02 May 2006
Houston's Environmental Summit
Do you know someone who has improved the quality of Houston's environment? Well, Mayor White wants to hear from you:
The City of Houston and Keep Houston Beautiful will be hosting the 2006 Environmental Summit on Thursday, June 1, 2006 at the Marriott Westchase, 2900 Briarpark Dr., (Key Map 489V). The theme of the Environmental Summit promotes Mayor Bill White's environmental plan and vision of “Making Houston a Model Environmental City.” Registration for the Summit and nominations for awards to be presented are now open.
[snip]
Awards will be presented to individuals who have contributed to or improved the quality of the environment in their workplace or community. Nominations are requested for individuals who have worked at least one year in an environmentally-related field. Award nominations are open to all businesses, industries, non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, hospitals, colleges and universities having programs directly impacting environmental issues. A separate category for the community will also be recognized.
I'd like to nominate Banjo Jones for his informative -- and highly entertaining -- emissions posts. Without a doubt, The Brazosport News has done more environmental reporting on a regular basis than any of our local media outlets.
There is some irony in Mayor White's trying to make Houston a model environmental city since Houston was recently assessed an almost $1 million fine for unauthorized discharges from its wastewater treatment plants. Maybe the mayor's desire for a windmill farm will help even out the environmental karma.
Also, the Environmental Summit will feature a Recycled Fashion Show...which just begs for a Ken Hoffman column.
UPDATE: A nomination for Tom Bazan has been suggested. =) I'll second that nomination!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/02/06 08:15 PM |
24 April 2006
Food and drink roundup (04-24-2006 edition)
Time for a quick and easy food and drink roundup.
Alison Cook does her turn reviewing Dolce Vita Pizzeria Enoteca and rates it quite highly.
Robb Walsh finds the normal hour-and-a-half wait at Ra Sushi gets shorter if the hostess is slipped some cash. Maybe there's a real dearth of trendy restaurants on my fave list, but do people really slip twenties (or more) to cut in line at these restaurants? He also stops by the new Floyd's Cajun Seafood House.
Dai Huynh goes crazy for peppercorns. This isn't your mom's salt and pepper.
Ken Hoffman checks out Papa John's new Kong's King-Size Pizza. Twenty four grams of fat per serving not enough for ya (yes, one slice is one serving)? He then tries the new French Toast Sandwich from Burger King, which rings in at 32 grams of fat. Do we really need fast food sandwiches made with fried bread?
And Lance Scott Walker makes Mocha Life sound comfy.
World Class, all of it. Enjoy!!
Posted by Callie Markantonis @ 04/24/06 01:05 PM |
19 April 2006
The Houston Bowl is circling the drain
Last week, USA Today reported some troubling news about the Houston Bowl:
The payouts from last season's Houston Bowl have not yet been made in full, marking an unusually long wait for the conferences involved.
"It's the first time that has happened to the Big 12 in its 10-year history," said Bob Burda, assistant commissioner of communications for the league, which sent Iowa State to the bowl.
Including the 2005 season, Big 12 teams have 68 bowl appearances.
Houston Bowl executive director Shawn Bouley said Wednesday that he could not comment on the status of payouts, citing reasons of confidentiality.
Nearly a week later, the local Hearst daily decided the matter might be of interest to its readers:
Strapped by financial problems and waning attendance, the Houston Bowl could cease operations as early as next week, a college football official said Tuesday.
The 6-year-old bowl is currently without a sponsor, and the Big 12 and Mountain West conferences have yet to receive the full payout of $1.2 million each for participating in last year's game.
It looks as if Houston's lower-tier bowl is about to go the way of the Bluebonnet Bowl. Given recent attendance figures, it doesn't appear that very many people are going to miss it.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/19/06 03:00 PM |
07 April 2006
Food and drink roundup (04-07-2006 edition)
It's Friday and time for a pre-weekend food and drink review.
Last week Alison Cook went Creole and did the Sunday buffet and more at Lagniappe Grill. She also traveled to Manville for barbecue and fixins' at the Naked Rib Smokehouse. Speaking of Alison, if you're not making her blog a daily stop on your Houston meanderings, you're missing much.
There isn't a seafood gumbo in town that can come close to being as good as Denis' seafood gumbo, in my humble opinion, but Robb Walsh convinces me in his review this week that I should give Joyce's Ocean Grill a try.
Last week Dai Huynh checked out the opening week for Tart Cafe in Montrose. This week she makes me all squeamish with her Texas blue crab review.
Peggy Grodinsky gets fruity on us with stories on local strawberry farms and loquats. Of course loquats are edible. They're yummy. She also announces Zagat's most popular Houston restaurant. Did Armadillo Palace really get customer accolades for being one of the best newcomers in town?
Ken Hoffman does not get fruity on us with his review of Burger King's new Tendercrisp Cheesy Bacon Chicken Sandwich.
And finally, Lance Scott Walker checks out Home Plate Bar & Grill near Minute Maid Park.
World class, all of it. Enjoy!!
Posted by Callie Markantonis @ 04/07/06 09:00 AM |
30 March 2006
The LiveJournalists wake up; protest-fever must be over (updated)
We can only assume the media's interest in "La Gran Marcha" has peaked, since the Editorial LiveJournalists have now weighed in with not one, but two approving editorials. They applaud the school-ditching, Mexican-flag waving youth activists, and look forward to the time when the students graduate from school and vote (although they do caution the "children" that carrying Mexican flags and shouting "Viva Mexico" might not be the best way to get their message across...whatever their message is).
The most hilarious quote of the day is in the Chron's news story, from a very earnest high school freshman:
"There's no other way to be heard ... It's not the best way or the right way, but it's our way," Reagan freshman Jose Lopez, 14, said of the effort.
That's a kid who really needs to get back to class!
Second most hilarious quote of the day:
Jose Cantu, 18, a junior at Reagan, said he read the 54-page bill Wednesday so he could understand why he's protesting. "It got confusing," he said. "So I wanted to see the whole thing."
Oookay.
Slampo covers all the bases in this post, including our fine local media's reporting efforts, and the fact that many of these students appear to have snoozed through history classes in 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, etc., grades.
And Banjo points out that protesting in '06 is much easier than it was back in the '60s. (Speaking of which, the Chron's story notes that sending HISD buses to fetch Tuesday's protesters, after they met with Mayor White and Councilwoman Carol Alvarado, cost taxpayers $5,500.)
UPDATE: Fun and games and ditching school are over. HPD and HISD have had enough:
Dozens of HISD student protesters were stopped in their tracks by Houston police Thursday morning.
Twenty-six students were arrested on curfew violations and taken to the juvenile detention center.
The HISD students walked out of classrooms again Thursday to protest proposed immigration reform in the U.S. Senate.
According to HISD spokesman Terry Abbott, about 150 students from Madison High School and Dowling Middle School left school.
They were planning to march to Westbury High School but several HPD officers stopped the students before they could get to Westbury. Some of the students were questioned, frisked and arrested.
One girl was transported to the hospital after reportedly having an asthma attack.
HISD sent buses to pick up the rest of the students and take them back to school.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/30/06 10:06 AM |
19 March 2006
Second annual Tour de Houston
Saturday was Tour de Houston bike ride day:
Among the roughly 2,500 participants was one cyclist diligently leading the crusade of inspiring Houstonians to ramp up their level of activity via marathons or bicycle rides.
"I just want to let people know that keeping fit can be fun. It's not like any big sacrifice," said Major Bill White, an avid cyclist. "Leadership is about setting a good example."
White has doggedly tried to encourage Houstonians to seek fitness. He was joined Saturday morning by Houston Councilwoman Carol Alvarado and another cycling enthusiast.
"I fought obesity most of my life, and I suspect that I'll continue that battle," said District 13 State Senator Rodney Ellis. "From liquid solutions to diet pills, finally I matured enough to get an exercise program and a nutritionist to help me learn how to eat.
Proceeds from the Tour will benefit the Houston Parks and Recreation Department.
I'm disappointed. The story doesn't mention Houston bicyclist Bob Stein.
As for the proceeds, let's hope Councilwoman Alvarado won't be overseeing those funds as they make their way to Parks and Rec.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/19/06 09:42 PM |
The ongoing quest for a "world-class" downtown destination
The Chronicle's Alexis Grant plays up the City of Houston's latest effort to create a "world-class" downtown destination:
With a new wireless network, contemporary furniture and a cafe, the renovated downtown library could become a weekend destination for fun, relaxation and, of course, research.
That's the hope of John Middleton, who's coordinating the renovation of the Central Library's Jesse H. Jones Building, which is scheduled to start next month. It's planned to be completed by the end of 2007.
Why can't we just renovate the library with the goal of building the best darn library that we can reasonably afford?
Why must the inferiority complex of so many members of the downtown establishment always lead to these grandiose expectations (okay, I guess I built the answer into the question)? Why can't the renovation just be a renovation, and not the creation of a weekend destination for fun and relaxation?!
Of course, some members of the "world class" crowd aren't buying what is being sold:
Architectural writer Barrie Scardino said the city should build a new downtown library instead of revamping the old one.
"It's a good building, it's just not a good library for today's needs," Scardino said. "Why spend the money to make this building work when (building a new one) is probably inevitable anyway?"
Houston should have a library that rivals that of Seattle, Scardino said. Seattle's $165 million, 11-story glass-and-steel building is revered by architecture experts.
Middleton, however, said a new library likely won't be built in the next few years. A Seattle-like investment in the downtown library would not make sense in Houston, he said, because the city's sprawl prevents large numbers of people from using it. Most people use their local branch instead, he said.
"The difference in justifying a huge Central Library is we don't have a huge central population," he said. "When half of the population would have to drive 25 miles to get here or 30 or 40 miles or more, it's not the same dynamic."
In other words, even an architectural marvel like Seattle's "world-class" library wouldn't create a downtown destination in Houston, an admission that contradicts Grant's pronouncement at the beginning of the story.
I guess that's balance, Chron-style.
PREVIOUSLY: Downtown library to close for renovation.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/19/06 05:29 PM |
17 March 2006
New giraffe at the Houston Zoo
The Houston Zoo is welcoming a new resident: an adorable baby giraffe:
The male giraffe was 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighed 102 pounds at birth on Wednesday, zoo officials said.
A contest will be held to name the Masai giraffe, whose father is named Kiva and mother is Noel, officials said. Both parents are 10 years old.
"He has been on exhibit since his birth, but we had kind of kept the public at a distance until today, to give mom and baby a little peace and quiet and a little opportunity to get to know each other," zoo spokesman Brian Hill told The Associated Press.
The calf was born at approximately 9:40 a.m. Wednesday and stood about two hours after birth.
Be sure to check out the pictures with the AP story. Chronicle photographer; AP story. Sigh.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/17/06 08:34 PM |
14 March 2006
City of Houston Department of GLBT Travel
That's what we need, apparently:
Houston hosts one of the biggest and best gay pride parades in the county, while Dallas' parade pales in comparison. Yet, Big D recently made headlines by creating a direct link to gay travel on the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau Web site.
"Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender travelers spend $65 billion a year on travel and we want to make sure Dallas positions itself to take advantage of that," said Dallas CVB chief executive officer Phillip Jones.
When viewers visit Dallas' Web site and click on the Diverse Dallas button, the site shows pictured icon groups that spotlight segmented communities of the city's population, including the African-American, Asian and Hispanic communities. The Web site now includes a link to the GLBT community.
The Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau Web site doesn't have anything similar.
Get ready for Mayor White to spring into action.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/14/06 03:21 PM |
12 March 2006
Food and drink roundup (03-12-2006 edition)
It's time for a Sunday night food and drink roundup. Let's get started, shall we?
Alison Cook hopes downtown's El Centro Restaurant sticks around for a while. She has also started an excellent new Chron blog called Cook's Tour. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting to read more Alison.
Wine seems to be a theme lately. Robb Walsh tries Cova on Washington, raves about it, and readers get an excellent primer on allocated wines as a result.
Wine connoisseur and sommelier of Brenner's Steakhouse Kim Wallace sits down for a Q&A for the Chron.
For Dai Huynh, to decant or not to decant seems to be the question.
And for Peggy Grodinsky, to splurge or not to splurge on the wine in coq au vin seems to be the question. Ending our wine tour, she also reviews Houston's farmers markets.
Mary Vuong checks out the eatin's at this year's Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Where else can one get pizza on a stick, half-pound hot dogs, deep-fried candy bars, and of course funnel cake?
Ken Hoffman visits Baskin-Robbins for their new Happy Camper Waffle Cone Sundae, made with, what else, trail mix.
And Lance Scott Walker reviews cool-sounding Boaka Bar.
World Class, all of it. Enjoy!!
Posted by Callie Markantonis @ 03/12/06 10:28 PM |
26 February 2006
Downtown library to close for renovation
City Council quietly approved a library renovation project last Wednesday that will soon close the downtown library for an extended period:
The City of Houston plans to spend $14.9 million to renovate the Central Library located in downtown Houston next to Houston City Hall.
The project, the largest in the history of the library system, will include updates to the library's IT infrastructure, a rebuild of the plaza, expansion of the children's and teen's services, and the addition of public space.
To make way for the changes, the library will close to the public on April 3 and won't reopen until the end of 2007. Access to the Central Library's collection and reference services will continue through neighborhood libraries and HPL Express Downtown. The library system has 36 branch libraries throughout the city. City officials are encouraging library customers to use neighborhood libraries during the renovation process.
None of the local reporting indicated how Councilmember Ada Edwards voted on the renovation proposal, or whether she deemed the closing a direct attack on homeless people.
ADDITIONAL COVERAGE: Houston Chronicle.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/26/06 10:06 PM |
25 February 2006
Cactus closing affects local music scene
KHOU-11's Nancy Holland files a report on the closing of Cactus Music and Video and the impact on the local music scene.
A few weeks ago, Houston Press music columnist John Nova Lomax tackled the same topic, in the form of reactions from local music people on the impact of the closing.
Techie types are quick to argue that brick-and-mortar stores like Cactus are now obsolete because of broadband and music downloading. That may be true for some (even many) music consumers, but local independent stores like Cactus (and Waterloo in Austin) also are an important part of the local live music scene. I would suggest that such stores can survive in towns where there is a vibrant local music scene -- and may have more trouble in towns like Houston, where the live music scene isn't so vibrant (hence nobody is rushing to buy Cactus from the current owners).
Local musicians are going to have to be more creative about marketing when Cactus closes. They may have to reach out more to existing local music blogs. They may have to take the lead in developing a more comprehensive local music site. Or, the local music scene may just wither, because Houstonians are more interested in downloading mp3s from home than seeing live music. Time will tell.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/25/06 12:44 PM |
24 February 2006
Food and drink roundup (02-24-2006 edition)
The weekend is upon us, and it's time for a quick and easy (not to mention timely) food and drink roundup.
I reread Alison Cook's review of Bombay Sweets this morning at 8 o'clock, and my mouth watered from her descriptions. Was I hungry, or did she just paint some amazing pictures? Why oh why am I reading restaurant reviews while dieting! Her review of downtown's Craiganale's had the same effect.
Robb Walsh tried the yummy sounding pizza and more at lower Westheimer's Dolce Vita Pizzeria & Enoteca. Coincidence, or was mentioned dining companion Ken Hoffman?
Dai Huynh surveyed the local restaurant seafood scene. This week, she offers up some local places to indulge in lagniappes. There is a local restaurant that serves Greek taramasalata as lagniappe? Diet be damned!
Ken Hoffman reaches for a bag of Frito-Lay's new Garden Salsa SunChips.
And Gracie Ochoa checks out the Light, located in midtown.
World class all, enjoy!!
Posted by Callie Markantonis @ 02/24/06 08:50 AM |
21 February 2006
Rodeo asks for long-term gifts, spends less on charity
The Rodeo is almost here, and that means it's time for the local media to start promoting the event. Here's an example from today's Chronicle:
With a limb saw in hand, Ty Whitcomb was ready for his new role.
As chairman of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's new Gifting and Lifetime Legacy Opportunities (Gallop) committee, Whitcomb said he wanted to dispel a misconception about planned giving: It's more than wills and bequests.
"This is my imitation of the Grim Reaper," said Whitcomb, holding the limb saw up next to him like a scythe.
"I don't want people to think when they see this, they're going to associate planned giving or our committee with the Grim Reaper."
"Or a limb saw," joked his vice chairman, Houston Astros star Lance Berkman, peering from underneath a brown cowboy hat. "We're not going to ask you to chop down any oak trees."
They are, however, asking Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo fans to consider giving something back — in life or after their death — through charitable trusts, bequests and other long-term gifts that would support the show's educational programs.
[snip]
Rodeo officials say the show has committed more than $100 million in education support since 1957 and has awarded scholarships to nearly 9,000 Texas high school seniors.
The show's scholarships, teacher training programs and competition funds reach nearly 350,000 students per year, they said.
Sixteen percent of the show's revenue last year went directly toward scholarships and junior auction awards, down from 17 percent in 2004.
It doesn't look as if we are ever going to see Wayne Dolcefino follow up on that story about the Rodeo's finances that KTRK-13 spiked last year. Some cows (pardon the pun) are sacred.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/21/06 08:25 PM |
17 February 2006
Well, of course the weather turned cold
How many of you were hoping to get outside this weekend, tackling yard work or other outdoor activities?
We have had a wonderful winter this year, but still, there are those planting beds I wanted to spruce up. Ah well.
Reading Kathy Huber and listening to Randy Lemmon will have to suffice this time. There's always next weekend!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/17/06 02:05 PM |
15 February 2006
Food and drink roundup (02-15-06 edition)
It's time for another food and drink roundup, kids. There are quite a few links to offer up today. Let's get started, shall we?
Alison Cook and Robb Walsh both seemed to have had a thing for raw food for a time. Cook took readers on a trip to Galveston and tried out the oysters at Gilhooley's.
Robb Walsh tried the oysters in town at both Willie G's and Magnolia Bar & Grill, which seemed to win his contest of gluttony. He also did some raw dining down NASA way at Masa Sushi.
Dai Huynh made chocolate even more unappetizing to this bH contributor in her pre-Valentine's day examination of chocolate as all-purpose ingredient. As much as I dislike the stuff, it's still fascinating reading.
Peggy Grodinsky covers local Kosher pretty well in her offering this week. No word though whether my search for the best bowl of chicken soup has ended.
Ken Hoffman calls Denny's Zesty Creole Scrambled Sensation Denny's newest sensation. I've never been much of a Denny's fan, but maybe it really has changed for the better. (Speaking of breakfast, 59 Diner in Montrose has just recently begun serving breakfast all day every day. And...they now have wi-fi too. Take that, Denny's.)
There's also a new Greek offering in town in the Galleria area that goes by the name of Stelios Deli. It shares space, strangely enough, with a gas station, but don't let that dissuade you. A first visit to the place didn't disappoint.
And finally, Lance Scott Walker quaffs some at downtown hot spot Slainte.
World Class, all of it. Enjoy!!
Posted by Callie Markantonis @ 02/15/06 11:51 PM |
14 February 2006
Soccer team to get a new name?
KHOU-11 recently reported that the professional sensitives in town were very upset about the name of Houston's new soccer team.
The director of UH's Mexican-American Studies program even let it be known that he would never wear a Houston 1836 t-shirt!
Today, KHOU-11 is reporting that the team will be changing its name, although team officials refuse to confirm the news.
If you haven't gotten your suggestion in yet, better head over to 1836.isfullofcrap.com!
UPDATE: KTRH-740 is running a snippet from Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia, who says the soccer team's ownership told her the name would be changed.
UPDATE (10:30 pm): Elma Barrera covers the story for KTRK-13. Chron.com still has not posted a story, either to the sports page or to the soccer blog. Apparently, evolution at the Chronicle involves launching more online diaries and obsessing over trivialities, and not so much reporting breaking sports news with a political twist.
UPDATE (02-15-2006): The Chronicle finally posts a story!
BLOGVERSATION: TBIFOC.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/14/06 12:19 PM |
02 February 2006
Free tickets to Rice baseball or basketball
Are you interested in Rice basketball or baseball?
If so, you have a couple of days left to score free tickets:
Make it a day with the Owls on Sat., Feb. 4, as Rice's baseball and basketball teams are in action. See the fourth-ranked Rice Baseball team open the season against Central Missouri State at 2 pm at Reckling Park and then support the Rice Owls Basketball team as it hosts number-three ranked Memphis at 6:05 pm at Autry Court.
Free tickets for both events will be given away during lunch-time at the Whataburger restaurants on 59/Shepherd and the Southwest Freeway/Edloe (across from Lakewood Church) locations starting Jan. 30 through Feb. 3.
Rice's baseball team is, of course, a national power. Rice's basketball team is not, but their opponent (Memphis) is.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/02/06 11:50 AM |
31 January 2006
Don't take the kids to Memorial Park
Riding through Memorial Park’s Picnic Lane loop is popular among bicyclists. But it is also a hotspot for illicit rendezvous.
Houston Police Officer Kenny Cech took 11 News into the woods next to the bike loop and next to an abandoned restroom.
He showed where he arrested two men having sex just last Sunday—All happening in broad daylight.
Cech said he doesn’t know why this is happening at Memorial Park. “Parks in general attract people of this type,” he said.
According to HPD, for every arrest made they are more incidents they can’t catch. And often times it’s the park patrons who are the witnesses.
The latest arrests came after a father and his 8-year-old son caught the men in the act.
The result is that police patrols have been increased, which is unfortunate in light of HPD's manpower shortage. Let's hope that MayorWhiteChiefHurtt will have HPD's staffing issues under control by the time downtown's showcase park opens up.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/31/06 09:41 PM |
29 January 2006
Big Media visits Houston
With a certain big trial getting underway tomorrow, we are beginning to see MSM stories about how Houston has weathered the Enron collapse.
Here's a New York Times story from Friday.
Here's a Newhouse News Service story that has been picked up by the New Jersey Star-Ledger.
And here's a story in the Toronto Star.
Who knows how many more of these there'll be, but it's interesting to see how others perceive Houston.
UPDATE: The Chron reports on what Ken Lay did today, and on the swarm of media trucks in front of the courthouse.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/29/06 03:48 PM |
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