Category: Uncategorized

Editor’s Note: Usually this is the time of year when downtown bus riders in Austin listen to Jennifer Gale singing Christmas carols. No more sweet fa-la-la’s from Jennifer. We should have sung along.–gm

Equality Texas mourns the death of Jennifer Gale, a 47-year-old transgender homeless woman who died yesterday. Jennifer’s body was found Wednesday morning. She was lying in an outdoor walkway at the First English Lutheran Church in Central Austin.

A perennial candidate for public office in Austin and Dallas, Jennifer’s notoriety came through years of putting herself in the public eye. She took a shot at nearly every city office, from council seats, to the mayor’s office. She never won, but in 2004, Gale came closer than ever, winning more than 38 percent of the vote for a seat on the Austin ISD School Board.

Jennifer’s voice rang through Austin Council Chamber doors every week, often times in support of the homeless population of which she was a part.

“Let’s give the homeless a place to exercise that need jobs and need help,” said Gale Tuesday night before the city’s Health Services Board.

Her death points to critical problems faced by the homeless, and especially by homeless women and the transgender homeless.

“Jennifer most nights slept outdoors,” said Austin Mayor Will Wynn. “Jennifer, we believe, is the 136th person who has died sleeping on the streets (of Austin) over the last 12 months.”

Marti Bier, policy aide for Austin City Council Member Randi Shade, said, “Something Jennifer would never talk about, but was a reality for her, is that she is a transwoman living in a transphobic society. Homelessness in the trans-community is a really big problem, and one that goes ignored. There are no laws in Texas protecting transgender people, whether from job discrimination, housing discrimination or hate crimes.

“There was really nowhere for Jennifer Gale to go to protect herself from the cold last night,” said Bier. “The Salvation Army (the only shelter in town that takes in women) would not let her in there unless she was grouped with the men (which includes sleeping with, and showering with, other homeless men). They would make her use her male birth name and completely disregard, and disrespect, her identity as a trans-woman. There is so much to be learned from Jennifer Gale, and so much to be worked on in our community.”

Equality Texas, the Transgender Education Network of Texas, and City of Austin officials are now working together to address changes in policy, or enforcement of existing policy, that might prevent another tragic loss of life. The City of Austin’s non-discrimination ordinance is inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity with regard to employment and public accommodations. The ordinance includes certain religious and private club exemptions, which will be reviewed for applicability to the delivery of shelter services for the homeless.

Source: email from Equality Texas

a righteous link from Pam’s House Blend here. Thanks Pam and Autumn.

By Greg Moses

With worrying economic news we continue to explore Civil Rights in an economic context. What does it mean when Texas leaders point to jobs growth in Texas?

In October 2008, the actual Nonfarm Employment in Texas (not seasonally adjusted) increased by 43,600 jobs for a total of 10.7 million Texas jobs. It was the Service Providing Sector that kept Texas in the job-growth zone after the Goods Producing Sector lost a total of 3,000 jobs.

Of the 46,900 new Service Producing jobs in Texas, a hefty 33,700 came from the Government sector, especially from Local Government Educational Services, which added 26,200 jobs. This, my friend, is your local property tax at work, providing an equivalent of half the actual Nonfarm job growth in Texas for October 2008.

Goods Producing

The Goods Producing Sector offered 1.8 million jobs in Texas during October after losing 3,300 jobs. Within the Goods Producing sector, Natural Resources and Mining was up 1,500 jobs while Construction was down 700.

Within Construction, Heavy and Civil Engineering was down 1,100, and Specialty Trade Contractors were down 800. Building Equipment Contractors and other specialty trades decreased by 1,700. On the positive tick in Construction, Building Construction was up 1,200, thanks to an increase of 900 jobs in Building Finishing, Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors.

Texas Manufacturing slipped to 926,800 jobs after losing 4,100.

Durable Goods

The Manufacturing Durable goods sector lost 2,500 jobs, with biggest hits coming from Transportation Equipment Manufacturing (-900 jobs); Wood Product Manufacturing (-600 jobs); Agriculture, Construction, and Mining Machinery Manufacturing (-600 jobs); Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (-500 jobs); and Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (-500 jobs).

Bright spots in Texas Durable Goods Manufacturing came in two sectors. The Machinery Manufacturing Sector increased to a total of 97,900 jobs after adding 300 jobs in October. And the Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing sector grew to 47,600 jobs after adding 200 jobs in October.

Non-Durable Goods

In Non-Durable Good Manufacturing a total of 1,600 jobs were lost, with the biggest loss coming from Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing (-400 jobs).

The Chemical Manufacturing Sector still reports a total of 74,300 jobs after losing 100 jobs in October.

The largest sector in Texas Non-Durable Goods Manufacturing is Food Manufacturing, which grew to a total of 90,800 jobs after adding 600 jobs in October. Animal slaughtering also added 300 jobs in October for a total of 39,600 jobs.

Service Providing

The Service Providing Sector in Texas grew to nearly 8.9 million jobs after adding 46,900 jobs in October. Of those new service jobs, 33,700 came from the government sector of nearly 1.8 million jobs. And of the new government jobs, 26,200 came from Local Government Educational Services.

In the Private Service Providing Sector of nearly 7.1 million jobs, there were 13,200 new jobs added in October.

Retail

Retail employment grew by 5,700 jobs to nearly 1.2 million. Retail sector leaders were Clothing Stores (+1,700 jobs); Electronics and Appliance Stores (+1,500 jobs); General Merchandise (+1,400); Miscellaneous Store Retailers (+1,300 jobs); and Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Stores (+1,100).

Retail sector losses were felt by Automotive Dealers (-1,400 jobs); Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers (-800 jobs), Gasoline Stations (-700 jobs), and Automotive Parts, Accessories, and Tire Stores (-300 jobs).

Transportation

Also in the Private Service Providing Sector, the Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities sector was able to add 1,800 jobs, bringing total employment in that sector to 442,400. Sector leaders were Support Activities for Transportation (+1,800 jobs); Transportation and Warehousing (+1,100 jobs); Utilities (+700 jobs); Warehousing and Storage (+500 jobs); and Courriers and Messengers (+300 jobs).

Truck Transportation on the other hand was down by 1,100 jobs to 119,300. Air Transportation was down by 200 jobs to 63,100.

Information

The Information sector was able to add 700 jobs, 200 of them from Data processing, hosting and related services. Telecommunications fell to a total of 94,800 after losing 500 jobs. And publishers of Newspapers, Periodicals, Books, and Directories fell to a total of 31,100 after losing 100 jobs.

Financial Activities

Financial Activities lost 1,600 jobs, bringing the sector to a total of 653,900 in October. While Depository Credit Intermediation services lost 500 jobs, another 900 jobs were added for Nondepository Credit Intermediation.

Rental and Leasing Services lost 700 jobs.

Professional and Business

Professional and Business Services added 14,200 jobs in October bringing the sector to a total of nearly 1.4 million jobs. Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services added 7,000 jobs. Administrative and Support Services added 7,400 jobs.

Educational and Health

Educational and Health Services added 6,100 jobs in about equal parts Health and Education for a sector total of 1.3 million jobs.

Leisure and Hospitality

Leisure and Hospitality employment fell by 9,800 jobs, with heaviest losses coming from Accommodation and Food Services (-5,700 jobs); Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (-4,100 jobs); Accommodation (-3,800 jobs); and Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries (-3,800 jobs).

Other Services

In the “other services” sector, Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations lost 1,700 jobs.

Priorities

Something needs to be said after comparing the fastest growing sector in October — Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Stores (+4.3 percent) — to the fastest declining sector, Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries (-4.6 percent). As global economic news turned from bad to worse, Texans left the casinos for office supply stores, assisted in some part by renewed government employment in state and local education. If this is how Texas continues to meet the hard times, you gotta believe karma will return good things.

Note: numbers taken from actual Nonfarm employment figures (not seasonally adjusted). Get the spreadsheet directly in xls format, or find the link at Texas Tracer.

My earliest musical memories go back to the water song by the Sons of the Pioneers. Water. Cool water.

But a recent government report warns that water may become more scarce faster than we can adjust.

Studies of tree rings suggest that North America has suffered periods of mega-droughts that have lasted more than a few decades. And that was before the prospect of global warming intensified the risks. Here are some excepts from Chapter 3.

Hydroclimatic changes are likely to affect all regions in the United States. Semi-arid regions of the Southwest are projected to dry further, and model results suggest that the transition may already be underway (Hoerling and Kumar, 2003; Seager et al., 2007d).

The drying in the Southwest is a matter of great concern because water resources in this region are already stretched, new development of resources will be extremely difficult, and the population (and thus demand for water) continues to grow rapidly (see Fig. 3.1). This situation raises the politically charged issue of whether the allocation of around 90% of the region’s water to agriculture is sustainable and consistent with the course of regional development.

Mexico is also expected to dry in the near future, turning this feature of hydroclimatic change into an international and cross-border issue with potential impacts on migration and social stability. (p. 148)

The serious hydrological changes and impacts known to have occurred in both historic and prehistoric times over North America reflect large-scale changes in the climate system that can develop in a matter of years and, in the case of the more severe past megadroughts, persist for decades. Such hydrological changes fit the definition of abrupt change because they occur faster than the time scales needed for human and natural systems to adapt, leading to substantial disruptions in those systems. (p.150)

In the Southwest, for example, the models project a permanent drying by the mid-21st century that reaches the level of aridity seen in historical droughts, and a quarter of the projections may reach this level of aridity much earlier. It is not unreasonable to think that, given the complexities involved, the strategies to deal with declining water resources in the region will take many years to develop and implement. If hardships are to be minimized, it is time to begin planning to deal with the potential hydroclimatic changes described here. (p. 151)

However significant enhanced solar forcing has been in producing past megadroughts, the level of current and future radiative forcing due to greenhouse gases is very likely to be of much greater significance. It is thus disquieting to consider the possibility that drought-inducing La Niña-like conditions may become more frequent and persistent in the future as greenhouse warming increases.

We have no firm evidence that this is happening now, even with the serious drought that has gripped the West since about 1998. Yet, a large number of climate models suggest that future subtropical drying is a virtual certainty as the world warms and, if they are correct, indicate that it may have already begun. The degree to which this is true is another pressing scientific question that must be answered if we are to know how to respond and adapt to future changes in hydroclimatic variability. (p. 210)

See the final report on “Abrupt Climate Change” issued by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research.

The last week of November 2008 wore signs of worry from economic authorities in Texas.

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) on Nov. 26 announced in a press release that it will begin notifying people with unemployment benefits that they may qualify for seven more weeks of relief because of a new federal law. TWC has an online portal for payment requests and benefits. TWC will need updated address information to send out the notices.

And the Dallas Federal Reserve on Nov. 28 featured information about RAISE Texas, an “asset building project” that helps to foster savings accounts, tax preparation services, small loans, and foreclosure deterrence. RAISE Texas has been working with the Texas Foreclosure Prevention Task Force to notify homeowners about a national bilingual hotline that works around the clock to provide advice on how to deter foreclosure. The HOPE hotline is reported to be open 24/7 at: 1-888-995-HOPE.