One a more serious note...

* The City Council has approved the use of $1 million of city money to go towards a memorial honoring the unclaimed victims of Hurricane Katrina. [WAFB] At least they're doing something useful.

* In one of the most disgusting sentences I've heard come out of New Orleans in a long time, a judge has sentenced Jarvis Turner, a 27 year-old accused of robbing $75 from a cab-driver at gun point 3 years ago, to a year in jail for every dollar he stole. That's 75 years. Our most high-profile white collar criminals like Glenn Haydel and Stan Barre can serve little to no time for stealing millions of OUR money, and this guy gets 75 years. I am most definitely not saying what he did was condonable - but this is certainly not an eye-for-an-eye sentence, and I think our court systems money and time would be better spent on addressing our real, more pressing problems. [WDSU]