The State of Texas: May 14, 2015

Quote of the Day

“I’ve never seen the chamber be so disrespectful … When we’re discussing rape and incest”

– Representative Celia Isreal during a late-night vote in which House members casually passed a bill effectively barring minors from getting abortions under any circumstance.

Daily Roundup

Hell Hath No Fury – Talk about a backlash. After it was reported that the City of Austin held a training session to prep everyone for a female-majority council (because women be so crazy), “the seven women of the Austin City Council stood shoulder-to-shoulder” in front of the media to express their shock and dismay, according to the Austin American-Statesman. It’s no wonder either. “The characterization of women as not having an interest in financial arguments, asking too many questions and requiring different interactions than men is unacceptable. Our community is beyond the archaic rhetoric used in this training,” said Council Member Delia Garza. The city manager who brought in the two stupid and offensive speakers said he was “offended and embarrassed by what I saw in the video.” The two speakers released a statement that “accused the Statesman of taking their comments out of context, and said their presentation was intended to help city staffers adjust their communication and management styles, not to diminish or minimize women.” Perhaps next week there’ll be a presentation on mainsplaining.

Bargain Bin – Despite spiraling into bankruptacy because of an antiquated business model, RadioShack’s name is still apparently worth something. Standard General, the hedge fund that bought the company’s remains said “it prevailed in an auction held this week at a law office in New York for the chain’s brand name, a trove of customer data and other intellectual property with a bid of $26.2 million,” according to Bloomberg News. That customer data was and is a hot topic of conversation (and probably the real reason for the price tag). Thirty-seven state attorneys general raised objections to the willy-nilly sale of the information. “RadioShack and Standard General will mediate with the states to resolve their concerns.” That information includes “8.5 million email addresses, 67 million complete customer name and physical address files.” The hedge fund said “it has committed to maintaining RadioShack’s strict privacy policies, which prohibit the sale of customer data,” which is curious since that’s exactly what happened.

Desperate Times – Those who really need their Blue Bell fix might have a few options. As with all black markets, however, there might be a few risks. Last month, a man tried to auction off his Blue Bell ice cream on eBay (the site took down his listing). That hasn’t stopped people from looking for alternative sources on the place you can get almost anything – Craigslist. “Listed as a ‘collectible,’ a half pint of Homemade Vanilla is currently available on the community classifieds site for $2,000. The owner is even able to verify that it’s disease free because he ate half of it five months ago for ‘quality control’ and then kept in a ‘high grade stainless steel freezer for the best possible collectors quality,’” according to the Statesman. The market demand is apparently pretty high. Either that or the seller has a poor grasp of the basic principle as (s)he “is also considering a trade for the half-pint with a Corvette Stingray or home in Hyde Park.” That last part may be a joke but who wouldn’t give their first born child for a spoonful of Blue Bell?