Dish-Houston

As you have to know by now, unless you live under a rock with no communication abilities with the outside world....last year Willie Nelson was charged with marijuana possession when the cops found weed on his tour bus at a border checkpoint.

Last month, he struck a deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead no contest in exchange for reducing the charge. At the time, he was ordered to pay a $500 fine, told he was told he wouldn't go to jail provided if behaved himself for a month. If he did this, the judge would dismiss the case entirely!

All seemed fair enough to the outside world but not to West Texas judge Becky Dean-Walker! She has rejected the plea bargain.

Here's what she had to say about it:

"It's not right simply because he doesn't do that for anybody else."

Dean-Walker really seems to have it out for Willie, because she wants him charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana, which could result in up to a year in jail.

NOTE: Sounds like someone just wants her name in the papers... So here you go...SHAME ON YOU JUDGE BECKY DEAN-WALKER!! There! Happy now?

Gracious...

Hey DISHIES!

If you aren't running in the Houston Dynamo run this weekend...you can help volunteer to make it a huge success! Here is the info!

7/15/2011-Friday

3.     Delivery Volunteers

a.      Time: 7:00 am- 9:00 am

b.      Place: Houston Dynamo Offices- George R Brown Convention Center- 2^nd floor to Luke’s Locker 1953 West Gray Houston, TX 77019

c.      Number of Volunteers: 4-6 Depending on their car size (prefer big trucks or SUVs)

d.      Duties: Load up boxes of registration packets in cars at George R. Brown, drop off at Luke’s Locker Room, set up pick up area including tents and tables

4.     Volunteers to Work Packet Pickup Area

a.      Time: 10:00 am- 1:00 pm, 1:00 pm- 4:00pm, 4:00 pm- 7:00 pm

b.      Place: Luke’s Locker 1953 West Gray Houston, TX 77019 and Houston Dynamo Offices-George R Brown Convention Center-2^nd Floor

c.      Number of Volunteers needed: 5 per group

d.      Duties: Check people in and give them their registration packets, last group must break down tables and tents, load tents tables and remaining boxes and drop off at George R Brown Convention Center

7/16/11-Saturday

5.     Setup Crew

a.      Time: 5:00 am- 6:00 am

b.      900 Smith St. Houston, TX 77002

c.      Number of volunteers needed: 45

d.      Duties: Set up pre-registered and non-registered areas (3 tables 3 tents per area), hang banners, and alphabet signs, set up tents and tables at the three water station sites, and help vendors/ corporate teams set up at their designated area

6.      Volunteer Check-in

a.      Set up Dynamo Charities tent

                                                      i.       We will set up

                                                    ii.       Volunteer Houston and we will work the tent

7.     Volunteers on Streets

a.      Time: 4:30 am- 6:00 am

b.      Place: 900 Smith St. Houston, TX 77002

c.      Number of Volunteers needed: 4 (2 on Walker and 2 on McKinney)

d.      Duties: Check vendors and Companies off list, and give them their parking permit and map of the site

8.      Water Stations

a.      Time: 7:30 am - 9:15 am

b.      Place: 900 Smith St. Houston, TX 77002

c.      Numbers of Volunteers needed: 24- 8 per water station

d.      Duties: 4 people will fill cups with water and the other 4 people will pass out the water, break down tents, tables and clean up area

9.      Kids Fun Run Medal Givers

a.      Time: 8:30 am -9:15 am

b.      Number of Volunteers Needed: 8

c.      Duties: Stand at finish line and give each kid that finishes the race a medal

10.  Clean-up/Breakdown Crew

a.      Time: 10:30 am- 12:30 pm

b.      Place: 900 Smith St. Houston, TX 77002 and University of Houston’s Robertson Stadium.

c.      Number of Volunteers Needed: 45 (some need to have SUV’s or trucks)

d.      Duties: Break down registration tents, take down signs and banners, load up tents, and boxes, go to the 3 water stations and load up equipment into cars, t take boxes to George R. Brown and Stadium, and tents, tables and water containers to University of Houston’s Robertson Stadium.

If you're interested in helping please contact 

Corbett Parker

713-667-5555

corbett.parker@gmail.com

How does Texas not have a law making paid maternity leave mandatory? Thankfully there are some enlightened companies that offer six week paid time off but smaller and cheaper companies force women to save as much money as they can during pregnancy to use for that time. They also have to save vacation and sick leave just so they can spend time with their new child up on arrival.

More over, most companies don't allow the same time off for adoptive parents as they do biological, unpaid or not. Some companies actually won't hold the jobs of the adoptive parents if they take time off when the baby comes home.

What times are we living in? Are companies that cheap? Are they that unfamily friendly? Especially in a business that is so female dominate like apartment leasing. This whole story came about talking to the people in a leasing office of one of The Finger Companies in Houston. There are two pregnant ladies in this office and as little as they make they are still forced to save as much as they can, not to spend on the baby, it's health, preparing for it or it's education but just to pay their bills so they can take time with the baby when it's born!

Maternity leave, now often called parental or family leave, is the time a mother (or father) takes off from work for the birth or adoption of a child. Actual paid "maternity leave" — while the norm in every other developed country — is unusual in the United States, although some enlightened companies do offer new parents paid time off, up to six weeks in some cases.

In this case they'll have to use a combination of short-term disability (STD), sick leave, vacation, personal days, and unpaid family leave during their time away from work.

The picture did improve in 1993 with the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which entitles most workers to up to 12 weeks of job-protected medical leave for birth or adoption. However, the FMLA doesn't cover those who work for smaller companies and guarantees only unpaid leaves.
 

What happens if the mother or baby gets sick or or needs to go to the doctor for it's check ups? There is no room for that in the first year of these babies lives because these women were forced to use all of their vacation and sick time for maternity leave. Heaven forbid there is an emergency in these families lives because they used their savings to stay at home with the new child.

For a list of who to contact to lodge your complaint CLICK HERE

The MFAH presents the first large-scale U.S. exhibition of the work of renowned photographer Helmut Newton (1920-2004). Some 200 photographs, many of them life-size prints, are from the three books — White Women (1976), Sleepless Nights (1978), and Big Nudes (1982) — that established Newton as the definitive modern photographer of women. The complete set of the prints in the exhibition have been acquired by the MFAH.

Please note: Certain photographs in this exhibition may not be suitable for all visitors.

The show opens to the public July 3rd and runs through September 25th in the Audrey Jones Beck building.

Ticket Information:

Admission to Helmut Newton: White Women • Sleepless Nights • Big Nudes will require a timed-entry ticket that also includes general admission to the museum.  General admission, Tuesdays through Sundays, to MFAH members will receive a set number of complimentary tickets based on their level of membership and additional tickets may be purchased by members for $7. Reduced-rate tickets for members may be purchased only by MFAH members.Helmut Newton: White Women • Sleepless Nights • Big Nudes will be $10 for adults, seniors (65+) and students (19+ with ID). On Thursdays, admission will be $7 for adults for adults, seniors (65+) and students (19+ with ID).

Public Information:

Press Contacts:

Alley Theatre is hosting Open Auditions for Local Actors for the 2011-2012 Season!!

Auditions for Houston actors will be Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at the Alley Theatre, 615 Texas Avenue. Auditions will be for AEA and non-AEA adult actors.  Auditions will be by appointment only, and may be scheduled beginning Tuesday, July 5, 2011.

To obtain an appointment, e-mail contact information (name, phone number, and indicate whether you are a member of AEA) to auditions@alleytheatre.org on or after Tuesday, July 5, 2011.  Actors should prepare one monologue (classical or contemporary) and bring a current headshot and resume.

Children's Auditions for Alley Theatre's annual production of A Christmas Carol will be held in late August.

Break a leg!!