Houston: After the Storm
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Society & Culture
It’s been a month now since Hurricane Ike hit the Galveston coast and most things in life are back to normal. Traffic is back at only a ridiculous level versus only a week ago when it was unreasonable. There are still dozens of traffic lights that don’t work or work in varying degrees. Parts of Houston still don’t have power and/or gas. There are around 32 confirmed dead with a certainty of several dozen more to be found. Also, there’s around 2 BILLION dollars worth of damage with no infrastructure to speak of still in Galveston and parts of other Gulf-side communities. There were several things that came up during the storm that a lot of people outside of Houston don’t quite understand or weren’t aware of that I want to address.
1. Why didn’t more people evacuate?
There are a wide variety of reasons why some people didn’t evacuate that I want to address. The prevailing presumption among outsiders seems to be that Southerners are just stupid and don’t have the where-withal to sidestep a roundhouse kick when they see it coming. That’s not the case. My family and I left our home the day before the storm hit land and we weren’t in the predicted “damage swath”. Many people stayed because Mayor Bill White and Judge Ed Emmett were asking the people to “weather in place” if they could. The expectation as late as the Thursday prior to the storm was that winds would be strong but not life threatening. The threat was from the actual storm surge and I think we all heard the threat to Galveston County “Anyone who stays faces imminent death.” In fact, that was a pre-recorded message from the Weather Service that was automatically broadcast based on conditions. The Mayor was also asking people to stay to keep roadways from becoming jampacked even more for those who were required to evacuate. Hundreds of thousands of people evacuated Houston during the threat of Hurricane Rita as overreaction was high from the Hurricane Katrina fiasco, but many of those people discovered the road conditions to be the real threat as gasoline became scarce and some died from heat exhaustion while sitting on the sides of roads during their evacuation. The goal of local government was to prevent widespread panic while ensuring those who were in the danger zone were able to get out of their areas of residence safely.
2. Why do so many people live there if it’s so hurricane prone?
In case you didn’t hear during Ike storm coverage, Houston, Texas is the 4th largest metropolitan area in the country and the largest city in the state of Texas. Houston is often ranked in the Top 5 metropolitan areas to live because of several factors including a high employment rate, an inexpensive cost of living, high value home pricing, and, ironically, it’s proximity to a major body of water. Though Houston is in an area that has a somewhat high probability for hurricanes compare that to other large cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Chicago that also deal with natural weather threats such as earthquakes, freeze-related incidents, and even severe tornadoes in some parts. The fact is that Houston offers a better quality of living than the majority of cities can offer.
3. Why did it take so long for so many people to get power back?
The major downside to living in Houston is that infrastructure change is very slow. Houston is a conservative city with a small town mentality that is many times adverse to change. Major expansion has been going on at every major artery into and out of the city for the last 5 or more years. The power infrastructure is currently undergoing change to keep such a massive amount of people from having to do without power for such a long period of time.
The fact is Houston is too large and important a city to allow a hurricane to sidetrack it for a long period time. Houston remains an economic island of stability during one of the most tumultuous times in the past 80 years of our country. Moving forward Harrjs County will need to secure an encompassing plan that can better protect the lives and property of its residents while simultaneously ensuring a quicker upstart once the next storm has passed.
Obama Tax Plan Calculator
This calculator allows you to calculate your tax cut under the Obama-Biden plan. It compares the results with what you would get from the McCain-Palin plan also. It seems too simplistic and I’m sure this isn’t an accurate number, but I think this shows how Obama uses technology to get his point across. WordPress is weird when it comes to these types of widgets, so to use it you may have to click to view the full calculator at http://taxcut.barackobama.com.
Barack Osama? Seriously?
Election officials in upstate New York’s Rensselaer County identified the two presidential candidates as “Barack Osama” and “John McCain” on about 300 absentee ballots sent to residents. I’m not claiming this to be a c-o-n-spiracy, but it goes to show how closely we need to pay attention to the voting process this election. Somebody should have seen this error because these ballots are reviewed by a number of people. If no one would have caught the error, the votes for Obama probably wouldn’t have counted.
Early voting in Texas is from October 20th – 31st and I’m going to take advantage of the opportunity. I’d urge everyone to do the same. I don’t want any last minute “disparities” getting in the way of Obama winning.
Noah Knows! WALK NOW Houston 2008 at Reliant Park!
I received this from a friend of mine. Check out the facts regarding autism near the bottom of the post. Learn the signs autism and seek help for your child if you aren’t sure what to look for.
Noah Knows!
…empowerment through sharing information with families of children with autism
Join TEAM Noah Knows!
TO WALK WITH AUTISM SPEAKS
WALK NOW FOR AUTISM
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Walk Now for Autism is a family-friendly event so bring the whole family along. There are activities for the children, resources for families, light refreshments and entertainment.
Date: Saturday, October 18, 2008
Location: Westridge Lot, Reliant Park
Registration opens: 8:30am
Opening Ceremonies: 9:30am
Walk Start: 10:00am (The walk route is approximately 2 miles.)
Resource Fair will be open from 8:30am until noon.
Parking: Parking is free before 10am in the Main Street Parking Lot. Once in the park vicinity (from Kriby or 610 South), follow signs to the Main Street Lot.
Activities: Children’s activities and family fun!
Team Information
Log on to www.walknowforautism.org/houston
1. Search by City or State and click the link
2. Click on the “Register” tab at the top of the page
3. Choose Join a Team
4. Fill in your information
5. Get your 2008 TEAM Noah Knows!T-SHIRT the walk day or before
Did you know…
- 1 in 94 boys is on the spectrum
- 67 children are diagnosed per day
- A new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes
- Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability
- Autism costs the nation over $90 million per year, a figure expected to double in the next decade
- Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
- There is no medical detection or cure for autism
Please join our team family and thousands of others as we walk for autism.
Contact Kim Dixon at kim4child@sbcglobal.net for more information, team-t-shirts, team caps or to pick up your donation. Team Noah Knows! will meet at 9:00 am!
Attention Hip Hoppers, Gold is Back!
Filed under: Blog Entries, Business, Laughable, Personal Finance, Society & Culture
If you know someone who brags about the bling around their neck and wrist, tell them to go home with all that noise. The days of Mr. T, Slick Rick, Run DMC and Salt N Pepa are back! Gold is king once again, so if you still have your dookie rope chain from the ’80s you might need to break it out or sell it (if it’s real).
T-Baby It’s So Cold in the D
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Laughable, Society & Culture
When I first heard this song on the radio, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The Internet hit “It’s So Cold In the D” by T-Baby was being played on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show and they were digging it (actually laughing at it). Of course when you’re on the radio you have to bleep out every cuss word so it sounded like someone was checking out groceries at the store. I have to admit I laughed hard that day and every other time they played it, but there’s a real story behind the song.
This morning Rickey and the Nutz were talking with T-Baby on the phone. She wrote the song after her friend was killed and it was her way of expressing how cold-hearted people the world can be. When a love one dies, people tend to have different ways of expressing their grief/frustration. T-Baby chose to make a video about life in the hood of Detroit and I can respect that. This is what hip hop is about. It’s all about expression and this song gives us some insight to what’s going on in her life.
Here is the video. If you are offended by cussin’, you might not want to watch this. The flow could be a lot better and the video is poorly done, but it is what it is. And be careful, it’s very catchy so if you listen to it too much you’ll be singing it all day. Enjoy.
For the Love of Money at bigmoneyconnerly.com
I’ve talked about Ward Connerly in episode 38 of my podcast, so it was not surprise when I received this email message. When I was reading this, I could hear Bone Thugs For the Love of Money playing in the background. Connerly has quite a niche and seems to be benefiting from his cause to make things fair for all!
Thought you might be interested in posting about this. Ward Connerly has made over $7 million peddling affirmative action rollbacks. Check out the new website and TV ad exposing the hypocrisy: www.bigmoneyconnerly.com. The TV ad is posted on the site.
NEW TV AD AND WEBSITE EXPOSE WARD CONNERLY
Profits big off divisive campaign to outlaw equal opportunity programsWashington, DC A new TV ad was launched Wednesday in Colorado and Nebraska that exposes Ward Connerly and his divisive campaign to outlaw equal opportunity programs.
The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center’s (BISC) new ad highlights how Connerly has personally profited off his efforts to re-write state constitutions with his misleadingly named “civil rights” ballot initiative.
“Ward Connerly has used voter fraud and deception to place his initiatives on the ballot and profited off a campaign to outlaw equal opportunity,” said Kristina Wilfore, Executive Director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, “Today we are revealing the truth and exposing Connerly and his campaign as a fraud.”
Based on available information from the 990 forms filed by Connerly with the IRS, between 1997 and 2006, Connerly has lined his own pockets with over $7.6 million from his two tax exempt, non-profit organizations; American Civil Rights Institute (ACRI), 501(c)3, and American Civil Rights Coalition (ACRC), 501(c)4.
This includes over $500,000 in salary from 2004 to mid-2006 and $2.2 million in payments that Connerly paid himself for “speaking fees and interviews.”
Connerly’s excessive compensation levels from his tax-exempt, non-profit organizations have raised questions in Congress about their propriety and in 2006 the IRS was asked to investigate.The most recent issue of The American Conservative recently revealed that, “In 1998, 22 percent of his nonprofits’ revenue was paid to Connerly in salary or to his firm. By 2001, Connerly’s salary and the fees charged by Connerly and Associates ate up 49 percent of the nonprofits’ combined revenue. Most of the money paid to the firm was listed on tax forms as “speaking fees.” In 2006, when Connerly took up a concrete goal in political activism‹ending Michigan’s affirmative-action policies‹the cut of nonprofit revenue paid to him and his firm rose to 66 percent of total receipts, nearly $1.6 million.”
The American Conservative also reported, “An IRS spokesman said that he could not comment on a case under investigation.”
The TV ad also exposes the hypocrisy of Connerly’s campaign to outlaw equal opportunity programs. From 1989 to 1994 Connerly used his own race to land no bid contracts worth over a million dollars. Connerly repeatedly enlisted as a minority contractor with the California Energy Commission — securing contracts for his Sacramento lobbying firm without having competitive
bidding. By certifying with the commission’s special race-based program, Connerly helped guarantee his firm three separate contracts — one for $1.1 million in 1989, a second for $105,227 in 1992, and another for $35,000 in 1994, according to the records. The contracts were filed under the name of California Building Officials, an association that lists Connerly as its sole agent.Connerly, a long time California lobbyist, targeted five states this year with his misleadingly named “civil rights” ballot initiative – Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. His campaign has faced charges of fraud and deception in every state and as a result he failed to qualify for the ballot in Arizona, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Connerly has spent over $2.8 in out- of-state funding to re-write state constitutions with his ballot initiative.
Black Bloggers Debate Chat
Filed under: Black Blogger Postings, Blog Entries, Politics
TheDad and TheMom over at blackandmarriedwithkids.com will be having a Black Bloggers Debate Live Chat tonight at 8:30pm EST. The topic will be the Presidential Debates which will air tonight at 9:00pm EST.
To join the discussion go to http://blackandmarriedwithkids.com/debatechat.html
The other bloggers who will be participating are:
The Black Snob
AverageBro.com
ClutchMagazine
Blackness Defined
What the President Has Signed Into Law – July and August 2008
I know! I’ve haven’t been good at posting this every month, but I have a good reason. The purpose for this post is to inform you of the new laws and acts enacted by President Bush. It’s good to know what’s going on because some of them may benefit us as a people. It’s important for us to watch every step our government takes. We elect them, so we need to make sure they are doing their job. The laws I list are posted at whitehouse.gov. For a more unbiased version, I’d recommend doing additional research at govtrack.us. As always feel free to leave any additional comments.
I fell off from doing this the past couple of months, so I grouped July and August together.
On Tuesday, July 1, 2008, the President signed the following bills into law:
H.R. 5690, which authorizes the Departments of State and Homeland Security to determine that provisions in the Immigration and Nationality Act that render aliens inadmissible due to terrorist or criminal activities would not apply with respect to activities undertaken in association with the African National Congress in opposition to apartheid rule in South Africa.
S. 188, the “Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006,” which further honors the service of Cesar E. Chavez, Barbara C. Jordan, William C. Velasquez, and Dr. Hector P. Garcia.
S. 254, which authorizes the award of a congressional gold medal to Constantino Brumidi.
S. 682, which authorizes the award of a congressional gold medal to Edward William Brooke III.
On Friday, July 10, 2008, the President signed the following bills into law:
H.R. 6304, FISA Amendments Act of 2008 allows our intelligence professionals to quickly and effectively monitor the communications of terrorists abroad while respecting the liberties of Americans here at home.
On Tuesday, July 15, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 430, which designates the United States bankruptcy courthouse located in Brooklyn, New York, as the Conrad B. Duberstein United States Bankruptcy Courthouse;
H.R. 781, which redesignates Lock and Dam No. 5 of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System near Redfield, Arkansas, as the “Colonel Charles D. Maynard Lock and Dam;”
H.R. 1019, which designates the United States customhouse building located in Mayaguez, Puerto, Rico, as the Rafael Martinez Nadal United States Customhouse Building;
H.R. 2728, which designates the station of the United States Border Patrol located in Murrieta, California, as the Theodore L. Newton, Jr. and George F. Azrak Border Patrol Station;
H.R. 3721, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located in Lorena, Texas, as the Marine Gunnery Sgt. John D. Fry Post Office Building;
H.R. 4140, which designates the Port Angeles Federal Building in Port Angeles, Washington, as the Richard B. Anderson Federal Building;
H.R. 4185, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located in El Monte, California, as the Marisol Heredia Post Office Building;
H.R. 5168, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located in Brooksville, Florida, as the Cody Grater Post Office Building;
H.R. 5395, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located in St. Louis, Missouri, as the William “Bill” Clay Post Office Building;
H.R. 5479, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located in Ionia, Michigan, as the Alonzo Woodruff Post Office Building;
H.R. 5517, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located in Humble, Texas, as the Texas Military Veterans Post Office;
H.R. 5528, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located in Brockton, Massachusetts, as the Rocky Marciano Post Office Building;
H.R. 5778, which provides the Board of Directors of the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) exclusive authority for establishing the financial management, personnel, and procurement functions and responsibilities of WASA; and repeals hiring preferences for District residents for WASA positions; and
H.R. 6040, which amends the requirement relating to travel expenses reimbursement incurred by members of the Committee on Levee Safety.
On Monday, July 21, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 802, the “Maritime Pollution Prevention Act of 2008,” which implements Annex Vi on the prevention of air pollution from ships of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships ; and
H.R. 3891, the “National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act Amendment of 2008,” which increases the number of Directors on the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Board.
On Wednesday, July 23, 2008 the President signed into law:
H.R. 3403, the “New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008,” which requires Voice over Internet Protocol service providers to: provide 911 service and Enhanced 911 service to their subscribers; interconnect with public safety answering points (PSAPs); and provide call location information to PSAP’s; and
H.R. 3712, which designates the United States courthouse located in Toledo, Ohio, as the James M. Ashley and Thomas W.L. Ashley United States Courthouse.
On Tuesday, July 29, 2008 the President signed:
President Bush Signs H.J.Res. 93, the Renewal of Import Restrictions on Burma, and H.R.3890, the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (Junta’s Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act of 2008
On Tuesday, July 29, 2008, the President signed into law:
The Clean Boating Act of 2008, which exempts certain discharges incidental to the normal operation of a recreational vessel from regulation under the Clean Water Act.
On Wednesday, July 30, 2008, the President signed into law:
The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, which authorizes the Department of the Treasury to purchase obligations of housing Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs); reforms the regulatory supervision of the housing GSEs; provides reform of the Federal Housing Administration; provides homeownership assistance and reforms to mitigate recent increases in foreclosures; and contains housing-related tax incentives and other tax provisions.
On Wednesday, July 30, 2008, the President signed:
H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008
On Thursday, July 31, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 4841, the “Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians Settlement Act,” which approves and ratifies a water settlement among the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians, the Federal Government, and three specified California water districts;
S. 2565, the “Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery Act of 2008,” which establishes a Congressional Badge of Bravery award to honor Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers for performing acts of bravery in the line of duty;
S. 3298, which provides a two year moratorium from National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit requirement for specified vessels and directs EPA to study the impacts of discharges incidental to the normal operation of vessels; and
S. 3352, which extends programs authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965 for 15 days, through August 15, 2008.
On Monday, August 4, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 3370, the “Libyan Claims Resolution Act,” which facilitates the resolution of pending claims against Libya by United States nationals.
On Thursday, August 14, 2008, the President signed:
H.R. 4040, the “Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008,” which reauthorizes the Consumer Product Safety Commission for FYs 2010-2014 and expands the Commission’s role in ensuring the safety of consumer products, especially those designed for children;
H.R. 4137, the “Higher Education Opportunity Act,” which reauthorizes and makes changes to higher education programs; and
H.R. 6432, the which reauthorizes through FY 2013 the Animal Drug User Fee Act and authorizes a new user fee program for animal generic drugs.
Operation Blue Roof Helps Those Affected by Ike
I heard about this group in an email I received a couple of days ago. There are many people in need of help and this is just one of the government sponsored programs out there. Also be careful of the scammers out there because this is a free service. Don’t give out any personal information if you haven’t signed up to hear from them. Please spread the word and for more information call 1-888-766-3258.
AUSTIN, Texas — Federal help is available for eligible homeowners whose residences suffered roof damage as a result of Hurricane Ike.
Operation Blue Roof, funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Under the program authorized for the disaster recovery, Corps contractors install plastic sheeting as a temporary solution that allows individuals to remain in their residence until they can make more permanent repairs.
The property must be a primary residence or a permanently occupied rental property. Vacation rental properties are not eligible.
“This program is helping some East Texans remain in their homes while they explore permanent repair options,” said State Coordinating Officer Joan Haun.
The number to call is 1-888-ROOF-BLU, 1-888-766-3258. To date, more than 700 Blue Roofs have been installed.
“There is no cost to the homeowner for this program and approved contractors will all have proper identification and paperwork,” said FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Sandy Coachman. “Unfortunately, we have heard reports that there may be unscrupulous people trying to take advantage.”
Tips for Texans about Operation Blue Roof:
Beware of solicitations. Homeowners need to visit a Right of Entry collection location to sign up. People going door-to-door to damaged homes or phoning victims and claiming they are with Operation Blue Roof could be frauds. Blue Roof representatives never solicit participation, nor will they ask for Social Security or bank account numbers.
Look for identification. Corps employees who do assessments for Operation Blue Roof carry U.S. government ID cards. If you don’t see it, ask for it. Contractors who install the Blue Roofs will have a copy of signed Right of Entry form. No additional form is necessary.
If you get a call. Representatives from Operation Blue Roof may call to clarify information or location, but they will not ask for sensitive information. You will be expected to post the Right of Entry form and restrain animals so that contractors can access your property.
Don’t pay. Operation Blue Roof is free to residents. FEMA never charges applicants for disaster assistance, inspections, or help in filling out applications. The Corps does not charge, either.
If in doubt. Do not give out information. Report people claiming to be government workers to local law-enforcement agencies or to the Texas Attorney General Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-621-0508. The FEMA Disaster Fraud Hotline is 1-866-720-5721.
More information about the Hurricane Ike disaster in Texas is available online at www.fema.gov or www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem. Operation Blue Roof information is available at www.swf.usace.army.mil.
FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Links of Interest
Site Feeds
MyBlogLog Readers
