10.26.05
Posted in News at 1:18 am by Paloma Cruz
Recent changes in the law have made it harder for you to file for bankruptcy.
Tougher Bankruptcy Law Takes Effect
Law Requires Mandatory Credit Counseling
– reported by Click2Houston.com
[snip]… it’s tougher to file for personal bankruptcy.
[snip]
The new law makes it harder to liquidate. Those filing have to meet certain income requirements.
In addition, anyone wanting to file will have to undergo credit counseling and produce documents including tax returns, pay stubs and statements from their creditors.
The idea behind the new law is to prevent abuse of the bankruptcy system.
[snip]
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Posted in News at 1:16 am by Paloma Cruz
A little cross-posting, sort of, highlighting recent news coverage of a proposed change to the Texas constitution regulating marriage.
For those of you who haven’t been paying attention, the proposition is supposed to limit the guidelines of a marriage as that between one man and one woman. However, there are some problems with the amendment (beyond the spirit of it, which I won’t even attempt to address right now).
Group says Prop 2 language could threaten traditional marriage
– reported by KTRK ABC Channel 13
Opponents of Proposition 2, which would amend the Texas constitution to define marriage as being only between one man and one woman, warned Monday the proposition could nullify traditional marriages.
[snip]
The group points to the language of the proposed amendment that says the state is prohibited from “creating or recognizing any legal status identical or similar to marriage.” That, the group says, could be interpreted by a judge to mean traditional or common law marriage is invalid.
[snip]
PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
Same-sex marriage tops list before voters
Taxes, property and bail issues are also to be decided in Nov. 8 election
– reported by the Houston Chronicle1
Texans will cast ballots Nov. 8 on nine proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution, only one of which has received much attention or scrutiny: Proposition 2, which would prohibit same-sex marriage.
[snip]
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Reminders:
- Houston Chronicle links expire after a few days because they’re archived. If you want to access these articles after that, you either have to be a subscriber or go to the Houston Public Library and access the database using your Library Power Card.
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Posted in News at 12:40 am by Paloma Cruz
Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks dead at 92
– reported by KHOU CBS Channel 112
On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Ala, a black woman refused to relinquish her seat on a city bus so a white man could sit there.
Rosa Lee Parks, the quiet, gentle woman who made the gesture during a time of blatant discrimnation, died Monday at the age of 92.
In 1955, Jim Crow laws in place since the post-Civil War Reconstruction required separation of the races in buses, restaurants and public accommodations throughout the South, while legally sanctioned racial discrimination kept blacks out of many jobs and neighborhoods in the North.
[snip]
1913 ROSA PARKS 2005
‘Mother of the civil rights movement‘
– reported by the Houston Chronicle
Rosa Lee Parks, whose refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man sparked the modern civil rights movement, died Monday. She was 92.
[snip]
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Reminders:
- Houston Chronicle links expire after a few days because they’re archived. If you want to access these articles after that, you either have to be a subscriber or go to the Houston Public Library and access the database using your Library Power Card.
- KHOU CBS Channel 11 requires a registration, free.
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10.24.05
Posted in News at 12:52 am by Paloma Cruz
Tuition costs still rising — so is student debt
More federal aid is coming in form of loans, not grants
– reported by the Houston Chronicle1
Tuition and fees at the nation’s public universities climbed an average of 7 percent this year, continuing an upward trend but at a slower pace than the past five years [snip]
In Texas, tuition and fees increased by 6 percent this year, climbing to $4,830 annually for four-year universities and $1,510 annually for two-year community colleges. State lawmakers allowed public universities to set their own tuition levels two years ago, which led to record increases.
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Reminders:
- Houston Chronicle links expire after a few days because they’re archived. If you want to access these articles after that, you either have to be a subscriber or go to the Houston Public Library and access the database using your Library Power Card.
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Posted in News at 12:52 am by Paloma Cruz
Texas students competitive on math test, trailing in reading
– reported by the Associated Press at ABC KTRK Channel 13
Eighth-grade students in Texas also outscored the national average on the math portion, but trailed on the reading test. Texas fourth-graders scored slightly higher in reading than the national average score.
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10.19.05
Posted in News at 10:50 pm by Paloma Cruz
A couple of news items with info about higher bills, and tips on how to lower them:
- Lowering energy bills is easy with a few new habits, from KHOU CBS Channel 112. “There are easy things you can do around your home to keep the inside cool. Adding insulation in the attic, walls, floors and crawlspace will cut your electric bill by one-third. That’s a good thing to know since only 20 percent of homes built before 1980 are well insulated.”
- Save gas on the road with a few easy steps, from KHOU CBS Channel 112. “Houstonians love their cars, and it’s no secret they’re paying the price at the pumps, but there are some things that can be done to cut gasoline costs.”
* * *
Reminders:
- Houston Chronicle links expire after a few days because they’re archived. If you want to access these articles after that, you either have to be a subscriber or go to the Houston Public Library and access the database using your Library Power Card.
- KHOU CBS Channel 11 requires a registration, free.
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