Category: Uncategorized

This from DailyCandy.com (and no I’m not a regular reader):

Take a baby step toward redemption with the Toilet Lid Sink. Just switch your regular toilet lid for this easy-to-install, space-saving, water-conservation device. And consider it an easier way to save water than your current brick-in-tank method.
When you flush as usual, clean water (yes, it’s really clean) automatically spouts through the spigot. So you can, um, wash your hands, er, on the toilet. (Hey! It’s efficient water use!) Everything then drains at the same time.

Basically the toilet uses water from the sink to flush out the toilet.
Not bad, just a little creepy. The cost is $89.

With each flush of your commode, clean water that would otherwise go straight down the toilet is first routed up through a chrome gooseneck spigot to dispense pure water for hand washing. The Toilet Lid Sink installs easily without tools, is attractive for any bathroom and is a great space saver. Shuts off automatically. Porcelain-like white plastic replaces your existing tank top and adjusts to fit standard toilets up to 8in wide and 18-22in long. Built-in soap dish. Overhang varies up to 1.5in.

Mandy says it’s disgusting and washing hands and toilet use shouldn’t be combined – at least not in the same fixture. “You should wash your hands – just not in the toilet.” Although she said it might encourage more people to wash their hands.

Matt and I are moving today and my truck is still in the shop.
It’s been a story from a heck for sure.
I won’t go into all the details, but the shop didn’t start working on it until this morning – mainly because the tow truck driver showed up 90 minutes late and then he locked my keys in my truck so the shop couldn’t get to it first thing yesterday.
Oh boy. Oh boy.
So, as soon as I head out of the office I’ll be lugging furniture and goodies up and down the stairs from our current pad to the new pad downtown.
Holla if you want to help.

Texas Comptroller and independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn released information last week found during her investigation into possible Medicaid prescription drug fraud and abuse about the deaths, poisonings, rapes and pregnancies of children in the state’s foster care system.
“In April 2004 I said I would give our forgotten children in foster care something they need – a voice,” Strayhorn said. “I have been and I will continue to be their voice. This Governor’s Health and Human Services Commission continues to stonewall my investigation and this Governor continues to hide the truth.”
According to Strayhorn, she urged Gov. Rick Perry to create a Family and Protective Services Crisis Management Team in October 2004.
“Now it is June 2006,” Strayhorn said. “Gov. Perry’s failure to act is unconscionable.”
Strayhorn found, from information provided by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, in FY 2003, 30 foster children died in our state’s care; in FY 2004, 38 foster children died; and in FY 2005, 48 foster children died.
Data shows that while the number of foster children in the state’s care increased 24 percent from 26,133 in FY 2003 to 32,474 in FY 2005, the number of deaths increased 60 percent.
“If you compare the number of deaths of children in our state’s population to the number of deaths in our state’s foster care system, a child is four times more likely to die in our state’s foster care system,” Strayhorn said.
Perry’s campaign said Strayhorn was simply exploiting child tragedies for political gain.
“In 2005 the Texas legislature passed, and Gov. Perry signed, SB 6 which provided comprehensive reform to the Child Protective Services (CPS) agency and addressed the concerns outlined by experts and even Carole Strayhorn’s own 2004 report,” Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Robert Black said. “With her support evaporating, her poll numbers dropping and her campaign stagnating, Carole Strayhorn seems desperate to change the subject and is sadly not above exploiting child tragedies to do it. What a despicable thing to do.”

After the secretary of state certified petitions for independent gubernatorial candidates Kinky Friedman and Carole Strayhorn last week, Gov. Rick Perry’s campaign suggested that the voters in the state have abandoned Strayhorn.
Friedman’s campaign delivered 170,258 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office on May 11. Of those, 81 percent or 137,154 signatures were considered valid.
Strayhorn’s campaign submitted 222,514 signatures of which 49 percent or 108,512 were valid.
“Carole Strayhorn has gotten caught trying to pull another fast one on the people of Texas,” Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Robert Black said. “First she tried to say she had 101 boxes of signatures when in fact she only had 12, and now we know that more than half of the signatures she turned in were not even valid. It is obvious that her shrill act is wearing thin with Texans because now even Kinky Friedman has more support than Carole Strayhorn. After abandoning two political parties and two philosophies for her own political ambition, it appears Texans have had enough and have abandoned Carole Strayhorn.”

According to Kinky’s website, his poll numbers are still on the rise:

The polls around Texas continue to reflect the mood of the state–and everyone’s in the mood for Kinky. Check out these Texas Monthly and KRLD-Dallas/Fort Worth (below) polls, which show our candidate in the lead with very healthy margins.
Also, a new SurveyUSA poll of likely voters also shows Kinky gaining 5 percent, while Gov. Perry drops a few percentage points.
Last but not least, the Kinkster stares out from the cover of the latest issue of Texas Monthly dressed as Uncle Sam, challenging one and all: “I want YOU to say ‘adios mo-fo!'”
Amen.

From Chris Bell’s blog:

Holy freaking cow. You guys are incredible. Not only have you knocked out our $25,000 online fundraising drive with more than 24 hours left to go, and not only have you pushed Chris Bell back up into second place in the Map Changer contest, but you just reached an important milestone in the growth of the Texas netroots:
This afternoon, your online donations pushed our total online receipts over the $200,000 mark. Since the beginning of this campaign, Chris Bell has now raised $208,907.59 over ChrisBell.com. This is an incredible accomplishment that shows how your donations can add up to rival the biggest checks that anyone gets.

Also from e-mail:

“Raising $200,000 in small donations over the internet shows why Chris Bell can win this race,” Stanford said. “He’s got the support of the Texas Democratic Party, the endorsement of the Texas AFL-CIO, and the most successful online fundraising campaign in Texas political history. Texans are giving their dollars over the Internet because they want change in Texas, and Chris Bell is going to give it to them.”