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.

Michelle Bachman Katie Couric Brian Oxman Sarah Palin the musical

Here's an interview with Michael Gregory, one of the people behind Auto-Tune the News, from The New Anti-Social Interview.

"If it's Monday, It must be Murder" July 17 at St Paul Community Center

On Friday, July 17 at 7:30 pm, St Paul's Catholic Church presents a comedic mystery, "If it's Monday, it must be Murder" by Pat Cook.

In this throwback to the 1940s a left-foot-in-the-gumshoe private eye, Harry Monday, is on the job. And he's posing as a golf-playing psychiatrist at the Shady
Meadows Country Club. "A place where old polyester goes to die," says Harry,
after club members start dropping like divots on the duffer's course. And the
club members aren't much saner than he is. A prima donna club president, an astrological moonchild, a Wall Street ad man and, yes, even someone passing themself off as the twin of a missing club member, are all dropping red herrings in
their wake. Throw in a naive supervisor, a sultry hard-hearted dame and a surly
police sergeant and you have to figure If It's Monday, This Must Be Murder!

Tickets are $10 and available by calling the church at 210-736-0055.
Proceeds to benefit St. Paul Community Center.

Cool Crest in 2009. Still beautiful.

Cool Crest San Antonio 06 2009 creative commons IMG_0030, originally uploaded by wsssst.

This shot was taken through the fence. It looks like someone is still taking care of the course, though it has been closed for quite a while. It is so close to Martinez Creek which some day will be a park. Wouldn't Cool Crest make a great addition to it?

There are lots more pictures on Flickr of Cool Crest and of the Jefferson neighborhood area in my CC San Antonio set. All are published under creative commons so feel free to use them as you wish. Just click on the photo and it should take you to Flickr.

There's also a Facebook Cool Crest group with over 300 members to reach out to too.

Governor Perry finally receives the national attention he craves. Named number 1 by well known commentator.

Governor Perry has made it to number one, at least in the eyes of one commentator:

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