My opinion

Houston, we have a problem — no Republican presidential candidate supportsfederal funding for NASA

There was a fairly large brouhaha recently over the decision to give one of the retired shuttle orbiters to New York City instead of Houston. Politicians were up in arms; a radio talk show host bought billboards claiming Houston was “insulted” and letters to the editors screamed about how Obama hates Texas and he needs to go.

So it was with great interest during Monday night’s Republican debate when the question of funding NASA was raised. Were those crickets I heard in the background? Not a single candidate indicated they were in favor of continuing to fund NASA. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich had the strongest argument against NASA saying it had “become an absolute case study in why bureaucracy cannot innovate.”

Now I won’t claim to be an expert on whether or not the private sector can do a better job (although one wonders if they would charge an astronaut a baggage fee, or let them sit in an emergency exit row for an additional charge).

No, my question is how did we get here? There must be somebody to blame. Will there be outrage? Will radio talk show hosts put up new billboards screaming bloody hell? Even Congressman Ron Paul whose district butts up against the Johnson Space Center did not raise his hand, but nobody really takes him seriously do they? What is a Texan to think?

So what will happen to the engineers and scientists currently employed at NASA? Those jobs will probably be outsourced to the private sector. The good news is that Texas is leading the country in new jobs (albeit those jobs are minimum wage), but I’m sure a NASA engineer will be more than qualified to work the drive thru at McDonalds.

You want fries with that?

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don't get burned

Talented performers fire up new store and training facility in Houston

Supplies for fire performances to open in Houston in 2025.

Photo by Matt Hellman

Kira Bailey performs with fire fingers.

Have you ever wanted to juggle, swallow, or dance with fire? Houston will soon be home for a place that sells the gear and offers lessons in that art.

Chris and Kira Bailey of the Solar Rain Performance Troupe have been firebending for audiences for more than a decade, as well as running their own online store for tools of the trade, TheOddPropShop. In 2025, they plan to open a combination storefront and workshop for Houstonians to enter and practice the fiery arts.

"Having a physical location allows us to connect with our customers on a more personal level that can’t be replicated online — which is especially important for building props that performers must trust with their lives," the Baileys wrote in an email. "Because of that, we’re building this workshop to become a space to create and test products, and invite our customers in when they want custom-made props. We go through a long trial-and-error with each of our new ideas, often using affordable items from Temu to build our prototypes, and then improve our designs until they’re ready to sell."

The space will be located in Kemah and is scheduled to open in the second half of the year. It will be a combination storefront, living space, and workshop area that will serve aspiring fire performers in a variety of ways. The Baileys will sell their signature fire bubblers, fire jump ropes, and sun wheels that are perfect for both professionals and hobbyists.

The brick-and-mortar OddPropShop will serve as a hub for greater Houston's performance community. Interested first timers will be able to take classes, while established performers can try out new routines and equipment. According to the couple, Houston is home to a significant community of fire artists.

"We wanted to be in a city that not only has a great arts scene and supportive creative community, but is also in a location where we could quickly and easily get the materials we needed to build our props," the Baileys wrote. "Houston was the only place that checked all those boxes. We were also personally drawn to Houston because many of our friends and fellow performers live in the city. In many ways, Houston already felt like home."

In addition to the tools of the fire trade, TheOddPropShop will sell costumes and accessories such as leather and stone jewelry. These small pieces of flair help add to the pagan ambience of the overall fire package.

performing-arts shopping fire performers