Category Archives: Society and cultcha

Our wastewater COVID tracking is a big deal

Posted on July 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Nice to be recognized as a leading innovator. The practice of using plumbing to track and prevent disease isn’t new. A series of cholera outbreaks in the mid and late 1800s prompted many cities, including London, Boston, and Chicago to install sewer systems in … Continue reading →

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Project Unloaded

Posted on January 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I approve of this.

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Why are people mad about R’Bonney Gabriel?

Posted on January 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know why this story fascinates me so much, but it does. Please indulge me just a little longer. Just days after Houston native R’Bonney Gabriel was crowned the 71st Miss Universe at the first Filipina American winner, the Miss … Continue reading →

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R’Bonney Gabriel wins Miss Universe

Posted on January 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I know, I know, not my usual beat, but it’s a followup on a previous post, so here we are. R’Bonney Gabriel, the first Filipina Texan to win Miss Texas USA and Miss USA, has a new title: Miss Universe. The 28-year-old … Continue reading →

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Santa Claus is back

Posted on December 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

So, you know, you better watch out, and all that. Some Santas who stayed home the past two years out of concern for their health have returned, but performers have pressing issues, including inflation, on their minds. Many are older, … Continue reading →

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In which I pay a few minutes’ attention to the Miss USA pageant

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What can I say? I love some controversy in niche competitive events. Just days after Miss Texas USA R’Bonney Gabriel was crowned Miss USA, several other contestants have accused the pageant of favoritism and rigging the competition. During the live broadcast, several … Continue reading →

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“Scamilton” church apologizes

Posted on September 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this last week.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by The Door McAllen Church (@doormcallen) The Door McAllen church released a statement this morning apologizing for their production of ‘Hamilton’, in which they altered lyrics … Continue reading →

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Thou shalt not violate copyright

Posted on August 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s right there in the Commandments. A McAllen church is facing backlash for illegally performing Hamilton with anti-LGBTQ messaging and biblical themes, according to multiple reports. The Door Christian Fellowship Ministries of McAllen changed Lin-Manuel Miranda’s rendition of the musical … Continue reading →

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Afro-Latinos

Posted on June 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. A Pew Research Center survey has found that 6 million adults in the United States identify as Afro-Latino, noting that this population experiences higher levels of discrimination than Hispanic people who do not identify as Afro-descendant. The nonpartisan … Continue reading →

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Games in the time of coronavirus

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I came across this story in Slate by Stefan Fatsis about a recent Scrabble tournament he attended, and it got me thinking. Before the tournament, I reminded players to wash their tiles and bags. (They’re an obvious germ vector, and … Continue reading →

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Calendar reform

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Well, this is an interesting idea. Feb. 29ths, like the one tacked to the end of [last] month, exist because Earth’s orbit and human calendars are slightly out of sync. The planet completes its 584-million-mile loop around the sun in … Continue reading →

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The MOB’s message to Baylor

Posted on September 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been a member of the Rice MOB since 1988, when I arrived in Houston as a grad student in math. I’m especially proud to have been part of the MOB this weekend. Rice University’s Marching Owl Band delivered a … Continue reading →

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It’s hard out here on a small theater company

Posted on March 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s rough going in Houston right now. Horse Head ended operations earlier this month. But it was far from an isolated case. Many other small theater companies in Houston are also fighting for survival, battling gentrification, donor apathy and increasingly … Continue reading →

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The Southern Baptist Convention’s sexual abuse problems

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Some excellent longform reporting from the Chron, with more to come. Thirty-five years later, Debbie Vasquez’s voice trembled as she described her trauma to a group of Southern Baptist leaders. She was 14, she said, when she was first molested … Continue reading →

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Santa’s employment agency

Posted on December 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good work if you can get it. If you have had a picture taken with Santa Claus in San Antonio this holiday season, there’s a good chance he was booked through a local business run by a head elf. That … Continue reading →

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The Alley Theater debacle

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

What a mess. More than a dozen current and former Alley Theatre employees say the outgoing artistic director, Gregory Boyd, created a toxic work environment at the city’s most renowned theater, describing him as a tyrant who frequently singled out … Continue reading →

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Boy Scouts to accept transgender members

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. In a landmark decision, Boy Scouts of America announced Monday that it will now allow transgender Scouts in its boys-only program. Although it’s not clear how that move will play in the Lone Star State, the news … Continue reading →

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The GLSEN 2015 National School Climate Survey

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of the stuff we talk about when we discuss Dan Patrick’s bathroom bill is business – the opposition from businesses, the political ramifications of a GOP/business schism, the economics of the bathroom bill, etc etc etc. But schools … Continue reading →

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You are still free to discriminate against LGBT people

Posted on September 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder. Campus Pride usually highlights the best colleges for LGBT youth, as expensive as they may be. But for the first time today, the advocacy group is calling out the worst campuses for queer students. “Most people are shocked when they learn … Continue reading →

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Paxton’s dinner with the Briggle family

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

So he did go, and he managed to behave himself. Lots of preparation led up to the moment, but Amber and Adam Briggle still exchanged nervous looks when their doorbell rang about 6:30 p.m. Thursday. “I was terrified,” Amber Briggle … Continue reading →

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Texas Monthly long read on transgender issues

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Mostly about someone I know, as it happens. Boy. Girl. Man. Woman. These terms reflect a binary view of gender. Our language doesn’t allow for the in-between. And yet there are girly girls and tomboys; fey men and macho ones. … Continue reading →

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The challenges transgender children face

Posted on January 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

At least now we’re starting to talk about those challenges openly. One month after voters in Houston rejected an equal rights ordinance that proponents say would have protected transgender people from discrimination, Ben and his parents, Ann and Jim Elder … Continue reading →

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Pancho Claus keeps on going

Posted on December 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Always a pleasure to hear. Pancho Claus [Richard Reyes] works year-round, looking for sponsorships and running an ongoing toy drive, so he can have enough to hand out each December. His day job involves driving a promotional vehicle for Taxis … Continue reading →

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Violence against transgender people

Posted on December 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

There’s way too much of it. For a few transgender Americans, this has been a year of glamour and fame. For many others, 2015 has been fraught with danger, violence and mourning. While Caitlyn Jenner made the cover of Vanity … Continue reading →

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Transgender acceptance

Posted on November 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I have a question to ask about this. The trans civil rights movement began with stacked odds because it represents such a minority, less than 1 percent of the population, according to various studies. The movement is seen as the … Continue reading →

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Counting the number of same sex marriages in Texas

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Fewer than I’d have guessed, but still a decent amount percentage-wise. Statewide, an estimated 2,500 same-sex couples have received marriage licenses in Texas since the [Obergfell] ruling. There is no exact accounting of how many same-sex marriage licenses have been … Continue reading →

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Boy Scouts rescind ban on gay adults

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

About time. The executive committee of the Boy Scouts of America has unanimously approved a resolution that would end the organization’s blanket ban on gay adult leaders and let individual Scout units set their own policy on the long-divisive issue. … Continue reading →

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On to the benefits

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Now that same sex marriage is the law of the land, Texas employers need to make sure that the spousal benefits they offer apply to all spouses. “If an employer provides benefits to anyone who is currently married, they must … Continue reading →

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Once again, drowning doesn’t look like drowning

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Time again for this public service announcement: The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the couple swimming between … Continue reading →

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On being transgender in Texas

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good story. As celebrities like Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner and actress Laverne Cox seek to bring transgender issues to the mainstream, Texas is battling against the movement toward acceptance. There is no single definition for “transgender.” Broadly, it refers … Continue reading →

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Cheating at chess

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Scandal! Gaioz Nigalidze’s rise through the ranks of professional chess began in 2007, the year the first iPhone was released. In hindsight, the timing might not be coincidental. On Saturday, Nigalidze, the 25-year-old reigning Georgian champion, was competing in the … Continue reading →

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The scourge of selfie sticks

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Presented (mostly) without comment. The Blanton Museum, in Austin, as well as the Dallas Museum of Art and the Perot Museum of Natural Science, in Dallas, all have bans on tripods and monopods that extend to selfie sticks, leaving visitors to settle for … Continue reading →

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Cleo and Nicole

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

You should read this Texas Monthly feature story on Cleopatra de Leon and Nicole Dimetman, two of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit to overturn Texas’ ban on same sex marriage. But it is children— their children—that prompted Cleo and Nicole … Continue reading →

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Oklahoma, where the same-sex weddings come sweeping down the plain

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

One of the most commonly made arguments for expanded gambling in Texas is that as long as we don’t have casinos, Texans will travel to neighboring states to spend their gambling dollars there. Well, that same argument can be made … Continue reading →

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