Netroots Nation, formerly Yearly Kos Convention, will be held July 17-20 in Austin, Texas.
Details are being determined now - and I will do my best to attend this time.
Showing posts with label US states: Texas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US states: Texas. Show all posts
08 January 2008
23 July 2007
A personal anniversary
Ten years ago today, I packed my bags and headed for New York's Pennsylvania Station, hopping on a train called Lake Shore Limited, early evening.
Thus started my month-long adventure on the Amtrak system, which allowed me to experience Chicago, San Francisco, and the state of Texas for the first time, as well as visiting Los Angeles, before returning to New York City. The only requirement of my ticket was to visit a maximum of three cities, and return to New York City within 30 days; San Antonio, Los Angeles, and San Francisco became my three cities, and Chicago was a long layover.
I was in no mood to fly that summer, after being double-charged for a ticket change fee by United Airlines the previous Christmas (even though United apologized, and refunded both charges).
This was the only time I crossed North America by land, both ways. I later drove from New York City to Los Angeles after finishing college, but that was one-way. In addition, having driven to Montreal and Quebec City a few weeks earlier, I was covering a lot of ground, requiring me to deal with three languages depending on the location (English, French, Spanish).
There were many picturesque memories from that trip, and I still have the photos somewhere. The various landscapes in different parts of the US were, indeed, awe-inspiring, whether they were the night lighting of St. Louis's Gateway Arch, the series of ten Colorado River canyons (seven of which are accessible only by rail), or the rugged beauty of California coast. Both Chicago and San Francisco captured my heart - leading me to live in the Bay Area for a bit, and to visit Chicago again this past May.
Amtrak's notorious delays, however, mean that I am in no mood to attempt a similar trip, anytime soon. (The Sunset Limited from San Antonio to Los Angeles left 8 hours late, and arrived 12 hours late!) If I get truly in a train trip mood, I would rather use the punctual European trains, and explore a whole other continent that way.
Thus started my month-long adventure on the Amtrak system, which allowed me to experience Chicago, San Francisco, and the state of Texas for the first time, as well as visiting Los Angeles, before returning to New York City. The only requirement of my ticket was to visit a maximum of three cities, and return to New York City within 30 days; San Antonio, Los Angeles, and San Francisco became my three cities, and Chicago was a long layover.
I was in no mood to fly that summer, after being double-charged for a ticket change fee by United Airlines the previous Christmas (even though United apologized, and refunded both charges).
This was the only time I crossed North America by land, both ways. I later drove from New York City to Los Angeles after finishing college, but that was one-way. In addition, having driven to Montreal and Quebec City a few weeks earlier, I was covering a lot of ground, requiring me to deal with three languages depending on the location (English, French, Spanish).
There were many picturesque memories from that trip, and I still have the photos somewhere. The various landscapes in different parts of the US were, indeed, awe-inspiring, whether they were the night lighting of St. Louis's Gateway Arch, the series of ten Colorado River canyons (seven of which are accessible only by rail), or the rugged beauty of California coast. Both Chicago and San Francisco captured my heart - leading me to live in the Bay Area for a bit, and to visit Chicago again this past May.
Amtrak's notorious delays, however, mean that I am in no mood to attempt a similar trip, anytime soon. (The Sunset Limited from San Antonio to Los Angeles left 8 hours late, and arrived 12 hours late!) If I get truly in a train trip mood, I would rather use the punctual European trains, and explore a whole other continent that way.
12 February 2007
Widespread Internet monitoring
At least that's what Lamar Smith, Republican Congressman from Texas, is proposing, with support from fellow Republicans such as Dan Lungren of California.
Smith wants to require all ISPs to log all activities indefinitely. Under the cloak of preventing child pornography and curbing terrorism, this proposal, called the Safety Act, goes far beyond, and ends privacy on the Internet as Americans know it.
This is an outgrowth of a failed previous attempt at a similar legislation, by Republican Senator Jon Kyl of the Fascist Third-World Banana Republic of Arizona.
From now on, nobody will ever tell me again that the Republicans are the party of small, lean, responsible government. The Republicans are all about big, authoritarian government - and so are the neoliberals, the self-proclaimed "libertarians" who support 99% of the Republican agenda.
For more details, and action ideas, please read The Seminal. And thanks to Rick Albertson of Democracy Cell Project for his action alert there.
Smith wants to require all ISPs to log all activities indefinitely. Under the cloak of preventing child pornography and curbing terrorism, this proposal, called the Safety Act, goes far beyond, and ends privacy on the Internet as Americans know it.
This is an outgrowth of a failed previous attempt at a similar legislation, by Republican Senator Jon Kyl of the Fascist Third-World Banana Republic of Arizona.
From now on, nobody will ever tell me again that the Republicans are the party of small, lean, responsible government. The Republicans are all about big, authoritarian government - and so are the neoliberals, the self-proclaimed "libertarians" who support 99% of the Republican agenda.
For more details, and action ideas, please read The Seminal. And thanks to Rick Albertson of Democracy Cell Project for his action alert there.
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