Monthly Archives: March 2012

Saturday video break: Wichita Lineman

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Song #75 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “Wichita Lineman”, originally by Jimmy Webb and covered by Glen Campbell. Here’s the original: Obviously a more recent recording than his original, but it’s the best I can do. Here’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Harris County rejecting fewer voter registrations

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

In other lawsuit-related news: Harris County officials have rejected far fewer would-be voters since 2008, but Democrats are demanding more proof that voter rolls are not being illegally suppressed – particularly among Hispanics – as another U.S. presidential election approaches. … Continue reading →

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HBU wants a name change

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Always a challenging task. Half a century after being founded by the Baptist General Convention of Texas as “a Christian college of the highest order,” Houston Baptist University may soon erase the religious designation in its name. Saying that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Presidential Pinterest

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

A while back I wondered if political campaigns would try to leverage Pinterest as part of their social media strategy. At least one well-known campaign has now jumped on it. In case you missed it, Barack Obama [Tuesday] officially became … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Opening day

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes it rains. But all the time, there’s Friday Random Ten. 1. Opening Ceremonies – from the “Chess” soundtrack 2. Opening: I Can’t Turn You Loose – Blues Brothers 3. Open All Night – … Continue reading →

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There’s only one Democrat running in CD22

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We all need to be clear about that. Both candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for the congressional seat famously held for two decades by Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader, are unusual. K.P. George’s background makes him an improbable … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

If it walks like a PAC and talks like a PAC…

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

…the odds are pretty good that it’s a PAC. A Travis County district court judge ruled this week that a Houston-based tea party group is not a nonprofit corporation as it claims, but an unregistered political action committee that illegally … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rick Perry and pink slime

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Two great tastes that taste great together. Gov. Rick Perry is defending so-called “pink slime” in a statement issued in conjunction with Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman and South Dakota Lt. Gov. Matt … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Are you smarter than a Texas high school student?

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Well, why don’t you take this sample STAAR test and find out? It’s very much non-trivial. I got 11 out of 15 correct – I punted on the two physics questions and on the first World History question, though in … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Interview with Sarah Winkler

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Wrapping up a week of conversations with candidates who hope to succeed Rep. Scott Hochberg in HD137, today we have Sarah Winkler. Winkler has served on the Alief ISD Board of Trustees since 1997 and on the Texas Association of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

She showed me her manifesto, I had no reply

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I got nothing. District E Councilman Mike Sullivan, until January by far the Council’s most conservative member, was so outflanked from the right by a Council newcomer Wednesday that he found himself uttering into his microphone: “I am not a … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Bromwich on the Mayor’s crime lab proposal

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Michael Bromwich, the author of the report that laid out all of the problems with HPD’s crime lab, expresses his approval of Mayor Parker’s proposal for an independent crime lab. Mayor Annise Parker and her administration have proposed removing the … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of March 26

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliane is wearing a hoodie this week as it brings you the blog roundup.

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Interview with Jamaal Smith

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing with the candidates who hope to succeed Rep. Scott Hochberg in HD137 we have Jamaal Smith, whom you may remember from his time as Executive Director of the HCDP and as the Deputy Campaign Manager and Campaign Manager from … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Sheriff’s office is hiring

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia says by balancing his department’s $392 million budget, he’ll be able to transfer 100 deputies from jail duties to crime-fighting jobs in the next year while hiring hundreds of new civilian jailers. During a … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mobile broadband in Texas

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

For your perusal. Almost half of adult Texans, about 8.9 million, use mobile broadband devices — cellphones, laptops or tablets using a cellular network — to keep the Internet a constant companion, according to a survey by Connected Nation, a … Continue reading →

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The bees are back

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

And that’s a very good thing. The bees were hungry. Months of sweltering heat with little rain blanched the landscape. Flowers withered, if they bloomed at all. The drought, a death rattle to so many farmers and ranchers in Texas, … Continue reading →

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Interview with Gene Wu

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The second candidate running to succeed Rep. Scott Hochberg in HD137 that I interviewed is Gene Wu. Gene is currently a felony prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney’s office, and he also has legislative experience, having previously been the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Examining the voter ID lie

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve complained quite a bit at how the media in Texas lazily reports the voter ID issue as a simple “he said/she said” dispute when a cursory examination of the facts shows how ridiculous the pro-voter ID case is, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

There’s still a drought out there

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Despite the rain, the state of Texas is still mostly in drought conditions, and the threat will remain for the next several years. Most of Central and East Texas beat long odds with heavy rains this winter, but experts warned … Continue reading →

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San Antonio B-Cycle keeps on growing

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s very cool to watch. [B-cycle and city officials announced] plans to add three bicycle stations in April, at HemisView Village apartments, the San Antonio Housing Authority park on South Flores Street, and the 1221 Broadway apartments, said Cindi Snell, … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Interview with Joseph Carlos Madden

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There’s one open Democratic seat in Harris County for the State House: HD137, in which State Rep. Scott Hochberg decided not to run for re-election. There are four Democrats vying to succeed Rep. Hochberg, and I will be presenting their … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Fifth Circuit rules against Farmers Branch

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I almost missed this. A federal appeals court has upheld the ruling that struck down a Farmers Branch renters ordinance aimed at banning illegal immigrants from rental housing in the city. The decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Congressional Geezer Caucus

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The DMN notices that a sizable portion of Texas’ Congressional delegation is, um, old. Of the most populous states, Texas has the oldest congressional delegation, averaging nearly 63 years old, while the average for Congress as a whole is about … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend ISD goes iPad

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m guessing stories like this are going to be increasingly common. [Three Fort Bend ISD campuses], all Title I schools that serve predominantly low-income students, are the launching pad for iAchieve, a school district initiative to create a tablet-based “e-curriculum.” … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Weekend link dump for March 25

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’d invest in the un-wiki if someone would be so kind as to invent it. What could go wrong with cloning a woolly mammoth? They’re not carnivores! Nothing like this happened to me while I was coaching Little League. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Electing educators

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This sounds good, but there are a couple of things missing. More than a dozen Republicans and Democrats who have sat on school boards are running for the Texas House this year, and a backlash over spending cuts and standardized … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Catholic schools doing the right thing

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve had a lot of disagreements with the Catholic Church on policy matters lately, but this is something I applaud. The organization that represents Texas’ Catholic high schools on Thursday called for a comprehensive review of the Texas Association of … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Always in motion the future is

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

That won’t stop some people from trying to predict it. A Houston think tank has seen the city’s future. Make that two futures. One version shows the Houston metropolitan area in 2040 as beginning to grow after decades of economic … Continue reading →

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When will Ashby rise?

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Real Soon Now, developers promise. After more than four years in the works, the so-called Ashby high-rise is expected to break ground by year-end. A lawsuit keeping the project from being built was settled last week. The proposed building pitted … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Saturday video break: Always On My Mind

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Song #76 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “Always On My Mind”, originally by Brenda Lee and covered by the Pet Shop Boys. Here’s the original: I didn’t realize this was the original. I like this version, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

HISD announces public meetings to address proposed school start time changes

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the HISD News Blog: HISD has scheduled 10 public meetings to gather community input on a plan to add 19 minutes to the average student’s school day by coordinating the bell schedule among the district’s 279 schools. If approved, … Continue reading →

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Abbott is the new KBH

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know how you can write an entire story about Greg Abbott’s political ambitions without stopping to ask the basic question about whether he’ll need to take Rick Perry out in a primary to get what he wants, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tailgating downtown

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Go for it! The Dynamo have been playing at the University of Houston’s Robertson Stadium and have always allowed tailgating prior to games. However, fans won’t have the same luxury at the soccer team’s new stadium because of a city … Continue reading →

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