday,Jan.6.Tickets $20.

Krewedes Fleurs

MEMBERSOFTHEKREWEDESFLEURS

DEBUTTHEIRNEWCOSTUMES modeled on theflowers of Louisiana on Saturday,Jan.7,atthe gates of Armstrong Park.Theythen presentthemina mobilegarden parade in theFrenchQuarter beginning at 4p.m.Findinformation aboutthe krewe at krewedesfleurs.org.

Bo Dollis Jr.and Wild Magnolias BODOLLISJR.ANDTHEWILD MAGNOLIASWELCOMETHECARNIVAL

SEASON with MardiGrasIndian musicatthe Rabbit Hole.The show is at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan.6.Tickets$15 in advancevia rabbitholenola.com

Legends of NewOrleans Hip-Hop PARTNERS-N-CRIMEANDDJJUBILEE

HEADLINETHISSHOWCASE of local hip-hop.The lineupalso includes Katey Red, Kilo,Lil Ya and more. At 10 p.m. Saturday,Jan.7,at TheHowlin’ Wolf.Ticketsstart at $56.50 viaEventbrite.

AmandaShaw

Twelfth Night

FIDDLERAMANDASHAWCELEBRATES

THEBEGINNING of Carnival with guestsChoppaand BigSam Williams. At 7p.m.Friday, Jan.6, at Tipitina’s. Tickets $18-$35 at tipitinas.com.

‘GoldenCrown:Big Chief DarrylMontana’

THENEWORLEANSJAZZMUSEUM

OPENSANEXHIBIT celebratingBig ChiefDarrylMontana and150 years of BlackMaskingIndians,

and there’sa two-day symposium at themuseum. Theexpoopensat 2p.m.Friday, Jan.6,and therewill be awreathlayingatthe statueof BigChief Tootie MontanainLouis ArmstrongParkat3:30 p.m. The symposium includes panel discussionsfeaturing Indiancraftsmen and moreonFriday, Jan.6,and Saturday,Jan.7.Visitnolajazzmuseum.org fordetails.

QuinnSternbergBand

BASSISTANDCOMPOSERQUINN STERNBERGWORKSWITHJAZZAND

INDIEROCKGROUPS,including Mighty Brother.Hereleasedhis thirdalbum,“Cicada Songs,” in March. He’s joined by pianist OscarRossignoli,guitarist NahumZdybel,saxophonist SamTaylorand drummer Peter Varnadofor aset of newwork. At 7p.m.Monday, Jan.9,atMarigny OperaHouse.Suggested donation $15. Visitmarignyoperahouse.org fordetails

TheDeadBolts

CHICAGO’STHEDEADBOLTSBLEND

INDIEANDSOUTHERNROCK sounds onits 2021 release “Prettyand BurntOut.” HotelBurgundyand Quarxalso areonthe bill.The show is at 8p.m.Friday, Jan.6,at TheHowlin’ Wolf.Tickets $15via thehowlinwolf.com.

‘Called to theCamera: BlackAmericanStudio Photographers’

THENEWORLEANSMUSEUMOFART

CLOSESITSEXHIBITaboutBlack studio photographers from the mid-19thcentury to thepresent on Sunday,Jan.8.Curator BrianPiper leads afinal gallery talk on the show at noon Wednesday, Jan.4 Visitnoma.org fordetails

PROVIDED PHOTO ChoppaandAmandaShawcelebrate thebeginningofCarnivalseasonat Tipitina’sonFriday,Jan.6.

Runawaybride

by WillCoviello

INEARLYSCENESIN THEDOCUMENTARY “CHILDRENOFTHE MIST,”DIISAVIVACIOUSGIRL with a widesmile and blackponytail, living with herHmong family in rural northernVietnam She laughs when threegenerations of her family getinto amud fightwhile plantingrice. Their farmhas pigs and chickensand sits on alushgreen hillside that shrouds in foginthe morning. Sheand herfriends play agame, allchasing onegirlasthey imitate theHmongcustom of “bride kidnapping.”

Di is 12 yearsold.Bythe end of thefilm, twoand ahalfyears will have passedand much will have changed.

In herfirst feature documentary,Vietnamesefilmmaker Ha Le Diem followsDitoschool, where ateacher jokeswithkidsabout what illegal cropsmay be growing on theirfamilies’ farms. Diem also hasnearlycomplete access to the family and filmsvarious members at allhours.Wewatch thefamily tend to thedemandingworkof farming and talkaboutthe trade valueofa chicken or literofwine. Sometimesthe parentsget drunk and depend on thechildren to tend to thefarmanimals

Oneofthe timesDi’smother drinks toomuchisonthe community’s LunarNew Year celebration. It’s abig festival,and thekids playgamesatwhatlooks like a community festival.Insteadofher normal sportswear,Diisdressed in traditional black garb,with necklacesand herusual earrings

At theevent,she takesselfies with Vang,a boyshe’sbeenflirting with. Eventually,theywalkaway together,and Vang tellsDiemnot to follow them

When Di’s mother realizes that Di is notathomeafter theNew Year’s celebration, shepanics.

At timesinthe documentary, Di seemslikea typical teenager, flirting and gossiping on asmartphone. She and hermother argue aboutthe wisdom of that,and her mother knows plentythather daughter doesn’t.

Many womeninthe generally poor Hmongcommunity

getmarried at ayoung age. They leave schoolintheir early teens. Though technically illegal, bride kidnappingisa generally accepted custom in thecommunity.Ayoung man or boybrings thegirltohis home foraperiodof threedays. Theirfamilies maydiscuss adowry during that time.The girlcan decideagainst marrying theboy during that period. Di isn’t eagerto getmarried,but as Di’s mother seemstoknow, it’s very difficulttostopthe process once it starts.

Diem doesn’t speakthe Hmong language, andshe relies on Di to tellher what’s goingon. Diem is from another area of northern Vietnam,and shewatched some of her friends marry young. She wanted to make afilmaboutthe abruptcrash from childhood into adulthood.

Thefilmhas an amazing sense of intimacy from theunfiltered access Diem got. Often, shestayed withDi’sfamily.Theyrarelyseem to restrain theirconversations or behavior, butinsomesharp moments,Diand Vang do object to thepresenceofthe camera

It’s complicatedtomakea documentary aboutsubjectsone befriends— or in asituation where thedirectorhas distinct feelings aboutthe outcomeofevents. HowDiemintrudes on them with hercamerahereisaninteresting issue. Buteither because of that or regardless of it,the rawfootage is powerful

It’s astunningfilmand debut forits young director, anditwas recently named to theshortlistfor 2023 AcademyAwards. It’s also an unforgettableportraitofDiand her path to adulthood

“Childrenofthe Mist”opens at ZeitgeistTheatre &Lounge on Jan. 6.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ‘CHILDRENOFTHE MIST

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112

113 Nimble

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ACROSS 1Drag race vehicle 8Schuss, e.g. 11Stinging flier 15Contributed 19Halloween mask feature 20Hoodwink 21FalcoofTV 22Leave off 23Tendency toward chaos 24Fido’snoise 25*Star of the 1950s TV series “China Smith” 27BLTseller 28Naval forces 30—Field (Mr. Met’s home) 31*Getting tired 34Baby bird 38Evergreen with redarils 39Actress Polo 40Stephen of “V for Vendetta” 42Young moray,e.g. 43Cowl wearer 45*Hopewhenthe situation is desperate 51Mosque official 54ScroogeportrayerAlastair 55Minerals in thinsheets 56*“Vanity Fair” novelist 61“One World” musician John 65Holders of frozen cubes 66Girl in the fam 67“Insecure” actress 69—Hawkinsdance 70Astonishment 73E’enif 75Actor Bridges 76Fathers 79Auditing gp. 81Wasdisgustingto 84Deep desires 85*Period superseded by automobiles 89Ragtime pianist Blake 90Aficionado 91Large cut 92*Three-part novel by GertrudeStein ANSWERS FORLASTISSUE’S PUZZLE: P2 (504) 895-4663 ABR, CRS, GRI, SFR, SRS TOPPRODUCER GARDEN DISTRICTOFFICE 2016, 2017 &2020 2023 HappyNewYear! Lookingforwardtonewbeginningsand hopefulthatthisyearwillbringus Peace,ProsperityandLove!

Chip topper

Fish spawn

She-sheep

Mughandle

Bitofwordwit

Rapsheet abbr.

Boomer’skid