Saturday, June 02, 2007

Yesterday

I played hooky and went to get Senator Kerry to sign his book for me:



(Sorry Bev, I didn't ask him about Ohio. His book is of course about the environment, and it would have been in poor taste to say: "Do you ever have second thoughts about not asking for a recount in Cuyahoga County?")

Update (6/7): Claudia Feldman was visibly irritated at having to cover the event.

Then I went to the College World Series at Reckling Park:



Rice spanked Prairie View 5-0. There was a large crowd, and Prairie View has some talented athletes -- including the son of former Reds outfielder Bobby Tolan -- but they were overmatched by the pitching and sound fundamentals of the Owls. A two-run home run by centerfielder Tyler Henley in the first inning gave Rice all they would need, but the poor Panthers committed four errors, at least three of them throwing, and two on a single play allowing two runs to score late.

They seemed a little intimidated at the fact they were in the CWS, and playing the #2 nationally ranked team, and they played like it.

When I got back home after being gone all afternoon and evening, Teddi was so excited that she vomited her dinner.

It was an eventful day.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

What to do in Houston this weekend (and this month)

First, from Houston's least obnoxious conservo-blog (Vikk does a good write-up but I edited some of his dry snark):

Brazos Bookstore (2421 Bissonnet) has a triple-header this weekend for H-Town's Democrats, liberals, and/or progressives and it begins tonight. ...

Thursday, May 31, 6:00 PM
What do you get when you combine California, the Beat Generation, and the 1960s? Apparently something called the "religion of no religion." Jeffrey Kripal explains it all tonight in his book ESALEN: America and the Religion of No Religion.

Friday, June 1, 12:00 -2:00 PM
It would seem that Senator Kerry is still looking for his moment. This time he--and his wife--have cast their eyes on the future and come up with a new book: THIS MOMENT ON EARTH: Today's Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future. This is a 2-hour event, so fans will probably want to get to the store early. ...

Saturday, June 2, 5:30-7:30 PM
Molly Ivins brought much joy and laughter to her audience. Saturday's event has been crafted to bring out the best of Molly and her friends with an open microphone, stories, and readings. "The Celebration of the Life and Work of Molly Ivins" festivities will include the following special guests: Lou Dubose, Molly's co-author; Charlotte McCann, publisher of the Texas Observer; Betsy Moon, Molly's "Chief of Stuff", the Chronicle's Leon Hale; and Andy and Carla Ivins. A "Special Molly Issue" of the Texas Observer will be available. There is a $10 cover charge to help defray the cost of refreshments and the bookstore asks that you bring the correct change. Since the wine and beer will be flowing, I'm sure you can expect the unexpected.


There's also these events ...

Annie's List training for potential political candidates (I can think of several local women I'd like to see run for office):

Are you a Democratic woman who has thought about running for office or would like to get more involved in helping local Democrats win? If so, Annie's List has an exciting opportunity for you to learn more about what it takes to run for office and win campaigns and network with like-minded women in Houston.

We are hosting a free campaign training during the day on Saturday, June 2nd that is available on a first come, first serve basis to all progressive, Democratic women. Topics such as fundraising, press relations, voter targeting, message development, planning to run for office and more will be covered. All meals and training materials are provided at no charge to participants who commit to stay for the entirety of the training (8:30am - 5:00pm).

Reserve your spot by REGISTERING ONLINE today as space is limited!
http://www.annieslist.com/register.php

Democracy for Houston is having a Presidential Debate Watch Party this Sunday evening. If you're tired of watching Grumpy Old Rich White Men arguing over who has the biggest penis, then you have another option, and that's to get a look at the next President -- and likely, Vice-President -- of the United States talk about an America without Bush's War and with health care for everyone. RSVP here.

Next Saturday the 9th the ROADWomen are having their "True Blue Texas Women" luncheon, with author Melinda Henneberger as one of the many keynoters. Look who else will be there:



Henneberger's publicist sent me a copy of If They Had Only Listened To Us and I'll have a review and excerpts next week in advance of this event.

And on Sunday the 10th is the Environmental Summit:

What's happening with the Houston region environment? How bad is it?

The people of Houston suffer the ill effects day in and day out and seem unable to make their voices heard by most elected officials. What can we do?

Come to the Environmental Summit on Sunday, June 10 from 1-5 p.m. at the University of Houston's University Center, 4800 Calhoun, to find out what's happening, who's working for the people of Houston, what you can do, and how we can all work together.

The event, sponsored by the Harris County Democrats progressive organization and the Billie Carr Institute, will feature a keynote by Houston Mayor Bill White and introductory comments by well-known environmental activist Jim Blackburn. In addition, Dr. Stephen Klineberg of Rice University will discuss survey research about environmental opinions and renowned climate change expert Jim Marston will speak, and a variety of environmental and political groups will offer comments about environmental goals, issues and key challenges in the near future.

The event's objectives are to broadly increase knowledge of environmental issues and introduce organizations to political activists of Harris County and surrounding areas. We hope to substantially increase interaction between people active in environmental issues and partisan politics. Ultimately, we'd like to plan future interactions for the coming election season.

Houston Region Sierra Club, GHASP (Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention), Mothers for Clean Air, Houston Audubon Society, Galveston Bay Foundation, Citizen's Environmental Coalition, AND Harris County Democrats, Bay Area New Democrats (BAND), and other Democratic organizations are
expected to participate.

Organizations are encouraged to invite their members and to staff tables with literature throughout the event in the main ballroom of UH's University Center.

No pre-registration required, $10 admission. Check www.harriscountydemocrats.org for more information.


Maybe I'll finally get to meet you at one of these this month?

Alas, there is more

"Separated at Birth":