Monthly Archives: January 2003

Know your spammers

Posted on January 10, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

File this one under When Good Things Happen To Bad People: SLIDELL, La. — He’s a 30-year-old self-taught computer programmer and electronics repairman with a fondness for Scooby-Doo, cars and camping. He’s also one of the country’s better-known spammers, one … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | 6 Comments

Read my lips: More and higher fees

Posted on January 9, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Having boldly declared that he would have balanced last year’s budget all by his lonesome if only he’d had the time, Governor Goodhair has now proclaimed that there will be no new taxes this year. Fees, on the other hand, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 4 Comments

Seabrook’s cussin’ councilwoman resigns

Posted on January 9, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Margaret Kidd Duncan, a kindred spirit to Houston’s semi-deposed Police Chief C.O. “BAMF” Bradford, has resigned from the Seabrook City Council in the wake of her profanity-laced tirade at various Seabrook police officers. During an afternoon news conference, a teary-eyed … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 5 Comments

Murray, Carter enter Hall of Fame

Posted on January 8, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Eddie Murray and Gary Carter were elected to the baseball Hall of Fame yesterday, meaning the baseball writers’ judgment matched that of Internet voters. Ryne Sandburg did get jobbed by the voters, but at least it was his first year … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | 5 Comments

Council will pay outside firm to expunge K-Mart arrests

Posted on January 8, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

The Houston City Council will go ahead and pay that outside law firm to expunge the K-Mart arrests despite its previous concerns. I still think it’s too expensive, but at least it’ll get done. Continue reading →

Posted in K-Mart Kiddie Roundup | Comments Off on Council will pay outside firm to expunge K-Mart arrests

It’s official: The hole is deeper than we first thought

Posted on January 8, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Our newly married state comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander Strayhorn has announced that the state budget deficit isn’t $5.1 billion as she once insisted but really will be significantly more. Strayhorn said she will release the official estimate of what lawmakers … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 4 Comments

Yao thinks differently

Posted on January 8, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Rockets center and budding cultural phenomenon Yao Ming has done a TV commercial for Apple Computers: The ad, first shown Tuesday at the semi-annual Macworld trade show, features Yao and Verne Troyer, the actor who plays Mini-Me in the Austin … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | 1 Comment

You did know that they tape these things, right?

Posted on January 7, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

As expected, Jack Cluth is all over this story about Margaret Kidd Duncan, the now-former Mayor Pro Tem of Seabrook, and her potty mouth. Duncan was pulled over by a traffic cop and accused him of singling her out for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 6 Comments

She’s back

Posted on January 7, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

By the way, in case there weren’t enough depressing news to go around, our new Senator John Cornyn has a seat on the Judiciary Committee, which means that the renomination of Priscilla Owen to the federal bench is pretty much … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2002 | 3 Comments

“The Crooked E” scores in ratings

Posted on January 7, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Like it or not, the CBS movie The Crooked E was a ratings winner, both in Houston, where it was #1 in the time slot, and nationally, where it was #2. The article quotes various critics who offered mostly mixed … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Enronarama | 5 Comments

Behind the walls

Posted on January 6, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a great interview with Mark Pitcavage, former proprietor of the Militia Watchdog and current fact-finding director for the Anti-Defamation League, not to mention a classmate of mine from Trinity University. Mark’s been tracking hate groups for years now, and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 2 Comments

Dan Morales’ brother in extortion probe

Posted on January 6, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

The brother of former Attorney General Dan Morales is the target of an extortion investigation. Quoting sources speaking on condition of anonymity, the [Dallas Morning News] said federal agents have identified music producer Michael Morales as the person who called … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Comments Off on Dan Morales’ brother in extortion probe

The Boring E

Posted on January 6, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

I tried, I really did, to watch The Crooked E last night, but after about 20 minutes of inane dialogue and Houston stereotyping, I gave up. I bought Tiffany a boxed set of the Harry Potter books from Amazon UK … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Enronarama | 7 Comments

Chron spanks Mayor Brown

Posted on January 5, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has a pretty strong editorial lambasting Mayor Brown for the latest developments in the K-Mart Kiddie Roundup. Like me, they wonder why it’s so danged expensive to expunge arrest records: The city legal department can’t perform the task … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in K-Mart Kiddie Roundup | Comments Off on Chron spanks Mayor Brown

You gotta fight for the right to organize

Posted on January 5, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Students at various area high schools are trying to organize Gay-Straight Alliances as others across the country have, but some of them are running into resistance from principals and superintendents. Debate over whether GSAs should be allowed to meet in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Comments Off on You gotta fight for the right to organize

It’s A Ming Thing

Posted on January 5, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Music sales were down last year. The RIAA blames the Internet. I’ll quote Hilary Rosen: Blah blah the Internet yak yak those damn kids! gobble gobble back in my day we had to walk uphill through the snow to pay … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 6 Comments

“Boondocks” battle continues

Posted on January 4, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

People are still writing letters to the Chron to express their views on the all-important Boondocks issue. Today we hear from the Silent Majority and a fan of Geech, the comic that Boondocks replaced, who was shocked to discover that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Comments Off on “Boondocks” battle continues

The color line in other sports

Posted on January 3, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Want to win a bar bet some day? Ask someone to identify the following people: Earl Lloyd, Woody Strode and Kenny Washington, and Willie O’Ree. Give up? They are, respectively, the first black players in the NBA, NFL, and NHL. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 13 Comments

Baseball, the international game

Posted on January 3, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

A bunch of interesting baseball articles out there right now. We’ll start with Dr. Manhattan’s look at how the breaking of the racial barrier in baseball was not just the correction of a grievous moral failing, but also an opportunity … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Comments Off on Baseball, the international game

Sylvia and Gabriel

Posted on January 3, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a nice article about newly elected County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia, the first Latino and the first woman to serve on this court. As noted, this makes her one of the more powerful Hispanic politicians in the country. Garcia has … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | 2 Comments

Boondocks update

Posted on January 2, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron devotes half its lettercol today to Boondocks-related mail. Six letters, evenly divided among supporters and naysayers. This letter, responding to a prior complaint, is my favorite: Michael Watkins (Dec. 28 Viewpoints letter, “New comics are offensive”) believes that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Comments Off on Boondocks update

“The Crooked E” makes its debut

Posted on January 2, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

The Crooked E, a “tell all” TV movie about Enron (see here and here) finally makes it to the small screen on Sunday. Chron TV critic Mike McDaniel is not impressed. An exceptional scandal cries out for exceptional storytelling. CBS’ … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Enronarama | 1 Comment

Virginia apologizes

Posted on January 2, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

The University of Virginia has offered an official apology to West Virginia for jokes that the UVa pep band made at the Continental Tire Bowl. This incident has sparked some discussion on the Rice MOB mailing list. We’ve been in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Comments Off on Virginia apologizes

Psychics get it wrong again

Posted on January 1, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal has published its annual lookback on how tabloid psychics did in predicting the just-ended year. As has always been the case, the psychics went 0 for 2002. Here’s something … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Skepticism | Comments Off on Psychics get it wrong again

The one-time charges of sin

Posted on January 1, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

They say that the adult entertainment industry is essentially recession-proof. They say that adult-oriented web sites are the only ones making money. Well, tell it to Rick’s Cabaret International, which is posting a $2.3 million loss for the year after … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | 1 Comment

Council demurs on hiring outside law firm

Posted on January 1, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Deciding that $484 per case is a bit much for erasing the arrest record for those caught in the K-Mart Kiddie Roundup, the City Council has decided to wait and consider other options. Councilman Gordon Quan said he did not … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in K-Mart Kiddie Roundup | Comments Off on Council demurs on hiring outside law firm

One year down

Posted on January 1, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Happy New Year, everyone! With the start of 2003 comes the first anniversary of this blog, a distinction I share with Matthew Yglesias. I managed (just barely) to finish importing and publishing all of my old Blogspot archives before the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Administrivia | 5 Comments