Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 16:10:09 -0500

From: Michael Pejsach <healthedman@COX.NET>

Subject: Katrina Grieving

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One Year After Hurricane Katrina

New Orleans, August 29, 2006 - Driving down to the Lower 9th Ward is still an unhappy experience. Homes, when present, have been physically moved on top of cars or on other homes. Most homes have not been rebuilt. The community is, for the most part, gone.

Northwest of the city, the more affluent Lakeview area is still in need of rebuilding. Many of these residents have left New Orleans and Louisiana to make their permanent residence somewhere else.

East of New Orleans, some areas are coming back, but so sparsely it is not safe to live there. Too many are still without electricity.

One year after Hurricane Katrina there are too many people suffering.

Katrina was supposed to have washed away the way of the old, but local politics and attitudes changed in very small ways. It seems to me that it's the "same old same old."

Entergy, the power company, for example, believes that New Orleans should pay for the reconstruction of the electrical service infrastructure. New Orleans believes that the state should rebuild the electrical infrastructure. The infrastructure is far from reconstructed! It seems that the politicians and the business people have forgotten the people of these blacked out communities.

I am writing this e-mail to apologize to the HEDIR and APHA for my vitriolic comments regarding the cancellation of the annual national convention scheduled for last November, 2005. I was concerned that a pull out of any business, that could have brought millions of dollars into our community, would only widen the Post Katrina wound.

What I failed to realize was the enormous amount of the true devastation and how long it would take to even begin rebuilding this ravaged area. The convention center and Superdome are just re-opening.

I was one of the fortunate ones; my 2 story home only received 8 inches of water, I had insurance, I had evacuated to a safe place, financially I was ok, and I received a FEMA trailer in November; I live in a very proactive community. My own personal experience in repairing our flooded home has brought the reality of rebuilding,

quite frankly, home. I, nor anyone I know, could have imagined that

the repairs would take this long. While I am one of the fortunate, my home repairs are still not complete and I have done everything possible to make it happen!

There are no excuses for this health educator; even though I am still experiencing the grieving process, I should have/could have been more in touch with my denial and anger phases; instead I used my anger at the hurricane and our terrible predicament to shift blame and attacked APHA decision makers for not having a convention in New Orleans. For this I apologize.

I've been here for 18 years, and should have been more intelligent about the vast devastation that took place and the politics and culture that would inevitably slow down the process of renewal.

Thanks for listening.

Michael Pejsach

healthedman@cox.net

Michael Pejsach, Ed.D.

Life&Health Enhancement Services

4636 W. Esplanade Avenue

Metairie, LA 70006

(504) 885-4254

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CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE: This email and any attachments are confidential and intended for the sole use of the persons named in the email. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify Dr.

Michael Pejsach immediately at 504-885-4254 and permanently remove this email from your mailbox. Any disclosure, copying or distribution of this email by any person who is not the intended recipient is strictly prohibited.

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#598

Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 17:30:12 -0400

From: Michael Ludwig <Michael.J.Ludwig@HOFSTRA.EDU>

Subject: 2005 YRBS Questionnaire

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Greetings!

As my semester begins I was chagrined to find that the CDC no longer has the 2005 survey questionnaire available on its website--it has the 2007. For the purposes of an activity in my graduate curriculum class I need the 2005 survey (the actual survey instrument).

If you have the pdf somewhere on your computer, I'd be most appreciative if you could send a copy my way.

Thanks.

Michael Ludwig

hprmjl@hofstra.edu

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#599

Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 19:04:31 -0500

From: "Cissell, William" <WCissell@MAIL.TWU.EDU>

Subject: Katrina one year later

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Michael,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this memorable occasion. I appreciate hearing your perspective on the progress being, or not being, made in reconstruction of New Orleans and the surrounding area.

I chose not to participate in the annual meetings of SOPHE and APHA after they were relocated to Philadelphia. While I understood that New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast did not have the capacity to host these annual meetings, it seems that a site far closer than Philadelphia could have been found. The millions of dollars expended in Philadelphia could have been spent in a southern city, whether it was Memphis, Nashville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Little Rock, or Orlando. The participation was substantially less than it would have been had Hurricane Katrina not occurred, and the reduced size of participation should have made it easier to find a southern city that could host these annual meetings.

I had the ooprtunity to be in New Orleans for the American Library Association Convention in June. My wife teaches in the School of Library and Information Sciences for the University of Southern Mississippi. the ALA Convention was the first major convention held there post-Katrina. The hotels and convention facilities have been substantially reconstruction. While there were some inconveniences and risks, they were all managable. There was considerable public safety support in evidence. Several gangbangers had been murdered the week prior to the ALA Convention. National Guard troops had been mobilied in the city outside of the convention and business district. City police officers and state troopers were evident in great numbers.

Given that ALA members had a good experience, other major convention groups should be encouraged to schedule their meetings in New Orleans in the future. Of course, New Orleans has many problems, but the more business that can be brought to it, the greater the prospects for improving the economy.

Michael, may life continue to improve for you and members of your community!

Bill Cissell

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#600

Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 17:30:24 -0700

From: Mark Fulop <markfulop@YAHOO.COM>

Subject: Model 7-12 & College Enviro Internships

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Hi all,

1. Can anyone point me to some good model curriculia for starting middle/high school environmental service learning or environmental workforce/career exploration programs?

2. Who has a crash hot university multi-disciplinary internship program that provides college students with exposure/ immersion in public health/ environmental health.

m

Mark P. Fulop, MA, MPH

Community Services Supervisor

Environmental Health Section

Multnomah County Health Department

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503-988-3400 x22711 (p)

503-988-5844 (f)

mark.p.fulop@co.multnomah.or.us

3653 se 34th avenue | portland, or 97202

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#601

Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 18:09:07 -0700

From: Kathleen Judith Young <Kathleen.Young@CSUN.EDU>

Subject: <No subject given>

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Dear Colleagues:

I am looking for a reliable/valid tobacco survey (asking questions about tobacco use, frequency, etc.; does anyone know where I can send a student to look?

thank you

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