Ideas Spread

TEDx is on the move: Heading to the new Asia Society Center with a new date

Chapter three: TEDxHouston grows up.

The popular day-long local conference modeled after big TED — meaning technology, entertainment and design — founded in California is celebrating its milestone third-year anniversary this week, but without a knowledge-a-thon to speak of. Organized by the brains at Culture Pilot Javier Fadul and Grace Rodriguez, who have a tendency to keep things quiet, TEDxHouston is shifting to the fall from its usual summer spot and has found a new location.

Save the date for TEDxHouston: Resonate on Nov. 3. The event will move from its old home at the University of Houston's Lyndall Finley Theater to Asia Society Texas Center's new digs, a venue with a Brown Foundation Performing Arts Theater that seats about 300 less than Finley, but one that offers many other forum areas.

According to the hosts, the theme of "resonance" is a metaphor for the interplay of extreme of dualities like East and West, foreground and background, complexity and simplicity, and inward and outward. The meeting point, where friction and harmony transpire simultaneously, forge a vibrancy of voices and ideas worth spreading that can incite dialogue for progress and change, two tenets that TEDx strives to nurture at all its gatherings.

Like in previous years, expect a lineup of speakers with Houston roots that will posit thoughts aligned with the city's ethos. Attendance is typically curated, so be on the lookout for a registration form. The intellectually curious can apply now for consideration to be a speaker, sponsor or volunteer.

Read recaps on TEDxHouston 2010 and 2011, and last year's TEDxTheWoodlands and TEDxYouth@TheWoodlands.

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no more trips to Colorado

Bill to legalize marijuana in Texas filed by Dallas Democrat

Photo courtesy of Texas Original

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Texas Rep. Jessica González (D-Dallas) has filed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Texas. House Bill 1208 would legalize the cultivation, manufacturing, transportation, and sale of cannabis.

The bill would allow adults 21 and older to use, possess, and transport up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for personal use. Adults could also keep up to 10 ounces of cannabis in their residence, as long as it is stored in a secure location.

Smoking or consuming cannabis while in a public place or in a car on a public road would not be allowed.

Gonzalez filed the bill in mid-November, one in a suite of bills that also included expanding insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization for LGBTQ couples; and requiring landlords to disclose all fees before a rental lease is signed.

Her bill was filed prior to an initiative launched by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on December 4 to ban THC products in Texas entirely.

In addition to legalizing recreational use, the bill also makes provisions for its production and sale including requiring that the packaging be child-resistent and clearly labeled, so that it's not confused for candy.

Businesses looking to grow, transport, test, or sell cannabis would need to be licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. A 10 percent tax would be imposed on the sale of all cannabis and cannabis products. Some of the profits would go towards funding public schools.

If passed, the bill would take effect on September 1, 2025.

Medical cannabis is currently legal in Texas under the Texas Compassionate Use Program, which allows low-THC cannabis to be prescribed for conditions such as epilepsy, MS, autism, cancer, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Some cities have also approved decriminalization for the possession of four ounces or less of marijuana, including Austin, Bastrop, Dallas, Denton, Elgin, Killeen, and Lockhart.

politics marijuana