Eyes on Texas: Weird Weather, Touristy Houston and a Longhorn at the Oscars

A roundup of news, columns and features about the state, from media around the world.

The English press has noted the recent bizarre weather in Texas. Seventeen inches of snow was not the surprise for Midland homeowner Josh Pitman, whose house was covered to the roof with tumbleweeds after high winds. Watch the Telegraph’s video of “the most ridiculous thing” Pitman has ever seen.

The New York Times reports on the rally at the state Capitol to increase “the pressure on Gov. Rick Perry and other Republican leaders to switch their stance on expanding Medicaid.” On a lighter note, there’s also a Times piece on the latest ad campaign to attract tourists to Houston. The major themes are “Houston is tasty,” “Houston is hip” and “Houston is inspired.” (“Houston is humid” apparently didn’t make the cut).

Huffington Post’s Sara Gates writes about the pressure Lumberton High School is receiving
after a photo of five students wearing burqas – “full-body garments commonly worn by
Muslim women” – during a geography lesson emerged on Facebook. Whether students
were encouraged to wear burqas as part of the lesson or if they volunteered to do so, is
still under question.

During the 85th Academy Awards, traditional “trophy girls” were replaced with aspiring
film students, one of whom was a student from UT Austin. The Alcalde featured Jennifer
Brofer, who was selected from more than 1,100 applicants with her answer to the
question, “What will you contribute to the future of movies?”