It’s Awfully Quiet For Some Reason…

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After all the hullaballoo, the DA and FBI sure haven’t had anything to say lately. And the Chronicle hasn’t exactly been asking any questions about this either.

After some initial posturing, the usual has happened: city employees were canned, and nothing happened to those in charge. Unless, of course, you count Alvarado’s “temporary” status as not-the-mayor-pro-tem.

Small wonder my co-workers ridiculed the union representative right out of the building last week. “You’ve only worked for the city since January? How are you going to represent us? You don’t know anything about what it means to work here!”

Of course, how such a recent employee has the time to go to other worksites to shill for the union (on multiple days) is beyond me.

Edit 8/21: he was back today. I guess he wasn’t laughed at enough. He looks awful lonely, sitting there by himself, though.

That Was Satisfying

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Just got a call asking me to support my Representative for re-election to Congress. “He has worked tirelessly for Senior Citizens…” blah blah blah.

I interrupted, “But he has not worked tirelessly on behalf of those who believe Kelo v. New London was decided incorrectly. I wrote him in regards to that issue and his response was inadequate. Thank you for calling.”

Click.

Unlike some people, I don’t give the paid campaign hacks a chance to argue with me. (Now if I can just remember who that was so I can link it.)

Spam-o-rama!

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In an email from the IT Department the following was included:

The Spam filtering system is blocking over 8.4 million messages a month. This is about 84% of the 10 million plus messages the City receives from the Internet a month. ITD’s goal is to provide the City of Houston with reliable and functional Enterprise Messaging System.

I have to say that the software is doing a spectacular job. I have had not one false positive or negative since this software was instituted last year. If you’re responsible for this kind of thing for your company and want to know more, it’s apparently tagged as “Proofpoint Protection Server”

This is Not A Meme

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Nope. Not a meme. Unh-uh. I just happened to feel like doing a list of my own.

Anyway, that’s my story. and I’m sticking to it.

  1. One book that changed your life: One? One? Crap. Pick anything by Robert A. Heinlein. To narrow it down: Stranger in a Strange Land. Time Enough for Love. Glory Road. Starship Troopers. Those are the four books that shaped my tender little teenaged mind. Even if I didn’t understand everything in them the first time, I did later.
  2. One book that you’ve read more than once: See above. Although the record is probably held by the Lord of the Rings Trilogy… I lost track around the 13th or 14th re-read.
  3. One book you’d want on a desert island: How To Get Off Desert Islands For Dummies.
  4. One book that made you laugh: Well, of course Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy. Too ordinary an answer, but none else come to mind right now, aside from the sequel to The Mouse that Roared. What was it, The Mouse That Flew to the Moon? Or maybe any of the last ten or so Dirk Pitt novels by Clive Cussler. I don’t think laughter was what he was aiming for, but it’s what I had. What a formula.
  5. One book that made you cry. Podkayne of Mars. God, that book had me depressed for two solid weeks. I have never re-read it, and have no desire to.
  6. One book that you wish had been written: The 2005 List of Winning Lottery Numbers, 2006-2010. One copy only, please.
  7. One book that you wish had never been written: Ethel the Aardvark Goes Quantity Surveying. Ok, seriously? The Chronicles of the Elders of Zion. That might not be exactly right — I can’t remember, but it’s that damned zionist conspiricy book the Tsar had written to help keep the lid on Russia by stirring up anti-Jewish sentiment. That p.o.s. keeps cropping up in one way or another as so-called “historical evidence.” If history is not true, what can we learn from it? Anyone that deliberately fucks up real history for his or her own purposes deserves to be shot. In the knee. (I’d say in the hands, but with voice-activated software, it’s not enough.)
  8. One book you’re currently reading: Well, if you mean currently as in “not finished”, amazingly my answer is the same as Shamus’ answer for #9: Baroque Cycle Except I’ll never finish it becasue it’s the most boring book I have ever been facinated by. Yes, I knowthat’s a contradiction. But that was exactly my reaction. The style, the characters, the world, all were facinating and incredibly well-written. I felt like I was right there with all those famous scientists of yore, making their discoveries alongside them. But nothing was happening. Well, unless you count history. Lots of that happening. Just very slowly and in tiny, incremental bits, the way it does in reality.
  9. One book you’ve been meaning to read: The Guaranteed Plan to Make Ubu Roi Filthy Rich Without Any Effort. Unfortunately, no one has written it yet.
  10. Tag 5 people: I don’t think I’ve read that book, so I will pass on commenting about it.

Not Quite Dead Yet

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No, I haven’t died. Work is hell right now and I’m coming home mentally drained. I watched Divergence Eve on Sunday and am trying to work up the energy to watch it again and write up a review. Managed to exchange a few e-mails with Steven over it, but that was about it.

Watched the first DVD. Four immediate thoughts.

Beats the hell out of Godannar. Slight difference, Godannar intentionally has comedic aspects.
Never seen a less appropriate closer.
You were right, they stripped the extras. Nothing but previews.
The CGI looks like it was done on my PC, in a game.

I just can’t express how badly mismatched the closer is. No matter how I express that, it won’t be enough to convey the reality. I swear, it’s not even from the same show. I think the budget ran out before they did the animation and song, so they swiped one from another show entirely.

It’s a damn good anime, I recommend it. But try not to be too distracted by the humoungusized tits.

A Curious Edit and Other News

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Remember yesterday morning, when I quoted and linked a KHOU-11 story on the mayor’s daughter being picked up for DWI? Well, the story, originally posted at 11:39 AM, has been edited ever so slightly, without any notice of that fact–except that it now bears a 4:25 PM timestamp..

Yesterday’s text, still preserved my original quote:

The mayor’s officer confirmed that 17-year-old Elena White was pulled over in the 9800 block of Memorial Drive around 12:15 a.m. Monday. Precinct 5 officials said she was spotted because she was driving without her headlights on. She was driving her father’s car, the Toyota Prius.

“It’s a lesson: People shouldn’t be out that late, after 11 o’clock she was pulled over,� Mayor White said while picking up his daughter.

Note that 11 PM bit? Now that’s what KHOU says too–same article, edited:

Elena White, 17, was pulled over in the 9800 block of Memorial Drive around 11 p.m. Monday.

The Chronicle also states 11 pm, instead placing the call to Mayor White’s house at 12:15. I didn’t notice in the original article, whether it said the arrest was about 11 PM or 12:15. KTRK-13 says 11 PM.

So, given that it’s a 23 hour change (not one hour, both say Monday) it looks like KHOU made a boo-boo and quietly erased it. But I’d like to know for sure. Heck, I’d really like to see that tape, and in full.

There’s a few other things happening around the city that got buried beneath that story:

  • Per Newsradio KTRH 740 AM, Jack (soon to be Julia) Oliver has accepted a transfer from patrol duty to a desk job as a supervisor at HEC. I bet that’s going to raise morale at the troubled facility. Oh well, it’s what I called for a couple of months ago: removal of this officer from patrol duty.

    HPD Deputy Director Craig Ferrell said the mutual agreement was made to allow Oliver a more flexible schedule so she can take time off for the surgical procedures over the next year.

  • From KTRK-13 Another teacher’s been making whopee with the students. Female art teacher this time. This one’s a little past her prime. Eww.
  • And from KPRC-2, Time Warner gives away Houston, to Comcast. Maybe now I can get TAN. TW won’t even put it in the VOD lineup. Good god, people, this is HOUSTON, the space city! How can you be “world-class” without The Anime Network?
  • Texas A&M, jealous of all the free publicity Yale got for having a member of the Taliban studying there, has hired a new diversity director. If he hurries, maybe he can find a member or two of Hezbollah still alive to enroll.

I’m sure there’s more out there, but that’s all the stupidity I can stomach for now…

A Brief Interlude of Animé

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Ok, so far I’ve watched:

  • Mars Daybreak #6, which finished that series. Entirely too clichéd at the end.
  • Godannar #5, which puts me 1 DVD from completion. Some answers are appearing, but not enough. My psychic theory has seen evidence both pro and con. We do get one very important answer: the two American pilots aren’t lesbians. At least, not to start.

  • Excel Saga #1, just into the third episode. At that point I decided that watching it alone was a waste. I put it back in the case, and I’m going to hold on to it until Dr. Heinous and I can kick back for a couple of days worth of animé binging, and then I’m going to watch in a state of legal intoxication. It’s just the kind of show that the brain cells should not be operational. Well, not all of them, anyway. This show is what Bobo Bobobobobo-(oh, whatever) wishes it could be. It’s just so hilariously wrong, on so many levels.

Ex-TSU Boss, 3 Others Indicted

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Breaking news from the Houston Chronicle:

A Harris County grand jury indicted former Texas Southern University President Priscilla Slade today on two charges of criminally misusing university money for her private benefit, officials said.

The grand jury’s three-month investigation also led to indictments for three former TSU employees, including Quintin Wiggins, who earlier this year resigned as chief financial officer, for their roles in making purchases of furniture, landscaping services and a security system for her private residences.

Also indicted were Bruce Wilson, who was senior vice president of administration, and Frederick Holts, the university’s senior safety system engineer.

A Curfew for Thee, But Not For Me

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Mayor White just can’t catch a break in 2006. Now his problems are coming home to roost. Almost literally — last night, his 17 year-old daughter was caught out after curfew — and worse, allegedly DWI. From KHOU-11:

The mayor’s officer confirmed that 17-year-old Elena White was pulled over in the 9800 block of Memorial Drive around 12:15 a.m. Monday. Precinct 5 officials said she was spotted because she was driving without her headlights on. She was driving her father’s car, the Toyota Prius.

“It’s a lesson: People shouldn’t be out that late, after 11 o’clock she was pulled over,” Mayor White said while picking up his daughter.

Elena spent her summer as a volunteer, teaching math in a summer program for seventh-graders.

How complete and comprehensive of KHOU, to include that she’s such a giving and caring person as to volunteer to teach 7th graders. But notice what’s missing in this article?

1. Her blood alchohol level.
2. Any mention of charges.

Of course, had the new curfew law passed, at age 17, she wouldn’t have been in violation of that law. There’s still the minor matter of underaged drinking and DWI to boot.

Would it be petty of me to note that if she was inebriated, she should have taken the bus instead of driving? Now, which route runs by the mayor’s house, I wonder?

Update: The Chronicle includes:

Elena Wells White was released from jail early today after posting $500 bail, a standard amount for a first-time DWI arrest. Her first court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 8.

Observation: Obviously, she’s been hanging out with the Bush twins…

But Houston Isn’t a Sanctuary City!

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From KTRK-13:

Conroe police had been getting complaints from business owners, saying day laborers were swarming their customers and blocking entrances. The city has a designated day labor lot, where laborers are allowed to find work. Anywhere else, they say, is against a city ordinance.

So the city went to where the business owners were complaining and started talking to people. Lo, and behold, some of them were breaking more laws that the one against solicitation.

At least 20 people were arrested Thursday. Most of them were undocumented workers and handed over to immigration officials.

Of course, had that occured in the not-a-sanctuary city of Houston, no one would have been handed over to immigration officials, since HPD cannot ask anyone if they’re in the country legally. As a result, they’d have been back on the street, probably in the same place, the next morning.

That’s a Better Record Than Ours

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Via Instapundit:

REAL SIMPLE: George Jonas explains what ought to be obvious:

I’ve stumbled upon the secret of the countries Israel has never bombed or invaded. Different as they may be from one another, they have one thing in common. These countries have never bombed or invaded Israel…No matter how much you detest Israelites in particular, or Jews in general, as long as you can content yourself with calling on God’s wrath to rain down on the Jewish State, and refrain from reinforcing your prayer by supplying missiles to Hezbollah, you can exercise your religious freedom of loathing with no other consequence than perhaps being loathed in return.

It’s so simple. Hell, we haven’t been able to play that nice during any of the last six decades (counting from the current one). But Israel’s record is perfect.

Out of Patience, but Not Out of Time

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Job counselor Ayodele Ogunye of WorkSource, the city’s employment assistance program, said jobless evacuees complain about the overwhelming bus and rail systems that make navigation difficult, or the bureaucratic holdups like professional licenses that are invalid in Texas.

But some of it, Ogunye said, is in their heads. Ogunye said “one does begin to wonder” why so many are still jobless after 10 months. Fellow counselor Melodie Lee was more blunt: “(Katrina) was awful, but let’s move on. It is time you had a Plan B.”

When the bureaucrats whose job it is to help these people start talking like that, instead of trying to find more ways to expand their “empire of entitlement” it’s a clear sign that Houston is tired of its ne’er-do-well “guests”. Considering that my work drive takes me past job-hunting people standing on street corners who were willing to illegally travel across the border (then hundreds of miles on foot) or pay smugglers to bring them here, my sympathy for people willing to walk past help wanted signs to complain that they can’t find any job is somewhat lacking. As is my caring for people who ignore deadlines and are rewarded with more money.

FEMA says thousands of evacuee families received letters informing them about the recertification requirements, but only about 10-percent responded. The agency feared that almost 30,000 evacuees would have to be recertified at the end of August, but because of the extended deadline, that’s no longer the case.

It’s not like no one would take advantage of our generosity if FEMA wants to keep spending the money to keep these useless drones in Houston.

[Houston’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Housing, John] Walsh said the major challenge has been the unexpected number of people who signed up for the program.

“When we started this in September we estimated we would do 10,000 units,” he said. “By the first of October we said it would be 15,000 units. By early November it was more like 30,000 units. We’ve been having to adjust to a much bigger volume than we ever dreamed we would have to do.” — Houston Chronicle, 12/29/05

How much will the city of Houston have to spend in employee salaries to handle Katrina evacuee rent applications and payments? We know that some of our new residents are taking a toll on our (already depleted) police force. And I recall hearing (maybe on a KTRH newsbreak or from Chris Baker) that the vast majority of new applications (in the waning days of the “free” rent and utilities program) were from Katrina evacuees who had been in Houston for three days or less. They hustled down here from wherever they were to get in on the action!

I suppose if they hadn’t extended it, some judge would have forced them to. There’s always some people with more sympathy than sense. As long as it’s our money they’re giving away, anyhow.

Oh well, as long as our new neighbors understand that no one is above the law in Houston, I’m sure they (and our tax money) will get along just fine.