OPD Newsletter for Jan 19, 2009

UPCOMING CLUB ACTIVITIES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

THIS WEEK! OPD MEETING—OFFICER ELECTIONS!
Thurs, June 26, 6:30pm social, 7-9pm meeting, HCDP headquarters (2nd floor conference room–this month only), 1445 N. Loop W., Suite 110, Houston, 77008
Let's start to chart our course for the next 2 years. Officers were nominated at the December social and include John Moffitt for President, John Preston for Vice President, Roopa Gir for Treasurer, Donna Hackemack Bryant for Secretary, and Jim Cargas for PAC Treasurer/General Counsel, but we didn't have a lot of people in attendance at the December meeting (which was held at the lovely home of John and Nancy Preston) and we will re-open nominations at this meeting, so if you'd like to serve, we'd love to have you. You need to be a paid up member to vote. We may watch a screening of the DVD Blood and Oil.

FEBRUARY OPD MEETING
Thurs, Feb 26, 6:30pm social, 7-9pm meeting, HCDP headquarters, 1445 N. Loop W., Suite 110, Houston, 77008
Jim Blackburn, environmental attorney, will be our speaker. We're not sure what his exact topic will be yet, but here is a recent opinion piece written by Mr. Blackburn in the Chronicle: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6204210.html.

NOTE FROM RANDY SCOTT ABOUT YAHOO GROUPS
Attention Group: As part of my continuing efforts to serve our list-members I will pass along any general Yahoo Groups-related announcements that are of relevance to all of you such as the one below:

Yahoo is Tracking Group Members—If you belong to ANY Yahoo Groups - be aware that Yahoo is now using "Web Beacons" to track every Yahoo Group user. It's similar to cookies, but allows Yahoo to record every website and every group you visit, even when you're not connected to Yahoo. Look at their updated privacy statement at http://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/details.html. About half-way down the page, in the section on *cookies*, you willsee a link that says *WEB BEACONS*. Click on the phrase "Web Beacons." On the page that opens, on the left find a box entitled "Opt-Out." In that section find "opt-out of interest-matched advertising" link that will let you "opt-out" of their snooping. Click it and then click the opt-out button on the next page. Note that Yahoo's invasion of your privacy - and your ability to opt-out of it - is not user-specific. It is MACHINE specific. That means you will have to opt-out on every computer (and browser) you use. Please forward this to your other groups. You might complain, too, but I'm not sure if anyone is listening. I remember when they signed all users up to get spam and we had to opt out of that a few years ago. Related article: http://antivirus.about.com/od/spywareandadware/a/yahoobugs.htm.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS & EVENTS & STUFF

HARRIS COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY & WEST GULF PORTS COUNCIL PRESIDENTIAL INAGURATION WATCH PARTY
Tues, Jan 20, 10am-1pm, Seafarers International Union Hall, 1221 Pierce St, Houston, Texas 77002
The Harris County Democratic Party, in conjunction with the West Gulf Ports Council, invites you to watch history unfold live. Join Democrats from throughout Harris County, union members (including port council members), and elected officials as we watch the Inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama. Take in this historic ceremony on two 50-inch TV's while enjoying lunch and refreshments. The program will begin at 10am, with the inauguration ceremony airing live at 11am CT. Please RSVP to Martha Cottingham at martha@hcdp.org.

ROADWOMEN CHAMPAGNE INAUGURATION CELEBRATION
Tues, Jan 20, 5:30pm, St. Stephens Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 1805 W. Alabama at Woodhead
Join ROADwomen for champagne and hors d’oeuvres as they celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama. RSVPs are essential for this free event: roadie@roadwomen.com (must RSVP by Monday, Jan 19). SHARE YOUR HOPES FOR THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION. Please take a moment to write your hopes and wishes for the new administration and send them to Roadie to share with others—roadie@roadwomen.com.

OTHER INAUGURATION EVENTS
• Check for smaller local events at http://www.moveon.org/.
• Bay Area New Democrats Inauguration Party, 10:15am-1pm at Dimassi’s Restaurant, 1039 West Bay Area Blvd @ Gulf Freeway
• Houston Young Leaders Coalition and Informed Voters League of Houston Swearing-in Celebration, 10:30am-1pm at Wings & Wings Beaucoup Café, 3511 Elgin@Scott
• Presidential Inaugural Gala, sponsored and organized by Major One Entertainment, Hotel Derek, 2525 West Loop South, Houston, Texas, 7:30pm-1:30am. Tickets $25 each. See www.majoroneentertainment.com for details and tickets (dress however you are most comfortable).
• Across the Track PAC Inaugural Ball, sponsored and organized by Across the Track PAC, George R. Brown Convention Center, 1001 Avenida de las Americas, Houston, Texas 77002, 7pm-midnight. Tickets $100 / person, $150 / couple.
• Fort Bend Democrats Club Inaugural Celebration, Sugar Creek Country Club, 420 Sugar Creek Blvd., Sugar Land, Texas, 6pm-10pm, $35 per person, black tie optional, reservations required. (RSVP to 281-341-5489).
• Montgomery County Democratic Party Inaugural Celebration and Dinner, Landry’s at the Woodlands (on I-45 N), 6pm-9pm. Tickets $75. Contact Fran Ellisor (936-271-0679) for details.
• Inaugural Ball Co-hosted by Brazoria County Democratic Party and Mims Community Center—Sat, Jan 24, 7-11pm, Angleton Recreation Center, 1601 North Valderas Street. Donation $25.00, Gift–Commemorative Champagne Glass. DJ music, heavy hor d’oeuvres. Formal attire–black tie optional. To purchase tickets: call 281-412-5209, 979-798-8170, or 979-373-1070 or go to: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gptkrf, or www.brazoriademocrats.com.

HOUSTON SOLAR NETWORKING SOCIAL
Thurs, Jan 29, 6-8:00pm at Beavers, 2310 Decatur Street 77077
This event is free (buy your own meal and drinks) and open to anyone interested in solar energy. We expect folks from the Houston Renewable Energy Group, the Houston Renewable Energy Network, the City of Houston, and our solar businesses here in the Houston area. Bring a friend! Beavers is located at 2310 Decatur Street (77007), on the corner of Sawyer and Decatur St, one block south of Washington Avenue. Click on the following link for a map— http://www.beavershouston.com/where.html. Look forward to seeing you there,
—Chris Boyer, HREG VicePresident, http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/hreg/ message/8421

CEC MEETING
Thurs, Jan 29, 6pm, Harris County Jury Assembly Room, 1019 Congress
The meeting of Precinct Chairs (County Executive Committee Meeting) is for the purpose of hearing reports from standing committees and working groups of their plans for 2009, electing precinct chairs to fill vacancies, hearing a report on the results of the 2008 general election in Harris County, and considering other business that may come before the meeting. ALL PRECINCT CHAIRS ARE URGED TO ATTEND. www.hcdp.org

ACTION REQUEST—HOUSTON PBS TO AXE RED, WHITE, & BLUE
"on december 22 the CEO of Houston PBS, John Hesse, without explanation and without a plan for continuing the political and public policy discussions this city and region need in the perilous times facing all of us announced he was ending the program Red White and Blue. Gary Polland and I are disappointed yet as much offended by the lack of interest shown by PBS in local programming and especially their coverage of public affairs. We were costing them nothing. So to any of you who watched the show and liked it or for those who didnt and only know that such programs are vital to the publics understanding of their elected officials and their actions let PBS know by going to www.houstonpbs.org and tell John Hesse what you think. It aint over til its over.Programming begins again on Houston PBS at the end of January so we have a month or so to get their attention."—David Jones, demodave@comcast.net. Your correspondence should be directed to Mr. John Hesse at jhesse@houstonpbs.org.

AUTHOR AARON GANTZ TO SPEAK IN HOUSTON AT KPFT, VFP-12, IVAW EVENT IN FEB.
Author and Radio Pacifica reporter, Aaron Glantz, is coming to Houston in February 2009. VFP-12 and the local IVAW chapter is teaming with KPFT to host a talk and book signing for Gantz’s new book The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle against America's Veterans . In addition to The War Comes Home, he is author of the San Francisco Chronicle best-seller, How America Lost Iraq (Tarcher/Penguin), and co-author of Winter Soldier Iraq and Afghanistan (Haymarket). This event will also be a joint fundraiser for KPFT, VFP-12, and IVAW. We don't have a firm date with Mr. Glantz yet, although we know it will be in February some time very soon after February 15. VFP-12 and IVAW will be in charge of arranging the venue and advertising to local veterans groups. You can read more about Aaron and his book at http://www.citylights.com/book/?GCOI=87286100464470.

2009 PROGRESSIVE FORUM SPRING SPEAKER SERIES
Wortham Center, Cullen Theater
Information available at http://www.progressiveforumhouston.org/. Order tickets at https://tix.extremetix.com/tix/SilverStream/Pages/pgIndex.html?siteID=1420&eventID=13156.
• Larry Wilmore, Wed, Feb 25, 7:30pm—Celebrate Black History Month with Larry Wilmore, "Senior Black Correspondent" on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Wilmore provides an honest conversation about race and diversity in America with his own comic perspective. He's one of the top stand-up comedians in America, and HBO is developing a sitcom for him. He's also a celebrated television producer and writer, and has won an Emmy, Peabody, and NAACP Image Award. At this event, he's releasing his first book, entitled I'd Rather We Got Casinos and Other Black Thoughts.
• Lester Brown, Thurs, Apr 28, 7:30pm—The Washington Post called Lester Brown, President of Earth Policy Institute, "one of the world's most influential thinkers." The Telegraph of Calcutta refers to him as "the guru of the environmental movement." Lester Brown pioneered the field of sustainability and created the first research institute devoted to analyzing global environmental issues when he created Worldwatch Institute in 1974. In 2001, he created Earth Policy Institute whose mission is to provide a vision of what an environmentally sustainable economy will look like and how to get there. He's received many awards including 23 honorary degrees and a MacArthur "genius" Fellowship. He's published 50 books, including his latest, Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization.
• Brian Greene, Thurs, Sept 29, 7:30pm—Come meet the cosmos. With a dazzling presentation on a big screen, theoretical physicist Brian Greene conveys the wonders of the universe. A leading theoretical physicist with groundbreaking discoveries in super string theory, he is a source of inspiration communicating the excitement of science. This is an ideal event for families and students. The Washington Post called Brian Greene “the single best explainer of abstruse ideas in the world today.” He’s a frequent guest of David Letterman, Stephen Colbert, and Charlie Rose. He’s author of The Elegant Universe, which sold over a million copies. The book was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and became an Emmy winning PBS series that Greene hosted.

HOUSTON PEACE & JUSTICE CENTER
This group sponsors so many great events that they can't all be listed here. To see their dynamic calencar, go to http://www.hpjc.org/hpjccalendar.asp.

POLITICS & THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE NEWS & OTHER STUFF
Troops exposed to toxins—
http://www2.iava.org/o/436/t/8492/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1797
Craddick folds—
http://texasweekly.com/node/3515/
Rick Casey looks ahead to 2009—
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/casey/6193079.html
Kaine to become DNC Chair—
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/04/AR2009010401139.html?hpid=topnews
2008 in review—
http://sendables.jibjab.com/sendables/202809/2008_year_in_review#/teaser/202809
Frank Rick: a President forgotten but not gone: the banality of evil—
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/opinion/04rich.html?_r=5&hp
More on the Bush nonlegacy—
http://www.truthout.org/122908M
Like we need another conspiracy that involves Rove? Oh, what the heck—
http://www.truthout.org/122408J
Why Bettencourt quit?—
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6157790.html
http://www.khou.com/video/index.html?nvid=312178
Dewhurst signals voter suppression as top GOP priority—
http://www.lonestarproject.net/
Are you in good hands? uhh—
http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=2919
Faster climate change feared—
http://www.truthout.org/122608N
Clean coal can save us—
http://www.truthout.org/122408N
NUKES: from SDEC committeeman & TED & OPD member John Robert Behrman—
http://texaskaos.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=5700
Whoopeee…more scary environmental news—
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/16dec_giantbreach.htm?list148230
Water or oil: we have a choice—
http://www.truthout.org/122908N

JOBS, JOBS, JOBS
JOB LISTINGS – Contact Jim Porter phone 713-781-2020, email - jhp356d@yahoo.com

Position Title: Drilling Engineer—Location: Houston, Texas
JOB OVERVIEW: Responsible for assisting in the management, organization and control of all drilling related works in the most safe and efficient manner possible. This includes but is not limited to engineering, reporting, tender, budget estimates, receipt of approval, programming, scheduling or other preparation work with consultation from the Drilling Manager. BS Degree, At least seven (7) years of experience in drilling activities and various engineering works. The incumbents shall be familiar with MMS procedures relating to drilling matters.

Position Title: Senior Geologist—Location: Houston, Texas
JOB OVERVIEW: As part of a multi-disciplinary team, conduct the integrated evaluation of assigned fields, properties or projects in order to maximize production as well as generate and evaluate new investment opportunities (including development, exploitation and exploration drilling, sidetracks, re-completions, acquisitions, farm-ins/outs, etc.) including risk assessments, reserve calculations and economic evaluations. B.S. or B.A. in Geology or related field (required). Ten+ years experience in, and familiarity with all aspects of exploration, exploitation and development geology (required). Five+ years experience on the Gulf of Mexico shelf (required).

If Jim makes a placement from this advertisement, he will send OPD a check for $1,000 for each placement made using the OPD newsletter.

FRIENDLY MEMBERSHIP REMINDERS
Did you move? Change your phone or have a different e-mail address? Please email Donna with your updated information.

Have you paid your dues, or do you want to make a donation to the club or to the PAC? Dues are $25.00 per person/$10.00 Reduced/Student. If you are not able to attend the next meeting, you can mail your check to Roopa Gir (see her contact information below). Please make your check payable to Oil Patch Democrats. Or go to our new contribution connection on ActBlue: https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/entity/18607. Be sure to put in the correct amount for membership, or if you're contributing more than the membership, just email Jim Cargas & Roopa to let them know your contribution includes a membership. Actually, since the provider charges us 3.5% to use this great tool, a little extra would be a good idea.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CONTACTS
Do you have any ideas for speakers, events, fundraisers, working meetings, etc.? Contact one or all of the Executive Committee—
Jim Rine (President)—jmrine@hotmail.com
Cindy Beau (Vice President)—clgphd1@yahoo.com
Roopa Gir (Treasurer)—roopa1@slb.com
Donna Bryant (Secretary)—schpinna@yahoo.com
Jim Cargas (General Counsel, PAC Treasurer)—jcargas@aol.com