Monthly Archives: September 2009

Saturday video break: The autumn wind

Posted on September 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I linked to this in this week’s TPA Roundup, but it really deserves to be embedded in its own post: Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go buy some chips and beer.

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In support of a public defender’s office in Harris County

Posted on September 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Criminal Justice Coalition has sent a letter to County Judge Ed Emmett and Harris County Commissioners Court in support of establishing a public defender’s office in Harris County. You can read the letter here. The Court approved a study … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The journalists have filed their reports! Eek!

Posted on September 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You may recall that a reporter from the English language bureau of Al Jazeera was here in town a few days ago doing a report on the Harris County Jail. This caused the local GOP, especially Jared Woodfill, to wet … Continue reading →

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New light rail line begins service in Dallas

Posted on September 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I so look forward to the day when this story can be written for Houston. When the trains begin running today on the opening segment of DART’s new Green Line, the transit agency will unveil the longest expansion of light … Continue reading →

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

Friday random ten: Down we go

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As The Boss once sang, I’m going down down down down… 1. Down By The Riverside – Asylum Street Spankers 2. Down On The Corner – Creedence Clearwater Revival 3. Down On The Riverbed – Los Lobos 4. Down So … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | 2 Comments

We hate you! Now do a better job!

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Actions do have consequences, even to teabaggers. You may have heard that GOP Rep. Kevin Brady, staunch tea partier, is protesting that the taxpayer-funded D.C. Metro didn’t adequately prepare for the anti-government 9/12 rally. He’s even suggesting Metro’s failure to … Continue reading →

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EPA to tighten air quality standards

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Federal regulators signaled Wednesday that they would abandon Bush-era limits on smog pollution that scientists said didn’t go far enough to protect public health. Amid concerns that the current rules don’t adhere to the federal Clean Air Act, the … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Now you can blow your money on lottery tickets even faster

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Is it just me, or does this sound like much ado about not very much? A proposed lottery game that would allow players to become instant winners (or losers) without so much as scratching a ticket is under fire from … Continue reading →

Posted in Jackpot! | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

From the “Things could always be worse” department

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of people hate their ISPs, often for good reason. But rest assured, your ISP surely provides better throughput than this. I just wonder if they followed the standard for this test.

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Did I mention that election season is officially underway?

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Why, yes, I did. Add to the Controller email shenanigans questions about who does or doesn’t support Peter Brown, which recalls his own curious dual endorsement from 2007; allegations about who is or isn’t a Republican, and allegations about Gene … Continue reading →

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Interview with Linda Toyota

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Completing the series of HISD Trustee candidate interviews for District I, today we have a conversation with Linda Toyota. Toyota is currently the Chief Development Officer at YWCA Greater Houston, and has been the Sr. Vice President of Development at … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

CCA gives its approval to hot judge-on-prosecutor action

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know how else to characterize this latest atrocity from the biggest joke in Texas, the Court of Criminal Appeals. The question of whether a romantic relationship between a judge and prosecutor is unfair won’t be decided by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Metro should get a bigger piece of the pie

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This article is about Metro’s budget for the next year and its proposal to add a nickel to the bus and rail fares. What really interests me is this bit: Metro receives a 1-cent sales tax, but must set aside … Continue reading →

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Up, up, up…

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the direction your health insurance premiums have been going, at an ever-increasing rate. A national report that was released today says family health insurance premiums in Texas increased 91.6 percent since 2000 — 4.6 times faster than earnings. The … Continue reading →

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Leaders of the pack

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, Derek Jeter passed Lou Gehrig as the all-time hits leader for the New York Yankees, collecting his 2,722nd hit to move atop the leaderboard. In writing about this just before it happened, MLB.com gave a fascinating list of … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Farabee not running for re-election

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Democratic State Rep. David Farabee is not running for re-election to his Wichita Falls House seat. David Farabee is taking his hat out of the ring in the race for the State Representative District 69 — Wichita Falls mayor Lanham … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

All forumed out

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The three main Mayoral candidates are cutting back on the number of candidate forums they’re doing. Having logged more than 40 so far with just about every interest group or neighborhood imaginable, the campaigns of City Controller Annise Parker, City … Continue reading →

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Safe Clear reduces wrecks

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So says a study commissioned by the city. Houston’s mandatory towing program has continued to reduce crashes on the city’s freeways, according to a city-commissioned study released Monday. The study examined the effect of the Safe Clear program from 2005 … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

DMN on Willingham

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Another good overview of the Cameron Todd Willingham case and why the “science” that led to his conviction and ultimately his execution was junk. If you’ve been following the case there’s nothing really new there, but if you need to … Continue reading →

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Justice for Hispanic farmers

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I received an email about this and thought it was worth passing on. Hispanic farmers and ranchers deserve justice! Join us in calling on President Obama to end discrimination and bring transparency to USDA-administered farm programs. Sign the petition online here. … Continue reading →

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Bourdain on kids’ TV

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Anthony Bourdain gives a rundown of what’s on kids’ TV these days, mostly stuff on Noggin and Nick Jr. We are quite familiar with most of what he and his daughter watch – Olivia in particular loves “Lazytown”, somewhat to … Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas blog roundup for the week of September 14

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

With the start of the new football season, the Texas Progressive Alliance invites you to read this week’s roundup of blog highlights in the voice of John Facenda. Click on for more.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The bomb at the school, 50 years later

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. I’ve been in Houston over twenty years, and I’d never heard of this. First came the explosion, ripping through the playground with a sound like every school locker on earth slamming shut at once. Then came the carnage — … Continue reading →

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Kino Flores not running for re-election

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The March primary season just got a little more interesting. Embattled state Rep. Ismael “Kino” Flores announced Tuesday that he will not seek re-election to an eighth term in 2010. Citing recent indictments handed down against him, the legislator said … Continue reading →

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Interview with Anna Eastman

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Next up is Anna Eastman, also running for Trustee in HISD District I. Eastman is a community activist and former social worker who co-founded along with her husband the 11 ½ Street Foundation, which recognizes and provides monetary awards for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Endorsement watch: SEIU and HOPE

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Houston Organization of Public Employees (HOPE) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1 members have made their endorsements for the November elections. From the press release: Mayor – Annise Parker At Large 1 – Karen Derr At Large … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

KBH’s pathetic czar claims

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure this silly WaPo op-ed by our senior Senator, in which she makes wild yet provably false claims about the rise of government “czars”, will be making the rounds of the Texas papers this week, so we may as … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Medina officially gets into the GOP primary for Governor

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

And then there were three on the Republican side. Saying her two high-profile rivals have dropped the ball for Texas, Wharton County GOP chairwoman Debra Medina on Saturday announced her campaign for the Republican nomination for governor. “We’ve done little … Continue reading →

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Helping teen parents in schools

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting article about how HISD high schools helps the moms and moms-to-be among its students. Two points to make: Most teen moms don’t graduate high school, and national statistics show that far fewer — only 2 percent — go on … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Gattis to run for Ogden’s seat

Posted on September 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As EoW says, this is a complete non-surprise. State Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown, has just informed supporters he is running for the Texas Senate District 5 seat being vacated by Bryan GOP powerhouse Steve Ogden. Via a Twitter message, Gattis … Continue reading →

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Interview with Alma Lara

Posted on September 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Moving on to the HISD Trustee races, we start with Alma Lara, who is running for the open HISD Trustee seat in District I. Lara is retired after a 35-year career in HISD in which she was a teacher, principal … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

And the campaign season officially begins

Posted on September 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Mary Benton brings word of the first dirty trick of the campaign, a nasty email purportedly sent from a supporter of Controller candidate Ronald Green that attacks his opponents. I presume it’s a dirty trick and not a real thing, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

“Jail hell”

Posted on September 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the title of this Houston Press story about the experiences of those who have served time in the Harris County jail, as told by those who have just gotten out. The story is partly a response to the county’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Take the Washington Corridor survey

Posted on September 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

From the Public Works department: Washington Corridor Survey Dear Resident, The Quiet Zone program would like to hear your concerns regarding the proposed improvements presented at the 2nd public meeting on August 26, 2009. Improvements include: •Median work at TC … Continue reading →

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