[...]
edited by: Ted McLaughlin,
Texas Editor
Monday morning District 1 Councilwoman Linda DeLeon announced that she will not seek reelection (A-J story, KCBD story).
Linda is a fantastic organizer and leader, and I’m sad to see her leave the council. But, she’s right: 24 years of public service is a long time, and the next [...]
Poster at the recent Rick Perry for Governor Rally featuring Sarah Palin:
Image from HoustonPress.com.
Filed under: Education, Homeschooling, Humor, Politics Tagged: Education, Homeschooling, Humor, Politics, Rick Perry, Sarah Paline [...] 
Growing up, I used to play over and over the scene from Spike Lee’s DO THE RIGHT THING in which Radio Rayhem bumps into Mookie on the street. When Mookie spots the gold LOVE and HATE knuckle plates Radio Rayhem wears, Rayhem takes the opportunity to expound to Mookie on [...]
Ordinarily, I defend a person's right to run for office, no matter what. The nutjobs are usually nutty enough that they run for high-profile offices—Mayor, Governor, Senator, President—where you would expect candidates to have at least a little bit of name recognition. It makes the nutters easier to spot. The [...]
Claim: While touting his fiscal record as mayor, Bill White said, “I left the city of Houston with cash balances over twice what I inherited.”
True or false? False. We asked White’s campaign for proof of his claim. They sent us a page from the Fiscal Year 2010 budget that showed [...]
Claim: In explaining why he doesn’t support requiring citizens to show photo identification before voting, Farouk Shami said, “When we go to vote, they ask us for driver’s license and verify that you are a voter and a citizen in the state of Texas, so I support what we have [...]
Claim: Bill White said, “In 1999, utility rates in Texas were lower than the average in the rest of the nation. Now our residential utility rates are higher than they are in the rest of the nation including neighboring states like Oklahoma or Louisiana.”
True or false? Mostly True. Texas did [...]
Claim: Farouk Shami said Houston is the nation’s third most toxic city.
True or false? True. A November report by Forbes magazine rated Houston the third most toxic major city in the country based on data provided by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Atlanta was rated the worst followed by Detroit.
-Aman Batheja
[...]Claim: Bill White said Texas is ranked 49th among states in terms of percentage of adults who have a high school diploma.
True or false? True. According to the 2010 Texas Fact Book put out by the state’s Legislative Budget Board, 79.1 percent of the Texas population were high school graduates [...]
Claim: Farouk Shami said Houston lost 43,000 jobs while Bill White was mayor.
True or false? False.
Shami was citing the change in the number of unemployed people in Harris County while White was Mayor of Houston, according to the Texas Workforce Commission web site.
Between January 2004 and December 2009, the [...]
The LEC hosted a Superbowl party yesterday. The Times is reporting that 400 people showed up, but judging from last year's event, I think they're overestimating it. Check out the video from last year.
…why negotiating with the Republicans isn’t working, here’s a clue: they are nucking futs. [...] Last month, the Texas Debates sponsored a debate among the three major Republican candidates for governor. Tonight, organizers held a debate between the two major Democratic candidates, businessman Farouk Shami and former Houston mayor Bill White.
There was one question and a follow-up about their positions on the death penalty [...]
Gas drilling in the Barnett Shale became a focal point of the Democratic gubernatorial debate Monday night.
Houston haircare executive Farouk Shami called for a moratorium on drilling until benzene emissions can be better managed. Former Houston Mayor Bill White said he would rather test sites and punish the polluters.
State Sen. Wendy [...]
Scott Brown has nothing on Bristol Palin’s babydaddy.
Or… How to stay warm during those long, cold Alaskan nights.
Voters are madder than ever at the current policies of the federal government.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 75% of likely voters now say they are at least somewhat angry at the government’s current policies, up four points from [...]
Most leaders serious about fixing a collapsing power [...]
Well color me surprised! Meghan McCain, the daughter of Senator John McCain called the Teabagger movement "innate racism" something that goes without saying. Also going without saying, but she said it anyway, is that the teabaggers are scaring away the youth.A year ago, Barack Obama's true believers were euphoric. The huge and jubilant gathering in Chicago's Grant Park on election night 2008 gave way to almost 2 million people on the Mall for the president's inauguration.
He took office as the most popular [...]
A "libertarian Rocky Mountain western-type of Republican" City"The country took a well-deserved time-out last night from bleak news about jobs, deficits, health care, Iran and the like. Even if you were pulling for Peyton Manning and the Colts, you had to agree that the epic upset victory by the New Orleans Saints was the best feel-good moment [...]
China has closed what it claims to be the largest hacker training website in the country and arrested three of its members, domestic media reported today.
The "Black Hawk Safety Net" website taught hacking techniques and provided malicious software downloads for its 12,000 members [...]
Ahmad Vahidi, the Iranian defence minister, opened two production lines for the manufacture of the aircraft, the Fars news agency reported.
The drones would be able to carry out "surveillance, detection and even assaults with high precision", the report said.
...
I hope you guys are watching this -- you're not going to get to see another one.
The two presumptive frontrunners for the Democratic spot in this year's governor race, Farouk Shami and former Houston mayor Bill White, are debating in Fort Worth tonight. The debate is hosted by KERA, the [...]
From Eric Dondero:FORT WORTH -- And they're off.
At the stroke of 7 p.m., two Houston businessmen -- former Mayor Bill White and hair-care millionaire Farouk Shami -- start the one and only Democratic gubernatorial debate of 2010.
It's being filmed live at the [...]
The video feed comes alive for a few seconds -- Farouk Shami and Bill White are standing at wooden podiums, practicing their smiles. An assistant touches up Shami's makeup.
"Farouk just did White's hair" someone jokes.
The feed goes dead.
[...]FORT WORTH -- It's a little cramped in the media room for the debate. They've crowded more than 25 people -- and their laptops, recorders, cell phones and, in some cases, cameras -- into a rather small room.
Then every once in a while, people with TV or still cameras come in [...]
The Star-Telegram's Davey Joe Montgomery gets a round of applause as he walks into the press room. Davey Joe is one of the moderators for the debate, and a former Moscow correspondent for Knight Ridder newspapers, the Star-Telegram's parent company.
Before his victory lap, a couple of reporters could be heard [...]
FORT WORTH -- Both Democratic gubernatorial candidates have said they'll talk to the media after tonight's 7 p.m. debate.
After the two previous GOP debates, neither Gov. Rick Perry nor U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison talked to the press, but relative political newcomer Debra Medina did.
Tonight, both former Houston Mayor Bill [...]
Farouk Shami's media assistant works the press room.
The debate will give voters a chance to meet Shami, he explains.
"Did the campaign buy that suit?" someone asks.
[...]
Adam Lowther is the latest of a number of analysts to make just that claim. 
My favorite 
For a certain sexy librarian friend:
Wahhh...I wish I looked like Marion Cotillard!
discuss amongst yourselves
Yikes. Should've done more schooling in your home.
