Monthly Archives: April 2009

Advocate for African democracy, survivor of assassination attempt to speak at UNT-Dallas

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DALLAS – Former Burundi diplomat Jean-Marie Ngendahayo will speak at the University of North Texas Dallas Campus on the issue of human rights and democracy in Africa at 1:30 p.m. May 4.

The public and media are invited to attend.

In the visit encouraged by State Rep. Richard Peña Raymond of Laredo (District 42), Ngendahayo will also talk about his personal experiences in the government of Burundi. In a letter to UNT System Chancellor Lee Jackson, Raymond called Ngendahayo “a man who combines clarity of thought and experience with a profound and courageous commitment to democracy and human justice” in his homeland and across Africa.

Born in 1956 in Burundi, one of Africa’s smallest nations, Ngendahayo is of royal lineage but has been an advocate for democracy over the course of his political career, according to a biography written by former U.S. Senator Robert Krueger, who also served as ambassador to Burundi and Botswana. During the conflict between the minority Tutsi regime and the Hutu majority, Ngendahayo joined the Hutus in calling for free and fair elections in 1993.

Melchoir Ndadaye, the first democratically elected president, named Ngendahayo to his cabinet as his minister of communications and government spokesman. He also served as a member of the Burundi parliament. Ndadaye was assassinated on his 100th day in office, after which Ngendahayo served in an United Nations-constructed coalition government as the country’s foreign minister and chief peace negotiator.

In 1995, Ngendahayo and U.S. Ambassador Bob Krueger were investigating the massacres of Hutu villagers by the Tutsi militia when their convoy was ambushed by the Burundi army. Two persons were killed and eight wounded, and the car carrying Ngendahayo and Krueger was struck by gunfire. Ngendahayo fled to South Africa and later Finland with his family.

Ngendahayo represented opponents of the military regime in Burundi in peace talks chaired by Nelson Mandela, and the resulting constitution and governmental structure allowed Ngendahayo to return home to Burundi in 2005.

He became head of Burundi’s foreign relations committee and a member of parliament, but in 2008 Ngendahayo again spoke out against corruption within his own political party and on the part of the president. He and 19 others were stripped of their government posts and salaries. Following the arrest of two of his counterparts and threats of violence, Ngendahayo fled the country again – this time acquiring asylum in the United States.

Ngendahayo is currently a visiting scholar in residence at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, where he teaches courses on African politics, religion, government and culture.

Following his visit at the UNT Dallas Campus, Ngendahayo will call on leaders of the Dallas-Fort Worth World Affairs Council. He will also lecture at UNT in Denton on the following day.

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The UNT Dallas Campus operates under the authority of the University of North Texas in Denton, the state’s fourth largest university, and is a component institution of the University of North Texas System. The Campus currently offers junior-, senior- and graduate-level courses leading to bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The Campus plans to become freestanding by 2010 and will be named UNT Dallas, the city’s first and only public university.

Overreation Thursday – Let the Swine Flu finger pointing begin

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On one of the local sports talk shows, they have a staple segment during football season called “overreaction Monday.”  The premise is that after a Dallas Cowboys game fans of the team will overreact one way or the other.  The sky is falling if they lose, we’re going to the Super Bowl if they win.

Today, I expect to hear lots of talk about how we are overreacting to the H1N1 virus, and I expect to hear a lot of that discussion in the media.  I think much of it will center around an article in the LA Times and others that says H1N1 is a relatively mild strain of flu, and the outbreak will be less deadly than the average winter.

So now people will start pointing fingers.  I heard it this morning on Fox 4′s morning show asking whether or not Ft. Worth ISD overreacted by shutting the district down for a week.  It’s a fair question.  But I have a hard time accepting it from television, especially when they are running “breaking news” sounders, playing ominous music, and plastering swine flu banners all over the screen.

On Tuesday CNN was blaming Twitter for spreading misinformation while a journalist in Mexico allowed people to misstated how the virus spread to their country on camera. I know it’s a T.V. staple to get people to look and sound stupid, and it’s funny when you’re asking whether or not they know the President of France, but not so much in this case.

Did Ft. Worth overreact?  I’d call it erring on the side of caution and I’m sure they would too.  But for the news folks to play armchair quarterback while contributing to the panic is a bit much for my liking.

There has been little talk in news coverage of how populations with preexisting conditions are most at risk.  Little education on how susceptible populations -very young, elderly, expectant mothers- should be most cautions vs. healthy school aged children.

The pre-flu health of the child who died in Texas has not been fully examined or reported on, and for some reason it is called “the first U.S. death” though the child was a Mexican citizen who contracted the flu in Mexico and crossed the border to seek treatment.

This is not been stressed when this death is reported though it has in part caused some of the extreme measures taken in our state.  Yet Twitter is getting hammered by the media in one breath and in the next breath we hear “follow our tweets.”

Really though, I shouldn’t be surprised.  If TV is willing to divert large amounts of their resources to cover spring showers, standing outside telling us “I can really feel the rain coming down now Cathy….it’s hitting me in my face now…..I’m getting soaked out here” then why should I be surprised at how they cover a pandemic.  Now it all makes perfect sense.

This Week on Blog Talk Radio: Wayne Hicks/Electronic Village & Vanessa Byers/Vanessa Unplugged

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The Bloggers Roundup segment has been wildly popular, and more people are listening to the Shawn P. Williams Show than ever before. Kristin and I couldn’t be more thrilled about the guests that we’ve had, including our two heavy hitters joining us this week.

Click here to listen to an archive of last week’s show.

Thursday April 30th – Bloggers Roundup
Guests:  Wayne Hicks, Electronic Village & Vanessa Byers Vanessa: Unplugged! , on the black hand side and others.

Topics:  H1N1 Virus (swine flu), Obama’s 1st 100 Days

Time:  9PM Central and 10 PM Eastern

Call in # – (347) 215-9337
Join in online and stop by the chat room which has been really jumping.

Perry declares Texas a disaster area, UIL cancels all events

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Texas Governor Rick Perry has issued a disaster proclamation for the entire state of Texas in relation to the spread of swine flu.  This will allow Texas to access additional resources, including 25 percent (850,000 courses) of the Texas allotment of antiviral medication from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Strategic National Stockpile.

The governor has echoed the suggestion of other health officials in how to best deal with the H1N1 virus (swine flu):

•Stay home when you are sick to avoid spreading illness to others.
•Cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow or a tissue and properly dispose of used tissues.
•Wash hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

For additional information on the swine flu, please visit:
www.dshs.state.tx.us/swineflu
www.cdc.gov/swineflu/

To reach the Texas Department of State Health Services press office, contact Doug McBride, DSHS Press Officer, 512-458-7524 or 512-532-4950.

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UIL Schedules Altered Due to Swine Flu

Media Contact: Kim Rogers
Phone: 512) 471-5883
Fax: (512) 471-6589
Email: uilpr@mail.uil.utexas.edu
Date: 04/29/2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AUSTIN, TX— On the recommendation of Dr. David Lakey, Commissioner of the Texas
Department of State Health Services, and in consultation with Texas Education Agency
Commissioner Robert Scott, the University Interscholastic League is altering its schedule of
events due to the outbreak of the swine flu in Texas. Effective immediately, all UIL
interscholastic competition is suspended until May 11.  

“The health and safety of our student activity participants is of the utmost importance,” said
UIL Executive Director Dr. Charles Breithaupt.  “Taking every possible precaution to
prevent the further spreading of this disease is an important contribution to the welfare of
our great state, and altering the schedule of our events is a way to keep our participants
safe.”

As this is a fluid situation, the UIL tentatively releases the following schedule for UIL
regional and state events affected by this situation.

Academic State Meet
The UIL Academic State Meet, originally scheduled for May 7-9, will be rescheduled at a
later date.  The Conference 4A and 5A One-Act Play competition will continue as
previously scheduled on May 15-16. All other conferences competing in One-Act Play will
be rescheduled. A schedule of the Academic State Meet, including One-Act Play, will be
posted on the UIL web site once finalized.

Texas State Wind Ensemble Festival
The Texas State Wind Ensemble Festival, originally scheduled for May 9, has been
cancelled.  The UIL staff will consult with the 16 participating schools to determine
whether or not to reschedule the event at a later date. 

Regional Track Meets
All UIL regional track meets originally scheduled for this weekend, May 1-2, have been
cancelled.  The state track and field meet will be extended to a three-day format to include
semifinal heats.  The meet is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May
14-16.

Semifinal qualifiers will be based on the district track meet results.  Each region will be
represented at the state meet by the top four performances in each event for all conferences.
Hand-held times will be converted to fully automatic times as defined by the National
Federation of State High School Association rules.  A revised track and field state meet
schedule will be posted on the UIL web site no later than Friday, May 1.  Qualifiers to the
UIL state track and field meet will be posted on the UIL web site on Wednesday, May 6.

Golf State Tournament
The UIL golf state tournament will take place at the previously scheduled times beginning
May 11.

Tennis State Tournament
The UIL tennis state tournament will take place at the previously scheduled times beginning
May 11.

Baseball and Softball
No interschool games will take place until May 11 for either softball or baseball.  Below is
an altered playoff schedule for both sports.

Join us at Dallas City Hall today (Wednesday)

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If you haven’t already heard, we are having a mega event to urge people to Vote NO and Save Dallas.

We expect 500+ people. BRING YOUR VOTER CARD OR LICENSE WITH YOU!

Vote No and Save Dallas!

When: Wednesday 4/29 – music starts at 4PM
City Hall Plaza
Akard and Young Street, at the fountain
Rally Location (Google Maps) http://tinyurl.com/saveourcitydallas

Add to your outlook calendar (link)

Many of you moved to Dallas and live here because of the opportunities available to you. You moved here because Dallas is a growing city.

Dallas has been losing everything of value to the suburbs.
*We lost the Cowboys to Arlington.
*Nokia Theatre is in Grand Prairie.
*The Texas Motor Speedway is in Fort Worth instead of on I-20 in Oak Cliff.
*Don’t you want to do things in Dallas?

More than $2.5 billion dollars of economic impact and $800 million in direct spending is waiting for us if we VOTE NO! One group is trying to prevent that from getting to Dallas.

If Dallas becomes less business-friendly, we lose. The economic future and opportunities of our generation depends on whether or not we VOTE NO!

We didn’t like the last Mayor because she shot down every project and now we have a Mayor with great ideas for a great city. We need to have his back!

** HOW IT AFFECTS YOU **
Dallas will be become a ghost town.
We won’t be able to bring back and build up South Dallas, Oak Cliff, Pleasant Grove, and West Dallas unless we VOTE NO!

No more places in Dallas like West Village, Mockingbird Station, and Uptown.

If Dallas can’t bring big events to downtown, finance economic development, and recruit companies, this city will dry up! The more we lose, the more jobs leave Dallas, and the less opportunity you have to succeed. That’s not why you came to Dallas!

** HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO **
The haters have more money but we have more people!

If you want Dallas to continue to grow, you need to come to our rally on Wednesday April 29th in front of City Hall.

Music starts at 4PM and the speakers start at 5:30–guest speakers include Veronica Torres – Chair for the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber Young Professionals group, Michael Davis of Dallas Progress blog, Ron King of PartyChaser.com/Trinary Media, and others.

Are you going to let one group stand in the way of YOUR future?

Come hang out with your friends and learn why we must fight for our city.

** IMPORTANT LINKS **
Early Voting: April 27, 2009 – May 5, 2009
http://www.dalcoelections.org/may92009/EARLYVOTINGLocations.html

Election Day: Saturday May 9th.

Check your voter registration by name or address
http://www.dalcoelections.org/voters.asp

Demonstration of Touch Screen Voting Machine (Flash player required)
http://www.essvote.com/flash/demo.html

Services Available to Voters with Special Needs in Texas
http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/pamphlets/services.shtml

State of Texas Early Voting Rules
http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/pamphlets/earlyvote.shtml

Google Map of All Dallas Early Voting Locations
http://tinyurl.com/alldallasearlyvotingspots

Obama’s First 100 Days, what do you think?

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It doesn’t seem like very long ago when we watched with joy and anticipation as the transfer of power was underway. Some were in D.C. in the freezing throng who witnessed history as it went down. Others watched on T.V. screens, even standing during the oath of office as a show of respect the man the Land of Lincoln.

But the feeling of euphoria didn’t last long, as President Barack Obama himself went to work on day one. He’s pushed his agenda at a dizzying pace while addressing issues that have popped up (swine flu, nominees and taxes, $300 Air Force One photo op) over these first 100 days.

Check these pics from the White House Photo Office of President Obama’s first days in office.

There’s nothing special about a President’s first 100 days in office, but it is often used as a benchmark for media and pundits. In a New York Times/CBS poll of 1,000 adults, President Obama has a 68% approval rating. His rating among African-Americans polled was 96%.

I was asked by Gordon Jackson of the Dallas Weekly how I would grade President Obama’s first 100 days. Grading and predicting isn’t really my thing, but I told Mr. Jackson I would give the President a solid ‘B.’ I believe he handled the budget that was mostly given to him by his predecessor very well and the stimulus bill (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) is creating jobs and addressing long neglected/ignored infrastructure areas like high speed rail.

Check out President Obama’s Flickr stream.

His primetime news conferences (there’s one tonight by the way) have be reassuring to Americans. Obama has been mostly rebuffed in his attempts at bipartisanship by folks like Eric Cantor. Speaking of Cantor, check out this quick note on Cantor and his love/hate relationship with high speed rail.

While the stimulus was being debated in January, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor called a group of reporters into his office to outline the GOP’s objections. As we filed in, we walked past a giant poster ridiculing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) for allegedly pushing for high-speed rail connecting Disneyland and Las Vegas.

Asked about high-speed rail at a recent local event in Virginia, Cantor was all thumbs up. “If there is one thing that I think all of us here on both sides of the political aisle from all parts of the region agree with, it’s that we need to do all we can to promote jobs here in the Richmond area,” Cantor said of the high-speed rail.

Ryan Grim, Huffington Post

Anyway, Obama has had to deal with lots of personalities who want to derail his presidency and they thought that had a chance early on. They figured they could tie the struggling economy around is neck and pass the budget and stimulus off as useless spending. But none of that resonated outside of an ardent base and delusional, secessionists governor. The individual giving the Obama the most trouble so far seems to be Bo, the family dog.

I told Mr. Jackson that my reason for giving Obama a ‘B’ was that I haven’t heard from him on issues that uniquely affect African-Americans, like Sen. Jim Webb’s Criminal Justice Legislation that would study American incarceration rates that are out of whack. But there’s time for that.

Over the next 100 days and the rest of his term, the President will face many more challenges. Right now, the most pressing is the H1N1 flu virus (aka swine flu). A 23 month old who had traveled from Brownsville to Mexico is the first confirmed U.S. death from the outbreak. GM and Chrysler are still struggling, and Americans continue to face job losses and lulls in productivity. Iraqi violence has spiked and the Taliban is asserting itself in Pakistan.

But President Obama, and Americans, can only take it one day at a time.  His measured approach to leadership and willingness to accept responsibility have allowed him to overcome some less than stellar moments (comment on Jay Leno immediately comes to mind) to gain the trust and confidence of the American people. These are exciting times, but there’s a lot of work for all of us to do in the days ahead.

Theater Review: King Hedley II at Bishop Arts Theater Center

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King Hedley II By: August Wilson
Directed By Laterras R. Whitfield
Review By: Carla Lacy

I was fortunate enough to be asked by my good friend Shawn Williams of Dallas South to visit a play this past Saturday. He asked me to write a review for submission on Dallas South. I was honored that he would even consider asking my opinion! Little did I know, that I would the soon feel that same excitement/pride/ joy and, Yes, honor on Saturday night.

My guest Terrance and I strolled in to the Bishop Arts Theater Center (home of TeCo Theatrical Productions) lobby not quite knowing what to expect. We entered the dark theater, to find the play already in progress. As the first moments passed I thought, all of these actors look so young… but I watched on. Terrance leaned over and whispered, “Are they students?” “I guess so” I expressed, but from the characters that leapt from the stage you may not know it.

As I began to read the program I learned that these young actors and actresses were part of the T-An-T (Teenagers And Theater) Acting Troupe! Yes, these were high school and Jr. High School students, but this was no children’s play!

The play is set in 1985 Pittsburg, PA, and King Headley II has just been released form a 7-year sentence for murder. He seems to have all the intentions of making himself into a success, but just can’t seem to find the way to making that happen. He struggles throughout the play with the ghosts of his father, while desperately and dangerously trying to change his future.

He faces the same struggle that many face today: coming out from despair with high hopes for the future. As demonstrated by King, it is a difficult task to change your life, without first changing your mind.

All of the performers were extremely talented, and tackling this play was no easy feat! They dealt with adult issues that were surely beyond their experience, yet they were able to bring the characters and their issues to life.

Two of the future stars whose characters seemed to leap off the stage were Stool Pigeon, and Elmore played by Jr. High student Clifford Cummings and High School student Amir Razavi. When you hear talk of “reach” for an actor -range of effective action, power, or capacity; to get or come to a specified place, person, condition, etc; or to succeed in making contact with, influencing, impressing, interesting, convincing- these students are well on their way to having it! Well done.

In all this was joy to witness, and I am eager to see what’s in store for the next production.

There is quite a bit of adult language and some violence, so I didn’t find it suitable for children. I had to work my way through the teen’s use of such strong words.

Summer Camp is available for kids 6-17yrs. 7am-5pm M-Th. I have already printed the application for my own little one. Only 50 spots available!

King Hedley II

Remaining Shows: April 30, May 1&2

Bishop Arts Theater Center
215 South Tyler Street
General Admission Seating, 8PM Nightly
All Seats $15 in advance, $20 at the door (plus service fee)
(Thursday, Friday & Saturday performances only)
Call the box office at 214-948-0716 for more information

Statement from Michael Steele on Sen. Arlen Specter’s decision to switch parties

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WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele released the following statement today:

“Some in the Republican Party are happy about this. I am not.

Let’s be honest-Senator Specter didn’t leave the GOP based on principles of any kind. He left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record.

Republicans look forward to beating Sen. Specter in 2010, assuming the Democrats don’t do it first.”

VIDEO Shawn P. on CNN’s “Bloggers Bunch”

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I’m still not sure if this actually aired on T.V., but here’s the video from my CNN “Bloggers Bunch” appearance. Many thanks to Mike Orren and Pegasus News for allowing me to use their facilities. I was having technical issues at Williams Manor.

It was a lively discussion and a comfortable format, similar to what we did at “News and Notes.” I’ll have to find out more about the blogger from Huff Po. Let me know what you think.

Looks like a round table brining together bloggers via Skype. Above is the segment Baratunde Thurston was on Monday where they discussed torture. Kind of looks like the Brady Bunch (get it?) . Should be fun.

Convention Center Hotel Message to a Friend

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I was responding to a message from a friend this morning and figured I’d post what I typed on the blog.

Shawn,

Just read your latest post. Why is the hotel so important? I don’t live in Dallas and I don’t have a say but what is it expected to bring.

I have heard of conferences but with so little entertainment to offer I don’t see that being a big pull. I think it is great that this mayor wants to build up Dallas but I am not sure what or why you all think a hotel is the way to go about it.

Friend

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Friend,

That’s a good question and a question I plan to answer in the next few days. The hotel is important to a city like Dallas because convention and tourism is the lifeblood of major cities. New Orleans is taking their time to rebuild living space, but they wasted no time making sure that tourism was protected and back up as soon as possible.

Dallas is the only city in the top 20 convention markets that does not have a convention hotel. Even most opponents agree that the city will benefit from such a venue, they just don’t agree with how it’s being funded.

Regardless of what people say, convention planners like to come to Dallas. When you have a convention on a coast like San Diego -A GREAT CONVENTION CITY- it can be tough for people to travel from the East Coast. Early Departures/ Late Arrivals, jet lag, it all takes away from the experience.

When I was working a convention in Seattle recently they told me attendance was down this year because many of the doctors from the East Coast did not attend. The logistical convenience offered by Chicago, Dallas, (even Houston) offers an initial incentive for our first customer: convention planners.

And there are things to do in Dallas that even folks who live here don’t take advantage of. Ask locals whether they have been to the Nasher Scupture Center and most will say no. Yet it’s one of the reasons the New York Times listed Dallas as #17 in the their list of top #44 cities in the world.

In my initial article on this issues for the Dallas Morning News on December 17, 2007, I stated that Dallas needs both a hotel and improved entertainment options to be successful. In this hotel deal, Matthews Southwest (hotel developer) has committed to raising up to $30 million for entertainment and retail space around the hotel. These are the same people who recruited Brooklyn’s Jazz Cafe to the Southside. I was there on Friday, you could hardly get in.

It’s just one man’s opinion, but I think Jack Matthews is the 21st Century Trammell Crow/Marcus Stanley. Because he’s not from here (like many of us) he’s not bogged down by what can’t happen. “You can’t make money out of that Old Sears Building,” but he did. “You can’t build a successful hotel downtown,” but he will.

The way Matthews treats his African-American retail tenants (which are quite a few) is outstanding, and he’s a huge supporter of “minority owned businesses.” I’m sure that goes for everyone who work and live in his buildings. People love working for the guy. I was on board with the hotel before they announced a developer, but I can tell you my support would not be as strong were it anyone else.

FACT

In 2007-2008 the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau booked 1 million room nights, $ 1 billion of economic impact for our city. That’s a record for Dallas and up 20% from the previous year. This had everything to do with the fact that the Dallas City Council approved the hotel.

In the end, I think part of it is that I see Dallas not as it is, but as it will be 5 years from now. I see Dallas with a deck park over Woodall Rogers, a beautiful bridge extending into West Dallas, a Performing Arts Center and Theater that rival any such venues in the world. I even see the stinky Trinity becoming a white water rapids course.

Our city made some mistakes, and if I can borrow a line from our President, much of that took place before I got here. But Dallas has to protect Dallas. Prop 1 and 2 don’t make one person safer, one road smoother, and they don’t save one job. We have to move forward, and that’s what we’ve been able to do in the last 4 or 5 years. We can’t let one person stand in our way for fear that he’ll lose business.

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

Shawn