Monthly Archives: April 2011

Can we take a step forward without also taking one back?

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From last week’s Texas Tribune on the subject of plastic bag recycling. On Tuesday the Senate’s Committee on Natural Resources heard testimony on a bill sponsored by the committee’s chairman, state Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, that would require large … Continue reading →

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It’s not just about cutting public education funding

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Abby Rapoport explains one of the potential long term consequences of the violence that’s being done to public education funding this session. For over 60 years, Texas has treated education differently than the rest of the budget. In funding most … Continue reading →

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The quest for a dollar coin that people will use continues

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Now with extra special deficit reduction capabilities! Americans are a tight-fisted people when it comes to their dollars. So in order to replace the paper currency with dollar coins — a long-advocated move that could save the government an estimated … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for April 3

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Play ball! What exactly is a tablet computer good for? Despite what some crazy bigots might say, the First Amendment is for all of us. Americans like Daylight Savings Time. As well they should. Apparently, life doesn’t “begin at conception” … Continue reading →

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San Antonio bike share

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I love the idea of B-Cycle, San Antonio’s new bike sharing program, I’m just not sure how well it will work. “I think it will encourage faster infrastructure for bike lanes and all the things we need because suddenly it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Tough times for libraries

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And there’s no end in sight. Already squeezed by curtailed hours and reduced staff, Houston Public Library officials today will pull the budget belt a notch tighter, telling City Hall how they plan to cope with an expected budget cut … Continue reading →

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

Raising cigarette taxes

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Is any kind of tax increase possible for this legislative session? The House appropriations bill, scheduled for debate this weekend, would cut out the $10 million-a-year anti-smoking campaign, which remains a legacy of the state’s 1998 tobacco settlement. To save … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Select all robots

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

All movies should be like this: Plot? Dialog? Those pesky laws of physics, not to mention logic? Pshaw. Who needs them when you have that much awesomeness? Via Gizmodo.

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Budget debate resumes tomorrow

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Postcards: The Texas House [has called] it a night. They finished up the section of the budget bill that deals with public and higher education around 12:40 a.m. then adjourned until Sunday. Some members were planning to attend a Saturday … Continue reading →

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Senate restores some funds to Health and Human Services

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Still not clear how they’re paying for any of it yet. The Senate Finance Committee voted Thursday to restore a less-than-expected $4.3 billion in health spending in 2012-13 but promised to try to find more money in the coming weeks. … Continue reading →

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Sundance Cinema to replace Angelika

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Downtown is once again safe for arthouse movies. From the Mayor’s office: Mayor Annise Parker and David Cordish, Chairman of the Cordish Companies, have announced that Robert Redford’s Sundance Cinema will open in Bayou Place in the heart of Houston’s … Continue reading →

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

House eyewitness ID bill passes

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another step forward. The Texas House, aiming to reduce the number of wrongful convictions, approved legislation Wednesday that would require law enforcement agencies to begin standardizing the way eyewitnesses identify criminal suspects. The unanimously approved bill would require police to … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hanover at Rice Village

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Swamplot: In 2007, Houston’s city council sold a block of Bolsover St. in the Rice Village to the developers of Randall Davis’s Sonomaproject so that it could be used as a private drive and restaurant plaza linking two phases of the development. Davis and … Continue reading →

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What’s happening in the House

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The House will be debating the budget well into the night, and very likely into tomorrow, if not Sunday. If you want an in-depth analysis of what’s being discussed and what the effect of each line item will be, you … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The 1960s

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The 60s. From Mad Men to the summer of love. And music, lots of music. 1. Shop Around – Smokey Robinson and The Miracles (1960) 2. Ruben James – Kingston Trio (1961) 3. She Thinks I Still Care – George … Continue reading →

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A little budgeters remorse?

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just a little. Not much. As a vote looms on a bare-bones budget that would slash education and threaten nursing homes with closure, House GOP leaders softened their rhetoric on Tuesday to emphasize that it is a starting point and … Continue reading →

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Locke and Lanier endorse Parker

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

More support for Mayor Parker’s re-election bid. Mayor Annise Parker on Wednesday scored the endorsements of her 2009 opponent Gene Locke and former Mayor Bob Lanier, two of Houston’s most prominent power brokers, as she prepares to ask voters for … Continue reading →

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House ponders what to do about Amazon

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

My guess is that they ultimately won’t do anything this session, but it’s good to see the matter discussed by the Ways and Means Committee. If nothing else, it may lay the groundwork for a future session. House Bill 1317 … Continue reading →

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It’s Bradleys all the way down

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Me, March 15, on the subject of SBOE Chair Gail Lowe’s confirmation issues in the Senate: I feel the same way about this as I did with Don McLeroy’s ultimately scuttled confirmation back in 2009. I have nothing good to … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments