10.31.07
Posted in News at 10:21 am by Paloma Cruz
The Houston Chronicle staff list their picks for best horror flicks.
Lana Berkowitz picks “Die, Monster, Die! (1965) / Planet of the Vampires (1965)”
Syd Kearney & Louis B. Parks pick “Alien (1979)”
Andrew Dansby picks, of all things, “Evil Dead 2 (1987)”
Eric Harrison picks “The Sixth Sense (1999)” (with which I agree)
Tracy Scott picks “Audition (1999)” which I’ve never seen
Andy Olin picks “The Shining (1980)”
The Houston Press has this post:
Halloween: The haunting score, the moment
Laurie Strode looks out the window of her high school classroom and
sees Michael Meyers standing in broad daylight staring at her, Donald
Pleasence’s weird little accent, the scene in the closet between Laurie
and Michael. This is a perfect scary movie from start to finish.
Suspiria: When little Suzy Banyon arrives
at a prestigious dancing school, she has no idea what’s in store for
her. Italian director Dario Argento has created a masterpiece of horror
with bizarre camera and lighting effects and an obsession with the
color red. You’ll never walk your dog alone again after this one.
Rosemary’s Baby: Mia Farrow plays the
paranoid pregnant mother of Satan’s spawn with such a mix of fear and
despair it made me want to get my tubes tied. Artsy effects mixed with
a weird theme song (sung by Farrow herself) and Sidney Blackmer and
Ruth Gordon as the nosiest neighbors ever add up to a total frightfest.
This is not a dream, this is really happening!
Scream: Scary and ironic at the same time,
which is a hard one to pull off. Wes Craven filled the movie with so
many inside jokes that horror movie fans needed to watch it at least
three times to catch all the references. Yummy!
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The original, of
course. It’s got odd moments of humor, and Houston’s own Marilyn Burns
as the sole survivor kicks total ass! The blood on her face and body
was really hers as she was filmed being chased through the woods by
Leatherface. She earns every letter of the title Scream Queen. My heart
races just thinking about it.
Which do you think is the scariest movie ever?
Permalink
Posted in News at 9:46 am by Paloma Cruz
Astrodome plan could be doomed
Rodeo officials and Houston Texans say no to the $450 million makeover
– Houston Chronicle2
The $450 million plan to reinvent the Reliant Astrodome as an
upscale convention hotel may have hit a wall Tuesday when the Texans
and Houston rodeo officials came out against it.
The Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s contracts may
give them veto power over new development at Reliant Park. Also, a
letter of intent signed by the county and Astrodome Redevelopment Corp.
requires the company to get the Texans and the rodeo to sign off on the
project.
An official with the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp.,
which oversees operations at Reliant Park, said Tuesday that the county
attorney’s office was researching that provision.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks
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10.29.07
Posted in News at 2:24 pm by Paloma Cruz
Interesting news from Bloomberg.com:
Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts was the top recipient of private donations among U.S. arts organizations in 2006, with a total of $185.8 million, according to a survey by the Chronicle of Philanthropy released today.
[snip]
Permalink
Posted in News at 8:38 am by Paloma Cruz
The Houston Chronicle reports:
Texas ranks among the worst in the nation when it comes to women and children 17 and younger living without health insurance.
Our state trails only Florida and North Carolina in the number of children on waiting lists for state child-care assistance.
It’s also one of 19 states, including Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, without laws guaranteeing job protection or benefits for new parents working in the private sector.
Those statistics and a host of other dismal numbers will direct the conversations at a free one-day symposium on family-friendly policies in Texas on Nov. 14 at the University of Houston.
[snip]
Resources:
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks
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10.27.07
Posted in News at 10:21 am by Paloma Cruz
City plans for new park on east end
– Houston Business Journal
The Houston Parks Board has acquired 27 parcels of land worth $1.2
million to create a park along Brays Bayou in Houston’s East End.
[snip]
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10.25.07
Posted in News at 8:35 am by Paloma Cruz
Today’s Houston Chronicle has a story where city leaders are asked to rate how green Houston is on a scale of 1 to 10. Find out what they think.
Resources:
Permalink
10.24.07
Posted in News at 9:58 pm by Paloma Cruz
The New York Times has a great story about Tex-Mex food. Kevin Whited is correct in writing “There’s no way to do it justice with an excerpt. Just go read.” It’s a great read.
Permalink
Posted in News at 9:43 am by Paloma Cruz
Kudos to Jan and Dan Duncan for donating $50 million to the Texas Children’s Hospital. This is the largest donation ever given to this hospital.
My nephew was recently hospitalized and stayed at Texas Children’s. The facilities and staff at top notch. Nice to see that their ongoing quality care is being recognized.
$50 million donated to Texas Children’s
Duncans’ gift is largest ever for the hospital
– Houston Chronicle2
A Houston couple with a history of philanthropy set another record Tuesday, giving $50 million to Texas Children’s Hospital.
The gift by Jan and Dan Duncan, the largest ever given to the hospital, will allow for the launch of an institute to study and treat pediatric neurological disorders. It will fund collaborative research, education and identification of new treatments for disorders including autism, epilepsy and cerebral palsy, as well as learning disorders.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire after a few weeks
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Posted in News at 9:33 am by Paloma Cruz
Pitfall lurking as foes target bonds?
Legal success in Waller County may have ripple effect on HISD
– Houston Chronicle2
A legal battle in Waller County over a $49.3 million school bond
continues to threaten construction projects and has left some wondering
whether the case will have a chilling effect on neighboring districts
that also have contested bond elections.
Despite voters approving the Waller Independent School District
measure this spring and a judge declaring the election legal earlier
this month, the Texas Attorney General’s Office says the money won’t be
distributed until the plaintiffs exhaust their appeals — illustrating
how a small group of critics can jeopardize school construction.
[snip]
Critics of Waller’s bond are upset that a black neighborhood school
would receive only $270,000 for repairs, less than 1 percent of the
bond. They also say they will help lobby against the controversial $805
million bond that the Houston Independent School District is asking
voters to approve Nov. 6.
None of the vocal opponents to the Houston bond has committed to filing a lawsuit, but they’re not ruling it out either.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire after a few weeks
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10.22.07
Posted in News at 10:35 am by Paloma Cruz
I didn’t pack my coat when I went to work today. That seems to be a mistake. I did bring my umbrella, and am glad. Wet winter weather arrives in Houston today. Let’s see if it’s mild enough to enjoy.
Temperature drop today to bring winter to Houston
– Houston Chronicle2
A cold front swept into Harris County this morning, bringing thunderstorms and creating a 10-degree temperature difference between Houston’s two major airports at 9:45 a.m.
[snip]
The front was passing over Bush and expected to drop temperatures in the area into the 60s and below by the lunch hour, National Weather Service meteorologist Wendy Wong said. Overnight lows into the lower 50s could persist through most of the week.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire after a few weeks
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