FOUNDATION AND THE ZEIGLER ART MUSEUM, LOCATED IN JENNINGS CITY

HALL, THE MUSEUM FOCUSES ON EMERGING LOUISIANA ARTISTS AND

IS A HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CENTER FOR SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE FOUNDATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN

LOUISIANA PUBLIC BROADCASTING AND VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

I WROTE 298 PAGES. BY GOING UP ON SCOPINA FROM THE

AGE OF SIX TO 16. FORMER GOVERNOR

BUDDY ROEMER TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW BOOK AND LIFE TODAY AFTER A

STROKE. HI, I'M ANDRE MOREAU.

MUCH MORE ON FORMER GOVERNOR BUDDY ROEMER IN JUST A MOMENT,

BUT RIGHT NOW, ON THE STATE WE'RE IN, THE WEEK'S HEADLINES.

THE OCTOBER 14 PRIMARY ELECTION LIKELY SET AN ALL-TIME RECORD

FOR LOWEST VOTER TURNOUT IN LOUISIANA.

ABOUT 13.5%. IT'S CAUSING SECRETARY OF STATE

TO FURTHER RETHINK HOW WE HOLD ELECTIONS, SAYING TAXPAYER MONEY

COULD BE MUCH MORE WISELY SPENT. IN THE RACE FOR TREASURER,

REPUBLICAN JOHN SCHRODER FINISHED SECOND BUT IS THE

FAVORITE TO WIN THE NOVEMBER 18 RUNOFF.

DEMOCRAT DERRICK EDWARDS WON THE PRIMARY OVER SCHROEDER, 31% TO

24%, BUT IS ODDLY EXPECTED TO HAVE LITTLE CHANCE IN THE

RUNOFF. VOTERS SAID YES TO THREE MORE

CHANGES TO THE STATE CONSTITUTION, MOST NOTABLY, A

PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION FOR SPOUSES OF FIRST RESPONDERS AND

LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY.

THERE'S A RUNOFF IN THE RACE FOR NEW ORLEANS MAYOR BETWEEN CITY

COUNCILWOMAN LATOYA CANTRELL AND FORMER JUDGE DESIREE CHARBONNET.

DR. CRAIG GREENE OF BATON ROUGE WAS ELECTED PUBLIC SERVICE

COMMISSIONER. ON MONDAY, SCIENTISTS WHO WON A

NOBEL PRIZE FOR THEIR DISCOVERY OF GRAVITATIONAL WAVES, OR

RIPPLES IN THE FABRIC OF SPACE, ANNOUNCED THE FIRST DETECTION OF

THE COLLISION OF TWO NEUTRON STARS.

THE LIGO TEAM ALERTED ASTRONOMERS FROM ALL OVER THE

WORLD, HELPING THEM POINT THEIR TELESCOPES SO THEY COULD RECORD

UNPRECEDENTED OBSERVATIONS OF THE AFTERMATH.

THE HEAD OF THE COASTAL PROTECTION AND RESTORATION

AUTHORITY TOLD THE BATON ROUGE PRESS CLUB THIS WEEK THAT

LOUISIANA IS NOW LOSING A FOOTBALL FIELD OF LAND EVERY 100

MINUTES COMPARED TO EVERY HOUR A FEW YEARS AGO, A FACT

HIGHLIGHTED IN A TV AD. STILL VERY BAD.

MORE THAN 120 CRITICAL PROJECTS IN THE 50 YEAR, $50 BILLION

COASTAL MASTER PLAN WILL WORK TO REVERSE LAND LOSS CAUSED BY

LEVEES BUILT ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND BOAT

CHANNELS DREDGED THROUGH COASTAL WETLANDS.

WORK MARCHES ON, EVEN WITH ROAD BLOCKS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE THAT

MAY COME FROM POLICY CHANGES IN WASHINGTON.

WE HERE, IN PUTTING THE MASTER PLAN TOGETHER, I'M GOING

TO TELL YOU REALLY HAVEN'T PAID ATTENTION AND DON'T REALLY CARE

MUCH ABOUT WHAT CONGRESS THINKS ABOUT SEA LEVEL RISE.

WE'RE SEEING, OK, WE'RE SEEING A CHANGE.

LOUISIANA AND LAFAYETTE IN PARTICULAR, ARE NUMBER ONE IN

AMERICA IN THE CREATION AND OPERATION OF A HURRICANE MEGA

SHELTER. THE CAJUNDOME BECAME THE

NATION'S FIRST MEGA SHELTER AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA IN 2005.

IT BECAME A MODEL FOR ALL OTHERS.

THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS AND A PURPLE HEART WAS AWARDED

TO THE DESCENDANTS OF LIEUTENANT JOSEPH LAFLEUR, AN ARMY CHAPLAIN

WHO DIED IN A JAPANESE TORPEDO ATTACK DURING WORLD WAR II.

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE RALPH ABRAHAM PRESENTED THE MEDALS IN

A CEREMONY AT ST. LANDRY CATHOLIC CHURCH IN OPELOUSAS.

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CECELIA YOUNG OF CROWLEY.

SHE TURNED 106 WITH A PARADE AND CELEBRATION DOWNTOWN.

SHE RODE IN A HORSE AND BUGGY AND WAS GIVEN YELLOW ROSES BY

BUSINESS OWNERS ALONG THE ROUTE. LSU PRESIDENT DR. F. KING

ALEXANDER ANNOUNCED THURSDAY HE IS REINSTATING AN ALCHOHOL BAN

ON CAMPUS GREEKS, SAYING FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES DID

NOT TAKE THE SITUATION SERIOUSLY.

THIS IS THE WAKE OF THE ALLEGED HAZING DEATH OF A FRESHMAN

STUDENT. ALEXANDER ALSO GAVE SOME GOOD

NEWS ABOUT THE SCHOOL AFTER YEARS OF BATTLING BUDGET CUTS

AND FIGHTING TO KEEP TOPS SCHOLARSHIP INTACT.

THIS FALL, WE JUST WELCOMED ONE OF OUR LARGEST INCOMING

GROUPS OF THE NEW FACULTY. THIS COHORT OF NEW FACULTY IS

133 STRONG. NORMALLY, WE'RE BRINGING IN

ABOUT 72 TO HELP OFFSET RETIREMENTS OF ABOUT 87.

ALEXANDER SAYS THE NEW FACULTY COMES FROM PRESTIGIOUS

UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE U.S. AND THE WORLD.

FORMER GOVERNOR BUDDY ROEMER HAS WRITTEN A BOOK.

NOT ABOUT HIS LIFE IN POLITICS OR AS LOUISIANA'S 52ND GOVERNOR.

NOT ABOUT HIS SUCCESS IN BUSINESS.

IT'S ABOUT HIS GROWING UP ON HIS FAMILY'S PLANTATION SCOPENA AND

HOW HE CAME TO WRITE IT. ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO, ON

JULY OF '14, I HAD A STROKE. A SMALL STROKE BUT CENTERED IN

MY SPEECH AND WALKING FACILITIES.

THIS IS BUDDY ROEMER AT HIS OFFICE IN BATON ROUGE.

HIS STROKE AT FIRST ROBBED HIM OF HIS ABILITY TO SPEAK.

IT DID NOT AFFECT HIS MIND OR HIS THOUGHTS.

AGGRESSIVE PHYSICAL THERAPY AND A SUGGESTION FROM HIS DOCTOR

BRINGS US TO THE REASON FOR OUR VISIT TODAY.

OH SAID, WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IS WRITE.

I THINK YOU COULD TELL A HELL OF A STORY.

SO, HE BEGAN TO WRITE ABOUT SCOPENA, A MEMOIR OF HOME.

AND THE DOCTOR WAS RIGHT. I WROTE 298 PAGES ABOUT

GROWING UP ON SCOPENA FROM THE AGE OF SIX TO 16, WHEN I WENT

OFF TO COLLEGE. SCOPENA IS A PLACE.

YOU CAN SEE IT FROM HIGHWAY 71 SOUTH.

BUT, THE HEART OF SCOPENA, THE LIFE OF SCOPENA, THE MAGIC OF

SCOPENA, THE UNIQUENESS OF SCOPENA WAS MOM AND DAD RAISING

FIVE KIDS UNDER A PHILOSOPHY THAT IGNORED WHAT THE REST OF

THE WORLD THOUGHT AND THAT EMPHASIZED INDIVIDUAL EFFORT.

WITH MOM AND DAD GONE, I WANT TO TELL THE STORY OF SCOPENA.

HE REMEMBERS WELL HIS FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.

THE FIRST GRADE. HE DID NOT LOVE IT.

AND, AFTER A FEW HOURS, RIGHT BEFORE LUNCH, HIS OPPORTUNITY TO

SNEAK OUT AND RUN BACK HOME CAME.

EXACTLY HOW HE WOULD NAVIGATE THE 12 MILES TO SCOPENA HE DID

NOT KNOW. BUT YOU WOUND UP AT THIS GROCERY

STORE. WHERE THEY TOOK CARE OF YOU,

GAVE YOU A COKE AND CALLED YOUR DAD.

AND YOUR DAD CAME. IT IS INTERESTING, YOU

ANTICIPATED HIS REACTION TO BE DIFFERENT, PERHAPS, THAN IT NIK0

WAS. I ANTICIPATED HIM TO GET

ANGRY WITH ME. AS HE WAITED, HE NERVOUSLY

WONDERED. DAD MIGHT NOT LIKE THIS

INDEPENDENT STREAK. I SAW HIS RED PICK UP.

AND, I SAID, I'M IN TROUBLE NOW. BUT, HE WASN'T.

HE WAS RUBBING MY HEAD AND SAID, LET'S GO HOME, BUDDY.

LET'S GO HOME. LET'S GO TO SCOPENA.

IT WAS THE GREATEST DRIVE WE EVER MADE, HIM AND ME.

ROEMER'S MOTHER? ADELINE ROEMER WAS PEACEMAKER,

DEALMAKER AND MUCH, MUCH MORE. YOU WERE CLOSE TO HER, IT SOUNDS

LIKE. I'M VERY CLOSE TO MY MOTHER.

SHE WAS A WONDERFUL MOTHER. SHE WAS VERY SKILLED WITH

PEOPLE. SHE TALK US HOME SCHOOLING FOR A

LONG TIME, AND THEN I GRADUATED FROM MOSIER HIGH SCHOOL.

THE BOOK TELLS THE STORY OF MOM DECIDING THAT I WOULD NOT GO TO

COLLEGE EARLY. HARVARD WANTED TO ENROLL HIM

EARLY, BUT HIS MOM SAID NO AND HAD A VERY SPECIFIC REASON WHY.

HE'S GOING TO BE GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA, AND HE'S GOING TO

GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL IN LOUISIANA.

THIS HAD NEVER BEEN DISCUSSED, BUT HIS MOM KNEW HER

SON'S POTENTIAL WELL. SOMETHING HE REALIZED WITH THE

"ROEMER REVOLUTION" CAMPAIGN OF 1987.

HE WAS 44. SOME INSIDERS SAY I'M NOT A

GOOD POLITICIAN BECAUSE I MAKE SOME PEOPLE ANGRY.

THEY'RE RIGHT. I DO MAKE PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON

ANGRY FOR NOT PATTING THE PAY RAISE.

THAT DOESN'T SURPRISE YOU, DOES IT?

POLITICS AS USUAL. I DON'T LIKE LOUISIANA POLITICS,

I LOVE LOUISIANA. I LOVE LOUISIANA ENOUGH TO MAKE

SOME PEOPLE ANGRY. IT SOUNDS LIKE SHE WAS A

GREAT POLITICIAN. SHE WAS GOOD.

HIS MOM RAN FOR HIS SEAT IN CONGRESS IN 1988 WHEN HE BECAME

GOVERNOR, BUT ROEMER SAYS LOST BECAUSE SHE WAS A DEMOCRAT.

GROWING UP ON THEIR 10,000-ACRE COTTON FARM IN THE SEGREGATED

1950'S, ROEMER HAD A FAR ADVANCED VIEW OF RACE RELATIONS.

AGAIN, HE SAYS, THANKS TO HIS PARENTS.

YOU NEVER KNEW AT SCOPENA WHERE YOU WERE WHITE OR BLACK,

THE FOREMAN WERE WHITE AND BLACK.

THE COTTON WERE WHITE AND BLACK. MEN AND WOMEN.

DAD WAS VERY CONSERVATIVE. BUT, WHEN IT CAME TO PEOPLE, HE

THOUGHT EVERY PERSON WAS VALUABLE.

HE NEVER USED THE "N" WORD, NEVER!

DAD WAS HUNG IN EFFIGY BY MANY PEOPLE WHO WERE

KU KLUX KLANNERS. I TELL IT IN MY BOOK.

READ IT. I HAVE READ IT IN THE PAST

FEW DAYS. YOU CAN PICK UP THE BOOK AT

BARNES AND NOBLE AND AMAZON FOR $20.

THE BOOK IS PAPERBACK AND READS FAST.

THE FEDERAL AGENCY THAT STUDIES AMERICA'S NATURAL RESOURCES IS

WORRIED THAT INVASIVE SPECIES MAY HAVE SPREAD AFTER HURRICANE

HARVEY. IT COULD MEAN ECOLOGICAL AND

EVEN ECONOMIC DAMAGE. LPB'S KELLY SPIRES IS HERE WITH

THAT. KELLY.

THANK YOU, ANDRE. THAT'S RIGHT.

HURRICANE HARVEY'S FLOOD WATERS MAY HAVE CONNECTED WATERSHEDS

THAT AREN'T NORMALLY TIED TOGETHER.

THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TEAM MADE A MAP THAT COMPARES KNOWN

LOCATIONS OF INVASIVE SPECIES AND PROJECTED RAINFALL LEVELS.

FLOODING COULD HAVE ALLOWED THESE THREATENING SPECIES TO

MOVE AROUND. GIANT SALVINIA IS AN INVASIVE

PLANT SPECIES IN LOUISIANA. IT CROWDS OUT NATIVE SPECIES IN

THE STATE'S LAKES, PONDS AND STREAMS.

MATT NEILSON WITH THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY HELPED CREATE

AN ONLINE MAP THAT HE HOPES LOCAL WILDLIFE MANAGERS WILL USE

TO KEEP A LOOKOUT FOR NON-NATIVE PLANTS AND ANIMALS, LIKE GIANT

SALVINIA. THE MAP INITIALLY HAS SOME

OUTLINES OVERLAID OVER AN AREA OF SOUTH LOUISIANA AND

EASTERN TEXAS. THOSE ARE THE OUTLINES OF

SECTIONS OF STREAMS AND RIVERS THAT COME PRICE WATERSHED, SO A

SECTION WHERE ALL THE WATER WILL FLOW INTO ONE PLACE.

IF YOU SELECT GIANT SALVINIA FROM THE DROP DOWN MENU, YOU CAN

SEE THAT IT MAY HAVE MOVED TO NEW PLACES, LIKE THE WHISKY

CHITTO, THE WEST FORK CALCASIEU WATERSHED AND THE MERMENTAU

HEADWATERS. THE LIGHT GREEN INDICATES

WATERSHEDS WHERE WE HAVE RECORDS OF ESTABLISHED POPULATIONS

WITHIN THIS REGION, AND THE DARKER GREENS ARE ADJACENT

WATERSHEDS WHERE THERE'S THE POTENTIAL FOR SPREAD DUE TO

THESE FLOODING EVENTS. HE SAYS, WHEN THERE ARE LARGE

RAINFALL EVENTS, WATERSHEDS THAT WEREN'T CONNECTED BEFORE CAN

LINK. SO WE COULD EITHER HAVE

ACTIVE MOVEMENT, SO FOR EXAMPLE, WITH FISH, THEY COULD SWIM

ACROSS A FLOODED FIELD THAT MIGHT CONNECT TWO WATERSHEDS OR

YOU COULD HAVE PASSIVE DISPERSAL, FOR EXAMPLE, THOSE

PLANKTONIC ORGANISMS, THINGS THAT LIVE WITHIN THE WATER

ITSELF, OR THINGS THAT LIVE ON TOP OF THE WATER, SUCH AS

FLOATING AQUATIC VEGETATION THAT COULD BE PASSIVELY CARRIED FROM

ONE WATERSHED TO ANOTHER WITH RISING FLOOD WATERS.

LOCAL MANAGERS CAN ALSO SELECT A SPECIFIC WATERSHED AND

SEE WHAT SPECIES WERE KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN IN THE AREA AND WHAT

MAY HAVE SPREAD AFTER THE HURRICANE.

WILLIAM KELSO STUDIES INVASIVE SPECIES AT LSU.

OUR NEWEST FLOATING INVASIVE IS GIANT SALVINIA.

SALVINIA MOLESTA. IT GOT HERE SOMETIME AFTER 2000,

HAS BECOME INCREDIBLY ABUNDANT IN SOME PARTS OF THE STATE.

IT FLOATS ON THE WATER WITH THE LEAVES LIKE THIS, AND AS IT GETS

DENSER AND DENSER, THE LEAVES ACTUALLY TURN UP AND IT LOOKS

LIKE AN ACCORDION. THEY'LL JUST PACK IN THERE AND

COMPLETELY COVER THE SURFACE. I'VE SEEN PICTURES OF PEOPLE

WALKING ON GIANT SALVINIA. I MEAN, LARGE PEOPLE WALKING.

THEY DON'T FALL THROUGH. ITS THICK FOLIAGE LIMITS THE

ABILITY FOR ANYTHING ELSE TO GROW.

YOU'RE NOT HAVING ANY PHOTOSYNTHESIS UNDERNEATH THE

MAT BECAUSE THERE'S NO SUNLIGHT GETTING THROUGH.

SO, IF YOU LOOK UNDERNEATH THOSE MATS, THERE'S REALLY NOTHING

THERE. THERE REALLY AREN'T FISH.

ZOOPLANKTON, THE WATER WILL OFTEN BE BLACK COLORED, HAS

VIRTUALLY NO OXYGEN IN IT. SO IT ISN'T GOING TO SUPPORT

ANYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BREATHE UNDERWATER.

THERE ARE TWO MORE AQUATIC PLANT SPECIES TO LOOK OUT FOR,

KELSO SAYS. THAT'S WATER HYACINTH AND

HYDRILLA. THEY GROW DIFFERENTLY, BUT THEIR

EFFECTS ARE THE SAME. LIKE ALL INVASIVE SPECIES,

THEY'RE ON A DIFFERENT PLAYING FIELD THAN NATIVE PLANTS.

THEY GROW INCREDIBLY FAST, AND THERE ARE FEW, IF ANY,

PREDATORS. ASIAN CARP ARE ANOTHER THING TO

BE WORRIED ABOUT. KELSO SAYS BIGHEAD AND SILVER

CARP ARE THE KINDS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN LOUISIANA.

NEILSON'S MAP POINTS TO THE ATCHAFALAYA AND ADJACENT

WATERSHEDS AS POTENTIAL AREAS OF SPREAD.

KELSO SAYS THEIR ONLY PREDATORS ARE LARGEMOUTH BASS, BUT THAT'S

ONLY FOR THE EARLY PART OF THEIR LIFECYCLE.

SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT A BASS THAT MAY GROW TO BE SIX, EIGHT,

10 POUNDS BEING ABLE TO EAT SOMETHING THAT'S MAYBE ONE OR

TWO POUNDS. THESE INVASIVE CARP CAN GROW TO

THAT SIZE IF THEY HAVE ENOUGH FOOD, PROBABLY IN A MONTH.

SO THEY HAVE THE NEXT 20 YEARS TO BE ESSENTIALLY INVULNERABLE

TO ANYBODY EXCEPT HUMANS. HOW IS THE STATE MANAGING

THESE SPECIES CURRENTLY? FOR PLANTS THERE ARE HERBICIDES,

BUT THOSE ARE EXPENSIVE, KELSO SAYS.

THERE HAVE BEEN DEVICES DEVELOPED THAT COLLECT PLANTS,

PARTICULARLY IN FLORIDA, THERE ARE THESE LARGE, THEY LOOK LIKE

AQUATIC COMBINE, SO THEY DRIVE IT UP, PULL IT UP ONTO A

CONVEYER BELT, PUT IT BETWEEN TWO ROLLERS, CRUSH IT, PUT IT ON

A BARGE BEHIND THAT BOAT AND GO DUMP IT SOMEWHERE.

THE LATEST TOOL IS A BUG. THE WAY EVERYONE WOULD LIKE

TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL THESE PLANTS IS THROUGH BIOLOGICAL

CONTROLS. SO GO BACK TO WHERE THEY CAME

FROM AND SEE IF THERE ARE ANY ORGANISMS THAT CONDUCT THEIR

LIFE HISTORY SOLELY ON THAT PLANT.

THE STATE HAD HAD SOME SUCCESS WITH THE SALVINIA

WEEVIL. THE CARP ARE MORE DIFFICULT.

WE HAVE SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO FISH THEM WITH BOW AND ARROWS.

THEY TEND TO SIT IN SHALLOW WATER, WE HAVE SOME BOW AND

ARROW HUNTERS THAT LIKE TO GO SHOOT CARP.

BUT YOU CAN'T FISH FOR THEM LIKE YOU WOULD A BASS OR SOMETHING

BECAUSE THEY'RE PLANKTOVORES, THEY DON'T REALLY EAT LURES, SO

YOU CAN'T REALLY GO FISH FOR THEM.

WE TRIED COMMERCIALLY HARVESTING THEM, BUT THEY'RE VERY DIFFICULT

TO FILET. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME USGS

HAS PUT TOGETHER A MAP LIKE THIS.

THESE IS NOT NECESSARILY A THERE ARE SPECIES THAT HAVE BEEN

MOVED, IT'S MORE OF A THESE SPECIES HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO

HAVE MOVED AND HERE'S WHAT YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING OUT FOR.

THEY HOPE TO MAKE IT MORE PRECISE WITH TIME AND MORE DATA.

WHEN I INTERVIEWED NEILSON, HE SAID THE TEAM WAS WORKING ON

ANOTHER MAP TO SHOW THE EFFECTS OF HURRICANE IRMA.

I'D WOULD HAVE LIKED TO SEE ONE FOR THE FLOODS LAST YEAR IN

THAN WOULD HAVE BEEN INTERESTING.

HOW ABOUT THAT. ALWAYS GOOD STUFF, THANK YOU,

KELLY. THANK YOU.

THE MOST RECENT CDC REPORT ON HIV SHOWS AN 18% DECLINE IN

INFECTIONS NATIONWIDE FROM 2008 TO 2014.

YET LOUISIANA STILL RANKS NUMBER TWO NATIONALLY FOR ITS RATE OF

HIV DIAGNOSES. BATON ROUGE AND NEW ORLEANS RANK

SECOND AND THIRD NATIONALLY AMONG MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREAS

FOR THEIR HIV RATES. THIS MONTH, "LOUISIANA PUBLIC

SQUARE" EXPLORES WHY THE STATE'S RATES ARE SO HIGH AND WHAT

RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE FOR PREVENTING AND TREATING THE

DISEASE. A RECENT REPORT INDICATES THAT

WHILE THE STATE'S OVERALL HIV RATES HAVE DECLINED, IN RURAL

LOUISIANA THEY'VE SLIGHTLY INCREASED DUE TO STIGMA AND LACK

OF HEALTHCARE ACCESS. BUT, A NEW DRUG REGIMEN IS

BEGINNING TO SHOW HUGE PROMISE IN STALLING THE DISEASE.

YOU KNOW, WHEN THE CDC RELEASED ITS REPORT

AND SAID HIV HAS BEEN DECREASED BY 14%.

IN LOUISIANA, PEOPLE THINK IT'S HANDLED.

BUT, IN LOUISIANA, IN RURAL AREAS, IT'S ON THE INCREASE.

IT'S NOT HANDLED AND PEOPLE NEED TO FOE THEIR STATUS.

THE ONLY WAY YOU KNOW YOUR STATUS IS IF YOU GET TESTED.

PREP STANDS FOR PRE EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS.

RESEARCH HAS SHOWN FOR PRE EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS WITH A

MEDICINE CALLED TRUVADA, WHICH IS A COMBINATION OF TWO

MEDICINES. IF A PERSON IS HIV NEGATIVE,

TAKES THE MEDICINE ON A DAILY BASIS HE CAN DOES NOT CONTRACT

HIV. WE'RE WORKING WITH FINDING

INDIVIDUALS LIVING WITH HIV, MAY NOT BE AWARE OF THEIR DIAGNOSIS,

DISCOVERING THEY'RE HIV POSITIVE, LINKING THEM TO CARE

AND THEN HAVING ACCESS TO RETROVIRAL MEDICATIONS IS GOING

TO BE A SIGNIFICANT PREVENTION TOOL, AS WELL AS OBVIOUSLY

TAKING CARE OF THAT INDIVIDUAL'S OVERALL HEALTH.

AND, THEN, ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE HAVE PREP FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO

ARE HIV NEGATIVE. AND I THINK THAT WITH THOSE TWO

SIGNIFICANT TOOLS IN OUR TOOLBOX, WE REALLY SEE THE

OPPORTUNITY THAT WE CAN END THIS EPIDEMIC.

"HIV AIDS IN LOUISIANA" AIRS WEDNESDAY AT 7:00 P.M. ON LPB.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, YOU CAN VISIT THE SERIES WEBSITE AT

LPB.ORG/PUBLICSQUARE. NEW ORLEANS ARTIST JACQUELINE

BISHOP WILL BE A SPECIAL GUEST OF LPB'S ART OF FOOD DINNER

SUNDAY NIGHT AT LPB HEADQUARTERS.

JAMES FOX SMITH, HOST OF ART ROCKS, HELPS HEAD UP THE EVENT.

BISHOP EXPLAINS HOW SHE USES HER WORK TO EMPHASIZE HER CONCERN

FOR OUR NATURAL HABITATS.

♪ IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME TO

HAVE THE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION POLITICALLY, POETICALLY.

AND, I WOULD HOPE THAT NO TWO VIEWERS WOULD HAVE THE SAME VIEW

OF THE WORK. BECAUSE, HOW CAN THAT BE?

I MEAN, WE'RE ALL COMING FROM DIFFERENT HISTORIES, DIFFERENT

PERSONAL STORIES AND EXPERIENCES.

I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT, THE FUTURE, BUT

ALSO THE PAST AND WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY DONE THAT CAN NEVER BE

REPAIRED. I WORK IN MANY DIFFERENT

MEDIUMS, PAINTING PRIMARILY, WATER COLOR, COLLAGE,

ASSEM-BLAGE. I REALLY LOVE PRINTMAKING

BECAUSE OF THE SURPRISE THAT IT BRINGS WHEN YOU PULL THE PAPER

OFF OF THE PRESS. BUT, I LOVE THE WHOLE MEDITATION

OF PAINTING, GETTING UP EVERY DAY, KNOWING THAT YOU ARE GOING

TO GO BACK INTO THAT PAINTING, WHERE YOU LEFT OFF YESTERDAY.

AND, COMPLETING IT AND KNOWING WHEN IT'S DONE.

BUT, I LOVE WATER COLOR BECAUSE OF THE SPONTANEITY OF IT.

ESPECIALLY, THE METHOD THAT I USE OVER COLLAGE, IT IS VERY

FILLED WITH SURPRISES. I LOVE BIRDS AND BIRD IMAGERY

AND I STARTED HAVING TO DO MORE RESEARCH ON THE BIRDS.

AND FOUND OUT THAT A LOT OF THE BIRDS THAT I HAD BEEN PAINTING

WERE EXTINCT, WHICH SEEMED LIKE A PRETTY STRONG WORD TO DESCRIBE

ANYTHING. I REALIZED THAT MY PAINTINGS

CONTAINED EXTINCT SPECIES WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING IT, AND

THAT TOOK ME IN THAT DIRECTION, WHICH ENDED UP TAKING ME ALL

OVER THE WORLD TO STUDY BIRDS, TO TRAVEL WITH SCIENTISTS, TO

STUDY THE LANDSCAPE AND OF COURSE, LOOKING AT MY OWN

LANDSCAPE FROM THE MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST TO THE LOUISIANA

LANDSCAPE THAT IS DISAPPEARING. AND, AS MUCH AS I NEVER

CONSIDERED MYSELF A LANDSCAPE PAINTER, I WAS A LANDSCAPE

PAINTER. COMBINING SCIENCE WITH ART WAS

NOT REALLY A PRIORITY OF MINE. I DIDN'T SET OUT TO DO THAT.

IT JUST HAPPENED, I THINK, MORE THROUGH THE BIRDS AND HAVING TO

DO MORE RESEARCH TO FIND SUBJECT MATTER THAT I WANTED TO USE

INFORMED MY PAINTINGS. MY WORK HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT

THE NARRATIVE. I LIKE STORY TELLING.

BUT, I ALSO LIKE REAL STORIES, WHETHER THEY ARE REAL LANDSCAPES

OR NOT. PROBABLY, MY LANDSCAPES ARE

IMAGINARY BUT TELLING REAL STORIES.

FROM THE VINE TO THE VEIN, A FEMALE TREE SHAPE WITH A BIRD

HEAD, AND THE BRANCHES TURN INTO ARMS AND EVERYTHING IS

ABSOLUTELY CONNECTED IN THAT PAINTING.

BUT, THE BACKGROUND IS A BEAUTIFUL KIND OF A FIERY RED

SKY. SO BEAUTIFUL, BUT OUR BEAUTIFUL

SKIES AND SUNSETS ARE BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE OF THE CHEMICALS IN THE

SKY. BECAUSE OF THE CHEMICALS FROM

THE REFINERIES OR FROM THE CATTLE RANCHING, OR FROM THE

CITIES WITH ALL OF THE POLLUTION COMING OUT OF THEM.

THEY CHANGE THE COLOR TO SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL, BUT WE

ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE BREATHING IT.

THE PAINTING WORLD VIEW IS A LARGER SCALE PAINTING, AND IT IS

VERY NEST-LIKE IN THE SUBJECT MATTER.

AND THERE IS THE EARTH IN THE VERY MIDDLE OF IT, BUT IT IS

ALMOST CAMOUFLAGED WITH EVERYTHING.

RIGHT IN THE CENTER IS A HALLOW MONKEY THAT I HAVE SEEN IN

BRAZIL MAKING AN ANNOUNCEMENT, AND THE MOUTH OF THE MONKEY IS

WIDE OPEN, SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF ITS LUNGS.

AND, EVERYTHING AROUND IT IS VERY CLOSE-KNIT, NEST-LIKE,

BUILT BY SOMETHING. BUT, MANY OF THEM ARE LEAVING

THAT NEST OR IT'S UNRAVELING ON ITS OWN OR BY SOMETHING.

IT DOESN'T FEEL AS BEAUTIFUL AND COMFORTABLE AS IT LOOKS ON THE

SURFACE. BECAUSE I DO OBSERVE THE

LANDSCAPE, AND I HAVE THIS AFFILIATION WITH GARBAGE AND

DISCARDED OBJECTS, WHETHER IT BE NATURAL OR MANMADE, I DID NOTICE

MANY YEARS AGO, HOW MANY BABY SHOES WERE IN THE LANDSCAPE.

I STARTED PICKING THEM UP AND PUTTING THEM IN MY BACKPACK.

YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO DO SOMETHING WITH THESE.

THEN I STARTED PAINTING ON THEM, PAINTING LANDSCAPES ON THEM.

I REALIZED THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE LANDSCAPE AND

CHILDREN. AND OUR MEMORIES TO THE

LANDSCAPE. AND, HOW IT IS DISAPPEARING

BENEATH THEIR FEET BECAUSE OF THE DECISIONS ADULTS HAVE MADE

ABOUT IT. SO IT SEEMED VERY IMPORTANT TO

COVER THEM WITH THE LANDSCAPE. NEW ORLEANS ARTIST JACQUELINE

BISHOP. THAT'S OUR SHOW FOR THIS WEEK.

REMEMBER, YOU CAN WATCH "LPB ON DEMAND" ON YOUR PHONE OR TABLET

WITH OUR "LPB ANYWHERE APP." THE DOWNLOAD IS FREE FROM YOUR

APP STORE. YOU CAN CATCH LPB NEWS AND

PUBLIC AFFAIRS SHOWS, AS WELL AS OTHER LOUISIANA PROGRAMS YOU

HAVE COME ENJOY OVER THE YEARS. AND PLEASE "LIKE" US ON

FACEBOOK, AS WELL. FOR EVERYONE AT LOUISIANA PUBLIC

BROADCASTING, I'M ANDRE MOREAU, THANKS FOR WATCHING.

UNTIL NEXT TIME, THAT'S "THE STATE WE'RE IN."

♪ CHECK US OUT ON FACEBOOK AND

TWITTER AND VISIT LPB.ORG WHERE YOU CAN VIEW MORE STORIES AND

LEAVE US A COMMENT. THIS PROGRAM IS AVAILABLE ON

DVD. SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE FRED

B. AND RUTH B. ZIEGLER FOUNDATION AND THE ZEIGLER ART

MUSEUM, LOCATED IN JENNINGS CITY HALL, THE MUSEUM FOCUSES ON

EMERGING LOUISIANA ARTISTS AND IS A HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL

CENTER FOR SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY

THE FOUNDATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN LOUISIANA PUBLIC BROADCASTING

AND VIEWERS LIKE YOU.