A message from the folks at Red Salmon Arts and Resistencia Bookstore, on the recent passing of Chicaco poet and activist Raúl Salinas:

On behalf of nuestra familia de Resistencia Bkstr/Red Salmon Arts, we would like to sincerely thank everyone for their generous out pouring of spiritual, emotional, and financial support in this difficult time of the passing of our founder/ Xicanindio elder raulrsalinas.

On the day of his send off, his great ability to unite people manifested through poetry, song, dance, elegy, testimony, and rhythm. Y raul responded with rain, thunder, and rainbows . . . the heavens were singing! It is a tremendous loss of strength, history, and inspiration to all our communities. But despite his passing/transition, we will do anything & everything in our power to keep his flame BURNING & we will fight/work to keep the legacy/vision of raulrsalinas ALIVE!

When Bono Bill Clinton finally took the stage to stump for his baby-boo Hillary Wednesday evening at UT, speakers were blasting the U2 hit "Where the Streets Have No Name." Maybe War's "Why Can't We Be Friends?" would have been more appropriate for the occasion, but folks were nonetheless excited to hear what he had to say about Hillary's campaign. From the ground near the stage it was hard to tell just how many had turned out, but it was most definitely in the first few thousands.

Here was his "case" for Hillary (maybe you've heard this oldie but goodie): experience. But, naturally, more words were involved. Are you experienced? Have you ever been experienced? Well, Hillary has.

It was really nice when Clinton undermined the Obama camp and their precious change mantra by saying that to affect actual change in our country, someone with, oh, say 35 years of experience actually working for change within the political system might be handy. Kinda made sense the first hundred times I heard it.

The latest polls on the Texas Democratic presidential primary, some of which we've already covered in previous posts:

Belo/Public Strategies:
507 likely Democratic voters, Feb. 24-25
Obama 43%
Clinton 46%
Undecided 11%
margin of error: +/-4.4%

CNN/Opinion Research Corp.
861 likely Democratic voters, Feb. 22-24
Obama 50%
Clinton 46%
No opinion 4%
MOE: +/-3.5%

KTRK-TV/KTVT-TV/KRLD-AM/Survey USA
704 likely Democratic voters, Feb. 23-25
Obama 49%
Clinton 45%
Other 3%
Undecided 3%

PODER (People Organized in Defense of the Earth and her Resources) presents Poesía Mujer: an evening of cantos celebrating International Women's Day featuring poetas/activistas de Austin.

The public is invited to celebrate and honor the stories, activist work, and poetry by sisters struggling on the frontlines for social, political, artistic, and economic justice.

Featured writers include: sharon bridgforth, Susana Almanza, Janie Rangel, Carole Metellus, ire'ne lara silva, Courtney Morris, Leticia Fonseca, Ishrat Kundawala, Chandra Washington, Andrea Melendez, & special guest Enrique Cabrera. Poet Erika González, co-director of PODER, hosts.

Poesía Mujer takes place Thursday, March 6 from 7pm to 9pm. at Resistencia Bookstore, 1801-A South First Street, Austin, Texas.

Agenda highlights for the Thursday, Feb. 28 meeting

Items 2 & 3: Regulating heavy-duty truck idling. Only in Texas could this prove mildly controversial.

Item 9: "Authorize negotiation and execution of a 12-month lease with Perry Lorenz for ground space at 315 Sabine St., with four optional 12-month extensions, at an annual rental amount not to exceed $166,939.96, ratify payments made under a previous lease in the amount of $152,243.87, and authorize payment to Mr. Lorenz of $210,424.02 in hold-over rental charges accrued to date, for a total authorized amount not to exceed $1,197,367.69." You don't say! What, Toby not pay the light bill neither?

Item 15: $230,000 in legal fees to Denton, Navarro, Rocha & Berna for counsel in upcoming public safety negotiations. Against odds, could the Statesman find a way to bitch about these costs and the undue influence those eeeeeevil labor unions hold over us? If anyone could, it's Rich Oppel …

Item 16: $250,000 more to ROMA Design Group to transit plan-up their Downtown designs. I'll draw you a bus line for my light bill and some Kanye tickets!

Item 55: Identifying projects for the city's Webberville tract, or, Look! A Landfill!

This dispatch from the ACLU's Debbie Russell, on an item before City Council tomorrrow:

CALL TO ACTION – VOTE NO on ITEM 60 RESOLUTION – LET AUSTIN DEBATE Single Member Districts!

At the town hall meeting on single member districts (SMDs) last night – attendees were overwhelming in favor of creating single member districts, and feared that a last-minute resolution added to tomorrow's agenda on discussion of the item will prevent the issue from moving forward. The language of this resolution, it was noted, is extremely biased against SMDs – built on presumptions that have not yet been proven or disproven in the debate locally. Actually, some have already been disproven...

Tomorrow at council, at 2pm, (Item #81) the City's hired expert consultant from Washington D.C., Gerald Herbert, will give a presentation as to a proposed map and to the benefits of SMDs and the crafters of the resolution don't seem to be taking into account his prior testimony at Charter Revision Committee meetings. Following his presentation, the item to move this from the May to November ballot as per a recent surprise State mandate (a questionable one at that) will be called (Item 60 – the Mayor will move it to after the presentation) and at that point, interested parties can testify as to this resolution.

If all this election stuff is getting old, and you miss the heady days of urban planning being the big story around Austin, good news! Villa Muse Studios, the proposed film studio-cum-multimedia hub-cum-master plan development, will be holding a town hall-style meeting 6pm on Wednesday Feb. 27 at the Scottish Rite Theater. It's a part of a PR push to get locals on-board with the planned 1,100 acre development (almost four times the size of The Domain on Burnet) they want to build half-an-hour east of downtown, near SH 130.

They may have a job on their hands: the developers want the city to move the land out of their "future growth zone" and put it under the much loser zoning and planning process of Travis County. Villa Muse says that's essential, because they need to fast-track it to stay competitive, and the city's process takes too long: the council is worried that taking this area out of its extended territorial jurisdiction (and signing a non-annexation agreement) would mean sacrificing tax revenue for a deal that may not be mutually beneficial.

Oh, and one very important note about tonight: Refreshments included.

Red Salmon Arts, the home of Resistencia Bookstore and location of the bi-monthy poetry reading known as Café Libro, has announced that the next Café Libro will feature women's voices honoring elder/revolutionary poet Raúl Salinas and his legacy.

"Please come lend your poetic prose, your sonorous voices, your musical instrument, and your dance steps to the celebration of Raúl's life," the Red Salmon Arts announcement reads. "Attendees will be some of Austin's premier wise women, seasoned poets and aspiring saplings who have been touched by the master's words."

Food, music and community sharing will be present. "Your support ensures our collective sustainability,"

Café Libro honoring Raúl Salinas occurs Friday, March 7, at 7pm at Resistencia Bookstore, 1801-A South First Street. Carole Metellus hosts.

For more information call 416-8885.

Barack Obama is having a town hall here in Austin Thursday, but Hillary Clinton wants to top that by having one for the whole state on Monday. Press release from her campaign:

HILLARY ANNOUNCES A LIVE ‘TEXAS-SIZED’ TOWN HALL

Hillary Clinton announced today that she will host a live ‘Texas-Sized’ interactive town hall in Texas that will be broadcast live on The Fox Sports Network Southwest on Monday, March 3, all across the Lone Star State from 6:30-7:30pm and live on the Internet at HillaryClinton.com

During the Town Hall meeting, Hillary will answer questions from Texans from all over the State. Additional details are forthcoming.

Date: Monday, March 3rd

Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m. CST

Location: Texas, USA