Monthly Archives: July 2013

A cautionary tale about expanded gambling

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Wonkblog: Earlier this week, Delaware’s casinos got a surprise windfall. Just days after saying no to tax breaks, Gov. Jack Markell (D) proposed that $8 million of the state’s budget surplus be distributed amongst its three struggling establishments, to forestall … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for July 7

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

These jokes are smarter than you are. Getting a diagnosis of something is not always beneficial. A first person account with advice on reporting sexual harassment, in particular at a convention. And what to do about it. What would you … Continue reading →

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Eric Dick is just trolling us now

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Like a three-year-old having a tantrum – and against our better judgment – he gets the attention he so desperately seeks. Two City Council candidates facing thousands of dollars in fines for violating the city’s sign ordinance during their 2011 … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS to hear CSAPR appeal

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not terribly excited about anything the Supreme Court does these days, but we’ll see about this. The U.S. Supreme Court decided Monday to take a case that has pitted Texas against the Obama administration over a federal rule aimed … Continue reading →

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What’s the difference between a rock and a fossilized Bigfoot skull?

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Less than you might think, apparently. Todd May, of Ogden, dropped by the offices of the Standard-Examiner to see if someone would be interested in a story about a fairly impressive fossil find. After showing off a couple of digital … Continue reading →

Posted in Skepticism | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

First Hackathon project released

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. Budget Bootcamp, a new city website application that provides easy access to city budget information, is the first Houston Hackathon project to become reality.  Budget Bootcamp is hosted on the Finance Department’s website and provides citizens an educational walkthrough of the … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Take Me To The River

Posted on July 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Song #12 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “Take Me To The River”, originally by Al Green and covered by the Talking Heads. Here’s the Rev. Al: If you’ve seen The Commitments, you will recognize that this is … Continue reading →

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Coming attractions in the Senate

Posted on July 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From Jessica Luther, a guide to Monday’s Senate hearing on their version of the omnibus anti-abortion bill. On Tuesday, the House Committee had their hearing for HB2 (what a sham that was, huh?). The Senate version of that bill – … Continue reading →

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Public Integrity Unit employees get layoff notices

Posted on July 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

What is to come if nothing changes. Travis County commissioners are still holding out hope the state will fund the District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit, but took an early step to let employees know their jobs are on the line. … Continue reading →

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HBU and UIW make the leap to Division I

Posted on July 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them luck. One of Dr. Louis Agnese’s earliest recollections of the University of Incarnate Word’s athletic program was quite memorable — and not in a good way. In 1985, his first year as president of the school, Agnese … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: This List Is America (And So Can You)

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Dedicated to that great American Stephen Colbert. 1. America – Simon & Garfunkel 2. America – Yes 3. America The Beautiful – Ray Charles 4. American Girl – Roger McGuinn 5. American Idiot – Green Day 6. American Land – … Continue reading →

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Rick Perry has exciting news to announce!

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

What could it possibly be? Rick Perry is inviting close friends and supporters to an event next Monday in San Antonio where he is expected to announce if he plans to seek an unprecedented fourth full term as Texas governor, … Continue reading →

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David Adickes hearts Houston

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

And he wants you to know it. Houston’s efforts at self-promotion – remember “Houston. It’s Hot!”? – have come and gone. Somehow, though, the Bayou City always looked for love in all the wrong places. Now, thanks to concrete sculptor … Continue reading →

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

HISD inspects North Forest schools

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not pretty. The HISD leaders tried not to scowl as they walked into classrooms with broken glass, flooded floors, outdated chalkboards, graffiti on walls, gum on desks and the smell of mildew. The head of food service swept cockroaches … Continue reading →

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Here come the hotels

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of downtown hotel construction going on, or about to go on. The area around the George R. Brown Convention Center is about to see a burst of hotel construction as developers plan several new projects, two of which will … Continue reading →

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The Heights yarn bomb lives again

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This makes me happy: See here for the background. According to Marty Hajovsky, the new installation will be up through July 14th, so go check it out while you can. And if you see anyone approaching it with a sharp … Continue reading →

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Railroad crossings

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There are a lot of freight rail lines in the East End. Some big changes will be coming to them. A series of underpasses and street closings east of downtown represents the latest effort to seal off railroad corridors and … Continue reading →

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Eva Longoria

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

She’s much more than an actor. Over the past five years of the Obama presidency, the 38-year-old Corpus Christi native who rocketed to fame in Hollywood has slowly but surely made her mark in Washington as a serious student of … Continue reading →

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Some cold water for the Wendy for Governor bandwagon

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Courtesy of PPP: PPP’s new Texas poll finds that Wendy Davis made a good impression on voters in the state last week- but that Rick Perry has also enhanced his political standing considerably over the last five months, making him … Continue reading →

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There are other items on this session’s agenda

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I know, hard to believe, but there are two non-abortion items on the session agenda, and the Senate has already taken preliminary action on two of them. Six hours before a marathon state House committee hearing on abortion, two Senate … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of July 1

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance stands with Wendy as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Who else is afraid of Battleground Texas?

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

FreedomWorks, that’s who. The conservative outside group FreedomWorks has drawn up plans to spend nearly $8 million mobilizing and expanding the GOP base in Texas, in a move to counter state and national Democratic efforts to make the state more … Continue reading →

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Protest day at the Capitol

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty impressive: The story: Opponents of Republican-backed legislation to dramatically curtail abortion rights in Texas descended on the Capitol by the thousands on Monday, spurred on by musicians, celebrities and their new hero: filibustering state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth. … Continue reading →

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I do not expect another Ardmore

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The AusChron tries to get out the Democrats’ strategy for Special Session 2. When the Texas House convened last last month to pass, on third reading and onto the Senate for final passage, Senate Bill 5, the omnibus abortion regulations … Continue reading →

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Redistricting tango continues in San Antonio

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

More to the point, the redistricting litigation continues, at least for the time being. A panel of federal judges denied the state’s request to dismiss the case, though they left open the possibility that they could do that later. And … Continue reading →

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What are the odds for Wendy?

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

After a week of Democratic energy and exhilaration like we haven’t seen in a long time here thanks to the Wendy Davis filibuster, there are a lot of people who’d like to see Sen. Davis run for Governor. No doubt … Continue reading →

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What does the DOMA decision mean for Texas?

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, the day after the disappointing SCOTUS ruling on the Voting Rights Act, we got a much more heartening ruling on DOMA, declaring it to be unconstitutional. However, not all of DOMA was struck down. In a landmark Supreme … Continue reading →

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H-GAC approves Uptown transportation funding

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston-area transportation officials approved a plan Friday to use $61.8 million in federal funds to help build bus-only lanes along Post Oak Boulevard in the Uptown area. […] The project, sponsored by the Uptown Management District, widens Post Oak … Continue reading →

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If we need more courts, we should ask for more courts

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not sure why there hasn’t been more of a push to deal with this. As Harris County’s population continues to swell, more people means more crimes. And that results in more work for the county’s 22 felony courts. But … Continue reading →

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