The 82nd annual meeting of the US Conference of Mayors wraps up today in Dallas. The organization of mayors from cities with populations of 30 thousand or more meets each year to discuss and vote on resolutions on issues ranging from education to the economy to energy, housing, immigration and beyond.
On this edition of Houston Matters, we learn more about what's been discussed at this year's meeting, and we explore how and why mayors are often thought of differently from other politicians, and why some seem to struggle when they take on other executive or legislative roles in government. We talk with Brandon Rottinghaus, an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Houston.
Also: we learn about a study conducted at the University of Houston which casts a critical eye on health-related buzzwords designed to mislead consumers. "Truth, Lies, and Packaging" calls into questions food marketing that makes nebulous health claims based on a product containing "whole grain" or "antioxidants," or being "gluten-free." We talk with Temple Northup, the study's principal investigator and assistant professor at the Jack Valenti School of Communication at the University of Houston
Plus: A few weeks back, Spanish language newspaper Rumbo closed up shop here in Houston, publishing its last issue. Still, there are nearly two dozen Spanish language media outlets in Houston. It's not just a Univision and Telemundo world anymore. But aside from the language itself, is the news that's reported in Spanish different from the news we see, hear, and read in English? We talk it over with Aurora Losada, editor of the Spanish-language bi-weekly newspaper La Voz de Houston, and Telemundo anchor Martin Berlanga.
And: the Houston Astros had a rough week, dropping 6 of 7, while Texas native Clint Dempsey and the rest of the U.S. soccer team played to a dramatic tie Sunday with Portugal in the World Cup. We discuss both with MK Bower, sports columnist for CultureMap Houston.
