News Round-up(10/2/2024)

 Wars and rumors of wars.......

Saying the quiet part out loud. - It's never been about stopping climate change. It's always been about a redistribution of income from wealthy nations to NGOs and other quasi-governmental firms who will then tell the poor what to do.

That's quite the increase. When you  have elected leaders who truly believe that property ownership is theft from the government then you get results such as these.  If you don't already have a plan for an exit strategy out of Harris County you should start planning one.

As a matter of fact, a Texas exit strategy might not be a bad idea. The problem, and their are many, with Texas Democrats right now is that they have been out of power for so long that they are angry, and are going to overreach and are going to make life miserable.  The best thing for Texas right now would be some balance. I do not think we're going to get that, and I think the reversal is going to be stunning. Mostly because of a lack of adults in any room in government.

The biggest news story people are not paying enough attention to. This could be a big deal. In large part because the head of the union appears to be a low-functioning idiot who cannot even remember his 3 main talking points without having people remind him of what they are. I don't begrudge them their pay requests, but fighting against technological upgrades is akin to an old man hollering at the clouds. For this to get resolved the union is going to have to appoint a leader who can speak into a microphone without spitting on the first three rows.

Did you watch the VP debate last night? I did not. Nor did I watch either of the two Presidential debates. Kamala is a tool, Trump is a narcissist. No matter who wins, America loses.

BadScience People can say whatever they want to say when there are no repercussions. 

Will the last business to leave California please turn off the lights? The problem with government by boogeyman is that you, eventually, will run out of boogeymen to blame all of your problems on.  Eventually the people will look to you as the culprit.  Of course, by then they're probably too poor and there are no jobs left to matter anyway.

I really hope that this is the last we hear of Anna Delvey

RIP Dikembe Mutombo One of the great Basketall big men and ambassador's of all time.  And one helluva commercial star.

RIP Pete Rose. One of the most controversial baseball figures of all time. Both one of the greatest hitters and, apparently, one of the worst betters to ever grace the game.  In an age where games are sponsored by FanDuel and DraftKings it's time to relent and put the man in the Hall of Fame. at this point the hypocrisy is through the roof.

And finally...

One of the reason's we continue argue about climate change is that the arguments of the climate warriors are based on lies and logical fallacies. No one involved in carbon capture is suggesting that it is a silver bullet that will 100% solve the problem, yet that is what the climate warriors are attesting. 

In fact, the world HAS made some progress on carbon reduction and, China, India and some other nations notwithstanding, the Western World has taken steps to reduce their carbon omissions. But the climate warriors want stupid goals like "zero carbon now" and "just stop oil" which would plunge the world into economic chaos, kill Billions, and knock us directly back to the dark ages. Perhaps they do want a return to the days with the Catholic Church was the font of all knowledge and truth?  Of course, this time around it would not be the Church, it would be the United Nations.

Think about how scary that thought is.

2022: New Year, New Plan, New Strategy, Different Results?

I'm typing this post out on the last evening of "Dry January", having decided to partake in the relatively new 'tradition' of taking January off from drink.  I'm not going to lie, it felt good sleeping well at night, having greater mental acuity and a host of other benefits that total sobriety affords one.

That said, I'm ready for a nice, cold beer.

It was particularly tough during playoff football. Not because I "had to have a drink" but because I "like" to have a drink or three when watching football, when grilling or smoking tasty meat in the back yard, because football and a beer go hand in hand.

Not that I'm going to run out tomorrow and buy a six-pack and down it, I'll probably remain off the sauce until the weekend.  But Saturday I'll likely be out on the smoker with some type of protein slow cooking, and a beer in hand.

As you know, in 2020 I decided that the whole "Vlogging" thing was not for me. I have neither the desire to walk around filming everything I do any more than I have a desire to spend hours editing and putting special effects on videos. I can write a blog, easy, but recording, editing and uploading a video takes time and effort that I'm just not willing to put in.

That said, I do enjoy talking about gambling, food, drink and travel so I will still incorporate video at some level, but it might be stored on YouTube and linked to this blog. I'm still working out the details within my own mind.

On a casino front, we're going to kick off 2022 with a bang.

Feb 10 -12: L'aberge Lake Charles

March 9-14: Las Vegas

May 9-12: River Spirit, Tulsa OK.

Gaming structure will be about the same. A ton of video poker and  quite a few slots, with some Blackjack thrown in for good measure, and a heap-ton of sports betting. Given the expanded options in Louisiana now more quick trips across the border might be in the works to take advantage of the many betting apps over there. Sorry Texas, you suck.

So, get ready to see my mug some, to hopefully read my words more, and *crosses fingers* to see some big wins this year. 2019 was a toss, 2020 started off strong and tapered off, so I'm hoping for a big comeback in 2021. Starting a couple of weeks out in Louisiana.

Until then......Eat well, Drink Top Shelf, and pull Premium Hands.

Suffering: The Definition of Sports Insanity.

As a sports fan, endless suffering is often viewed as some weird rite of passage that all most go through prior to experiencing any joy.

"Abandon hope, all who enter here"

But, does it have to be this way?  Is it necessary to have your heart ripped out and shown to you on several occasions before your team finally climbs the mountain to a championship? Does there NEED to be so much pain and sorrow to make a win enjoyable?

The Vegas Golden Knights would say no.  And so would I.

Don't get me wrong.  Suffering can make for some great stories.  The Boston Red Sox, the Chicago Cubs, the cities of Cleveland and Buffalo.  After long periods of drought making it to the championship oasis can seem like the commutation of sports death. There's a certain catharsis that comes from being in the doldrums and then finding your way out of the desert of loss.

But, in many ways, continuing to spend money in support of shoddy franchises is more of a cop-out than it is a virtue. You support your teams despite the fact that they give you no reason to do so. That they have a stingy ownership group, or incompetent leadership. You support these teams because (the worst of all reasons) they're "from where you're from".

Don't mistake this, I'm not suggesting hopping around from team to team looking for a winner every year. Bandwagoning in other words.  The New England Patriots have a lock on those fans. People in cities such as Houston proudly sporting Patriots jerseys with "Brady" on the back not knowing who in the world Steve Grogan even is, or that he played for the team.

In Houston we have three top-league sports franchises, the Astros, the Rockets and the Texans.

The Astros are defending World Series Champions and have started off the current season pretty well. The Rockets are in the Western Conference Finals in the NBA (although it does appear that they won't be able to beat the Golden State Warriors).  The Texans are coming off a 4-12 season, have never made it past the 2nd round of the playoffs and are, by all accounts, the worst-ran franchise in the city.  Guess which team has the biggest fan support?

This for a team that's played 16 seasons and only had a winning record in six of them. A team that has an owner with no apparent desire to win, who is content consistently selling out NRG Stadium, pocketing his money and saying the occasional stupid thing.  A team that gives fans no compelling reason to root for them outside of "Well, they're the local team".

Or consider the Cleveland Browns. A revived franchise for 19 seasons now who only have two winning seasons during that time, a woeful ownership group, horrible front office and absolutely no reason to make you believe that they're going to turn it around Draft Day style.

Then you have the Vegas Golden Knights. An expansion team that was brilliantly put together by a smart GM hired by an owner who let him select the right coach, and put the right players around him. All they've done is reach the Stanley Cup Final in their first year.

Which of these three teams then is 'worthy' of support?  I would argue it's the team that's doing whatever it can to win, not the teams that are happy being moribund with strong fan support.

The fact is continuing to financially support a bad team expecting differing results is the very definition of sports insanity.  Suggesting that suffering is a prerequisite to winning is just a salve to your supporting a sub-par team.

Yes, you should remain a fan.

No, you should not reward them with your money.

No, you should not try and belittle the fans of the teams that are doing well.

At it's heart this anger toward Vegas and their fans is really just guilt reflected outward. You KNOW in your heart of hearts that the current path your team is on is crap but you won't accept it. It's much easier to point the finger at teams that are doing well and moan about "preferential treatment" or "rigged draft rules" ignoring the fact that many teams did stupid things to allow the Golden Knights to build the team they have (Hi Florida!).

So no. You don't have to suffer to enjoy a win. The fact that we've been conditioned to believe that we do is the lifeblood of bad franchises across the country. Bad owners rely on fans being blindly loyal, to not questioning, to having a local media who are going to do their level best to carry the water for failure.  If you question this the response is "well you just don't know".

Yes, you do know. The results are right in front of you. Records don't lie.

I'm not suggesting that all of you run out and support the Golden Knights or jump on board the Patriots train. You should continue to root for your team, through thick and thin. But that doesn't mean that you have to continue to blindly throw money at them either. Or spend much of a sports day watching them get drilled again by some wide margin, or buying into the excuses for failure.

It also doesn't mean that you should punish the fans of a team who gets it right.

That's just not a good look y'all.  Stop it.

Demand more from your teams before you support them with you time and money.  Absent a promotion/relegation system it's the only thing that will grab the attention of owners.

Bad travel blogging abounds. (Vegas Travel Edition)

So much bad travel blogging so little time.

Have you seen this?

Vegas Noob? 20 Things you must know before arriving. Getfreeflights.com

There are a lot of hotels in Las Vegas and choosing the right one can be difficult.
The way I see it, you have 3 options:
Pick the cheapest one (trust me, you don’t want to do this)
Comb through travel forums and take advice from total strangers
Check out Bryce’s color-coded map below this list

"The list" (go read the whole post) is a rather simplistic attempt to categorize Vegas hotels based on location.  The short version of this is "only stay in the middle of the strip when you come to Vegas".  That's fair advice, but not exactly relevant nor does it really establish the many reasons one might choose to stay in any of the many Vegas casinos.

But Vegas information, especially from bloggers, is always bad.  Always. Either they assume that you want from Vegas the same things that they do or they try and guess what you want to get out of the trip and are 100% wrong.  Unlike political bloggers (and most points/miles bloggers) I don't think they do this because of kick-backs (in most cases) I just don't think that the Vegas "insider" really understands why people come to Vegas in the first place.

It's all about having fun.  Most people don't come to Vegas specifically to gamble, but most end up doing so when they get there.  As a matter of fact, a recent survey revealed that only 4% of first time Vegas visitors come to the town specifically to gamble but, once there, over 70% end up wagering. A lot of visitors see shows, and a lot of people go to nightclubs. Oh, and you're probably shopping and just sightseeing as well when you're in town.

The dirty secret about Vegas is that, honestly, as long as you're either staying on The Strip or near Freemont Street, where you stay is merely a matter of price preference, because you can get anywhere fairly cheaply and easily using either cabs, public transportation or walking.

That said there are pros and cons to almost every hotel in Vegas, depending on what you're looking for. To try and say that there are "zones" to shoot for or avoid is really nonsensical.  Take Circus Circus as an example.  It's an older property in zone 3, which according to the "chart" you should always avoid.  However, I'm willing to bet, if you have children, this casino should be on the top of your list. The primary reason for this is The Adventuredome and the live circus acts and Midway which kids love. Then you have Excalibur which has the Fun Dungeon which kids also love. So, if you travel with the kiddies both of these hotels should be on the top of your list not "zone 3" places to avoid.

If you're a sports bettor you might consider staying at the Westgate which houses the SuperBook. If you follow the guidance to "never stay in a hotel off the strip" you'll be some distance from Las Vegas' premier sports book.

Advice of this type is becoming more and more prevalent among travel bloggers. There are, to be truthful, a lot of kick-backs that these folks receive which leads them to make odd recommendations most of the time.  This blog, unfortunately, is too small too receive anything like that so I hope that I'm always offering the best advice possible, in a fair and even-handed manner.  Even IF I had the readership to pull in endorsement money I'd like to think that I wouldn't.  For one, I have a day job that pays well and secondly, I find the endless "click my affiliate links" posts that most points/mileage bloggers are writing now to be incredibly boring.  One guy even blogged about applying for a credit card which allowed him to provide 21 separate affiliate links within one post. The saddest part about that is I'm not even sure it's a record.

There was a time that miles/points bloggers made sense, offered good travel information and did a pretty good job keeping up with the various loyalty programs. This was before they became thought leaders (no really) and compensated pitchmen for the affiliate credit-card industry. In fact, even when they were blogging about aspirational awards they STILL had SOME value. The problem now is that when they're slaves to content. So you get a ton of affiliate links and pictures of lounges, selfies in airplane restrooms (which are as creepy as they sound) and tons and tons of carping about mileage devaluations.

Over the weekend, for some odd reason, I did a lot of travel/miles/points blog reading. My takeaway from this was that, for many of the reasons noted above, the industry as a whole is almost dead. I'm not sure what the fix is, and I'm almost certain that this little blog isn't going to stem the tide. I just hope I don't ever contribute to the downfall. (of course, some might say that I already am)

$5,833 per job

That's the rate of investment, by the State of Texas, for each of the 3600 jobs that will be created by Apple.

Apple to create 3,600 jobs in Austin, Statesman Business Blog, Austin American-Statesman

Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced Friday that Apple will expand its operations in Austin with a $304 million investment in a new campus that will create 3,600 new jobs.

<...>

In exchange for Apple’s commitment, the State of Texas has offered Apple $21 million over 10 years through the Texas Enterprise Fund.

Granted, it's a better deal than the deal Houston made with NBC recently, it's still a bad deal for Taxpayers. Job incentive subsidies need to go. The key is to create a business friendly structure all around, and then let the market grow organically.

I'm never going to be a fan of tax breaks or pay-offs to lure companies. It's an inefficient mechanism that attempts to hide market flaws. I don't care if it's a Republican, or Democratic, plan.

Here's a project for you economics students

In an editorial Wednesday the Apple Dumpling Gang waxed poetic regarding the benefits of rear-view cameras on vehicles....

Rear-view cameras save money and lives, The Apple Dumpling Gang, ChronBlog

Our latest favorite feature? Rear-view cameras. These handy devices are proving so effective that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is considering a rule that would require the cameras in new cars.

Every year, about 228 people die and about 17,000 are injured in back-over accidents, and 44 percent of those deaths are children under 5. We like the idea that something as straightforward as car cameras can save lives. Of course, they're not free.

In keeping with the Gang's M.O. they offer up this nugget a little later:

The price is high because it would affect so many future cars. The cost per car doesn't sound as startling, adding an additional $58 to $203 per vehicle, depending on whether it already has some sort of screen. And as the technology advances, that cost should drop.

What the Gang doesn't say is that this is the latest of many "features" that they've advocated for vehicles that will just add a "small cost" to each individual car. I wouldn't be surprised if, since the current make-up of the Gang was established, they've advocated for features that would make up an increase in car prices in the 4-5 thousand range.

So, here's the assignment for some aspiring economist who wants to see the effect of Place Called Perfect economics. Round up all of the Apple Dumpling Gang's "things we'd like to see mandated for every car" and then add up the estimated increase in the price per vehicle.

When you're finished with that, take an entry-level car (say the Chevy Sonic) and see what the price would be with all of the Gang's doo-dads added on.

Then ask yourself: Would these "additions" price a large part of the population out of the car market?

And who would find this most desirable?

You can thank me for the A you'll receive later.

City of Houston has more to spend....

....which means that we'll see an increase in boondoggles right?

City finances get a boost from HCAD projection, Chris Moran, ChronBlog

The city of Houston may have $21 million more in income in the coming fiscal year than it had planned on before Wednesday. That’s when it got the news that the Harris County Appraisal District projects that taxable values in the city — and by extension, the amount of taxes it collects on that property — will rise 4.54 percent in 2012.

The article goes on to say that sales tax revenues were up 10-11% in the first half of Fiscal Year 2012, meaning another $26 Million that the City will have to play with for this year.

While I'm not opposed to the City receiving more money, I am concerned with the manner in which they will spend it. The last few days have revealed some stunning spending priorities by the Parker administration, given the current economic climate. If things start getting better (and I hope they do) who knows where Mayor Parker is going to want to direct those funds?

Given the problems the City is facing with the pension fund, police and firefighter staffing, infrastructure et al. you would like to think the money would be directed there. Given Houston's recent history however I expect it to go toward a "world class" Ugandan language and cultural center designed to bring an expected wave of Ugandan immigrants into Houston culture or some nonsense like that. After all, we do know Herroner likes the Internets, and I'm sure she's seen the Kofy video by now....

Because we say so.....

That seems to be the evidence used by Nancy Sarnoff of Chron.com to speculate that Downtown Houston is on the verge of a building boom.....

(New Downtown Tower Could Take Shape, Nancy Sarnoff, Chron.com)

A new skyscraper in downtown Houston could be announced this year, a sign of strength in the local property market, real estate executives said Thursday.

"I think that every developer has a new building in their drawer ready to pull out as soon as the market's ready," Laura Van Ness, director of business development for Central Houston, said during a panel discussion on the future of downtown. The event was held by the Houston chapter of CoreNet Global, a corporate real estate association.

So you have an unelected bureaucrat, providing an opinion backed by no hard data (that was provided in the story) and that's sufficient enough to say that new buildings are going to be popping up soon?

Near as I can tell, the biggest argument FOR development is that rents are rising. Um, OK, rising rents are good for the renter, which makes it odd that many of the same who are benefiting from increased rents would really do all that much to build just because.

Later in the story, following a tactic called "buying the lede", was a statement by Hines saying NOTHING will happen until tenant demand (in the form of lease agreements) is sufficient to fill 50% of any proposed hi-rise and that, right now, that's just not there.

If it ever DOES get there then expect companies to build as necessary to fulfill demand, until then, take glorious pronouncements of a downtown building boom with a hefty grain of Gulf Cost salt.

Slamming the Port

OK, well...sorta.

County report criticizes Port administration, culture. Mike Morris, Chron.com

Port of Houston Authority officials operate with a culture of impunity, running the public agency like a private business, defying open meetings laws and employing other secretive policies, the Harris County Attorney's office said in a new report.

Some might say that "running government like a business is a good thing. Unfortunately, the Port Authority has been ran more like a slush fund than a business. Any rational business would have fired the board by now.

What's not said....

....in today's San Antonio Express-News story about "clean energy" companies bringing jobs and economic manna to the city is where the profits will be found long-term?

(S.A. wins new jobs in clean energy, Tracy Idell Hamilton, MySanAntonio.com)

CPS Energy CEO Doyle Beneby is expected to announce Monday the relocation of several clean-energy-related companies to San Antonio, bringing hundreds of good-paying jobs and establishing a firm toehold in the “new energy economy” that Mayor Julián Castro has been pushing since he was first elected.

The article goes on to say that these companies are going to spend Millions on San Antonio education and infrastructure and are going to be giving away certain products FOR FREE!

Which all sounds well and good until you realize that pseudo-governmental agencies make up their economic short-falls on the backs of the taxpayer. Granted, free-market companies pass on their short-falls to the consumer, the difference being you have a choice in the private market, while in the regulated, government monopoly there's no relief from poorly ran companies who make short-sighted decisions partially for political reasons.

Somewhere, and forgive me but I don't remember where, I read a comment by a progressive suggesting that pseudo-governmental agencies shouldn't worry about profit at all. I can't state how much I agree with that. While agencies such as Metro and CPS Energy don't need to turn a profit because they're subsidized heavily, their goal should be to run as profitable as possible so that their impact on the taxpayer's wallet is none. Those profits could then either be sent to the general fund, or used to strengthen the infrastructures they operate.

Instead we have companies that are coming in and receiving Billions in government subsidies to do something the free-market has decided right now is unsustainable. Guess who's going to pay in the long run?

Harris County Investments Under Scrutiny

I'm sure Edwin Harrison will say everything will look different, when all of the facts come out, but the facts that we do have right now are sure not looking good for him...

Bond trade fees draw scrutiny, Mike Morris, Chron.com.

Two brokers with ties to Harris County's troubled former finance chief overcharged the county by more than $900,000 on dozens of trades in the last three years, a Houston Chronicle analysis has found.

Despite the inflated prices, former financial services director Edwin Harrison funneled roughly half of $7.3 billion in county investments from 2008 through last fall to Morgan Stanley's Howard LeDet and UBS' Royce Simpson, according to a Chronicle analysis of county financial records.

The article (which you should read all the way through) goes on to provide details for both questionable personal and business dealings between Mr. Harrison and two investors from 2008 forward. It's a good piece of watchdog reporting by the Chron, something we wish we'd see more of, and not just directed at the County, but at other local government (and pseudo-government) entities as well.

I've long thought that having one person in a position of power who can make decisions involving Millions of dollars of taxpayer money is a bad idea. In the private sector there are SOX controls, and other safeguards to prevent this type of fraud. Would it be such a bad idea to implement (or strictly enforce) chain of control measures in local government?

I'm sure the powers will be will ensure us they're in place, but they're sure not being followed.

What an odd editorial....

Something about today's Apple Dumpling Gang effort addressing new airline regulations struck me as odd.

On the one hand, the Gang is happy that the government is increasing regulation on airlines, ostensibly in the name of customer service, but (as many observers believe) sure to come with a raft of unintended consequences. On the other hand, they end with this:

The new rules come at a tough time for the industry, as increased fuel prices and other economic pressures are putting a major squeeze on air carriers.

For the first quarter of 2011, the newly combined United/Continental Airline reported losses of $213 million, wider than those of $182 million for the same period a year ago. Airline officials also blamed a loss of business caused by the Japan earthquake for the red ink.

Those numbers in the red affect airline employees in Houston, and the situation won't be helped by expenses incurred by the expanded regulations detailed above. That's the part of this we don't like.

Whua?

It makes no sense to me that an organization could be so pro-Statist and yet express dismay that overly onerous regulations cost companies money. That's not to say that some of this is not needed. Let's face it, for the most part, airlines have done a not-so-hot job with customer service. Leaving people stuck on a plane, for hours, with no relief or information is ludicrous. Charging bag fees and then losing the bad and not offering a refund is stupid. Yes, these are isolated incidents, but when they happen you just have to wonder who in middle-management gave the gren-flag to these decisions, and to what position did his/her "outside the box decision-making style" get them promoted? Sr. Management? VP*?

OF COURSE these regulations are going to cost airlines money. That's what regulation does. That being said, I'm a firm believer that you regulate the things that people need (a very short list: power, food, water, etc.) and try to minimize regulation on things that they want. (Air Travel being firmly in the 'want' camp.) This is why I think electricity deregulation was a bad idea while airline deregulation was overall pretty good. Yes many airlines run as if the concept of customer service has been buried in Houson's gumbo soil for three months but overall they do a pretty good job of getting you from point A to point B (sometimes with a few stops in between) somewhat efficiently. Yes the food is terrible, the service mediocre and the response time dismal when something goes wrong, but the actual "getting there" is pretty solid.

Another problem with excessive regulation are the unintended consequences. Sure, it's annoying to have to wait on a delayed flight. The problem is, now that airlines face steep fines for delays, the alternative is just to cancel the flight altogether. (no fines) So now passengers are faced with the prospect of not getting there at all (or having to jump through significant hoops to do so) rather than just being late.

Finally, show me a regulation that the Apple Dumpling Gang hasn't approved of. Two months ago they came out with the position that gas-well hydro-fracking was safe and had been around for a long time. About a week-ago they came out and decided that regulation was "reasonable" and oil and gas companies should just bear the cost. Funny no crocodile tears for them. Do you think these regulation are going to hurt the bottom line?

Of course not, because the oil and gas companies will just pass the costs onto the conumer, which is the same thing airlines will do. Which is what you should not like about this regulation, what it's going to do to your travel and your pocketbook.









*Most companies won't admit it, but the hard business reality is that most VP's only function is to point fingers when things go wrong and generate paperwork. Typically, there are two types of VP, the one who was promoted because they've been around for a while, or the one that was promoted as a result of a bad policy suggestion that made the company money. There is a third type, the VP who knows their stuff, but they are so rare as to be insignificant in the conversation. The reality is most companies could decide tomorrow to eliminate the entire VP staff and profitability and company morale would improve immediately.

The Apple Dumpling Gang Strikes Again...(Part V)

Wow....

I'm not surprised that the Apple Dumpling Gang (and their InterLeft fellow travellers) are gung-ho about having the EPA take over Texas refining industry, what surprises me the most is their main argument: It's good for Texas.


Unless, that is, you're one of the approximately 30% of Houstonians (and the real number is probably higher) who earn a living off of the petro-chemical industry. THEN it's not so good for you. So the main argument seems to be that a lot of you will be homeless, but at least the air you breathe will be .05% lower in carbon dioxide.


Yup, that's worth killing the economy.


The funny thing is that those who claim to be "for the little guy" only look at the success of the big guys when they gauge an impact on an industry. Stock goes up? Well, everything must be just fine. Executives are raking in bonuses? Yup, all's well. What these residents of A Place Called Perfect ignore is that those stock price increases and bonuses are built on cost reduction in a profit-unfriendly environment. The single, biggest cost for most companies is labor. Industry giants look to other countries, smaller players lay-off and the unemployment rate hangs stubbornly around 9-10%. All to try and "fix" a problem that is most probably 99.98% natural occurrence.

Is the Earth's climate changing? You bet it is. Just as it has for Millennia, and will continue to do so even IF humanity were to shut down all traces of industrial activity tomorrow.

The best thing to do is try and live a clean life. Give a hoot, don't pollute, go out and buy some reusable grocery bags, conserve energy, join a local clean-up effort. And while industry progress on some clean-up efforts are (admittedly) slow, realize that forcing them to take drastic steps is just going to put a lot of people out on the street, with no immediate prospects for employment. (The so-called "green" economy being a jobs non-starter.)

Pollution sucks, we get that. But the answer to our pollution concerns is not going to be letting an activist EPA come in and start dismantling our economy so that Al Gore's green investment firm can realize another half-percent return on their principal. He's done a good job convincing a sizable minority that it is however. That this same minority's favorite political party is all but dead in Texas (for now) should tell you something.



New Year's Resolution: Live clean, don't buy the "green" hype. In other words: Be a Conservationist not an Ecomentalist. Your life, and the economy, will be better off for it.




Oh, and stop paying attention to The Apple Dumpling Gang. That's the first step to ridding Houston of intellectual pollutants.

Here's an idea....

Give ME the $238,000.....

(HCC keeping lid on probe of trustees, despite cost, Ericka Mellon, ChronBlog)

Houston Community College has spent nearly a quarter of a million dollars on an investigation into possibly improper business deals involving current and former trustees, but taxpayers are unable to see any findings from the probe.

The college district has said that no written report exists despite the investigators doing more than 700 hours of work

...and I'll at least provide you with a one-page Word document you can use for a press release.*








*For an extra $50K I'll spell-check it! What a deal!