The Winter Solstice

Not that anyone needs to remind the snowed-in people on the Eastern seaboard, but today is the first day of winter, known as the winter solstice. ...

The bleak news: It's the shortest day of the year, meaning the earth's tilt is at 23.5 degrees. As LiveScience puts it, the top half of the earth will spin on its axis away from the sun. Most of us will experience daylight for only about nine short hours. But it gets worse: The weather will actually get colder. Without sunlight to warm the ocean, temperatures will continue to drop. There is a bright side: From here on out, minute by minute, each day gets a little bit longer. In other words: Countdown to summer. The summer solstice falls around June 21, marking the longest day of the year. Take that, winter. ...

As the Dscriber blog tells it, the winter solstice has been marked since the pre-Christian days about 4,500 years ago. The word "solstice" comes from the Latin "sun stands still," and the rock monument Stonehenge is believed to be one of the ancient sites for the winter ritual. The Guardian reports that archeologists have dug up what looks like the remains of a really big barbeque that could have been a winter solstice fete, shedding more light on the purpose of the mysterious stone structure. But as National Geographic points out, celebrations of the solstice soon got switched out for Christmas, once the Christian religion spread to the West.

Although the dark days of winter are upon us, it could be so much darker. If you happen to reside in the North Pole (Santa and reindeers, we're looking at you), you haven't seen the light of day since early October. And, sorry to say, you won't until March.

Pre-Christmas Wrangle

Only three (and maybe one-half) shopping days left before Christmas. Have you finished reading the Texas Progressive Alliance's highlights from the blogs?

As the deadline to file for a place on the 2010 March primary ballot drew near, there was lots of activity on the Democratic side: Kinky Friedman followed Hank Gilbert over to the race for agriculture commissioner, Linda Chavez-Thompson was rumored to be running for lt. governor, and, late on Friday, Ronnie Earle dropped his name in the hat for that same post. There's more on all this news from PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

BARNETT SHALE GAS THREATENS HUMAN HEALTH ! TXsharon posted the final results of the DISH, TX health survey at Bluedaze.

WhosPlayin broke the story about a former Republican county commissioner who got arrested this week for shoplifting a vacuum cleaner.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wonders why some men in power (here, here, here, here and here) think that abusing women and children is their right? Why does Senator Cornyn choose to enable rapists?

Over at Bay Area Houston, John Coby is bored and thinks Kay Bailey Hutchison's commercial sounds like a Whataburger commercial.

Looking for ways to green up your life? Start by making some thoughtful changes to the way you spend your holiday, and check out Texas Vox' Green Up Your Life: Holiday Edition for tips and tricks!

Neil at Texas Liberal wrote about the fifth anniversary of the terrible Indian Ocean tsunami, in Five Years Since Terrible Indian Ocean Tsunamia --People Are Recovering. While many are still suffering from the impact of this killer wave, there are also many who are recovering and getting back their lives.

The folks over at McBlogger are desperate for your help! Find out how you can do them a solid when you help get a planet named for the blog!

Xanthippas at Three Wise Men covers the utter failure of tort "reform" in Texas (with a h/t to John Coby.)

The Texas Cloverleaf highlights the charge against the Denton County district attorney's office of racial discrimination and harassment in the workplace.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson writes on the fact that elected Texas Republicans still have no sensible ideas about how to pay for roads in the post Dewhurst and transportation funding.

Off the Kuff took a look at precinct data in the Houston mayoral runoff.

lightseeker has a question for you over at TexasKaos: Is Arnold's California a harbinger of our nations' future? Check out his analysis in Deadlock, facts , partisans --Is California a foretaste of 0ur collective future?

XicanoPwr reports that anti-immigration grinches are wanting to replace dreams of success with a lumps of coal by filing a lawsuit challenging Texas' DREAM Act, the statute that allows undocumented students to pay in-state rates, provided they meet certain criteria. Their grinch-like behavior would rather punish these extremely vulnerable students for the sins of their undocumented parents instead of rewarding them for wanting to contribute to our society by making college tuition a bit more affordable, since they already are ineligible for financial aid.

Justin at Asian American Action Fund Blog is excited that Houston has one of the first hospital Asian care units in the nation.

Sunday Funnies

Ronnie Earle for Lt. Governor *updates*

Harvey Kronberg, about three hours ago...

FORMER TRAVIS COUNTY D.A. RONNIE EARLE FILES TO RUN FOR LT GOVERNOR

No details. More here as I find them elsewhere. A blockbuster of a development, to be certain. Earle is highly prized by Texas progressives as the kind of candidate we would seek anywhere on the ballot, and has been rumored previously for both governor and attorney general. His filing for the state's #2 job fills a vacancy on the ballot and injects more excitement into an already-enthusiastic 2010 campaign. Should Linda Chavez-Thompson also contest the primary, then Democrats would have choices to make for three executive offices -- governor, lt. governor, and agriculture commissioner.

The Texas Tribune:

Earle filed with the Texas Democratic Party late Friday evening. So far, he is the only lite gov candidate to do so.

(He) served as Travis County DA from from 1976 until his retirement at the end of 2008, made national headlines in 2005 when he filed campaign finance fraud charges against U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

Austin American-Statesman's Postcards blog:

Earle brings a higher profile than the other potential candidates after a career of noteworthy and notorious prosecutions that drew attention far beyond Travis County, including the still-pending case against GOP powerhouse Tom DeLay.

FWST's PoliTex:

With no advance notice, Earle quietly filed his paperwork at state Democratic headquarters late Friday. He said he plans a formal announcement after the holidays, when he will spell out his campaign themes.

Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has filed for re-election. Austin deli owner Marc Katz has also announced for the post as a Democrat.

Earle took a wait-until-later approach when asked his views on Dewhurst's performance in the job. But he hinted at his likely plan of attack by saying, "The idea of government by a few doesn't sit well with me."

DMN's Trail Blazers:

Ronnie Earle's entry into the 2010 election sweepstakes recalls his legal clash more than a decade against Kay Bailey Hutchison - and her political guru, Karl Rove. Rove was Hutchison's political adviser in 1993 when a grand jury under Earle's direction indicted her. Earle was the Travis County district attorney at the time. Hutchison was accused of using her state treasury office for partisan politics, but she was acquitted amid a full-court press by Hutchison's legal and political team. Hutchison. When a judge during pre-trial hearings ruled that some evidence against her couldn't be admitted, Earle gave up before going to trial. Hutchison was declared innocent.


Rove took an active part in the pretrial proceedings. He directed Karen Hughes - then executive director of the Texas Republican Party - to denounce Earle daily. Hutchison spokesman David Beckwith - at Rove's direction - trumpeted the message that Earle was a politically motivated prosecutor.

(Above: Rove & Beckwith at the time working on Team Hutchison).

And Rove took the stand during a pretrial hearing to paint Earle as a publicity hound. Rove accused Earle - falsely - of notifying the media in advance to maximize publicity of a raid on the treasurer's office by investigators. Rove said he was told by a newspaper reporter that Earle gave advance notice of the raid. In fact, the reporter learned of the raid the same way others in the press corps did - from Hutchison employees once the raid was already underway.

At any event, Rove's an informal Hutchison adviser in her gubernatorial bid. There's a possibility that that Earle and Hutchison could both find themselves on the ballot next November. If both won, it would mean Republican Gov. Hutchison would be working with Democratic Lt. Gov. Earle as presiding officer in the Senate.