Monthly Archives: December 2012

So how’s public education doing under the Republicans?

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Well, for starters, there’s larger class sizes. Northside’s predicament mirrors that of several other local districts with expanding enrollments. It’s part of the argument hundreds of Texas districts are making in an ongoing school finance lawsuit against the state, blaming … Continue reading →

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Yet another Planned Parenthood ruling coming today

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the last day that federal money will be sent to Texas for the Women’s Health Program – it officially gets cut off on January 1. The state tried and failed to get an injunction forcing the feds to … Continue reading →

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Compost that Christmas tree

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Let your Christmas tree do some good after you get rid of it. When that Christmas tree comes down this year, take a moment to imagine its next incarnation: Chipped up and mixed into soil, it might soon secure new … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for December 30

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know about you, but this was one of those years that I thought would never end. America’s worst bosses. All are responsible for at least one large payout of a discrimination-related lawsuit. The worst columns of 2012. I … Continue reading →

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Everybody hates the STAAR test now

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

In reading this story about the flood of legislation being filed to scale back or defer the STAAR tests, I am struck, but not surprised, by the genesis of this activity. The clamor for change may have more to do … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The payday lenders won’t go without a fight

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Where there’s a fight, there’s sure to be lots of money. Payday lenders were big spenders in the most recent Texas political campaigns – contributing more than $1.6 million to state races in the 2012 election cycle and giving most … Continue reading →

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Your one-minute real estate update

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I just have one mostly tangential thing to say about this. Houston will see a modest and steady growth in retail activity in 2013, according to Ed Wulfe’s annual retail forecast. And the following year should be much better, said … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Song #38 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Now”, originally by Neil Diamond and covered by Urge Overkill. Here’s the original: To borrow from Linus Van Pelt, of all the Neil Diamond songs … Continue reading →

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There are eight candidates who have filed for SD06

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday I made an inquiry with the Elections division of the Secretary of State’s office, to ask how many candidates had filed for the special election in SD06. They kindly forwarded me a scan of all eight candidate applications, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Dewhurst campaign aide accused of stealing contributions

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s campaign manager is under criminal scrutiny, suspected of stealing at least $600,000 — and possibly more than $1 million — from the Republican’s political accounts over the past several years. Kenneth “Buddy” Barfield, a longtime … Continue reading →

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It’s a dog eat donut world

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

What interested me the most in this story about the locally-based Shipley’s Do-Nuts is what wasn’t said. The changes are coming at a time when competition in the breakfast industry is stronger than ever. Coffee chains are offering more breakfast … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Friday random ten: Gone too soon #3

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

After a recent Coverville episode on Jimi Hendrix, who would have been 70 years old this year, I thought I’d take another trip down Gone Too Soon lane, in which I highlight musicians in my library who died at too … Continue reading →

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So who’s in for the SD06 special election?

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As noted, yesterday was the official filing deadline for the SD06 special election. I didn’t have the chance to call the Secretary of State’s office to ask what filings they had received, and as of last night I had not … Continue reading →

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Time once again to talk about expanded gambling

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a legislative session coming up, right? That can only mean one thing: A new effort to expand gambling in Texas. Track and gaming interests say voters should be allowed to decide whether to give Texas a shot at the … Continue reading →

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You can donate your jury duty pay to charity

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As you probably know if you have been called to jury service in Harris County, jurors get paid $6 for showing up, and $28 per day after the first day if they are selected to serve on a jury. What … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

CompSci in the curriculum

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

HISD Trustee Paula Harris coauthors an op-ed in the Chron advocating computer science to be part of the standard school curriculum. While STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education is a hot topic in education circles these days, only math … Continue reading →

Posted in School days, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Guest post: Gun control realities and fallacies; is there a way forward?

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Note: The following is a guest post, written by regular reader Peter in Houston. I don’t necessarily agree with everything he says, but he makes some good and provocative points, and I’m a believer in having thorough discussions of complex … Continue reading →

Posted in Other punditry | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

Metro moving forward with advertising

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This has been in the works for a long time. Depending on what Metropolitan Transit Authority officials decide regarding a new revenue plan, your light rail trip could end at the Taco Bell Station, or some similarly named stop. Officials … Continue reading →

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

Soot

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We have it. What are we going to do about it? Harris County, long known for smog, will need to clamp down on another harmful type of air pollution for the first time under new rules imposed by federal regulators … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of December 24

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday as it brings you this week’s roundup. Off the Kuff discusses where the redistricting and voter ID lawsuits stand with the Supreme Court. BossKitty at TruthHugger enjoyed a fiery … Continue reading →

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Trib overview of SD06 special election

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

For all the delays in getting this called, the special election in SD06 is one month from today. The Trib takes a look. State Rep. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, and Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat and former Harris County commissioner, are vying … Continue reading →

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When is a surplus not a surplus?

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

When any extra money you might have is already accounted for, due to unaddressed needs, accounting shenanigans, and shortsighted cuts. Some lawmakers and budget experts expect to have as much as $8 billion to $9 billion more in general revenue … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Houston Food Bank could use your help

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Times are tough, y’all. Despite a growing demand, food banks, charities and pantries face a dwindling supply of products to distribute to Houston’s hungry this holiday season. Food banks in Houston and across the country have less to give away … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Keep Houston hip

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Y’all ready for this? 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the GHCVB and the fifth anniversary of the MyHouston campaign, which according to vice president of marketing Holly Clapham, is “the most successful image campaign in Houston’s history.” As part … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Have yourself a Mel Torme Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Every year on Christmas Day, I link to my favorite Christmas story, which stars Mel Torme. Apparently, this story is so popular now that it gets ripped off a lot, which sure seems to be contrary to the Christmas spirit … Continue reading →

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Get well soon, Elf Louise

Posted on December 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

If you’ve ever lived in San Antonio, you are undoubtedly familiar with the Elf Louise Christmas Project. I’m sad to say that “Elf” Louise Locker has suffered a heart attack, but thankfully appears to be recovering nicely. The woman behind … Continue reading →

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Monday video break: Tonight’s the night

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve posted this video before, and here it is again: I’m nowhere close to being tired of this, so look for it again next year. Happy Christmas Eve!

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City wins access to firefighter pension information

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox, late Friday afternoon. Mayor Annise Parker today announced Judge William Burke of the 189th District Court of Harris County has mandated the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund (HFRRF) Board to provide and disclose information requested by … Continue reading →

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Houston’s BikeScore

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Some parts of Houston are very bike friendly. Others, not so much. Houston ranks in the middle of the road when it comes to overall bike friendliness, but some local neighborhoods are cycling nirvanas, according to BikeScore.com. The company, which … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for December 23

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

“Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012. This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

State fails to get injunction against terminating Womens Health Program funds

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, last year the Lege passed a law that forbade Planned Parenthood from participating in the Women’s Health Program on the grounds that PP does abortions even though none of the PP clinics that participate in the Women’s … Continue reading →

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Three things in life are certain

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Death, taxes, and Bruce Hotze filing a lawsuit every time he loses an election. A local anti-tax activist filed a lawsuit Thursday to block the city of Houston from borrowing $410 million to add, expand and repair parks, libraries, police … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Reliant gets its new scoreboard

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As expected, and in time for the next push to get a Super Bowl in Houston. The state-of-the-art digital scoreboards will be manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric’s Diamond Vision Systems Division and installed for the 2013 season in place of the … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: The Charlie Brown School of Dance

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Just watch: Admit it, you always wondered what those dances were called.

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