Tag Archives: New York

Global investors against SB6

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Led by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer and Trillium Asset Management, a group of some of the largest investors in the world, with a combined $11 trillion of assets under management, today spoke out against … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Global investors against SB6

From the “You can dish it out but you sure can’t take it” files

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Poor baby. After years of Texas trying to lure businesses away from other states, New York has struck back — with an ad that paints the Lone Star State as unwelcoming and discriminatory to the LGBT community. The two-minute ad … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Florida-Trump U plot thickens

Posted on June 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Florida’s attorney general personally solicited a political contribution from Donald Trump around the same time her office deliberated joining an investigation of alleged fraud at Trump University and its affiliates The new disclosure from Attorney General Pam Bondi’s spokesman … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Florida-Trump U plot thickens

Yeah, we’re still talking about the Austin rideshare referendum

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The tech community was as divided as everyone else. Joshua Baer, founder of Capital Factory, the downtown technology incubator, has been a critic of the proposed regulations. He said he believes the vote sent signals that Austin is hostile to … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Yeah, we’re still talking about the Austin rideshare referendum

Reimagining public transportation is hard work

Posted on April 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. Four years ago, Helsinki launched an innovative bus service as part of a long-term plan to make cars irrelevant. It was called Kutsuplus—Finnish for “call plus.” And it was one of the world’s first attempts to … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Reimagining public transportation is hard work

Some Latino political power trends

Posted on January 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Latino electorate keeps on growing. The Latino electorate is bigger and better-educated than ever before, according to a new report by Pew Research Center. It’s also young. Adults age 18-35 make up nearly half of the record 27.3 million … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The wedding industry is rubbing its hands with glee

Posted on July 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing like having your market dramatically expanded overnight. Within hours after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in Texas and across the country, local wedding businesses and venues already began getting orders and bookings from same-sex couples. Those in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The wedding industry is rubbing its hands with glee

Ted Cruz still really dislikes gay people

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Though he’s happy to take their money if they’re foolish enough to offer it to him. Nobody tell the adoring fans at U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential announcement at Liberty University that he was palling around liberal New York City … Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Ted Cruz still really dislikes gay people

How does a 25 MPH speed limit for downtown Houston grab you?

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Christopher Andrews makes the case in Gray Matters: Does anyone know the speed limit in downtown Houston? Probably not. Casual observation shows speeds there normally range anywhere from gridlock to Gran Prix. I don’t believe there are any speed-limit signs. … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How does a 25 MPH speed limit for downtown Houston grab you?

Speed limits and pedestrian fatalities

Posted on December 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a topic that won’t be the least bit controversial, I’m sure. The New York City Vision Zero goal is simple and precise: to end traffic deaths and injuries on city streets. This is not a mere sound bite in … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Speed limits and pedestrian fatalities

Promote equality, promote the economy

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a simple enough formula. When the courts finally declare Texas’ ban on same-sex marriage illegal, which most people think they will, it could mean a boost for the wedding and hospitality industry as 23,200 couples tie the knot, according … Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Promote equality, promote the economy

Just a reminder that “more gambling” does not necessarily mean “more revenue”

Posted on August 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

If Atlantic City can go bust… The winning streak has run cold for Atlantic City, N.J. Earlier this week, the upscale Revel Casino Hotel announced it will close, bringing the total number of casinos in the city expected to close … Continue reading →

Posted in Jackpot! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Just a reminder that “more gambling” does not necessarily mean “more revenue”

First wage theft complaints filed in Houston

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I hope these workers get the justice they seek. For three years Erik Lopez and his three brothers say they each often worked 80-hour weeks, building highway ramps and trash landfills for city projects. Yet they say their employer refused … Continue reading →

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

Uber uber alles

Posted on April 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. Uber rolled out a new service in Manhattan [last] Tuesday that foreshadows the five-year-old company’s plans to become much more than a platform for e-hailing taxi and town car rides. Now, with UberRUSH, the company is piloting a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Uber uber alles

So where are the jobs he’s been trying to poach?

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There’s an obvious question to ask about this story, but I don’t see it being asked. After a couple of high profile job-poaching trips to California and Illinois, Gov. Rick Perry is planning a new raid — this time on … Continue reading →

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

A personal view of judicial elections

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve mentioned in this space before that my father Charles A. Kuffner, Jr. was a Supreme Court justice in New York. (Note: The Supreme Court in New York is basically the equivalent of a District Court in Texas. The top … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The case against the food trucks

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Reggie Coachman, president of the Greater Houston Restaurant Association, tries to make a case against giving food trucks freer rein downtown. Currently there are more than 939 active mobile units permitted in the city of Houston, including 774 trucks and … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

No Medicaid expansion for you!

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

So much for that. Texas will not expand Medicaid or establish a health insurance exchange, two major tenets of the federal health reform that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld last month, Gov. Rick Perry said in an early morning announcement. … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Stimulate the economy with marriage equality

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

​If New York can do it… New York City made quite a bit of money on gay marriage — 200,000 bucks, in fact. Cash flow into the city’s marriage bureau shot up since August, when same-sex nups got enacted, according … Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Stimulate the economy with marriage equality

Casinos expanding nationally

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I have no idea what the political or budgetary climate will be like for the gambling industry here in Texas when the Lege next convenes in 2013, but they have been gaining a lot of ground elsewhere in the country. … Continue reading →

Posted in Jackpot! | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Casinos expanding nationally

A step forward for online gambling

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. The Justice Department has reversed its long-held opposition to many forms of Internet gambling, removing a big legal obstacle for states that want to sanction online gambling to help fix their budget deficits. The legal opinion, issued by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Jackpot! | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on A step forward for online gambling

Bike sharing comes to New York

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You’d have thought – or at least, I’d have thought – that New York City would have been a very early adopter of bike sharing. Turns out they’re just getting started now. At a press conference [last Wednesday] afternoon, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Bike sharing comes to New York

States looking at online gambling

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Until the economy returns to the point where states aren’t completely strapped for revenue, I expect them to look at all possible sources of new money. It’s an idea gaining currency around the country: virtual gambling as part of the … Continue reading →

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

Hey, Houston! Steal this idea!

Posted on February 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Something like this needs to happen here in Houston. The BigApps competition, in which [New York City] made its data available to developers so they could make apps out of them that would be helpful to citizens, and offered prizes … Continue reading →

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

If we’re looking for revenue to help deal with that budget gap…

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We could always follow the lead of many other states and adopt our own climate plan. Already, ten states in the Northeast have put their electric utilities under a cap-and-trade system known as RGGI. Eleven Western states and Canadian provinces … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Uncle Dan wins re-election

Posted on November 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

For some more pleasant election-related news, I’m happy to note that my uncle Dan Kuffner was re-elected to the Dutchess County (New York) Legislature. In District 7, Legislator Dan Kuffner, D-Hyde Park, beat Republican Yancy McArthur. […] On Nov. 3, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Friday random ten: It’s a helluva town

Posted on September 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t really have anything new or original to say about this anniversary of 9/11. What I published back in 2002 is as meaningful as anything I could say today. What I can do is give you some music in … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Good times and bad for museums

Posted on March 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Nice to hear that a couple of local museums are thriving in these hard times. Sadly, they’re very much the exception. On the heels of the March 14 opening of a seven-gallery addition to its Hermann Park-area building, the [Children’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Good times and bad for museums

Houston Have Your Say 2.0

Posted on January 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So last year I got to serve as an on-the-spot blogger for KUHF’s production of Houston Have Your Say, which was about immigration. I blogged some of it at Kuff’s World and some of it at a blog that was … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Houston Have Your Say 2.0