Mattsapundit

Here’s another example of your tax dollars at “work,” but hopefully not for long:

The Houston City Council postponed funding for a cable public-access channel Wednesday amid debate about whether it would be censorship for the city to limit programming that one councilwoman labeled “obscene.”

The decision delays about $800,000 for the channel — a public forum allowing anyone to host a show — until a council committee holds a hearing within two weeks.

At issue, Councilwoman Addie Wiseman said, is what she described as a profanity-laced comedy routine that aired during a recent early-morning broadcast on the channel, called Houston MediaSource.

For the record, public-access television is bad. I mean really, really bad. How bad, you ask? So bad that even people who make their living on it refuse to watch it:

Shows aren’t viewed before they air, said Patti Garlinghouse, the channel’s executive director, because the purpose is to promote and encourage free speech.

Garlinghouse said she doesn’t know whether any programming includes nudity.

She said she doesn’t watch because it’s not her job to judge the content.

Yep. Public-access television sucks.

Except for this show.

Matt Bramanti | June 30, 2005 at 2:34 pm
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I usually laugh whenever I see a copy of Weekly World News. It’s full of ridiculous stories — the 100-pound baby, UFO abductions of Elvis, and of course, Bat Boy. But this isn’t funny at all:

It was an ugly story, purportedly about the 10 ugliest people in the world.

One of the listings was Phoenix police Officer Jason Schechterle, who was tragically burned and disfigured four years ago when a taxicab rammed into his police cruiser.

On Monday, at a Phoenix City Hall news conference, the parent company of the supermarket tabloid that ran the story offered up an apology and a “significant” donation to the charity of Schechterle’s choice to avoid a lawsuit.

Let’s hear from the paper’s spokesman, who apparently said the following with a straight face:

“American Media stands for quality journalism,” Zakim said.

Uh-huh.

Matt Bramanti | June 28, 2005 at 5:46 pm
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What goes around comes around:

Could a hotel be built on the land owned by Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter? A new ruling by the Supreme Court which was supported by Justice Souter himself itself might allow it. A private developer is seeking to use this very law to build a hotel on Souter’s land.

Justice Souter’s vote in the “Kelo vs. City of New London” decision allows city governments to take land from one private owner and give it to another if the government will generate greater tax revenue or other economic benefits when the land is developed by the new owner.

On Monday June 27, Logan Darrow Clements, faxed a request to Chip Meany the code enforcement officer of the Towne of Weare, New Hampshire seeking to start the application process to build a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road. This is the present location of Mr. Souter’s home.

Clements, CEO of Freestar Media, LLC, points out that the City of Weare will certainly gain greater tax revenue and economic benefits with a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road than allowing Mr. Souter to own the land.

The proposed development, called “The Lost Liberty Hotel” will feature the “Just Desserts Café” and include a museum, open to the public, featuring a permanent exhibit on the loss of freedom in America. Instead of a Gideon’s Bible each guest will receive a free copy of Ayn Rand’s novel “Atlas Shrugged.”

Heh. Also, take a look at the fax Mr. Clements sent to the City of Weare.

Matt Bramanti | June 28, 2005 at 1:04 pm
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He hates me too.

Are you a Republican? If so, Howard Dean hates you. Now your chest can proclaim that message! A website called HowardDeanHatesMe.com is selling t-shirts and bumper stickers emblazoned with the message. Why? I’ll let the proprietor explain:

If you’re a Republican, that means Howard hates you. If you’re a Democrat, it means you have a party leader who is alienating people right and left, and flushing political discourse right down the toilet.

Hutus HATE Tutsis. Nazis HATE Jews. Sunnis HATE Shiites. If Democrats now hate Republicans, we’re in big trouble.

If you’re offended that Howard hates you, you should buy some of this stuff and let the world know how you feel. If you’re offended that your party’s leadership has sunk to this level, you should call Howard and give him a piece of your mind (he could use it).

This should not be confused with ex-XFL player Rod “He Hate Me” Smart. That guy’s a Renaissance genius compared to Howard Dean.

Matt Bramanti | June 27, 2005 at 3:43 pm
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Yet again, the Chronicle’s fetish for light rail colors its news reporting. Here’s the headline:

Houston rides high in rail, bus contest

Here’s the story:

Light rail train operators and maintenance crews from the Metropolitan Transit Authority took sixth place in a June 7 competition in Pittsburgh with those from 13 other cities.

Not bad, considering Metro has had less than two years experience with rail transit.

Forgive me if I don’t consider a 6th place finish to be “riding high.” I would characterize that result as “middling,” “mediocre,” or “about average.” And what’s with that “not bad” line, rationalizing Metro’s middling performance? Could we leave editorial judgements on the editorial page?

It sounds like the contest — at least the bus portion — was interesting:

In the agency’s bus “Roadeo,” which includes fine maneuvering, parking and an obstacle course, plus diagnosing and repairing mechanical problems, Metro’s Charlie Kennedy again topped the bus operator competition. Kennedy, who drives the 137 Northshore Express, won the Best Operator in North America title in Las Vegas in 2002.

Congratulations to Mr. Kennedy. Hopefully Metro won’t cut your route.

Matt Bramanti | June 27, 2005 at 3:05 pm
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Our beloved hometown rag today has a story on PhotoBlocker, a spray that supposedly renders license plates invisible to red light cameras:

But before Phantom Plate Inc. can start counting its money in Houston, it may face a battle in the City Council or the Legislature.Houston Police Department Lt. Robert Manzo said the city may want to consider an ordinance or a state law against PhotoBlocker.

“So people are already gearing up to defeat the system, huh?” Manzo asked. “We’re not happy to hear this product is available and already being marketed to Houston before the cameras are even installed. This is obviously going to be a concern, and it may be something we have to address with the Legislature.”

The gloss, which is unnoticeable to the naked eye, renders photographs useless in identifying plate numbers.

The product, offered only on the Internet, is legal here and sells for $29.99 for a can containing enough spray to cover four license plates for life.

As we’ve seen many times — like this, this, this and this — the Chron often fails to get a story’s basic facts right. The Photoblocker story is just another example. First of all, the Chronicle might want to learn about the product before parroting PhotoBlocker’s marketing claims. Atlanta’s NBC affiliate found that those claims might be overblown:

The company that reviews the pictures taken from the cameras says they haven’t seen any cases yet where a license plate has been illegible because of glare, possibly because Gwinnett County’s cameras use laser technology and do not employ a flash.

Second, the product is not available only on the Internet. Photoblocker’s site reveals that the company sells its products on-line, via mail-order, over the phone, and through a network of dealers.

Third, use of this product already appears to be illegal under the Texas Transportation Code, Section 502.409:

§ 502.409. WRONG, FICTITIOUS, ALTERED, OR OBSCURED LICENSE PLATE. (a) A person commits an offense if the person attaches to or displays on a motor vehicle a number plate or registration insignia that:

(7) has a coating, covering, or protective material that:

(A) distorts angular visibility or detectability;

In five minutes, this unpaid blogger turned up the facts. Why can’t a multi-million-dollar enterprise like the Chronicle, with its professional journalists and editorial hierarchy, do the same thing?

Matt Bramanti | June 27, 2005 at 2:46 pm
Posted to Crime, Media, Humor, Stupidity

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