Monthly Archives: March 2012

Todd tells Riggle to tone it down

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Former Houston City Council member Rob Todd has a message for gay-obsessed Pastor Steve Riggle. During my days on City Council, I was considered an archconservative. Part of that reputation was a result of a lawsuit I filed against Mayor … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Comptroller Combs’ slush fund

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It took me longer than usual to read this story because I kept having to stop to say “Seriously? Seriously?” When lawmakers gave Comptroller Susan Combs more power to spend tax money to attract sporting events and conventions to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Trying to find a way with the WHP

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I admire and applaud the effort. I abhor the fact that it was needed. Leading Houston Democrats in favor of a seemingly doomed health care program for low-income women are pushing to bypass the state to keep federal money flowing … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Homeless Hotspots

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve probably heard about this by now. If you’re looking for WiFi at the South by Southwest tech conference this week, instead of heading to a cafe or bumming off of a neighbor, you might just ask a homeless person. … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of March 12

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is busy busting brackets as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of March 12

Interview with Wanda Adams

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Also running in HD131 is Wanda Adams, who has served two full terms in Houston City Council District D and was re-elected easily for her third term last November. Adams is a native Houstonian who graduated from Kashmere High School … Continue reading →

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

Mayor tells Ashby foes it’s over

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Annise Parker told the attendees at that neighborhood meeting to discuss the proposed settlement of the Ashby highrise lawsuit that it’s a done deal. “We have exhausted all legal means to stop this project,” said Parker, reiterating her opposition … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

It’s Super-Commuter!

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You think you have a long drive to work? Ben Wear writes about a study of people who take it to the extreme. The researchers define a supercommuter as someone who works in the central county of a metropolitan area … Continue reading →

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

The homecoming queen’s got a strong right leg

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I love this story. [Mary Morlan] Isom, who is also LSU’s reigning homecoming queen, has been trying out this week for a spot on LSU’s football team as a placekicker. If she makes it, she would be the first woman … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The homecoming queen’s got a strong right leg

The Congressional shuffle

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Pending any further news, I think I’ve got my 2012 Democratic primaries, non-Harris County page updated. Most of the action was in Congressional races. Here are a few highlights from these filings. – David Alameel switched from CD06 to CD33, … Continue reading →

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

More on the feds’ rejection of the Texas voter ID law

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Trib story. The U.S. Department of Justice has rejected Texas’ application for preclearance of its voter ID law, saying the state did not prove that the bill would not have a discriminatory effect on minority voters. “The department’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

If you can’t specify it, it’s not wasteful

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

After reading this op-ed by Todd Clark, the chair of the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund (that is, their pension fund), I have decided to adopt two rules for all future discussion of the city’s budget. Let me speak … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The iPad classroom

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll be very interested to see how this goes. A Texas school district is trying to close its digital divide by distributing thousands of Apple tablet computers in a move that could make it the largest iPads program for students … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

DOJ refuses to preclear Texas voter ID law

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. I’m not in a position to do any analysis of this now – I’ll have something for tomorrow morning – but for now I wanted to note this development. The state will proceed with its lawsuit, so we … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on DOJ refuses to preclear Texas voter ID law

Interview with Rep. Alma Allen

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I now finally turn my focus to legislative and Congressional primaries. As you might imagine, it’s been a bit of a challenge figuring this part out, since we just now know what the districts look like and who the candidates … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Better budget news

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

For the city. The city of Houston may have $21 million more in income in the coming fiscal year than it had planned on before Wednesday. That’s when it got the news that the Harris County Appraisal District projects that … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

West Texas wind

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The wind energy business in Texas is going strong. BP and other energy companies are funneling millions of dollars into building and operating wind farms in West Texas, helping to transform the oil country into one of the nation’s leading … Continue reading →

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

Making a profit coming and going

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t comment very often on the business world, but I thought this Loren Steffy column from Friday about the El Paso/Kinder Morgan deal was noteworthy. Chancellor Leo Strine questioned the role of Goldman Sachs, which advised both El Paso … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Weekend link dump for March 11

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad month. Sinead O’Connor was way ahead of her time, wasn’t she? “[O]ur medical system is an octopus riding a donkey riding a skateboard into a sadness quarry.” “Real prophets are always also pastors. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | Comments Off on Weekend link dump for March 11

Re-Filing deadline roundup

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The re-filing deadline was Friday, and as expected there was a flurry of activity on the final day. I’m going to do a news roundup to highlight what went on and who’s now running for what. You can find a … Continue reading →

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

Here comes NBC Sports

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Comcast SportsNet Houston, which is owned by NBC Sports, is coming to downtown. Comcast SportsNet Houston, the new regional sports network that will air Rockets games this fall and Astros games in 2013, plans to begin broadcasting in early October … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Here comes NBC Sports

Our diverse region

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. The Houston region is now the most ethnically diverse large metropolitan area in the country, surpassing New York City. Two suburbs – Missouri City and Pearland – have become even more diverse than the city of Houston. Other suburbs … Continue reading →

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

Pediatric dental care

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s more important than you might think. While overall oral health care for adults and children has improved, tooth decay continues to be the most common chronic disease among children. It can have serious social and health consequences when untreated … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Pediatric dental care

Saturday video break: Wild Night

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Song #78 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “Wild Night”, originally by Van Morrison, and covered by John Mellencamp with Meshell Ndegeocello. Here’s the original by Van The Man: And here’s the Mellencamp/Ndegeocello version: Not much to say … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Saturday video break: Wild Night

Perry’s empty promise on the Women’s Health Program

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Our Governor talks big, but his words have no meaning. The state will find the cash to continue a women’s health program whose federal funding is threatened because of a decision to keep Planned Parenthood from participating, Gov. Rick Perry … Continue reading →

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

DOJ denies Galveston County redistricting

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder that there’s more to redistricting than the state level. The U.S. Department of Justice late Monday rejected Galveston County’s proposed redistricting maps for county commissioner precincts, justices of the peace and constables. The rejection could put at … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on DOJ denies Galveston County redistricting

City to meet with anti-Ashby forces

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not sure if they’re at anger, denial, or bargaining yet, but we’ll know soon enough. The city of Houston plans to meet with residents of the Southampton and Boulevard neighborhoods March 12 to discuss the Ashby high-rise settlement. In … Continue reading →

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

Friday random ten: A few of my favorite things

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

When I embarked on that project to listen to every song in my iTunes library in alphabetical order, one of the purposes was to assign a star rating to each song. I kept it simple: Three stars was the default, … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Friday random ten: A few of my favorite things

It’s Williams on Williams time again

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I would not call it a good thing to come out of the updated interim maps since there’s a good chance one of these jokers will get elected, but for those of you with a morbid fascination with sideshows, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

News flash: The voter ID law will do exactly what it was intended to do

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

And that is to make it harder to vote. Mostly for the poor, the elderly, college students, and minorities. This is a feature, not a bug. The state’s contested voter ID law could provoke widespread complications in the upcoming presidential … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Feeding the homeless

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still trying to wrap my mind around this. Mayor Annise Parker is asking the council to adopt rules that would require organizations and people who feed the homeless to register with the city, take a food safety class, prepare … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Stimulate the economy with marriage equality

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

​If New York can do it… New York City made quite a bit of money on gay marriage — 200,000 bucks, in fact. Cash flow into the city’s marriage bureau shot up since August, when same-sex nups got enacted, according … Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Stimulate the economy with marriage equality

Interview with Sean Hammerle

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Sean Hammerle is running to be the Democratic nominee for Harris County Commissioner in Precinct 4, the seat formerly held by the now-convicted Jerry Eversole and now by Jack Cagle. Hammerle is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), and has … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Filings and un-filings

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Tomorrow is the re-filing deadline, the last day that candidates have to jump into a district that now looks good to them, or to withdraw from one that no longer does. There is still a possibility of further map changes, … Continue reading →

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