The pups are getting older and don't seem to mind that much if I'm home all the time so I've been trying to get out a little more. In the last month or so I've gone to hear Bill Richardson speak at Rice and heard Rachel Maddow speak at the Progressive Forum. I've also been to the ballet for a performance of The Rite of Spring and seen The Merchant of Venice at Baker Shakespeare.
The roommate situation is working out better than expected. C is such a delight to have around. He inspires me to eat healthier. He says the same thing about me. I've been using my new Vitamix everyday. Last week (5 days) I did a green drink "fast." Technically not a fast but I'm going to call it that anyway. I tried to just drink 2 green drinks a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. I did cheat a little by having some fruit for lunch but still managed to lose 7 lbs. After taking the weekend off, I'm going to try it again this week.
On a sad note, two of my kitties have disappeared, the gray kitty, Cinza and the female Siamese.  I still have the tiger mother cat and the fluffy male Siamese plus a very vocal orange male cat has become a regular. I need to trap him and get him fixed but I don't have a trap anymore.
   

Jane Goodall

Last Wednesday I went to hear Jane Goodall speak at an event sponsored by the Progressive Forum and the Houston Zoo. It's been 50 years since JG first started observing and working with chimpanzies in what is now Tanzania's Gombe National Park. She spoke about all of the changes in the world in the last 50 years and how these chances have impacted animals, people, and the environment. My favorite part of the speech was when she talked about how she first became interested in animals and what a key role her mother played by encourgaging and supporting her. She also discussed her organization for young people, Roots and Shoots. The mission of Roots and Shoots is to "foster respect and compassion for all living things, to promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs and to inspire each individual to take action to make the world a better place for people, animals and the environment."

John Paul Stevens

Last week I went to hear Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens speak at an event sponsored by The Progressive Forum. Justice Stevens retired from the court in June after being nominated by Gerald Ford in 1975, and was considered one of the more liberal justices. The hall at Wortham Center was completely sold out and the audience was very enthusiastic...lots of cheering, clapping, and standing ovations. It was so nice to be in a room with intelligent progressive people and the Q&A with JPS was informative and inspiring. It is hard to believe he is 90 years old when you hear him speak.
GWB was in Houston the following day signing his book. If JPS had prevailed in Bush v. Gore we might not have had to endure 8 years of his disastrous presidency. Here is Stevens quote about Bush v. Gore:
"One thing, however, is certain. Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year's presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the nation's confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law."

Nancy Pelosi in Houston

I went to the Wortham Center last night to see Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at an event sponsored by the Progressive Forum. She spent the first half of the event answering questions submitted earlier on the Progressive Forum website about education, health care, the economy, and energy. After that she talked about her book Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters and answered questions about her life in politics. Everyone who attended received a copy of the book which she signed after the event.

Security was very tight and there were several hundred protesters outside the Wortham holding signs that made no sense to me. One of the signs said something like "When Nancy lies people die." Maybe they are recycling the old George Bush protest signs. Most of their complaints seemed to be about problems created by the Bush administration, not Pelosi or the Dems. I believe the protest was organized by the teabaggers. Probably some secessionists there too. Not very bright people.

Markos Moulitsas

Markos Moulitsas, founder and editor of Daily Kos, which is the most widely read political blog in the world, will be speaking at an event sponsored by The Progressive Forum on Monday, September 22 at the Wortham Center. Tickets start at only $11.00 and can be purchased here:
http://www.progressiveforumhouston.org/

Elizabeth Edwards

Last night I went to the Wortham Center with a friend from Rice to hear Elizabeth Edwards speak. The event was sponsored by The Progressive Forum, an organization in Houston "whose aim is to enrich our democracy and culture by presenting the great minds who we believe are moving humanity and life towards success, speakers from all the fields of human endeavor—the sciences and humanities as well as politics and public affairs. " Some of the past speakers have been Molly Ivins, Garrison Keillor, Robert Kennedy Jr., and Al Gore.

Edwards spoke for about 45 minutes about her life as a breast cancer survivor and about the support she received, and continues to receive, from her family, friends, and strangers who reached out to her after her diagnosis. She talked about her children, including her son Wade who died in a car accident when he was in high school, and about her relationship with her husband, John Edwards.

After speaking, she answered some questions from the audience including a few about politics and the 2008 presidential race.

It was a wonderful event and has made me want to read her book Saving Graces and also to attend future events sponsored by the Progressive Forum. Here is a link to their website:http://www.progressiveforumhouston.org/

I took the two picture with my brand new digital camera. This was the first time I had tried using it and I obviously need some practice.