Banned Books Cafe

The Censors Rear Their Ugly Heads

2012-01-18T20:55:00.002-06:00

Send them a message:

http://americancensorship.org/

Find Your Local Superfund Site

2012-01-08T20:26:00.001-06:00

This bird died in an oil spill from a refinery that is designated as a Superfund site.

Find a toxic Superfund site near where you live, with this handy map provided by the Environmental Protection Agency.
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/

Natural Resources Defense Council

2011-10-19T12:36:00.003-05:00

Web site devoted to protecting the Earth's resources. See what they have to say about the Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline, and it's threat to natural habitats along the way:
http://www.nrdc.org/default_t2.asp

Mapping Banned Books

2011-10-18T14:57:00.000-05:00

The American Library Association provides an interactive map of incidents and locations of books that are banned in respective communities, such as the following, just south of Austin, Texas:

(2011) Lynda Madaras and Dane Saavedra's What's Happening to My Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-up Guide for Parents & Sons was banned from twenty-one school libraries in Buda, Tex. after a parent’s complaint. The book includes definitions of rape, incest, sexual assault, and intercourse.

Find the map here: http://bannedbooksweek.org/mappingcensorship

The Weekly Barb

2011-10-18T14:38:00.000-05:00

Many cities have weekly publications across the nation who claim to be part of the genre "alternative newspaper." There are in fact very few true alternative newspapers in any given city, USA.

This said because many of these publications are part of a chain of news agencies, owned by big conglomerate corporations.

Their layouts and departments, such as news, arts, music, movies and classifieds, are all pretty much the same, which belies the term "alternative."

Much closer to the mark would be independently owned weekly newspapers, such as the "Austin Chronicle." But this publication still follows a set format. It publishes no alternative stuff, such as poetry, graffiti art, or outrageous prose penned by local anarchists.

The most "alternative" publication I have ever encountered was the "Berkeley Barb," which had its heyday from 1965 to 1980 in the Bay Area of California.

Unfortunately, it has gone the way of the dial telephone and manual typewriters.

Read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Barb

Blue Lagoon

2011-09-27T16:04:00.001-05:00

Cold day in February 2010. This photo shot in Ingleside, Texas, at dusk, from a pier over a freshwater pond.

Stage Three Drought

2011-06-28T15:41:00.002-05:00

There's water in the sky but it's not falling to Earth.
Lawns are dried up, the landscape is parched.
No relief in sight. We need one of those rainy hurricanes.
Or else there'll be no corn for the children when autumn comes.

Truth: Knowledge/Wisdom/Prudence

2011-02-12T22:12:00.002-06:00

"A skeptic & non-believer (agnostic) who is humbly but persistently seeking knowledge is always closer to finding Truth (Wisdom, Prudence) than a Believer."

Our Name

2010-12-12T12:03:00.002-06:00

I've read a newspaper everyday, perhaps starting with the "funny papers" when I was first learning to read. We didn't have much of a library in our household when I was being formed in Stockdale and Devine, but we always had the San Antonio Express-News, complimented with the San Antonio Light bought at George Vernon Schott's convenience store on Sunday (and of course, several farm magazines). I learned from Paul Thompson and Jack Anderson, and enjoyed Dan Cook and Dan Klepper. ... In more recent years I appreciated immensely, Carlos Guerra and Rick Casey, and here in Seguin it was Michael Cary.

I don't always agree with the learned historical scholar, T.R. Fehrenbach, but I very much enjoy and always learn from his columns in the San Antonio Express-News each Sunday. Today I appreciated his piece on "Homo sapiens." www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/columnists/tr_fehrenbach/article/We-aren-t-as-smart-as-we-like-to-believe-874012.php (We aren't as smart as we like to believe")

T.R. Fehrenbach provokes by suggesting alternatives for our Latin name ... as have others (e.g., William Catton, Jr. and "Homo colossus" in Overshoot: The Ecological Basis of Revolutionary Change.). In his column, historian Fehenbach briefly discusses suggestions by others (Zoon politikon, Homo economicus) and after hinting that Homo bellicosus may be an appropriate name, finally settles on Homo sap.

This brought back memories of a visit to Sul Ross State University in beautiful Alpine, Texas in the late 1980s, where a retired Marine and Range Science professor--as I recollect--gave a lively lecture on the very challenging impacts to date of humans on the ecosphere. This outspoken flat-topped former Marine thought Homo saphead was an appropriate name for our species.

Thoughts After Meetings/Discussions Dealing with Conservation and Sustainable Community

2010-12-12T10:05:00.005-06:00

From: Foods of the Americas Gathering
Our natural resource base and energy sources are finite. Thus there are limits on growth and consumption, ... and if we are going to truly consider quality life for all humans and associated life forms, we have already surpassed these limits. No amount of human creativity, planning, actions can really challenge this situation.

Therefore, the only solution is to lower inputs-throughputs-outputs for human systems, and conserve, conserve, conserve! Notions that we can continue to rampantly convert Nature & Land to artificial, and that this will be better for Life is "hubric" and without scientific basis.

"Wes Jackson's claim--that there is now and always be, a billionfold gap between our ignorance and our knowledge--reminds us that we are living in an immensely complex natural world. This, combined with the difficulties that we have created with our technology, makes one wonder if there is any reason for hope ... ." ... "... when we temper our optimistic view of the power of knowledge, we are left with a profound and necessary sense of humility and a great and well-grounded hope for the future."
From: Joe Marocco (2008) “Climate Change and the Limits of Knowledge” in The Virtues of Ignorance: Complexity, Sustainability, and the Limits of Knowledge Univ. of Kentucky Press

We really must lower inputs-throughputs-outputs of artificial energy flux & material flow in world systems and subsystems for them to be sustainable re quality life for humans and many other forms of life. We'll have to recognize this and deal with it as local and global "communities" if we are to have holistically resilient and healthful systems at all levels of biological hierarchy (cells, tissues, organs, body organ systems, individuals, population, community, ecosystem, ecosphere).

From: Food Council Meeting
Designated/anointed "Green"/"Sustainable" examples ("community" gardens, most conventional organic farms, magnet schools, health and wellness campuses, etc.) which are dependent on high inputs and are truly just "appendages" of a larger broken system, are not the answer for moving toward holistic, comprehensive sustainability involving conservation. Moreover, these so-called "Green"/Sustainable" "exemplars" may temporarily prop up very broken whole systems and delay real movement toward sustainability and long-term health at various systems levels.
.................................
We shouldn't halt: development of community gardens, organic farming, special schools trying to address specific "needs, various health and wellness efforts, etc. But we do need to overtly recognize their limitations and failings and work hard, agonize, and critically and creatively think about how we might muddle through the ecological mess we've created and truly work toward fixing it/cleaning it up.
..................................
High input-throughput-output artificial systems (which could be crudely determined by per capita consumption and population numbers) are the cause of the destruction of Nature and healthy life systems. No amount of human creativity (planning/design/implementation) can get around that fact. Therefore it is critical that we proceed cautiously and tentatively toward lower input-throughput-output systems.

On My Gravestone?

2010-11-27T12:18:00.003-06:00

We should not get so carried away such that our efforts toward sustainability negatively affect our day in and day out quality of life with family and true friends in community. Nevertheless, every action should:

abide by the precautionary principle www.pprinciple.net/the_precautionary_principle.html ,
involve conservation and development of a resilient & sustainable community, and
go through a lens of a positively ethical applied community ecology (PEACE).

................
Strive for a world that is socially just, humane and ecologically sound in the short and long term. Live intelligently and simply. Take power from the powerful and empower the poor.

Finally, remember War is for a lazy, uneducated and ignorant world.

Ecology-Across-Campuses & -Curricula … and Ecological Literacy

2010-11-14T19:13:00.007-06:00

This abstract is from a developing manuscript recently presented at the 33rd Annual Conference of the Society of Educators and Scholars, Oct. 2010 in San Antonio, TX:

Ecology-Across-Campuses & Curricula … and Ecological Literacy:
Toward Sustainable Livelihoods & Conservation and Sustainable Community

paul b. martin, ph.d., Marvel Maddox, & Jolly Ellis

Siempre Sustainable Network

We know we are in dire straits as a species. Also, many associated species are facing extinction by us. Moreover, at least one billion relatively powerless humans and great numbers of individuals of other species are in the midst of unprecedented peril in this moment.

Therefore why are our institutions of learning--from the pre-kindergarten to post-graduate school--not unreservedly addressing the challenge of: lowering ecological footprints and energy usage in the sectors of the world with power as well as reducing loss of topsoil, biodiversity, & available quality water, & exploitation of the poor the world over? Furthermore, these public and private institutions should be more effectively facilitating the increases in these footprints for those lacking power. The mission of our educational systems should be to realize an average worldwide per capita ecological footprint of ca. 5 acres and daily energy usage of ca. 60 thousand kilocalories, with a very small standard deviation for each.

As a part of this mission, stakeholders should be basing their decisions on ecological principles and processes. They should be thinking critically & creatively and acting in local & global systems with goals of banning inequality, and enhancing conservation, resilience and sustainability. A comprehensive and intensive plan for making this happen through our educational systems is seriously needed.

Development of ecology-across-curricula toward ecological literacy and sustainable livelihoods and sustainable community is a moral and ethical imperative for true scholars and educators. Educational systems should be a part of the solution rather than serving to increase social and ecological problems. We must use education to begin to rapidly change our socio-political/economic local and global systems, otherwise we all face serious ecological consequences in our future.

………………….
“We stand now where two roads diverge. But unlike the roads in Robert Frost's familiar poem, they are not equally fair. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the road -- the one less traveled by -- offers our last, our only chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of the earth.” Rachel Carson, Ecologist (Author of Silent Spring)

BBC Update on Winston's Status

2010-10-05T19:20:00.002-05:00

Winston's account on Facebook was hacked. Friends received weird messages, and they began to curse him. He shut the damn thing off.
Poetry class assignment, watch "The Perfect Human" by Jorgen Leth, and write poem in response.
There's a catch. Others in my class have assigned obstructions for me, which means I have to rewrite it after I read those instructions.
Also, this blog needs more bloggers.

Aransas Bay’s Calmer Days

2010-07-31T15:33:00.001-05:00

Not so choppy today in Aransas Bay, behind San Jose Island. Water clear, small wind. Hot sky.

Positive Mood Changers

2010-07-07T10:45:00.006-05:00

My wife's getting me out to listen to/dance to some good Americana music.

Grandkids, kids.

Pretty & conversant women who understand and love life, and aren't narcissistic.

Listening to 92.1 FM, New Braunfels, Texas.

Listening to 89.1 FM, San Antonio, Texas.

Listening to "Come on People, Smile on Your Brother, ...", Hotel California, Jessica, Roy Orbison, Raul Malo, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, old Bob Dylan music, Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, the Groobees, Adam Carroll, Jim Lauderdale, Zack Walther, Ryan Bingham, Wade Bowen, ... .

A long swim.

A long bike ride.

Mom's cooking.

Gilda Colley's pastry.

Tapioca pudding, well-prepared flan, Dona Nilza's avocado pudding, homemade ice cream, good strudel, well-made capirotada/bread pudding.

Betsy's venison backstrap.

Barbequed barbado lamb like Johnny Hoffmann prepared.

George Carlin.

Richard Pryor.

Joe Maddox's jokes.

Linda Gunn.

Marvel Maddox.

Larry Serold.

River bottoms in the Hill Country of Texas.

Rio.

Ouro Preto.

Gramado.

Santa Fe.

New Orleans.

Getting a real breakthrough in learning about: "conservation and development of resilient and sustainable community" / becoming a better "Positively Ethical Applied Community Ecologist".

Learning.

A particularly thought-provoking essay / short story / book / TV documentary / movie /radio piece.

Nature.

Simple living.

Success after lots of planning, community organizing and hard work.

Zubrowka.

Good--or even average--red wine.

Coco Loco.

Brasil.

LITTLE THINGS WE CAN DO TO HAVE A BETTER LIFE AND SUSTAINABLE WORLD

2010-07-07T10:26:00.002-05:00

I worked up this sustainability list one morning during Earth Week after my wife requested it for her students. (Of course it is not really different from many such lists which have been developed by numerous others.):

Eat healthy and exercise regularly. (Truly integrate this into your workday and lifestyle.)

Experience the real world—your yard, open fields, farms, ranches, parks—and stay away from TV, computers, cell phones, video games & other electronic gadgetry. Get physically, intellectually & spiritually in touch with Nature, the Land, Community and People—the very young and Elders.

For short trips: walk, run, ride bikes, or skateboard.

For long trips: car-pool. … Take a train or bus.

Help your family start a garden. … Maybe an organic garden.

Volunteer to help with community gardens or your school’s garden.

Buy something at the Farmers market—and get to know the farmers.

Encourage your family to mulch-mow … and to mow, water & fertilize the yard less. Use locally-adapted native vegetation, and introduce vegetable and fruit-producing garden areas into the landscape.

Compost all leaves, grass clippings, food scraps, and other organic matter.

Buy less, reuse neat old things, and recycle.

Carry a cup for drinking.

Keep air conditioning and heating systems off. Open windows. … (At least keep thermostats low in the winter and high in the summer.)

Help caulk cracks around windows, door and in other leaky areas of your home. Place weather-stripping around doors.

Use less water. Take shorter showers, catch water & and use in the sink, help family fix dripping faucets, etc.

Put a bucket/tub in your shower to collect the "warm up" water & overspray. Use it in your garden.

Use rain barrels to catch roof run-off. (Your plants will love the soft, low mineral water.)…

Completely turn off lights/electricity users! (Use power strips!)

At stores refuse plastic bags. Take your own “cool” bag.

Hang your clothes to dry out on a line & let the Sun/wind do the job.

Prepare to be an educated & responsible ecological-friendly voter who is active in community.

Work/have a career in “jobs” that help others & enhance ecological systems. (Sustainable livelihood.)

Work on a farm, ranch, summer camp and/or park system for the summer &/or after school.

Learn about ecological, carbon, water and energy “foot-printing” & life-cycle analysis.

Encourage peers and adults to be truly responsible in using prescription drugs, alcohol, etc. … Work hard at discouraging addictive drugs such as nicotine (smoking, snuff/smokeless tobacco, etc.) and other such drugs.

Learn about your family and community/regional history.

Learn about the flora and fauna of your backyard, nearby vacant lot and local community. (Natural history.)

Go for a walk with a small child and teach them the names of birds, other animals, trees, other plants, mushrooms, and other biota (cyanobacteria, bacterial disease symptoms) that you see along the way.

Read, write and do arts and crafts of some type. Do “hands on” projects and keep your mind challenged with mathematical and other puzzles, problem-solving, and critical & creative thinking.

Work for real enduring Peace and Justice.

Conserve, help the poor with “hands up” … and stay debt-free.

MAN (And not so much ... Wo man)

2010-06-30T22:38:00.005-05:00

Mark Twain wrote*:

"Damn these human beings; if I had invented them I would go hide my head in a bag."

"I am only human, although I regret it."

"Such is the human race. Often it does seem such a pity that Noah didn't miss the boat."

(However, MT/SC had some good things to say about women.)

I know Jesus or his writers said it much better ... but I have a lot more respect for most have-nots than I do for most haves.

I wish we would all strive really hard to be "No. 2"!

.......................................
*From: The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain, 1999, Dover Publications.

LAWRENCE: Devine Warhorse, Aggie, Clark Cougar, O'CONNOR PANTHER, ...

2010-06-30T21:43:00.010-05:00

These past months I've lost some good friends, Dr. Lanier Byrd, SGM Wallace Goodlow, USA ret., ... my brother Lawrence.

Lawrence's obituary www.legacy.com/obituaries/.../obituary.aspx?...lawrence-martin... read:

"Lawrence 'Larry' Alton Martin, age 61, went peacefully home to be with his Lord Jesus on January 28, 2010. Lawrence was the second oldest of six children born to Luther Alton and Louise Martin of Devine, Texas on April 22, 1948. He married his high school sweetheart, Barbara Sue Williams, on November 22, 1972. They were blessed with two children: daughter Lisa and son Matthew. Following his graduation from Texas A & M University in 1971, he began his career in education by teaching biology and coaching at Alamo Heights High School for eight years. During that time he obtained his Masters in Education and Administration from UTSA. He then began work at Northside ISD in 1980 as a coach and teacher at Clark High School. He became an administrator in 1982 and continued to serve Northside ISD until he retired due to cancer in November of 2009. During his career, he worked at Clark High School, Stinson Middle School, Zachary Middle School, and completed his career as Principal at O'Connor High School. He was preceded in death by his father Luther Alton Martin, and is survived by his wife, two children, and five grandchildren: daughter Lisa and her husband Michael Louro of Austin, TX and their 3 children: Jody, Hudson and Ruby; and son Matthew and his wife Kate of San Antonio, TX and their two children: Annabelle, and Samuel Lawrence (expected April, 2010). He is also survived by his brothers Paul and wife Betsy of Seguin, John of Dallas, Charlie and wife Kathy of Jasper, TX, Kenneth and wife Linda of Atlanta, GA, and sister Linda and husband Tim Gunn of Devine, TX. Larry loved the Lord. He was a man of sincere faith and remarkable character. He was passionate about caring for others and he loved people well. He was a servant leader and he will be dearly missed."

Lawrence was passionately remembered and eulogized by thousands in varied wonderful ways!

.....................................................................

My Memories of Lawrence Alton Martin delivered in the evening service were:

"Barbara, Mom, Lisa, Matt, all of you wonderful folk …

I’m Paul, … also know as Pablo, or Paul Bain—or 'Paulwayne' … as Lawrence used to say it years ago when we ran around with Greg Jasik and Paul Clay Lessing down in Devine. …

I’m next up in line from Lawrence, with the rest of our 4 siblings being younger--and wiser.

We honor Lawrence Alton Martin today! But in doing this, I think he’d be pleased if I mentioned a few of those who helped make him the wonderful and amazing man he became.

My brother Lawrence had--I think--the best balance of traits from Mom Louise and Dad Alton … of all of us 6 kids. He was a critical listener and life-long learner and the good stuff he got from Mom and Dad was enhanced by what he learned in the fields from Tony Cruz & Salame Gallegos, and on the field from Coach Comalander.

And from Coach Marvin Gustafson. … Coach Gus! … It really is fitting that both Lawrence’s and Coach Gus’s funeral services are and were here in this beautiful church. Really appropriate because Coach Gus had such an influence on Lawrence—and of course directly and indirectly he influenced many of us who are here today.

Also, Lawrence learned from Coaches Robbins, Alexander & Padron.

And vo-ag teacher Mr. Henry Moss, … Mrs. Allen, Mr. Sechist and Leo Bohl, the Outlaws of Black Creek, Gary Wilkinson, Frank Dodson, Dunar Kielman, all the Jasiks, Irwins, Penas, Chapas, Pompas, Haasses, Ehlingers, Campseys, Bendeles, Bains, Jungmans, and Haywoods; Lilian Sauter, Matt Williams, Ken Milam, Dr. Debbie Sonnen, and Dennis Ann Strong.

I could go on and on and name many others from whom Lawence learned, … because as I’m trying to stress--Lawrence truly was a great listener and learner!

He was sometimes strongly opinionated. But he was open-minded. And he did learn from all of you who are here today—and lots of others.
………………
Lawrence was quietly humble, loving, compassionate, tolerant, devoted and devout, disciplined, punctual, … unassuming, … but he was also skilled, hard-working, daring, persevering, and relentless. He was a very likeable people-person. … He was real people!

Lawrence was a role model’s role model. … And I stress again, … his character and integrity resulted mostly from humility, discipline, … hard work to hone his talents into skills, … and lots of innate love. … Love. Man does he love his grandkids, kids, wife and parents, and the only grandparent we knew, Grandma Eva Martin.

Moreover, as his son Matt so beautifully put it Wednesday at the Library dedication ceremony for Lawrence, Lawrence truly believed that everyone is very important and he treated them that way always--and each and every day. Moreover, he was 'adamant' in encouraging and demanding that all live up to their potential in life’s journey—no matter how rocky the road.
………………...
Lawrence was 15 months younger than I but over the years he taught me a bunch in varying ways. Through the years he gave me:
healthy competition,
some discipline and order,
friends,
a place to live,
employment,
great roommates,
a beautiful wife, kids and grandkids,
a solid pragmatic socio-political view ...
and of course, so much more.

He was a really good brother!

I could tell 100s of stories about Lawrence. But don’t worry, I won’t stay up here much longer. And Barbara, … I won’t tell any of those stories where you scold me with, 'Oh Paul, quit telling those stories.'

But here’s several Lawrence stories which I think are telling about his character.

1. Our youngest sibling, our only sister, told me this one this last week.

It’s a hot July day at that little non-airconditioned 2-bedroom house in Devine on Texas Highway 173 where Triple C Restaurant is now, where 8 of us slept and ate, and bathed in a tiny bathroom with a tub—and where your right leg burned from the space heater in the winter when you sat on the toilet.

Anyway, Linda, John Russell and Charlie are watching Lawrence cut into a cold Black Diamond watermelon out on the hot sidewalk. Lawrence just shallowly slices out a big chunk of the rind and then quickly plunges in with his hands and pulls out the whole heart, buries his face in it, and then says, “Here, y’all can have the rest.” Sister Linda said she was too young to really understand what was happening, but immediately brothers Charlie and John Russell were not happy campers.

Lawrence could be mischievious!

2. Lawrence was a craftsman—a builder of beautiful things … furniture, Dr. Sonnen’s house, his weight machine (Maybe the weight machine isn’t so beautiful, but it is beautifully functional.). … Let’s go to hot, sand-duned, desert-like Lamesa, Texas just south of Lubbock in the early 60s. A couple of brothers are welding on a pea viner—or big pea sheller--which Uncle Peggy Martin was constructing at Cotton King Gin on the road to Punkin Center.

“Good lord! What the heck is this. That splattering mess will never hold Paul Bain!”
“Wow!! Look at that beautiful bead. Way to go Lawrence!! Great work!!!”

(That was our work supervisor, future Dad-in-Law of Lawrence’s, Matt Williams who checked over our welding work. … And yes Lawrence was a good welder!)

He was a good tractor driver too, and could really effectively run, trouble-shoot and fix the sort of "Rube Goldburg"-bean-harvesters Uncle Peggy purchased and modified in the 1960s.

3. OK, now—another hot day; early summer. Lawrence and I are in a cotton trailer full of pink-eye purple hull peas … out in front of the old icehouse and next to the train docks and tracks in what was then agricultural-Devine … tossing the pea pods with pitch forks into another cotton trailer to keep them cool.

This will be our day’s work, just tossing peas to keep them air-cooled before there are enough coming in from the field for a full semi load to send to Allen Cannery in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.

I’m the big brother and I try to keep up with Lawrence—and because of this, our Uncle Peggy, for whom we were working, is really getting his money’s worth. … But there is no way I can compete with Lawrence. He’s like a machine, quickly filling each fork-load with pea pods and tossing them high without stopping. Like a relentless machine!!

4. Now let’s travel up old Highway 81—this is before President Eisenhower’s Interstates were completed--on a school trip to the old “natural” pool at Landa Park, New Braunfels—the wonderful town where my Mom was raised. There’s a tall tower at one end of the pool which has since been removed because of danger to divers—and I am too scared to go off of this high tower.

But not Lawrence! I watch him all afternoon--along with all the pretty girls around the pool—go off that tower time after time—doing flips and spins and somersaults and twists and tucks… perhaps not so beautifully, but truly amazingly. (He was already 'The Amazing Mr. Martin.') Lawrence’s body was totally cherry red from hitting the water every which way, … but up that tower he’d climb again.
………
OK, we need some audience participation! … How many of y’all saw Lawrence walk on his hands at some time in the past—maybe in the school reception area up on the bar or at a Pep Rally? …

He could get kind of crazy sometimes.

5. This is the last story, and this time it’s late fall and much cooler. It’s actually a beautiful crispy cold Friday night, a Warhorse playoff game in Devine which I’d come home to from College Station to see. We Warhorses won the toss to play at home and it is an excitingly wonderful game to watch. There’s this little roving monster-man, my tough daredevil of a brother Lawrence, fighting off blockers and stacking 3 or 4 of them up play after play, and still getting tackle after tackle at near the line of scrimmage.

And in 'Double A' Devine you were in shape and went both ways—offense and defense. In addition to all his tackles as linebacker, Lawrence also did his share of great blocking as offensive guard that night.

I could tell other stories, but I think these 5 are illustrative of some of Lawrence’s many good and amazing traits and skills.

…………………………….
I congratulated Lawrence some years back when he received a principal of the year award for work at Zachary Middle School. He sloughed off the congratulations saying, 'They love the heck out of you one minute, and are ready to can you the next!'

Of course that never really was true in the case of Lawrence. And I know y’all will all continue to love him and will honor him by being life-long learners to the good of others, society and the ecology. I know you’ll keep learning from Lawrence Alton Martin.

Discipline, humility, compassion, love for all, tolerance. For Peace … not War. Belief in all humans—and their importance, and expecting the best out of each of you! …

Discipline, humility, compassion, love for all, tolerance. For Peace … not War. Belief in all humans—and their importance, and expecting the best out of each of you! …

Thank you again Matt/all of you for this honor to speak a bit about Lawrence."

Priceless from Citibank

2010-06-21T12:42:00.000-05:00

Cancel your credit card
before you die.
Can you believe this?
Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die!

This is so easy to see happening - customer service being what it is today.

A lady died this past January, and Citibank billed her for February and March for their annual service charges on her credit card, and added late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance had been $0.00 when she died, but now somewhere around $60.00. A family member placed a call to Citibank.

Here is the exchange :

Family Member: 'I am calling to tell you she died back in January.'

Citibank: 'The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply.'

Family Member: 'Maybe you should turn it over to collections.'

Citibank: 'Since it is two months past due, it already has been.'

Family Member: So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?'

Citibank: 'Either report her account to frauds division or report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!'

Family Member: 'Do you think God will be mad at her?'

Citibank: 'Excuse me?'

Family Member: 'Did you just get what I was telling you - the part about her being dead?'

Citibank: 'Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor.'

Supervisor gets on the phone:

Family Member: 'I'm calling to tell you, she died back in January with a $0 balance.'

Citibank: 'The account was never closed and late fees and charges still apply.'

Family Member: 'You mean you want to collect from her estate?'

Citibank: (Stammer) 'Are you her lawyer?'

Family Member: 'No, I'm her great nephew.' (Lawyer info was given)

Citibank: 'Could you fax us a certificate of death?'

Family Member: 'Sure.' (Fax number was given )

After they get the fax :

Citibank: 'Our system just isn't setup for death. I don't know what more I can do to help.'

Family Member: 'Well, if you figure it out, great! If not, you could just keep billing her. She won't care.'

Citibank: 'Well, the late fees and charges will still apply.'

(What is wrong with these people?!?)

Family Member: 'Would you like her new billing address?'

Citibank: 'That might help....'

Family Member: ' Odessa Memorial Cemetery , Highway 129, Plot Number 69.'

Citibank: 'Sir, that's a cemetery!'

Family Member: 'And what do you do with dead people on your planet???'

(Priceless!!)
And you wondered why Citi Bank needed help from the Feds?

ECOLOGICALLY-SOUND EDUCATION

2010-05-17T11:34:00.002-05:00

In his “classic” paper, What Is Education For, David Orr of Oberlin College emphasizes that “no student should graduate from … any … educational institution without a basic comprehension of:” ecological principles, processes and ethics; carrying capacity; least-cost/end-use analysis; appropriate scale and limits of technology,; and how to live well in a place.

With this in mind, our lifestyles are indicative of the fact that we haven’t done very well at educating toward ecological literacy in the U.S., nor in Seguin/local communities. Our biocapacity in this country is about 11.6 acres per capita, yet our ecological footprint is 23.7 ( http://assets.panda.org/downloads/living_planet_report.pdf ). (And this precarious difference is worse for south central Texas.) (Numerous other indicators of sustainability also point to the fact that we are not realizing ecological literacy and appropriate livelihoods/behaviors.)

Moreover, in the U.S. we consume per capita considerably more than 200,000 kilocalories per day, yet over one billion powerless folk consume less than 5,000 per day ( www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~rfrey/220original.html & others.). Our consumption pattern here in Seguin/other local communites in the U.S. cannot yield quality life for most of the billions of folk in the world—for now and certainly not for future generations.

School planners, educators and school systems are obvious pools to tap for leadership that will move us toward a mindset and toward a Natural and agricultural green space which will facilitate and enable livelihoods of conservation and sustainability. In order to foment these pools of conservation and sustainability, we need more neighborhood and rural schools (including high schools) built in concert with Nature and the Land which have no more than 500 students ( www.wested.org/online_pubs/po-01-03.pdf ). The landscapes of our schools should be of mostly native plant communities (possessing placards with species identification/information), some agricultural production, living and rainfall-catchment roofs, and limited parking space (encouraging walking, bicycling, bus transport and car-pooling). Buildings should be sustainably built of mostly local materials and should be designed and strategically placed for passive cooling and heating, and for comprehensive, holistic education that is lived and breathed on the campus. Food and drink—and fibers and other materials used on campuses-- should be mostly locally produced, processed, and prepared for consumption.

All folk involved the school system—students, staff, faculty, administrators, school board members, the larger community—should be knowledgeable about the energy and material inputs/throughputs and outputs, and ecological footprints (including carbon, water, energy) of the school and school system, and involved in changing them for the better (effective communication, participatory/hands-on, decentralized/site-based management, lifelong learning/critical thinking). Various “renewable” energy sources, holistic and preventative systems of student health care, composting toilets and simulated-wetlands sewage-treatment systems and LEED certification at the highest level also need to be considered. (And of course we should have additional systemic and holistic “greening of the curriculum.” http://livegreenlivesmart.org/library/articles/campus_greening_movement.aspx )

The picture I’ve painted in these previous two paragraphs is part of a dream, … a vision for moving toward a conserving and sustainable Seguin/local community. It most certainly won’t happen over night! … But it will never happen in an effective and efficient manner if we don’t start now!!

No one likes to hear that the schools and other components of our built environment--on which we’ve worked so hard, and sacrificed and struggled to build in an ethical fashion--should have been smaller and developed in concert with Nature and the Land. Established people in a local region don’t want to hear a relative newcomer (our arrival here in Seguin was 1985) spout off that the high tech, high-energy and -resource input ways of doing things—which we were particularly manipulated toward, taught and lived after WW II--were way off base. And we don’t want to hear and know that we can’t just tear down what we’ve built, and cannot just throw energy and resources and the “American”/can-do attitude at it, … and then magically fix it.

We Texans and Seguinites are a proud people, set in our ways. And all of us, young and old, in the US, Western Europe, Japan and other “developed” nations, and among the elite in the less-developed nations, have really become addicted to “big” and “consumption” and “wasteful lifestyles”--conventional air-conditioning and water heating, cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks, eating exotic product from all over the world which costs much in energy-units, etc., etc..

Nevertheless, we need to reach down deep and get some humility, all of us—the “wet behind the ears” and the “wise and experienced”—and begin to critically think about how to begin to lead our community into conservation and sustainability. We’ve got to learn to live lightly on the Land and compassionately attempt to provide quality life for all--everywhere and forever.

Therefore, let’s be brave, ethical and critically-thinking as community, and cautiously begin to accept the monumental challenge to develop a long term plan that involves a revamping of a local (Seguin) school district toward holistic ecological literacy and sustainable livelihoods/community.

Let’s begin to work hard to build small neighborhood schools in concert with Nature and the Land, that teach and promote ecological literacy and that give us hope for providing quality life for all for years to come.

(This wasn’t easy to write. … I sort of would like to just be a part of status quo--and doing a little gardening and picking native dewberries & grapes, and looking at the beautiful new calf crop, and efficiently reducing personal consumption/reusing/recycling, and bicycling to the Wellness Center regularly, and helping my wife, Mom and Mom-in-Law, and kids and grandkids—and not worry and struggle with real issues and real change toward conservation and sustainability.
But … .)

Banned Books List for 2009

2010-04-15T12:46:00.001-05:00

CHICAGO –Lauren Myracle’s best-selling young adult novel series "ttyl," the first-ever novels written entirely in the style of instant messaging, tops the American Library Association’s (ALA) Top Ten list of the Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2009.

Two books are new to the list: Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer and “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult.

Both Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” and Robert Cormier’s “The Chocolate War” return after being dropped from the list in 2008.

“Even though not every book will be right for every reader, the ability to read, speak, think and express ourselves freely are core American values,” said Barbara Jones, director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. “Protecting one of our most fundamental rights – the freedom to read – means respecting each other’s differences and the right of all people to choose for themselves what they and their families read.”

For nearly 20 years, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has collected reports on book challenges. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school, requesting that materials be removed or restricted because of content or appropriateness. In 2009, OIF received 460 reports on efforts to remove or restrict materials from school curricula and library bookshelves.

Though OIF receives reports of challenges in public libraries, schools, and school libraries from a variety of sources, a majority of challenges go unreported. OIF estimates that its statistics reflect only 20-25% of the challenges that actually occur.

The ALA’s Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2009 reflect a range of themes, and consist of the following titles:

1. ttyl, ttfn, l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs

2. “And Tango Makes Three” by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: Homosexuality

3. “The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Anti-Family, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide

4. “To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee
Reasons: Racism, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

5. Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group

6. “Catcher in the Rye,” by J.D. Salinger
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

7. “My Sister’s Keeper,” by Jodi Picoult
Reasons: Sexism, Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide, Violence

8. “The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things,” by Carolyn Mackler
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

9. “The Color Purple,” Alice Walker
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

10. “The Chocolate War,” by Robert Cormier
Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

Seven titles were dropped from the list, including: His Dark Materials Trilogy (Series) by Philip Pullman (Political Viewpoint, Religious Viewpoint, Violence); Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz (Occult/Satanism, Religious Viewpoint, Violence); "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya (Occult/Satanism, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Sexually Explicit, Violence); Gossip Girl (Series) by Cecily von Ziegesar (Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group); "Uncle Bobby’s Wedding" by Sarah S. Brannen (Homosexuality, Unsuited to Age Group); "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini (Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group); and "Flashcards of My Life" by Charise Mericle Harper (Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group).

Also new this year is an updated list of the top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of the Decade (2000 – 2009). Topping the list is the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, frequently challenged for various issues including occult/Satanism and anti-family themes. A complete listing can be found at http://tinyurl.com/top100fcb.

For more information on book challenges and censorship, please visit the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom’s Banned Books Week Web site at www.ala.org/bbooks.

Could traffic attorneys be a trend for the future?

2010-03-01T17:39:00.001-06:00

If you get a traffic ticket, a letter often magically appears in your mailbox promising to fix it

Erika refused to divulge her last name last week as she stepped away from a cashier’s window at San Antonio Municipal Court on Frio Street. The young woman had been cited for exceeding the speed limit on the freeway. Her lead foot cost her $160; she is on probation and will have to spend a Saturday at a local comedy-cum-defensive driving outlet, setting her back another $30. To keep her driving record clean, she can’t receive a traffic violation citation during the year. If successful, she could pay a lower auto-insurance rate and will avoid getting costly points from the state.

Erika took off work and went to the trouble of negotiating with a municipal-court judge. However, shortly after receiving her traffic citation, she also received letters from three local attorneys who offered to appear in court on her behalf. “I threw [the letters] away,” she says. But she wondered how the attorneys learned about her traffic violation in the first place.

Attorneys began accessing information about traffic violators through the state’s open records act in the mid-1990s, says Municipal Court Manager David Presciado. “We’ve been doing it for some time, although I think there was a big push around 2001 when it became the thing to do, with attorneys trying to access information.” The court also provides information to insurance companies and defensive-driving companies,” Presciado added.

A handful of San Antonio law firms pay the court a $25 access fee, either by the week or by the month, depending on the amount of business they want to solicit from traffic violators. The cost depends on the information they seek, such as the names of those receiving traffic violations, the most common citation issued.

“We tried not to give it out to them, but because of open records laws, basically we had to,” says Presciado.

Signing up clients in the municipal court system seems lucrative, since approximately 300,000 citations and 100,000 parking violations are issued each year in San Antonio.

Presiding Municipal Court Judge John Bull says the court has always had a plea-bargain court available to attorneys. “San Antonio is a large municipality and there are attorneys that will come in with a large volume of traffic violations, representing people on tickets. The original reasoning was to find a place where they could go.”

Traffic violators have the option to appear in court themselves, and if their driving records are clean, may negotiate a deferred adjudication if they are skilled enough, but more likely a judge will grant that status, but with a stipulation that the driver take a defensive-driving course. The attorneys who advertise their services virtually guarantee probation without the requirement to take driver’s-safety courses, and of course their clients will save an hour or two by not having to appear in court downtown (which requires time off from work or play).

Using the Open Records Act, several San Antonio lawyers troll the rolls of traffic violators and send them letters advertising their services. The attorneys then go to a special plea-bargain court and negotiate deferred adjudication for their clients.

On Wednesdays, attorneys come to plea-bargain court with 200 traffic tickets they would rather not take to trial or to a hearing before a judge. Citizens with traffic tickets go to an appearance court where they can address the tickets themselves.

Local attorney Barrett McKinney sends letters to potential clients on his letterhead, but he labels them as advertisements. “Don’t pay that traffic ticket!” reads the headline on the letter. “Today, it is more important than ever to protect your driving record,” the letter continues. “Many people mistakenly believe the only penalty for paying a traffic ticket is the fine. For instance, paying a ticket can often result in higher insurance premiums that you will have to pay years into the future.”

McKinney offers to obtain a deferred adjudication for his clients, who can sidestep attending a driver’s-safety course. “It’s rare if I can’t get a ticket deferred for somebody,” says McKinney, a former police officer in South Dallas and Castle Hills. He also worked in the Bexar County District Attorney’s office before becoming a lawyer.

“This is a large part of my business, but I don’t make a whole hell of a lot of money,” McKinney says. “But it is a good reference for other cases, generating referrals more than anything.”

Attorneys who work in plea-bargain court say they have established good working relationships with municipal-court judges. In addition to McKinney, Jesse Sepulveda, David Clarkson, and Diana Casarez Minella, negotiate the lion’s share of traffic tickets. “You’ve got to have resolve to stick with it; it is a lot of work to send those letters out all the time.”

To attract clients, Minella advertises her previous stint as a municipal-court prosecutor. “Keeping violations off your record is important now that Texas has implemented a point system that tracks convictions you receive,” Minella’s letter reads.

“According to the Texas Transportation Code, a point system was adopted by the state in 2003,” says Minella. “For every conviction you get two points, and if you get six in a 36-month period, you will have to pay $100 a year for your license. A conviction for no insurance is an automatic $250 per year. Most people don’t know that if they go pay the ticket, it’s an automatic conviction and the points accumulate. I get a lot of calls asking for me to fix what they did.”

A municipal-court judge who asked that his name be withheld said many times someone will bring a soliciting attorney’s letter to court and hand it to the judge, thinking the letter originated from the court. “They have the idea that the lawyers work for us.

“Personally, I don’t like it,” the judge says. “I didn’t like the idea of lawyers soliciting clients [a forbidden practice two decades ago]. It’s demeaning to allow attorneys to do that. But they do provide a service; a lot of people simply don’t have the time to come down here.” •

Guadalupe bifaces discovered on Guadalupe River

2010-02-28T16:45:00.001-06:00

SEGUIN — Local archeologist Robert “Bob” Everett paid a visit Thursday morning to an excavation site where hundreds of arrowheads, spear points and other Native American artifacts were recently uncovered along the banks of the Guadalupe River.

“This is the richest archeological site I’ve seen on the Guadalupe River in 35 years,” said Everett, a steward with the Texas Historical Commission’s Texas Archeological Stewardship Network.

Everett and his wife, Carol, examined numerous artifacts when he visited Jody and Floyd McKee, owners of the Saffold House on Stockdale Highway along the south bank of the Guadalupe River.

“There could have been a series of villages of different tribes over the past 11,000 years. It appears to have been heavily occupied for an expansive period of time. This could have been a major village with satellite villages strewn along the river,” Everett said.

He said many of the artifacts are from the Archaic to Early Late Prehistoric periods in geological time. He also advised the McKees to carefully control their excavation sites and to measure them as well as they can.

Finds at the site include more than 30 Guadalupe Biface pieces, which were chert or flint tools whose use was uncertain. There are knives, adzes, drills and awls and one atlatl in addition to the spear points and arrowheads that range in size, shape and color, some with corner and side notches. The McKee collection includes a very rare Andice spear point in addition to Wilson, Georgetown and even a Hell Gap artifact that Everett said does not originate in this area.

Everett said the tools could have been used to deflesh an animal hide or to even carve wood.

It’s possible that the site on four acres in back of the McKees’ historical home could have been the site where dugout canoes were carved from local trees.

The McKees had put the house that was built in 1865 on the market after they restored it, and they had an offer from a venture capital firm that wanted to build condominiums, a restaurant and parking lots to serve them on the property.

“If they had paid what we were asking and we had sold it, we wouldn’t even know what we have here,” Floyd said.

Jody said her husband dug out some soil from the property behind their house and spread it in the yard around the house to fill it in.

Then one day it rained, and the McKees found artifacts that had washed to the surface of their yard.

“All of these arrowheads were everywhere. We took out another scoop, sifted the dirt and found all kinds of things. I took a rake and found stuff while raking the surface of the yard. I found five axe heads. You can almost kick the dirt and find something,” Jody said.

“We have stuff in boxes and buckets and on shelves, including more than 30 Guadalupe Bifaces. To find 30 of them in one hole is unheard of,” she said.

“We are not going to sell our house now, this is too much fun,” Jody said.

Since their significant find of Native American artifacts in their back yard, the McKees and their dogs have been working full time digging and sifting dirt in their big back yard. The dogs dig into the piles of dirt, unknowingly kicking up spear points and arrowheads in their attempts to cool down on a hot summer day.

Floyd said he wants the residents of Seguin, especially those who live alongside the river, to know what they have found in their yard.

“It would be a shame for people in Seguin not to know what they might have in their back yard,” Floyd said. Since their first discovery in March, he has dug out an 8 ft. deep, 10 ft. wide, and 50 ft. long trench in one section of their property. The McKees also dug in another spot overlooking the river, and found about five of the Guadalupe Biface pieces, which suggests that five to six people had a workshop at that site.

Floyd McKee has a special interest in Seguin’s history, as he is descended from Sarah Day and her son, James, who were original stockholders with Lot No. 27 on Walnut Branch’s original town map. Sarah was caught up in the Runaway Scrape in 1836, and her son and Floyd’s great-great uncle James Calahan were Texas Rangers assigned to the Seguin post. His grandfather, James McKee, was a district judge and congressman who owned property in the McKee Hill area where Juan Seguin is currently entombed.

The McKees plan to excavate much of the rear of their property to determine the extent of the site of prehistoric occupation, but will stop stop if they encounter a burial site.

“We haven’t run across any bones yet, if we do that we will have to stop and find out what it is,” Floyd McKee said.

Everett, who had been enticed to visit the site after being ill for some time, had brought along his reference book, “Prehistoric Artifacts of the Texas Indians.”

“This is an important site,” Everett reiterated.

“A lot of natives found old spear points and reworked them for reuse,” he said.

Carol Everett said her husband was happy to visit Seguin’s newly-discovered archeological site after a long recovery period.

“This made his day, it made his whole week,” she said.

“Look for a Clovis point, and I’ll be back,” Bob Everett told the McKees.

“There is no telling what we will find out here. Over the past 10,000 to 12,000 years there must have been a lot of camps out here. It is mind boggling,” Floyd said.

Saving the infirm at Louis Armstrong Airport, 2005

2010-02-21T20:36:00.001-06:00

When The Levee Breaks

Air Force medical teams pluck families from chaos

By Michael Cary
SAN ANTONIO -- New Orleans native Robert Danfield stared balefully out of the airplane's small porthole, a row of parachutes hanging above on the bulkhead, and glimpsed a final view of his hometown. As a 9-year-old in 1965, he had lived through Hurricane Betsy; 40 years later, he and his family barely survived Hurricane Katrina. "The grace of God is what got us out."

As the passengers boarded the airplane, the air overhead buzzed with rescue helicopters that landed by the twos and threes every 30 seconds at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, unloading hundreds of people who were plucked out of their attics, from rooftops, and hard-to-reach high ground in the Crescent City.

The C-130's engines roared and the aircraft vibrated underfoot. A medical technician distributed earplugs to weary residents who had only hours earlier been rescued. The plane smelled metallic, like a set of keys held too long in a sweaty palm.

The 25 passengers who could walk were strapped into red, webbed seats designed to carry paratroopers, and they sat subdued. Air Force medical crews hooked up intravenous saline pouches and attached blood pressure monitors to the critically ill patients - those with tuberculosis, kidney failure, or sickle cell anemia - who were strapped into 20 stretchers rigged along the spine of the plane.

Danfield patted his nervous wife on the knee as if to reassure her that they were leaving the chaos of New Orleans, where thousands were still being rescued from their attics and rooftops. Although the death toll hasn't been calculated, city officials estimate thousands of people died during the week that passed since Katrina stopped the heartbeat of the city.

Nine months ago, Danfield, 50, moved into a newly mortgaged home near Franklin Avenue with his wife, Deborah Glenn, and his stepdaughter, Heather. Their three-bedroom home in the New Orleans' 8th Ward is located about midway between Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River.

When Hurricane Katrina bore down on the Gulf Coast on August 28, Danfield's family was among the 20 percent of New Orleans' 480,000 residents who did not evacuate. Relieved that the eye had veered to the east of the city, they went to bed feeling safe in their home.

But, Danfield, says, about 6 a.m. Monday, Heather awoke from a dream that her family was in danger. Later that morning, floodwaters breached a levee on the 17th Street Canal, and Lake Pontchatrain flowed into the 8th Ward, engulfing most of the homes.

Like scores of residents, the family became trapped in the attic by the rapidly rising floodwaters. To escape, Danfield knocked a ventilation fan out of the roof. He broke off a PVC pipe and used it to fly a white T-shirt through the hole to signal any would-be rescuers. But the disaster had just struck New Orleans, and few had arrived to rescue the thousands who were suddenly stranded.

Fortunately, Danfield had a flashlight, and that night he used it to send signals into the darkness with the thin hope that help would come. On the afternoon of August 30, rescue workers from Coast Guard and National Guard units pulled the family to safety and delivered them to the New Orleans Convention Center, where, Danfield says, they stayed in "pure hell" for the next three days. Thousands were stranded at the facility without food, water, electricity, medical care, or law enforcement.

Now Danfield confronted a bigger problem. Glenn suffers from kidney disease, and without crucial dialysis treatment, her health was rapidly deteriorating. Danfield decided he needed to move his family to the Superdome, where he thought his wife would more likely receive medical care or be evacuated.

So, on Sept. 2, the family traversed the one-and-a quarter miles from the Convention Center to the Superdome. "We waded through water up to our waists, past dead bodies, to get to the Superdome," Danfield says. There the waiting began anew.

As the Danfields were settling into the Superdome hoping to find medical help for the ailing Glenn, in San Antonio, aircraft were departing Lackland Air Force Base every 45 minutes to rescue sick and injured New Orleans residents who had been transferred from the Superdome to Louis Armstrong International Airport, where military forces had set up the largest triage center in United States history.

At 4 a.m. on Sept. 3, a five-person medical crew at Lackland Air Force Base with the 452nd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron joined an Air Force flight crew from Arkansas, which had been put on alert Thursday night. The crew loaded medical gear onto the C-130 cargo plane. The crew included nurses, technicians, and an additional three-member Critical Care Air Transport Team, including Maj. (Dr.) James Johnson, a cardio-thoracic anesthesiologist, Captain William Wolfe, a critical-care nurse, and Staff Sgt. Sybyl Thibodaux, a critical-care technician, all from Lackland's 59th Medical Wing.

At 6 a.m., the pilot lifted the aircraft off the runway and sped into the pre-dawn, set to arrive at Armstrong Airport less than two hours later. The seven-person flight crew and the medical teams were taking help and hope to thousands of severely traumatized New Orleans residents.

The crew landed at 7:50 a.m. and taxied to the D gates, where people lay on stretchers in the middle of the airport concourse. They had been rescued, processed through triage, and were queued up for the many medical evacuation flights that would occur until everybody was in medical facilities in Texas or other states. Complicating matters, rescue airplanes and evacuation helicopters had to share one runway, because the remaining tarmac at Armstrong Airport were eroded by floodwaters.

"We're going to Ellington," said Maj. Stacia Belyeu, the nurse in charge of the aeromedical evacuation team. Ellington Field is a former military airport that Houston now maintains, 15 miles south of downtown.

Chief Master Sgt. Rodney Christa of San Antonio was in charge of evaluating patients, many of which were rescued from nursing homes and hospices. He is assigned to the 433rd Airlift Wing at Lackland. Since Aug. 31, he said, "we worked until we couldn't, 16 hours on duty, four hours to sleep."

Christa said his airport troops were dealing with people whose needs differed from the wounded who arrive from Iraq and other battle zones. "There are things we haven't seen before. If I don't move fast enough, people will die. If mom is sick or injured, we're moving the whole family."

The scene inside Armstrong Airport resembled a hospital critical-care unit, except that uniformed troops stood guard, lounged in airport gate waiting areas, or slept on the floor during off-times. Other troops helped with patients, patrolled the concourse and entrances, or prepared MREs, the military's prepackaged meals.

The airport terminal was littered with duffel bags, and other troop gear. The building was lit and air-conditioned by a generator with air blowing through ducts in the entryway. Foodstuffs and other relief supplies sat in stacks adjacent to medical triage areas roped off to keep TV camera crews away from the patients that lined the passageways. Outside the airport terminal, misery and chaos reigned among the young and old who squatted among the refuse, trying to get into the airport and out of New Orleans.

On the tarmac, the flight team revved the motors of the C-130. The evacuation crews had loaded the 20 patients on stretchers and 25 more who could walk.

"Tell CNN these people are not refugees," said Belyeu. "They are Internally Displaced People, or IDPs. Refugees leave the country."

In Houston around noon on Saturday, Danfield and Heather walked off the airplane alongside Glenn, who was pushed in a wheelchair across the tarmac to a terminal where hundreds of relief workers and medical personnel had set up an intake area. Glenn soon received her life-saving dialysis.

The C-130's four powerful engines revved again, and the airlift crews boarded the cargo plane for another flight to New Orleans to pick up 40 patients who would be evacuated to Lackland. Johnson, Williams, and Thibodaux lay back in the webbed seating in the aircraft's cargo hold for some much-needed rest before they landed again in New Orleans.

"We'll go back to New Orleans, but not to live there again," Danfield said as he smoked a cigarette and pondered his family's future. He dialed numbers on his cell phone, trying to reach relatives in Houston. "I have no identification, no credit card; not a nickel in my pocket. We've just got to start over ... we're thinking about staying in Texas."

Government responds to Falcon Refinery Superfund oil spill

2010-02-17T18:27:00.003-06:00

Waterfowl covered in
toxic crude perish,
oil cleanup continues

A crested cormorant, two coots and a northern shoveler perished over the weekend after they were found immersed in toxic crude oil at the Falcon Refinery Superfund site in Aransas Pass on Feb. 11.

Despite intensive efforts by wildlife management groups at the Animal Rehabilitation Keep on Mustang Island, four birds died on Sunday, Feb. 16, Valentine's Day.

A fifth bird, a black-crowned night heron, also was found at the Falcon Refinery oil spill site last week and was taken in at the ARK for treatment, but it also has died from a disease unrelated to the toxic crude.

Heavy rainfall and a strong wind from the north aided efforts by state agencies and private contractors to clean up an estimated 1 million gallons of crude oil that gushed through a crack in a storage tank last week.

Officials from the Texas General Land Office, the Texas Railroad Commission, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency were on site in Aransas Pass to oversee the cleanup effort by a GLO response team and a private contractor.

The Falcon Refinery was designated as a toxic Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2002, and it was previously reported in the Aransas Pass Progress and the Ingleside Index that the site was due for cleanup by 2010.
The latest oil spill occurred during a crude oil transfer operation by a company that is leasing three storage tanks on the site.

“Right now the rain is helping with our response effort, flushing oil that got into a freshwater marsh back into a freshwater pond where we have a collection effort set up,” said Jimmy Martinez, senior response officer for the Corpus Christi region of the General Land Office.

Martinez said that employees of Superior Crude Gathering Co. of Corpus Christi were pumping oil into a storage tank about 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, when the crude leaked into a secondary containment area (berm).

“The General Land Office was not notified until about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10. We mobilized our team and brought our command post out here at 8:30 a.m. At that time we asked TCEQ to conduct air monitoring for us, and in a couple of hours we had the all clear to send in our first responders to make an assessment,” Martinez said.

“Once we received the all clear we went over to the Superfund site. There is a 55,000-barrel tank that was holding 52,000 barrels of crude oil, and there was a rupture at the base of it,” Martinez explained.

“Oil was gushing out pretty significantly and was going into a secondary containment area, a dike berm,” he said.

The oil had leaked out of Tank No. 13; Superior employees attempted to pump oil into Tank No. 15 and managed to transfer 28,000 barrels into it.

“During that operation we observed another tank failure, this time in Tank No. 15. Now we’re dealing with two failures,” Martinez said Thursday afternoon.

“We also found three different breaches of those secondary containments, and oil was flowing into the duck pond and freshwater marshes,” he said.

“Once we observed the oil coming out of Tank 15, the company pumped water into it to raise the level of oil above the rupture, and we’ve been able to maintain that level throughout the night so no more oil was coming out of there,” Martinez explained.

“A barge arrived here this morning, and we began to load up the barge with 28,000 barrels of the oil that was in Tank No. 15. That operation started about an hour ago,” Martinez said around noon Thursday.

“We simultaneously had vacuum trucks on the scene to suck oil out of the secondary containment, and we had an overnight operation where we actually recovered approximately 2,000 barrels of oil in the secondary of Tank No. 13. We recovered 2,500 barrels of oil overnight, which brings us up to 20,000 barrels of oil,” Martinez continued.

Matt McCauley, senior response officer for the GLO, said he monitored the Falcon oil spill site over the weekend.

“As of yesterday (Monday), approximately four barrels of oil remained outside the containment area, in the freshwater lake and in a ditch,” McCauley said.

On the inside of the containment area, there are approximately 1,000 barrels left, and we’re hitting hot spots of pooled oil,” he said.

“Our operations are scaling down out there, and we haven’t solidified the amount of oil spilled and the amount recovered. We’re still working with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Texas Railroad Commission and Texas Parks & Wildlife.

Everybody is still heavily involved in the operation,” McCauley said.

Intensive care for the four birds last week involved a non-profit organization from Houston and personnel at the Animal Rehabilitation Keep.

The care and cleanup of oiled birds is a delicate process, and on this occasion did not turn out well for the birds, who were discovered dead on Sunday.

“Everything worked the way it was supposed to, but unfortunately when birds are oiled, it is a give and take situation when the birds ingest the oil. Sometimes with oil spills that’s the way it goes,” said Brent Koza of the General Land Office’s Oil Spill Prevention and Response office in Corpus Christi.

Koza had delivered a specially equipped travel trailer to house the birds in a warm environment while they underwent treatment.

A special cleaning tank apparatus donated to the GLO by the Citgo energy company was put into use for the first time last week at the ARK.

“The machine worked beautifully, the way it was designed to. Personally and professionally, I was disappointed with the way the birds died, but I was satisfied with the way the machinery worked,” Koza said.

Martinez said the oil spill site at the Falcon Refinery will end an emergency phase “when the oil is removed from the water itself, that is our primary concern.”

He said that by the end of Wednesday, Feb. 17, the GLO “will back off and the railroad commission will take control of longer term remediation.”

St. Valentine's Day 2010

2010-02-14T21:27:00.002-06:00

I kinda really don't like this holiday. I have been home watching TV all day and since I heard the winds outside gonna check on my laundry. The winds are whipping up. When's the Single people holiday? A holiday when we get to eat strawberries in chocolate? So, well, call me what you will, on today, the holiday for lovers, I am going back to bed. It'll be forgotten by tomorrow. Adios y buenas noches.

My Broken Ankle Adventure IV

2010-02-14T16:23:00.002-06:00

So, now most of my time is occupied by a lot of contemplating. I'm scheduled to see my personal doc with the County as a follow-up scheduled before the accident happened. Confused?

It's the Sunday now after the Tuesday night that changed the way I'll live the next 8-9 weeks.

I order the cheap stuff from the Pizzeria. I do have personal info I'd like to keep that way, so I'll say that there are very kind and generous people on my planet. I do have info I keep private so...um....

So, I do very little at a time. I intend to fo the final "Organize" in my kitchen. This is mundane and boring. But I kept organizing it and I would discard or get something else and so there was less space, and is less space... So, anyway, those are the kinds of things I worry about with my elevated ankle and hoping the injury is not as bad as it may be. I just can't feel it as I normally would as there is always the risk that I already have a degree of something unexpected and bad. So, I hope that I can snag the guitar, and be inspired to write hopefully...

I gave am armful of (what I thought) were nice articles or clothing. I hope the young lady liked it/them and she can/will use them. So, I am down to judging the clothes and now will go into 2 piles. Cold and Hot (weather related). I've made a lot of progress very slowly. It's nice to look at the clothes and see a niticeable reduction in the size of the mountain. I have 2 other "monsters". One being "the cassettes". The other being "The VHS". So, here I am staring at my swollen ankle thru to all these VHS tapes. Hmmmm.. I have many containers of music charts. Put Away. Air tight. Closet. But they take a bunch of space. And so I want to economize my living quarters space or lack thereof.

And but now, I'm sleepy. And it's been days of this and pain in the waking hours. But it's a lot of thinking. Thank you God for forcing me to take the opportunity to learn. Posting more later.

My Broken Ankle Adventure III

2010-02-14T14:35:00.002-06:00

So, after a peaceful, non-eventful ride to drop off the kids and then get some gas and then head on out to Spohn, we parked and JoAnne dropped me off where the ambulances bring patients. There was a think, Latino prisoner being watched by a lady cop. Joanne and I couldn't help but look at this young person in a head brace that looked like a wifi antaennae ( don't know how to spell antaennae). This young person was throughly sedated. We walked on to the triage age so they could assess my injury. After being warned by a well-meaning relative of some patient that it was a 6-8 hour wait. We asked her what was wrong with the patient. He had like boils and lesions. So, I understood what triage was doing. A boil or lesions should be handled in the doctor's office and not in the Emergency Room running up all kinds of expenses. It sounds like an out-patient surgical procedure. They took my info and we sat out in the waiting area and before hardly any time (we're talking ER time, like Dog Years), they called me to be assessed in Triage. Definitely,

a potentitial broken bone is more of an emergency. So, we walked to an exam room I hadn't seen yet. We waited. Nurse verified info. We waited. That took my vitals. We waited. Dr. Rudy came out and examined my ankle. We chatted and I by chance mentioned a previous break of that very ankle. Dr. Rudy had one of those Dr. House moments like where time stops and they do a surprised House face close-up.

An angel from heaven all glowy white and smiling brought me a pain-killer and a cup of water.

So, quite casually he suggests I get x-rayed just to make sure I didn't re-injure my old break.

Mr. Joe, came and applied an air-cast. I was pleased because it was not heavy and I could shower easily, scratch if necessary. They had splinted me in treatment of a sprain.

A nice x-ray tech showed up and wheeled me up to xray, splint in place, in a wheelchair.

I jumped on their counter and x-rays were taken of my foot in various positions. They wheeled me back to little exam gurney. Weeeeeee! That Lortab made for a nice improvement in my disposition and pain level. The wheelchair was much too much fun for a woman my age.

So, we waited. Joanne read her latest book. I fidgeted like a little kid. I was so tired. The Lortab helped but made me sleepy. Suddenly, an x-ray machine was at my feet at the end of my gurney. Now they needed x-rays without the splint. I knew it. So, we unwrapped my ankle and they positioned their x-ray machine and took more intimate pictures of my right ankle.

We waited. After some while they came back to tell me the old fracture had been re-fractured. Sonuva!!! In came Joe with a new cast for me. This time a hard cast. I was told to get an appointment with ortho as soon as possible.

They gave me crutches. I am horrible on crutches. I am more likely to cause more harm than prevent it in crutches. So, we went to the window and I was processed out. Right by us were about 6 very big Bandidos, their ladies, and an older Bandido that wasn't looking so good.

They gave me my prescription and I found out that they had a 24 Spohn pharmacy. Good to know. After I paid $10, she released 1 more 24 hour period's dosage. So, we were off to wait for 1 days worth of pills. We passed the Bandido contingency and now the sick dude looked like he wanted to hurl. We flew past that and ended up waiting at the Pharmacy.

We waited. I got my meds.

We passed the waiting area and everyone was gone except for the Bandido Lady and about 3 Bandidos. We asked about their friend and they said he was in bad shape but was getting help now. We told her we'd pray some for him. We tried to open the glass doors but between me, crutches, laptops, purses, backpacks that wheelchair was something else to handle. Three of those Bandidos jumped up like Knights in T-shirt Armor in their leathers, bandanas, and badges, and they made sure we cleared the glass doors. They were very gentelmanly. Joanne went to bring the car closer and I just stared at the stars wondering WTF.

We went (the trip was a blur, I took 1 Lortab and now had a foot in a cast). We were gonna treat ourselves. It represented the substitution of something sinful in place of the paper dolls my mother used to give me when I got sick.

So, we relaxed and Joanne had some Strawberry Pancakes, I had Strawberry Blintzes, and we split a fried banana Cheesecake with nuts at IHOP. The evening was complete. Joanne dropped me off and I made my way to bed and lay down. Emotionally drained. Physically in pain. Discouraged. We bantered with a very charming mid-east gent, manager, and then it was all over for anything strawberry on that table.

I slept all that day after the sun came up on Wednesday.

The next Thursday morning Joanne picked me up and we were off to CC around 8:30am when she discovered me posting and awake on FB and declared that we may as well get an early start. I agreed.

Oil spil at Ingleside Superfund site

2010-02-11T09:07:00.002-06:00

This story first published on Dec. 9 in the Aransas Pass Progress newspaper

Falcon Refinery Superfund report due in 2010

By Michael Cary
Staff Writer
Petroleum wastes contained in tanks, equipment and piping at the Falcon Refinery Superfund site adjacent to Redfish Bay is due to be reported cleaned up in 2010.
The Falcon Refinery Superfund site, located 1.7 miles southeast of State Hwy. 361 on Farm-to-Market Road 2725 between Aransas Pass and Ingleside, was a refinery operated intermittently since 1980, and is listed on the Federal Register as "currently inactive."
During its operational heyday, it maintained a 40,000 barrel per day capacity for petroleum products such as naptha, jet fuel, kerosene and fuel oil.
The site included a dock facility on Redfish Bay where materials were moved between barges and storage tanks.
The site produced crude oil, but in addition contained hazardous substances, including chromium and other chemicals, and had dumped wastes from holding tanks and leaking drums into Redfish Bay wetlands.
Residents near the facility had as early as 1985 complained about odors from processing impure crude oil, and then complained about odors from a spill in 2000.
The Texas Water Commission discovered in 1986 that the site contained untreated wastewater in tanks that had been discharged into sandy, unlined containment structures.
In November 1995 a spill of approximately eight barrels of crude oil mixture occurred in the wetlands adjacent to the facility.
In 2000, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (formerly the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission) found a leak from a naptha "stabilizer unit," with an estimated 220 gallons of industrial waste that had leaked from the tank.
The commission in 2000 found fluroanthene, pyrene, benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene, indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, benzo(g,h,i)peryline, dibenz(a,h)anthracene, barium, manganese and mercury in sediment samples in the wetlands of Redfish Bay.
The Texas commission and the federal Environmental Protection Agency lists the National Oil Recovery Corp. as the responsible party for the site that entered into an agreement in 2004 "to perform and finance the removal action and remedial investigation and feasibility study for the Falcon Refinery Superfund Site."
The purpose of the removal action is to address the wastes from the tanks, the equipment and the piping that exists on the property.
According to an EPA report on the Falcon Refinery, "the removal action is ongoing.
"The purpose of the remedial action and feasibility study is to determine the nature and extent of contamination and to gather sufficient information about the site to support an informed risk management decision regarding which remedy is the most appropriate for the site," according to the report.
The EPA approved the work plan, a field sampling plan and an quality assurance plan in October 2007, with an addendum in May 2009.
The work is "expected to be completed in 2010."
William Zagorski, emergency managment coordinator for San Patricio County, said that beside posting documents regarding the superfund on the TCEQ's Web site and in other locations, there has been no update for local authorities.
"This is an ongoing superfund cleanup, we're not involved, we're local. We don't hear anything at all, it's the Feds and the way they do things," Zagorski said.
Jim Price, San Patricio County Commissioner, said the site cleanup is "long overdue.
"That site was left untouched with oil spilling over the tops of tanks and feeding into the bays and wetlands without anyone doing anything about it," he said.
"But I do think they have removed oil from old tanks, gradually tearing the tanks down and cleaning the place up," Price said.
"The government came and continued to let the owners operate part of that terminal while the rest of it was being cleaned up. They have quite a few trucks running 24 hours a day in and out of there," Price said.
Currently, the Superior Oil Co. has leased some of the storage tanks, and uses them to store crude oil from operating oil wells.
"The government came and continued to let the owners operate part of that terminal while the rest of it was being cleaned up. They have quite a few trucks running 24 hours a day in and out of there," Price said.
San Patricio County Judge Terry Simpson expressed some frustration with the length of time it is taking to clean up the Falcon Refinery Superfund.
"What usually happens with federal funding is they run out and wait for more money. October 1 is the date for the new federal budget, with funding to continue to remove materials from there," Simpson said.
"They have been removing material and testing for several years now. I wish they could get it taken care of in a year instead of several years," he said.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality lists 159 toxic waste superfund sites in 62 Texas counties. The Falcon Refinery Superfund Site is the only one listed in San Patricio County. There are several superfund sites in adjoining Nueces County, where Corpus Christi is located.
Those superfund sites include the Baldwin Waste Oil site, the Ballard Pits, the Brine Service Co., Industrial Road/Industrial Metals site and South Texas Solvents.
Selected superfund sites in Texas are in various stages of cleanup, according to EPA public documents.

My Broken Ankle Adventure II

2010-02-10T21:11:00.002-06:00

It's now 2010. I am living in an RV in old town Port Aransas. This RV has a series of steps. You take a step down to the kitchen, a step down to the bathroom, a step down to the bedroom.

I have a bad habit of stacking coats on this chair on the upper level and was about to tidy up and hang them up and put them in the closet. I tossed a bunch of plastic hangers on top of the stack of coats. I went to see something on the TV Guide channel to make sure they were showing House and 24. Two of my favoritos.

Earlier in the day I had planned to drop off my mini laptop because he keyboard has stopped working to take advantage of the manufacturer's warranty. I awoke not feeling well at all. I am a diabetic and there are days I just don't feel good at all. More often than not, it's in control, but there are days that for no apparent reason, I feel like hell. Bones hurt, my head was congested, my hip bones hurt. It was 7:30am and begged off the trip with the friend who was going to take me. He was out playing golf already. I know he thinks I'm a wimp because I sometimes just don't have energy or don't want to do anything but stay home with my dogs.

So, I stayed in and slept. I just felt terrible. I read a little Facebook which sometimes cheers me up. I have some very humorous FB friends that even tho I haven't met many of them, feel like I know them and want to know what they are up to.

I got up and made some toast. Drank coffee. Slept a little more. Around late afternoon, I took to doing some chores to try to wake myself up. I was about to make me some tomato soup and more toast before my shows came on. I forgot all about the hangers I heard fall on the floor and took one step off the TV area and weeeeee! I went flying on the idiot express again. I almost hit my head on the step, but don't think I did. I didn't hear bones break. I landed and I guess as I reached out managed to pull everything off the table by me. An open suit case from my trip to Dallas, guitar gear, coats, miscellaneous stuff landed and covered me.

I freaked out that I had fallen yet again. AGAIN. So, I unburied myself just manically throwing off stuff. I made myself stand up. Okay...the right ankle showed a small puncture wound. Made by something unknown. The right side of my right ankle had a lump that protruded more than my ankle bone. I held on to the edges of stuff and made my way to the couch.

House was starting. I popped 2 Aleve. I propped my leg on top of the back of the couch, up high. I watched House. It was a great show all about Dr. Cutty. I hobbled to the fridge and found 2 little lunchbox coolers. I went back to the couch and found a sock and stuffed the lunchbox coolers around the ankle. I put the foot on top of the back of the couch. 24 came on and I took my regular meds and lay and watched the show. I texted a few people.

After 24, I took more Aleve and took my anti-anxiety meds. Once I found position where I didn't move at all, I fell asleep. If I moved, there was pain. I slept with my boys who managed to be unusually sedate.

I awoke around 3am and texted my boss, my friend from Minnesota, Luis, Joanne, and a few others. My friend from Minnesota called and wanted to take me to the ER right then. No way Jose. I had a gig Luis and I had been trying to get set up for about a year later that night and I was not going to cancel that. No way. He seemed shocked but music is the most important thing to me.

I took more Aleve and went back to sleep. I awake later in the early afternoon and made some huevos and frijoles and flour tortillas. Drank some orange juice. I slept some more. About 4:30 pm I took a shower, got dressed, did make-up, oral hygiene, put my stuff outside to load into the care.

My Minnesota friend had agreed to take me to the ER after the Lobsters of Love for Haiti show. Luis was under the weather, but we were determined to kick some butt. After Luis picked me up and we got our stuff ready to complete the set-up, Minnesota came up and said Hello and put a dollar in the jar and went back to eat his lobster and continue drinking.

We started playing and about the 3rd song, Minnesota came up and just flat out told me "DOWN". I said, "Down what?". He relied that I had to turn down the vocals. I asked him why was anybody was asking him to have us turn down since he wasn't staff, wasn't my boyfriend, wasn't our management. He angrily responded that it was too loud for him. I mumbled well, ok. Shot a look to Luis who said, "Hey he's yours". I responded, "The hell he is". And jokingly told Luis I was just going home. My leg was in hard pain. It was cold on stage.

It was great to see Ms. Jackie there. She's a regular at Quiksilver. It was great to see North Beach Jennie, her daughter Kaitlyn (who is now taller than me), and her new pal, Kat, a very nice young woman it was a pleasure to meet. It was great to see JB and his lady. Great to see Surfer Mike. It was nice overall, but this weird behavior from Minnesota bugged me.

As we played I saw Minnesota talking to Moby Dicks management and I was distracted while I sang wondering what in the hell he could have to talk to them about. It was distracting. We played 2 hours without a break. We took a break.

I slowly made my way off the stage. My ankle really hurt. Minnesota walked over, drink in hand, put his arm around my shoulders and laughingly asked me if my ankle was ok. I told him I was in real pain. He then told me, "You must be really high then". I was shocked. I said no. I was in no way high having only taken Aleve. He seemed to be put off a little. I managed to remove his arm as he was starting to really annoy me. I made my way to the bar and made small talk with bar management and customers. Minnesota sat glumly and sucked on his hard liquor. I was talking to a gentleman when I noticed that Minnesota was yelling at Luis! He said, something God-damn and something about Luis getting his shit together. What!? WTF!? I immediately asked Luis to let's get started again to extricate him from that situation before he did what I wanted to do myself and pop Minnesota to another planet. Luis said he had to say hello to friends and that was good. I avoided Minnesota and in a few minutes we did go and do the last of the set.

Before we started tho, I called Joanne Klein to tell her Minnesota was drunk on his ass and I wasn't gonna be driven anywhere by him in that condition and I would prolly take the B Bus in the morning and could I please have a ride home if that happened. She asked me if I wanted to go tonight, she would take me.

We did our last set. Wrapped up gear. In a few minutes, JoAnne picked me up and Luis went to work his overnight shift. We drove to CC, dropped off Em and Alex with their Dad (thanks, Dave!) and made our way to Memorial Hospital.

My Broken Ankle Adventure I

2010-02-10T21:02:00.002-06:00

Well, a few years ago, before 8am on a weekday, I was in a hurry to get to work at Las Colinas in Irving. I lived in a small servant's cottage behind a large "estate" type home. The house in front had many bedrooms and was probably 100 years old, and was made of native rock.

The cottage in the back was quiet in and peaceful and in the back of the property by the ally.

I had let the heel of my shoe wear down to the nail. Yup, it was an accident waiting to happen. I had forgotten something or another and returned to my bedroom. The car was left running because it was a matter of quick retrieval.

I hurriedly stepped on a concrete step, and weeeeee! I took a ride on the idiot express. I slid and when I hit the floor heard the bone break. I felt the ankle bend TO THE OUTSIDE. It was a surreal site to see the ankle bend that way at an unnatural angle.

I stood up and couldn't put ANY weight on the right foot. It was numb and yet in very profound pain. I called my friend, Hector, and he drove me to Presby Hospital at Walnut Hill and Greenville. They were very kind and took care of my fracture. Put me in a wheelchair. Wrapped it in a cast like splint. Told me to follow-up with an ortho doc. They gave me pain pills. I called in to work. Hector brought me home and I slept. In a few days, I was able to drive myself and followed up with an ortho doc named - Dr. Paine. Fo' reals. That was his name.

They put me in a blue ortho boot. I was hopeful that I would be ambulatory. I was. It was a miracle.

That night, I was to open for Sara Hickman at Club Dada. This was considered a much coveted gig for Dallas musicians. My little gang of pals showed up in support. I was lifted on to the stage and in a pain pill haze, did my opening gig. Standing. Standing on my broken ankle in my blue boot.

Sara was very warm and gracious and asked about my well-bring. She was nothing but kind and I am thankful for the opportunity to open for such a great artist.

The next day, exhausted, I slept most of the day.

I wore the boot for weeks. I did gigs. I worked in my office. Eventually, I didn't have to wear the boot on my shrunken, pale, hairy, healed ankle. They diagnosed it as an avulsion ankle fracture.

In Memorium of Maisie - Tia Minnie's Canine Companion

2010-02-08T17:15:00.002-06:00

Please accept my deepest most heart-felt condolences. No one can know more than me how deep your loss must be.

My boys are all okay. It's been much too cold and damp here to walk them much but the sunny days are coming. We walk at night then.

I know Maisie was so much more than an animal companion. And I understand your feelings that she cannot be replaced in any way. To me, dogs are as valued as people as they love us more than most people ever would. They love us no matter what. You can't replace that. Just like you can't replace people.

I will always have a dog, tho. But until the very last of my 3 are gone, I won't even think about it. Gomez is going to be 8 on June 16. Viggo will be 6 on March 3. Papi Chulo's age is a mystery. He is the smallest one, the bravest one, the first to sound an alarm. The first that is aware of something not quite right. He sleeps on my head. Gomez sleeps between me and the couch back (I fall asleep watching TV), and Viggo sleeps behind my knees. Our sleep is well-orchestrated and if I turn over, we all turn over. We all wake up at the same time. If I sleep, they sleep. If I eat, they eat. Many a night, they have awoken me when something is in our yard that shouldn't be there, be it oppossum, dog, cat, hawk, or even the mysterious white rabbit that comes thru every few months or so...

I believe Dogs go to heaven. Surely, Maisie is there. Waiting, like they all do for us to come be with them again. They wait paitiently, so there's no need to hurry - hear me? 8-)

I will pray for her tonight and thank her for doing such a good job of loving and caring and guarding and looking out for you. She was a good friend and in my eyes will always be seen as just that - your best friend.

There are plenty of dogs in shelters who would love to have a loving companion like you if you're ever ready for another friend. Don't look at it as replacing Maisie. A person can't have too many friends in their life. Only you know if that time will ever come again. Just know there is a dog that would love to love you.

Please accept my that my heart hurts for you in this time of sorrow. I didn't know this had happened. Please know she will be blessed for having loved you so much.

Life Returns to Normal

2010-02-03T22:35:00.007-06:00

I returned from Dallas to the normal events that comprise my life. Med refills. Laundry. Groceries. Bills. Gigs with Havana Daydream. We'll be playing at a benefit called Lobsters of Love for Haiti at Moby Dicks on Tuesday 020910 6ish to 9ish. $20 for a 20 lb lobster dinner. We could use your support as we hope to make this a regular gig and your support helps us to accomplish this. We hope to see you there. Please take care of yourselves and we'll see you further up the road.

My America's Got Talent Adventure Part VI

2010-02-03T22:35:00.004-06:00

So, we waited and we waited. People were practicing quite loudly and some would burst into applause. I think the adrenaline and anticipation were taking it's toll on all of us. There people going back upstairs to buy nachos. We were getting up to get little glasses of water. People would go outside to smoke. I saw an Elvia impersonator leaning against the back wall. The 4 year old break dancer was in our group. Nearby, were was a lovely black young lady with her little girl and her mom, there was a young black lady and her guitar waiting with her boyfriend. There was a black young rhythm and blues singing loudly against one wall with young men loudly clapping and showing their support. There were many over-confident people. Over-confident? I don't see how. There were THOUSANDS there. Some are selected because they are so bad - like William Hung. Some are selected for their novelty factor. Some for being young. Some for being old. Some for being weird. I saw no need for over-confidence. I was there to simply do my best and through my luck into God's hands. So, we waited and waited and I was tired and grumpy and sleepy. I wanted a hot meal. Joanne and Alex were the real troopers. Patient and interested in the immense variety of artists.

At some point, staff came in and rearranged the way some of us were sitting. They pulled all the pretty young girls to sit behind another young woman who was dressed like a prostitute. A band-aid of a dress and high heels so high you needed a ladder to climb into them. All the staff seemed to be British. It seemed a rather absurd interview of this young hooker looking young woman, but had to remind myself over and over that this was AGT. The interviewee was rather animated in the interview and the interview lasted about an hour. I was a bit jealous and incredulous until I reminded myself that perhaps the only reason she was interviewed was because she was dressed so provocatively. I thought of Susan Boyle and how she never would have made that interview or even been considered eligible to be a prop behind her.

The pretty young girls positioned as props were growing tired of being props. They, too, were contestants after all. The interviewed a large group of black musicians. One held a Sousaphone. Behind me, they interviewed a middle aged Ecuadorian car salesman. He reminded me of that guitar hawker - Estevan. He was dressed in a suit just like a car salesman and was (to me) pretentious in his speech. "When I sing, I am not an artist. I am a man singing from my soul." Or it was something cheesy and hokey like that. He reminded me of the man in the Dos XX commercial about the most pretentious man in the world.

We waited and waited until finally, they decided were could quit being props. I was in the first group called. 1900 to 1950. They pulled us out to this hall and we waited some more in chairs. I decided it was time to hook up my Honey Tone to my belt and start building my adrenalin. It was cold and it took me a while to tune up. I then set the sound on my Honey Tone (a smaller than a toaster amp) and started my pacing and warming up my voice quietly. While I had blended into the crowd before, now all off a sudden I existed.

They then pulled us into a hall and separated us by singers, singers with pianos, singers with guitars, and dancers. We waited in our line some more.

They wanted some of us to sing "The Heart of Texas". They pulled a few of the more flamboyant ones and ran out. So, I took the opening to say, Hey! I wanna do it! So, they said sure, come on! I walked to the camera and did the one verse I could remember. "The sage in bloom is like perfume - Deep in the Heart of Texas". I was proud of myself for my ballsiness. I hope they include it in the spliced version of the song they air.

They separated the lines. They pulled out the singers with guitars and put us in an another area. They separated us into 5's. Finally, they called us in to audition. It was now about 4pm. 8 hours after we'd arrived.

They lined us up against the back wall. There was a table with 3 judges. Each had a laptop. I guess they taped us in their laptop. We were instructed to stand on the X and give our name, age, place of residence, and song we were doing.

I was first. My luck...well, maybe it was good luck...

I walked to the X. Told them my name and age and told them I lived on an Island in a little town called Port Aransas. My song was Love the One You're With. They said I could start anytime.

So, I went. I sang my heart out standing up. I did my little acoustic rock guitar moves and looked at the judges in the eyes. My 90 seconds just flew by as if it was only 5 seconds. I was done.

Next was a very nice young college student from Fort Worth who played a ukeleli and sang and song my a modern young singer like Feist or someone like that. She sat down and it was nice but not extremely impressive but she did the whole thing and didn't miss notes and remembered all the words.

Next was a young man whose hair I had an almost uncontrollable urge to wash. He was the proverbial hippy. He sang a John Denver tune and played well and had a nice voice.

Next was a the young black woman who sat nearby and played acoustic guitar. She sat and played and sang a song by Alicia Keys. I really liked her voice and the way she did that song. I was really impressed. If I was Simon Cowell, tho, I would say she could've put more feeling into her singing, but, nonetheless, I thought she was great.

She was followed by a 13 year old boy who played guitar and sang. He sat and it was clear he was scared to death. Still it was pretty courageous of a young boy that age to try out for AGT. You have to start sometime and I can only imagine how good he'll be by the time he's 20. He also did well, but could have been a better singer. It had a monotone kind of feel to it. Tho he went all the way, didn't forget the words, and got all the notes.

It was over. They marched us out as I hustled to be sure to tell the Ukelele player and the Alicia Keys girls how much I liked what they did. They were equally kind to me.

We all breathed a deep sigh of relief, said our good-byes, wished each other luck and all went their own way.

I had adrenalin to burn. Grateful we had a ways to walk, we walked thru the huge halls and across buildings to find Joanne's car. We loaded up and decided were wanted hot food and drove out of the parking lot.

What an experience. There is so much talent in Texas. Amazing. Next year? I dunno....

How many times can you do a thing like this?

So, this is the end of My America's Got Talent Adventure Part VI. Unless they call me in March and then I'll have a bunch of new tales to tell. I have as good a shot as anybody there.

Please say a prayer and cross your fingers.

My America's Got Talent Adventure Part V

2010-02-02T19:57:00.003-06:00

On October 6, 2009, I received my invitation to audition for Season V of AGT. Because so many people around me acted so weird and unbelieving and over the top one way or the other, I only told my friend, Joanne Klein, a woman I met here on the Island and someone I consider family. She understood about people's reactions and so we kept it quiet. She offered to drive us to Houston where the first email said the auditions would be held. They weren't held in Houston. Something made them change the audition location.

Wednesday, I awoke to find I had no hot water and couldn't shower. I had to boil 2 half filled pots of water and fill them with cold water enuf to leave it hot but not scalding. It felt like it was a bad day. Someone had broken the washer and I was unable to do laundry.

They called last Wednesday afternoon to ask me if I was coming up to Dallas. I had decided not to go back in October because of the crappy job I had working at Bundys with a horrible manager. I decided not to do it because it was too expensive and money was tight as usual. I decided not to do it because it was insane to spend all that money, drive 8 hours each way to Dallas for a 90 second shot at a TV show. But I told Mandy who called that I would be there before I could catch myself.

Luis and Cheryl were with me. I was at Quicksilver Cafe and my friend, Phil, the owner was also there. I couldn't believe I'd said yes. I just had a feeling that I was supposed to say yes and do it this year. It defied logic. It was all based on a feeling. Mandy asked me to pick a day - Saturday or Sunday. I picked Sunday because I figured it was the easiest and maybe as many people wouldn't show on Sunday.

Luis mentioned that he couldn't go because he was filling in for Gerald that Sunday. I'd have to do it alone. I was disappointed, but, not shaken. I knew Luis was disappointed but he always remained positive and encouraging and really great about it even tho he could not go.

I called Joanne to check and see if she could still take me to Dallas. She said oh, yea...she could. She asked if it would be okay for her kids to go and I said that it was. Immediately all my priorities changed.

I caught a ride with Luis home to the RV and took a nap and did my usual Wednesday things. I was overwhelmed. I tried to do laundry, but someone where I live had broken the washer. I couldn't do laundry. I couldn't plan what to wear. It was a cold and nasty day. I was frustrated and went to sleep.

Thursday, I awoke and still felt clean from my boiling water bath Wednesday. It was cold and I was not going to take a bath on such a cold day without hot water. Thursday I decided on my song. The washer was still broken. I had a pile of dirty clothes on my deck. OC came home fixed my hot water Hallelujah. Friday, I had hot water in the morning. It felt good to take a hot shower that day. I went about my usual business. Joanne was busy all those days so we didn't make much contact.

She's a marvel to me and I greatly admire her. She's about 15 years younger than me, but we are alike tempermentally. She has a million things going and is super intelligent. That and she's raising 2 great kids I think of as a niece and nephew.

The washer was still broken so I still didn't know what I was going to wear. I felt like I should be doing more, but couldn't think what I should be doing. I didn't practice. I knew this song backwards, forwards, and upside down.

Saturday, I went to the yellow t-shirt shop on Cotter and decided to buy a Port A t-shirt so that I could "represent". I felt pride in representing our little town and proud that I was the first to do this in Port A. I also picked up a head scarf of jolly rogers and after I bought it realized it was over-kill, but knew I'd wear it later. Joanne picked me up and we went and did laundry at the WishyWashy. Well, it's called the Washtub, but I call it the WishyWashy. After that as done, I was able to decide that I would keep it simple. Black t-shirt, jean skirt, boots, leather jacket. After a half hour, she picked me up and I found Emily couldn't go to do complications in her attendence because of her having the flu earlier in the school year. I was bummed. By 5pm ish, we were on Hwy 36 headed to CC to take Emily to her dad's. After we dropped her off, we decided we were hungry. We found a Chinese Fast Food joint, ordered drive-thru, and off we were to Dallas. We ate as we drove and found we were all really hungry and the food was really good.

We made it up highways familiar to Joanne and the places she grew up. We took little side trips to her previous homes, to Flatonia, Seguin, Halletsville, and took our time. The missions looked beautiful in the moonlight of Goliad. I want to go back there some day soon. We stopped and got more coffee and gas and munchies and discovered a new toll road which allowed us to bypass all of Austin. It was great. The road was ours and we made great time thanks to the toll road. We made it to West TX and had to stop. It's tradition in my life to stop at the Czech Stop and get kolaches, milk, sausage rolls, and all manner of Czech goodness. We had another burst of energy as we drove into the night towards Dallas.

We finally made it to Dallas. We found a hotel room in DeSoto and quickly unloaded only what we needed and watched the Weather Channel. We were glad there was no snow in the forecast and pretty much passed out. I awoke in the middle of the night to find someone had turned off the TV. I awoke shortly before the alarm went off and after I gave myself about 10 minutes to wake up, dyed my hair red. Garnier #56 (Sangria). It makes my hair a very dark red but not clown red. Joanne and Alex got dressed and left me to shower and get dressed. I still hadn't practiced yet.

Now it was Sunday morning. We packed, checked out, I printed out the 12 pages of paperwork I needed to get into the AGT auditions. We drove up I35 to Griffin, were lucky and found a great parking space. We walked what seemed miles to Exibit Room E of the Dallas Convention Center. We found the room. The cops were all very nice and helpful. They seemed even to be having a good time. Easy gig, I guess. We made it to our first table where they asked if I had my completed paperwork. I did. He said Excellent. They gave me a number. We were directed to another table. This was security. We were told we were not to take photos or we would be disqualified.

They inspected all bags. They waved the metallic wand over each of us. Even 9 year old Alex. We took the stairs to another floor and found Exhibit Hall E. We walked a maze and found another line. They were checking for completed paperwork which some people didn't have. I got the guys attention and said I was ready and they pulled us out and took us to a nice guy named Raul at another table. He inspected and approved our paperwork. Joanne and Alex were required to have release forms completed. We were officially in the AGT area at 10am.

We were instructed to find a place to sit and wait for my number to be called. I was number 1948. We looked around and saw a huge hall filled with about 2000 people. Dancers, martial artists, river dancers, cheerleaders, rappers, hip-hoppers, cowboys, hippies, soul singers, Indian dancers, opera singers and they all seems to be making some kind of noise. It was overwhelming. We noticed there were guitar players quietly practicing along the back wall and we decided to pull 3 chairs and lined them up against the back wall. There was a New Yorker sitting on the floor and he was calling it "the Suburbs". It was funny. Later, more people pulled chairs against the back wall as the noise began to just overtake. We got munchies and waited for HOURS. We drank coffee. We saw singers practicing loudly. Getting off to the sound of their own voices in the cavernous hall. They were calling out numbers of 50 at a time to go audition. 1600 to 1650. 1650 to 1700. 1750 to 1800. There was a very loud of Brazilian percussionists practicing loudly as martial artists danced. There young girls in just terrible, ugly costumes. There was a 3-4 year old break dancer. There was a 9 year old looking girl with her sister and her dad waiting by us. People were passing the time texting and doing things (prolly taking pix) with their laptops.

I tried to access wifi from the convention center, but they wanted $20. I decided they could kiss my butt. So, with no signal on my cell phone, and no wifi, I was totally incommunicado.

After a few hours, they told everybody with a 1900 number to go downstairs. That was me. So, we packed everything up, and followed the crowd down the escalator to the first floor again and went into another large room. We found 3 chairs in the front of the room and proceeded to wait for more HOURS.

My America's Got Talent Adventure Part IV

2010-02-01T22:40:00.004-06:00

So after the summer of 2008, things got really bad. I wasn't eligible for unemployment. I scraped by somehow. I briefly made a few dollars at a local coffee shop and won't go into that. It was a bad experience. I sang at the Tarpon Ice House for tips. Those customers don't tip. They would rather save their $2 for another beer. The owner of the Tarpon kept assuring me the Winter Texans would come to the Tarpon. I was too naive and stupid to know the Winter Texans don't come to the Tarpon. Many nights I sang for beer. No one can survive on that. It was right by the Roach Motel where I lived at the time so there was a convenience factor. The daytime gigs I was doing came to an end as it was now the slow season. I survived on food from the Presby Church Food Pantry. I was not making it. Somehow, I got lucky and even tho there were no jobs on the Island, I got hired at Whataburger. I no longer had to depend on pennies from the Tarpon Ice House.

Work at Whataburger was brutal, but I got food at half price. We also would eat on the sly. There were discarded pieces of burgers and food that were unservable that I fed to my dogs. I would go by the Stripes before closing and they would give me corn dogs and burritos they were going to throw out and I fed those to my dogs. The work was brutal at Whataburger and they worked me near to death it felt like. My feet everyday felt like they were at risk because of my diabetes.

Even tho I had applied at the Condos since a year before, I always felt like the Manager just didn't like me. They were in a bad place staff-wise and even tho I felt the dislike, she hired me for the graveyard shift thanks to Luis. The details of that job are mine to know and I really don't want to go into how terrible the management and a front desk bimbo were to me, so I will keep those to myself. I had moved from the Roach Motel by then so things seemed to improve just because of that. I had applied for food stamps and medical help from the county and since I onoy worked 24 per week, qualified. T

I discovered the B Bus. One fine February day, I fell on the sidewalk. I messed up my face rather badly. It was one big scab. My arms, hands, and wrists were hurt. My front tooth twisted sideways when I fell on it. I broke my nose even tho the ER people wouldn't xray it, I knew is was broken by my blackened eyes. I was badly hurt and had to cancel a gig. The rest, I did all ugly with my injuries and whispers that I must've been beaten up. My face healed surprisingly fast. I started getting treated more aggressively for my diabetes. I have a nice doctor. He started me back on my anxiety meds. We worked on my diabetes meds.

They employed me from Jan to Aug of 2009. They cut me down to 8 hours per day and I had to find something else or I wouldn't make it. That's how they fire you here in Port A sometimes. The GM and the Manager accused me of stealing computer printer ink! That's how ridiculous and horrible those women are.

I was also working at a restaurant as a hostess part time. I want to keep that to myself also, but I managed to piece together money somehow and survived. When the slow season came in September that disappeared as well.

I applied at a new coffee house and was hired. There were problems with a manager I call the Nazi Troll. I was so stressed out as a result of her mistreatment, I ended up in the ER with serious diabetes problems. They fired me for calling in sick even tho I only missed work because of my 2 ER visits. Besides that, I never called in and was never even late. This time, I qualified for UI Benefits. I worked there from Aug to Oct 2009.

I have been surviving on that. This is where I am today. Surviving the Slow Season til Spring gets here and hopefully Luis and I can get some gigs and I can get a job that pays enuf for me to survive.

Then, sometime in late 2009, I got another letter from AGT.

My America's Got Talent Adventure Part III

2010-02-01T21:45:00.003-06:00

A few years went by. I received more emails from AGT but I blew them off. I was barely surviving and fighting depression, diabetes, anxiety, and poverty. I survived temping, worked loser jobs, lived on unemployment. Did what I have to to make it through life.

I started working a paper route in Port Aransas on 121707. I lived in North Beach and worked in Port Aransas. I drove at least 60 miles per day. In May of 2008, I moved to Port A. The summer season of 2008 was my first living on the Island. I barely made it. The Winter Texans were gone and partying teenagers don't buy newspapers. My newspaper earnings dropped seriously. I got by on gigs at restaurants. Doing the route overnight and doing gigs during the day was killing me. My diabetes ridden body couldn't handle the physical requirements or the need for strength I needed to do both. Then my car broke and it was something expensive I couldn't afford to fix. I lost my paper route. I took cabs to my gigs that I was surviving on.

I was living in what I call the Roach Motel. A way too small ugly shack on Oleander which couldn't hold all my belongings. When Ike was heading straight for Port A, I discarded 60% of my stuff. I borrowed my brother in law's car and put in what I could not live without in it (gear, pets, some clothes, paperwork, computers, and other stuff). I threw away all that I could that stood in my way of packing the car. I left behind what I had to packed in randomness in Rubbermaid plastic tubs. I duct taped them shut as best I could and evacuated to my sister's in CC.

As I drove on roads almost over-run by the sea, they played Blue October's "I Want to Swim Away". North Beach was almost all already underwater as I drove by on Hwy 181.

When I returned from evac-ing, I was surprised to see how much stuff was still in the Roach Motel. Everything was in terrible disarray from my panicked packing. It didn't even rain here. Not that I'm complaining, but I couldn't saved myself so much anguish.

There were too many big problems living in the Roach Motel to go into here. It was clear to me, I had to move. So, I found my current home and have been here since Jan 2009.

I still have too much stuff for where I live, but I have taken more time in clearing the useless belongings. I am almost to the point where I feel comfortable with what I have decided to keep. I have too many clothes. But, I need a lot of clothes. I need office clothes, stage clothes, run-around clothes, work in restaurant clothes, and clothes that fit. I lost 60 lbs and my weight has vacillated to where I am having trouble determining what goes and what stays. But, that's my problem to deal with.

Anyway, I got another AGT email inviting me to compete in 2009. Luis and I had been working off and on as a result of circumstances surrounding him and his band, Triggerfish. Those band details are not mine to discuss so I will let those be. But we decided to get our music taped and to enter AGT. Both of us were struggling with money at the time, so we decided to fore-go the trip to Dallas to audition and rather to enter online. Edith Bujnoch, Joanne's mom, a retired home-ec teacher was kind enough to offer to film us with her digi-cam. Of all the musicians we know, of all our friends, she came through for us. We had a gig at Beach and Station St Grill on a Sunday morning and she came and patiently, generously, kindly taped 4 songs for us. We taped Love the One You're With, In the Summertime, Baby I Love Your Way, and Baker Street. It was fun and relaxed. By myself, I taped Cry Me a River.

It was an impossibly sunny, hot, windy day. You can hear the sea-birds and hear the wind. People would walk by. People were talking. Buck walked in front of the camera with his surfboard. I kind of rather like that he did that. It was cute and spontaneous and unexpected. I was happy for having done it. Finally, there was something to post on YouTube.

We Fed Ex-ed the paperwork to AGT. We uploaded the vids to YouTube. We uploaded the vids to the AGT website. I wasn't on Facebook yet so didn't mess with that. We linked to YouTube where we could. I sent an email letting everybody I knew that we were on YouTube. I asked for a critique. I got what I expected even tho I explained that we did it all ourselves and none of us were professional videographers. The sound was not great. It was too windy. We didn't sound check the video before taping. We taped in front of an obnoxiously yellow painted wall. I hated that color but didn't have a choice in that matter. There were all sorts of things we learned after doing the video, but I am proud that we did it despite our limitations. We just made it happen. We owe Edith Bujnoch so much for helping us.

So, it was out and we were entered in AGT. People actually looked at it. AGT became my YouTube friend.

Luis and I worked at the same Condos. He worked the shift before mine. When we changed shifts, we'd check out stats on YouTube and Google ourselves. We'd giggle that the video was watched in the Phillipines, England, Mexico, Turkey, and we were mentioned as contenders on AGT on Beyonce's website. It was all too cool.

For a person who had scoffed (that's you Luis) that he had been a professional musician all his life and been with a successful working band for 14 years, and now he had been reduced to doing a talent show, he was having fun with this. For me, it's all about enjoying what you do and having fun with it. We never got called. We never made the show, but we had fun and got just a tad experience with the whole YouTube thing. We saw what it could do.

On the negative side, I learned you can't tell everybody about these AGT type things. Some people just over reacted. One of the Managers angrily told people who were reacting positively to our stuff to not encourage us. People who I thought were friends made faces to mock the fact that we could do this. People just way over-reacted. Some hurt my feelings. Some made me angry. Some disappointed me. And I learned to keep my mouth shut.

I was happy about the vid. We did it without professional equipment. There are people who don't understand that. Maybe they don't want to. I just don't care.

Anyway, I was grateful to AGT for providing the impetus to get us to do something. Anything. I was excited again after some serious depression and anxiety. I started to get treated for diabetes again. I was still throwing stuff away that I didn't need. I started discarding people who were hurtful and toxic. Overall, slowly, there was a glimpse of hope for the future.

My America's Got Talent Adventure Part II

2010-02-01T17:39:00.003-06:00

Sometime between receiving the email and being pre-registered. I had a gig at a local venue. I will call it The Venue because it's been a few years and I would like for my duo, Havana Daydream, to play there. We showed "The Manager" our picture and she didn't recognize me so those folks will remain nameless so that maybe we can play there again. If I name them, some butt-head will surely walk up to them and spill the beans and I will have to go postal.

Anyway, I googled AGT to see just what I was getting into. Potential contenders were posting blogs and stuff on their web-site. There were animal acts, contortionists, mimes, you know, all the weird strange acts you can possibly imagine.

Let's put it this way. Jerry Spring (who I admire, by the way) was the host for the first few years.

I found one act I found amusing. Boobzilla. It seemed she did tricks with...wait for it....her boobs. I was never quite sure what manner of tricks these were. She mentioned she had done her act in a room for Jerry Springer. I saw her picture. She was ... um... er... gifted as in well-endowed.

I had a gig at the Venue. I mentioned I was auditioning for the show and I used it as stage patter. Just something to talk about between songs. I mentioned Boobzilla and her story.

Everyone laughed. I never cussed or spoke in a manner that would be censored on TV. Clean language and descriptions.

Next thing I know a few songs later, the Manager came up and told me to turn off my mic. I did. Quite perplexed as to why I would be rudely told to do this. She gritted her teeth and told me she had had a complaint. That I had offended a customer with a little girl. I asked what it was I said. She repeated a lurid story of Boobzilla "doing" Jerry Springer in a room. That was something I had never said! She then red-faced and frizzy, bleached, clown-hair flying in the sea breeze commanded me to just sing and not talk at all.

I could see the nearby customers jaws hit the floor. I felt like I'd been belted. So, I did as I was told. Customers came up and put big tips in my jar and told me they knew what was going on and bestowed me with apologies. I completed my gig and the remaining customers and I made light of what happened but I was deeply affected.

Later that week, I called to rebook some gigs. A different manager came on the phone and told me my name was on the roster. Unbooked. And the word OBSCENE written by it with a command to not rebook.

I called again and spoke to the original manager after getting the runaround several days and she stood by her story and I was never booked there again.

Punished for something I didn't do. And it's been that way for years until Luis and I reapplied with a photo and she didn't even recognize me. So, we'll see what happens.

How It Started - My Americas's Got Talent Adventure I

2010-02-01T16:22:00.005-06:00

I think it was 2005 when I received an email from America's Got Talent Sharon Nash inviting me to audition for the show's first season. How they got my name and email address, I don't know. I figure it may have been from somewhere I worked in Dallas or the Internet. I was working at Texas A&M Corpus Christi and that was a stormy employment relationship. I was not happy there so the temptation to go to Dallas was overpowering. I mentioned the email to my co-workers when I got it and they gave me a "yea right" look. This amused me because it was typical of the response I got from most people whereever I happened to have a day job.

I responded to the email and chose my preferred day to audition. At that time, we were able to make an appointment with a specific audition time. It was great because I would not have to stand outside waiting with those responding to the "cattle call".

My car needed repair. A radiator, I believe. If I fixed the car I would have no money to drive or fly there. Lack of money when I need money is a prevalent on-going theme in my life. After mentioning in a mass email to my joke receiving friends, a dear friend in Dallas came through. He works for American Airlines and magically managed to get me passage on stand-by. I arranged for some PTO, completed all the required paperwork for the show, arranged to stay with my friend Robert Hutchens in Oak Lawn, chose a song, packed, and my friend Jenny, neighbor and friend from North Beach drove me to the CC Airport. We got lost. After finding our way, she dropped me off. I was on time but there was an issue with the plane so I would have to wait for the next flight along with a whole class of students who were flying up to the Metroplex to compete in an event I cannot recall. We waited for some hours and finally we were all able to board. We flew direct so the flight lasted probably no more than an hour. When we arrived, I took a cab (can you say $70) to Oak Lawn Dallas, stopping to shop for a few things at a neighborhood convenience store I used to frequent when I lived there. It was owned by a very nice family from Nepal and it was great to see them. They asked about Gomez, one of my chihuahuas who used to come with me on my little shopping trips. They would dote on him whenever they saw him.

I made my way to Robert's place. He was at work. So after I found the hidden key, I made a bed for myself on the couch and slept as best I could as my mind was racing and my internal dialog would not stop. At some point, Robert came home, I met his friend Chris who was visiting from St. Louis, briefly said our hellos and he and Chris left me to cut some zzz's and went to his room to sleep and I dropped off again.

It seemed like a moment before it was time to wake. I got up, showered, dressed, put on a face and after Robert and Chris got ready, they drove me to the Hilton in North Dallas for the audition.

I chose Cucurrucucu, an old Mexican song, as my song to audition. I thought that being full of passion it would go beyond language barriers and since it required much skill to sing convincingly, would set me apart. The song is of lost love. A man loses his woman to death and he can't sleep, can't eat, and drinks endlessly. Every time he hears the coo-ing of a dove, he believes it's his lost love calling after him. It's a beautiful song I've loved since childhood.

I exited the car and in a tired daze walked to the Hotel entrance where there were about 25 people milling about. I was asked by someone with a badge if I had my paperwork and I said yes. They escorted me in and I found myself before another table. I presented my ID and my paperwork which was inspected and approved. I was told to take the stairs to the second floor and was told where the vocalist auditions were held. I hate stairs. I was met by Nigel at the foot of the stairs. I shyly said hello as I recognized him as Simon Cowell's business partner. I did take the time to notice what a tall and handsome guy he was. I slowly made my way up the stairs and made my way to my area. We sat in chairs lined up by the outside wall and all of us were quietly singing to ourselves and primping. We had 90 seconds to prove we were worthy.

One by one we were called in. I looked across the huge second floor as I waited my turn. I saw belly dancers, flying acrobats, River dancers, tap dancers, ballet dancers, jugglers, cheerleaders, and other choreographed dancers. I looked across the other direction to see what seemed like way too many people with guitars. They, too, strummed quietly and practiced with their singers.

Finally, it was my turn. I entered the audition room and stood on an X before a table of 3 judges and a large TV camera. The process was explained to me and I told them my age, name, residence city, and name of my song. I was told to start and I did my song for 90 seconds. I did okay. I hit all my notes and remembered all the words and sang a capella. Sharon Nash asked me what "Cucurrucucu" meant and I explained about the man who lost his lover and the sound the dove makes in Spanish. I never knew doves spoke English and Spanish. I was thanked and told I would be notified in 2 months if I made it to the show.

As I walked down the stairs to leave, I was stopped by Nigel. He asked if I was the one who sang in Spanish and I quietly admitted, that yes, I was. He then said they wanted to hear more. I was kind of stunned at this point. He guided me to another huge room filled with cameras and another large group of artists. I stood where they told me and watched a whip-cracker who used a whip to cut paper into increasingly smaller squares. Then he used 2 whips. He did all kinds of "tricks" with his whips and I wondered what chance I had competing with that. I then met a comic who claimed he was Carlos Mencia's cousin. I guess he could be, but how would I ever know?

I was directed to stand on another X in front of another big camera and did my song again. Again, no missed notes or forgotten lyrics. But I remembered I closed my eyes as I sang in some parts. It's a bad habit. I was thanked and this time, was told I would hear in a month and a half if I made it. I smiled and thanked them for the opportunity and walked outside to an even bigger awaiting crowd. More strange and diverse acts were gathered. These were people who hadn't completed their paperwork or were making calls or who know's what.

I called Robert who quickly picked me up. We ate Chinese food at a new place on Lemmon Avenue. We gossiped and caught up and before long it was time to go to the Airport. He dropped me off as I recalled the events of the last two days and pondered what would become of my job where it seemed they were just looking for reasons to hate me. This was the beginning of every job that's gone wrong in the Coastal Bend for me.

When I arrived in CC, dazed from the events of the trip, I took a taxi to work where I figured I could take a bus home. My boss, Mario Montelongo was stunned to see me and said I had to leave. I didn't understand why. He said they had sent me a letter telling me I was on administrative leave as they were investigating my job performance. I was stunned. I am a picky, skilled, overachiever who had taught HIM many computer skills he was lacking. I called my friend Marty to see if he could pick me up. (Marty was later murdered that year.) He picked me up and I told him all about my trip as we made our way to North Beach where we were neighbors.

While I was on administrative leave, I had my car repaired. It was cheaper than I thought it would be. I was later fired from A&M CC for no reason. They denied my application for Unemployment Benefits. I appealed and won. And with the back-benefits I was paid, bought the computer I am typing this blog on.

And that's how I started my America's Got Talent Adventure.

Message in a bottle: Romance or rubbish?

2010-01-22T09:47:00.001-06:00

By Michael Cary
Manuel Janchezan wrote a message in broken Spanish, stuffed it into a bottle, and set it adrift in the Gulf of México.
"I am lost at sea. I am a fisherman on the ship Norvis Beatris. I am going to the Port of Sabancuy, Campeche. I am about to die. I have been lost for 12 days. Adios."
Whether Janchezan was really lost at sea or whether he was playing a joke has never been documented.
But his message was received when it landed on the beach at Matagorda Island.
It was found and translated by employees of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the caretakers of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
Matagorda Island is one of the barrier islands that protect the Texas coastline, with 38 miles of beach and bayside marshes, jointly owned by the Texas General Land Office and the U.S. government, preserved as a major wildlife management area, and winter home to the endangered whooping crane population.
It also collects mountains of trash floating in from the Gulf.
Among that trash occasionally floats a message in a bottle, frequently found by volunteers who perform turtle patrols along the beach.
Janchezan's eery message about being lost at sea was likely taken seriously by the U.S. Coast Guard when it was found on the beach on Aug. 24, 1996, but Tonya Nix, environmental education specialist with the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service, has no knowledge that anyone found him and returned him safely to shore or left him committed to the deep in the Gulf of México.
"If there is a cry for help we treat it as such, we would contact the Coast Guard, but that's the only one I've ever seen," said Nix, whose tenure at the refuge began after the message was discovered.
And, she said, putting a message in a bottle would be a desperate final act for someone who was actually lost at sea.
"That would be something to do if there were no other options," Nix said.
Messages in a bottle, romanticized over the centuries and put into song by The Police on their second album in 1979, have been discovered several times over the years on Matagorda Island.
"Most of them come from cruise ships," Nix explained.
One such message was much more upbeat.
"Dear Finder, you have just found a drift bottle," wrote a Kansas fifth grader, Maggie, who was on the Norwegian Sun on March 24, 2007, when she dropped a bottle into the sea.
"I hope you can read English. My name is Maggie and I'm 11 years old and in the 5th grade," she printed.
Maggie included her email address on Norwegian Cruise Line stationery and requested an answer to her message, which was found on the island later that summer.
"Please tell me your age, grade and when and where you found this. Please also tell me the city and country you live in," Maggie wrote in legible print. "P.S. I hope you have a computer."
"Hay, I'm working onboard a Norwegian Chemical tanker (Trans Scandie). Last port was Varna, Bulgaria, next port is New Orleans, write me some words," penned Anders Jan Kyoennoe, from his position at sea on June 11, 1999 somewhere between Key West and Cuba.
His message was found on Matagorda Island – it included a line drawing of a man with spiked hair, stubble and a cigarette in his mouth.
Some messages in a bottle could have a nearer point of origin, such as from a shrimp trawler that might be cruising parallel to the beach in the summertime.
"The shrimp god is being summoned. If anybody finds this before the shrimp god does, please send it back on its merry way. Good luck to all shrimpers, and God bless us all. P.S., tell Hope Bowen I love her," wrote an unkown author, who could have been working on a shrimp boat out of a nearby harbor.
Nix said that when she taught aquatics science at Austwell and Tivoli ISD near the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, one of her student groups laid hands on a message in a bottle that had floated ashore.
"Some sailors had bet $100 on where the bottle would go, and the girls got excited, and the boat was at least 160 miles offshore," Nix said.
The students wrote back to the sailor, seeking to take him up on his promise of half the $100 if they would answer. The girls answered the letter but there was no reward forthcoming.
"James Mishelek owes $50 to the junior and senior class (of 2005) at Austwell-Tivoli High School," Nix said.
Another message in a bottle, found on Matagorda Island in June 1994, was considered by the examiner as containing "a most curious note.
"It begins in English and then lapses into a Philippine dialect called Tagalog. We had to have intelligence experts translate the last half of the message," wrote the person who cataloged the discovery for viewers at the refuge's visitor center.
"Darling Mommy, how are you now? I hope that you are not worried now ... Mommy I still love you," the message reads in English.
"Ang gusto ko lang sana na ikaw pa-ang lana na kanilala ko noon," it continues in Tagalog.
Translation: "I just want you to be the Lana (mother) I knew before."
The message was not signed, and therefore was not answered.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife agents Nix and a colleague, Amanda McLaughlin, however, have answered some of the messages in a bottle.
"I answered one letter, and it's beautiful what he sent me back," McLaughlin said without elaborating on her correspondence.
"You can't read them all the time. Some of them are just poems. Most people throw them off the side of the boat to see if someone finds them," McLaughlin explained.
One message that McLaughlin answered was dropped into the water by Jutta Schumann of Lemwerder, Germany. She had accompanied her husband, Hans, who captained a container ship from Europe to Miami, Houston, New Orleans and Veracruz, México.
"Today this bottle was thrown into the water, June 30, 1994, near New Orleans. I am the wife of the captain of the ship and enjoyed the trip to USA (and) México. Soon we will be in Europe. Good luck to you, Jutta Schumann. Please write to me and tell me where you found it," she wrote.
Once she received a letter from McLaughlin regarding her message in a bottle, found on Matagorda Island, Jutta responded with a three page letter dated Aug. 19, 2005 in Lemwerder.
"Your answer was the 43rd and was found after 11 years. She was the longest in the water. Before (that) one was found in France five years after sending. I got all kinds of letters, even one from a young man in Taiwan and he wrote in Chinese characters," Jutta wrote to McLaughlin.
Jutta revealed in her letter that her husband was retired and the couple (ages 67 and 65) "live in a small house near the city of Bremen in Northern Germany known for bad and rainy weather in the winter."
Her husband had settled into a hobby of building model whaling ships, but they retained an interest in "things around the world."
Jutta included a photograph of herself and Hans at their home in Germany.
"I would love to hear from you and about your work. I can see you – or some of you – going onto a beach and walking along the beach at Matagorda Island which is totally quiet and only sea turtles come ashore and I hope not so much junk and trash from ships (I feel bad about my bottle)," Jutta wrote, after consulting a map to locate the Texas barrier island.
Ryan Fisher was a 22-year-old, single, Austin resident who worked for Dell Computers when he penned a message and set it out to sea on April 26, 2000, while he was on a deep-sea fishing trip.
Obviously, he wasn't thinking that he was about to pollute one of the Gulf of México's more pristine barrier islands when he listed a couple of return email addresses and wrote a brief description about himself.
"I'm a very nice person. I think I'm a good human."
More likely, when Fisher launched his message in a bottle, using a method of communicating as random as waves on the sea, he was just trying to get a date.
Messages in a bottle are periodically found on the practically deserted beaches on Matagorda Island. Many of them are retrieved by volunteer turtle patrols that discover them among the other flotsam that washes ashore.
Some might consider messages in a bottle a romantic method for communicating with strangers across the seas, and others might consider them part of the heaps of trash that frequently pollute the beaches along the coastline.
"The bottle you have found is one of a wide row of bottles which I cast into the sea during the last several years," wrote Krzysztof Podgorniak, a 33-year-old Polish officer aboard the Philine Schulte, which sailed under the Isle of Man flag from Cartagena, Colombia to Houston.
"These bottles are my own way, how I try to find the ways of old seafarer's mail system. I will be very glad, if you can send me a letter or postcard only with number bottle, place, and date where you discovered it," wrote Podgorniak on a sheet of paper.
He listed his home address in Olsztyn, Poland. The bottle was found on Matagorda Island on April 20, 2005. The bottle was numbered 169-01-04-PHS, suggesting that the Polish sailor did not consider the impact of his chosen way of coping with the tedium of shipboard life.
"The bottles are considered beach debris," Nix acknowledged, but she also concedes that the idea of a message in a bottle conjures mysterious and romantic notions, much like the words "I'm sending out an S.O.S.," as sung by Sting of The Police, in 1979.
A legendary seafarer's mail system, or just more litter on the beach?

Article originally published in the Aransas Pass Progress and the Ingleside Index

Who is banning the books?

2010-01-15T11:49:00.002-06:00

Government agencies, to name a few.

U.S. Bureau of Customs
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
U.S. Information Agency (USIA)
U.S. Justice Department
U.S. Postal Service
U.S. Treasury Department

click on the link to see a list of more book banners.

Gorilla celebrates holidays with Wellman family

2010-01-07T12:38:00.002-06:00

By Michael Cary
A thousand pound gorilla takes up residence in your front yard.
What are you going to do about it?
Dress him up as Cupid on Valentine's Day.
In the springtime, paint him pink and hide Easter eggs under his nose.
During high school football season, guess who's a sidelines cheerleader?
A thousand pound gorilla in your yard can turn some heads as a Thanksgiving turkey, or with a large red Christmas bow on his hat.
The question remains, just how did that gorilla find a home in your front yard?
"It all started when I wouldn't tell my husband what I wanted for my birthday," explains Marsha Wellman, an Aransas Pass transplant (15 years ago) from Bryan/College Station (Texas).
"My husband said 'be careful what you ask for,'" Wellman said, regarding the 1,100-pound concrete gorilla that sits in her front yard on Saunders Street.
The gorilla, a product of a statuary company in Taft, required a forklift to take him off the truck when Gerald Wellman brought it home for his wife's birthday in 2002.
Since then, the Wellmans and their neighbors have enjoyed dressing him up for special occasions – he has his own boat and welcomes friends who come to town for fishing trips.
"We both work on his outfits," Marsha said. "And my neighbor, Hope Dávila, is the one who dressed him up as a Panthers cheerleader.
"We do something patriotic in July, one year he was Uncle Sam, and during Easter he is a pink bunny almost every time," she said.
It has gotten to the point that people stop by to take photos with the gorilla, and neighbors ask why he's not dressed up when the Wellmans forget a holiday.
The gorilla, which still has no name, is a welcome addition to grandma and grandpa's yard for Abby Krisl, who lives in Aransas Pass, and John Wellman, who visits occasionally from Katy.
"We dressed him up one year for Shrimporee, and Gerald and I cooked shrimp for our friends," Marsha said.
"He had on an apron and carried a shrimp net, but he wasn't in the parade, he's too heavy," she said.
Currently, the thousand-pound gorilla is painted snow white, wears a pilgrim's hat (his Thanksgiving turkey feathers are now stored in the garage), a large red bow, a muffler around his neck, and he is spending the Christmas holiday as Frosty the Snowman, complete with charcoal eyes and a carrot nose.
"When it snowed in 2004, he was a reindeer. He looked wonderful," Marsha said.
The gorilla is a reminder of where the Wellmans came from. They frequently traveled through La Grange near Bryan/College Station, and frequently saw a large concrete gorilla in a yard in that town.
But the inspiration came to Gerald when his wife wouldn't tell him what she wanted for her birthday.
"Now there's a list every year," Marsha said.

SUSTAINING SIEMPRE SUSTAINABLE NETWORK pbm 1/4/10

2010-01-05T13:20:00.009-06:00

I know that we who have participated in Siempre Sustainable Network for the past two years and some months will continue to work on various fronts to move local and global community toward quality life for all. But as Romelia Escamilla and Jose Antonio Conteras et al. demonstrated through guided participatory activities in our last meeting, it could also be helpful if our Siempre Sustainable Network would strategically plan in a more formal and structured fashion toward sustainable livelihoods for all, and for resilient and sustainable community.

……………………………….
Some Background. When I graduated from high school in 1964* the world had half as many folk and transformed for human use less than a third of the energy it does now. Back then I began to dream of returning to and helping to sustain much of the culture, the Land and Nature which formed me and provided quality life for me, my family and much of the rural community in which I was raised. And over time I came to appreciate that many of the conservation practices and the relatively low-input behaviors of my family and village, were indeed important components of sustainability.

Then about 20 years ago, in several publications, including The American Journal of Alternative Agriculture [“Sustainable agriculture: A process at the community level.” AJAA 6(1):2], I and others opined (after review of some of the literature, and from our previous research and experiences in community) that the some of the basic and essential features for a process of sustainable and resilient community include:

1. review of community history and development to identify roots of sustainability in community,
2. assessment of natural and human resources, and quality of life,
3. definition of a community’s geographic, societal, and ecological boundaries with consideration for migratory trends of populations,
4. team building and leadership development for all sectors,
5. goal-setting, policy, action plan development,
6. testing management tactics,
7. financing strategic and tactical actions,
8. measuring for resilience and sustainability; analyzing, evaluating, and replanning, and
9. quality continuing education.

Basically I personally hoped that such a process would move local and global community toward conservation and reduced consumption and exploitation, and toward a quality life for all—including the current poor, and other species--through truly living lighter on the Land and in concert with Nature.

………………………………..
As far as development of Siempre Sustainable Network is concerned, we tentatively developed a vision/mission statement, goals and strategies in our initial meetings (Fall/Winter 2007).

Because the critical mass of folk involved, commitment, resources and human energy involved was (and still is) fragile, we decided to focus on continuing education, dialogue concerning sustainability, and dissemination of information related to developing sustainable livelihoods and resilient and sustainable community. We did also take some visible (and I think important) action toward realizing food systems which are more local, including community gardens.

Siempre Sustainable Network naturally became involved in other community activities as an interested party, as a listener, as a facilitator, and as a partner—i.e., in ways in which a relatively informal network/net-workers is/are all about. We’ve been involved in a limited way with the activities of a number of other organizations or groups who are learning to be more and more “sustainable”: e.g., on the Earth Day committee and in actual Earth Day activities, in formulating the recent Comprehensive Master Plan for the City of Seguin, in providing food for the Christian Cupboard, and in some of the efforts of helping local farmers—including organic farmers and limited assistance with the local farmers market--and helping churches, service organizations and Texas Lutheran University, move toward sustainability.

Cutting to the Chase. I believe we should continue as Siempre Sustainable Network to have the regular information meetings we have been having--in more or less the same fashion. However, we definitely do need to have a process which will enable regular participants and the larger community to more easily and actively participate in the selection of topics. (Our Siempre acting chair, Marvel Maddox, recently suggested that some of the key ideas from the participatory/pre-goal-setting/strategic planning session facilitated at our December 2009 meeting could be helpful in identifying general topic areas for our regular meetings.)

It is difficult/”impossible” to do the community garden projects/initiative in a perfectly “right way”, and to really make the process sustainable in a more holistic way, and particularly to truly involve those in most need as active participants in every way—i.e. in:

- educating about local food systems and sustainable livelihoods/community,
- developing rules and regulations and signage,
- long and short-term planning, developing the organizational structure, plot/raised bed layout and management, and selecting annual and perennial crops,
- land-prep, composting/fertilizing, setting up efficient water catchment and irrigation-systems, - planting, mulching, maintenance, and
- harvest, processing, and food-prep.

Nevertheless, I strongly believe we should maintain and develop this very visible community gardens-effort, even if it is a long way from being perfect.

Early on folk who were attending our Siempre Sustainable Network were anxious to take local or global action, become advocates for a particular cause, or more specifically to get involved in specific actions such as:

- reduction of waste/trash/pollution generation, and improvement of reuse, recycling efforts in Seguin and environs,
- dealing with the local utility rate structures such that such policy actions realized conservation and supported the poor in getting ahead,
- protecting native biotic communities,
- developing a Master Naturalist program,
- getting more involved with the Guadalupe Co. AgriLife and Extension activities,
- volunteering at the Seguin Outdoor Learning center,
- promoting appropriate “Green” technologies and practices,
- encouraging water conservation including rain-water catchment systems,
- helping with the Walnut Branch restoration project,
- continuing with goal-setting and strategic-planning toward sustainable livelihoods and resilient and sustainable community,
- working on food justice issues and organic agriculture,
- appropriate day care for individuals of various needy families in community,
- working toward peace and abolishing war,
- enabling the poor, powerless, disenfranchised to be the primary and initial benefactors of various efforts toward sustainable livelihoods and sustainable community,
- revamping local public school systems,
- becoming more connected and even formally associated with some really good national and international organizations doing what we are trying to do,
- taking a real activist role in addressing global climate change policy at the national and international level, and actively working for carbon taxes, etc., and/or
- realizing a truly holistic appraisal of the current and dynamic state of local counties, community/watershed/bioregion/ecosystem/… and establishing sustainability indicators and benchmarks, etc..

It is obvious that all these individual concerns and desired actions are all very important to address as local and global community if we are to move toward sustainable livelihoods in sustainable community.

However, primarily because we are few in number, and since our interests in the arena of sustainability do vary considerably and we are simply a relatively informal network-- I would suggest that at this time we continue our present principle efforts, i.e. monthly presentations and discussion and participation in other educational opportunities, and work on community gardens while doing some continuing strategic planning on occasions other than our regular monthly meetings. (Of course we would continue to have limited additional participation with other key organizations which have a real interest in developing quality life for community in a role as communicator and facilitator--i.e., net-worker--toward sustainability.)

These activities would be continued under our title as Siempre Sustainable Network--and in close collaboration with Mosaic Community Church, My Father’s Farm and TLU’s Center for Servant Leadership, as well as with collaborations with other interested community entities. (This isn’t really a proposal which originated from me, but was also more or less proposed by others, and seemed to have some consensus in our last meeting.)

Even though we do share a common vision, we have individual passions for realizing varied components of sustainability. And even though we have had over 100 folk from the larger community attend selected Siempre meetings, our core group of regular participants is relatively small and we should perhaps be careful about adding additional Siempre initiatives.

Despite my stressing the need to discipline ourselves from taking on too much, we might consider setting up the following task forces/committees (standing, working, ad hoc; active or inactive) which can be taken on and utilized by various participants of Siempre as an interest becomes strong enough to support an adequate number of members:

o Siempre’s Strategic Planning Effort—(If we decide we have the appropriate “critical mass” and desire, etc., at some time in the future we might even establish a governing board and advisory board through this effort and become more formally organized and structured.)

o “Siempre in Action” Task Forces—Should there be enough folk with adequate desire and energy interested in the particular action item, “this task force” would obviously be realized as “various task forces,/committees” including for example those on:

--Reducing, Reusing, Recycling
--Utility Rate Restructuring (and other City/County
Sustainability-Initiatives to Help the Poor Realize Quality Life),
--Stimulus-Package Funding of Retrofitting Homes (of the Poor
for Energy Conservation/Family Budget Assistance),
--Root Causes of Local Substance Abuse (and How Might this be
Effectively Addressed)

o Siempre’s Master Naturalist Committee

o Siempre’s Sustainable Livelihoods Committee

o Siempre’s Global Climate Change Committee

Finally, I personally am going to try to spend more time developing the following areas of personal interest:

- I may take some courses as well as teach at (an) education institution(s) in attempts to move these institutions toward sustainability across the curriculum.
- My desire is to continue to develop an idea for a small charter middle "school of sustainable livelihoods and sustainable community".
- I hope to more effectively connect with leaders working on what I consider to be key sustainability issues around the U.S. and the world.
- After my wife Betsy retires, we’ll further discuss the possibility/feasibility/possible positive impact of doing some Peace Corps-type volunteering. …

Certainly I realize there are numerous folk with their own local-, national- and global-sustainability “irons in the fire”. … Should the opportunities and desires come about, these dreams and efforts of all of ours might possibly become a formal part of Siempre Sustainable Network’s efforts in the near or distant future.

The fragility of what we are trying to do through Siempre Sustainable Network is that it is hard to get one’s mind, energy, and especially the community to which we belong around a concept and process that is socio-economically, politically (culturally) and holistically/ecologically very complex in the deepest and largest sense. The whole of the sustainability process is mind-boggling because it is at the same time local and global, and involves us all, including other species … as well as the mineral and water cycles and the energy flux/transformations on which we depend in a much interconnected way. And it is tough to deal with because it bucks up against much of what has recently become such an integral part of conventional human socio-political/economic structures, i.e.:

- excessive consumption and consumerism,
- the perceived need for: more (processed) food/food supplements; larger homes, more clothes, and more toys; superfluous packaging; automobiles; high-input entertainment disconnected with local community; air-conditioning; increased human transformation of energy; and general rampant “artificialization of ‘Nature’”,
- virtual realities which are largely disconnected from the real processes of Land and Nature on which quality life depends,
- loss of sense of place and community … and loss of balance of power locally and globally,
- problems of listening in an informed and intelligent manner and truly communicating, and
- related problems in a world of ca. 7 billion with ca. one billion who have more than ever before and who largely put up walls to--at least "virtually”--eliminate the billion who are have less than ever before and who are truly struggling to survive.

The strength of our effort is that somewhere in back of the minds of individuals in community, or in the collective mindset of the community, there is knowledge that our current system is truly non-resilient and unsustainable--and that we need radical change. Of course the current global economic challenges, security concerns, continuing terror/war, tea parties, shouting matches at town meetings indicate that need for radical change is at the forefront of some folks minds because of a doomed process currently being employed in the world which is wrongfully intent on:

- conquering Nature,
- unsustainably exploiting the Land,
- excessively consuming, and
- ignoring the need for human population regulation.

(Our desire through Siempre Sustainable Network is to begin to locally and globally change a system which is exploitive of the have-nots, powerless, and de facto or ex facto disenfranchised—including other species—and to lessen our individual and collective ecological footprint and energy transformation.)

[By the way, there are many attempts at holistically achieving local and global sustainable livelihoods & community which are more or less functioning, from which we can learn and use in developing Siempre Sustainable Network, e.g.:

-- Ogallala Commons and its 12 Commonwealths http://quiviracoalition.org/.../1648-Commonwealths_as_Foundations_of_Resilience_Presentation.pdf

-- Holistic Management International, Inc. and its decision-making model/process http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/holistic.pdf

-- The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach of the UK & UN www.odi.org.uk www.ifad.org/sla/

-- Social Ecology Work of Stuart Hill in Australia www.stuartbhill.com/

-- Social Ecology Research of Helmut Haberl, Univ. Vienna and his historical ecological footprinting and “input/throughtput/output”-comparative analysis of material flow and energy flux in systems www.uni-klu.ac.at/socec/inhalt/803.htm

-- The policy work of the Center for Rural Affairs www.cfra.org/

-- Natural farming/perennial cropping systems work of The Land Institute www.ifad.org/sla/

-- The Quivira Coalition www.quiviracoalition.org/

-- ATTRA http://attra.ncat.org/

-- Etc., etc., etc.]

………………………………
*This year—if I make ‘til November—I’ll be 64!

“Doing the [community] garden[s], digging the weeds. Who could ask for more? …
We shall scrimp and save.
[3+] Grandchildren on your knee. …
Will you still need me, will you still feed me? When I'm sixty-four?”

The New Canary in the Coal Mine

2009-12-31T10:31:00.000-06:00

I recently saw the Disney Movie, “The Princess and the Frog,” in which the animators recreated the colorful and melodious experience of the Louisiana Bayou. As suggested by the title, the frogs of the Bayou played a stellar role. As I watched the movie with my youngest, I was thinking of the vulnerabilities of these precious wetlands and growing threats to their inhabitants—the frogs.

With the ongoing debate over the health and environmental effects of climate change on animals, increasingly, frogs and their fellow amphibians are becoming the new “canaries in the coal mine.” Since amphibians’ skin is permeable, these creatures are more susceptible to contaminants and changes in their aquatic habitats. By their very nature, they are considered a “sentinel” species, hence, the term of the “canary in the coal mine.”

There are over five thousand species of amphibians worldwide. Many live throughout North America. In Puerto Rico, our favorite amphibian is the coquí—eleutherodactylus coquí. Eleutherodactylus comes from the Greek meaning free toes. Coquí, its popular name, refers to its high decibel chirp “co-KEE.” In general, these amphibians have adapted well to urban sprawl on the Island, however, pollution is taking its toll. While over 16 species are endemic to Puerto Rico, several coquí species are currently threatened. Some species known by their popular Spanish names haven’t been heard in years. As I have mentioned in previous blog entries, these small frogs have been introduced to neighboring Islands, Florida and even Hawaii where they are considered an invasive pest.

We all can do something to protect wildlife and the environment in our daily lives. How can we help protect the frogs and their fellow amphibians from environmental contaminants in our own back yard? Well, one of the first steps is to reduce the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers in our lawn that are carried by runoff and end up polluting their aquatic habitats miles away. By planting native grasses, shrubs, and trees in your garden you also minimize the need for using toxic chemicals around your home. While I don’t recommend kissing a frog, please help protect it and its habitat. A healthy environment is a gift for all.

About the author: Lina Younes has been working for EPA since 2002 and chairs EPA’s Multilingual Communications Task Force. Prior to joining EPA, she was the Washington bureau chief for two Puerto Rican newspapers and she has worked for several government agencies.

Sent to me by Uncle Bob

2009-12-29T13:59:00.001-06:00

$5.37. That's what the kid behind the counter at Taco Bell said to me.

I dug into my pocket and pulled out some lint and two dimes and something that used to be a Jolly Rancher. Having already handed the kid a five-spot, I started to head back out to the truck to grab some change when the kid with the Emo hairdo said the harshest thing anyone has ever said to me.

He said, "It's OK. I'll just give you the senior citizen discount."

I turned to see who he was talking to and then heard the sound of change hitting the counter in front of me. "Only $4.68" he said cheerfully.

I stood there stupefied. I am 48, not even 50 yet? A mere child! Senior citizen?

I took my burrito and walked out to the truck wondering what was wrong with Emo. Was he blind? As I sat in the truck, my blood began to boil. Old? Me?

I'll show him, I thought. I opened the door and headed back inside. I strode to the counter, and there he was waiting with a smile.

Before I could say a word, he held up something and jingled it in front of me, like I could be that easily distracted!
What am I now?
A toddler?

"Dude! Can't get too far without your car keys, eh?"

I stared with utter disdain at the keys.
I began to rationalize in my mind.
"Leaving keys behind hardly makes a man elderly!
It could happen to anyone!"
I turned and headed back to the truck.
I slipped the key into the ignition, but it wouldn't turn.
What now?
I checked my keys and tried another.
Still nothing.
That's when I noticed the purple beads hanging from my rearview mirror.
I had no purple beads hanging from my rearview mirror.

Then, a few other objects came into focus. The car seat in the back seat. Happy Meal toys spread all over the floorboard. A partially eaten doughnut on the dashboard.

Faster than you can say ginkgo biloba, I flew out of the alien vehicle.
Moments later I was speeding out of the parking lot, relieved to finally be leaving this nightmarish stop in my life. That is when I felt it, deep in the bowels of my stomach: hunger! My stomach growled and churned, and I reached to grab my burrito, only it was nowhere to be found.

I swung the truck around, gathered my courage, and strode back into the restaurant one final time. There Emo stood, draped in youth and black nail polish. All I could think was, "What is the world coming to?" All I could say was, "Did I leave my food and drink in here?" At this point I was ready to ask a Boy Scout to help me back to my vehicle, and then go straight home and apply for Social Security benefits.

Emo had no clue. I walked back out to the truck, and suddenly a young lad came up and tugged on my jeans to get my attention. He was holding up a drink and a bag. His mother explained, "I think you left this in my truck by mistake."

I took the food and drink from the little boy and sheepishly apologized.

She offered these kind words: "It's OK. My grandfather does stuff like this all the time."

All of this is to explain how I got a ticket doing 85 in a 40. Yes, I
was racing some punk kid in a Toyota Prius.. And no, I told the officer, I'm not too old to be driving this fast.

As I walked in the front door, my wife met me halfway down the hall. I handed her a bag of cold food and a $300 speeding ticket. I promptly sat in my rocking chair and covered up my legs with a blanky.

The Kind and Generous People of Port Aransas

2009-12-22T14:25:00.002-06:00

I was watching Paranormal State on TV anticipating my shower prior to volunteering at the Computer Center in Port Aransas when up drove the Christmas Food Pantry delivery truck from the VFW. They were welcomed with open arms.
I have been unemployed since August when I was fired from Bundy's by a disagreeable manager. Let me be clear. The owner, Tammy, is great. We got along fine. The manager, which shall remain nameless, had no coffee making knowledge or experience so my days were numbered. That, and Sagittarius and Leos are not getting along these days. So, I filed for unemployment and despite the managers lies, I was provided benefits. It might have had something to do with the fact that I had documentation to support my claim.
Anywho, I am the cliche, perverbial struggling artist. I must say tho, that, because of this time off, I was able to take care of a pesky wrist problem resolved by surgical intervention. I could work, but it would be VERY difficult. I was under so much pre-surgery pain, I could not lift a glass, plate of food, or even the TV remote. My hand would be reduced to tremors.
I was diagnosed as having DeQuervain's Tenosynovitis.
It was corrected at Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital. Let me tell ya, those folks are just the best. From the surgeon, Dr. Rivera, on down, they are a kind, class act. That was 12 days ago. The incision is healing just fine (they glued it together, yikes!) and I'm busily looking for a job during a recession just before Christmas.
Needless to say, money is TIGHT. My faith in people is always restored by the fine folks of Port Aransas. I bitch and gripe about how there's no new music here. How the locals are um...er... refreshingly blunt. How everybody knows what you're going to do before you do it. The tourist brochure look of the local newspaper. The lack of jobs here. And I think I'll stop there. I'll stop because mid-rant, I realize that I've met some fine people here, just as well.
Today, the volunteers from the pantry from the Presbyterian Church drove by to give me and my neighbor, Bicycle Bob, a box of food for Christmas. A turkey, a ham, a box of potatos, a box of stuffing, apples, oranges, rice stix (I need to find out what those even are), a jar of peanut butter, a 10 lb. bag of potatos, a can of yams, a few cans of vegetables, and more stuff I can't recall at the moment. I am so overwhelmed that a small town like Port A can manage to put all that together for their needy and seasonally unemployed, that I remind myself why I moved here and why I like to live here.
I have met the best friend I've had in years since my friend, Chris, died of lung cancer about 5 years ago. I enjoy working with goofball and ladies' man, Luis Villarreal, making our own brand of music. I love Trish and Grady who run the Intaxicated Taxi Service. I love Tom Lovett of Lovetts and I'd better stop because I know I'll leave someone out.
They have a Songwriter Showcase at the Tarpon Inn to rival anything I've sung at in Dallas.
And then here they are today, dropping off all this food.
I am looking forward to a great Christmas with my friend Joanne, her kids and parents, my snowbird friend, Richard, and maybe Luis. We will eat, mock the TV, eat some more, mock the TV, perhaps grab a blanket and nap, eat, and watch more TV until we decide Christmas is over for the day.
But when we say grace, I will will be sure to mention the kind and considerate people of the Presbyterian Church and the VFW who do so much good for so many people.
When I say I love living in Paradise, I'm not just talking about the weather and the beach.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah to all.

Bougainvillea tree, Oaxaca

2009-12-21T18:40:00.003-06:00

Reposting this photo. One of my favorite times in 2005.

Hola Howdy Hi Hello Cheerio

2009-12-21T18:37:00.002-06:00

Just dropping in very quickly to say, "hi" and introduce myself before I start posting and you wonder who the hell I am.

My name is Alma. Born and raised in Kingsville TX. Lived most of my life in Dallas, but have lived in Corpus Christi, San Antonio, the burbs of Dallas, Corpus Christi Beach (locals call it North Beach), and now live in Port Aransas.

I am a lifelong musician and have always wanted to put down my observations as my life seems to be of endless amusement to me. Some folks have told me I'm funny. I dunno. Most of the time I see myself resembling the RCA dog with it's head cocked to the side in an eternal state of "WTF?"

I'm hoping to talk here about various things including Port A, music, music biz, the locals, food, art, books, ya know, the stuff that makes life interesting. For the record, I'm straight and view both men and women with a jaundiced eye, so spend much of my time alone.

So, that's all for today. Hopefully, you'll get a glimpse of the life of a musician of a certain age living in paradise. C ya soonl.

Burial at Sea

2009-12-21T10:07:00.000-06:00

Burial at Sea

by LtCol George Goodson, USMC (Ret)

In my 76th year, the events of my life appear to me, from time to time, as a series of vignettes. Some were significant; most were trivial.

War is the seminal event in the life of everyone that has endured it. Though I fought in Korea and the Dominican Republic and was wounded there, Vietnam was my war.

Now 42 years have passed and, thankfully, I rarely think of those days in Cambodia, Laos, and the panhandle of North Vietnam where small teams of Americans and Montagnards fought much larger elements of the North Vietnamese Army. Instead I see vignettes: some exotic, some mundane:

*The smell of Nuc Mam.
*The heat, dust, and humidity.
*The blue exhaust of cycles clogging the streets.
*Elephants moving silently through the tall grass.
*Hard eyes behind the servile smiles of the villagers.
*Standing on a mountain in Laos and hearing a tiger roar.
*A young girl squeezing my hand as my medic delivered her baby.
*The flowing Ao Dais of the young women biking down Tran Hung Dao.
*My two years as Casualty Notification Officer in North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.

It was late 1967. I had just returned after 18 months in Vietnam. Casualties were increasing. I moved my family from Indianapolis to Norfolk, rented a house, enrolled my children in their fifth or sixth new school, and bought a second car.

A week later, I put on my uniform and drove 10 miles to Little Creek, Virginia. I hesitated before entering my new office. Appearance is important to career Marines. I was no longer, if ever, a poster Marine. I had returned from my third tour in Vietnam only 30 days before. At 5'9", I now weighed 128 pounds - 37 pounds below my normal weight. My uniforms fit ludicrously, my skin was yellow from malaria medication, and I think I had a twitch or two.

I straightened my shoulders, walked into the office, looked at the nameplate on a Staff Sergeant's desk and said, "Sergeant Jolly, I'm Lieutenant Colonel Goodson. Here are my orders and my Qualification Jacket."

Sergeant Jolly stood, looked carefully at me, took my orders, stuck out his hand; we shook and he asked, "How long were you there, Colonel?" I replied "18 months this time." Jolly breathed, you must be a slow learner Colonel." I smiled.

Jolly said, "Colonel, I'll show you to your office and bring in the Sergeant Major. I said, "No, let's just go straight to his office." Jolly nodded, hesitated, and lowered his voice, "Colonel, the Sergeant Major. He's been in this job two years. He's packed pretty tight. I'm worried about him." I nodded.

Jolly escorted me into the Sergeant Major's office. "Sergeant Major, this is Colonel Goodson, the new Commanding Office The Sergeant Major stood, extended his hand and said, "Good to see you again, Colonel." I responded, "Hello Walt, how are you?" Jolly looked at me, raised an eyebrow, walked out, and closed the door.

I sat down with the Sergeant Major. We had the obligatory cup of coffee and talked about mutual acquaintances. Walt's stress was palpable. Finally, I said, "Walt, what's the h-ll's wrong?" He turned his chair, looked out the window and said, "George, you're going to wish you were back in Nam before you leave here. I've been in the Marine Corps since 1939. I was in the Pacific 36 months, Korea for 14 months, and Vietnam for 12 months Now I come here to bury these kids. I'm putting my letter in. I can't take it anymore." I said, "OK Walt. If that's what you want, I'll endorse your request for retirement and do what I can to push it through Headquarters Marine Corps."

Sergeant Major Walt Xxxxx retired 12 weeks later. He had been a good Marine for 28 years, but he had seen too much death and too much suffering. He was used up.

Over the next 16 months, I made 28 death notifications, conducted 28 military funerals, and made 30 notifications to the families of Marines that were severely wounded or missing in action. Most of the details of those casualty notifications have now, thankfully, faded from memory. Four, however, remain.

MY FIRST NOTIFICATION
My third or fourth day in Norfolk, I was notified of the death of a 19 year old Marine. This notification came by telephone from Headquarters Marine Corps. The information detailed:

*Name, rank, and serial number.
*Name, address, and phone number of next of kin.
*Date of and limited details about the Marine's death.
*Approximate date the body would arrive at the Norfolk Naval Air Station.
*A strong recommendation on whether the casket should be opened or closed.

The boy's family lived over the border in North Carolina, about 60 miles away. I drove there in a Marine Corps staff car. Crossing the state line into North Carolina, I stopped at a small country store / service station / Post Office. I went in to ask directions.

Three people were in the store. A man and woman approached the small Post Office window. The man held a package. The Storeowner walked up and addressed them by name, "Hello John. Good morning Mrs. Cooper."

I was stunned. My casualty's next-of-kin' s name was John Cooper!

I hesitated, then stepped forward and said, "I beg your pardon. Are you Mr. and Mrs. John Cooper of (address.)

The father looked at me-I was in uniform - and then, shaking, bent at the waist, he vomited. His wife looked horrified at him and then at me. Understanding came into her eyes and she collapsed in slow motion. I think I caught her before she hit the floor.

The owner took a bottle of whiskey out of a drawer and handed it to Mr. Cooper who drank. I answered their questions for a few minutes. Then I drove them home in my staff car. The storeowner locked the store and followed in their truck. We stayed an hour or so until the family began arriving.

I returned the storeowner to his business. He thanked me and said, "Mister, I wouldn't have your job for a million dollars." I shook his hand and said; "Neither would I."

I vaguely remember the drive back to Norfolk. Violating about five Marine Corps regulations, I drove the staff car straight to my house. I sat with my family while they ate dinner, went into the den, closed the door, and sat there all night, alone.

My Marines steered clear of me for days. I had made my first death notification.

THE FUNERALS
Weeks passed with more notifications and more funerals. I borrowed Marines from the local Marine Corps Reserve and taught them to conduct a military funeral: how to carry a casket, how to fire the volleys and how to fold the flag.

When I presented the flag to the mother, wife, or father, I always said, "All Marines share in your grief." I had been instructed to say, "On behalf of a grateful nation...." I didn't think the nation was grateful, so I didn't say that.

Sometimes, my emotions got the best of me and I couldn't speak. When that happened, I just handed them the flag and touched a shoulder. They would look at me and nod. Once a mother said to me, "I'm so sorry you have this terrible job." My eyes filled with tears and I leaned over and kissed her.

ANOTHER NOTIFICATION
Six weeks after my first notification, I had another. This was a young PFC. I drove to his mother's house. As always, I was in uniform and driving a Marine Corps staff car. I parked in front of the house, took a deep breath, and walked towards the house. Suddenly the door flew open, a middle-aged woman rushed out. She looked at me and ran across the yard, screaming "NO! NO! NO! NO!"

I hesitated. Neighbors came out. I ran to her, grabbed her, and whispered stupid things to reassure her. She collapsed. I picked her up and carried her into the house. Eight or nine neighbors followed. Ten or fifteen later, the father came in followed by ambulance personnel. I have no recollection of leaving.

The funeral took place about two weeks later. We went through the drill. The mother never looked at me. The father looked at me once and shook his head sadly.

ANOTHER NOTIFICATION
One morning, as I walked in the office, the phone was ringing. Sergeant Jolly held the phone up and said, "You've got another one, Colonel." I nodded, walked into my office, picked up the phone, took notes, thanked the officer making the call, I have no idea why, and hung up. Jolly, who had listened, came in with a special Telephone Directory that translates telephone numbers into the person's address and place of employment.

The father of this casualty was a Longshoreman. He lived a mile from my office. I called the Longshoreman' s Union Office and asked for the Business Manager. He answered the phone, I told him who I was, and asked for the father's schedule.

The Business Manager asked, "Is it his son?" I said nothing. After a moment, he said, in a low voice, "Tom is at home today." I said, "Don't call him. I'll take care of that." The Business Manager said, "Aye, Aye Sir," and then explained, "Tom and I were Marines in WWII."

I got in my staff car and drove to the house. I was in uniform. I knocked and a woman in her early forties answered the door. I saw instantly that she was clueless. I asked, "Is Mr. Smith home?" She smiled pleasantly and responded, "Yes, but he's eating breakfast now. Can you come back later?" I said, "I'm sorry. It's important. I need to see him now."

She nodded, stepped back into the beach house and said, "Tom, it's for you."

A moment later, a ruddy man in his late forties, appeared at the door. He looked at me, turned absolutely pale, steadied himself, and said, "Jesus Christ man, he's only been there three weeks!"

Months passed. More notifications and more funerals. Then one day while I was running, Sergeant Jolly stepped outside the building and gave a loud whistle, two fingers in his mouth....... I never could do that..... and held an imaginary phone to his ear.

Another call from Headquarters Marine Corps. I took notes, said, "Got it." and hung up. I had stopped saying "Thank You" long ago.

Jolly, "Where?"

Me, "Eastern Shore of Maryland. The father is a retired Chief Petty Officer. His brother will accompany the body back from Vietnam...."

Jolly shook his head slowly, straightened, and then said, "This time of day, it'll take three hours to get there and back. I'll call the Naval Air Station and borrow a helicopter. And I'll have Captain Tolliver get one of his men to meet you and drive you to the Chief's home."

He did, and 40 minutes later, I was knocking on the father's door. He opened the door, looked at me, then looked at the Marine standing at parade rest beside the car, and asked, "Which one of my boys was it, Colonel?"

I stayed a couple of hours, gave him all the information, my office and home phone number and told him to call me, anytime.

He called me that evening about 2300 (11:00PM). "I've gone through my boy's papers and found his will. He asked to be buried at sea. Can you make that happen?" I said, "Yes I can, Chief. I can and I will."

My wife who had been listening said, "Can you do that?" I told her, "I have no idea. But I'm going to break my ass trying."

I called Lieutenant General Alpha Bowser, Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force Atlantic, at home about 2330, explained the situation, and asked, "General, can you get me a quick appointment with the Admiral at Atlantic Fleet Headquarters? " General Bowser said," George, you be there tomorrow at 0900. He will see you.

I was and the Admiral did. He said coldly, "How can the Navy help the Marine Corps, Colonel." I told him the story. He turned to his Chief of Staff and said, "Which is the sharpest destroyer in port?" The Chief of Staff responded with a name.

The Admiral called the ship, "Captain, you're going to do a burial at sea. You'll report to a Marine Lieutenant Colonel Goodson until this mission is completed... "

He hung up, looked at me, and said, "The next time you need a ship, Colonel, call me. You don't have to sic Al Bowser on my ass." I responded, "Aye Aye, Sir" and got the h-ll out of his office.

I went to the ship and met with the Captain, Executive Officer, and the Senior Chief. Sergeant Jolly and I trained the ship's crew for four days. Then Jolly raised a question none of us had thought of. He said, "These government caskets are air tight. How do we keep it from floating?"

All the high priced help including me sat there looking dumb. Then the Senior Chief stood and said, "Come on Jolly. I know a bar where the retired guys from World War II hang out."

They returned a couple of hours later, slightly the worst for wear, and said, "It's simple; we cut four 12" holes in the outer shell of the casket on each side and insert 300 lbs of lead in the foot end of the casket. We can handle that, no sweat."

The day arrived. The ship and the sailors looked razor sharp General Bowser, the Admiral, a US Senator, and a Navy Band were on board. The sealed casket was brought aboard and taken below for modification. The ship got underway to the 12-fathom depth.

The sun was hot. The ocean flat. The casket was brought aft and placed on a catafalque. The Chaplin spoke. The volleys were fired. The flag was removed, folded, and I gave it to the father. The band played "Eternal Father Strong to Save." The casket was raised slightly at the head and it slid into the sea.

The heavy casket plunged straight down about six feet. The incoming water collided with the air pockets in the outer shell. The casket stopped abruptly, rose straight out of the water about three feet, stopped, and slowly slipped back into the sea. The air bubbles rising from the sinking casket sparkled in the in the sunlight as the casket disappeared from sight forever....

The next morning I called a personal friend, Lieutenant General Oscar Peatross, at Headquarters Marine Corps and said, "General, get me out of here. I can't take this anymore." I was transferred two weeks later.

I was a good Marine but, after 17 years, I had seen too much death and too much suffering. I was used up.

Vacating the house, my family and I drove to the office in a two-car convoy. I said my goodbyes. Sergeant Jolly walked out with me. He waved at my family, looked at me with tears in his eyes, came to attention, saluted, and said, "Well Done, Colonel. Well Done."

Riverbillies, Lakebillies inspire newsroom joke

2009-12-03T13:29:00.003-06:00

The summer of 2002 saw historical flood levels on the Guadalupe River.
On July 4, 2002, the spillway at Canyon Dam north of San Antonio, Texas was overwhelmed by 70,000 cubic feet per second of water flow, across a 1,200 feet length of an emergency spillway, cut into natural limestone rock.
The result was that houses built below the dam and in the city of New Braunfels were flooded by river water.
For many people who insisted on building in the river's flood plain, it was the second 100-year flood in four years.
They had been rescued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's flood insurance program in 1998, but in 2002, they decided that property bailouts were a necessity; taxpayers should not pay for people who want to build their homes in places known to flood.
That caused an uproar.
Yours truly had coined a term regarding the types of personalities he had encountered visiting the lake region in another well-known reservoir - a sort of backwoodsy, long-haired, pile the beer bottles up behind the garage attitude.
The same sort of attitude prevailed among people who wanted to rebuild their homes along the lakeside and along the river.
So, he dubbed them Lakebillies, and Riverbillies, and shared the joke with other newsroom reporters and editors.
The terms lakebillies and riverbillies became part of the routine newsroom vocabulary, regarding people who wanted to live in flood prone areas and who expected taxpayers to bail them out whenever their pastoral existence was washed out.
About six months later, a mis-communication occurred.
The advertising department decided to launch a special promotion, and asked the editorial department to help, it had something to do with the river and the lake residents - marketing to them.
An e-mail was sent concerning a strategy for the promotion, targeting "lakebillies" and "riverbillies."
The two terms got printed into the promotional material, and was distributed by advertising executives to potential advertisers.
A thunderstorm of indignation ensued, and the advertisers complained to the publisher of the newspaper.
Parties involved were reprimanded, advertising executives were properly scolded, and the terms "lakebillies" and "riverbillies" were subsequently banned from use in the newsroom, either internally or externally.
But, the damage is done.
People who insist on living around a lakefront, even if they know it could wipe them out in a flood, should be referred to as Lakebillies.
And people who insist on living on the banks of a river should rightly be referred to as Riverbillies.
Publish that in your Urban Dictionary.

Found on Stumble

2009-11-11T13:15:00.001-06:00

Why Can't I Own a Canadian?
October 2002

Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a radio personality who dispenses advice to people who call in to her radio show. Recently, she said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22 and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following is an open letter to Dr. Laura penned by a east coast resident, which was posted on the Internet. It's funny, as well as informative:

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other specific laws and how to follow them:

When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15:19- 24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? - Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your devoted fan,
Jim

Marine scientists to investigate dead zone in Gulf of Mexico

2009-11-11T09:15:00.001-06:00

AUSTIN, Texas — Whether a large area of low oxygen water called the "dead zone" in the northern Gulf of Mexico could cause declines in environmentally and economically important fish populations is the subject of a new study by University of Texas at Austin marine scientist Peter Thomas.

Thomas and colleagues at several universities have received $2 million in funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to study the effects of hypoxia (low oxygen) on fish reproduction and model the impacts of hypoxia on the size of fish populations in the area, which is off the coast of Louisiana east of the Mississippi River.

"There has been a striking increase over the past 20 years in the size of the dead zone during the summer," says Thomas, professor of marine science at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas. "But the long-term effects of its increase on the size of fish populations are unknown."

Marked suppression of reproduction in Atlantic croaker has already been documented at several hypoxic sites in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

In an initial study, Thomas found that male and female Atlantic croaker collected from hypoxic waters in Florida's East Bay near Pensacola had little ovarian and testicular growth, low egg and sperm production, and low levels of reproductive hormones during a time a year when they would normally be increasing in preparation for reproduction.

Recently, similar decreases in egg and sperm production and reproductive hormones were observed in croaker collected over a much larger area from the dead zone off the Louisiana coast.

Recent model simulations have predicted that this kind of decrease in reproduction can lead to population declines.

However, Thomas says that researchers need to obtain more precise information on the nature and extent of reproductive impairment of croaker throughout the dead zone, and further refine the croaker population models to increase their accuracy and utility as a fisheries management tool.

"Our goal is to provide resource managers with predictions about the impacts of hypoxia on fish populations that they can incorporate into their management decisions," says Thomas.

The Dead Zone varies in size, but can extend to 8,500 square miles (roughly the size of New Jersey) in some years. Incidences of seasonal coastal hypoxia have been increasing in oceans worldwide, largely the result of increased agricultural and industrial run-off.

Thomas will be working with Kenneth Rose and Dubravko Justic from Louisiana State University, Kevin Craig at Florida State University and Thomas Grothues at Rutgers University. The grant is part of NOAA's Gulf of Mexico Ecosystems and Hypoxia Assessment Program.

Sustainable Community: November 9th Meeting (6 pm), Siempre Sustainable Network, Mosaic Community Church-1201 W. Court St., Seguin, TX 78155

2009-10-31T12:04:00.022-05:00

Ecological Literacy and Sustainable Livelihoods from Public Schools?

(Position Paper Written to Facilitate the Development of a Panel Discussion
for the November 9th Meeting of the Siempre Sustainable Network)

paul b. martin

“All education is environmental education.” David Orr, Ecologist, Oberlin College

……………………………………
Background. The real crisis in the world is not in the financial economy and its current state, … but rather, the crises in Nature’s economy [severe human poverty and malnutrition (and other physical and mental/spiritual stresses on humans), watershed disruption, top soil loss, dead zones, desertification, loss of diversity and resilience, serious pollution, global climate change, etc., etc.] . Moreover, we are not providing our children (or most of the “adults” around them) with the educational foundation for developing critical thinking and ethical decision-making skills, particularly with regard to the serious long-term ecological challenges.

(Of course in the U.S.A. most of the problems with Nature's economy are out of sight and mind because we have so much power and we suck tremendous resources from all over the world to a relatively small population here in North America--a process which masks and hides the really serious problems our kids and grandkids ... will have to confront with insurmountable difficulties. Moreover, most of us live in such a virtual and unreal reality that whole lives of relative ignorance and procrastination are prevalent--versus what could be fulfilling and spiritually rich and active lives of wisely dealing with real problems.)

The bottom line is that, for the most part sustainable livelihoods do not exist in our very artificial conventional economic systems. Our current (and past) economies, and most of our livelihoods that come from these socio-political/economic systems, are destroying soils, water, the air we breathe, and the climate which sustains life--and these unsustainable livelihoods are doing away with the organisms and their ecological communities with which we as humans must associate for quality life. … They are destroying our humaneness, … our humanity!

Some of us believe we should earnestly begin to attempt to change this unpleasant situation we humans are creating as a result of our development and continued propping up/bandaiding of non-conserving and unsustainable, and non-resilient ecological communities. In particular, we are certain that this major shift in behavior and action must include a comprehensive and intensive long-range plan which would involve (“optimally”) small (less that a 500 student population www.wested.org/online_pubs/po-01-03.pdf ) neighborhood and rural schools—with separate elementary, middle school and high school campuses placed side by side, but in concert with the Land and Nature.

“To live, we must daily break the body and shed the blood of creation. …
when we do this knowingly, lovingly, skillfully, reverently, it is a sacrament;
when we do it ignorantly, greedily, clumsily, destructively, it is a desecration.”
Wendell Berry, Essayist, Poet, Farmer

Sustainable Livelihoods. We are positive that such an ecologically-sound school system mentioned in the previous section, can definitely help to realize sustainable livelihoods for local communities and the world, … livelihoods which involve some of the following:

0 Educated holistic and ethical decision-makers
0 Folk who dedicate their lives to targeting the poor with education, knowledge, franchisement, empowerment, power, and resources
0 Organic farmers who are “truly organic” in a holistic sense
0 Urban farmers and rural farmer-ranchers who produce grass-fed and browse-fed meat animals on a small and large scale
0 Holistic low-input community gardeners
0 Health care professionals who holistically and comprehensively practice preventative care on a local level … first and foremost!—and curative care when needed (and who develop health care systems that particularly target the poor)
0 Lawyers who mostly help the poor (including other species)
0 Bankers supporting microloan/microenterprise systems which are conserving and sustainable
0 Blue collar workers who make enough for a good quality life
0 White collar workers who make enough for a good quality life. But no more!
0 Architects who design conserving and sustainable built-systems
0 Builders of small ecological-friendly homes
0 Constructors and maintainers of transport systems primarily involving bicycles, trains, buses, and modern clipper ships http//:adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2003APS..DFD.MH007D
0 Seekers of low input/throughput/output systems involving ethical use of what is truly “renewable energy”
0 Effective and efficient communicators who work in inexpensive low input systems
0 Systems analyzers and researchers who can effectively communicate the state of the state/the world in terms of material flow and energy flux—inputs, throughputs, and outputs; ... also, teams producing life cycle assessments for products/systems
0 Scientists who truly seek knowledge vs. technicians and technologists who attempt to bring the Land/Nature “to its knees” in service to humans
0 Guardians of diverse native living communities of organisms (including in bays and estuaries); ample amounts of good clean water and air; rich, deep, living top soils; and ethical use of energy
0 Ethical naturalists
0 Readers who seek socio-political/economic (ecological) knowledge about how to live well in a place
0 Human cultures who respect other human cultures, traditions and rituals
0 A human culture that respects the Nature, the Land
0 Ecological historians
0 Local, homegrown entertainers who are relatively “low input”/”low maintenance”
0 Everyone actively participating in local low maintenance sports and entertainment
0 Politicians and bureaucrats/policy-makers at all levels who work intelligently and prudently to facilitate change toward “conservation and development of sustainable community”
0 Teachers of reading, writing and arithmetic who are striving to meet our local and global challenges within a holistic, participatory/hands-on, site-based curriculum of applied ecology
0 True Peacemakers
0 Folk in all disciplines and roles in life who are Positively Ethical Applied Community Ecologists and who live light on the Land

“My own preference is for an environmentalism that talks about ethics and aesthetics rather than about resources and economics, that places priority on the survival of the living world of plants and animals regardless of their productive value, that cherishes what nature’s priceless beauty can add to our deeper-than-economic well-being.”
Don Worster, Environmental Historian, University of Kansas

Questions for the Panel of Experts in the Field of Education. I am certain each and every one of the panel members feels strongly that there is much room for improvement in our public schools. However, differences arise when we begin to discuss what?, where?, when? and how? we need to go about realizing improvement. The questions listed below will hopefully provide some initial insight into how this community and others might move forward toward providing sustainable livelihoods and quality life for all—locally and globally:

Briefly tell the audience what the term “quality life in community” means to you? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_of_life

What is education for? www.context.org/ICLIB/IC27/Orr.htm

What is the most important change we can make in our public schools in order to realize quality life locally and worldwide … for as many folk as possible, and for as long as possible?

What are your thoughts concerning ecological literacy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_literacy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_economics and the importance of such?

Discuss the importance of keeping schools small, “neighborly” and rural—and in concert with the environment.

Discuss the role of schools in community and the need for schools to be “truly Green” holistically, and in concert with the local ecological community of diverse organisms?

Do you believe a “charter school”-initiative targeting low-income families and involving a small middle-school student population--and an ecologically-sound, socially just and humane mindset--might be effective in improving our public school system? Could you actively support a charter school in your current situation, i.e., primarily in an advisory capacity and through possible collaboration with institutions/entities you represent?

What are some other suggestions for moving us toward:
· ecological literacy?
· sustainable livelihoods?
· and communities which are ecologically-sound, socially just and humane?

San Antonio political history - 2003

2009-10-22T14:18:00.000-05:00

Opinion: How the Hell Did We Get in This Mess?
March 13, 2003
Published in the San Antonio Current

BY MICHAEL CARY
Federal indictments, an eroded trust in City government, lifeless politicians, apathetic voters: With a Council election two months away, these are not the best of times for San Antonio politics.
Heading into the May 3, 2003 municipal election, City Hall reeks of scandal. District 5 Councilman David Garcia resigned over charges that he misappropriated campaign finance funds; District 2's John Sanders and District 4's Enrique "Kike" Martin face bribery charges stemming from law enforcement sting operations aimed at curbing corruption in Alamotown.
By appointing former Mayor Lila Cockrell to head his commission on trust and integrity, Mayor Ed Garza has made overtures to prompt City Council to clean up its act. Yet in its analysis, the panel acknowledged that previous "findings and recommendations of citizen commissions have been ignored or forgotten, adding to a sense of futility on the part of the public." So far, Council has shown no signs of changing the status quo at City Hall.
It is time to ask the questions: How did San Antonio politics fall into such a sorry state? And should local citizens trust any remedies proposed by City leaders?
Part of the answer can be found in the rise of the pro-business Good Government League in the 1950s, its decline in the early 1970s, and its current revival in the form of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.
Henry Cisneros rose like a Phoenix from the GGL's ashes and evolved into a pro-business Supermayor in the 1980s, setting the tone for today's City Hall. In the 1990s, self-appointed tax watchdog and Cisneros critic, C.A. Stubbs and his conservative Homeowner Taxpayers' Association, convinced the community that term limits would solve problems at City Hall - and subsequently, term limits were imposed and remain in effect today.
Add to the political complexity the increasing demand from Chicanos and African Americans to participate in the political process; yet, some elected officials such as David Garcia have failed to represent their constituents, further disenfranchising them.
History has repeated itself: The Greater Chamber and others who seek financial gain stand at the helm of city government and perpetuate the illusion that ordinary citizens, including Chicanos and African-Americans, have a modicum of power.
A BRIEF, SORDID HISTORY OF SA POLITICS
The agenda at weekly City Council meetings reflects and responds to the interests of big
business. This is how the ruling class has conducted itself for decades - even a millennium.
Begin with the conquistadores who invaded México and the New World with the publicly stated intent of spreading the word of God to the pagans. In reality, their purpose was to murder and enslave the indigents, mine the riches, and ship the spoils home to the king of Spain. The defenders of the Alamo cried "liberty and justice for all," but their underlying agenda was economic: to take the land and its wealth for themselves and their kin who poured into Texas, seeking their fortunes.
In the 20th century, "San Antonio's urban political history followed a pattern similar to other Sunbelt cities," wrote Kemper Diehl and Jan Jarboe in Cisneros: Portrait of a New American, published in 1984. "The 1940s saw the rise and fall of flamboyant municipal reformers; the 1950s and early 1960s were decades of sleepy efficiency when city government was in the hands of a few businessmen; and the late 1960s and early 1970s saw previously dormant interest groups demand power."
Fast forward to 1951, when the City Charter was changed in response to, (you guessed it) political corruption at City Hall and the rise of the Good Government League was imminent. The charter change demoted the mayor to a ceremonial leader, with an equal vote among other council members, and placed the real power in the hands of a city manager, the system that is in operation today. Simply put, the city manager and staff follow policy set by the City Council, but the daily operation of the community- managing growth, providing public works, public safety, and trash pickup - is coordinated through the City Manager's office. However, fulfilling that responsibility is a huge undertaking for a City this size.
Elected city council members who have a single vote face a daunting task of learning how City Hall works and how to meet the perceived needs of their constituents.
Tucker Gibson, professor and chairman of the political science department of Trinity University, explained that the strength of business' influence over City Hall was due to the Good Government League's grip on the amateur political scene from about 1955 to 1975. That influence - even without the Good Government League - lingers today. "They [the GGL] were not Democratic or Republican, but they called themselves an association," he explained. "They recruited candidates for City Council, but did it secretly. They raised funds, ran slates of candidates and they dominated city politics for a 20-year period."
According to Rodolfo Rosales' book, The Illusion of Inclusion: The Untold Political Story of San Antonio, "The new political arrangements brought about by the business community in 1951 were certainly not intended to create independent representation for the Chicano community, and they did not.
However, a consequence of this more open political environment was that it set in motion a more competitive political environment that eventually brought about in the 1970s independent political representation for the Chicano community, a situation without precedent in San Antonio in this century."
Rosales, a political science professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, credits the Chicano movement for changing the city's political face. "Mexican- Americans don't get credit for shit, except making tamales," Rosales said recently. "I started out with giving credit to Mexican-Americans who changed politics in San Antonio. We changed the town."
Rosales pointed out that the Good Government League was focused on the goals of the Greater San
Antonio Chamber of Commerce: growth, expansion, and economic development. Yet, Chicanos, many of whom opposed the Good Government League, fought for representation through organizations such as the Bexar County Democratic Coalition, which included liberal North Side Anglos and East Side African- American leaders. As minorities were elected to office, they made inroads at county and state levels, but the city's political climate remained static until 1973, when independent candidate Charlie Becker ousted Good Government League-backed candidate Roy Barrera in an at-large election for City Council.
Meanwhile, in 1974, Henry G. Cisneros gave up an offer to teach at MIT, packed up his family and returned home to take a teaching slot at UTSA. "When Henry Cisneros returned to San Antonio, the city was in chaos," Diehl and Jarboe wrote in their profile of his political career. "The GGL, the conservative political organization which had run the city for 20 years was in shambles.
The Anglo business establishment was divided into two warring factions. City government was paralyzed. Ethnic tensions ran high as Mexican-Americans made a long overdue, but painful drive for power."
Cisneros broke with the liberal Chicano ranks and ran on the West Side Good Government League ticket, winning the Place 3 spot on City Council in 1975. "This is not a time for complacency," read one of his campaign ads in a local newspaper. "It is time to thrust for our full potential as individuals and as a people. This being done, there shall be no excuses for the generations that follow." Cisneros linked economic development, not social welfare programs, to lifting San Antonio out of the wage doldrums - at a time when the average annual per capita income was $5,672.
Cisneros cast a crucial City Council vote concerning the U.S. Department of Justice's edict that the city change its charter to allow single-member voting districts to ensure that minorities were represented. The Justice Department put the hammer down after the city annexed huge properties on the North Side, adding many Anglo voters to the mix.
As a result of Cisneros' vote, the City conducted a referendum on the single-member districts rather than fight the order in court; with more than 52 percent of the vote, the proposal won to change the city charter. As a result, in 1977, five Chicanos and one African-American won council seats, giving minorities the majority at City Hall.
Cisneros served as a bridge between Anglos and Hispanics, and was a political shining star in the eyes of the nation; Walter Mondale considered him as a running mate during the 1984 presidential election. Cisneros had the backing of influential men such as B.J. "Red" McCombs, Jim Dement, Jim Uptmore, Ray Ellison and the newly organized North Side Chamber of Commerce, which took offense at the Government League's financial pact with the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce to promote economic development in San Antonio. When Cisneros ran for mayor in 1981 against
Good Government Leaguer John Steen, one investor quipped, "What this election is really about is the Oak Hills Country Club (in the Medical Center) versus the San Antonio Country Club, and us Oak Hills boys are going to beat the hell out of the old guys."
In 1988, Cisneros' reputation was slightly tarnished after the San Antonio Current published an interview in which he admitted having an Anglo girlfriend, whom he refused to name. A few days later, a daily newspaper columnist revealed the shocking news that the media had known about the affair for more than a year, but had remained mum at the behest of wealthy powermongers: Henry had a girlfriend and her name was Linda Medlar. He stepped down as mayor in 1989, citing other reasons.
Personal relationships aside, Cisneros served three terms as city councilman and three terms as mayor, and gave the public the much-ridiculed Alamodome - what the Current dubbed the "Dillodome," then the "Tacodome," and what other pundits (Michael Cary) called the "Bubbadome."
C.A. Stubbs referred to the domed stadium as Henry's Folly. What really rankled opponents of the dome is that Cisneros billed it as a venue suitable to host a National Football League team when he pitched the project to the public. Then he later retracted, stating he never really said the Alamodome was specifically for an NFL team. The stadium stands as a monument of the legacy of Cisneros, Supermayor with highly developed persuasive powers.
Cisneros had political opponents, and his greatest detractor was self-appointed tax watchdog C.A. Stubbs. A retired computer systems employee of Civil Service at Kelly AFB and founder of the Homeowner Taxypayer Association, Stubbs is partly responsible for the term limits enacted today.
Stubbs, who turned 80 in January, and who bills himself as "the No. 1 tax watchdog in Texas," turned over leadership of the Homeowner Taxpayer Association in 1990 to run a statewide, fiscally conservative group. "I was a staunch opponent of Henry Cisneros. I still am," he said recently. "I helped to set up term limits (at City Hall) because of Henry."
Term limits are the legacy of the HTA, and the center of a 1991 referendum battle. Since that public vote, a council member can serve only two, 2-year terms and
is banned from serving in that office again; the same restrictions
apply to the mayor. The effects of term limits have contributed to the Council's current woes, explained Tucker Gibson of Trinity University. "From my perspective, you get a number of things. One, it potentially expands power of the bureaucracy. Members of the City Council know little about parliamentary procedure. There is no institutional memory and no knowledge of policy. People come to the table with less experience."
Gibson added that people who now get elected to a council seat have an agenda to pursue, but by the time two terms have lapsed, it is hard to pursue it. "By the time you are on your agenda, you're finished unless you run for mayor."
Rodolfo Rosales' contended - accurately - that the inclusion of minorities in city government is merely an illusion. Big business still has its way at City Hall, and with term limits in place, it's nigh impossible to fight the system. A lack of partisan politics - Democrats versus Republicans - results in an absence of political party slates. Following the charter change in 1977, Rosales said, "The city council came up with a 10-1 plan, the mayor-council government. But, they missed the boat. The GGL was a party, but the non-partisan rule excluded political parties. That is the crux of the issue. You don't have an agenda by which to keep candidates accountable."
Ordinary citizens who are gnashing their molars and plugging in the plancha to iron out the kinks in their voter registration cards might believe that by electing new faces to City Hall, things will change - but the prospect is dim. Historically, big business interests dominate the language of the agenda, and Council members and the mayor have individual goals to work into the city government. The system works in perpetuity, as new faces are elected and placed on the Council dais, and new rounds of negotiations begin.
First, big business gets a huge slice of the pie, with the leftovers to be fought over by the citizens who have to pay the baker.
San Antonio is not going to fall into a giant sinkhole if we experiment with the City Charter in an effort to put ordinary citizens on equal terms with power-hungry business interests.
The ethics panel has recommended term limits and lifetime bans for those who have served be terminated and that the mayor and council members get paid living-wage salaries. The
City has survived numerous forms of government, and its citizens have proven resilient enough to accept - or resist - a changing of the guard. •

A brief history of eminent domain

2009-10-22T13:22:00.000-05:00

"Texas has a higher level of concern because roots to the land are deeper... You're entering the land of the unhappy people."
A King's Divine Right

A brief history of eminent domain

10/14/04

By Michael Cary
San Antonio Current
Copyright 2004

Domingo Castelo had served five years in the Presidio of San Luis de Las Amarillas by June 21, 1762. He sent a letter to the governor and captain general of the Province of Texas and the New Philippines, continuing to plead for a "single lot on which to earn my living," in the City of San Fernando.

Governor Angel De Martos y Navarrete granted a lot 80 varas square in the vicinity of San Pedro Creek, near his mother in law's property. "He must plant trees and vegetables and occupy the land within the fixed period, with the understanding that if he does not comply," the governor wrote, "the land will be declared unoccupied and uncultivated and may be granted to any other deserving person who may present a petition for it."

This was colonial Spain's version of eminent domain. The school of thought was that God gave the right of eminent domain to the king, and the king gave it to the viceroy, who gave it to the Spanish governor, who parceled it out to settlers. Yet, the king always had the right to reclaim his land for the public good.

Castelo was dead by 1770, and the property was reallocated to a succession of settlers. But Castelo's wife, María Ejeciaca Rodriguez petitioned to reclaim the land, and in 1778, Alcalde Phelix Menchaca restored her title after determining that she had made improvements with a fence and a water conduit for irrigation on the property.

María won her case in a time when rebellious British colonists had yet to pen the U.S. Constitution, and include the last line in the Fifth Amendment which reads: "nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."

Note two key words, "public use" and "just compensation."

"Eminent domain is the exclusive right of the state, county and the city to exercise discretion in taking private property," says Suzette Berry, a senior analyst in the Bexar County Clerk's office, which oversees the collection and storage of public records. "But it has to be for a HemisFair or to build expressways, with a purpose to serve all of the citizens."

The first eminent domain case on record in the courthouse (from the Republic of Texas era) was dated June 11, 1885, and pitted the San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railway Co. against property owner George Witte. The railroad had its heart set on a 600-foot wide swath of land between the San Antonio River and Probandt Street for a railroad right of way. The railroad won the first of a series of cases, and Witte was paid $125 for his property.

"Eminent domain removes your right to property, and the rights to water and minerals under that property - you can kiss that oil well goodbye, too," says Berry.

Jump ahead to November 1964, when the Texas Attorney General conducted a seminar for attorneys who had worked, or were about to work, on eminent domain cases. "While the concept of eminent domain stretches back in time to almost the beginning of law ... the development of this area of law, as we know it today, has taken place almost entirely within the past 15 years," explained Assistant Attorney General Hawthorne Phillips.

The Texas Highway Department had only three attorneys working condemnation cases in 1958, but by 1964, there were 30 attorneys involved with condemnations for interstate highway rights of way.

San Antonio residents were getting a taste of it from the north, south, and downtown. Families were displaced in the 1960s to make way for HemisFair and the convention center, as urban renewal programs opted to demolish neighborhoods instead of rebuilding them.

And the highways were indeed coming. City Council in August 1963 approved a "schematic" for the North Expressway, known today as Highway 281 and Interstate 37. The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word didn't have to consult an oracle to see what would happen to them. The highway plan published in local newspapers showed the project's first route would cut through the Incarnate Word High School Campus.

The sisters hired attorney Pat Maloney and filed suit. The state attorney general's office was prepared to use taxpayer money to condemn the property. Other lawsuits followed, and the newspapers reported that City Hall had hinted at following a strategy to get a court to "stop legal bushwhacking of the freeway program." Maloney promised "a decade of court action."

But Incarnate Word was not only concerned about the taking of property. There was the integrity of Olmos Dam, the San Antonio Zoo, the Japanese/Chinese Sunken Gardens and the theater. The Conservation Society, led by Wanda Ford, sued to protect Brackenridge Park. Ford faced the prospect of losing her home to the project.

It was the first time the nation would build a highway through a school campus. Another irksome fact was that an alternate route would have followed Devine Road through the "walled city" of Olmos Park, but political pressure convinced the state to avoid building a highway through a municipality that did not want a highway. "A nun and a college administrator have to stand up here today to defend themselves against bricks, mortar and asphalt taking precedence over an educational institution which has given outstanding service to the city for some 100 years," said Sister Thomas Greenberg, president of Incarnate Word.

The nuns settled with the City for $972,000, and a walkway over the highway that twists and turns wildly on its route from Corpus Christi to Wichita Falls. Legal strategy and political clout delayed its opening until 1978. Ultimately, the City has benefited from the highway project, says former mayor Howard Peak IV, whose father had joined a lawsuit as an individual in the 1960s against building the expressway. "The net result was a roadway realigned to minimize the taking of the park, and so while it was long and involved, and expensive, some good did come out of it," says Peak. "In the end, the City would be in a bit of a mess if we didn't have the freeway."

Although eminent domain is used throughout the U.S., in Texas the stakes are higher, says County Clerk Gerry Rickhoff. "Texas has a higher level of concern because roots to the land are deeper. Land is 98 percent privately owned. You're entering the land of the unhappy people."

Just ask Elizabeth Small, whose grandfather was Edward Patrick Walsh. The Walsh Ranch along the Medina River had been in the family since the Spanish granted the land to them in 1794. Then in the late 1980s, the City decided it wanted a large piece of Walsh property to build a giant mosquito bog, the Applewhite Reservoir. Edward Walsh encountered then-mayor Henry Cisneros in an elevator in a local hospital and was told, "We're gonna get your ranch."

Small contends that the Walsh Ranch was chosen for political reasons. She says the City left the nearby Strauss Ranch alone, since that family carries more political clout. And today, the Walsh Ranch is under construction as Toyota Acres.

"In 1991, the condemnation was very rough on the family," says Small, who grew up on the ranch. "We were told the only thing the land was good for was for tire recycling or trailer parks. Then suddenly it was too valuable to sell back to us, and they were using taxes to condemn our property." "They weren't too sensitive to the family," says Rickhoff, referring to the City's tactic in the Applewhite episode.

The Small family has located another ranch farther south, near Pleasanton, and Elizabeth has graduated from UTSA with a degree in marketing and is moving on with her life, although it still hurts to think about losing 5,000 acres and a family homestead. "It's hard to drive by there, very hard. It was a unique place."

There were 67 condemnation cases before two probate courts in Bexar County in 2002. There were 35 in 2003, and 39 so far in 2004. Various public entities, including the City, the State, school districts, and even Canyon Regional Water Authority, have filed the cases, and the public rarely gets a glimpse of them. On the City side, condemnation proceedings are listed under the "Consent" portion of the City Council Agenda, and rarely get a mention in public.

But the results can be seen everywhere, in drainage or utility easements, or property taken for a road project. There is one substantial example on the City's North Side, along Babcock Road, between De Zavala and Hausman roads. The City condemned property owned by the Bertetti Family Trust, paid more than $600,000 for the property, and built a new bridge over Leon Creek.

Owning a piece of property and a home has for decades been the American Dream, but if the Kingdom of Government wants its property back, there's nothing to do but jump out of the way of the legal bulldozer known as eminent domain.

Toll roads dead?

2009-10-08T17:12:00.002-05:00

There was a room full of angry cattle ranchers in the room when the Texas highway department rolled out its Trans Texas Corridor, which showed routes across their property lines in Wilson County. I know because I squeezed among them to look at the highway plans.
Texas already has lots of great farm to market roads that are well paved and can get the motorist to just about anywhere in the state, so I really didn't agree with the need to widen every rural highway to 16 lanes in each direction.
Of course there are plenty of other reasons I will not be voting in the "red" column in the November 2010 election.

Life in Coastal Bend

2009-10-08T10:31:00.002-05:00

My ancestors did not observe property lines. Maps and other man made delineations of the planet for the purposes of marking territory have resulted in senseless wars, starvation, human slavery, etcetera. Will the rising ocean waters create a new world order, where there are not any more "no trespassing signs?

What I'm Certain of--I think??!!??

2009-09-30T11:39:00.004-05:00

Taxes, death; change.
.............................
As a 62 + year-old skeptic and agnostic, and as a biologist/ecologist who was (somewhat) educated in the sciences and scientific method, ecological principles and processes--I recognize the uncertainty of dynamic earth systems. I am humbled by virtue of my/our ignorance, by the virtues of ignorance www.landinstitute.org/pages/Virtues-of-Ignorance-Order-Form.pdf , and my/our extremely limited capacity to learn. ... I know that I/we know so very little when consideration is given to what there is to know--and to the complex and fluid processes of the earth/the universe.

Therefore I strongly believe a tenet for resilience and sustainability for sociological/ecological systems is that of possessing caution and tentativeness--and the necessity of adherence to the precautionary principle www.sehn.org/precaution.html .

For these (and other) reasons I strongly believe:

Might doesn't make right. ... And there should be mechanisms to reduce individual and collective "power and might" and to move toward a more equitable situation.
Power should be diffused to the point that we all realize our right to sustainable livelihoods, good nutrition and exercise, and preventative and curative health care.
Salary/income caps need to be implemented.
War is never the answer!
"Killing to fix" is (generally) not the answer. Give the system (body, community, agricultural system, ecosystem, country, world) a chance to "Naturally" heal. ... Don't play God.
Unilateral disarmament is needed--and right now!
Capital punishment is wrong.
Rampant artificial change though capitalism, consumerism, industrialism, informationism (or any other "ism") should be strongly/tightly regulated.
Economic growth, consumption by humans and population growth must be controlled.
Monotheistic (Catholic, Protestant Christian, Muslim, Jewish) God's Will is very dangerous.
Small, decentralized, participatory systems are beautiful. www.ecobooks.com/books/smbeaut.htm

Theater celebrates Banned Books Week

2009-09-21T10:28:00.000-05:00

RIALTO THEATER, ARANSAS PASS, TX
Performances Friday and Saturday, October 2-3, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.; Tickets: $12.00
The words of Mark Twain, Harper Lee, John Steinbeck, Maya Angelou, Judy Blume- all great and inspirational American literature- ALL BANNED at some point in American history. In this Readers Theater, a small cast of actors will revive some of the most memorable moments in literature. From the great American novel to Where's Waldo?, audiences will find that no work is immune to censorship on some social, political, and/or religious level. As tribute to Banned Book Week and in celebration of our democratic freedom to read, this performance was organized by Jerry Halpin.

This special performance runs Friday and Saturday, October 2-3 at 7:30 p.m.; tickets are $12.00. Rialto Theater, 327 S. Commercial Street, Aransas Pass. For more information, call 361-758-0383.

Find Winston here

2009-09-17T16:23:00.002-05:00

Have moved to the Coastal Bend, New Philippines. See updated into about Winston at above web site.

Ecological Economics: Beyond the Growth Paradigm/or Beyond the Mindless Conversion of Nature/the Land to "Artificial"

2009-08-09T10:47:00.007-05:00

Ethically practicing applied biology involves respect and protection of other peoples/cultures, species, topsoil, water, the atmosphere ... which are essential for quality life.

Neoclassical economics and conventional business systems involve consumption, resource extraction and pollution as if: other peoples/cultures aren't important, "topsoil doesn't exist", and quality water and air can endlessly be available for their fallacious economic engines. These systems, including myopic religious "fundamentalists" and addicted frivilous consumers, involve a pervasive ignoring of the need to realize and maintain low input/throughput/output energy flux in order to realize sustainable quality life throughout the earth ecosystems.

The latest issue of Adbusters magazine, Thought Control in Economics, does an excellent job of succinctly but thoroughly making these and related points. https://www.adbusters.org/magazine/85

Natural Spirituality

2009-02-11T08:56:00.001-06:00

Creation is the Creator!

Global Climate Change, Etc.

2009-02-10T10:26:00.002-06:00

I support:

carbon taxing (including taxing gasoline/other fossil fuels to rapidly get them to $8++/gallon);

conservation, efficiency; ecological economics/pricing schemes to reduce electrical usage;

policy/practices to increase Natural stable soil organic matter (increase the fixing of carbon/carbon dioxide into living organisms/complex organic compounds);

policy/practices to increase the Natural health of worldwide bays, estuaries,and other rich biotic areas of the ocean (and hopefully to increase fixing carbon/carbon dioxide into calcium carbonate and related compounds);

biodiversity;

small (homes, work places, farms, ...) and slow (buses, trains, ...);

weaning ourselves from conventional hot water heaters, clothes dryers, air-conditioning, lighting;

Nature, rural and small towns vs. urban/suburban;

policy-programs to move toward more walking/bicycling/mass transport and ridding the world of automobiles;

moving to an ecologically-sound steady-state economy; an anti-stimulus package; much of what is in the Green Party platform;

policies/actions that redistribute wealth/power toward the poor/powerless of the world;

policies for retrofitting the homes of the poor toward efficiency and conservation of energy;

small local neighborhood/rural schools that develop local and global ecological literacy in a holistic/transdisciplinary; hands-on fashion;

policies/programs for local food/fiber/shelter production/processing;

universal health care;

not dwelling on how much better others are than we are (because we are truly "the same");

a diversity of robust scientific endeavors/policy approaches that attempt to deal with the complexity of what we need to know for good socio-political/economic (ecological) decisions (because we know so little);

scientific research results, policy proposals, opinions that are written succinctly and well, and that are published in referred journals;

local community action, collaboration and "stick-to-itness";

critical thinking that is holistically based on ecological principles/processes;

my spouse, my kids, my extended family, many cultural traditions/customs, sense of place and community, Natural spirituality;

prudence;

caution and tentativeness;

humility.

kilocalories = Calories (w/ a capital "C"): Response to a Brother

2009-01-28T12:37:00.003-06:00

"Kilocalorie" is the "Calorie-term" (big "C") the public generally uses when dealing with measurements of energy.
(We can convert kilocalories to joules--used by physicists and other scientists; or to BTUs--used in the energy industry, etc. ... However, I believe most folk can most easily think in "Calories".)

o We need ca. 2000 kilocalories (or Calories) of food intake per day for body maintenance depending on weight, activities, metabolism/metabolic rate, etc..

Folk who make <$2 per day make it on 1500-5000-10,000 Kilocalories per day*.

We in the U.S. (and in many other parts of the "developed" world--or the Haves in "less developed") make it on 200,000 to 400,000+ kilocalories per day*. [We need to bring the 3 billion or so folk making it on 10,000 kilocalories up to 10-50,000 kilocalories per capita per day (for "quality life")--and we need to come down to that (or risk serious species destruction).] ...
One can do a little playing round with the numbers--and do a little thought-experimenting and modeling-- and see that if we did that, we'd solve many of our problems: energy "needs", energy-greed impacts on other species, etc.
Of course the daunting challenge is: coming up with the socio-political/economic system redesign to make this happen--and making a smooth transition to truly sustainable community. It is obvious that a free-enterprise, libertarian, capitalistic, trickle-down/deregulated economic system will not get us there!

o There is quite a bit of carpooling in this south central Texas region (though not percent-wise)--and plenty of websites dealing with car-pooling. (In the 80s/90s I "carpooled" to Austin from San Marcos in a van.) ... But this is a "band aid" approach.

o Increased efficient use of home insulation (and other means of effectively maintaining a comfortable home in a sustainable way) is needed--and penalty/incentive strategies/tactics should be employed to increase cost-effective, ecologically-sound home insulation. (A major energy "leakage" is in rent & owned homes of the poor--and some in the environmental community in San Antonio, and other communities, are attempting to address this in a comprehensive and long-term way).

Communication in a face-paced chaotic world of ca. 7 billion humans is really difficult!**
.............................................
*[Of course this includes all our food, fiber, shelter, transport, recreation, luxury, ... "needs".]

**What is written herein includes basic vocabulary and concepts of fundamentals of biology/ecology that every citizen should develop--through public schooling, continuing education from public institutions, public service announcements communication/shortcourses, etc. and reading--in order to develop and realize critical thinking skills.

*************************************************************

What a Real Maverick, Maury Jr., Called Succotash

2009-01-25T21:53:00.005-06:00

Communication Toward Positively Ethical Applied Community Ecology. If we can view local community from the inside and from the outside in a holistic way, it helps in doing what’s "right" and making constructive change toward quality life for all for a long period of time. … And there are many ways (knowledgeable, courageous leadership; grassroots community organizing; good investigative journalism; petitions; op-eds/letters to editors; etc.; etc.) to effect such appropriate change, i.e., change to:

o Respect the need for scientific knowledge of ecological principles and processes, which includes socio-economic/political actions of what is now the dominant species (humans).
o Target the poor with power and resources.
o Curb consumption and increase ethical transformation of energy. (This must include fewer automobiles, low square-footage of home space and built capital per capita, local production of food, fiber and shelter, small neighborhood and rural schools promoting “Lands On” ecological literacy, and local community-directed preventative-health care and healthy living.)
o Give the nations of the world—and people of the world—the courage and means to lay down all arms and armaments.
o Establish holistic, dynamic and sustainable decision-making processes in manageable wholes, and involving goals (of desired quality life, landscape, and needed production), policies, strategic and tactical plans, monitoring, analysis, evaluation and replanning.
o Redesign our current socio-economic, political systems in a holistic way toward sustainability.

Efforts to Turn Around Global Climate Change and Other Ecological Disasters Must Lead to Sustainable Livelihoods for All. Those who worry about losing jobs because of concerted efforts to deal with global climate change have reason for concern if they plan to continue doing “business as usual”.

o Consumption and lack of conservation, growth, rampant conversion of natural capital to human financial and built capital, use of GDP as a measure of sustainability and quality life are major aspects of “the problem”, and we who have undue power need to come off of our consumption levels of up to 400, 000 kilocalories per capita per day, and help billions of others to increase their levels from a few thousand kilocalories per day to 5-10 times those current levels.
o Present ways of “living” involving conventional consumerism and capitalism are very problematic. … We need to move from such systems of bio-destructive livelihoods toward sustainable livelihoods www.livelihoods.org/ .
o We must begin to make the transition from our currently very broken systems dependent on economic growth to systems involving ecological economics proposed by Herman Daly, H.T.Odum, David Pimentel, Robert Costanza, Gus Speth, et al.

Learning About “Ecological Economics”, “Sustainable Livelihoods”, “Conservation and Development of Sustainable Community”, and “Positively Ethical Applied Community Ecology”. There is much really good educational scientific information on conservation and sustainable community coming out, and I hope we all will become more knowledgeable in these areas and truly begin to work together for PEACE. (I’ll try to list some of the really great books, scientific journal and magazine articles, film, pieces “on-line” and in newsletters, etc. that have come out recently.

But in the meantime, … “Google on!”)

Doing What’s Right in Seguin (and Other Communities). I do hope our community leaders (Mayor & City Council--and associated governmental entities, County Commissioners Court, School Board, etc.) will have the courage to do what is right, and-- through creative and critical thinking and courageous/prudent risk-taking--

o Move us toward a system of small neighborhood & rural schools providing holistic ecological literacy.
o Promote local agricultural food (fiber and shelter) production, community gardens, farmers markets, etc.
o Encourage conservation and develop creative curbside trash and recycling pickups that are fair for the poor, and involve sliding-scale fees--that encourage a reduction of disposables and decrease in consumption.
o Facilitate a transition to intra- and inter-city transport/people-moving systems involving walking, bicycling, and mass transport.
o Curb growth and protect and enhance green space and biodiversity.
o Develop a healthy, relatively drug-free community of citizens among all ethnicities and economic levels.

We (Seguin/Seguinities) could be a model for President Barack Obama, other communities, and the world, rather than always cautiously following in the footsteps of others—oftentimes not thinking about whether the direction is “right” or wrong.

Gadfly, Thorn in the Side, Pain in the Butt, Fly in the Oinment, Quixotic

2009-01-08T23:56:00.004-06:00

(The title indicates some of the nicer things I've been called through the years.)

o If the poor in a community aren't using "Green" technologies, projects, and programs, and these poor aren't being "Green", then these technologies, projects, and programs aren't Green. ...

Moreover, the community isn't Green (or sustainable)!

o If the poor of the world aren't significantly benefiting in a healthy way from "Green" technologies and programs, etc.--and "Green" technologies, etc., etc. aren't helping the poor to move toward quality life, sustainable livelihoods, equity and equality, then "Green" really ain't Green! ...

And it definitely isn't sustainable.

...........................................................................
o Sustainable systems involve deliberate, empowering human labor (sustainable livelihoods involving less than a 40-hour week of labor, good health care with an emphasis on prevention, and time for community and celebration), low-input technologies, and ethical use of energy.

Systems involving high input technologies, including most internal combustion engines, and emphasis on pseudo-efficiency and speed, are not healthy, Green or sustainable.

HOPE expressed in the Nov 2008 Dr. Bill Martin TX MONTHLY article on the COVENANT CHURCH

2009-01-04T08:50:00.005-06:00

I really appreciated a number of my cousin Bill Martin's phrases in this Texas Monthly article (Covenant Church, Faith Base: Reviews of Place of Worship, Nov. 2008) he sent me in response to some of my comments in my previous post:

"I am also an amateur worshipper with a 'church home' of my own, one that I attend simply for the love of it."

"Fittingly a metal cross that sits atop the communion table usually tilts slightly to the left."

"'Pray to whomever you kneel down to' ... (Jesus, Buddha, Adonai, Allah, and Mary, ... ) ... ."

"The unison prayer of confession recalled Jesus' observations in the Sermon on the Mount about humility, meekness, hunger, purity of heart, peacemaking, and persecution, contrasting them with arrogance, false independence, gluttony, aggression, half-hearted commitment, and failure to take a stand."

"Jeremy [the Covenant Church's current minister] compared [controversial Jesuit priest Daniel] Berrigan's actions to those of the priest and prophet Jeremiah, who had mocked the illusionary idols of Israel. He depicted American military might as just such a false god, unable to deliver the security it promises. Though he conceded that reasonable spending on defense is warranted, he said that when the outlay for tanks and missiles requires the neglect of hunger, health care, and the education of children [of the world], we have laid our money at the wrong altar."

"... congregants gathered to visit, drink fair-trade coffee, eat healthy snacks, and sign up for various projects, such as marching in the gay pride parade to support our gay and lesbian members. At another table people wrote letters to their representatives in Congress ... ."

Hypocrisy

2008-12-31T10:20:00.002-06:00

This was in an email sent from a brother today:

"It is sad that Israel is bombing Gaza City. It is sad that the children were killed in the last Afghan bombing.

You know I went to church ... yesterday, and the preacher never mentioned the plight that so many areas and people of the world are in today.

It is so sad that such a venue is not used to solve the problems of the world. Never once did he say - 'Wow, can you believe the problems global warming is causing.' ... 'We need to lobby for alternate means of transportation so we can all sell our gas guzzling cars.' Or, 'Can you believe what happened in Gaza City? We need to unite and work to put an end to such action.' He didn't even say - 'Wow, can you believe the killing going on in the Gaza Strip and Afghanistan? Let's take a moment and pray for those people.'"

I responded to my dear brother (somewhat indirectly and off-topic):

"A wonderful friend from Brazil, was giving me hell during this trip over Christmas to Rio--for being a hypocrite:

Despite my being an agnostic from about my Junior High School days-- I have gone to Mass fairly regularly/irregularly through the years, have been a Parish Council President (Father Rayner Dray in Tifton asked me to run for this office during a church-building period, despite his knowledge of my "agnosticism") and I taught Middle School CCD ("conservation and development of sustainable community") here at at Our Lady of Guadalupe for 15+ years, etc., etc.. (I am a "Catholic"; it is a part of my software--since Mom, with Dad's support, saw to it that we were produced in that cultural tradition; and I feel comfortable participating as a "sinner" and "lost soul" in my church ... at our local Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, and in the larger sense of "Church".)

I do recognize that I can be/am very hypocritical--but I also recognize the hypocrisy of others ('Christians' who support War and Capital Punishment; 'environmentalists'/'Greenies' with big homes and automobiles--and conventional-air-conditioning; 'conservatives' who don't really support conservation; folk who de facto don't seek real solutions to poverty, problems in our educational systems, and the serious troubles we've been in since the advent of capitalism and the industrial revolution; those who 'Hope/hope' only through prayer and not through scientific knowledge, critical/creative thinking and action; etc.; etc..

I do think it is important to discuss this hypocrisy ... ours and that of others!"

Cuba

2008-12-31T09:53:00.004-06:00

[This is something from several years ago which Robert Cruz--a friend since childhood--asked me to send him ... after discussion of a multitude of things during a long phone visit yesterday. It is summary of a 20-page report and related thoughts, which I might post herein later (after a bit of editing).]

¿Es Cuba?* ¿¿O …, Es el Mundo?

(Pavel Martinka’s draft of an essay written after his "recent" 2006 visit to Cuba: Stories for his children and theirs—and for others who might significantly help to change the world in which they live)

Major Impressions

A Model for Realizing Sustainable Community?? Cubans are living a very low input life-style that is peaceful and relatively crime free, and that has a great foundation of holistic education and adequate health care for all--and that is developing urban and organic agriculture. It is of course highly significant that their premier politician has gained the honor and respect through the Revolution of most of the Cuban population, and he does govern as a dictator and the system is totalitarian http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=424 . Therefore, there are well-enforced limits to consumption, movement and development by humans. As I listened to my primary host (Dr. Rafael Ojeda) in Cuba in June of 2006, walked the streets of La Habana, watched the Cuban television channels, and participated in the meeting on Desarrollo Local, I could not help but think that this is perhaps a type of system much of the world may have to utilize to curb consumption, population growth, and anarchy in order to achieve maximum protection of our essential natural resource base and relative equity and justice for all, i.e. what might be called Positively Ethical Applied Community Ecology (PEACE).

Respect for Fidel and the Revolution. Cubans-- … like Brazilians, Mexicans, Nicaraguans, Poles, Ukrainians, and US citizens, ... --are beautiful and imperfect people using a functional but imperfect socio-political/economic (ecological) system in an attempt to achieve quality life. A huge majority of those over fifty who were the have-nots during the Fulgencio Batista years and previous years of U.S. colonization (the have-nots were by far the majority) have a tremendous respect and loyalty to Fidel for all his wonderful efforts. Younger Cubans may have respect for and loyalty to Fidel, but are more likely to overtly complain, to want considerably more, and even to attempt to flee Cuba. (For instance, I recently had a young Cuban student, Lisette, in my biology class who is probably in her early 20s. She credibly painted a very dark and deprived picture of her starving childhood in Cuba.)

What Right Does the U.S. Have to Decide for and Punish Others?!! It really is a
“ mortal sin” (or part of our/U.S. children’s “original sin”) to exert power over nations with economic/trade sanctions, embargos ,http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2001/cr072601.htm , attempted assassinations and invasions, and trumped up-charges against alleged terrorists http://www.freethefive.org/ --all of which stifle charitable assistance and serve to “ostracize” the government and people of Cuba—truly creating a tremendous hurt to the flesh and stomachs--and hearts and souls--of millions of innocent people. We should work hard at lifting economic sanctions against Cuba and at serving up justice to all the Cuban people, including the Cuban Five.

What We Might Do That Would Be Positive for Both Cuba and the U.S.? We could learn from Cuba a considerable amount about education, health care, organic and urban agriculture, living a low-input, energy-conserving lifestyle, and dealing with crime and terrorism. And since they are a nation with a biocapacity – ecological footprint deficit, they could certain benefit from some of the 33% of the world’s resources we (the U.S.) exploit and utilize (greedily--as 5% of the world’s population).

LBJ

2008-12-18T09:21:00.002-06:00

LBJ said "The only thing worth being is a teacher, a preacher, or a politician!"

We are all ... all of these.

I would hope that we do them ethically and well (which I suppose is redundant).

Ipanema

2008-12-18T09:00:00.002-06:00

We're off to Rio, and will be a couple blocks from Ipanema Beach.

I'll try hard not to stare at "the girl":

"Olha que coisa mais linda
mais cheia de graça
É ela menina que vem
e que passa nun doce balanço,
caminho do mar...
Moça do corpo dourado,
do sol de Ipanema
O seu balançado é mais que un poema
é a coisa mais linda que eu já vi passar...Ah!
Porque estou tão sozinho Ah!
Porque tudo é tão triste Ah!
A beleza que existe
A beleza que não é só minha
que também passa sozinha Ah!
Se ela soubesse que quando ela passao
mundo sorrindo
se enche de graçae fica mais lindo
por causa do amor
por causa do amor
por causa do amor ... ." http://sprezzatura.editthispage.com/garota

"Tall and tan and young and lovely
The girl from Ipanema goes walking
And when she passes, each one she passes goes - ah
When she walks, she's like a samba
That swings so cool and sways so gentle
That when she passes, each one she passes goes - ooh(ooh)
but I watch her so sadly
How can I tell her I love her
Yes I would give my heart gladly
But each day, when she walks to the sea
She looks straight ahead, not at me
Tall, (and) tan, (and) young, (and) lovely
The girl from ipanema goes walking
And when she passes, I smile -
but she doesn't see (doesn't see)
(she just doesn't see, she never sees me, ...)." www.lyricsfreak.com/f/frank+sinatra/girl+from+ipanema_20055905.html

...................................
2008 was one of my best years.

Wonder what 2009 will bring?

....................................
HAVE A GOOD CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!

Have some great days these last two plus weeks of December 2008

2008-12-14T00:57:00.002-06:00

I'd like to wish Winston and Woodlandpixie et al. some fantastic last days for the wonderful year of 2008!

Thanks for the invite in this year of 2008--to contribute to BBC. [I'll try and spend some time doing a bit of writing tomorrow; however, we will be traveling to the other Rio (de Janeiro! ... We do also spend quite a bit of time in my wife's old homeplace, Rio Medina.) next week, and stay for 10 days. Therefore, my postings will continue to be relatively "few and far between".]
..........................
I especially appreciate all of you who voted for Barack Obama, ... as well as you who didn't but are now supportive of him in his tough challenge as a world leader. His/our work is really cut out for him/us, especially after the fix previous world leaders (and particularly George W. Bush) have gotten us into as a result of inattention to ecological principles and processes, and the resultant incapacity to think critically.

We all need to help in an effort toward Positively Ethical Applied Community Ecology, or Conservation and Development of Sustainable Community.
...........................
Everyone be careful during your days off. And we'll meet down the road.

Working Toward Community Gardens (Local Food/Holistic Education) in the Seguin Area

2008-12-04T18:57:00.006-06:00

1. We will continue to develop the grounds at Sample Society, 607 Jefferson Ave., Seguin in collaboration with the owners/directors:

· We have the small garden which was planted last year, which will be better planned and replanted in the early spring. (This might become a perennial herb and perennial flower area.)
· I've plowed another area (hard and with lots of caliche) around the back fence using an organic grower's tractor and turning-plow, and will have some chicken manure/"compost" delivered this winter for building up the fertility of this soil--at the poultry producer's convenience. (Also, we hope to get some organic matter from the "local" fish hatcheries next week.)
· Tentative plans are to disk the manure in and broadcast a late winter/early spring garden of turnips & mustard greens--and some chard, spinach and lettuce.
· I'll ask the city to deliver some more chipped mulch--and we'll do lots of mulching and employ use of plastic for soil solarization weed control.
· Around the inside perimeter of the garden (area not plowed) and other areas of Sample Society land, we'll plant some perennial fruit and ornamental trees, bushes and vines--into a weed-guard mesh.
· We'll attempt to get folk involved in assigned/first come-first served raised-bed plots on the west side of the plowed area. (Folk might use their production in their home, or sell at the Downtown Farmers Market.)
· In the east area, I plan to plant calabacitas (easy to grow and produce from early spring 'til late in the fall, and in demand by Mexican-Americans), okra (easy to grow; harvest is the problem), tomatoes, and chiles, etc. (I might plant some poppies also. Grew them years ago down at the Farm in Stockdale, and they're not hard to grow and harvest. ... And I love poppy-seed kolaches and pie--and cake!)
· And perhaps we'll get a small shade house built for raising transplants.

2. I do realize that we need to work hard on getting Master Gardeners and/or other organizations and governmental entities--and more volunteers--involved. ... I've been enjoying myself kind of piddling around, but realize we need to collectively plan and work together to make this concept of community gardens to really work here in Seguin.

(If properly organized, and if appropriate energy and critical thinking were invested, this effort could take off:

· A family et al. actively involved in community service ministry has a plot of land they are targeting for a garden area in Seguin near where they collaborate to distribute food to the needy (in addition to the garden they are developing in Stockdale),
· Pedro Schambon, Marvel Maddox (Siempre Sustainable Network), Tim Barr (TLU) et al. are working with the Guadalupe County Ministerial Association on "Faith Community Plots on Pedro's My Father's Farm".
· The pastor at Mosaic Community Church has a long-term interest for possible garden plots near the church and Seguin Community Health Center.
· There are plenty of "vacant lots" around Seguin (on school grounds*, near Christian Cupboard, etc.) that could be used for local food production and holistic outdoor/hands-on education.)
. Various other organic and conventional growers of produce in the Seguin areas should be a part of the planning and development of this effort.

*[I spent some considerable amount of time with various aspects of the political campaigns in 2008.

In 2009, I hope to spend a considerable amount of time working with teachers/activists, at local school board meetings, with folk at Texas State University, and with TEA, etc. in Austin, etc.--trying to develop a critical mass of folk doing some critical thinking and taking action towards realizing networks of small neighborhood schools with a holistic ecologically-based curricula.]

3. We'd love to get CLEAN leaves (preferably unbagged, but if you must bag them we'll take them) delivered to the spot marked "Compost/Abono" at Sample Society, 607 Jefferson Ave.

If this becomes overwhelming for us at the Sample Society location, Pedro Schambon at My Father's Farm, 14400 FM 725 (a couple of miles west of Johnny's Barbeque) will take all the leaves we can provide him.

[Rodney Burton, Siempre Sustainable Network, has suggested Pedro and I get on KWED to request delivery of leaves to our compost piles rather than let these nutrient laden beauties go to the landfill. ... We'll get around to this.

Also, I generally go around and pick up what bagged leaves I can in my neighborhood. Nevertheless, my family will be traveling to Rio for a wedding and be gone ca. 10 days around Christmas. Perhaps some of you in Seguin might search the streets and capture these jewels before they head to the landfill during this period?]

4. Pedro and I will work with Tim Barr and other appropriate contacts at TLU to obtain use of their cafeteria scraps for composting.

5. We'll need to work to get water lines to various parts of the garden area at Sample Society, and get ready to lay out systems of more efficient drip lines.

Thanks for indulging me in this outpouring of ideas for "community" gardens in Seguin.

(And we would appreciate your precious leaves--if you don't want them!)

paul martin
Siempre Sustainable Network

What I'd Like for Christmas This Year

2008-12-03T10:34:00.003-06:00

I have lots of stuff from living for most of my 62 years as a “have” in an Empire with considerable power. I never care for any gifts, because I think we all--kids and adults in most countries North of the Equator, and the "haves" in other areas of the world--consume way too much in a very unethical/"sinful" manner. ...

Moreover, I don't really care to give much to other than the truly poor in the world--and I wish that Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid, Yule, Kwanzaa, Umoja, … might be that type of Holiday for all folk (i.e., a time for giving to the truly poor, mostly South of the Equator, and time for truly achieving Peace--and weaning ourselves from the 200,000-400,000+ kilocalories many of us each consume per day).

For Peace and the sustaining of Nature and the Land, I hope that we might all consider giving--this Holiday season, in the name of our loved ones--to an organization like Oxfam International, ... .

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!! (LET'S CURB CONSUMPTION AND GROWTH, AND DEVELOP ECOLOGICALLY-BASED SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES WORLD-WIDE!!!)

2008-11-30T13:36:00.018-06:00

We've heard (repeatedly) George W. Bush's "empty" request after the 9/11 destruction and death, ... for us to go out and shop.
.....................................................
To our political leaders and their policy-makers and advisors, I have to say, "There you go again!"

These are times of crisis in our classical/conventional economic structure, but they are also opportune times.

Nevertheless, instead of calling for real change and for a transition to a Nature- and Land-conserving world-system based on ecological economics (involving ethical use of renewable energy), my perception (my reality--and that of most folks) is that leaders in all areas of the political arena are doing little thinking that is truly critical and creative ( ... thinking that is based on ecological principles and processes for moving toward sustainable community and livelihoods).

These conventionalists are crying for us to shop and consume, to continue to crudely rip through our natural resource base, and to keep on (unethically) rampantly releasing and transforming energy. They want the economies of nations of "haves" to grow!?!

These conventional economic attitudes and actions will continue to tear at the sustainable sociological and ecological fabric we might have remaining from past hunter-gatherer/sustainable agriculture-based cultures--and will rip away what is left of any real dignity we might still have.

Some Reflections on Sustainability from Jan 2007 (After My 62nd)

2008-11-24T23:56:00.006-06:00

Is sustainability necessarily of importance to the people of Seguin?

I think it is important to current Seguinites and to future Seguinites—and this includes all people and other species. Diversity makes life “interesting” and really worth living for all life forms. Without sufficient quality water, rich top soils, and effective capture of daily solar energy by photosynthesizers—diversity is limited. And diversity is a basic tenet of sustainability.

The Renaissance, the Age of Reason, the Enlightenment have long since taken place, and many decision-makers realize we have the knowledge, power and responsibility to change the human and world condition toward enhancing rather than destroying biotic diversity, toward sustainability, and toward quality life for all. In addition, we know that asphalt and concrete and glass and steel and plastic--and other components of artificially built structures and environment (which are spreading over or indirectly extracting from climax ecological communities)--do not sustainably grow food, fiber or shelter—and do not produce the oxygen needed for many life forms, but rather produce excessive amounts of carbon dioxide and pollutants. Science, common sense, and intuition tell us we need to make some drastic changes away from built and financial capital ... to natural, and social capital. And that important change must begin locally—and right now!

Of course a major problem is that a significant percent of humans in the world do feel that at some level, they do have quality life—and they are satisfied, even addicted to the fossil-fuel dependent built-environment, and current political, social, cultural, and financial systems. They get more than their share of abundant calories and have the potential to select appropriate nutrients. They live, work, travel and exercise in a relatively comfortable temperature year-round. They have the muscle and power of wheels with more than one hundred horses (and some artificial horses can even be employed to give them needed exercise with a moving road or water stream). Entertainment and “education” is electronic and remotely controlled with their fingertips. Moreover, under these artificial conditions, they tend to forget and distance themselves more and more from Darfur, Afghanistan and Iraq; favelas, slum and ghettos; the horrific (non)living conditions of other cultures and ethnicities; eroded Land, air and water pollution, species extinction, desertification, Global Climate Change; or even the spiritually empty Mother, Father or Child next door. This is despite the fact and because of the fact--that it is right there on the radio or TV screen in their own little isolated and falsely “secure” industrialized home.

And it is these satisfied people with the power … that have The Power.
............................................
Nevertheless change toward more equity and humaneness for all humans and other species must begin locally and globally—and in the very immediate future. Perhaps it won’t be easy. However, it is doable--and can be fun.

Therefore, deep down, intuitively, using our common-sense and critical and creative thinking capacities and involving science, we know we need to change, and that we must start immediately. I (and many others) have some sound ideas for short-term and longer-term actions in Seguin (and for south central Texas, the U.S., the world).

These proposed actions (mostly attempts at getting us to conserve as a local and world community--and to make certain that "'ours' are sustainable livelihoods"!) are really nothing new. However, I do hope to personally work harder at realizing them myself until I pass away. And I hope others will really join in, and help to spread active lifestyles of “Conservation and Development of Sustainable Community” or “Positively Ethical Applied Community Ecology” long after I and they pass.

Buy Nothing Day

2008-11-24T23:30:00.002-06:00

Remember that November 28th is "Buy Nothing Day" (November 29th internationally)! www.adbusters.org/campaigns/bnd

Why not work toward extending it to "Buy Nothing Weekend" and "Buy Nothing Week", etc., etc.?
...................................................
We've got to curb consumption in order to protect the natural resource base and Nature (and Homo sapiens et al. within it).

George Bush should walk home (to Connecticut)

2008-11-23T21:31:00.013-06:00

When I got in touch with someone I went through navy boot camp with, I thought it would be a good thing.

I even invited this person to contribute to this blog.

But "Salem" mistakenly figured I was in here as (nom de plume) a cigarette brand, obviously missing the fact that I was taking on the character in George Orwell's "1984," a banned book in some countries that is essentially about banned lives.

So he chose the name, "Salem."

No problem ... I get the joke.

Salem declined to contribute posts, instead sending me emails that are "baits" about why I should become a member of the absent-minded conservative party in the United States.

I tried to call this person a while ago, and he didn't have time to talk to me.

But the emails continued, and one recent missive was a reference to an article about how World Criminal and U.S. President (the worst) George Bush was being unfairly treated.

Here is a copy of my reply, and his subsequent analysis of my personal philosophy, of which he knows nothing.

RE: The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace

"Salem.

I couldn't read all of this story, will have to try later at home.

But I couldn't disagree more with the headline.

As far as I'm concerned, George Bush should have to pay for his own Secret Service protection after he leaves the office he has disgraced for eight years.

And he should be forced to walk home from the White House.

Not back to Texas, but to Connecticut where he originally is from.

George Bush is no Texan."

SALEM'S REPLY:

"I must assume you consider yourself to be liberal. I know of no other group so unforgiving. I think of you as a smart person and believe that if you herd another person as firmly anti anything as it appears you are you would wonder how and why. I would like to get together when we both have time and talk at length. I don’t expect to convert you to anything but would like to truly understand."
Salem"

This is me, WINSTON, again with my "LIBERAL viewpoint.

I apologize (not really) if this is confusing ... but I am incensed that someone from the same country, even the same state, wants to brand me a Liberal because I want George Bush to walk home, to the state where he is actually borne FROM: CONNECTICUT ... not TEXAS.

I am a TEXAN ... George Bush is not.

Don't brand me a Liberal until you get to know me.

Until then, I'll proudly call myself a liberal, if you must attach a label to me.

And yes, I voted for Barack HUSSEIN Obama, and I'm proud of it.

Understand that.

GOMEZ AND MAMA

2008-11-21T20:57:00.004-06:00

Here we are at THE END of the 7 weeks of a painting a day- 5 days a week. Thank you all for the encouragement and advice you've given and for following along with this blog. I hope you've enjoyed the artwork and that it's encouraged you to pick up a pencil, paint brush,or something, and go create your own works of art. For me, it's been a great learning experience, and an exciting, exhilarating, grit your teeth, nerve tingling, challenge that makes me both sad and relieved to see it come to an end. Several times, in these past 7 weeks, when life was rushing too fast, I thought I was going to have to bail out on my goal, but, somehow kept putting one brush stroke after another until the difficult times passed. I've gained a good bit of speed since this series started, I'm proud of myself for sticking with it, and have 35 more paintings than I did before we started!
I'll be (leisurely) working on the 4 unfinished paintings (the Alamo, The Riverwalk, Gateway to the West, and Strutting his Stuff) Monday and Tuesday and will post them as soon as they're completed. The kids will be out of school for the Thanksgiving holiday and I'm going to spend some time with them. After that, maybe I'll start a new goal?
For all you artist's out there, Austin is having a tour of studios this weekend. I don't have the details on it - google it if you want to go too. My youngest daughter and I are going to go check it out.

Today's painting, Gomez and Mama, are some adorable donkeys that my husband's friend has and she sent a photo for me to paint them. Thanks so much for sharing the photos, Teresa!
I'm grateful to all of you for joining me in this part of my journey. BBC writers, Only Grrrl, mayahuel, Winston, paul bain martin, Enrique, pineapple, and Salem, thank you most of all. Now you've "got the ball"!
Have a great weekend everyone!

SEASON'S BOUNTY

2008-11-20T20:39:00.000-06:00

Season's Bounty is something for the upcoming holidays. It's a 6"x6" acrylic. I aranged the pumpkin, gourd, and corn on the desk beside me to paint this still life.
How time flies! We're almost at the end of our 7 weeks of "a painting a day" series with only tomorrow left. BBC writers, are your fingers ready to dance on those keyboards??? I'm going to take next week off and spend some time with my kids and grandkids. My son has been telling me he misses me, because I've spent too many evenings painting straight through. Then it'll be back to work (fun) as usual, although the artwork will be larger in size and they probably won't be completed in a day. Hopefully this fast paced painting has been like a speed drill for a typist. Now it's time to focus again on details and getting everything just right.

JOHNNY

2008-11-19T23:30:00.000-06:00

I took a chance today and did a 1 day portrait. Didn't know how it would turn out, but figured I didn't have to show the picture that it came from if it wasn't similar enough. My son had been in one of his guitar lessons and I was sitting around waiting from it to end when another instructor, Johnny, picked up his guitar and started playing. His music was awesome and while I listened it occured to me that he'd make a great painting subject and,I happened to have my camera with me. Johnny let me take his photo and gave his consent to let me paint his portrait. I showed it to him today, before it was finished, and he seemed to like it. Here's both the photo and the painting.

Latest Adbusters: Growth, "Socialism" and Redistribution of Wealth

2008-11-19T00:52:00.003-06:00

Check out the latest edition of Adbusters www.adbusters.org/magazine/81 , especially the piece on Herman Daly (born in Houston and graduate of Rice University before he moved on to "bigger and better")--

"Big Idea: A Steady-State Economy
The growth economy is failing and we have to attempt a steady-state economy. The steady state answer is that the rich should reduce their throughput growth to free up resources and ecological space for use by the poor, while focusing their domestic efforts on development, technical and social improvements, that can be freely shared with poor countries. "

Ms. Sarah

2008-11-19T00:13:00.003-06:00

I received a letter from Sarah Palin today, ... inviting me to come visit Alaska!?! (I never receive anything from Alaska!)

I'm certain this mailout from the governor of the nation's largest state had the sole intent of helping her tourism constituency in Alaska. Surely this letter wouldn't have anything to do with Ms. Sarah's political ambitions and current attempts to maintain visibility and continue to capture limelight?
.........................................
Ms. Palin will probably fizzle out.

But perhaps not! This is a strange country with some crazy voters. ... A bunch of them voted a couple of times or more for George W. Bush!??!
..........................................
(I used to think about visiting Alaska. Palin's damped those thoughts.)

STRUTTING HIS STUFF

2008-11-18T20:20:00.002-06:00

Mr. Turkey is back for the holidays and strutting his stuff in this stylized oil painting. I like this one, but am going to rework his tail feathers and then replace the picture here with the reworked one in a couple of days. I've already wiped the entire tail off once this evening and repainted it but, don't like the second one either, so it's getting wiped it off again as well and will be "fixed" in a couple of days. In case you're wondering, I cut that part of the photo out. :D Couldn't stand to show it.

THE FLAVORS OF COLOR - #31

2008-11-17T16:30:00.001-06:00

A fellow artist and his wife invited us to attend a reception, talk, and display on Chocolate, with them at the Sand Antonio Museum of Art last night, and it was as DELICIOUS as it was interesting! There was lots of wine and luscious, decadent, incredible, chocolate samples there for us to enjoy. The company and the reception was wonderful! So, with thoughts of the discussion(s) , the enjoyable art, and the lingering taste of sweets on my mind, comes today's painting The Flavors of Color.

BLONDIE

2008-11-14T20:37:00.001-06:00

This painting is an 8"x10" acrylic of a blond maned horse up at my neighbor's ranch. She's such a beautiful animal that I slow down and take a good look each time we pass by. She doesn't especially like being stared at though and too often turns her back to me when the camera comes into sight. Well, it's Friday night and hope you all have a great weekend!

DEEP IN THOUGHT

2008-11-13T22:10:00.000-06:00

This is painting #29 and it's an 8"x 10" acrylic of a cat we used to have. His name was Butterscotch and he was an incredibly loving, beautiful cat inside and out. Today was a great day to paint his portrait and now he's immortalized. Tomorrow's painting will be another surprise. Hope you like surprises!

CHILDHOOD PRANKS #27

2008-11-13T00:12:00.000-06:00

This scene is a micro sized cityscape from Santiago Chile and was inspired by my husband who, with his childhood buddy, used to swipe tomatoes from the old shop keeper not far from his home. I'm still having a hard time picturing my husband stealing anything since he's Mr. Honesty, but I guess we all have our moments of doing something we shouldn't have at one point or another. :) Anyway,he CLAIMS they were never caught but told me that after I had already started the painting and I left it as is. It's more interesting like this. My hubby's dad told us the old man is still there and took a photo of him and his shop and sent it to us.
This is it for the Cityscapes for this week. I've run out of good photos and don't have the time to go take some better ones at the moment. The rest of this week and all of next week will be surprises.

GATEWAY TO THE WEST

2008-11-11T23:26:00.000-06:00

The St. Louis Gateway is a huge, stainless steel, arch that stands by the Mississippi river at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial park in St. Louis, Missouri and represents St. Louis’ role as the gateway to the West. It stands 630 ft. tall by 630 ft. wide at the base and is supposed to be the largest monument in the U.S. I just found out that there is a tram system in the hollow insides that carries people to an observation deck on top of the arch. I've driven by that arch at least 6 times and never knew that you could go inside it! Thank you, Internet! This is an 8"x10" oil painting for the "painting a day" series.

SAN ANTONIO RIVERWALK

2008-11-10T23:58:00.001-06:00

This week's painting subject is cityscapes and todays' is of the San Antonio Riverwalk. It's such a beautiful place with so many sites just begging to be painted. I'm not sure if I'll do another San Antonio scene this week or not yet. This one isn't quite finished and, although I painted all weekend long, the Grand Canyon and the Alamo from last week are still waiting for me. The one of the Grand Canyon is getting close though. Tomorrow I'll be painting the St. Louis Arch and a part of the river along side of it. We only have 2 weeks left now of the 7 weeks of "a painting a day". Last Monday I was begining to think that I wouldn't be able to make it all the way through the series. Now I'm confident that I can paint the last 9 paintings and then I'm going to really enjoy taking a break. :)

ALBUQUERQUE'S BALLOON FESTIVAL #25

2008-11-09T15:28:00.002-06:00

One of my aunts and a bunch of cousins live over in Albuquerque and we've gone to visit them many times, but we have only seen the Balloon Festival once - eight years ago - and it was a sight to see! We got lucky that time because some guy was giving tethered balloon rides to kids of all sizes. All my family got a ride in it except me, and, I was too embarrassed to go take the space that an actual kid could have had, and passed it up. The rest of them raved about it. I'd really like to see it again but with a better camera than the one I had then. My family has been watching the progress on this painting and the younger ones are saying they can barely remember it - if at all. Mark your calendars for September if you enjoy big balloons. Old town Albuquerque is a neat place to visit too and, if you can, plan a little extra time to drop down south a bit and see Karlsbad Caverns while you're in New Mexico. I saw the caverns when I was a kid but all I remember of it now is that it was also an incredible sight. If you go, take a few extra pictures for me. :D

NA POLI COAST, KAUAI - #24

2008-11-06T21:55:00.001-06:00

This was an awesome sight that I probably didn't quite do justice to. We were there 18 years ago, paid for a motorized raft ride around the coast line and, this fantastic sight was waiting for us. We moved along the coast and also saw some nude bathers, but, I didn't think you'd want to see that. :)

IN MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN

2008-11-05T20:44:00.002-06:00

Today's painting is the statue of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln memorial, and, since it's election day, thought it would be a fitting subject since he was the one who did away with slavery so that all men could be equal. Too bad it wasn't for the women at that time as well. Way back when I was a kid of 12, my brother, Mom, and I went and saw this site and I remember standing at the base of the statue, looking way, way, up to into the face of that colossal man and thinking he must have been the greatest man ever to have such a towering monument made of him. This morning I read that the sculpture, Daniel Chester French, positioned Lincoln's fingers to form the letters L and A - possibly because he signed a federal legislation giving Gallaudet University, a university for the deaf, the authority to grant college degrees and the sculpture had a son who was deaf. The National Park service claims that is just an urban legend though. Henry Bacon designed the statue and Daniel French and two other men did the actual chiseling. What an amazing job!
This painting is (basically) finished. After the paint dries I'll touch up the face and make it look a little more like Lincoln's and then ad the words, "In this Temple, as in the hearts of the people, for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever", on the wall behind his head, as it is in the monument.