TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalLargest Federally-Owned Wind Farm to Open Near Amarillo
Texas leads the nation in wind energy production and capacity. Now the federal government is getting in on the action in an effort to clean up its carbon-emitting act.
The Department of Energy announced this week that Texas will be the home of the country’s largest federally-owned wind farm. The farm will be built at the Pantex Plant, which is the nation’s primary site for nuclear weapon maintenance. The plant, located about 20 miles northeast of Amarillo, will have 60 percent of its energy needs met by the farm.
The wind farm will be composed of five turbines spread over 1,500 acres. Its 11.5 megawatt capacity is enough to power 3,500 homes, according to the Department of Energy.
The project is part of an effort to reduce carbon emissions by federal agencies. The Obama administration has set a goal for 20 percent of all federal power consumption to come from clean sources of energy.
More at http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2013/08/16/largest-federally-owned-wind-farm-to-open-near-amarillo/ .
Wife says Michael Brown collects millions in complex 'sham'
While Michael Brown's court-ordered rearrest is pending, his estranged wife has filed a fifth amended petition in their protracted divorce suit.
On July 30, State District Judge Sheri Y. Dean of the 309th family court ordered Brown's arrest after finding him in contempt of court June 28 for failing to let a court official inspect his house in Miami Beach.
The former Houston hand surgeon who previously appeared often in television commercials for the Brown Hand Center has most recently lived in Miami Beach, according to court documents.
As of Friday, no one had paid the fee to activate the "capias" document the judge signed to initiate Brown's arrest, a staff member of the 309th State District court said.
More at http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Wife-says-Michael-Brown-collects-millions-in-4738359.php?cmpid=hpfc .
Police: Man threatened to kill Freebirds employees, blow up buildings
Police have arrested a man accused of threatening to kill everyone Wednesday at a burrito restaurant in South Austin.
Melvin Jones, 43, was booked in the Travis County Jail on Thursday on two charges of making a terrorist threat. He was still in custody Friday with bail set at $20,000.
Jones was at the Freebirds World Burrito on South Lamar near Ben White Boulevard, where his girlfriend works, on Wednesday morning when the woman told her manager that Jones was stalking and harassing her, according to an affidavit for his arrest.
The manager went outside to call 911 when Jones approached him and demanded to know if he was calling the police, the affidavit says. When officers arrived, they couldn’t find Jones, but about 30 minutes later, he started calling the restaurant and asking to speak to the manager.
More at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/police-man-threatened-to-kill-freebirds-employees-/nZQ8X/ .
[font color=green]I'm actually a bit relieved that it is only a stalking incident (although I'm sure that it's terrifying for the girlfriend) instead of something in the burritos like "turned" sour cream. Whew![/font]
Port Arthur ISD Bans Hoodies, Cargo Pants...What's Next, Jorts?
I have never liked dress codes. In fact, I hate them and, to be completely honest, I rarely understand them. For example, why do FBI agents, detectives and the like wear suits and loafers? Wouldn't it make more sense for them to be dressed like ninjas or, at the very least, combat soldiers? Whenever I see someone on a cop drama chasing a perp in a suit and tie, I think, "Dude, put on some running shoes!"
School dress codes are often the worst. They are put in place to "avoid distraction," but the dress code itself almost always leads to more distraction than what a kid is wearing. Granted, I recall my mom, who worked as a guidance counselor for many years, having to send a girl home for wearing a T-shirt that said, "Is that a pistol in your pocket or are you just glad to seem me?" Now, THAT is distracting, but failing edgy tees, hyper short skirts, hot pants and bras for tops (thanks a lot, Sue Ellen Mischke!), most kid's clothing is pretty innocuous.
Now the Port Arthur ISD has decided to enforce a code it says was always in place: no hoodies or cargo pants. ISD spokespeople claim it is for safety since hoodies can block the identification of people on cameras and cargo pants have like 1,000 pockets where kids can store "contraband." They also lean on that old word "distracting," but they might have to ban all kinds of clothing if they stick with this policy.
Look, jackets have a lot of pockets, as do backpacks and bags of all kinds. There are other kinds of pants with multiple pockets -- modern clothing technology at its finest -- so it isn't like cargo pants are the only choice of smugglers.
More at http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2013/08/port_arthur_isd_bans_hoodies_c.php .
People, It's Time For Yet Another Lesson In Concert Etiquette
Listen up, live music fans. It's time for an etiquette lesson. No, not a lesson on how to pour tea or eat crumbly shit without spilling down your blouse. This lesson is on concert etiquette.
Some of you may need it, some of you may not, but I'm sure you know a few people who could brush up on their concert-going skillz. In that case, you can pass this along to them now that you know it exists.
Now put your pinky fingers in the air and follow me. Let's do this. Here are some basic lessons in concert etiquette. We'll all be fancy by the end of this.
10. Don't go to concerts to make out.
That makes everyone uncomfortable. EVERYONE. This isn't a prude thing, it's a PDA-aversion thing. I don't need you rubbing your dude's ass in the two square inches I'm allotted, because somehow you're accidentally(?) feeling me up too, and it's awkward.
Presumably, you are attending said concert in those expensive-ass seats to enjoy the music, not an air-shag, so listen to it and we're all good.
Numbers 1 through 9 are at http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2013/08/its_time_for_a_lesson_in_conce.php .
Researchers Say Texans' Drinking Costs America $16 Billion a Year, Should Have a Drink and Chill
The professional buzz kills at the Centers for Disease Control have no shortage of sobering alcohol statistics to aid their campaign against excessive drinking: 14,000 people die each year in drunk-driving crashes; 36,000 are killed by alcohol-related liver disease, hypertension, and other chronic illnesses; and another 5,500 are killed in drunken falls, mostly on St. Patrick's Day.
But if fear of a painful and completely avoidable death isn't motivation enough for everyday Americans to put down those vodka-bongs, maybe an appeal to their brokeness will do the trick. This week, the CDC came out with a state-by-state breakdown of the $223.5 billion that alcohol abuse costs the country.
Texas, you may or may not be surprised to learn, hits the bottle pretty hard. Not nearly as hard as California, mind you, whose tab was twice that of the Lone Star state, but hard enough to come in second place with $16.5 billion.
That number is the sum of various costs, both direct and indirect. The CDC takes into account increased health care expenses, property damage from fires and car wrecks, crime, extra police and court costs. It also tosses in missed work, reduced earning potential, and productivity losses that occur when workers wind up dead or in jail or are simply nursing hangovers. Taxpayers bear about 40.7 percent of the costs, with drunks and their families picking up a bit more of the tab.
More at http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2013/08/cdc_youre_drunk_texas_and_its.php .
Burns eyes run for Davis’ Senate seat
[div style="width:40%;"]
Joel Burns
FORT WORTH — LGBT Democrats in North Texas now have yet another good reason why state Sen. Wendy Davis should run for governor in 2014.
While Democrats across Texas eagerly await Davis’ announcement about her future plans, gay Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns confirmed this week that he’s thought about running for Davis’ Senate seat if she runs for governor.
Amid the growing support from the Texas Democratic Party and Battleground Texas urging Davis to run in a new “We Want Wendy” campaign, Burns told The Dallas Morning News he’s been approached by operatives about seeking Davis’ District 10 seat.
“It’s something that I have thought about,” Burns told the Morning News. “But until she decides what she wants to do, I can’t give it more than that.”
More at http://www.dallasvoice.com/burns-eyes-run-davis-senate-seat-10155052.html
Cross-posted in LGBT Group.
[font color=green]If elected, Burns would be Texas' first openly gay state senator. Glenn Maxey was the first openly legislator in the House.[/font]
Burns eyes run for Davis’ Senate seat
[div style="width:40%;"]
Joel Burns
FORT WORTH — LGBT Democrats in North Texas now have yet another good reason why state Sen. Wendy Davis should run for governor in 2014.
While Democrats across Texas eagerly await Davis’ announcement about her future plans, gay Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns confirmed this week that he’s thought about running for Davis’ Senate seat if she runs for governor.
Amid the growing support from the Texas Democratic Party and Battleground Texas urging Davis to run in a new “We Want Wendy” campaign, Burns told The Dallas Morning News he’s been approached by operatives about seeking Davis’ District 10 seat.
“It’s something that I have thought about,” Burns told the Morning News. “But until she decides what she wants to do, I can’t give it more than that.”
More at http://www.dallasvoice.com/burns-eyes-run-davis-senate-seat-10155052.html
Cross-posted in Texas Group.
[font color=green]If elected, Burns would be Texas' first openly gay state senator. Glenn Maxey was the first openly legislator in the House.[/font]
Congratulations are in order...
Retired Southwestern University chemistry professor Robert Soulen is a new fellow at the American Chemical Society, the national organization announced Thursday. Mr. Soulen, who worked at the liberal arts college from 1964 to 1996 and was chair of the chemistry department for 20 years, will be honored at the national convention of the ACS on September 9 in Indianapolis.
Source: http://wilcosun.com/
[font color=green]Dr. Soulen is still highly regarded as a professor at Southwestern University. He is a very genial man and was liked by nearly all of his students. He was one of the professors that encouraged his students to strive to achieve their best and I can say that I felt the disappointment of letting him down whenever I knew that I could have done better. He still remembered who I was when I last saw him at Homecoming about 15 years after I graduated.
In addition to his career in chemistry, Dr. Soulen has a wonderful baritone voice and participated in the opera "Curlew River" by Benjamin Britten that was recorded at the Lois Perkins Chapel on campus and later shown on PBS during the 1980s.
I had Dr. Soulen as an instructor in Organic Chemistry and Adsorption Spectroscopy--two of the most difficult classes in my college career and those classes required significant amounts of time in the laboratory, the library and for general study. Congratulations for this recognition by the ACS.[/font]
Ferry sinks after collision in Philippines; 5 dead
Source: AP
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A ferry with nearly 700 people aboard sank near the central Philippine port of Cebu on Friday night after colliding with a cargo vessel, killing at least five people. Hundreds of others were rescued.
The captain of the ferry MV Thomas Aquinas ordered the ship abandoned after it began listing and then sank after hitting the cargo vessel, coast guard officer Joy Villegas said.
She said at least five people were confirmed dead, more than 250 rescued and authorities were still checking the number of others who had been taken to hospitals.
Two coast guard vessels and other nearby ships were involved in the rescue operation not far from the port of Cebu, Villegas said.
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/world/article/Ferry-sinks-after-collision-in-Philippines-5-dead-4737733.php
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
Home country: United States
Current location: Bryan, Texas
Member since: Sun Aug 14, 2011, 03:57 AM
Number of posts: 112,592
