Messin' with Texas

Here in Beaumont we have a group called the La Cercle Francaise (The French Circle). It is based out of Lamar University and is organized by the head of the French deparment there, Dr Ken Rivers. Twice a year they show a series of French films on campus on a weekly basis, and about once [...]

I heard a guy at work talking about Cut and Shoot, Texas. As usual, I was a bit shocked by what he said. The following quote is paraphrased the best I could. I assure you none of the meaning has been lost:
There are more concealed weapons licenses there per capita than anywhere else in the [...]

About a week or two ago, I got into a debate about healthcare with a guy here at work – actually I end up in these kinds of debates all the time, although it’s becoming less and less often as I learn to keep my mouth shut for the sake of peace. He said he [...]

Here are a few snippets of conversation from the past week or so at work. They are of course all political. That’s really the thing that strikes me most about Texas; everyone is so conservative and suspicious of government. That, and all the nice sunrises I get to see. Texas has a beautiful sky in [...]

I recently went to Art in the Park, an outdoor art festival in Orange, Texas (a small nearby town). It felt just like a small town art festival. Nice charming people, locally made crafts, music, food. It was small but nice, and I am glad I went.
This is the main street through Orange. It was [...]

In an effort to branch out and do different things, I went to the opening of an exhibition of art work done by important female figurative artists from the 70′s SoHo co-ops (hence the title of the exhibition). The exhibition was at the Dishman Museum, on Lamar University. This museum is small, and not many [...]

This past Tuesday former astronaut and former US Senator from New Mexico, Harrison “Jack” Schmitt spoke at Lamar University (the university here in Beaumont, Texas). You can read his bio on his wikipedia page. He was part of the Apollo 17, the last manned mission to the Moon.
I actually had not intended to go to [...]

Vidor, Texas is a small town near Beaumont, Texas (where I am currently living). It’s population is not much more than 10,000. Despite it’s small size, it’s regional reputation however is far greater than the US census would lead you to believe. Vidor, Texas has a reputation for racism.
Back in the 70s it was a [...]

You all remember this picture from my earlier post Back in Turkey:

Well at a friend’s birthday I brought the beers and we had a tasting. Most of the tasters were a mix of impressed, intrigued and shocked at the wide range of tastes. Most Turkish beer is made in the same way as the traditional [...]

These are some pictures of the tulips sculptures that have sprouted up around the city. Most of them are around Taksim or Nisantasi, two of the more affluent neighborhoods in Istanbul. A few months ago it was lots of cows. They have since disappeared and now we have tulip sculptures. It’s nice to see outdoor [...]