Monthly Archives: July 2012

Devine versus Medina

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

So why did onetime District Court Judge and frequent candidate John Devine decide to challenge Supreme Court Justice David Medina in this year’s GOP primary? A couple of his colleagues in Harris County offer a reason that isn’t very flattering. … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for July 15

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Everything’s bigger in Texas, including our dogs. The best use for a Wal-Mart I’ve ever heard of. Not having a car is a good way to avoid traffic. The most amazing story about bowling you’ll read today. Judge Richard Posner … Continue reading →

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Voter ID trial wraps up

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I didn’t follow the day to day reports from the voter ID preclearance trial, mostly because there wasn’t anything in the testimony that was truly unexpected. Lots of numbers, some of questionable provenance, were presented. The state continued to claim … Continue reading →

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Sullivan submits his resignation

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As promised. Councilman Mike Sullivan submitted his resignation Wednesday, fulfilling a promise he made to leave Council if he won the Republican primary in the county tax assessor-collector race. He did win on May 29. His resignation is effective on … Continue reading →

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How long will those school finance lawsuits take?

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

That depends in part on whether they all get heard together or not. The massive lawsuit over the state’s method of financing schools, scheduled for trial beginning Oct. 22, could continue into January if two challenges by charter schools are … Continue reading →

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Wash hands or wear gloves?

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There’s an interesting debate going on in Oregon about the best way to ensure food safety in restaurants and other eateries. Oregon restaurant owners and chefs recently earned a small victory, delaying by several months a new state rule that … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Song #61 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)”, originally by Four Lads and covered by They Might Be Giants. Here’s the original: Unlike some of the other songs on this list, I did know that … Continue reading →

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So why did CM Brown go to Korea?

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

According to the Press, which is really killing it on this story, it wasn’t to meet with airline officials. Houston City Council Member Helena Brown issued a press release Wednesday touting her recent trip to Asia, which she funded with … Continue reading →

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

Patterson talks desalinization

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson is getting the state into the Central Texas water game. Patterson’s office [announced Monday] that it has contracted with two water consulting firms to examine the feasibility of building a desalination plant between Austin … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged | 5 Comments

Endorsement watch: Who’s your fourth choice?

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses a new candidate for the CD36 Republican primary runoff. Two survivors emerged from the crowded May Republican primary race to fill the new congressional seat for U.S. District 36, one of four new congressional districts added to … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The first century is the hardest

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It would have been Woody Guthrie’s 100th birthday this week. After reading this story, which alerted me to this fact, I decided this week to celebrate the music of artists in my collection who have passed that milestone as well. … Continue reading →

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Our high maintenance Governor

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Ka-ching! Texans have been billed $2.2 million in out-of-state travel expenses for Gov. Rick Perry’s security detail since his November 2010 re-election, including his failed presidential bid and other trips ranging from vacations to state business and political gatherings, according … Continue reading →

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How big should those high schools be?

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is a question that HISD is asking itself as the Board of Trustees considers the $1.9 billion bond proposal, much of which is to be spent on high schools. A number of HISD high schools have had large drops … Continue reading →

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Parklets

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Not really sure what to make of this. Six years ago, a posse of guerrilla designers fed a parking meter on a busy San Francisco street, unrolled sod in the parking space and plopped down a potted tree. The result … Continue reading →

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

Discussing the Z word

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. The go-ahead for the Ashby high rise has left me feeling really depressed. If affluent residents with all their political and social connections can’t keep a 21-story skyscraper out of their bucolic … Continue reading →

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

Nick Cooper: Let Us Help People!

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. I am a volunteer with Houston Food Not Bombs, a vegetarian anti-war group that has been in the news recently for speaking … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

More on CM Brown’s trip to Korea

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Hair Balls recently noted that CM Helena Brown recently submitted an expense report for nearly $11,000 for a plane ticket to Korea; they raised issues about her soliciting donations outside the allowed fundraising period to cover that expense. The Chron … Continue reading →

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

The city’s bond package

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

And here’s Mayor Parker’s bond proposal for November. Mayor Annise Parker is unveiling a $410 million package of proposed bond measures for the November ballot that will not require a tax increase. She proposes five bond measures. The purposes and … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of July 9

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance thinks America doesn’t look a day over 235 as it brings you this weeks blog roundup.

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Paul Sadler: How would you spend $25 million?

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. For $25 million you could buy a seriously luxurious private jet – in fact, you could buy a small fleet of … Continue reading →

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

No term limits referendum this fall

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Much as I dislike our silly term limits ordinance, I think this is the correct term of action. A City Council committee on Monday killed a proposal to ask voters whether to give the mayor, controller and council members up … Continue reading →

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Buffalo Bayou begins its makeover

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to be great. The jogging and biking trails that wind through Buffalo Bayou Park west of downtown are about to get a bit more circuitous as a $55 million effort to transform the area into an iconic … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

City wins Renew/Rebuild Houston lawsuit appeal

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Our story so far: After the Renew Houston proposition was passed in 2010, the usual suspects led by Paul Bettencourt filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the result on the grounds that they believed the voters were too stupid to … Continue reading →

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

Rey Guerra: Latinos in Houston 2012

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. White, Black, Asian, or other, if you live in Houston, you’ve more than likely adopted aspects of Latino culture into your … Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

No Medicaid expansion for you!

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

So much for that. Texas will not expand Medicaid or establish a health insurance exchange, two major tenets of the federal health reform that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld last month, Gov. Rick Perry said in an early morning announcement. … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

That Press story on CM Brown

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

So I’ve thought about that Houston Press story on CM Helena Brown and her relationship with William Park. There’s much to contemplate here, but I’m going to focus on three things. 1. What were they thinking? I’m not talking about … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Voter ID trial, day one

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

And they’re off, with the state bringing the funny math as part of its case. A Justice Department lawyer, Elizabeth Westfall, argued that the law has the potential to prevent 1.4 million Texans from voting who are eligible but lack … Continue reading →

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

Christina Gorczynski – Mission Possible: Youth Engagement

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. Ask the League of Women Voters to do a guest blog and what do you get? Brace yourself, readers, for a … Continue reading →

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

Voter ID trial starts today

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Another big lawsuit in a year that’s seen plenty of them. The decades-old legal battle between states’ rights and civil rights returns to a familiar venue – a federal courtroom – on Monday as lawyers for the state of Texas … Continue reading →

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

Harris County indigent defense costs trending down

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Via Grits, here’s an email from the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition that shows some good news for Harris County. New numbers from the Commission show that while total indigent defense expenses in Harris County increased by $4.7 million between 2007 … Continue reading →

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A cheat sheet for the school finance lawsuits

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has a useful guide to the six (so far!) lawsuits that have been filed over school finance. Texas’ latest round of school finance litigation adds some new players to the courtroom, with interests that are more varied than … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for July 8

Posted on July 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Wednesdays are the worst days for holidays, aren’t they? Are none of these people familiar with the expression “To Serve Man”? Even Michelle Duggar would shudder at this. Three words: Spray-on batteries. We live in amazing times. Recycle more, collect … Continue reading →

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We’re #50!

Posted on July 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas is dead last in delivering health care. The 2011 State Snapshots report is based on 155 quality measures gathered by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human … Continue reading →

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Happy birthday, Atari

Posted on July 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The iconic video game company turned forty last week. Although it wasn’t the first company to make video games, Atari was the first to make a lasting impression on an entire generation. At arcades — or at video game bars … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , | 1 Comment