Since I’ve been working so hard on this new project for social change I thought I’d blog about it here to let everyone know of the subtle website launch last night. It will naturally evolve over time and eventually include other artists and information. The link is: http://www.artfortruth.info

Enjoy!

After reading the latest article in the Houston Press about the Elder Street Artist Lofts I was utterly disgusted. First of all I could not even figure out why the article was being written. I had heard it was going to be written about the process of getting into affordable living spaces for artists here in Houston. However, it turned out to be one big slam jam on the Elder St. Lofts spouting one negative comment after another.

I want to go on the record right now and say that just about every single piece of negative criticism written is completely false when it comes to my experience of getting into this space. The editor even hinted at getting my input numerous times as far back as one month before this article dropped. For reasons unknown I never received a call back even though I agreed more than once to help out. Instead, he decided to focus the story around one poor girl’s experience there and support the argument with rumors spouted by disgruntled people which are no longer there.
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So I’ve been really upset at the immigration situation lately and I think it should take priority over this unjust Iraq war. Especially if Bush REALLY IS concerned about the health of our Nation. I’m not racist. I am a fair person. Unfortunately things have gotten out of hand and now I am furious over illegals here. I don’t want my country to be a third world nation filled with sweatshops making inferior products for other countries around the world. That’s what’s going to happen if we give these people blanket amnesty. Don’t even get me started on the effects it will have on our economy (taxes) and benefits. Want to be an American citizen? Then follow the process and pay your dues. Otherwise I think you need to get the F*** out of here and go start a revolution in your own country. The La Raza movement is funded by the Bush family via Allen & Co. in Dallas. They want civil war on our streets and are making it happen. (Problem(Mexicans Want U.S. Land)-Reaction(Protests & Debates)-Solution(Amnesty & North American Union)). Anyway, Instead of detailing why I’m so upset about this stuff I’ll let Lou Dobbs do it for me. If you’re interested in hearing more about this I’d recommend watching some of his YouTube videos.

The Bush administration and the leadership of the Democratic Party are preparing to take another legislative leap at imposing a massive illegal alien amnesty on American citizens.

And the mainstream media is complicit in advancing this thinly veiled blanket amnesty. Instead of asking and answering important questions about why our immigration laws aren’t being enforced and why we’re permitting pervasive document fraud, the national media seems hell-bent on trying to obfuscate the issue, shamelessly playing with language, equating legal immigration with illegal immigration while obviously trying to preserve the illusion of objectivity.
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Quick poll!!! Do you: a) vote b) care about the future of politics c) love technology d) like free beer?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then you should hook up with us at the Houston NetSquared meetup on 7pm Tuesday, February 13th at the Stag’s Head Pub and chat with Silona Bonewald of the League of Technical Voters!

I know there are some Metblog readers with a political bent, so this might be a really good discussion for you to join. The League of Technical Voters is basically trying to change the future of policymaking by connecting lawmakers and voters with technology to keep everyone informed, motivated and action-oriented.

Surely you have an opinion on this - so come and share it… and drink some beer. Accessibility technology guru Sharron Rush from Austin’s Knowbility group will also be there to touch on other technology issues. Good times.

NBC is coming to Houston to check out possible contestants for a new show.

“Fortune” gives multimillionaires the opportunity to share their wealth and see firsthand how they can make a difference in the lives of people like you.

You don’t need to sing or dance or travel the world. All that’s required is a need for money and, most importantly, to be able to impress the judges — and ultimately the multimillionaires — with your story in just 60 seconds.

When & Where ?
Sunday, Jan. 7 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Marriott West Loop by The Galleria
1750 West Loop S.
Houston, TX 77027

Better plan on being there all day because if it is anything like any of the other reality show casting calls the line will be massive.

An update to yesterday’s Hometown Taliban.

An unnamed faithful reader points out that suspected terrorist guy #1 was in fact, here in the country legally. HCC says that they have a current I20 form on file for Adnan Mirza. Not being an immigration expert myself, I’ll have to take the Chrons word for it that that lets people stay here legally.

Oh yeah, and Kobie Williams has denounced it all. A complete change of heart. I’d say ‘yeah, getting arrested kinda does that to you‘ but it looks like he turned himself in!

Both lawyers representing Williams said they could not comment on whether their client knew federal officials were watching him or whether Williams led investigators to Mirza. Floyd said that Williams had been communicating with federal investigators for some time before he surrendered to U.S. marshals Tuesday.

Hmmm… thats interesting. Well, good for him and the whole “seeing the error of his ways” thing.

While I don’t always agree with David’s opinons, he wrote an interesting article on the Lone Star Times about connections these guys had to a particular mosque in Houston.

This year’s BikeHouston Moonlight Bicycle Ramble, is going down tomorrow, Sunday, October 29th at 2 AM CDT, or 1 AM CST (don’t forget about the time change!!).

The ride starts and finishes at the George R. Brown Convention Center (1001 Avenida de las Americas) and should be gobs of fun. You can register onsite at 11PM tonight. Cost is $25 a person.

If you’re not already familiar with the BikeHouston group, check out some of their riding and safety events and learn more about local biking/transit issues here.

Thanks to Jason the Wacky Canadian for the heads up

Several days ago, Hesam’s entry described how wonderful the cool weather was, and I couldn’t agree more. It was nice to feel the coolness for a change. Otherwise, there’s no such thing as autumn or winter in Houston!

This weekend, however, is anything but the cool weather we just had those several days before. It was raining on and off all day yesterday, and it then rained over night. Go outside and look at all the floods on the roads and streets! I did that last night, and the water was above my ankles! Just minutes before though, Chron.com reported that southeast Texas was under a tornado watch because of all the thunderstorms and rain we’ve been having. Stay safe and dry and be careful when driving, everyone! Very slippery out there!

*Note: Photo courtesy of Chron.com.

Houstonist is having a meetup:

We’re working under the assumption that you haven’t made plans for after work Wednesday, Aug. 2, yet (and that if you have, you’re about to change them). Houstonist will be having our first happy hour that day — we’re calling it “Happyist,” because that’s how we roll — and you’re invited. Did we mention we’re buying you drinks?

So, the details: Come by Poison Girl between about 6ish and 8ish, have a drink on our tab (until the tab runs out, that is) and meet us Houstonists. We’ve been woefully slow in getting official Houstonist schwag, but we think we still have a couple of highly coveted Houstonist pinewood derby T-shirts and an orange vinyl Astodome coin purse we can give away. Uh, anyone wanna help us out with some prizes?

Houstonist Happyist
6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 2
Poison Girl
1641 Westheimer Road

Perhaps if folks from Houston Metroblogs, the Chron.Commons, the Geeks Who Gather, BlogHouston, and Lone Star Times show up and ply him with much of a muchness of alcohol, he might be convinced to link to other local blogs a bit more often and build up the Bayousphere.

So as of June 1, hurricane season is back. How well prepared do you think we are to handle any upcoming crises? Stocking up on bottled water and canned goods is one thing, but how are we as a city going to deal with potential communication challenges?

Last year’s mass Houston exodus from Hurricane Rita was atrocious and fatal - I personally feel like a lot of that could’ve been avoided with more efficient and accurate communication. And what about on a national level with Hurricane Katrina - there were some major issues going on coordinating relief efforts, evacuations, alerts, etc. We were seriously unprepared.

My point isn’t to beat a dead horse, but seriously - are things any better this year? Granted not everything can change overnight (or in one year), but do you feel good about where we are?

If you are technologically inclined and this is an issue that matters to you, you really need to go to the Refresh Houston meeting tonight at the Buddha Lounge (2670 Sage Road).

They’ll be discussing pro-active technology solutions to make sure we don’t face the same issues again. With basic formats - like Common Alert Protocol (CAP), People Finder Information Format (PFIF) and microformats - there’s no reason we can’t communicate efficiently in times of crisis - on a local, national or even international level. It’s all about working together and being prepared. Hope to see you there!