Monthly Archives: December 2011

Saturday video break: New Year’s Eve

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Diana Krall has a question for you: Whatever you’re doing this evening, I wish you all the best for the new year. I’ll return to the Popdose Top 100 Covers video feature next Saturday.

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Saturday video break: New Year’s Eve

A little schadenfreude to end the year

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you our only Governor. Gov. Rick Perry was once again stumped on the stump Thursday, this time with a question about a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that threw out Texas’ anti-sodomy law. Perry, taking … Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A little schadenfreude to end the year

Eversole and Surface whine for leniency

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Stop, you’re breaking my heart. Even after former Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole and real estate developer Michael Surface agreed to plea deals, their lawyers said prosecutors were trying to “criminalize” a 30-year friendship. In letters filed Wednesday to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

From the “More things you need to be slightly paranoid about” department

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing like a new domain suffix to remind you of the potential for creative malfeasance. The University of Kansas is buying up website names such as www.KUgirls.xxx and www.KUnurses.xxx. But not because it’s planning a Hot Babes of Kansas site … Continue reading →

Posted in Websurfing | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on From the “More things you need to be slightly paranoid about” department

Friday random ten: Out with the old

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Only one more day left in the old year, so here are ten old songs: 1. The Old Black Rum – Great Big Sea 2. Old Blevins – Austin Lounge Lizards 3. Old Dan Tucker – Bruce Springsteen 4. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Friday random ten: Out with the old

Constable Abercia to step down

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I wish him well. Longtime Harris County Constable Jack Abercia, citing health concerns, said Wednesday he will not seek re-election next year. Abercia, 78, has served as Precinct 1 Constable since 1991, when he was appointed to fill the unexpired … Continue reading →

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

How small does good news have to be before it’s not considered good news any more?

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever that threshold is, this has got to be pretty close to it. Christmas came a little early for a small slice of Texas this year. We can now say that part of Texas is no longer in drought. A … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on How small does good news have to be before it’s not considered good news any more?

DOJ files amicus brief in favor of interim maps

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Michael Li: The Justice Department is not a party to the San Antonio case and, until now, it hasn’t been involved in the interim map appeal before the Supreme Court. However, given the possible impact that a Supreme Court ruling … Continue reading →

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

It’s (almost) 2012, and Bigfoot still does not exist

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Which will not stop stories about Bigfoot and the fools who keep looking for him from being written. The Finding Bigfoot crew has not visited Texas yet, but something is out there deep in the Big Thicket, say members of … Continue reading →

Posted in Skepticism | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

County sues over dioxin

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

More like this, please. Harris County has filed a lawsuit in state court to recover hundreds of millions of dollars from local waste management companies and a Pasadena paper factory responsible for storage of a human carcinogen that has leaked … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Houston-Austin rail study

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From Houston Tomorrow: The Texas Department of Transportation presented results from a study on the potential for new 110 mph passenger rail service between Houston and Austin, potentially connecting College Station, according to Guidry News and documented in the minutes of the December … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The giant prawn menace

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Yet another thing to add to your list of Things You Didn’t Realize You Needed To Worry About: Giant prawns in the Gulf of Mexico. The Asian tiger prawn, a foot-long crustacean with a voracious appetite and a proclivity for … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The giant prawn menace

Texas blog roundup for the week of December 26

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes everyone is enjoying their holiday as it brings you the last roundup of 2011.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of December 26

A field guide to the school finance lawsuits

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has a handy overview of the school finance lawsuits – who the plaintiffs are, who their lawyers are, and on what grounds they are suing. Among other things, it shows that I was correct in saying that there … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A field guide to the school finance lawsuits

Seeking more water for Houston

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know how I feel about this. After decades of fits and starts, Houston is pushing forward with plans to move Trinity water nearly 30 miles to Lake Houston. The reservoir, located on the smaller San Jacinto River, fills … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

More on Bike Share Houston

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story on the Council vote to get bike sharing in Houston off the ground. The plan for the so-called Bike Share Houston program is to intrigue residents and visitors with the technology, then raise funds to install … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on More on Bike Share Houston

MLB labor deal calls for more use of replay

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This overview of what’s in the proposed collective bargaining agreement for Major League Baseball has the following interesting tidbit: MLB wants to expand replay to include fair-or-foul calls, “whether a fly ball or line drive was trapped” and fan interference … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on MLB labor deal calls for more use of replay

At last, school finance lawsuit number 4

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The fourth and presumably final school finance lawsuit was filed just before the holiday weekend. The state’s largest school districts, including Houston and Cypress-Fairbanks, have filed a lawsuit claiming the public education system is inadequate and inequitable, the fourth such … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on At last, school finance lawsuit number 4

Recycle your Christmas tree

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And now, a message from the City of Houston Solid Waste Department:   The City of Houston (COH) Solid Waste Management Department will embark on its 21st year of Christmas tree recycling(.pdf) after the holiday by providing recycling drop-off sites throughout Houston. … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Recycle your Christmas tree

Ballot failure

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Newt Gingrich will not appear on the Virginia presidential primary ballot, state Republican Party officials announced Saturday, after he failed to submit the required number of valid signatures to qualify. The announcement was … Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Half a billion trees

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Damn. The current Texas drought has killed as many as 500 million trees 10 percent of the state’s forest cover and the end is not in sight, according to the Texas Forest Service. Some of the hardest-hit areas are in … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

D.C. panel issues decision defining preclearance standards

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From Michael Li: Late Thursday evening, the D.C. panel issued its long-awaited opinion defining the standards for preclearance under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and further explaining why the court had earlier rejected the State of Texas’ request … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

DOJ refuses to preclear South Carolina voter ID law

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday rejected as discriminatory a South Carolina law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls. The action by the department’s civil rights division, coupled with Attorney General Eric Holder’s call 10 … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Coinis interruptis

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

No more Presidential dollar coins will be minted for general circulation. Have you ever seen a $1 presidential coin? Neither have we. Except that one time when we received seven of them in change from a MetroCard machine in the … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Weekend link dump for December 25

Posted on December 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few more hours till the after-Christmas sales start. Assuming there are any more Chistmases after this one. The case against Santa Claus. Trying to exert control over the presents your kids get is ultimately doomed to fail. How … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Weekend link dump for December 25

It isn’t Christmas without Mel Torme

Posted on December 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Every year on Christmas Day, I link to my favorite Christmas story, which stars Mel Torme. Apparently, this story is so popular now that it gets ripped off a lot, which sure seems to be contrary to the Christmas spirit … Continue reading →

Posted in See, I do have a life! | Tagged , | Comments Off on It isn’t Christmas without Mel Torme

Saturday video break: And all through the house

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve shown this video before on Christmas Eve, and since that happens to be Saturday this year, it all comes together beautifully: Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Posted in See, I do have a life! | Tagged , | Comments Off on Saturday video break: And all through the house

Brewers win one in court

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From CultureMap: A small but significant victory was had for craft beermakers and drinkers Monday when a federal judge ruled (partially) in favor of Austin’s Jester King Brewery in a lawsuit against the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Jester King filed … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Friday video break: And to you your wassail too

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to take a short break from the Random Tens to bring you a few Christmas songs I wish got more exposure. First up, the King’s Singers take us all wassailing: Here’s the Irish Rovers, with “Good King Wenceslas”: … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Friday video break: And to you your wassail too

Council approves B-Cycle, and other bike news

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

One other item that Council approved on its last day of business for the year was to clear the way for the city to start up bike sharing with B-cycle. As you know, I’ve been following this along, and am … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

TCEQ denies Valero tax break

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Texas environmental regulators have rejected Valero Energy Corp.’s request for a tax break that cities, counties and school districts feared would lead to devastating cuts to their budgets. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality denied the request because the … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on TCEQ denies Valero tax break

More on privatizing the Harris County jail

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Grits: On Sunday, Grits broke the news that Corrections Corporation of America had submitted a bid to manage the Harris County Jail, citing information given to investors about a county-issued RFP which hadn’t been reported in the local media. Last night, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

SCOTUS redistricting briefs

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Opening briefs for the SCOTUS hearing on Texas redistricting were filed yesterday – you can see them here. The State of Texas is going long – Michael Li explains. The State of Texas asks the Supreme Court to let the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on SCOTUS redistricting briefs

Council passes high rise ordinance

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And with that, Council is done for the year. After four years of planning and discussion, the Houston City Council on Wednesday approved new restrictions on residential high rises. The restrictions, which passed after a failed proposal to delay a … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments