Monthly Archives: March 2002

Blaming Rusty

Posted on March 18, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Andrea Yates’ relatives place some blame on Rusty Yates for what happened. Rusty is firing back: Asked about criticism of his role, Russell Yates told NBC’s Today show today that some people “don’t understand the biochemical nature of Andrea’s illness … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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I’m Googled, therefore I am

Posted on March 17, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Ginger shows no sympathy to Matthew and Mac for not being high up in the results list when Googling on their names. You think you’ve got it bad? I’ve not only got to compete against a bunch of famous Charleses … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Tournament wrapup

Posted on March 17, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Well, the Spring 2002 NABCs are history. I took the week off from work and spent most of it playing in various events. Sadly, of the three nationally-rated open events I played in (the Mixed Pairs, the Open Pairs, and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in See, I do have a life! | Comments Off on Tournament wrapup

Who did you say was running for Senate?

Posted on March 15, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Tipper Gore in Tennessee (maybe), and Robert Ray in New Jersey. I’m gonna break my own rule about prognostication (which is: Always wait until the event you’re attempting to forecast has already occurred before making your pronouncements) and say there’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2002 | Comments Off on Who did you say was running for Senate?

The economics of discrimination

Posted on March 15, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Jon Jerome has a long post about racism which stemmed from a conversation with a coworker. (Note: Jon’s been having some hosting problems, so try hitting Refresh if you get a “this page cannot be displayed” error.) He lays out … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Comments Off on The economics of discrimination

Responsibility and accountability

Posted on March 15, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

It was Houston-based law firm Vinson & Elkins’ turn to get spanked by the Tauzin Tribunal yesterday. As with executives at Enron and Arthur Andersen, they applied the we-know-nothing defense, which was about as well-received as Jeff Skilling’s last performance. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Krauthammer on Yates

Posted on March 15, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Charles Krauthammer explains why he would have voted to acquit Andrea Yates. I don’t think you can say it any better than he does here. Continue reading →

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One for the good guys

Posted on March 14, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t follow the Republican primaries very closely, as I am not a Republican. There was one race that interested me, and I’m glad to say that the right guy won. That was the race for State Senator in District … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2002 | Comments Off on One for the good guys

I Told You So Dept.

Posted on March 14, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

The Houston Chronicle reports that no one is paying attention to the new 55 MPH speed limit, partly because there has been no increase in enforcement efforts. Who woulda thunk it? Here’s the really annoying part: [Lt. John Denholm, who … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Comments Off on I Told You So Dept.

Samizdata responds

Posted on March 14, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Samizdata Illuminatus (Arkham) responds to my tax protester followup, in which I take him to task for assigning credibility to We the People. I’d also received a very polite note from Illuminatus/Arkham (how should I address you, anyway?) about this. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Girl, exonerated

Posted on March 13, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

There was a lot of schadenfreuding going on when Winona Ryder was busted for shoplifting. Now it appears that the videotape which supposedly showed her cutting off the security tags on several items in fact shows no such thing. If … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Kuff goes 0 for 2

Posted on March 13, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Tony Sanchez crushed Dan Morales in the Democratic primary for the gubernatorial nomination. This wasn’t a surprise. What was a surprise was that Ken Bensten failed to make the runoff in the three-way race for the Senate nomination. The unsinkable … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2002 | Comments Off on Kuff goes 0 for 2

Andrea Yates found guilty

Posted on March 12, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

It took the jury only 3.5 hours to reach the verdict, which surprises me. I thought they’d be in there a lot longer than that. Continue reading →

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Tax protester followup

Posted on March 12, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Joshua Trevino, who doesn’t use permalinks, critiques my critique of Dale Amon regarding tax loonies We the People. Here’s the crux of Joshua’s argument: Dale clearly doesn’t harbor an opinion either way on WTP’s specific agenda — he provides a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Skepticism | 1 Comment

Primary day

Posted on March 12, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Today is Primary Day in Texas. I did the early voting thing last week, so I can play bridge with a clear conscience today. The latest polls showed Tony Sanchez with a comfortable lead over Dan Morales, and a three-way … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Tournament report

Posted on March 11, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Well, as expected, we were eliminated from the Vanderbilt last night. I thought we played well, but the other team was better. The way this works is that each team is made up of two partnerships. Each partnership plays a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in See, I do have a life! | Comments Off on Tournament report

Gone bridgin’

Posted on March 10, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll be spending this week at the 2002 NABC bridge tournament right here in Houston, so I may be a little light on the posts. Today I’m playing with some friends in the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams event. It’s probably the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Just say no

Posted on March 9, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Chronicle technology columnist Dwight Silverman calls the proposed HP buyout of Compaq a bad deal all around. Continue reading →

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Skilling: I’m not a liar, either!

Posted on March 9, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Jeff Skilling’s lawyers announce that he did too tell the truth to Congress. They went on to denounce as “scurrilous” a report that the HFD had been called to battle a three-alarm blaze in his trousers. “At no point were … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Enronarama | Comments Off on Skilling: I’m not a liar, either!

Chron disses DeLay

Posted on March 9, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

It’s official: the Houston Chronicle is not endorsing Tom DeLay in the Republican primary for his Congressional seat. They’re not endorsing his GOP opponent Michael Fjetland, either, but they still give DeLay a pretty good spanking for his “irrational opposition … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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More on the tax morons

Posted on March 9, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Max Power notes my response to Samizdata and provides a link that I’d overlooked to the Tax Protesters FAQ. This is a thorough overview of the idiot arguments that We the People advance and why they are not just wrong … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Midwestern blogger located

Posted on March 8, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

After my post about the geography of blogging, I got a note from Jon Jerome, who’s a blogger from Chicago. Go check him out. Continue reading →

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Tax idiocy

Posted on March 8, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Via War Liberal, we get this silly post from Dale Amon of Samizdata. Dale cites a “public hearing” by a group called We the People which claims to prove that the income tax laws are unconstitutional. Here’s a blurb from … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Skepticism | 2 Comments

Barbie: Beacon of feminism

Posted on March 8, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

From the USS Clueless we get this remarkable story about Barbie dolls and their apparently subversive effect on Iranian girls. It’s hard to imagine Barbie dolls “sowing the seeds of feminist rebellion” as den Beste suggests, but when you read … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Comments Off on Barbie: Beacon of feminism

Why conservatives should love Slick Willy

Posted on March 8, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

George Will breaks out the Conservative Pundit Weapon of Mass Destruction by comparing Dubya to Clinton for his apostacy on protectionism. You know, I just want to say that I don’t think conservative scribes and talking heads fully appreciate the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Comments Off on Why conservatives should love Slick Willy

Early voting

Posted on March 8, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

The turnout for early voting in the primary has been heavy so far in predominantly Hispanic counties, thanks in large part to the Democratic race for governor. I’m excited about the prospects for the general elections. I still don’t know … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2002 | Comments Off on Early voting

Say Anything DVD

Posted on March 7, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

The DVD for Say Anything, one of Roger Ebert’s Great Movies is now finally out on DVD. I’ve been meaning to host an all-day John Cusack Movie Marathon, so I really need to get this. Obviously, The Sure Thing will … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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The geography of blogging

Posted on March 7, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

It occurred to me recently that the author of almost every blog I read is on one of the coasts or in Texas. (I’m only speaking of US-based authors, so for this purpose Damian and Mike don’t count.) Here’s a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Editorial judgment

Posted on March 7, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Virginia Postrel, who seriously needs to start using permalinks (it’s The Future, dammit!), makes a good point about what is and isn’t censorship: NOT CENSORSHIP: Andrew Sullivan and others are making much of this Telegraph report that left-wing British publications … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Comments Off on Editorial judgment

Small Favors Dept.

Posted on March 7, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

From Glenn Kinen we see this rather mind-boggling story about a giant bronze statue of Prince Charles being unveiled in Brazil. The statue, which depicts Gnarly Charlie as a winged world-saving avatar, “shows him with bulging muscles, pinned back ears … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in General snarkiness | Comments Off on Small Favors Dept.

Marshall v. Radic

Posted on March 6, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Having read Josh Marshall’s response to Natalija Radic, all I can say is that he was a lot nicer than I would have been. That disturbs me a bit, since like Ginger, I’m not in this for the pissing contests. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other punditry | Comments Off on Marshall v. Radic

Houston blogmeet, take 2

Posted on March 6, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

As Ginger notes, the second Houston blogmeet was a very pleasant experience. She and Michael and I were the only political bloggers there, as Ted and Jack were unable to make it. (I’m not sure if Craig is involved in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Bigger than Britney!

Posted on March 6, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Damn. I’ve already lost count of how many people have found me in the past two days by Googling for “Amber Kulhanek”. (Note to the person who found me by searching for “+boobs +actress”: Perhaps a more specific query will … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Madden, McGuire, and Dicky V

Posted on March 6, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Tony Adragna at QuasiPundit shows his love for John Madden’s color commentary by citing this Ben Domenech post. I’m quite fond of John Madden and look forward to his pairing with Al Michaels on Monday Night Football next year, but … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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