Over the last couple of years we’ve had to deal with the fallout from big changes in the oil business. We have been far less battered by equally cataclysmic changes in the film business. If you haven’t been keeping up, here’s the thumbnail sketch. In 2003 the Louisiana legislature decided to attract film production to the…

According to the United States Geological Survey, 71% of the Earth’s surface is water. And 96% of that – in other words, almost all of it – is ocean. Seeing most of the planet is ocean, you might wonder why it’s called “Earth” at all. In theory, it should really be called “Water.” And seeing there are…

If you live in Acadiana there’s a good chance you attend your fair share of festivals. It seems like there’s a festival around here just about every week. That’s because there is.  If you’re in a Cajun band and you think at one time or another you’ve been booked to play all of them, Google “Acadiana…

We hear a lot in the national news about the global economy, and how we’re all connected. Here in Acadiana we can certainly see how our families are connected, but it’s often difficult to see our connection to the rest of the state, much less the nation, and the world. Sitting in for Peter Ricchiuti on…

The legendary Scottish poet Robbie Burns wrote, in old Scots Brogue, “The best laid schemes o’ mice ‘n men, gang aft a-gley.” The Scots brogue was the British equivalent of Cajun French. In English we’ve translated it as, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Burns frequently wrote about innocent country…

Aileen’s guests on this edition of Out to Lunch are in the same business: grooming. There is, however, one significant difference between their two businesses. They serve different species. One is for human beings. The other is for dogs. Renee Ezell is the owner of the human-oriented business, The Refinery Downtown. At The Refinery they specialize in men’s…

For a great deal of the time humans have been walking around on Earth we were like other species. We spent most of our time outdoors and built shelters to sleep in, or to take refuge from severe weather. Somewhere along the line, that changed. Now most of we humans spend most of our lives…

The legend of Evangeline is the Cajun Romeo and Juliet. It’s a story that captures the essence of the Acadiens experience. And it’s as romantic as any ever told.  The story of Evangeline Parish is equally essentially Cajun. It might be a little more down to earth than the eternal search for love. But then again,…

You might have heard of a recent study about chocolate milk. Although it sounds absolutely preposterous, this perfectly legitimate study found that 7% of the American public believes that chocolate milk comes from brown cows. 7% of the population is around 20 million people. Although it sounds laughable, the explanation offered for what seems like…

We all reach conclusions because of sound. We say a person “sounds nice.” A song “sounds romantic.” Or an idea “sounds good.” When we reach these conclusions, what we’re doing is attributing feelings and emotions to sounds. Giving sounds feeling and emotion is the province of Peter’s guests on this edition of Out to Lunch….