There’s been a lot of troubling news from Texas lately, and thinking of Texas reminds me of a sad anniversary, the passing of Texan Molly Ivins in February of 2007. But as sad as the anniversary is, reflecting on Molly Ivins herself is irresistibly uplifting. Here’s a brief sample of Molly’s irreverent wit that ran as a tribute on PBS’s MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour after her passing. It’s all you need to know about Texan art. [Read more…]
What Are the Potential Industrial Environmental Disasters Due to Hurricane Harvey’s Flooding? | Video Worth Watching
Most coverage of the devastation along the southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana coastal areas focuses on the impact of the flooding on residential and urban areas. What is under-reported is the impact on industrial areas. The Galveston Bay area is responsible for about a third of the petroleum refinery capacity in the United States, and nearly half of the U.S. petrochemical manufacturing. It should not be surprising then, given the current Hurricane Harvey related flooding conditions, that the potential danger and damage to the area and the environment is extreme.
Amy Goodman and Renée Feltz of Democracy Now! hear from Bryan Parras, organizer with the Sierra Club’s “Beyond Dirty Fuels” campaign, and with TEJAS (Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services) reporting from the heart of the Petro-Metro industrial zone. He tells us that there has already been a report of an incident in La Porte of the escape, which has since been contained, of anhydrous hydrogen chloride, a gas which when it mixes with the moisture in the air produces hydrochloric acid. Of greater concern is the potential for a devastating explosion at a peroxide manufacturing plant in Crawford triggered by the spontaneous combustion of chemicals which after the failure of the refrigeration units are no longer being kept cold enough to prevent the reaction. [Read more…]
A Trans History: Time Marches Forward And So Do We | Video Worth Watching
The Washington Post reports that General Mattis has put the military transgender ban on hold for the near future. The statement explained that he will first develop a study and implementation plan “as directed” by the president in a memorandum released Friday. After the panel makes its recommendations and he consults with the secretary of homeland security, he will provide his advice to Trump. In the meantime, policy regarding transgender service members will remain in place. And Mattis has been recorded exhorting troops to “hold the line until our country gets back to understanding and respecting each other and showing it.”
While this hot mess of misguided military policy is being sorted out, here is a short clip to help us remember the struggles it has taken to get this far. Through a collaborative video from the ACLU (yes! the ACLU does video!), Transparent producer and artist Zackary Drucker, Emmy-nominated actress Laverne Cox and the creative team of Molly Crabapple and Kim Boekbinder, they tell the story of trans history and resistance. [Read more…]
How Climate Change Makes Hurricanes Worse | Video Worth Watching
What do we know about the relationship between climate change and the formation of tropical storms and hurricanes? Vox.com has produced a short overview and summary of recent research results. As you might expect, there is a relationship, and Vox.com does a great job of visually presenting the findings. [Read more…]
Hurricane | Video Worth Watching
Viewing images out of Southeast Texas has left us speechless and dazed. For those who are able, here are some choices if you want to donate in support of relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey: [Read more…]
Real Fake News – Operetta vs. Trump (Gilbert and Sullivan Edition) | Video Worth Watching
Time once again for a culture break, this time a two-fer. Here’s not only a taste of musical heritage (Light Opera), but some history also tossed in the mix! It is the Very Model of a Modern Roman Empire Fall! [Read more…]
Blast From the Past: Susan B. Anthony Grave Draws a Crowd on Election Day | Video Worth Watching
Today marks the 46th anniversary of Women’s Equality Day, an event commemorating the ratification of the 19th amendment, prohibiting the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. A resolution to designate this day in honor of the adoption of that amendment, was introduced by New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug and was eventually passed as H.J. Res. 52 on August 16, 1973.
In that spirit, here’s a brief clip recording a spontaneous expression of gratitude to one of the early pioneers of the Woman Suffrage movement, Susan B. Anthony. Last Election Day (Nov. 8, 2016) by 10:30 a.m., easily 1,000 people, a large majority of them women and girls, made the pilgrimage to her grave at this 196-acre Victorian cemetery. Hundreds more stood patiently in line, enduring an hour’s wait for the chance to approach Anthony’s stone. [Read more…]
Still Think Those Confederate Monuments Are All About Heritage? | Video Worth Watching
Still think those Confederate monuments are all about heritage and history? Here’s a Vox video by Carlos Waters that uses a timeline to show the relationship of spurts of monument erections and historical events. There’s definitely a pattern here … [Read more…]
San Diego Housing Crisis Facing a ‘Perfect Storm’ | Video Worth Watching
I’ve always thought it was perfectly appropriate to respond to the current affordable housing shortage in the way we respond to a natural disaster. It certainly is a disaster, but one that’s human-made rather than “natural”.
Extending the metaphor, just as weather forecasts provide us an opportunity to prepare for severe conditions, the current housing market forecast is giving us an opportunity to mitigate the effects of a brewing “Perfect Storm”. As KPBS News notes: San Diego is in the midst of its worst housing crisis in recent memory, with low vacancy rates, rising rents and a growing number of people living on the streets. As bad as things are… they’re likely to get worse. Thousands of homes set aside for low-income people are set to become market rate, meaning struggling renters could see their housing costs skyrocket. KPBS metro reporter Andrew Bowen says experts are calling it a perfect storm. [Read more…]
White Supremacy – Our Culture and Heritage? | Video Worth Watching
Last night in Trump’s campaign rally speech (now think about that for a second—a campaign rally in the eighth month of his term; the event was paid for with campaign funds. And you think Christmas merchandise on shelves in September is premature!) we heard the code words “culture” and “heritage”. These are normally venerable words, now being pressed into service for ignoble purposes. When used to lament the loss of Confederate monuments, the culture and heritage being referenced is White Supremacy and slavery.
[Read more…]
Dick Gregory, In Memoriam | Video Worth Watching
A pioneer comedian Dick Gregory (October 12, 1932 – August 19, 2017) passed away Saturday at the age of 84. An ardent civil rights activist as well as anti-war political activist, Gregory will be missed.
Democracy Now! has posted a video feature “Dick Gregory In His Own Words: Remembering the Pioneering Comedian and Civil Rights Activist” culled from appearances on the program. During the 2002 interview Amy Goodman thanks him for helping to get Democracy Now! on the air nationally, in his capacity as a new member of the Pacifica National board.
Here’s a video clip that’s featured in a Digby Hullabaloo post by Denis Hartley that is taken from a 2014 appearance on the Arsenio Hall show. In it, Dick tells his version of how he broke the color barrier of late night TV during an appearance on the Tonight Starring Jack Parr show.
[Read more…]
Solar Eclipse Day in San Diego! | Video Worth Watching
Unless you have recently arrived on planet earth it has been impossible to miss the months long build up to the solar eclipse which will trace a path across the United States from sea to shining sea. While San Diego is outside of the path of the total eclipse, we’ll still experience a 60% eclipse here.
Our partial eclipse begins around 9am, when the moon touches the sun’s edge. The maximum eclipse is around 10:20 am and it’s all over around 11:46 am. [Read more…]
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