Monthly Archives: August 2012

Friday random ten: To the moon

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

In honor of Neil Armstrong, for whom Texas Liberal has a nice roundup of obituaries, here are ten songs about the moon: 1. Fly Me To The Moon – Trinity University Jazz Band 2. Yellow Moon – Neville Brothers 3. … Continue reading →

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Challenging the interim maps

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

One of the questions that came out of Tuesday’s redistricting preclearance ruling was whether or not it would affect the interim maps for this year. Some of the intervenors have asked the San Antonio judges about that. Several key minority … Continue reading →

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Don’t forget Joaquin

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You can’t have a story about one twin and not have one about the other, am I right? When his minute-older brother gives the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, Joaquín Castro will be nearby, as he always is … Continue reading →

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Margins tax back before Supreme Court

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Yet another challenge to that unloved tax. The Texas Supreme Court [Friday] accepted a case that will decide whether the state improperly administers its business tax. Nestle USA argues that the tax violates the Texas Constitution’s requirement that taxes be … Continue reading →

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Focusing on reading

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This sounds promising. When HISD Superintendent Terry Grier took charge three years ago, he quickly latched onto a troubling statistic: roughly 70,000 of the district’s students were not reading at grade level. Students who should have learned reading basics by … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Federal court refuses to preclear Texas voter ID bill

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Another bad day in court for Texas Republicans. A federal three-judge panel on Thursday blocked the Texas voter ID law passed by the Republican Legislature, saying the new restrictions would place an unfair burden on Latinos, racial minorities and the … Continue reading →

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

Julian Castro is ready for his closeup

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your primer on the rising star, San Antonio Mayor, and DNC keynoter Julian Castro. I’ll let you take it in in all its hagiographic glory, but I’d like to highlight my favorite part, where the authors manage to find … Continue reading →

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Courting the Ron Paul voters

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. Libertarian presidential candidate and would-be spoiler Gary Johnson smoked out new campaign cash here this week. But his hopes are just a pipe dream unless he wins over Republican voters loyal to never-say-quit candidate Ron Paul. … Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The UT admissions lawsuit

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t paid much attention to the latest lawsuit over the University of Texas’ admissions standards and practices – as with school finance lawsuits, I’ve lost count of how many there have been in my lifetime – but there are … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of August 27

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is ready for the new school year as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Interview with Candace Duval

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Texas is unfortunately full of lousy Congressmen. Lamar Smith of CD21 has been on that list for over 20 years. Candace Duval is running to take him off it. Duval is an entrepreneur and realtor who once worked on the … Continue reading →

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Federal court denies preclearance on all redistricting maps

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The long-awaited ruling in the preclearance lawsuit by the DC Court

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Dewhurst says he’s running for re-election in 2014

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Peggy Fikac was first to report that David Dewhurst is not planning to fade away just yet. The last time we asked Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst what he plans to do in 2014, it was soon after he lost the … Continue reading →

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On comparing school districts

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Easier said than done. The way the state distributes money to school districts, and how much, will be center stage when a trial begins this fall involving more than half of the state’s districts serving the majority of its students, … Continue reading →

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Houston Tomorrow versus Metro

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

David Crossley: On November 6, you will be asked to vote on whether to stop expansion of light rail transit service in Houston. If you think that’s a terrible idea, you must vote No. If you do, you will be … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Draft Cecile?

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Nonsequiteuse looks ahead. I hereby kick-off (or join, because maybe others have beat me to it since I’ve been in a deep wormhole this summer) THE DRAFT CECILE RICHARDS TO RUN FOR GOVERNOR OF TEXAS MOVEMENT. She’s going to be … Continue reading →

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Perry gives another middle finger to public education

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a twofer, actually. Here’s one. Gov. Rick Perry named Michael Williams the new commissioner of the Texas Education Agency Monday. A fixture of Texas Republican politics — and a former general counsel to the Republican Party of Texas — … Continue reading →

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What would you do with 136 acres near downtown?

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Something urban, mixed-use, and transit-oriented, one hopes. A rare opportunity lies in 136 acres just east of downtown Houston. The Buffalo Bayou-front parcel, a longtime industrial and office complex, went on the market earlier this summer – a move bayou … Continue reading →

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

Interview with Max Martin

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The one new Congressional district to reach into Harris County is CD36, which stretches from Clear Lake and eastern Harris County up to Polk, Tyler, Jasper, and Newton Counties. Max Martin is the Democratic candidate running in this new district … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Response from County Clerk to Wallach testimony about recounts

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following was sent to me in email by Hector DeLeon, the Director of Communications and Voter Outreach for Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart: I read Dan Wallach’s report of the recount in your blog titled Diaz Still Leads After … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Three for E

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There will probably be more when all is said and done, but at this time there are three candidates running for District E this November. The candidates are: Lonnie Allsbrooks – Former owner of Beer Island bar in the Heights. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

More on carless commuting in Houston

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Greg adds on to my recent post about getting to work in Houston if you didn’t have a car. In the comments of this Kuff post, Robert Nagle actually beats me to the punch in answering the central question. Yes, … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Weekend link dump for August 26

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

School starts tomorrow. I swear, the older I get, the shorter summer seems to be. It’s a lot easier to find a bus stop these days. That sounds you hear is Tiffany demanding to know how she can be chosen … Continue reading →

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Oliver sues to stay on ballot

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll find out who’s right soon enough. On Friday, Houston attorney Lloyd Oliver filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the Harris County Democratic Party’s attempts to oust him from the ticket. “They’re not going to put any candidate on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

More Green woes

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe it’s the name. A 28-year-old nonprofit workforce training organization is teetering on the brink of extinction after four years under the leadership of Houston City Councilman Larry Green. Green left HoustonWorks USA in May by what he and board … Continue reading →

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The bid is in for the NCAA Champions game

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We are officially bidding on the new Champions Bowl, the 2014 replacement for the BCS Championship Bowl, for Reliant Stadium. We heard about this in July, and it makes sense that Houston was solicited for a bid and that we’d … Continue reading →

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Electric cars and the power grid

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. It doesn’t take too long for visitors of Mueller, a 700-acre master-planned community in Austin, to realize that the neighborhood is peculiar. The planned community, built on the site of the former Mueller airport, boasts almost too-perfect rows of homes with cheery … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Saturday video break: My Back Pages

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Song #55 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “My Back Pages”, originally by Bob Dylan and covered by The Byrds. For the first time in this series I can’t find a YouTube video of a song, in this … Continue reading →

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Armstrong gives up the fight against USADA

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. With stunning swiftness, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Thursday night it will strip Lance Armstrong of his unprecedented seven Tour de France titles after he dropped his fight against drug charges that threatened his legacy as one of the … Continue reading →

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Rick Perry is running for Governor again in 2014

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

He is until he specifically says he isn’t, anyway. I don’t see any reason to call what we’re seeing otherwise. Gov. Rick Perry has quietly replenished his depleted campaign war chest since he abandoned his presidential bid in January, fueling … Continue reading →

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Forget the Alamo

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

At least, forget about using it in a slogan. Even if it’s possible to get too drunk to remember the Alamo, the state agency that oversees the shrine says that’s nothing to brag about on a T-shirt or frilly undergarment. … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The number of the count shall be three

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

School starts on Monday, which will be the start of third grade for Olivia. As I did in each of the last two years, I’ve got a Friday random ten in celebration of the number 3. 1. Three More Days … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Diaz still leads after recount

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. Former Jacinto City Mayor Chris Diaz still appears to be the Democratic nominee for Harris County Precinct 2 constable following a Monday recount in his razor-thin runoff with Precinct 2 Sgt. Zerick Guinn. Diaz’s 17-vote margin is unofficial, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

City says No to some of CM Brown’s expense reports

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s always something. Councilwoman Helena Brown hired a private attorney to sit in on meetings with her publicly paid attorney, then tried to bill taxpayers for it. Records obtained by the Houston Chronicle reveal that Brown sought reimbursement for $850 … Continue reading →

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