Monthly Archives: June 2012

Saturday video break: Ring of Fire

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Song #62 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “Ring of Fire”, originally by Anita Carter and covered by Social Distortion. Now I know what you’re thinking, you’re thinking “But that’s a Johnny Cash song!” Listen to the intro … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Former DeLay aide Ellis pleads guilty

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This was out of the blue. Tom DeLay’s chief political aide, Jim Ellis, pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony charge of making an illegal campaign contribution during the 2002 election. Ellis, who headed DeLay’s Americans for a Republican Majority political … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

No Dome action yet

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s still there. Beyond that, nothing to report. Harris County officials put off any final decision on the fate of the Astrodome on Tuesday, though the top executive suggested a new option for the deteriorating stadium. County Judge Ed Emmett … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Local action on payday lending

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Patricia Kilday Hart reports on a promising movement. No one was particularly surprised a year ago when the Texas Legislature failed – once again – to pass meaningful regulation of the payday and auto title loan industries. After all, the … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Friday random ten: Hurricane season

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We are officially in hurricane season now, and though Texas missed out on TS Debby, we know there’s more to come. So here are ten storm songs to get you through. 1. Full Force Gale – Van Morrison 2. Ready … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Erica Lee: How to Keep a First Grader Off Death Row

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. It is the beginning of the school year and excitement is in the air. Children are looking for their classmates in … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Council adopts strip club fee

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here it comes. Seeking a solution to the bedeviling problem of untested rape evidence that is in some cases decades old, council imposed a $5-per-customer fee on strip clubs Wednesday so it can buy speedier lab work. That simple solution, … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

California-style primaries

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m deeply skeptical of this. In 2010, California voters approved getting rid of party-based primaries and adopting a “top-two” set-up, sometimes called a jungle primary. This month, the state tried the new primary model in which candidates of all parties … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Why do we want to subsidize the creation of minimum wage jobs?

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a question some people are asking in San Antonio. Thankfully, the local debate over whether to grant Maruchan Inc. of Japan millions of dollars to pay people very little money to make noodles has transcended the mere question of … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS upholds Obamacare

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You can read the decision here. I’ll skip the analysis, since you can find a link to someone saying something about it on approximately 97% of the Internet today, but I will give a few links of my own, to … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Yvonne Gutierrez: Republican support for women’s health?

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. We all know there is a lot at stake for the 2012 election cycle. All eyes are on Washington but the … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Bond concerns

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Early reactions to the HISD bond proposal that was unveiled last week. “I think in the long run any anti-tax opposition will make it a close race,” said state Sen. Mario Gallegos, D-Houston, predicting that Hispanics could swing the vote. … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

It all depends on what your definition of success is

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

By any objective measure, tort “reform” has been a failure. A new study found no evidence that health care costs in Texas dipped after a 2003 constitutional amendment limited payouts in medical malpractice lawsuits, despite claims made to voters by … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , | Comments Off on It all depends on what your definition of success is

Texas blog roundup for the week of June 25

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is in search of a shady spot and a cold beverage as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Gene Wu: Backyard Progressivism

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. Before I became involved in politics, I learned that there are real people in our communities who need hands-on assistance, people … Continue reading →

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Another homeless feeding update

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Depending on how you look at it, time is either running out for the petition signature gatherers who hope to overturn the homeless feeding ordinance, or it isn’t. Free to Give Houston, a recently formed political action committee, needs about … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

For spending Metro’s sales tax revenue on transit

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

A list of contributors almost as long as the University Line will hopefully someday be wrote a Sunday op-ed in favor of giving Metro more money for transit. Unfortunately, not all of the money that we voted for back in … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Making open beaches a campaign issue

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is great. The Texas Supreme Court’s decision weakening the state Open Beaches Act has become a key issue in the race for one of the two contested Supreme Court seats in the Nov. 6 election. San Antonio attorney Michele … Continue reading →

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Alan Rosen: A Call To Protect Our Children

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. Every day, the internet opens up new doors for communication, commerce, and the betterment of all our lives. But, with great … Continue reading →

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From the “If pigs had wings” department

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s never a bad time to construct a counterfactual. What if Rick Perry had never said, “Oops”? What if he could have, for Christ’s sake, just remembered that he had wanted to gut the Department of Energy? What if he … Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Take the train to your dining destination

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Katharine Shilcutt writes about how she gets to some of her favorite restaurants. When owner Staci Davis decided on a location for her restaurant, Radical Eats, one thing was extremely important to her above all: Davis wanted her vegan paradise to … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

UH prof writes letter in support of resolution with Metro

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

After I published about UH holding up construction on the Southeast Line over concerns about the route, I was forwarded a letter sent by UH English professor Irving Rothman to UH President Renu Khator asking her to get this issue … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Steve Brown: The Grown-Up’s Platform

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. Texas Democrats recently adopted a very progressive platform that addresses critical areas of need in our state. It also gives reasonable, … Continue reading →

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

Latinos and marriage equality

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve probably seen some coverage by now of how African American views of marriage equality have shifted in its favor in the wake of President Obama’s announcement that he now supports it. But what about Latinos and their views? The … Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Houston gets grant for bike paths

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. It’s not a trail to nowhere, but the Heights Bike Path ends abruptly at McKee Street east of downtown, and from there cyclists have to share the road with four-wheeled vehicles. A peloton of politicians gathered near that terminus … Continue reading →

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Recycle that polystyrene

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: Polystyrene Foam Recycling Available Beginning Monday, June 25, 2012 Beginning Monday, June 25, 2012, the City of Houston will accept clean block style or packaging polystyrene foam at the Westpark Recycling Center, 5900 Westpark, Houston 77057 and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Weekend link dump for June 24

Posted on June 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The days are getting shorter already. Those who can, do. Those who aren’t asked to do, complain about it. I don’t care how Americans feel about broccoli. I still hate it. Learning about cocaine usage from what gets flushed down … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Guest posts coming

Posted on June 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Over the next few weeks I’m going to be running a series of guest posts that I have solicited from a variety of people. I’m doing this partly to give myself a bit of a breather during the summer lull … Continue reading →

Posted in Administrivia | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Our stupid beer laws in action

Posted on June 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Owners of the popular Eatsie Boys food truck will open their first stand-alone restaurant later this year on Montrose Boulevard, serving everything from breakfast items to sandwiches to house-made gelato. Closer to … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Henry Cisneros

Posted on June 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Express News bring us an update on former San Antonio Mayor and onetime rising star Henry Cisneros. Henry Cisneros still talks about housing and urban development with passion, about the future of cities and the ways in which immigrant … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

FIFA may face up to reality

Posted on June 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The world of international soccer may finally adopt technology to help officiate its games. The most powerful man in soccer called goal-line technology a “necessity” Wednesday, only hours after Ukraine was denied what appeared to be a legitimate goal in … Continue reading →

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HISD will not raise the tax rate

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Instead, they will dip into their reserves to balance their $1.5 billion budget for this year. The amount is about the same as last year, when the district reduced spending by approximately 5 percent to offset unprecedented state cuts. Instead … Continue reading →

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

Defacing Picasso

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Some people, I swear. Officials at the Menil Collection don’t know why a man spray-painted Pablo Picasso’s “Woman in a Red Armchair” at the museum, but the act wasn’t caught just on surveillance cameras. It also was captured by a … Continue reading →

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

You say “Manchaca”, I say “Menchaca”

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start a Facebook page to settle it once and for all. Austin’s long-held knack for mangling street pronunciations is so rich it could be its own game show category. As in: “This well-known University of Texas-area street’s name suggests … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments