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Dancing at Lights in the Heights, Saturday, December 10

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 14:48:15 -0600

Imagine George Bailey's Bedford Falls on Christmas Eve. On December 10, 6- 9 p.m., Bayland and Woodland Streets (between Studewood & Beauchamp) in the historic Houston neighborhood Woodland Heights are lit up with the holiday spirit. Homes will be fabulously decorated with colorful lights and elaborate awe-inspiring displays. Porches and front lawns will become stages for carolers, handbell choirs, and many other musicians and performers. Luminaria on the sidewalks will illuminate the route. Don't be surprised if homemade cookies and apple cider are offered to you by the generous hosts. There will be dancing in the streets. At 4 p.m. we will meet up at Beaver’s, 2310 Decatur, to go dancing in the streets. Watch the video from 2009.

The Cost of Medical Paperwork

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:14:02 -0500

The Sick Cost of Medical Paperwork. The U.S. spends about $400 billion on paperwork and other administrative costs.

How Public Sector Cuts Impact the Black Middle Class

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 12:34:56 -0500

The African-American unemployment rate is twice that of the white unemployment. The New York Times asks “What will the shrinking of the public sector mean for the black middle class?”

Can't Keep Ignoring Right-Wing

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 10:39:26 -0500

Matthew Goodwin, who has spent four years interviewing far right activists, writes that Anders Behring Breivik was “dismissive of crude racial supremacist and neo-Nazi ideas and parties that espoused these ideas, naming for example the British National Party (BNP).”
“This distinction between traditional race-based forms of rightwing extremism [...] and a new anti-Muslim narrative reflects a broader change within the European far right. Rather than oppose immigration and Islam on racial grounds (an argument that would attract little support), the emphasis shifts on to the more socially acceptable issue of culture: Muslims are not biologically inferior, but they are culturally incompatible, so the argument goes. The aim is to open modern far right groups up to a wider audience.”

The following sounds eerily familiar and too close to home:

“Through websites, literature and meetings (all of which, it seems, Breivik was exposed to), this movement cultivates several narratives among its followers: the belief that they are engaged in a battle for racial or cultural survival; that their racial, religious or cultural group is threatened by imminent extinction; that existing political options are incapable of responding to this threat; that urgent and radical action is required to response to these threats in society; and that they must fulfill this duty in order to leave a legacy for their children and grandchildren. These motives provide followers of far right and fundamentalist groups with a compelling and convincing rationale for getting actively involved. Foremost, these citizens perceive that a wider community is under threat, whether from al-Quaida, supranational organizations such as the EU or UN, immigration or the growth of settled Muslim communities.”

Will Ferrell Film in Spanish with English Subtitles

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 11:53:50 -0500

This could be a classic:

U.S. Somehow Found $16 Trillion for Banks and Businesses

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 11:40:23 -0500

An federal audit, initiated by an amendment by Senator Bernie Sanders (Democrat - Vermont) to the Wall Street reform law passed a year ago, reveals that “the U.S. provided a whopping $16 trillion in secret loans to bail out American and foreign banks and businesses.” Senator Sanders said “This is a clear case of socialism for the rich and rugged, you're-on-your-own individualism for everyone else.”

Conflicts of interest abound:

“CEO of JP Morgan Chase served on the New York Fed's board of directors at the same time that his bank received more than $390 billion in financial assistance from the Fed.”

“William Dudley, who is now the New York Fed president, was granted a waiver to let him keep investments in AIG and General Electric at the same time AIG and GE were given bailout funds.”

60% of Texas Public School Students Suspended Or Expelled

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:04:54 -0500

The Austin American Statesman reports that he study is “unprecedented because it tracked not just a sample of students, but all seventh-graders in the state for six years.” Here’s more on dropouts.

Demitasse Dance at Té House of Tea

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 02:43:41 -0500

Come and dance with all the lovely friendly Houston dancers on Saturday, July 16, at Té House of Tea, 1927 Fairview, Houston, 77019. 9 p.m. to Midnight. A variety of music that we call “Groovy Swing”! FREE! DJ Z will set the mood 9-10:30 p.m., then DJ Todd will bring it on 10:30 p.m.-midnight.

Tucked away on the corner of Fairview and Woodhead, Té House of Tea boasts over 130 different teas and a myriad of interesting dishes from Panini to Korean Barbecue. Just be open to listen/dance and be a good customer or drop a dollar in the tip jar. Learn to dance at Second Cup Swing.

"chat n' chow at Té" -- Dancers come early to meet up for dinner every week about 7:30pm ... come join us! BYOB: They don't have a license to sell alcohol, but they're completely fine if you bring your own - they have a small corkage fee, and plenty of wine and champagne glasses for your convenience.

‘God Has Created You for Heterosexuality’

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:03:49 -0500

Mariah Blake in The Nation reports: on Marcus Bachmann's “ex-gay therapy clinic”: “Andrew Ramirez, who was just about to enter his senior year of high school, worked up the nerve to tell his family he was gay. His mother took the news in stride, but his stepfather, a conservative Christian, was outraged. “He said it was wrong, an abomination, that it was something he would not tolerate in his house,” Ramirez recalls. A few weeks later, his parents marched him into the office of Bachmann & Associates, a Christian counseling center in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, which is owned by Michele Bachmann’s husband, Marcus. From the outset, Ramirez says, his therapist—one of roughly twenty employed at the Lake Elmo clinic—made it clear that renouncing his sexual orientation was the only moral choice. ‘He basically said being gay was not an acceptable lifestyle in God’s eyes,’ Ramirez recalls. According to Ramirez, his therapist then set about trying to ‘cure’ him. Among other things, he urged Ramirez to pray and read the Bible, particularly verses that cast homosexuality as an abomination, and referred him to a local church for people who had given up the ‘gay lifestyle.’ He even offered to set Ramirez up with an ex-lesbian mentor.”
Here’s an ABC News undercover investigation of Marcus Bachmann's clinic:

Lawrence O'Donnell asks if Marcus Bachmann has undergone ex-gay therapy:

We’re Not Willing To Do What It Takes To Create Jobs

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 09:41:38 -0500

Economics Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman writes: “The truth is that creating jobs in a depressed economy is something government could and should be doing. Yes, there are huge political obstacles to action — notably, the fact that the House is controlled by a party that benefits from the economy’s weakness.”

“Our failure to create jobs is a choice, not a necessity — a choice rationalized by an ever-shifting set of excuses.”

“Excuse No. 1: Just around the corner, there’s a rainbow in the sky.”

“Policy makers keep declaring that the economy is on the mend — and Lucy keeps snatching the football away. Yet these delusions of recovery have been an excuse for doing nothing as the jobs crisis festers.”

“Excuse No. 2: Fear the bond market.”

“Two years ago The Wall Street Journal declared that interest rates on United States debt would soon soar unless Washington stopped trying to fight the economic slump.”

“The interest rate on 10-year bonds was 3.7 percent when The Wall Street Journal issued that warning; at the end of last week it was 3.03 percent. How have the usual suspects responded? By inventing their own reality. Last week, Representative Paul Ryan... declared that we must slash government spending to ‘take pressure off the interest rates.’”

“Excuse No. 3: It’s the workers’ fault.”

“...seems bizarre to argue that the real problem lies with the workers — that the millions of Americans who were working four years ago but aren’t working now somehow lack the skills the economy needs. Yet that’s what you hear from many pundits these days: high unemployment is ‘structural.’”

“Well, if there really was a mismatch between the workers we have and the workers we need, workers who do have the right skills, and are therefore able to find jobs, should be getting big wage increases. They aren’t. In fact, average wages actually fell last month.”

“Excuse No. 4: We tried to stimulate the economy, and it didn’t work.”

“Where are the big public works projects? Where are the armies of government workers? There are actually half a million fewer government employees now than there were when Mr. Obama took office.”

“Much of [the stimulus] consisted of tax cuts, not spending. Most of the rest consisted either of aid to distressed families or aid to hard-pressed state and local governments. This aid may have mitigated the slump, but it wasn’t the kind of job-creation program we could and should have had.”

“...in another area where government could make a big difference — help for troubled homeowners — almost nothing has been done. The Obama administration’s program of mortgage relief has gone nowhere: of $46 billion allotted to help families stay in their homes, less than $2 billion has actually been spent.”

Mexican Immigration is Lowest in 60 Years

Wed, 6 Jul 2011 09:49:45 -0500

An extensive New York Times multimedia article declares that “the extraordinary Mexican migration that delivered millions of illegal immigrants to the United States over the past 30 years has sputtered to a trickle” due to “unheralded changes in Mexico that have made staying home more attractive.”

“No one wants to hear it, but the flow has already stopped,” said Douglas S. Massey, co-director of the Mexican Migration Project at Princeton University.

“Mexican immigration has always been defined by both the push (from Mexico) and the pull (of the United States). The decision to leave home involves a comparison, a wrenching cost-benefit analysis, and just as a Mexican baby boom and economic crises kicked off the emigration waves in the 1980s and ’90s, research now shows that the easing of demographic and economic pressures is helping keep departures in check.”
“Despite the dominance of the Roman Catholic Church in Mexico, birth control efforts have pushed down the fertility rate to about 2 children per woman from 6.8 in 1970, according to government figures. So while Mexico added about one million new potential job seekers annually in the 1990s, since 2007 that figure has fallen to an average of 800,000, according to government birth records. By 2030, it is expected to drop to 300,000.”
“Crossing ‘mojado,’ wet or illegally, has become more expensive and more dangerous, particularly with drug cartels dominating the border.”
“Per capita gross domestic product and family income have each jumped more than 45 percent since 2000, according to one prominent economist, Roberto Newell (co-author of Dangerous Markets: Managing in Financial Crises and Mexico’s Dilemma, The Political Origins of Economic Crisis). Despite all the depictions of Mexico as ‘nearly a failed state,’ he argued, ‘the conventional wisdom is wrong.’”
“A significant expansion of legal immigration — aided by American consular officials — is also under way.”
“State Department figures show that Mexicans who have become American citizens have legally brought in 64 percent more immediate relatives, 220,500 from 2006 through 2010, compared with the figures for the previous five years. Tourist visas are also being granted at higher rates of around 89 percent, up from 67 percent, while American farmers have legally hired 75 percent more temporary workers since 2006.”
“Edward McKeon, the top American official for consular affairs in Mexico, said he had focused on making legal passage to the United States easier in an effort to prevent people from giving up and going illegally.”
“Education represents the most meaningful change. The census shows that throughout (the state of ) Jalisco, the number of senior high schools or preparatory schools for students aged 15 to 18 increased to 724 in 2009, from 360 in 2000, far outpacing population growth. The Technological Institute of Arandas, where Angel (Orozco) studies engineering, is now one of 13 science campuses created in Jalisco since 2000 — a major reason professionals in the state, with a bachelor’s degree or higher, also more than doubled to 821,983 in 2010, up from 405,415 in 2000.”
“They’re identifying more with Mexico,” said Agustín Martínez González, a teacher. “With more education, they’re more likely to accept reality here and try to make it better.”
“Though Mexicans with Ph.D.’s tend to leave for bigger paychecks abroad, ‘if you have a college degree you’re much more likely to stay in Mexico because that is surely more valuable in Mexico,’ said Jeffrey S. Passel, a demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center.”
“I’m not going to go to the States because I’m more concerned with my studies,” said Angel Orozco, 18.

World's Greatest Art Car Parade, Sunday, May 22

Sun, 22 May 2011 02:18:17 -0500

The 24th annual Art Car Parade! Watch as over 250 motoriffic wheeled mobile masterpieces turn concrete into a colorful canvas that celebrates the artist in everyone! FREE!

The greatest Art Car Parade on Earth rolls at 1 p.m. (but get there early for a good viewing spot) on Allen Parkway between Bagby and Waugh. It first it travels east from Waugh Dr., then turns around at Bagby, and travels west. Expect a HOT day, so bring a hat, a folding chair, water, and find some shade. I sit under the 45 over pass. The cars start lining up at 9 a.m. Come early and get a preview that's up close and personal. Vendors and refreshments on site.

A WEEKEND OF FREE EVENTS

SATURDAY, May 21, 5-9 p.m.: SNEAK PEEK at the amazing new art cars for 2011 and live entertainment in Discovery Green in Downtown Houston. Also see a preview of Art Car: The Movie! It gives a never before seen perspective of the Art Car World! And if that is not enough The International House of Blues Foundation presents The History of the Blues.

SUNDAY, May 22, 1-4 p.m.: ART CAR PARADE on Allen Parkway, from Bagby to Waugh.

Tea Party Founder Unprepared For "Pop Quiz"

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 18:09:08 -0600

Chris Matthews gives a history lesson to Judson Phillips, founder of Tea Party Nation.

Christmas in Peru

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 11:19:23 -0600

Chris Desmond travels the planet for business and pleasure. In this special contribution to mobettablog.com, Desmond shares his impressions of Christmastime far from home.

Christmas Musings by Chris Desmond

Fireworks popping intermittently over the past 24 hours contrasts life to me, from an over-regulated society to one at the other end of the spectrum in the Peruvian high country...and there is a certain intangible beauty, I think, to freedom less restricted. More significantly, I selfishly enjoy third world travel for the balance it brings--where our daily concerns and political tanglings seem so trivial in the face of people struggling to survive each day in poverty...and so many people--humble, beautiful people. I marvel that the Andean women often wear too-small fedoras or an occasional bowler. I love that some of the traditional Andean girls with brightly colored hats like small umbrellas carry their pet baby sheep or goat in a shawl everywhere with them, including to church.

And while the Spanish imposed their language and religion, the resilience of these people--who revere the earth and sun--is reflected in their artwork where the dress of the Madonna is shaped like a mountain and she is often back lit by the sun. It's also inspiring to reconnoiter the land where as history buffs (and author Jared Diamond fans) know the most improbable military victory was carried out by Pizarro and some 130 men with horses, over an Inca army of perhaps 80,000 or more in 1532. The conquerors eventually altered or damaged many of the Incan architectural wonders (although most still stand today to varying degrees), but the fact that the Spanish didn't discover Machu Picchu ensured it's nearly complete survival.

We four (Sandy, Jeff, Matt) particularly savored the experience of visiting there, and were surprised that the significant drop in elevation from Cuzco to about 7,400' facilitates a lush jungle flora with familiar blooms of impatiens, hibiscus, anthuriums, begonias and day lilies this summer season. Jeff and I experienced some altitude discomfort--for me it was the climb into the Incan crop testing circles in Moray at 11,000' that caused oxygen debt.

Back in Cuzco we shifted from Pizarro's home turned hotel (Libertador), to the Monasterio for a couple of nights, and enjoyed a children's choir at Christmas Eve Mass in the hotel chapel. And while I retired last evening to the warmth of modern trappings in a 400 year old former monastery with a TV, I took small comfort that the unknown numbers of poor who slept huddled together on the stone under archways around Plaza de Armas in rainy 40 degrees, were spared from viewing the vacuous and self-absorbed Kardashians show.

Photos: Salt mines at Salineras have been in use since Incan times; Chapel in Monasterio hotel; Incan crop testing area from 1400's in Moray (those are people at the bottom); and Pizarro's home.

Painting with the Masters, Saturday, 11/20

Sat, 20 Nov 2010 12:40:56 -0600

An inspirational evening of painting, music and wine.

During this workshop, each participant will create a work of art in the style of the Russian master Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944).
No prior art experience is necessary!
For more information, email or call 832-878-4258.
Saturday, November 20, 5:30-8 p.m.
Mariposa Studio, 700 Silver (at Lubbock).
$40 per person: includes all painting materials, hors d'œuvre, and wine.
Discount for Seniors and Students with ID.

Sarah Palin Battle Hymn

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:36:15 -0500

This video speaks for itself.

How to write a news article about a scientific paper

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:31:02 -0500

Martin Robbins amusingly nails it in this line by line, paragraph by paragraph, dissection of the stylistic monotony of news articles on science.

Blockbuster is bankrupt. What took so long?

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:39:28 -0500

Blockbuster may be (finally) going out of business. I’ve been cursing them since the early 90s. Harry McCracken at Technologizer summarizes my feelings: “Blockbuster was founded in 1985, grew rapidly for years, and, at one time, made a lot of sense. I certainly spent a fair amount of time trolling its aisles for VHS tapes at one point. Let’s face it, though–it was never a particularly pleasant place to be, nor one that treated its customers all that well. The more options that people got for avoiding Blockbuster, the more they tended to do so.”

Blind Man “Sees” Color With An iPhone

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 22:58:15 -0500

Austin Seraphin, who has been legally blind since birth, reviews how the iPhone has changed his life. One example: “I downloaded an app called Color Identifier. It uses the iPhone's camera, and speaks names of colors. It must use a table, because each color has an identifier made up of 6 hexadecimal digits. This puts the total at 16,777,216 colors, and I believe it. Some of them have very surreal names, such as Atomic Orange, Cosmic, Hippie Green, Opium, and Black-White. These names in combination with what feels like a rise in serotonin levels makes for a very psychedelic experience.”

The Death of Many Sales Jobs

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 21:10:25 -0500

James Ledbetter, in Slate, points out that “the biggest culprit in killing off sales jobs is right in front of you: the Internet. There was a lot of talk in the dot-com era, mostly positive, about ‘disintermediation,’ or creating direct connections between consumers and suppliers. Think of all the purchases you make today online that once would have been accompanied by a salesperson: a sweater, a book, a ‘compact disc,’ a small appliance or piece of electronic equipment, shares of a stock or mutual fund, airline tickets, etc.”

Ledbetter concludes that “for much of recent American history, sales jobs functioned as a pillar of the middle class. Over the last few decades, the American economy has generated a large number of high-skill, high-paying jobs, and a large number of low-skilled, low-paying jobs. The middle, however, is being ‘hollowed out,’ in the phrase David Autor used in an economic paper published in April, and sales is a major component of that shrinking middle. The strength of sales jobs is that they can be reasonably high-paying but typically don't require technical training or other specialized skills. When those jobs disappear, the people who hold them will often be pushed down the wage ladder or even out of the workforce. Sixty years after Willy Loman, that is our tragedy.”

Two-Year-Old Singing & Dancing to Star Trek

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:32:07 -0500

This adorable two-year-old Trekker goes crazy when she sees the title sequence to the original series and she knows the characters too. I must question her parents exposing thier child to the episode “Amok Time,” when Spock has to return to Vulcan for Pon farr. Anyhow, watch it here.

DOE rejects Texas' request for $830M for schools

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 22:04:03 -0500

In 2009 “Texas lawmakers used $3.2 billion in federal stimulus money to replace state money and ended the legislative session with billions in the state's ‘Rainy Day Fun’” instead of funding shortfalls in Texas school districts, which has led to teacher layoffs among other ramifications. The U.S. Department of Education requested Gov. Rick Perry promise that that would not happen again and that funds would go directly to school districts. Perry refused so funding was denied.

Sarah invites you to commemorate 9/11 with her & Glenn

Thu, 9 Sep 2010 02:45:44 -0500

Sarah posts on her facebook page, "Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com. We can count on Glenn to make the night interesting and inspiring, and I can think of no better way to commemorate 9/11 than to gather with patriots who will 'never forget.'" Tickets range from $73.75 to $225 (includes $25 Ticketmaster fee!). The 4,500 seat convention center is almost sold out. No better way to commemorate, really?