A.I. (After Ike) - Reality Sets In

It's been nearly a week since Ike slammed into the Houston/Galveston area, and for the most part things are still pretty screwed up.

In spite of it all, I have to say that actually God was very good to this area because since the storm we've had a cold front that's kept the temperatures in the mid 70's. That is a blessing any way you look at it because normally we'd be in the 90's, and with heat like that, no air conditioning, and everything else going, I'm not sure people would be as calm and patient as they have been.

It's going to take a long, long time to get this placed cleaned up. For example, the tree in the picture above is about 70 years old and is currently sitting on top of my man p.buzz's house. There are long lines for gas, the grocery stores don't have many of the necessary staples (milk, meat, etc.), the power is still out in most of the city, and just like during Katrina, FEMA in the form of Michael Chertoff shows up four days late. Not to mention the unsolved mystery of what happened to all of the people who stayed on Galveston Island during the storm. Officials aren't talking, and I just pray for their safety.

Since Katrina in 2005, the insurance companies have pulled a fast one. They now write hurricane and wind damage waivers into the homeowners insurance policies that we're all required to have. These waivers call for deductibles based on a percentage of the amount the property is insured for rather than a flat rate. So your hurricane coverage that used to have a $1000 deductible for a $100,000 insurance policy for example, is now $5,000 based on 5% of the insured amount. Wind, hail, tornados, and flood are all seperate polices. Prepare to hear stories from all kinds of people who are about to get screwed because the insurance companies are simply not going to pay. Also get ready to see a lot of reconstruction NOT taking place as homeowners will simply not be able to afford it.

Y'all know the old parable about those not learning from history being doomed to repeat it, right? Well I think we're going to be repeating this process over and over again.

Now don't get me wrong, area governments have done a pretty good job of providing basic necessities while working to get things back on track. But I'm really talking about how fragile our situation is here in this country (and globally) and the fact that no disaster plan seems to work as designed because we depend on a national/global grid for all of our needs.

Food. Power. Water. Everything.

And when any section of that grid is disrupted, it affects everyone, everywhere. The easy example is the price of gas. With the refineries off line here on the Gulf Coast, prices have gone up everywhere because the supply of gasoline has been disrupted. So even in an area where the vast majority of the countries gasoline is refined, the price is still high and we're waiting 30 minutes or more to fill up.

That in turn has affected the availability of food. Because most food is not produced anywhere close to where it is consumed, when the trucks can't bring it in (because of the shortage of fuel), then that particular region suffers through shortages. Like we're seeing now. Thankfully the water supply wasn't disrupted for an extended period of time. I'd hate to see what would happen in a situation like that.

Now I know you can't undo 50 years of globalization in an instant. What I do think is that people themselves better think of how they're going to provide for their critical needs and necessities in times of crisis. With the frequency of disasters hitting this country, the time seems to be approaching where those who don't produce at least some of their own food, aren't going to be eating. Some long term family planning is in order.

Like I said, things are calm here and everyone is patiently waiting for life to return to normal. I just hope and pray that the power comes back on before the sun comes back out.

Hurricane Ike - The Aftermath

Ike gave us his worst, but we survived; a little tattered and torn, but alive nonetheless. As bad as this has been for us out here on the southwest edge of the Houston metro area, it is much worse inside the city and especially down on the coast in Galveston.

Our power is already back on for example, while it could be weeks before the rest of the city can say the same. Many of the grocery and hardware stores and gas stations are open as well. The lines to get into anywhere are ridiculously long, and from what I can tell, most of the staple supplies are just not available in any real quantities yet. But you can load up on junk food, and I guess that's better than nothing. Not much better, but a little.

So what happened during the night? Well, as you read in my previous post, we hunkered down in the safe room and were waiting for the main body of the storm to hit. The funny thing is that by the time that occurred, we were all exhausted and fell sound asleep on the floor. We didn't wake up until the worst had passed! I've always told my daughter that she could sleep through a hurricane and now I have the proof. Although I guess she can say the same about me. We were back up by 5:30 AM and inspected the house and discovered a couple of leaks. There wasn't much we could do about it at that time, except catch the water in pots.

We sustained some damage to our roof that was easily patched up, but not before some water got into the house. Our trees took a beating too, especially the avocado tree we've been waiting 6 years to produce fruit. Next summer was supposed to be the time, but after being uprooted and replanted, I'm not sure if it's natural schedule will be delayed. Our banana trees weren't exactly built to withstand winds that high either.

In the aftermath, I set up our generator and plugged in the freezer. We took in some stray food from our neighbors, and charged up cell phones for others. Speaking of cell phones, as usual, the only thing that works is text messaging, which is better than nothing. So we shot texts off to friends and family around the country to let them know we were safe, and then began the process of cleaning up.

Around our neighborhood roofs, fences, and uprooted trees seem to be the order of the day. Thankfully no injuries or deaths out here that I've heard about. Late last night the power came back on, and things are taking on some semblance of normalcy for us out here.

In other words we were blessed beyond belief.

The same can't be said for the rest of the region. This was a really big storm, and most of the people in the area not in mandatory evacuation zones stayed put. If the current death toll (21) holds, it'll be nothing short of a miracle. The Houston Chronicle has been doing a great job reporting on this storm and it's aftermath so I'd suggest visiting them if you want a lot more detail than I can provide in this post. But the amount of property damage appears staggering and it's going to take the region a while to recover from this one. Since we were spared the worst, I'll be heading into town tomorrow to do what I can to help out.

Most likely volunteering with one of those community organizations that have been so disparaged as of late.

Live Blogging Ike - It's Getting Ugly

Ike has most definitely arrived. Not sure how this is will to work out, but I'm going to try and post an update from my old Ipaq phone. That's because the power went out around 11PM and the computer is not available. There's no telling when the power will be back on. Maybe hours, or days. The storm hadn't even made it ashore yet before the power went, which seems unusual. Once the power went out, we decided to try and get some sleep before the storm really hit. That lasted for a couple of hours until the winds and noise picked up. We're in our safe area but I've looked outside a couple times. The winds are so strong our trees are leaning to the left and being buffeted around. You can hear the rain hitting the windows and it sounds like they're being sandblasted. You hear it all the time, but the rain is blowing sideways. We are hearing some strange noises that we can't figure out exactly what they are yet. We're listening to the radio and the eye of the storm is over Clear Lake, and we still apparently have hours to go before this thing is done. I'll be back when I can.

Hurricane Ike - An Inside Look

Ok, I'm back. Again. And what better time to come back from my self-imposed blogging hiatus than during a hurricane. So here I am.

To say a lot has been going on the past few weeks is a definite understatement. Politics, weather, life, death, we've been through it all lately. I'm not even going to try and catch up on everything that's occurred since that last post, but I will try and provide a glimpse into what's happening here in the Houston area right now, and it can be summed up in one word.

Ike.

That's right, Ike has come calling, and like an unwanted party crasher, he's acting like a true fool. Right now, Galveston is in his sights, but we expect to feel the full brunt of the storm soon. Luckily for us, we're not in the surge zone, so water is not an issue. But we do expect some serious wind and rain.

By the way, where's President Bush? Haven't seen him at all since this whole situation developed. I mean, he was so involved "monitoring" Hurricane Gustav a couple of weeks ago that he couldn't even attend his own parties convention. What's different about this situation, or was that all about *gasp* politics? Oh, wait a minute,turns out he's fundraising.

But I digress. Since yesterday when Ike's path became clear, the whole area has been preparing. A lot of people in the surge zone evacuated, but apparently nearly half of the people in Galveston decided to stay put. This despite the fact that local officials told them in no uncertain terms that no help would be coming once the storm got close. I pray they don't live to regret that decision, but looking at it right now, I'm pretty sure they will. The storm hasn't even hit yet and a good portion of the island is already flooded.

We decided to stay put too, for several reasons. One, we're not in surge zone. Second, we're pretty far inland, and our house is only 8 years old and seems to be pretty well built. And third, we evacuated when Hurricane Rita threatened the area in 2005, and that was an experience I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Still, I hope we don't end up regretting our decision to stay either.

Like I said, we've been preparing. The gas tanks are full, all potential projectiles are cleared from the yard, we've laid in a supply of food and water, the generator is tuned up with plenty of fuel on hand, and eventually, I'll shut down all of the electronics in the house, including computers. One thing we did not do was board up the windows, but we've scouted out the strongest point in our house to shelter at during the worst of the storm.

So now we wait.

The craziest thing so far has not been the amount of effort it taken to prepare. Nor the anxiety of waiting to see if it's coming directly towards us or not. No, the really crazy thing that has been taking up most of my time is fielding all of the calls from family, friends, and current and former business acquaintances from around the country. And while I really appreciate the concern, we are kind of busy down here y'all. I promise we will call as soon as we can after this thing is over. In the meantime, no news is good news.

We are expecting Ike to show up sometime in the early morning hours, and have been told to expect the power to go out soon thereafter. I'm not sure how long it's supposed to be out, but some of the folks who remember Hurricane Alicia back in 1983 said it took nearly two weeks to restore the power to all areas. Man, I hope that is not the case this time around. There's only so much power that my little generator can provide, and that doesn't include air conditioning. And y'all know we are pretty much dependent on the AC down here, especially during this time of year. In fact, I don't think Houston would be the 4th biggest city in the country without it. Suffice it to say, I'm not looking forward to that.

What has been cool is my ten year old's response to this event. Talk about a learning and growing experience. She has been as helpful as she can be, and has been asking a ton of great questions. She's also taken it upon herself to monitor the news for us, providing updates whenever she feels the situation has changed, or there is something newsworthy to report. Even though I can tell she's nervous about the whole 'sheltering in place' ordeal, in her own words she's "nervous but still excited to see what's going to happen." Ahh, youth.

Anyway, I hope that gives you a little peek into what's happening on this end. The winds are picking up right now, but still no rain. I'll try to jump back on soon to update. In the meantime if you're so inclined, send up a little prayer for the safety and protection of life and property for your friends down here in Texas.

We'll definitely need it.

Still Not Packed? Might As Well Move To Texas - Part II

I told y'all you might as well move to Texas a couple weeks ago. One of our blog buddies took our advice and moved to Arlington. 38,932 more of you moved to Houston alone, which according to the latest Census Bureau report, is one of the fastest growing cities in the country.

While New Orleans had the biggest percentage growth (mainly people returning post-Katrina), Houston added more people than any other city in the country. And it has plenty of company from other Texas cities.

— Texas cities showed rapid growth: Houston added the most people, with 38,932 new residents; San Antonio, Fort Worth and Austin were among the top 10 in numerical increases; and McKinney, Denton and Killeen were among the top 10 in percentage increases.

And if that's not reason enough for you, how about this?

Texas is king when it comes to doing business. That's according to CNBC's just-released ranking of America's Top States for Doing Business-2008.

The Lone Star State unseated last year's No. 1, Virginia, which fell to No. 2. Rounding out the top five are Utah, Idaho and Colorado, in that order. Texas ranked 2nd on last year's list.

So to all of you newcomers and those of you on your way, the only advice I can give is that when you're looking for a house to buy or rent, pick a quadrant of town and stick with it. Preferably close to your job or business. Or near your friends and family. Trying to search the whole city is a fools errand, and a drive across town down here is a day trip.

Also drive like you mean it. For example from 19 Rules of Driving in Houston;

Under no circumstances should you leave a safe distance between you and the car in front of you no matter how fast you're going. If you do, the space will be filled in by somebody else putting you in an even more dangerous situation.

Finally, as the Joe Horn case should have demonstrated to the whole world by now, you should always assume that anyone you're talking to down here has a gun and is not afraid to use it. In fact, they might be downright eager too.

Other than that, welcome to Texas!

And here is the rest of it.

Tony Chase Joins Team Obama

Team Obama just got stronger in Texas. Houston's Tony Chase has left the board of the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank to devote more time to the Barack Obama campaign. From the Chronicle:

Saying he wanted to focus more attention on presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, Houston businessman Tony Chase announced his resignation today as deputy chairman and director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

I've known Tony for years, and he's one of the most successful Black businessmen here in Houston. In the country in fact. He also teaches law at the University of Houston. But that's not the reason I'm happy he's joining the Obama campaign.

Instead, I'm more pleased because I know Tony's work as a philanthropist and his support of programs and efforts to bridge the technology gap and support technology education. The photo above was taken at an event last year where nearly 100 refurbished pc's (one guess who did the refurbishing) were distributed to low income individuals who completed a computer education course through a nonprofit effort that he founded.

In other words, while he has a knack for making a lot of money, it's not all about the money. His heart is in both worlds and I think those character aspects will serve the Obama campaign well.

C.O. Bradford For Harris County D.A.

Sorry for getting the word out so late.

The following is not a paid political advertisement; rather it's posted here at the request of my friend's Mike Jones and Odell Winn. Come on out and support the Democratic candidate for the Harris County D.A. race.

You are cordially invited to attend a Fundraising Reception

for

C. O. “BRAD” BRADFORD

Candidate for Harris County District Attorney

Hosted by

Odell Winn & Laurence Humphries

Co-hosted by Derrick Mitchell, Billy Briscoe, Damon Mattox, Ernesto Simon, Esq., LaRence Snowden, Mike Jones, and Brooklyn Guillory

At the home of

ODELL & CHRISTIAN WINN

407 OTTO COURT

BELLAIRE, TEXAS 77401

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

6:00 PM ‐8:00 PM

Suggested contribution level - $50.00 Please make your checks payable to: C.O. Bradford Campaign

Also contributions can be made online at www.cobradford.com

To RSVP or for further information please contact Wendy Richard at 713-621-1161 or wendy@cobradford.com

You Might As Well Move To Texas

It's official. For those of you who aren't already here, you might as well move to Texas. MSNBC ranks the Top 10 Best Places To Live in the U.S. last week, and three Texas cities landed on the list: No. 8 Austin, No. 7 San Antonio, and No. 4 Houston.

Hey, it's good to get a little positive press, and the economy on this end does seem to be doing a little better than in other cities. The article says about Houston

“Back with a roar after the oil bust of the 1980s, Houston has reclaimed its title as energy capital of the U.S. and added aerospace, technology and medical companies to the mix, generating more than 100,000 jobs in 2007,” gushes Kiplinger, which puts Houston, Texas, as its No. 1 best place (it was Forbes’ No. 40 this year and was Money’s No. 3 in 2007).

However, one of the things I like best about this city is the skyscraper architecture, and I thought I'd post a few pictures I've taken from around town.

The picture displayed in the banner of this blog was taken from the roof of the Hotel Magnolia in downtown Houston, and the skyline view at the top of this post was taken from a park in the Heights area.

The photo on the top left is of the old and new Harris County Courthouses, with the county offices (and jail) between them.

The shot on the top right was taken during this years International Festival and shows Heritage Plaza on the right corner.

Finally, on the bottom left is probably Houston's most distinctive skyscraper, the Bank of America Center.

On the bottom right is Minute Maid Park with the roof closed, where I watched the Astros get destroyed by the Yankees 8-4 yesterday.

This of course doesn't begin to cover all of the skyscraper architecture in this city. In fact, it only covers the downtown area. There are at least 5 other major business district concentrations in the city and others in the suburbs. I'll leave those pictures for another post, or you can go here, or here, for more information and pictures.

So y'all come on down. There's plenty to do and see, and maybe next time, we'll include a few of those things.

And to the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, just drop the check in the mail.

Community Organizing 101

We've been pretty much inundated with "Why Hillary Lost" posts from all over the internet. So just to be different I'd like to point you to a "How Obama Won" post instead over at Jack and Jill Politics, and to use that example to reiterate why the current 50 state strategy being carried out by the Obama campaign is the right thing to do.

As a reader at JJP stated:

Barack Obama did what the 'Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy' couldn't do: He beat the Clintons.

And, he learned the foundation of how to do it in the Projects on the South Side of Chicago. Obama learned, through that job, the skill of community organizing. How, when faced with an entity more powerful, that one small voice maybe can't make a difference, but joining together hundreds , then thousands of small voices brings a loud chorus that can't be ignored.

Having done a little community organizing myself in a previous life, I know how frustrating, but ultimately effective it can be. I agree with Jack and Jill's conclusion, that

...Barack Obama benefited in one way from a long primary season: he was able to build an organization, from the ground up, in all 50 states. He can attempt to compete in places where Democrats used to just give up to the Republicans without a second thought. I believe this is a headstart of huge proportions for him over John McCain.

How about competing in Texas for example?

I keep saying that if the national Democrats put any kind of money and resources into this state, they may be pleasantly surprised by the results. Even if Obama doesn't carry the state, the effect of his candidacy and active campaigning on behalf of down ticket races has the potential to be huge. Remember what happened in Dallas in 2006? Not to mention the election of a new D.A. who has made it his mission to make sure everyone is treated equally in the eyes of the law, and to clear the jails of the wrongfully convicted.

And that's just the beginning. With a disgraced D.A. having been forced from office and what I hope will be a better alternative running for the position; multiple judgeships on the line, and a vulnerable U.S. Senator in John Cornyn who is facing a formidable challenger in Rick Noriega, Houston and Harris County are primed for the same sort of thing this year, and the Republicans know it. Democrats also have real opportunities to make gains in the Texas State Legislature, and to retain the seat in Congressional District 22 (my home district, Tom Delay's old stomping grounds), currently held by Nick Lampson.

So yeah, I'm all for a 50 state strategy, especially as long as the Lone Star State is one of those we're competitive in. Because ultimately, as the old saying goes, all politics are local.

Texas Democratic Convention - Part II, The Wrap Up

Since I wasn't at this weekend's convention in Austin, I've been depending on the bloggers who were there for the low down. Here's a wrap up of convention related posts from Texas bloggers.

Musings has the kickoff video up and comments regarding the Presidential primary:

On the day Hillary conceded there was a lot of ungracious winning going on. Give us a minute and we'll unite. We aren't going to let McCain win. But, give us just a few moments, OK?

Here's a link to all of the speeches, including Chelsea Clinton's.

Jobsanger reports on the actual delegate counts from the Texas Two-Step primary/caucus.

Total Delegates -- 7,239

Obama Delegates -- 4,144 (57.3%)

Clinton Delegates -- 3,088 (42.7%)

Undecided Delegates -- 7

I hope this puts to rest the argument over who won Texas. Barack Obama won Texas and has over 57% of her delegates.

Brains and Eggs has the story and the results of the State Party Leadership Elections, carried by incumbent Boyd Richie against challenges from David Van Os and Roy Laverne Brooks.

From Texas Politics we learn that Al Edwards

...lost his seat on the Democratic National Committee to state Sen. Royce West of Dallas in an election for one of the national board seats allocated to the state Black Caucus.

and that Houston's

Lenora Sorola-Pohlman was elected vice chair of the state party at the Texas Democratic Convention.

The Texas Observer Blog has a good piece up about U.S. Senate candidate Rick Noriega, who is mounting a challenge to incumbent John Cornyn. I especially liked this part:

He also stressed that Texas needed to become a leader in energy independence. He said that our dependence on fossil fuels was a national security issue.

...As a Lieutenant Colonel in the National Guard who has fought in Afghanistan, he said he was well acquainted with the scarcity of resources such as oil and water forcing America to be involved in different parts of the world.

Off the Kuff has a nice roundup posted with links to pictures from fellow bloggers.

Finally, I know all of you conventioneers had a great time and are all fired up and all, but this wasn't the Super Bowl. Y'all didn't have to burn down the Governor's Mansion, did you?

If anyone has a link to the 2008 Platform, I sure would appreciate it., but overall, the Democratic Party in Texas looks like its fired up and ready to roll. This state should be in play in November if the national party puts any kind of time and resources into it.

Also There... Already is going to make a point of getting to the convention and other political gatherings in 2010 and beyond because the blogger pool could use just a little bit of our type of diversity. Hey, I'm just saying. This will be the last time AfroSpear bloggers will not be in attendance, I personally guarantee it.

That's it for now and nice job to all of the bloggers that were there for keeping us informed.

Spelling Bee y Certamen De Ortograficá

Anybody out there ever watch the National Spelling Bee? It is as intense as any major sporting event, and this year was no exception. If you haven't ever taken the time to indulge, do. From the Associated Press:

...13-year-old (Sameer Mishra) from West Lafayette, Ind., who often had the audience laughing with his one-line commentaries, was all business when he aced "guerdon" — a word that appropriately means "something that one has earned or gained" — to win the 81st version of the bee Friday night.

Sameer, appearing in the bee for the fourth time and a top 20 finisher the last two years, clenched both fists and put his hands to his face after spelling the winning word. He won a tense duel over first-time participant Sidharth Chand, 12, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., who finally stumbled on "prosopopoeia," a word describing a type of figure of speech.

...The first-place finish won him $35,000 in cash and more than $5,000 in other prizes.

So who knew spelling could be so lucrative? You might want to point this out to your kids as they're practicing for their weekly tests. Here's a short video.

And then there's this, from the Chronicle:

As if spelling obscure, multisyllabic words in a single language wasn't difficult enough, 25 students from schools in Houston and Mexico competed Saturday in a bilingual spelling bee.

...The third- through sixth-grade competitors in the Maseca Bilingual Spelling Bee at Houston Baptist University were asked to spell words in Spanish, including the accent marks. They then had to translate the word and spell it in English.

...The bee originated 13 years ago in Ricardo Paras' fifth-grade bilingual class at Mission West Elementary School in the Fort Bend school district. He was disappointed when he learned that his Hispanic students were leery of participating in the school's regular spelling bee.

They were intrigued when he promised to start up a bilingual bee. From there, the idea flourished and in 1997, he organized his first regional spelling bee. Soon, students from other countries, including Mexico and Costa Rica, were attracted to the bee. Eight of the competitors in Saturday's bee were from schools in Mexico.

"I want not only Hispanic kids, but I want all of our children to be bilingual ... to have that global advantage," Paras said. "We want the kids to be proficient in both languages."

...The winner breezed through her last two words. Eleven-year-old Bianca Jun Im of Mexico City accurately spelled "rehén," which means "hostage," and "cocinero," or "cook."

I think that's a pretty cool idea. I took quite a few years of high school and college level Spanish and can communicate but am nowhere close to fluent. I wish I would have started learning the Spanish language and others a lot earlier in life.

With so many Spanish speakers here in Texas and literally a whole Spanish speaking world just across the Rio Grande stretching to the tip of South America, I think it would be a smart thing if our kids could all communicate with so many more people who inhabit our world.

Both stories show that academics are cool and can be pretty competitive, a lesson all of our kids should be taught.

When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong

I have this strange opinion that after you reach a certain station in life, you're supposed to leave the foolishness of your past behind. Looking at the legions of rappers, ball players, and entertainers who just stay in trouble over dumb stuff only reinforces that opinion. Dave Chappelle did a skit on his short-lived, but funny tv show called "When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong." You can figure out the premise, and here's a real life example:

State Rep. Borris Miles pleaded not guilty at his arraignment this morning in a Harris County court.

Miles, a Houston Democrat, ...was indicted April 14 on two counts of deadly conduct stemming from complaints that he had brandished a pistol and made threats at two parties in December.

...party host David Harris, decided to press charges after a drunken Miles shocked guests with loud, profane language, grabbed his face and planted a Godfather-style "kiss of death" on his cheeks. Harris also said Miles handed him a pistol and declared, "You don't know what I'm capable of doing."

Miles, in his first term representing District 146, which includes Sunnyside and the Third Ward, lost his re-election bid in the March Democratic primary to former state Rep. Al Edwards.

There's a lot more to this case, and I wish my boy @pbuzz would come in out of the cold for a little while, because I know he has the lowdown. All I can say is that sometimes its necessary to just leave the worst aspects of the hood behind.

Houston - Over and Out

Another first round playoff exit for the Rockets, this time not even making it to a game 7. Utah blew them out of the gym last night, and it wasn't even close.

He gets basically no credit when they win and all of the blame when they lose, but you really can't put this one on T-Mac. He did his part with 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. The question is where was everybody else?

Oh well, no point in dwelling on it. I mean without Yao Ming for half the season they did win 55 games, and had a 22 game winning streak in the middle of it. That's not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but we all know that sports are about championships.

So like I said when I first started this blog, I'm There... Already with my teams collapsing down the stretch and in the playoffs. Sure enough, just like last year, both of my favorite teams (Cowboys, Rockets) did it again this year.

But the beauty of being a sports fan is that there's always next year. Yao will be back (I hope), and this team has a lot of young talent. They'll make another run. In the meantime, somebody let me know who wins the whole thing because I'm through watching for a while.

The Best Laid Plans....

Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans.

We had every intention of going out on Saturday afternoon to what is my favorite music and cultural event, the Houston International Festival. The plan was to hook up with some friends, eat some good food, and enjoy the music, culture, and arts on a beautiful spring day. Yeah, that was the plan.

Didn't happen.

In short, minutes before walking out the door we had a relatively major plumbing disaster, so I spent the afternoon cleaning up, well, let's just say a mess. Neville Brothers? Not on Saturday. A major disappointment to say the least.

But there's good news. The iFest is a multi-day, multi-weekend event, so we went Sunday instead, and had a pretty good time. The theme was Out of Africa - The Three Journeys, and the cultural performances were very good.

We caught a portion of the National Dance Theater of Ethiopia's performance, a stage reenactment of a slave auction in Huntsville, TX, and a Brazilian capobeira demonstration. There was even a replica of the solid rock churches from Ethiopia. In other words, pretty cool stuff.

Then there was the music. We saw in whole or in part performances by Trudy Lynn and the Houston Blues Stars (blues), Karina Nistal and the Rebel Crew (latin), Step Rideau and the Zydeco Outlaws (zydeco), the Jones Family Gospel Singers (gospel), and headliner Taj Mahal (uncategorizable).


So while I didn't get to see the Neville Brothers, overall this wasn't exactly a bad day's entertainment. Not to mention I have an excuse to go to New Orleans and catch them on their home turf. I can live with that.

Were any of you there on any of the days? Drop us a line in the comments and let me know your thoughts on this years event.

They're Alive. Alive!

Maybe it was the protesters out front. Or that Rafer Alston was back on the floor after missing the first two games of the series. Perhaps it was Tracy McGrady doing his best superstar impersonation by actually showing up in the 4th quarter. Or that the team actually shot better than 50% from the free throw line. Whatever the reason, the Rockets finally won a game, and now have a reasonable shot to make this series at least interesting.

The Rockets look like a completely different team offensively and defensively with Alston running the point, and Carl Landry needs more playing time. You knew it was on after he had his tooth knocked out. But give Utah credit, he was playing like a man possessed before that, and Carlos Boozer decided to slow him down with a forearm to the grill. Not that it was intentional, but hey, it got him out of the game for a little bit.

The Rockets have a long way to go to actually win this series, but they can take a mighty big step by doing the same thing in Game 4 and bringing this thing back to Houston tied 2-2.

Hope is still alive in Houston.

Just Make The Dang Free Throws

Well, the intensity was better, Tracy McGrady played like a superstar for most of the game, and the team played better overall defense, but still lost to the Jazz to go down 0-2 in the best of 7 series.

In other words things look pretty grim, especially with the next two games coming up in Utah.

What's really killing the Rockets is that they miss so many easy shots right at the rim, and their inability to make free throws (something I forgot to mention in my last post). They lost by 6. They missed 10 free throws, most at crucial times including 4 in the 4th quarter. That's more than the final margin of victory. This lead off paragraph from the Chronicle basically sums it up:

The tough part was done. The Rockets got the shots. They got the stops. They had the game, and new life in another first-round playoff series only just began, back in their hands.

The easy part, however, was beyond their grasp. They missed the shots from the line and at the rim. They did not get the rebound after the stop with the game on the line.

And T-Mac; one point in the 4th quarter? One? That's money time for all of the superstars I've ever seen in the NBA. McGrady is a very notable exception so far in his career.

But take heart Rocket fans, Utah did lose the first two games last year before rallying to win the series in seven, so all is not lost.

Yet.

But it will be, much sooner than we all want, if the Rockets keep doing all of the little things that helps to lose games instead of win them.

Hello, Rockets? The Playoffs HAVE Started.

Attention Houston Rockets!

We know there's been all kinds of talk about how long its been since you've actually made it out of the first round of the NBA playoffs, but y'all don't have to take that so seriously.

Talk about laying an egg. Game 1 was terrible. The only one on the team who seemed like he realized that the regular season is over and that this is the actual playoffs we've been talking about all year long, was Luis Scola.

Luckily, its a best of seven series, so you have a chance at redemption on Monday night. Here's my suggestions towards a better outcome.

1. Make your shots, especially the really, really easy ones.
2. Grab an offensive rebound every now and again. Second chance points are a bonus.
3. Conversely, grab a defensive rebound too. Second, and third, chance points for the opposition are NOT a bonus, for you.
4. Play with some intensity. I mean really, if you lose 3 of your next 6 games, the season is over. At lease act like that means something to you.
5. Make your free throws.

These are just my, a mere fans, opinion. And I hope y'all play a much more competitive game on Monday.

Gentlemen, Start Your... Needles

Warm up the death penalty machine because as of today we learn from the Associated Press that

U.S. executions are all but sure to resume soon after a nationwide halt, cleared Wednesday by a splintered Supreme Court that approved the most widely used method of lethal injection.

Virginia immediately lifted its moratorium; Oklahoma and Mississippi said they would seek execution dates for convicted murderers, and other states were ready to follow after nearly seven months without an execution in the United States.

Voting 7-2, the conservative court led by Chief Justice John Roberts rebuffed the latest assault on capital punishment, this time by foes focusing on methods rather than on the legality of the death penalty itself. Justice John Paul Stevens voted with the majority on the question of lethal injections but said for the first time that he now believes the death penalty is unconstitutional.

That's a hell of a way to show your dissent Justice Stevens.

Did you know that a majority of those executed since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1982 are from the state of Texas? Of those, did you know that the majority of them are from Harris County? Which means Houston. So you know that they're all fired up on this end and ready to get the party started.

Buoyed by the U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding lethal injection's constitutionality, Harris County prosecutors pledged Wednesday to move forward in seeking execution dates for six local killers.

And Gov. Rick Perry of course got his political tough guy points in, saying that

"Texas is a law-and-order state, and I stand by the majority of Texans who support the death penalty as it is written in Texas law. It is an appropriate response for the most violent crimes against our fellow human beings."

Well, I'm not a proponent of the death penalty. And yes, I know that some cases are so heinous, so horrible, that people think the only solution is killing the killers. But what about "thou shalt not kill" or "vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord?" Are those just throwaway lines in the Bible that can be discarded when they don't fit the political agenda?

Regardless, some crimes might well be worthy of the death penalty, but as usual, application is the problem. More specifically equal application. Its the same old story; Blacks are more likely to get the death penalty than Whites; the poor more likely than the rich, etc., etc. Not to mention the fact of mistaken prosecutions of innocent people, some of whom have been executed for crimes they didn't commit.

So with all of that in mind, no, I guess I'm not that happy that the moratorium has been lifted. What about you?

Amber Alert

So, a 21 month old baby goes missing from a Houston daycare facility. The police show up, but somehow an Amber Alert for this child is not issued. Fortunately, the baby was found about 5 hours later with the daycare worker that took her, but the parents say that was due more to luck than sound police work, or the Amber Alert system. What's the deal? From the Chronicle:

The Houston Police Department failed to issue an Amber Alert for a toddler kidnapped last week from a southwest Houston day care center because of a case of mistaken identity, authorities said Tuesday. Police said a bad lead brought them to a Metro bus station in search of 21-month-old Jakaila Brantley and the day care worker who took her, only to find it was a mother and her daughter who resembled them.

The misstep cost investigators two hours and held up the Amber Alert that would have been broadcast on highway signs, TV and radio stations, police said. In addition to the bus mix-up, police officials said they also wanted to make sure the kidnapping was real.

Ok, that's their story and they're sticking with it but according to the parents, police told them that...

"...they had to make sure she didn't leave under her own will," said Jakaila's mother, Shemika Thacker-Brantley. "She's 21 months old. How is she supposed to leave under her own will?"

And they're not the only one's asking questions.

"It should be activated as quickly as is humanly possible," said Marc Klaas, founder of Beyond Missing, a California nonprofit that gives police an online template to distribute Amber Alert fliers. "It sounds like they followed some protocol or other. It just sounds like there were missteps." Klaas' 12-year-old daughter was kidnapped and killed in 1993. "I lost my child in a situation where an Amber Alert could have helped, so I don't have time for anybody's nonsense."

The Houston police stated that the officers on the case were just following department protocol and Amber Alert policy. And the good citizenry of Houston, as represented in the comments section of the online version of the paper, are of course savaging the family for having the nerve to ask any questions about that policy when they should just be thankful their child is safe. Here's one example from a commenter called Luceth, who wrote:

Some people make it their life's ambition to never be satisfied with anything...... even finding their missing toddler safe. If you need some money, the neglectful day care center is who you need to look at, but oh wait, it would be much more profitable to sue the police dept.

Of course they miss the whole entire point. What is the criteria for issuing an Amber Alert? What happens the next time when the police aren't quite so lucky? It seems to me the parents have a right to question the process, and that the police and public should be willing to listen.

With so little attention paid to most kidnap victims that aren't Caucasian, don't they at least have the right to ask?

They Have A Bench Too

With the playoffs right around the corner, the Rockets won their 5th straight and 34th of their last 40. Y'all can keep on underestimating them, but with their starters and the depth they have on the bench, this team looks ready for the playoffs.

On a night Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon was honored, they rolled to one of the best wins of the season, a 101-90 victory over the Suns on Friday night at Toyota Center.

The Rockets led by as much as 18 on their way to their fifth consecutive win, the longest active streak in the NBA.

...the biggest key might have been from the bench, which scored 43 points, led by Carl Landry's 14 and 13 from Bobby Jackson.

In case you're still doubting, I've found pretty compelling evidence that the Rockets have all the pieces in place to get the job done this year, including this one. Check it out.