WANT TO PLAN A FAMILY OUTING?
Take a hike—literally. Between state budget cuts and the impact of the drought and wildfires, Texas Parks and Wildlife has a $4.6 million shortfall in its 2012 budget. As the Texas Tribune reported, visitor fees usually fund half of the agency’s annual expenses, but park usage was down 25 percent from last year.
TPWD is taking donations, but the best way to help them out is to just go visit a park. It’s even possible to have a campfire—burn bans have been lifted in some parks after many months.
TRYING TO TALK POLITICS WITH A TEENAGER?
For once, they might know more about Rick Perry than you do. Perry’s recent “Strong” ad, in which he criticized the federal government’s “war on religion,” has turned into an Internet sensation comparable to “Friday.”
Visit the site “Know Your Meme,” host of an extensive library of parody videos and comical Photoshopped images.
CONVINCE YOUR DATE YOU CARE BASEBALL IN THREE SENTENCES
To an Astros fan: “I know it’s gonna be a couple of years before new general manager Jeff Luhnow has any impact. But how cool is it that he was born in Mexico City and speaks Spanish? Plus, you gotta love the way the Angels’ signing of Albert Pujols makes both the Cardinals AND the Rangers suffer.”
To a Rangers fan: “We did just fine without Cliff Lee; we’ll do just fine without C.J. Wilson. And the Angels will regret that Pujols contract eventually. Plus, the Astros are going to be in our division next year, which means a lot more easy wins!”
WHEN SOMEONE MENTIONS BORDER VIOLENCE
Tell them that, for the second year in a row, El Paso came in first in a study ranking the lowest crime rates among cities with more than 500,000 people, according to the El Paso Times.
“When I went on an internship at the Houston Chronicle in 2010, once people found out I was from El Paso they all would ask the same questions,” writes Aaron Martinez at Borderzine. “How dangerous is El Paso? Is it true that the violence has spilled over to El Paso? Do you feel safe over there? A majority of people in El Paso, especially UTEP students, have been directly or indirectly affected by the violence. Although it caused a big emotional effect on people in this region and changed how many people live, it has not affected the safety of our city.”
IF YOU’RE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAME—OR JUST EATING FRITO PIE
Revisit our post from Monday so you can say, “Did you know there’s a place in New York City that puts baked beans in Frito Pie?”
