Texas A&M - Galveston

The TAMU - Galveston students and faculty were very friendly and polite to me while I helped them get set up in a couple of classrooms. It made my day.

Below an article from the Eagle about the transfer of the Texas A&M - Galveston students:

A&M leaders estimate cost of Sea Aggie transfers at $37M
By HOLLY HUFFMAN
holly.huffman@theeagle.com
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Repairing damage at Texas A&M University's branch campus in Galveston and moving the displaced students to College Station and housing them during the interim could cost more than $37 million, university officials said Thursday.

Administrators estimated preliminary damage and relocation costs at $34 million for Texas A&M at Galveston and another $3.5 million for the College Station campus, where 285 course sections have been added to accommodate the 1,572 displaced Sea Aggies.

The money ultimately will be paid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, insurance and special item funding from the state, A&M officials said, noting that estimates already had been provided to the governor's office.

Administrators have said the relocation would be "cost-neutral" for students.

The Galveston campus was evacuated and closed down Sept. 10, just days before Hurricane Ike ravaged the Texas coast. A&M officials have said it would remain closed for the semester.

On Thursday, Texas A&M University President Elsa Murano and Galveston campus Vice President and Chief Executive Bowen Loftin updated the Texas A&M System Board of Regents on the effects of the hurricane. The update came less than two weeks after Ike pounded the coastal town and just one day after Galveston students began taking classes in Aggieland.

"To say that this is an unprecedented effort in higher education I think is absolutely the case. I don't think we know of any other situation [like it]," Murano told regents Thursday, the first day of their two-day meeting. "Nothing of this magnitude -- 1,572 students in a matter of less than two weeks."

Roughly 88 percent of the Galveston campus student body -- including its entire Corps of Cadets -- opted to relocate to College Station, and Loftin said he expected more to come. Others are taking classes via distance learning.

Loftin said he would begin contacting the remaining 200 or so students who have not been reached to see if there is any way the university can serve them. Those who can't continue this semester will be allowed to withdraw without penalty, and the tuition will be rolled over to the spring semester, when the campus is set to reopen, Loftin said.

"We put the students first," Loftin said. "That's the most important thing we could do."

More than 70 faculty members -- all but four of the total -- have signed on to teach classes in College Station, Loftin and Murano said.

Murano said the university decided against dispersing the Galveston students among existing course sections. Instead, she said, 285 new sections have been added to keep the students with their classmates and professors.

Of those sections, about a dozen will meet on nights and weekends, Murano said. Some are meeting in non-traditional spaces such as A&M United Methodist Church and St. Mary's Catholic Church, The Tradition at Northgate and Calloway House and even in Sbisa Dining Hall.

Murano said officials had secured 300 beds on campus and 1,200 rental units in the community for the visitors.

"To tell you it was a big undertaking is an understatement," Murano said, explaining that the relocation affected dozens of departments such as housing, transportation, dining, parking, billing, financial aid, medical services, counseling, communications and research.

"Everything you can think of, we needed to provide in a couple weeks or less," she said.

The College Station City Council also met on Thursday and unanimously agreed to allow city officials to be "more lenient" with residents who might be violating city ordinances by housing Galveston students. The ordinance prevents more than four unrelated people from living together.

During the board meeting, Loftin showed slides of the damage to the campus. The Sea Aggie Center and one of the dorms -- two of the weakest buildings on campus -- sustained significant damage. Other buildings, however, appeared unaffected by the storm.

All emergency repairs are complete, Loftin said. However, he said, there is some concern about the availability of student housing for the spring semester.

Loftin told the regents his dream was for the regents, together with Murano and A&M System Chancellor Mike McKinney, to be in Galveston in December, watching as the 100 or so graduating seniors walk the stage.

"That's the dream we have right now. I think we can do it," Loftin said as he displayed a photo taken before the storm of waves crashing over the seawall and onto a memorial erected after the deadly hurricane in 1900. "The Aggie Spirit, the spirit of Galveston, lives on."

I went

Eagle photo/Stuart Villanueva

I went to the vigil at church last night. The connections to Knoxville are a lot closer than I knew. More details about that can be found at the Eagle: http://www.theeagle.com/local/-An-act-of-hope- (sorry about the cut and paste, hyperlinking does not seem to work with theeagle.com articles)

The vigil also made the 10:00 news: http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/26084204.html

In the video I'm in the background holding up a cell phone to take pictures. The Knoxville church requested pictures from vigils. The video also included a close up of Judy's eyes. I recognized her eyes. Judy and Clint had been members of the TVUUC back in the 1950's. I wish her whole face had been filmed. Judy might not find the prospect of a tight close up of her face broadcast on television very appealing but I think it is one of the most beautiful faces I've encountered. The face of an 80+ year old woman. Something beautiful shines through the smile, wrinkles and eyes. I hope people caught a glimpse of that beauty in the video.

One of the youth sang, "Tomorrow", a song that I would normally cause me to wretch, so well that it was difficult to hold back applause. The appropriateness of it suppressed my normal gag reflex and mental shut down brought on by too many bad renditions forced upon my ear drums. I really heard the song, understood the lyrics and the message of the song.

I did not think about the sliding glass doors. I realized that I hadn't thought of the doors halfway through the service. This ties in with a book I've been reading, "Stumbling into Happiness" The book was one of several given to the Sangha after Ann passed away. It talks about the wide divergence between what is constructed in the mind in anticipation of an event and how the event actually unfolds. I felt none of the anxiety that I had anticipated.

Vigil

Unitarian Universalist Church of the Brazos Valley will have a candlelight vigil (6:30 pm, Tuesday, July 29) for the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville. A brief announcement was published in both the print and online version of the Bryan - College Station Eagle People of all faiths are welcome to participate.

Someone asked in the comments section under the announcement, "Where any of the dead from College Station?"

I did not wish to respond in comments section because I do not want to encourage the Eagle. I really hope they drop that feature because it has been nothing but a whole lot of ugly recklessly driving a truckload of stupid.

The question above is the most benign comment that I've read in the Eagle comments or any other news site's comments regarding the shooting in Knoxville.

In answer to the commenter's question, as far as I know, none of the dead or wounded have ties to College Station. According to the Dallas Morning News, some of the wounded and one of the dead, Linda Kraeger, had ties to north Texas and the Unitarian Universalist Church in Denton. Our minister was a member of that church. I don't if Rev. Eric knew these people.

Whether or not the dead were from College Station (or the city of Bryan, Brazos, Robertson, Grimes, Madison, Washington, Waller counties or the state of Texas) is not relevant. UU churches all over the world are holding vigils because a member of our denominational family has been hurt. Churches and people of other faiths have held vigils or prayed because members of the human family have been hurt and killed in a sanctuary. A sanctuary! A place of safety.

We grieve with and pray for TVUUC. We will try to deal with our own emotions. We will support each other.

Lunch Time

I spent half of my lunch hour reading UUpdates. Most of the blogs were about the shooting in Knoxville. After I finished reading, I could not draw a cartoon (my usual lunch hour activity). The temperature in my office played a role (my thermometer reads 76 degrees but I have a vent that blows air on me all day and I cannot get out of the stream no matter how I arrange my office) in my desire to get out and take a walk. An office is too cold if a walk outside in near 100 degree temperatures feels good. The afternoon walks help my body get back to a normal temperature.

I haven't been to a service this month. Walter and I heard saw the news on CNN as we sat in McDonald's. We headed to my mother-in-law's house to celebrate her birthday. I followed events on the cell phone.

After reading all the blogs and news stories my thoughts turned to my own church. I went over a lot of these while on my walk. I could not draw with these things churning in my head. I thought about Tim, Claudette, Martha, Doug, Sharon and others who have stood in the foyer greeting people coming in. I've greeted people in that same foyer. People who don't join the service until meet and greet. All of us on the front line if a person decided to come to the church to do harm. I thought about the layout of our sanctuary, the lack of pews to hide behind but plenty of avenues of escape and chairs to throw. I thought about Dave, Judy, Lauralee, Sharon and other mobility and visually impaired people. I know that other members would have helped them escape. I thought about the current board and other UU church boards evaluating their emergency procedures.

I thought about the shooter in Knoxville. Doesn't look disturbed. They never do. Wanted suicide by cop. What a coward. Could be one of us.

I thought about Ken and Wayne, always walking into church with an instrument case. Others bring instruments all the time. Where two or more UUs are gathered together there is a guitar.

I thought about what I would do in such a situation. I'm sure others have or will do so as they head to church next Sunday. In my head, I'm quite brave. I hope and pray that reality never calls my bluff.

Several blogs included parts of the hymn, Gentle Angry People. Appropriate given the stated motivations of the shooter. I never cared for that hymn but now I have to reevaluate.

I will go to church next Sunday. I will try to keep the scary thoughts at bay, resist the urge to unlock the sliding glass doors, and resist lifting a chair to check its heaviness. Despite these thoughts, I will feel safe at my church. I will pray that the members of the TVUUC will regain their sense of safety soon.

You know... morons

Clause 3, Article 6 of the United States Constitution:

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the
several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the
United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation,
to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required
as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

I added the emphasis.

During the work week, I watch Morning Joe on MSNBC while I eat breakfast. This morning some poll numbers were quoted - 12% believe that Barak Obama is a Muslim and 32% believe that he attended a madrassa. How much effort does it take to remain willfully ignorant?

I posted the quote above to remind people what our constitution says. Obama, a Muslim? No, but it does not matter. ...no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

When Mitt Romney came to the Bush Library to speak, he should have quoted Clause 3, Article 6 and left. He should have kept repeating, "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States", until it penetrated the thick skulls of people trying to impose such a test.

Back to the poll numbers quoted on MSNBC. In a perfect world, when news people quote a poll showing a percentage of people believing something proven untrue the phrase, "you know... morons" should accompany the quote.

An example:
According to a 1999 Gallup poll, 6% of Americans believe that the Apollo moon landings were faked. You know... morons.*

It would ease my pain.

*You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons. - From Blazing Saddles

...no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

...no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

...no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

...no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

...no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

Hot pockets in the den

I cannot count the number of times that I've sat in my den and the desire for a Hot Pocket hits me. I wanted a Hot Pocket but did not feel like traveling all the way to the kitchen to prepare one. I usually let the desire pass. Yes, I can be that lazy.

Ron Amalfi has solved his Hot Pocket dilemma by installing a microwave in his den. He does not have to tear himself away from the latest James Patterson thriller in order to prepare a Hot Pocket.

No wonder Mary let Jeff leave, Ron can enable her need to meddle and he has a microwave oven in his den. How cool is that? I bet a man who can afford a den microwave has a lot of money, more than a mere doctor.


Speaking of James Patterson, I drew the last You've Been Warned panel today. I still need to scan, color and add lettering but tomorrow I can resume drawing regular gag cartoons.

The Bryan-College Station Eagle has added comments to its online articles. You can't sent a letter to the editor anonymously but you can write whatever bit of ugliness you want anonymously. Real professional. Ugliness exists in the community but it does not need an anonymous public forum.

The Alpha and Omega Man

Obituary on BBC News
The coolest actor ever. Now he is gone. Yes, I admired Charlton Heston. All his aspects and all his accomplishments.

Abe Vigoda is next.

Giant rat found in 'lost world'

I hope the scientists call it a "Rous" - Rodent of Unusual Size

Parrot refuses to leave man's head

A Stockholm, Sweden, man was forced to get veterinary assistance when a mysterious parrot took up a position on his head and refused to budge. Catharina Nordin of Stockholm Police said the bird "came out of nowhere" Monday and attached itself to the head of the man, whose name was not released, The Local reported Tuesday. The man and his wife sought assistance from the local animal hospital after their own attempts at removing the bird from the man's head failed. It was unknown Tuesday whether the incident caused any injuries to the man or the bird.

Woman Sues Porn Star Over Name

Choose your child's name carefully.

HOUSTON - A Houston-area woman filed suit against a porn star, claiming she stole her name, KPRC Local 2 reported Sunday. Lara Madden, 25, is an actress in the porn industry. She is a former Houstonian who has appeared in about a dozen X-rated movies under the stage name "Syvette Wimberly." That's the problem. The real Syvette Wimberly was one of Madden's classmates at Kingwood High School. The women knew each other in the ninth grade. Wimberly does not believe it's a coincidence that her old classmate is now using her name. Wimberly is suing Madden for invasion of privacy and emotional distress. Wimberly is also suing Vivid Entertainment, the porn distributor that produced Madden's videos. She's asking for monetary damages and an injunction to stop Madden from using her name. Wimberly declined to talk on camera. Her attorney said she's already received more publicity than she wanted in the first place.

Kingwood is an affluent suburb northwest of Houston. Syvette Wimberly is a good porn actress name.

Abbey and MSNBC

Abbey is not house broken. Oh joy. It has been a long time since I've trained a dog not to go in the house. I don't know how a dog manages to live five years without knowing where to go. I can guess one of the reasons she was surrendered by her owner.

I don't know when Abbey sleeps because she would not stop whining last night. There were brief interludes of silence but I'd think she would figure out that whining is not going to get her the attention she wants. The neighbors will think we are torturing a dog.

Then the damn dog looks at me with her brown eyes and sad face. I pet her and she is happy. She just wants to be close to people and petted but I wish she would learn not to make a mess on my carpets and sleep quietly in her kennel.

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I watched a bit of Joe Scarborough on MSNBC this morning. He trivialized the death toll in Iraq. He jokingly complained that it was a poor segue into the important story about Paris Hilton. Made a cartoonish "wa-wa-wa" sound after his comment about the Iraq death toll. I no longer have the energy to be outraged by these idiots.

Local idiot.

Bryan man nabbed in false report case

By MATTHEW WATKINS
Eagle Staff Writer

A Bryan man has been arrested after he reportedly made false police and insurance reports claiming that $25,000 worth of electronics and jewelry had been stolen from his apartment.

Jorge Martinez, 30, faces charges of making a false police report to an officer conducting a criminal investigation.

According to police reports, Martinez listed several large televisions, jewelry, a computer, 340 DVDs, 80 X-box video games, DVD players, a VCR and several other items as stolen.

The report was filed to Bryan police last March and investigators said that they were suspicious from the start. He was taken into custody Saturday.

"I was very alarmed at the exorbitant amount of monetary items listed as stolen in the report," said Detective Jon Agnew, who specializes property and juvenile crime, in a signed affidavit. "I had not investigated any other burglary of a habitation in this high of a price range."

Two days after Martinez filed his original report, police said he called them again, explaining he found more items missing such as a surround sound system and $2,800 worth of sports jerseys. When he arrived at the police station the following day to pick up the police report, he added a 46-inch television worth $2,200 to the list, reports said.

Agnew said that the large amount of money reported stolen from the residence, which is located in an area with mostly low-income housing, was a red flag that the report was fake.

The quantity of valuables taken was another red flag, he said.

"With the amount of items that the defendant stated was stolen, the alleged suspect would have to have a moving truck and several people to help him," Agnew wrote in the affidavit. He added that he interviewed Martinez's neighbors and that no one recalled seeing any suspicious activity.

Agnew reported that he asked Martinez to show receipts for the items, and Martinez told him that he forgot to report that a briefcase that had all of his receipts in it also had been stolen.

According to the reports, Martinez also filed a claim with his renter's insurance. An investigator from the insurance company who shared his findings with police reported that he visited Martinez's house and one of his teenage sons told the investigator that he was unaware of a burglary.

After Agnew requested receipts he began to have trouble contacting Martinez, he said. A warrant was signed for his arrest but he was not located until a traffic stop ten months after the report was originally made.

He was released Saturday on $2,000 bail for the Class A misdemeanor.

• Matthew Watkins' e-mail address is matthew.watkins@theeagle.com.

Police catch teen after his pants fall

Wire Report

COVINGTON, La. - Police said they caught a 16-year-old robbery suspect who previously eluded them after his baggy pants fell down, causing him to stumble as officers chased him.

"We literally caught him with his pants down," Lt. Jack West said.

The teenager, who was not identified because he is a juvenile, is suspected of robbing a man at gunpoint and stealing another man's car after beating him with a brick, West said. The suspect had run away from police several times in recent weeks, he said.

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