Monthly Archives: March 2014

Let them sleep

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Jilly Dos Santos is a hero to teenagers everywhere. Jilly Dos Santos really did try to get to school on time. She set three successive alarms on her phone. Skipped breakfast. Hastily applied makeup while her fuming father drove. But … Continue reading →

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

Weekend link dump for March 23

Posted on March 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I am Locutus of WalMart. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile. If you think coverage of Hillary Clinton is bad now, just wait till she actually announces her candidacy for President. Oh, and you’d better get your Hillary Clinton-related … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Seattle approach to Uber and Lyft

Posted on March 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

While we wait in Houston for City Council to take action on amending the taxi and limousine codes to deal with the entry of Uber and Lyft, the city of Seattle took a novel approach to the issue. In a … Continue reading →

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

Can we really measure the economic impact of sports events?

Posted on March 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know, but they’re going to give it a try in Dallas. Spending in the region on mega sporting events since the Dallas Cowboys moved to Arlington could top $1 billion when next month’s Final Four and next year’s … Continue reading →

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We have our first HFD rolling brownout

Posted on March 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

And nothing bad happened. Three Houston firetrucks were pulled from service Friday morning, the first “brownout” in the city’s fire fleet since the Houston Fire Department’s budget struggles came to light in early February. In keeping with a plan Fire … Continue reading →

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

Saturday video break: Amazing Grace

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This may be the most covered song of all time. Here’s a traditional rendition from The Rogues: I once said on Facebook that all bagpipes come with three songs preinstalled: Scotland The Brave, The Minstrel Boy, and Amazing Grace. Hearing … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Michigan, come on down

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

You are the next state to have your anti-same sex marriage law thrown out by a federal judge. In a historic ruling that provided a huge morale boost to the gay-rights movement, U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman today struck down … Continue reading →

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So you want the federal government you keep suing to enforce that law you don’t support?

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That would be Greg Abbott’s position on equal pay. Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott has let himself be out-wrestled on the sensitive issue of equal pay for equal work by Texas women. His answer, according to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tesla and Texas

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Tesla Motors currently can’t sell its cars in Texas via its preferred model of direct sales to consumers. Its attempts to modify state laws to allow for direct sales went nowhere last session, blocked by fierce opposition from the Texas … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: I’m an old cowhand

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We went off to see the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo yesterday, so here are ten songs about cowboys and horses. 1. The Cowboy Song – SixMileBridge 2. Bring On the Dancing Horses – The Picture 3. Cowboys Are My … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Pot polling

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Our favorite pollsters aren’t optimistic about pot legalization despite some good looking poll numbers for it. In the February 2014 University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, we asked respondents for their opinions on marijuana possession and gave them four options to … Continue reading →

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

No pay equity problems here

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

No sauce for the gander, either. Women in Democrat gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis’ Senate office last year averaged about $3,000 more in earnings than the male employees, according to data acquired by Austin bureau chief Peggy Fikac. Out of 12 … Continue reading →

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Another same sex divorce case

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

In Bexar County. And with it comes another opportunity for Greg Abbott to demonstrate his commitment to non-equality. The Bexar divorce case was filed Feb. 18, eight days before U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ruled that the state’s ban on … Continue reading →

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Pearland Presidential Head Park gets different development

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

What could have been, Pearland. What could have been. A 48-acre swath of land that once was envisioned as a park to showcase oversize busts of U.S. presidents has attracted a Chinese developer to Pearland. Beijing-based Modern Green Development, an … Continue reading →

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It’s as much about Leticia as it is about Dan

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte has been getting some love from the national press. But increasingly, on the ground in Texas, attention is shifting to San Antonio’s Van de Putte, who is running for lieutenant governor, a position that is … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Abbott comes out for inequality

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Turns out he’s been a practitioner of it for some time. Equal pay for women is in the spotlight of the Texas governor’s race, and figures from Attorney General Greg Abbott’s state agency show most female assistant attorneys general make … Continue reading →

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CCA to review dismissal of DeLay conviction

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The criminal justice system isn’t done with Tom DeLay just yet. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday agreed to review whether a lower court correctly decided last fall to toss out the prison sentence handed to former House … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas blog roundup for the week of March 17

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is ready to bust some brackets as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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How I’ll be voting in the runoffs

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This is pretty straightforward, as there are only two races in the runoff for me to consider. Senate – This is the definition of a no-brainer. David Alameel wasn’t my first choice. I voted for Maxey Scherr, and didn’t recommend … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The “grassroots” Republican Ladies Against Wendy movement

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Christopher Hooks asks and answers a good question. Who the heck are RedState Women? So far, they appear to be a motley collection of politically-connected lobbyists, ex-lobbyists and staffers of legislators who haven’t exactly distinguished themselves on women’s issues. This morning, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The backlash to marriage equality

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been almost two weeks since a federal judge struck down Texas’ anti-gay marriage law. The sky hasn’t fallen, rivers continue to run downstream, dogs and cats are not cohabitating, and strangest of all, the Republican Party of Texas has … Continue reading →

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How much will science advance in the courts?

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s up to the CCA to decide. Texas’ highest criminal court will hear arguments Wednesday in a case that could affect how evolving scientific evidence is used in courtrooms across the state. For Neal H. Robbins, the high court’s decision … Continue reading →

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GOP primary turnout comparison

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

There’s been plenty of focus on Democratic turnout in this past primary, and while Republican turnout gets a nod in there, I haven’t seen it be the focus of any stories yet. In part, I suspect that’s because Wendy Davis … Continue reading →

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Equality is just too much work

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s spring break, I have family in town, so I’m just going to outsource this to Team Wendy:

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What anti-gay bills?

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From Lone Star Q: Ken Paxton, the odds-on favorite to be Texas’ next attorney general, says he isn’t familiar with recent “license to discriminate” bills in Arizona, Kansas and other states even though he co-authored a similar measure in 2013. … Continue reading →

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Game room injunction lifted

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The temporary reprieve that Harris County ganerooms got from the courts has been lifted. Houston and Harris County moved one step closer Friday in their quest to crack down on illegal game rooms after a judge threw out a restraining … Continue reading →

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No love for Dan

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s one vote he won’t get. Whether incumbent Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst can make up for a big primary night loss to challenger Dan Patrick in a May runoff may depend on if he can successfully court the supporters of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Residency is hard

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating story about residency and elections in Galveston. Two of the three candidates for Galveston mayor are challenging the residency of front-runner Jim Yarbrough, the former county judge who was expected to coast to victory in the May municipal election. … Continue reading →

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Perry’s No Jobs Tour continues

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

TrailBlazers takes the bait. Rick Perry is on the road again. But then, he’s rarely off it these days. This weekend, he’s in Western Kentucky at Murray State University to headline a Republican Party fundraiser. Then, it’s off to California … Continue reading →

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Once again, the cost of not expanding Medicaid

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Short answer: It’s a lot. A team of Harvard researchers recently released a deeply sobering study quantifying how many Americans stand to die needlessly in the unflinching states hellbent on denying Medicaid expansion, as provided by the Affordable Care Act. … Continue reading →

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

Weekend link dump for March 16

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Spring break! For the kids, anyway. Blair and Tootie, together again. Wait, I thought drunk people placing ill-advised bets was Vegas’ entire business model? We really are making huge advances in the fight against HIV. Want to be a better … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

ECPS: Abbott 49, Davis 42

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Via Texpatriate, the Emerson College Polling Society has a poll of the Texas gubernatorial race that shows Greg Abbott with a seven point lead. According to a new survey conducted by the Emerson College Polling Society, Texas Attorney General Gregory … Continue reading →

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Ramon Romero

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Fort Worth Business Press profiles Rep.-elect Ramon Romero and his winning race against longtime incumbent Rep. Lon Burnam in HD90. Ramon Romero Jr. describes himself as “that poor boy from Poly,” one of eight children of immigrant parents who … Continue reading →

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Still more from the Pratt files

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

What a mess. Embattled family court judge Denise Pratt, under investigation again this year by the Harris County District Attorney’s office, was removed from five more cases on Thursday by a visiting senior judge who criticized the freshman jurist’s recent … Continue reading →

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