A small collection of Teaparty jokes: "How many Tea Partiers does it take to change a lightbulb?"

I ran across these on the Facebook group, "The Teabusters- 1,000,000 Strong Against the Teaparty Movement" in comments by James Clarke.

Q: How many Teapartiers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: What, are you saying you want to euthanize the old one?

Q: How many Teapartiers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: You know who else changed light bulbs? The Nazis!

Q: How many Teapartiers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None- changing the light bulb is government takeover of the Utility companies!

Q: How many Teapartiers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One to break the old one, and thousands to protest the expense of replacing it!

Q: How many Teapartiers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: None, they live in the complete darkness of their minds and have no use for light.
(this one is from belowtopsecret.com)

Q: How many Joe Liebermans does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One- but it takes him awhile to decide whether or not its in his best interests.

Q: How many Sarah Palins does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One, but she quits halfway through!

Funding found for initial work on Westside Creek park. Ground breaking December 16, 2009

From Rod Radle, San Antonio Alternative Housing Corporation:

San Antonio, Texas December 16, 2009 — The San Antonio Alternative Housing Corporation (SAAHC) is sponsoring a ground breaking ceremony to announce the start of construction for the first linear park to be created on the Zarzamora and Apache Creeks. The mile long park will provide a picture of what future public development will hold in store for San Antonio residents on four major creeks located on the Westside and inner city.


The linear park is being developed on a bank of constant level creek just north of Elmendorf Lake. The area has been for years a mass of overgrown vegetation, with lush plants, tress, numerous birds and animals. The park will open up this natural jewel for the first time for citizens to appreciate and utilize for their own physical and mental health. It is anticipated that the area will become active with school children and adults as its natural riches are discovered.


Eleven years ago, SAAHC, with participation of numerous public taxing entities, formed one of the first developer sponsored Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZ) in San Antonio. The TIRZ was formed primarily in order to create sixty-five, affordable homes for families in the Rosedale Subdivision. This financing mechanism allowed lots to be developed and sold for 1/3 of their cost, thus allowing families to afford homeownership in one of San Antonio’s lowest economic neighborhoods. The TIRZ finance plan also envisioned the creation of a linear public park beginning at General McMullen and finishing at Commerce Street near Our Lady of the Lake University.


Needless to say, when the park was first thought of there was no major push for the development of the creeks on the city’s Westside. But the timing couldn’t have been better, with Roberto Rodriguez championing the cause with numerous citizens for strategies for creek development through the Westside Creeks Restoration Project. Committees are working on developing the Alazan, Apache, Martinez and San Pedro Creeks, working closely with the San Antonio River Authority, as well as the City of San Antonio and Bexar County. This linear park will provide a hands-on example of what will become a reality for public spaces on these creeks in the coming years.


The groundbreaking event will mark the start of construction on the park, which is being developed by SAAHC on land owned by the City of San Antonio (COSA). Once completed, the COSA will maintain the park, adding it as another linear park in its care. The park will be comprised of two paths, one concrete for bikes, skateboards and pedestrians, and a second cinder path for exercise. Lighting will be featured throughout the pathways. Benches, tables and exercise stations will also be strategically placed along the paths to take advantage of the views of the creek. The park is scheduled to be completed and opened to the public in spring of 2010. The $700,000 project will be fully funded through TIRZ proceeds, with interim financing provided by the San Antonio River Authority.


The San Antonio Alternative Housing Corporation (SAAHC) is a nonprofit organization established in 1993. The mission of SAAHC is to provide decent rental and ownership housing that is affordable to low- and moderate-income people in Texas; to provide housing education and ownership counseling through a community home ownership association; and to promote and create business development, job training, health and social services.

The start of the park will be at near the intersection of Matyear and Landa Street.

The secret anti-counterfeit treaty, a lecture by Professor Michael Geist, University of Ottawa

Paseo del Arte: Expanding the San Antonio River Walk documentary to air on KLRN Tuesday November 10 and Sunday November 15, 2009

Here's a 30 second promo for the documentary" Paseo del Arte: Expanding the San Antonio River Walk".  It will air Tuesday November 10 at 9 pm and again at 1:00 pm on Sunday November 14, 2009 on KLRN.  Be sure to set your DVR . 

Who did the fireworks show at San Antonio's Woodlawn Lake, November 2, 2009? Why it was the folks from Planet K!

If you were surprised to see fireworks over San Antonio's Woodlawn Lake from 8:00 to 8:15 pm on November 2, 2009 it is probably because you do not frequent any of the convenient locations of Planet K, featuring "the best selection of imported cigarettes, pipes, vaporizers, incense, underground books, erotica and more".

Perhaps it is because of the sponsor perhaps it is because the sponsor doesn't care to publicize the event but the Texas Fireworks show sponsored by Planet K did not make it into the Express News as far as I can tell.

The show was in celebration of Dias de los Muertos and took place in 2007 and 2008 as well.  The San Antonio celebration benefits the Little Church of La Villita, the Bexar Area Harm Reduction Coalition and the San Antonio Aids Foundation.

In Austin, Planet K's fireworks show takes place on Halloween night. Below is video of fireworks at the lake from 2008


Planet K Fireworks November 2nd

Darkness Despair | MySpace Video

Read Greg Harmon's column on CPS Nuke duplicity in the Current

The San Antonio Current has matured into an important publication. Greg Harmon's web article, Nuke Collider: San Antonio delays $400 million nuke bond vote over Toshiba cost surge is a must read.

One can only hope that Mayor Castro will now take the time to seriously consider his political future and the future of our city. In this press conference he really looks like a man who is trying desperately not to admit that he was taken in by the nuclear cabal at CPS.

Greg reports on the lack of interest on the part of Castro and the city council in the Rifken Report: San Antonio: Leading the Way Forward to the Third Industrial Revolution.  An executive summary of the report was prepared by Solar San Antonio as well.

In the video below be sure to check out CPS's interim managers admission that CPS knew about the cost estimate increase for a week and a half. (The reporter's question and his answer begins about 4 minutes into the video.)  I didn't see a follow-up asking why they hadn't told the mayor, council and citizens about it immediately.  Also check out In the video of the press conference 4:21.  Then watch as the mayor tries to explain that the process has been a good one even though CPS lied to him and he and the city council couldn't be bothered to look at alternatives and citing how good CPS has been in the past to justify trusting CPS now.

Kay Bailey Hutchinson site slams "Tricky Ricky" Perry

KBH is a liar and hypocrite, but at least she isn't Rick Perry and "Tricky Ricky" is a fine nickname.

Her YouTube channel, TrickyRicky2010, has some excellent Republican on Republican action.

By promoting the nuclear plant expansion San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro will be remembered

Mayor Castro,

You are making a defining mistake for your career. Your vote in favor of the nuclear expansion will haunt you for your lifetime. For generations you will be remembered as the man who could have stopped the project but who made sure it moved forward.

Whenever workers who mine uranium are made ill, you will be remembered. Whenever land where the uranium is mined becomes permanently unusable because of radiation, you will be remembered.

When San Antonio is saddled with a plant that no one else will invest in because alternative sources of power became available, you will be remembered.

When we become dependent on foreign sources of uranium, you will be remembered. Whenever there is a planned release of radiation, you will be remembered.

Whenever there is an breakdown, you will be remembered. When water is not available for other uses, you will be remembered.

When future generations for the next 100,000 years have to deal with the radioactive waste produced by your plants, you will be remembered.

Nothing else you will do will be remembered as long as your decision to build the reactors will be.

Whenever Democrats consider candidates, you will be remembered as the man responsible for making new American nuclear plants, nuclear pollution and nuclear ruin possible.

Put it to a vote of the people. Then perhaps you will be remembered as the man who avoided making a mistake that would have harmed millions of people for thousands of years.

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) humbles Hudson Institute dilettante over health care bankruptcies

AHIP health care anti-healthcare conference interupted by Billionaires for Wealthcare

From the Billionaires for Wealthcare:

AHIP is the powerful insurance lobby that spends 5 million dollars a week trying to kill health care reform. Billionaires for Wealthcare is a grassroots network looking to stop them - with song.

• AHIP and other insurance and HMO interests spend nearly $5 million per week undermining real health care reform, including a public option.

• AHIP has resorted to out-right lying and scare tactics to block health care reform. They sent letters that lie to seniors about what health care reform means for Medicare, and they issued a report on the costs of health care reform legislation that is so misleading even the reports embarrassed authors distanced themselves from the way AHIP used their work.

• Every year, 45,000 people die because they cant get access to the health care they need. Yet AHIP continues to stand in the way of health care reform that would provide coverage to millions of Americans because the industry is more concerned with protecting profits than saving lives.

Lyrics to "Public Option Annie"

(to the tune of "Tomorrow" from Annie)

Michael Soto announces for State Board of Education district 3. Primary election March 2, 2010

Jefferson neighborhood resident Michael Soto has announced his candidacy for the State Board of Education district 3.   The Democratic Primary is March 2, 2010.

From Michael Soto:

Dear Friends,
I have decided to run as a Democrat for the State Board of Education in District 3 because the current Board too often puts politics and personal gain ahead of our children's success. I can't sit idly by while Texas schoolchildren fall behind their peers in other parts of the nation and the world.

The State Board's duties include:
    * setting academic standards for Texas public schools;
    * approving textbooks for use by Texas students and teachers; and
    * overseeing the investment of the Permanent School Fund, an endowment for purchasing schoolbooks.

Our future and our prosperity rely on having State Board representatives who understand global competition and who look out for the academic success of every Texas child.

The time for change is now. According to the San Antonio Express-News, there remain unanswered "questions about ethical conduct over the board's management of the massive school fund" and "dissatisfaction with [SBOE] policies" throughout Texas. Distractions such as these are unacceptable. Rather than tackle the real issues facing Texas schools, the State Board, as the Dallas Morning News recently reported, has been bogged down by "divisive questions" raised for crass political effect.

The swirling controversies are a cause for alarm, and for me they are a call to action.

We need new leadership on the State Board of Education.

My commitment to you and to our future. It's time for the State Board of Education to get back to the serious business of preparing our children for success in college and in their careers. With your support, I'll work tirelessly to put Texas kids first. You can count on me to:
     * rely on educational experts, not on partisan attack dogs, as we develop school policies;
    * listen to teachers and public school administrators--our front-line educators--when it's time to adopt new standards and new textbooks;
    * restore public trust in how Texas manages its Permanent School Fund; and
    * prepare Texas public schools for a longer school year and the highest academic standards so that our children are ready for twenty-first-century opportunities.

My recent efforts in the San Antonio ISD school board race left me genuinely inspired by our community's devotion to its schools. I know that my fellow South Texans want my story--from public schools in the Valley to Stanford and Harvard to a career as a college professor--to be available to all of our children.  As public school parents, my wife, Celina Peña, and I want nothing more than for our son and his peers to have the same opportunities that have blessed our lives.

I hope you will join me in creating a stronger future for all Texas children by listing your name as a supporter, by contributing to our campaign, and by spreading the word to your friends and family.

Sincerely,

District Three includes the central and southern parts of Bexar county and includes all of Wilson, Medina, Frio, Wilson, Karnes, Atascosa, McMullen, Bee, Live Oak, Jim Wells, Duval, Brooks and the northern and western parts of Hildalgo county including small portions of McAllen and Edinburg.

October 24, 2009 public workshop to help plan restoration of west side creeks

Remember our San Antonio mayor and city council infamously as "The Nuclear Eleven"

From Eric Lane:
The “Nuclear Eleven” is how this City Council should forever be remembered if they vote “Yes” on the proposed two new nuclear power plants.

It looks like City Council and the Mayor will be making the ultimate decision regarding the two new nuclear power plants proposed for STP.  But that decision will have a much vaster impact.  If they vote “Yes,” this City Council will, as we all know, for the first time in 30 years give the green light to restarting the nuclear power industry in this country. The implication is that they have studied this issue thoroughly and completely and have decided that nuclear power is in the best interests of San Antonio, South Texas, Texas, and, by extension, the United States.

Since there will be no public vote, these eleven folks have taken it upon themselves to make that ultimate decision.  If they vote “No,” other than upsetting a few very large business interests, most people will carry on with very little concern.  CPS will go back to the drawing board and come up with alternative energy scenarios.  And a huge, potential monstrosity will have been averted. 

If City Council votes “Yes,” then they should be held accountable for that vote.  It won’t be good enough to simply disappear into the political ether.  Why?  Because by voting in the affirmative they are guaranteeing San Antonio that we have nothing to worry about by going nuclear.

If there are cost overruns, if water becomes too scarce to run the nuclear plants, if uranium becomes too expensive or we become dependent on foreign uranium, if nuclear waste cannot be protected for the next 100,000 years, if there is an accident, a security breach, radiation leaks or any other number of potential risks, then this City Council and this Mayor should be held accountable by being remembered forever as the “Nuclear Eleven.”  They should not be allowed to hide in the fog of memory. 

It would be the height of irresponsibility to vote in the affirmative if City Council cannot guarantee there will be no problems.  The time to stop a problem is before it starts.  Not after.  If anything goes wrong the “Nuclear Eleven” should and will be held accountable.  From the day of any cost overrun, incident, or problem, their names, their political careers, their legacy will be forever tied to the Council vote on the nuclear power plants.

It won’t matter if the vote is 6 to 5, this City Council and this Mayor will forever be known and remembered as the “Nuclear Eleven.”

Eric Lane

Chair

Consumer Energy Coalition

P.O. Box 100806

San Antonio, TX 78201

Nuke advocate Patrick Moore cites China as a good example for wise and safe investing.

Patrick Moore said  "You think China would build 25 to 50 more nuclear plants, like they are proposing to do, if they thought the technology was risky or exorbitantly priced," at a pro-nuclear rally in San Antonio according to an October 13, 2009 article" CPS Energy Board Unanimously Approves Nuclear Power Expansion" by Jim Forsyth.

So apparently, we should build new nuclear plants because the Chinese communist dictatorship believes that it is safe technology.  These are the people who have brought extreme economic and environmental destruction upon their nation first through poor central planning and now by allowing out of control development and manufacturing.


Moore was in San Antonio as an employee of a pro-nuclear astroturf group that was founded by a public relations firm and is funded by the nuclear industry.

Jefferson UMC to host free festival, November 7, 2009 9 am to 3 pm

Jefferson United Methodist Church invites its neighbors to their Fall Festival, Saurday November 7, 2009 from 9 am to 3 pm.  It was originally planned for October 3 but was rescheduled due to rain.

The festival is free, with hot dogs, lemonade, water and blood pressure screenings.

There will be fun, games, pet adoption services and music.

Tables and spaces may be rented by local businesses and non-profits as well.

The church is at the corner of Donaldson and Wilson at 758 Donaldson across from Thomas Jefferson High School.

In recent years the church has connected to the community through its popular thrift store, a hostel for groups traveling to San Antonio for service projects, a renovated combination basketball and 4-Square court and by hosting the Jefferson Community Garden on Gramercy.

Deep Crack in Florida Reactor a Sign that Aging U.S. Reactor Fleet Should be Shut Down

From Beyond Nuclear:

Takoma Park, MD – A deep crack just discovered in the concrete containment wall of the Crystal River nuclear reactor on Florida’s west coast signals a disturbing trend in on-going cracking and corrosion and other dangerous wear-and-tear symptoms among the country’s fleet of aging reactors, Beyond Nuclear stated today.
 

Progress Energy, reported to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on October 7 that maintenance workers had found a deep crack in the concrete containment wall of its single-unit Crystal River reactor. The reactor is of the same pressurized water reactor design as the notorious Three Mile Island Unit 2 that melted down in 1979 as well as the Davis-Besse reactor near Toledo, OH, which was potentially weeks from a core melt accident in 2002 due to severe corrosion that had eaten through the wall of the reactor pressure vessel.
 
“The crack in Crystal River’s reactor containment building is the latest in a disturbing trend,” said Paul Gunter, Director of the Reactor Oversight Project for Beyond Nuclear. “As this country’s reactors age – with many extending their 40-year licenses – there is an ever greater risk to public safety due to cracking, corrosion and other problems of degradation. But historically, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has simply looked the other way, allowing the reactor owners to operate the plants in a dangerous state rather than mandate an immediate shutdown.”
 
Workers at Crystal River who were cutting through the concrete wall in a maintenance procedure found a half- inch wide crack just nine inches from the outer surface wall of the all important reinforced 42-inch thick concrete dome. The length of the crack has not been reported.
 
In addition to the age-related problems at Crystal River and Davis-Besse, Beyond Nuclear has tracked similar concerns at the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station near Shippingport, Pennsylvania, where corrosion had eaten a rust hole through the reactor steel containment liner. Similarly, at the Oyster Creek reactor on the New Jersey shore, the discovery of reactor containment liner corrosion has become a contentious issue in federal court. 

Oyster Creek, the country’s oldest reactor at 40, recently received a 20-year license extension from the NRC. Crystal River is also seeking a 20-year extension.
 
The specific cause of the Crystal River cracking is now under Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) special inspection. The NRC acknowledges that it is evaluating whether containment cracking is a potential generic issue at other reactors of similar design. The Crystal River nuclear power plant had been shut down for refueling and maintenance. Workers were cutting an opening in the nearly four feet thick containment wall to remove and replace worn steam generators. Workers encountered the gaping crack nine inches from the containment dome’s outer surface and reported the defect to the NRC in a Daily Event Report.
 
“It’s time the NRC fulfilled its Congressional mandate to look out for public safety instead of risking lives to save nuclear utilities money,” said Gunter. “The Crystal River crack presents the NRC with an opportunity to keep this plant shut down and to seriously re-evaluate whether it should be granted a license extension,” Gunter concluded

League for Public School Justice advocates for better schools in San Antonio Independent School District

Begun by five mothers in response to SAISD plans to close Carroll Academy, Horace Mann Academy, and Travis Elementary Schools, the League for Public School Justice (L4PSJ) is acting as an advocate for the community and a watchdog.

On their website you will find information on wasteful spending within SAISD including a half million dollar garbage truck that according to them is not being used to eliminate costly contracts with private trash carriers.  You'll also find questions about an SAISD contract with HeadStart.

Also interesting is a log of stories in the mainstream media concerning SAISD.  Along with links to the story is pithy and pointed commentary on the story and the facts the story concerns.

On their website L4PSJ.org you will also find news on membership and activities.

You can follow founder Michelle Reyes on Twitter.  Her tweets concern more than just the school district but seem to be up to the minute on SAISD developments.

CPS announces Nuke-tricity® program for supporters of nuclear power. Coaltricity® on the way!

CPS Energy recently announced a new sister program to Windtricity® and Solartricity® which allow ratepayers to encourage clean renewable safe electric generation.

CPS's Nuke-tricity® program will allow individual ratepayers to participate in the risk of a nuclear investment in a real and tangible way. When the expanded South Texas Nuclear Project begins producing electricity, members of Nuke-tricity will receive electricity at the exact total cost of production.

Yardsharing website and idea leads to a thriving front yard community garden

I forget how I ran across Hyperlocavore.com but I did and the idea of creating a community type garden in one's own front yard appealed to me.

I mentioned it to a neighbor I had met at Green Drinks and when she said "yes" my wife and a neighbor friend from church got interested and she brought her daughter.  The next door neighbor on one side, an accomplished flower gardener, provided some tomatoes and the on the other side our neighbor came over to dig and established a square foot garden for her and her two young nephews.

The non-gardeners among us got some help from Drew Willem of Time Dollar Community Connections which is supported in part by the Green Spaces Alliance, (who are also supporters of the Jefferson Community Garden behind the Jefferson UMC.)

We've had more people in our yard and stopping by than we ever dreamed possible.  The nephews are showing my wife flowers and their cats are dropping by.  Neighbors and passersby stop by to chat.  It is great.

We even have some eggplants and peppers on the plants, and the chard and lettuce is fine for munching.  Our compost must have had some tomato seeds in it because we got lots of volunteers where we had planted carrots, or maybe they were tomato seeds after all.

So, it has been a lot of fun so far and has been an easy way to build up community.  Stop by and see it sometime.  Better yet, make plans for your own yardsharing community garden.

It took us just three weeks from running across the idea to getting things in the ground and growing.

What does the "i am an FFN" billboard mean? What's an FFN?

Recently neigbors in the Jefferson area have been treated to a change from the usual beer advertisements at the corner of Hildebrand and Fredericksburg Road.   An enigmatic billboard proclaiming, "i care for children. i am an FFN" has appeared. 

An FFN is not a new professional designation but instead is bureaucratic language for unlicensed family members, neighbors and friends who care for children, the disabled and the elderly.   FFN's are contrasted with FCC's -regulated Family Child Care providers.

This particular  billboard is sponsored by the City of San Antonio and is part of a campaign to persuade the family members, neighbors and friends who care for children to act more like preschool teachers to prepare children for school.  You can learn all about the campaign at Earlyon-SA.org.  The effort on the part of the city dates to 2000. 

A paper detailing the advantages of using families to care for children in San Antonio, "Benefits of Home Childcare: "I wouldn't just go to a stranger." by Sarah Wood, Sarah. and Amal Bassou is online. 

Both the National Women's Law Center and the Annie E Casey foundation are involved in work organizing or educating the families, friends and neighbors who care for children.

In many parts of the country FFN's are paid by the state.  In some of these the SEIU, Service Employee's International Union, is attempting to be allowed to organize them so that they can qualify for health benefits and negotiate with the state for better payment.  Here is a link to a May 7, 2009 SEIU powerpoint explaining their work to organize FFN's.

Candlelight Vigil Sunday October 4 at CPS Headquarters at 7 pm

Please join Energía Mía for a Candlelight Vigil focusing on a safe, affordable, non-nuclear energy future
Sunday, October 4th at 7:30 pm, outside the offices of CPS Energy at 145 Navarro

The CPS Energy Board of Trustees will vote the following day, Oct 5th, on whether to spend an additional $400 million and commit the city of San Antonio to more nuclear reactors at the South Texas Project. We hope that CPS Energy will protect our health and economic well being by supporting clean, safe and affordable energy through efficiency and renewable energy instead of nuclear power.

Learn more and take action online at: www.energiamia.org

Should San Antonio Put the Brakes on Nuclear Expansion? What do the experts recommend? October 3, 2009 at 1 pm

Cindy Weehler, of the Energia Mia Coalition, will speak this Saturday, October 3, at the next meeting of the San Antonio Area Progressive Action Coalition. 

The topic will be, "Should San Antonio Put the Brakes on Nuclear Expansion?  What Do the Experts Recommend?"

The meeting, free and open to the public, will take place this Saturday, October 3, at 1 pm, at the SAAPAC Center, 7122 San Pedro, Suite 114.  The SAAPAC Center is in the back of the Ocean Dental Building, at the NE corner of San Pedro and Sprucewood, 2 blocks inside Loop 410.

Please come to this informative session and learn what's really going on behind the decision to go nuclear.  And please invite friends and neighbors who may also want to hear the latest on the single biggest expenditure ever considered by CPS Energy and the City of San Antonio.

Photo by koert michiels used under creative commons.

Citizens Gain Ground in STP Intervention Over Water Concerns. Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Admits Four Additional Water Related Contentions for a Hearing.

From SEED, a statewide citizens action organization:

Citizen opposition to two proposed nuclear reactors at the South Texas Project (STP) continues with another success. Yesterday the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) Panel ruled that South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company (STPNOC) had failed to adequately analyze the environmental impacts of radioactive contaminated water and water availability, issues or “contentions” raised by concerned citizens in their Petition to Intervene in the proposed expansion at STP. The Order is of national significance since STPNOC is the first in the nation to request licensing in 30 years.

“Citizens intervening in the South Texas Project’s licensing process gained significant legal ground yesterday when the ASLB Panel ruled that four additional contentions be admitted for a hearing,” said Karen Hadden, Executive Director of the SEED Coalition, one of the Intervenors. “Intervenors now have a total of five admissible contentions, with seven contentions related to fires and explosions and losses of large areas of the plant still pending.” The licensing process is likely to be delayed as a result of additional contentions. It was delay and construction problems that led to the first reactors at STP coming in six times over budget.

SEED Coalition, Public Citizen and the Bay City based South Texas Association for Responsible Energy (STARE) are Intervenors in the case. Attorney Robert V. Eye went before the ASLB Panel in June and argued the admissibility of 28 contentions challenging the license application for two additional reactors, Units 3 and 4, at the South Texas Project.

The first contention admitted in yesterday’s order is:

Bihl Haus hosts Rx art events October 10 and November 12, 2009

From Bihl Haus Arts:

Rx Art: Take your medicine.

Preview Reception & Fundraiser
Saturday, October 10, 2009, 6:30 to 9:00 pm
Tickets: $65 ($75 at door) @ www.RxArtSA.org

Dear Friends of Bihl Haus Arts,

Is Art medicine? We say 'yes!' at Rx ART: Take your medicine, an exciting exhibit that features artworks by health care professionals who are also artists.

Our Preview Reception and Fundraiser kicks off on Saturday, October 10, at 6:30 pm with drinks and fine hors d’oeuvres at this gallery and poolside event. At 7, after our opening ritual, sample some of the best food in town provided by Brasserie Pavil (named the best new SA restaurant), Bistro Bakery, Tycoon Flats, and Whole Foods.

Enjoy art play and spin art, and have your say on our poetry wall! Experience healing laughter through the art of improv comedy with ComedySportz. The Children’s Bereavement Center, Inspire Fine Arts, Very Special Arts, Voices de la Luna, and the San Antonio School for Inquiry and Creativity, along with Bihl Haus Arts, will show you how they use arts for healing in our community. The George Prado Trio provides live music. Poolside dancing begins at 8 pm! Dress is artsy/casual.

Can't make it on Oct. 10th? Then how about joining us on Thursday, Nov. 12, 6-9 pm for another Rx event:

"A Taste of Place"

Champagne Tasting & Book Signing with

Dr. Kolleen Guy, Author of When Champagne Became French

Dr. Guy will offer sparkling wine lovers a taste of her fascinating book, When Champagne Became French (John Hopkins, 2003), about the origin and development of the Champagne industry. She’ll explore Champagne's purported healing properties as well as its relationship to other regions that produce sparkling wines. Scrumptious hors d'oeuvres will be offered to complement the tasting of 3 wines--a New World and an Old World sparkling wine and a true French Champagne. There's not a lover of the bubbly who would want to miss this event! Seating is limited, so to reserve your seat early or to learn more about this event, please go to www.RxArtSA.org.

Rx Art tickets, available at www.RxArtSA.org, are $65 ($75 at door), or purchase a bundle of 10 tickets for $500 (a savings of $165). The Champagne Tasting with Dr. Kolleen Guy is $75, or purchase tickets for both events for $125 (a $15 savings). All proceeds benefit non-profit co-organizers Bihl Haus Arts and the Health and Healing Consortium. Your purchase may be tax deductible. We’ve also developed a number of very exciting Rx Art workshops. More on these soon, or you can learn about them now at www.RxARtSA.org.

Please come to support Bihl Haus Arts. We can't do what we do for our community without your help! To read more about Rx Art, see the wonderful recent article by Jasmina Wellinghoff in SA Woman at http://www.sawoman.com/0909/arts1.html

Hope to see you at Bihl Haus Arts on Oct. 10th and again on Nov. 12th!


Kellen

P.S. As always, please feel free to forward this email and to print and post the attached invitation in conspicuous places!

Bihl Haus Arts (www.bihlhausarts.org) is a not-for-profit contemporary art gallery located at 2803 Frdericksburg Rd., inside the gates of Primrose at Monticello Park Senior Apartments. The gallery, open Fridays and Saturdays 1-4 pm or by appointment, is made possible in part with the generous support of The Potashnik Family Foundation and Primrose.

Autumn Monticello Park Garage Sale, Saturday October 31, 2009

The Monticello Park Neighborhood Association is hosting a garage sale Saturday October 31, 2009 from 9:00 to 5;00 at Monticello Park at 444 Club.

The association sales have a much better turnout than sales held at individual homes. The cost to rent a space is less than the cost for a garage sale permit and you don't have to put up signs.

To reserve a space call 732-5543.

Money raised by renting out spaces will go toward the MPNA scholarship fund which benefits a graduating senior from Thomas Jefferson High School or a graduating senior from the neighborhood.

YUCK! Ultra-Lounge planned next to the taco place, by the senior housing, next to family apartment house across from Tip-Top!

Thank goodness councilman Justin Rodriguez and representative Trey Martinez Fisher, along with the various neighborhood associations are fighting the plans for Club Pulse to occupy the former car parts store on Fredericksburg Road.

According to wikipedia an ultra lounge is : a self-designation for nightclubs, used particularly in the early 2000's. Some clubs have a semi-private room with a large mattress on the floor for patrons to lounge on and socialize.

These try to be exclusive clubs, they might fit in downtown, at the Quarry or Park North, but next to a senior housing complex across the street from Tip Top Cafe and the Bingo Hall?

Here is a video of a self-glossed ultra-lounge in San Francisco.

Monticello Park and Jefferson Neighborhoods National Night Out (Texas version) October 6, 2009 at Monticello Park

This year the "National Night Out" formerly known as the "National Night Out Against Crime" has a Texas version in recognition that the August date the rest of the country meets on is just too hot for us.

Another big change is that the neighborhoods around Jefferson High School are combining to put together the event at Monticello Park under and around our domed gazebo.

There will be face painting and a bounce for kids. Come to strengthen our community, learn about crime prevention and to meet your neighbors.

A representative from the city will be there to talk about the two cart system for waste collection. In our neighborhoods the collection will take place from the alley where possible.

Please bring a side dish to share. The main dish will be provided.

Volunteers are needed to help set up and tear down. Call Bianca 210 385-6188 for more information.

Run Around Jefferson, Sunday October 25, 2009 at 8 am

While some of us prefer to walk around Jefferson, Sunday October 25 will mark the 4th annual Thomas Jefferson High School 5k run.

The Trick, Trot or Treat 5 k run will begin at 8 am.

To donate to the run, to participate as a sponsor contact Coach Paul Ramirez by email or phone (210 736-1981 ext 266) or Noe G. Garza by email or phone (210 313-8135)

Craig Severance comments on CPS's change of strategy in Nuclear expansion debate

CPS is doing its best to shove nuclear power down the throats of San Antonians. Just like SAWS before Applewhite was stopped, the dinosaur faction within CPS is fighting to avoid environmentally friendly alternatives.

There is a green faction within CPS but if the nuclear expansion is approved there will be no money left for anything but window dressing. It is a shame that our CPS trustees are so foolish.

Below is a commentary by Craig Severance on the latest CPS ploy, which is to say that it is too late to pull out, because they already invested too much, an investment that was not approved by the rate payers and citizens of San Antonio. Craig responds to the Express News articleon the subject.

From Craig Serverance:

1. Do NOT blame the messenger here, the SA Express-News seems to be doing an excellent job of reporting what Council members, CPS, the Board, and the Mayor are telling them. They are especially doing a good job of showing how jaw-dropping this really is. If you got the jaw-dropping response from reading the story -- THANK the reporter, then get on the line and make noise to the policymakers.

2. It is clear CPS has switched strategies away from the "we will present the public with this choice" of whether or not to do the nuclear project, by having public meetings etc. supposedly to decide the merits of the nuclear project. Instead (did you catch this?) they now are emphasizing this is "a project well underway". In other words, we already made the decision years ago, have already spent hundreds of millions of dollars on it, so just shut up & get out of our way. Thus, the Mayor's commitment to decide the project on its merits is being dumped by the wayside very quickly -- since they have lost the "merits" argument.

Protect Insurance Company Profits because their right to profit off of your illness is sacred

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

President Obama overcomes the right wing demagogues with health care reform that incorporates ideas of left and right. September 9, 2009

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The health care system is a complex system. No one knows what is best because it cannot be known what will come out when a complex system is changed. Unfortunately some opponents have chosen to lie and and incite riots rather than to put forward their possibly legitimate ideas for reform.

But, our president has not allowed the bad faith of the Republicans, insurance companies and cynical right wing haters to deter him from including ideas from both sides of aisle. His patience, forbearance and intelligence continues to amaze me.

David Amaguer, Rex Hausmann and Russell Stephenson exhibition: Objective Space at Bihl Haus starting August 28, 2009

From Bihl Haus Arts:

What do flowers in the fireplace, graffiti on the walls, tanks, an obelisk, sculpted paintings, childhood memories, the color pink, and the cosmos have in common? OBJECTIVE Space, that's what! This exhibit of paintings, interactive installations, and graffiti-inspired works explore the physical, fictive, mental, and spiritual space that is Bihl Haus Arts. The artists are David Almaguer, Rex Hausmann and Russell Stephenson, three members of the Texas Cannons of Proportion (TCP), an artists' collective. We hope you'll join us on Friday August 28, 5:30-8:30 when OBJECTIVE Space opens at Bihl Haus Arts with a rousing, interactive reception.

David Almaguer’s graffiti stencil paintings act as a counterpoint to the vandalism that once enveloped the exterior of Bihl Haus before its transformation. David brings the outside in. His images carry sardonic titles, but his larger-than-life depictions of tricycles, piñatas, and gangster monkeys are mostly about a wide-eyed childhood—with a twist. They lead into a space in time that Almaguer hopes every grownup can still access.

Rex Hausmann asks visitors not to take participation for granted at Bihl Haus. This TCP member uses his own panoply of means to bring attention to the building’s overlooked negative spaces and openings: tall ceiling heights, windows, a fireplace, a trapdoor, and outdoor surroundings. Nothing too small (cupcakes) or too ungainly (foreman tools) should be discounted.

Russell Stephenson’s series of images investigate macrocosmic and microcosmic spaces in which every human being is a part. With abstracted titles such as Requiem Settings or Pulse, Stephenson’s elegant works that employ painting, sculpture and printmaking techniques, refer as much to the dynamism of natural forces as they testify of the OBJECTIVE Space found in private, though no less real, transformations.

See you this Friday, Aug. 28, 5:30-8:30 pm for this not-to-be-missed opening reception!

Why We Need Government-Run Universal Health Insurance and why private health insurance doesn't and cannot work

This video explains pretty well why private health insurance can never be as efficient as a well run national one, such as Medicare for instance.

There are also other reasons why private insurance makes no sense for health.

For insurance to work, everyone paying into the pool must have roughly equal chances of experiencing an unexpected remotely likely event, or an event whose timing is unexpected though the event itself is not.

For example, houses of similar construction, built to code have roughly similar and remote chances of catching fire.

Because the chances of these events happening is remote for any one homeowner and because the costs of the event if it were to occur are very large, people are motivated to purchase insurance and the rates for each insured are low compared to the payout.

For the insurance company it is critical that they be able to make sure they do not insure anyone for whom the presumably remotely likely event is actually very likely. That is why they look for fraud and try to track repeat offenders. However, if you are unlucky enough to have a house fire, you are not more likely to have another house burn down. It is a random event that is unconnected to the likely hood of you having another loss.

Private insurance for health does not work because the need for insurance is largely known to both insureds and the insurer. Sick people want insurance. Healthy people know they are unlikely to need it. So many more sick people want health insurance than healthy people that the company must do what it can to avoid insuring the ill.

If they were to insure people with chronic diseases or who are at risk for disease due to lifestyle and other known risk factors, the premiums would be so high that they would not appeal to the people whose known risk factors were low, and there would be little advantage for the high risk people in having insurance because the yearly premiums would approach the yearly cost of their medical bills.

When you buy an individual health insurance policy, you must be healthy. If you have any pre-existing condition, the insurance company will exclude it, either for life or for a number of years. So they gather a pool of initially healthy people who pay premiums into a pool.

As some of the initially healthy people age and become sick, payments are made from the pool and rates rise. When rates rise high enough the people who are still healthy find that they can switch carriers and join a premium pool that includes only people like themselves who are healthy for the moment. The people in bad health, of course cannot switch to a lower cost plan.

As more and more healthy people leave the pool, sick people begin to dominate it and rates skyrocket. Even if the policyholders cannot be canceled (which is not the current law nationwide) the rates go up and up until they cannot afford the premiums.

This is known to every single person in the insurance industry who has ever studied the principles of insurance. The health insurance industry knows that their business model is an inappropriate use of insurance.

TEEN CANTEEN (1st located at our neighborhood's own Jefferson UMC) Reunion August 23, 2009

The first location of San Antonio's TEEN CANTEEN was right here in the Jefferson neighborhood at the Jefferson United Methodist Church.

Here's a link to a fantastic article, Through the Past Brightly, by Margret Moser in the August 17, 2009 Austin Chronicle about the Canteen and the SAMSTOCK, Teen Canteen Reunion show, Saturday August 23, 2009 at Floores Country Store, 14492 Old Bandera Road, Helotes Texas 78023.

Here's either an revised version of Margret's article or something completely different from the Classic San Antonio Facebook Group:

Until a few years ago, San Antonio’s Teen Canteen was relegated to “remember when?” status. The northside nightclub that catered to teenagers during the 1960s and 70s lay forgotten in the city’s musical history…almost. At Samstock: the Teen Canteen Reunion 2009 on Sunday, August 23 at Floore’s Country Store, more than a dozen bands and musicians from its heyday will reunite for fun and to pay tribute to owner-promoter Sam Kinsey.

At the behest of local civic and church groups, Sam Kinsey opened the first Teen Canteen in 1960, at Jefferson Methodist Church Hall. Kinsey played deejay to the youthful crowds, spinning 45s on a portable record player. This was the format for several years, as the Canteen moved around to several locations, including a ballroom dance studio, until it settled at Wonderland (now Crossroads) Mall in 1963.

In its new, larger location, the Teen Canteen went from records to the real thing. It housed two separate stages so bands could perform at the same time during the regular rounds of Battle of the Bands and entertain the hundreds of teens who flocked there. In 1968, the Canteen moved to its last location on Bitters Road across from Northeast Stadium, the place it would occupy until it closed in 1977, a victim of the lowered drinking age and more generous all-ages policies.

In retrospect, the Teen Canteen was the staging ground for San Antonio’s vibrant rock & roll scene before the Beatles until the dawn of punk, and its roster of local and touring bands made it a gem in the crown of Texas music. The Teen Canteen gave many San Antonio and area bands their start, including the Laughing Kind, Homer, the Chayns, the Outcasts, Swiss Movement, Virgil Foxx, the Zilches, Rocksand, Castle, Spook Julius, Mr. Moose, Meadow, Mourning Dove, Stillwater, Excalibur, Nassur Blue, United, and Island.

Those bands and/or members of them will be performing at Samstock. Teen Canteen owner and promoter Sam Kinsey will be in attendance. For website updates and band times, see http://www.mikesbandarchive.com/news

Samstock: the Teen Canteen Reunion 2009 takes place at Floore’s Country Store, 14492 Old Bandera Rd., on Sun. Aug. 23, 4-midnight. Cover is $10, the memories are free.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND PHOTOS

Neka Scarbrough-Jenkins, 210-573-6352

Margaret Moser, 512-292-3005

* www.mikesbandarchive.com, click "news" for event updates and info
* teencanteensa@gmail.com
* Friends of Teen Canteen San Antonio (facebook)

Why even consider nuclear when Geothermal energy which is clean, reliable and abundant in South Texas has yet to be exploited?

Here's a major event that is especially important since geothermal energy is proposed as a viable, steady, reliable and non-radioactive alternative to expansion of the South Texas Nuclear Project. If after all the possible geothermal resources have been exhausted then perhaps it will be time to look at nuclear.

The San Antonio Geothermal Symposium, is Saturday, September 19, 2009, at Trinity’s Chapman Center Auditorium.

Speakers will discuss the feasibility of residential and commercial geothermal air conditioning and electricity generation. The talks will be geared to the public as well as to energy professionals.

Please come to explore this often neglected generation source in which Texas has the potential to be the number one producer. South Texas has a particular feasibility for geothermal air conditioning and electricity generation. Geothermal is a clean, reliable source of energy that uses mature technology and is fuel-free. The cost and payback time for residential and small business geothermal are roughly equivalent to those of solar photovoltaics. The cost for central geothermal in Texas is projected to be lower than elsewhere because previously drilled spent oil and gas wells can be used for geothermal piping.

Registration starts at 8 am. The program runs from 9 am to 12:10 pm and then from 1 pm to 4 pm. Link to pdf of agenda.

Maria Richards , coordinator of Southern Methodist University’s Geothermal Laboratory, Stathis Michaelides, Chairman of the UTSA Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Glenn Kroeger, Chair of the Trinity University Department of Geosciences, will be among several speakers at this event.

The cost is $25 ($12 for students)

Registration includes continental breakfast, lunch and symposium presentations. Registered Professional Engineers will receive a certificate for 4.0 professional development hours.

The registration deadline is September 12. Seating is limited so registrations will be accepted on a first- received basis until the auditorium capacity is reached. Register by submitting the registration form or by calling 210-999-7601. Link to registration form.

The Chapman Center is located on the western edge of the Trinity University campus. Free campus parking is available in any student or faculty lot for this event. However, parking is not allowed on Rosewood Street. Link to map of Trinity University. Location of auditorium on Google Map.

The San Antonio Geothermal Symposium is sponsored by the Trinity University Engineering Science Department in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council Central Texas – Balcones Chapter, San Antonio Environmental Policy Office, San Antonio Clean Technology Forum, and University of Texas at San Antonio Mechanical Engineering Department.

Geothermal Resources of Bexar County

Don't miss the week of Design for our Westside Creeks. All sessions open to the public!

The re-creation of our creeks could transform neighborhoods from TJHS to Prospect Hill. This is a very important process to be aware of and to be involved in. Imagine our creeks turned from ditches into things of beauty and pride.

Bihl Haus co-produced dance at the Carver, Saturday August 22, 2009

From the Bihl Haus Arts Complex:

Dear Friends, of Bihl Haus Arts,

Please help support Bihl Haus by attending one of the most beautiful dance performances you'll see all year in San Antonio! RAMAYANA, the classical Indian dance co-produced by Bihl Haus right here in San Antonio, premieres this Saturday, Aug. 22nd, 6:30 pm at THE CARVER (Jo Long) THEATER, 226 N. Hackberry. The production is directed and choreographed by Dr. Sreedhara, founder of Kaveri Natya Yoga, our partner. Principle Indian dancers are coming from New York, San Diego and across Texas to perform. The cast is also made up of dancers from San Antonio, too, including the very elegant Dr. Rajam Ramamurthy, director of the Arathi School of Indian Dance.

RAMAYANA will be danced in the tradition of Bharathanatyam, an ancient Indian form. Sculptural in execution, this dance style employs meaningful hand positions and precise leg and footwork to tell a classic story of the triumph of good over evil. Dancers--forty, yes forty of them!!!--don intricate hand-made costumes in brilliantly colored silks lavishly adorned with beads and ribbons. Each dancer wears tinkling brass ankle bells that create rhythm in response to the slap! of a full flat bare foot. Male dancers are bare chested save for suspender-like straps and golden pectoral chains. Elegant female dancers are coiffed in flowers and ribbons. Their long thick black braids fly behind them as they gracefully spin and dip to exquisite music--music produced and recorded in India specifically for this production and featuring some of India's finest traditional musicians.

This performance of RAMAYANA is the first fundraiser of the year for Bihl Haus Arts. We hope that you'll help support Bihl Haus by purchasing your tickets today, priced at a very reasonable $10 general/$5 seniors, children & military w/ ID. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com, by calling 800-745-3000, at all Ticketmaster outlets, including HEB, or by calling the Carver Box Office, at 210-207-2234.

We hope to see you at The Carver Theater, 226 N. Hackberry, on Saturday, August 22nd, at 6:30 pm!

Historic Home Fair set to help homeowners cope with historic district regulations: August 29, 2009 at Municipal Auditorium

From 9 am to 1 pm on Saturday August 29 at the Municipal Auditorium, the City's Office of Historic Preservation will present a Historic Home Fair intended to help homeowners in the city's myriad of historic districts cope with regulations required for renovation within them.

The event is free and open to the public. Planned sessions include how to improve energy efficiency in acceptable ways, repairing required wood frame windows and what sort of additions to your property that the city might find acceptable.

These sessions are sure to be a big help to homeowners and remove some of the uncertainty that comes with needing approval before beginning changes to your property.

The office is seeking exhibitors for an Exhibitor's fair with products and services of interest to owners of homes within the historic districts.

"Heroes of the Game" Four Square in its true perspective

Thanks to Jefferson United Methodist Church and other generous donors our neighborhood now boasts not only a refurbished basketball court but a refurbished "4-Square". This video explains the game as well as any. Like any game local rule variations apply.



For more information check out www.squarefour.org , gameskidsplay.net, and of course Wikipedia.

Like kickball and dodgeball but in a much, much smaller way, adults have come back to 4 Square to recapture the thrill of youthful competition. A "world's championship" has been held the past few years in Bridgton Maine which has attracted dozens and dozens of spectators and participants. Competition is open people of all ages, shapes and sizes who appear and pay a modest fee. The event is a fundraiser for Lakes Environmental Association.

Is a Texas Four Square Championship in the works for the Jefferson UMC court? It could be a fun collaborative fundraiser for the church and/or various neighborhood associations.

Jefferson Unitied Methodist refurbishes Basketball and 4 Square play area and opens it to the neighborhood

Jefferson United Methodist Church has reached out to the Jefferson area with a gift of play space for adults and children. With the help of some donors they have refurbished the playing area that was once a center of neighborhood and church basketball competition and opened it again to the public.

The court directly across from TJHS has four baskets and a "4 Square" play area. To help make it work for everyone they have laid out the following ground rules:

1. The court is to be used for basketball and "4 Square" only.
2. Basketball games are to be played to a maximum of 15 points (1 basket= 1 [point).
3. The winning team may play until it loses.
4. The church and its ministries have first priority over use of the courts.
5. All four baskets are for everyone's use: men, women, girls and boys.
6. No fighting is allowed.
7. Treat others with respect.
8. Pick up trash and keep the area clean.
9. No alcohol or drugs are allowed.
10. No skateboards, bikes, roller blades or skates are allowed.
11. No vehicles of any kind are allowed
12. No parking is allowed.

If these rules are followed we can enjoy a harmonious addition to our neighborhood. So take a walk around our beautiful neighborhoods, our beautiful high school and take a look at our new play area.

Reform Reality Check: Reform will benefit small business - not burden it

Reform Reality Check: Vets' health care is safe and sound

Health care reform will reduce rationing of care. Insurance companies do it all the time. Reform will reduce it.

Health Insurance Reform Consumer Protections: The Security You get from health insurance reform

From: http://www.whitehouse.gov/health-insurance-consumer-protections/
THE SECURITY YOU GET from health insurance reform:

* No Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions
* Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.
* No Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays
* Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.
* No Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care
* Insurance companies must fully cover, without charge, regular checkups and tests that help you prevent illness, such as mammograms or eye and foot exams for diabetics.
* No Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill
* Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping or watering down insurance coverage for those who become seriously ill.
* No Gender Discrimination
* Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging you more because of your gender.
* No Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage
* Insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive.
* Extended Coverage for Young Adults
* Children would continue to be eligible for family coverage through the age of 26.
* Guaranteed Insurance Renewal
* Insurance companies will be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full. Insurance companies won't be allowed to refuse renewal because someone became sick.

Health Care Reality Check FAQ

Facts about Health Care Reform: Payment if you want to make sure your doctor understands your living will

There is a lot to debate about the merits of any health care reform. It is a complex system which means that any change will have unexpected consequences. It will always be in need of reform and adjustment.

But the opposition to the changes being proposed are not based on fact. The corporations and their Republican allies are using fear and distortion rather than to debate the proposal on its merits.

When the debate becomes about the merits of consumer driven health insurance versus a single payer, versus regulated competition versus a single risk pool then it will become a reasonable debate.

Here is a calm, rational video which debunks one of their most outrageous lies.

Rachel Madow reveals Republicans behind fake grassroots effort to stop health reform.

From the corporations and millionairs who brought us swiftboating and Joe the Plumber comes anti-healthcare mobs.

Send a message to the mayor and city council: Halt the push for more nuclear power

Dear Mayor Julian Castro and City Council Members,

Please halt the push for nuclear power. San Antonio citizens can’t afford the huge rate hikes that would result. CPS Energy finally announced a cost estimate but provided no back up data on how they arrived at the figure. The $13 billion they announced is way too expensive, even though it’s clearly underestimated when compared with detailed independent analyses. Overruns last time ran six times over budget. Former NRC Commissioner Peter Bradford has said that our electric rates could increase 60% or more over the next ten years with more nuclear power.

The $5.2 billion that San Antonio would sink into the nuclear nightmare is mo ney that should instead be spent here in San Antonio, creating local jobs in energy efficiency, and developing clean renewable energy technologies including solar, wind and geothermal power.

Nuclear power creates security risks and radioactive waste can cause cancer and genetic damage, remaining dangerous for thousands to millions of years. Nukes consume vast quantities of precious water. 40,000 gallons of water would be consumed every minute at the South Texas Project if additional reactors are built. We can and must do better. Vote NO on nuclear. Thank you and I look forward to your reply.

Wording courtesy of Local Power / Energia Mia a local coalition opposing the CPS nuclear expansion.

Bihl Haus Arts announces August events

From Bihl Haus Arts:

We’re doing a bit of summer ‘traveling’ at Bihl Haus via some very cool programming in August. First, please join us this Saturday, Aug. 1, at 2 pm for a show-and-tell artist talk by Carolina Flores. Carolina will discuss her stunning installation Rio de Seda/River of Silk, currently on exhibit in the gallery, inspired by her fascination with the Alhambra, Spain’s classic example of Islamic architecture. Then on the following Saturday, Aug. 8, at 2 pm, UTSA History Professor Dr. Brian Davies brings Carolina’s work into historical perspective in his discussion of The Culture of Islamic Spain.

Still in the mood for a little more summer adventure, beauty, stimulation? Well then, we have the perfect program for you! Please join us at The Carver Theater on Saturday, August 22nd, at 6:30 pm, for Bihl Haus Arts’ first big stage production. We’ve partnered with Katveri Natya Yoga (Dr. Sreedhara’s troupe) to present a lyrical Indian dance interpretation of Ramayana. Ramayana is the story of the triumph of good over evil. This ennobling epic, originally written in Sanskrit by Sage Valmiki, has been re-visualized in several languages by numerous poets. This production of Ramayana, under the direction of Dr. Sreedhara, is based upon one of the most popular versions. The performance includes special guest appearances by dancers from New York and San Diego, as well as artists from Katveri Natya and the Arathi School of Indian Dance. Tickets ($10 adults/$5 seniors, students and military with ID) are available in advance beginning Aug. 1st at www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling 800-745-3000 or at the Carver Box Office (Ph: 207-2234). (A black-and-white poster for Ramayana is attached to this email. Please feel free to print and post it in conspicuous places!) More on Ramayana later in the month.

And finally, please mark Friday, August 28, 5:30-8:30 pm on your calendar for the opening reception of Objective Space. Artists David Almaguer, Rex Hausmann and Russell Stephenson, three members of the artists collective “Texas Cannons of Proportion,” commandeer the entire Bihl Haus space--real and imagined, positive and negative. They find inspiration in its physical and intellectual proportions. Their individual works will take over the windows, the fireplace, the trap door, and even the exterior to surround a collaborative installation in the center of the gallery. This is going to be a dynamic show! More, too, on this later in the month. So, come help us celebrate the end (we hope!) of a long hot summer at one or more of these spectacular events! See you soon at Bihl Haus!

Kellen

How the colorful concrete tile of the Jefferson neighborhood is made.

A number of houses in the Jefferson area have concrete tile on the porch or inside. It was all made here in town. But below is a video of concrete tile made in Morocco. If the same process is followed here, it is clear why it is costly at around $100 a square foot.

Concrete tile is also known as redondo or mission tile. It is still made in San Antonio. Redondo Tile is also the name of the company that sells handmade Mexican concrete tile in San Antonio. Their website redondotile.com has some beautiful examples of their installations. Art Tile, also located in San Antonio and selling Mexican made redondo tile among other styles has an interesting website as well.


The other day I spoke to a man who offered to sell me the equipment to make concrete tile for something around $25,000.

popham design from popham design on Vimeo.