What KSAT-12 didn't tell you tonight about Vigilant Solutions

by Chris Stouffer

If you were watching KSAT-12 News tonight in San Antonio, or anywhere else online, you may have seen a story about an easier way for the San Antonio Police Department to find and collect fines during warrant roundups. San Antonio wants to partner up with a California-based company called Vigilant Solutions.
Vigilant Solutions offers a product known as Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR), or simply LPR. According to their website, it's a tool that "ultimately saves lives." The website goes on to say that this product is "the most comprehensive offering available, with over tens of thousands of users around the world, and thousands of success stories."
The company collects your data to share with credentialed law enforcement personnel, and is readily accessible and easy to use. What they don't tell you is that once your information is collected, that information is sold, and you can kiss your privacy goodbye.
According to The Atlantic website, Vigilant Solutions takes "photos of cars and trucks with its vast network of unobtrusive cameras. It retains location data of each of those pictures, and sells it." It has taken 2.2 billion license-plate photos to date, capturing and storing these images. Once their device have captured your information, your whereabouts at any given moment are stored permanently and sold to police departments using your tax dollars.
The City of Kyle, just south of Austin, almost partnered up with Vigilant Solutions, but in a 6-1 vote last week during a city council meeting, they decided to rescind their agreement. The city would have paid Vigilant Solutions a 25-percent surcharge to help police identify drivers with outstanding warrants, and collect their fines onsite, according to The Texas Tribune. Kyle officials voted to join the program in January.
Kyle City Council Member, Daphne Tenorio, told the Tribune she was comfortable with the idea when they first voted. She later had doubts when she realized the plan would hurt the poor most.
"It was too much Big Brother," she said to the Texas Tribune. "And there was no way that they could honestly say that the information was safe. And in this day of technology, with hackers nothing is safe. I wouldn't want my information being given and shared with other people."
The Wall Street Journal reported that "during the past five years, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has distributed more than $50 million in federal grants to law-enforcement agencies—ranging from sprawling Los Angeles to little Crisp County, Georgia, population 23,000—for automated license-plate recognition systems." It also quoted one critic, California state Senator Joe Simitian, asking: “Should a cop who thinks you're cute have access to your daily movements for the past 10 years without your knowledge or consent? I think the answer to that question should be ‘no.’”
As of now, Vigilant Solutions has no sure safeguard in place to protect any of the data they collect. Fewer than a dozen communities in Texas are currently participating in this pilot program.

DTF only the beginning of Seven Minutes In Heaven 2016

A large crowd was DTF last night as Invisible Gallery took over R Space on the city's south side for a fundraiser to benefit the upcoming show Seven Minutes In Heaven 2016, but it was the artwork that had people's curiosity engaged.
Invisible Gallery founder and curator, Jessica Garcia, was the mastermind behind the fundraiser, fittingly titled DTF - Down To Fundraiser, which tied in with the sexual theme of her upcoming show in March, Seven Minutes In Heaven 2016. The acronym DTF is used in sexting. Replacing "fundraise" in this case with a commonly used explicit "F" word might give you a better clue. Garcia admitted this year's fundraiser was organized in very little time due to some unexpected last minute changes.
"It was very rushed," said Garcia. "I think I did it in like three to four weeks. Most of it was planned in the last two weeks since the venue change. I had a bigger gallery to fill."
Garcia originally planned on having the Fox Motel host her fundraiser as it had in the past. After discovering the sketchy motel had closed recently, she quickly needed a change of plans.
"I thought the motel would bring more people in since they love to get in the rooms," Garcia said. Last minute or not, the event was well organized and was hosted by R Space Gallery located at 110 East Lachapelle Street on the south side of San Antonio. R Space Gallery owner and curator, Alex Rubio, was also a contributor to Seven Minutes In Heaven 2014.
For a $10 donation, guests were treated to erotic inspired art, specialty drinks at the bar, and music by DJs Sneaky Le Sneak and El Fenix. Contributing artists for this year's SMIH will include Linda Arredondo, Louie Chavez, Eugene Martinez, Sarah Roberts, John Cody Williams, and Jose Villalobos.

Artist Eugene Martinez explored the idea of fetishes and sex toys in his pieces, mostly acrylic on MDF board.
"I want a little bit more of the toys," Martinez said about what he plans on including in this year's show. "I like the puppy play, explore more fetishes, just more fun stuff." He added that he would also like to include something three dimensional with more depth. Owner and operator of Salon D'Amore in San Antonio's Southtown area, Holly Gonzalez, enjoyed herself at DTF while taking in some of the art and sipping on Sweet Snatch, just one of the specialty drinks offered at the bar.
"Everything that I've seen here is very different," Gonzalez said. "I've never seen anything like this."
Although it was different from anything she had seen, Gonzalez said she was looking forward to SMIH 2016 next month.
Seven Minutes In Heaven is an annual erotic art show that happens every March for Contemporary Art Month in San Antonio. Artists choose their themes and are encouraged to push boundaries. The show takes over a motel every year. The unique setting allows for a new context of the artwork, using the motel as inspiration to expand art out of the traditional gallery space.

Old Main Association puts New spin on Mexican cuisine

In case you haven't heard (and I highly doubt it with all the publicity the press has given them), The Old Main Association is getting quite the reputation for putting a spin on some classic Mexican eats. But first, I have to publicly apologize to the tavern, namely their awesome chef, Lorenzo Morales, for not blogging this a lot sooner. I did a piece on this place for another publication with the impression that it would go out right away, but have not seen it published yet.

In an interview with Morales, he explained that The Old Main Association is a tavern which happens to have a menu. Old Main opened to the public in September 2015, and with amazing reviews to boot. It was the first time I'd heard of a restaurant using a Mexican pastry as a hamburger bun. I should explain. Pictured above you'll see their city-wide famous "Concha Burger." For those of you non-native South Texans, a concha is pan dulce* (sweet bread), which is considered a treat in Mexico and other Latin American Countries.

"In San Antonio, the food is amazing," Morales said. But there was no need to try and convince me. I've been eating San Antonio food for many years, so it was a given. What Morales was saying is he didn't want to do Tex-Mex for his menu. He admitted the idea for his specialty burger was something he'd been thinking about a long time. After many trials and having family taste his creation, it was ready to introduce to the public. When asked how the idea came about, his answer was simple, "It's sweet, it's savory." It also resembles a the top half of a hamburger bun, he added.

Morales graduated from the Culinary Institute of America-Hyde Park. It was his grandmother who inspired him to cook at the early age of 5 or 6, he recalled. According to Morales, she would prop him on a chair next to the stove and let him stir whatever it was she was cooking. Naturally, he became a chef. "It's always been something I wanted to do and always been a dream," he said. "I've been in the industry since I was 15."

I wanted to know more about his famous Pork & Beans. You may not find it on his current menu because he's constantly switching it up. I told him I was fascinated with the dish after reading the description on the menu. I had always remembered going camping as a kid, and eating pork-n-beans. Needeless to say, I hated pork-n-beans growing up, but this certain dish caught my attention.

"It's not your typical frank and beans," Morales said. "It's a traditional dish served in a very nontraditional way. It looks pretty. It's all about presentation."

Morales used a pork shoulder for this dish in place of the traditional franks, but it was the presentation that left me in awe. My server came to my table with a clean white plate, and placed it gently in front of me, followed by a plain silver tin can, which he proceeded to turn upside-down as the contents emptied onto my plate. As it settled on the dish, it did so with perfection; shreds of pork shoulder, beans, and garnishes all fell into place. I almost didn't want to eat it because it really did look pretty. The best part though: IT. WAS. DELICIOUS.

Although you may not find it on the menu at the present, Morales assured me it's a customer favorite that will make it's way back in the immediate future. I suggest you try it with The Paloma, a concoction of tequila, lime, grapefruit soda, and salt. For a full menu, check out their Facebook page at facebook.com/theoldmainassoc/. The Old Main Association is located at 2512 North Main Avenue in San Antonio.

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_dulce

Popeye's: chicken with attitude

I. LOVE. FRIED. CHICKEN. And if you're anything like me, when you go out and pick up a box, you get the spicy because mild just won't do. But on Monday December 14, I had to question my loyalty to one particular chain....Popeye's. WTF are they thinking when it comes to customer service. I hope they're reading this.

With over 52,000 followers on Twitter, you would think this chain has got business in check! WRONG. It's the holiday season, and I really wanted to do nothing more than send out positive reviews about businesses I visited that seemed to be doing all the right things. That would have been the case, had I not decided to check out the Popeye's location off Callaghan and Centerview here in San Antonio.

What makes this sad story even more sad is that i was in really high spirits tonight after leaving work, despite the bad news I had gotten earlier that day. Once I got home, I quickly unveiled what appeared to be pieces of an anorexic chicken, or fetus, I'm still questioning it to this day. Let's start from the beginning. It was a Monday. I had been looking forward to December 14 because I had a coupon for a "customer appreciation" special valid that day only at Popeye's. The special promotion was for an 8-pc box of mixed chicken for $4.99 or an 8-pc box of dark for $3.99. Being the thrifty person I am, I opted for the dark to save a buck. I was so excited to walk in and order.

As I walked in, the only person at the front counter was a young girl who was already helping another customer. Because I wasn't in a hurry, I didn't mind waiting at all. I mean, who wouldn't mind waiting a few more minutes for only $3.99? So as I'm there, practically drooling, a girl who looked slightly rough around the edges, and wore a different colored shirt from the other employees decides to pick up her head from the nook in the back where she appeared to be sleeping, or just stoned (you never know with kids these days) decides to come out into the light and has the balls to ask if I need help. In my head, I'm thinking: "It's all good, Teardrop. You can go back to reminiscing of your days in prison with your home girls."

I'm only being ugly about it because I that's how pissed off I was about the crap she gave me. So she continues to ask if I want spicy or mild, and as to not burden them, I just told her she could give me whatever was available. I could be wrong here, but I hardly think the only thing available were 8 pieces that were equivalent to three pieces I would have gotten at Bill Miller's (It's a barbecue chain here in San Antonio). Oh, that's right. In the photo I have provided is just one of the "thighs" in my box. All the others were the dame size, and if you can picture it, the legs were even smaller. Maybe the coupon should have read, "Customer Appreciation: Baby Chicken pieces on sale!"

But that's not all. This girl with the tattoo on the back of her neck and permanent bitch-face, decides to charge me for the mixed piece special when she clearly gave me the dark. Well here's a message for you, Popeye's: You can keep on selling your sad chicken, and keep on allowing your sad manager at that location to do customers this kind of injustice, or you can have your marketing department change the coupon so that it reads: "Customer (UN)appreciation," because you obviously could care less about what you give us. If I were a performer, this would be the part where I drop the mic. BOOM.

48 Hour Film Project showcases local filmmakers work

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to participate as an actor in a project for Mala Mujer Media.  It was a film short for the 48-Hour Film Project titled Masa y Amor (Dough and Love).  Several filmmakers were given certain criteria and the opportunity to shoot a film, in a short span of two days. The result? Well I can’t speak for everyone, perhaps not even for my own director, Rachell.

What I can tell you is that I must have put Rachell through hell while I became a total diva on and off set, calling “cut” when I didn’t feel a shot was going my way, or taking long naps when I was asked to be on set to shoot. Would my behavior have been the same had I gotten more than three hours of sleep the night before? I really can’t say since it didn’t happen.

In any case, tonight I get to see the final results, and you can too. Each of those entries will be playing tonight at Santikos Bijou Cinema at Wonderland of the Americas located at 4522 Fredericksburg Road in San Antonio, from 6:00pm to 11:00pm.

As short notice as it is, I just found out about this myself last night. Entries were divided into Groups A and B.  Masa y Amor is part of Group A with screenings at 6:00pm and 9:00pm. Although tickets are available online, I’ve contacted the producer coordinating the event who informed me tickets may be purchased onsite. 

For more information, please visit the website www.48hourfilm.com as the host theatre itself does not have much information on the event.  Come out and support your local filmmakers and me in my first ever lesbian role….and “CUT!” That’s a wrap, y’all.

Should a child be allowed to make decisions on their own appearance?

According to one person representing one industry, the answer is yes. I recently learned of a salon which refuses to work with parents if the employees feel the person is at an age to speak for him or herself. I then learned the age at question was 11.

Forgive me if I’m wrong, but at that age, I was not allowed to speak for myself unless the law depended on it. When I questioned this, I was told it was called bad parenting if someone could not let their 11-year-old child make their own decision.

But doesn’t it start there? If you allow someone that young make their own decision about what they want to look like, they will begin making their own decisions on other things. What they eat, what they wear, who they associate with, etc.

Maybe I’m wrong, but I call letting a child that young make all the decisions bad parenting. Perhaps this is why we have children more often than none getting more and more in trouble with the law. It all started with a haircut.

It’s my opinion that someone who refuses to work with a parent is bad business practice. It’s one thing to have an overbearing parent. It’s another completely to protect someone who is too young to make their own decisions.

Don't get me wrong, I do believe that any establishment has every right to refuse business to someone who is unwilling to cooperate, but bullying that parent into trying to make their child make decisions for themselves is not a business any parent should take their child to. Parents, perhaps you should pay a little more attention to what is happening in your kids’ lives and less on what social event you might be planning your next drink at. You may learn that when your kids make their own decisions, they also let out your dirty little secrets.

It might just be me, but at that age, anything my mom decided for me, I believed to be for my own good. I was a shy child. I'm nothing like that anymore. At 11-years-old, I'm glad I had someone to speak on my behalf because I may not have made the decisions that made me the person I am today. At that age, I needed to be protected, not out fending for myself.

Then again, I'm not a parent. If you're reading this, and you have children that age, feel free to let me know whether or not you feel comfortable enough to let your child make their own decisions. I know a haircut is a simple one, and not all parents must worry about what their children do, but for those of you who feel their kids are easily influenced, perhaps this questions is targeted more to you.

Rumors, splits, and complete fall outs for these celeb couples

In the wake of Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert’s divorce, rumors are amidst once again over Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. RadarOnline reported Monday that the Smiths were pulling the plug on their 17-year-marriage, quoting one source as saying the “marriage has been on life support for a long time.”

Will Smith denied the split rumors on Facebook, according to New York Daily News, telling fans “…if I ever decide to divorce my Queen – I SWEAR I’ll tell you myself.” Divorce rumors have put them in the tabloid spotlight the last four years.

Over in Nashville, country star Reba McEntire and husband and manager Narvel Blackstone announced on Monday they are separating after 26 years of marriage, according to the Associated Press. In a joint statement, the two said they had been separated for several months.

Both have worked together for 35 years, and will continue to do so, they said in their statement. A spokesperson for the two however declined to comment whether they planned to divorce. Blackstone runs a management company that represents McEntire, Blake Shelton, and Kelly Clarkson.

And speaking of divorce, TMZ was one of the first to report that Gwen Stefani has filed for divorce from husband Gavin Rossdale.

According to TMZ.com, Stefani has cited irreconcilable differences in the divorce petition, which will put an end to the 13-year-marriage. Rossdale’s rep filed his response at the same time, making it “clear the petition and response were orchestrated to be filed simultaneously,” the website states.

TMZ also stated there was no prenup, and with Stefani worth a reported $80 million and Rossdale $35 million, given the length of marriage the 50/50 California community property law will combine everything before it is divided. Both are asking for joint custody of their three children.



Sources:

http://radaronline.com/celebrity-news/will-smith-jada-pinkett-smith-divorce-240-million-secret-split-decided-pull-plug/

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/smith-jada-pinkett-smith-set-divorce-report-article-1.2312895

http://www.msn.com/en-us/music/celebrity/reba-mcentire-narvel-blackstock-announce-separation/ar-BBlmKFK?ocid=ansentap11

http://www.tmz.com/2015/08/03/gwen-stefani-files-for-divorce-gavin-rossdale/