Monthly Archives: July 2003

Space wedding snag?

Posted on July 23, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

In our last episode, the fair maiden Ekaterina Dmitritv was issued a marriage license by Fort bend County so she could wed her handsome prince, the cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, who is currently orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Comments Off on Space wedding snag?

Grinding to a close…for now

Posted on July 22, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

There’s not much redistricting news to report on right now. Sen. Todd Staples has submitted two new maps that will get voted on in committee tomorrow, then die without debate on the floor thanks to the “unalterable opposition” of 11 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 11 Comments

Mayoral race update

Posted on July 22, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Believe it or not, there are other political stories in Texas right now, and the biggest one is the upcoming race in Houston to replace term-limited Mayor Lee Brown. There are six candidates in the race, four of whom can … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2003 | 4 Comments

Tom DeLay’s moneymaking empire

Posted on July 22, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

The WaPo has a nice overview of how Tom DeLay has gotten to be so powerful – in a word, money and the ability to raise oodles of it. I’ll say this for the guy – he’s the best example … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Comments Off on Tom DeLay’s moneymaking empire

Blogging does Dallas

Posted on July 22, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Well, what do you know? The Dallas Morning News has a blog, a real, live Movable Type-powered blog in the style of the Corner, not some faux, imitation, not-really-blog-like thing that can be easily mocked. It’s pretty crappily implemented – … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Comments Off on Blogging does Dallas

Comment problem fixed

Posted on July 22, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

If you tried to leave or read a comment here after about 9 PM last night, you probably saw an “Invalid Entry ID” error message. Took me long enough to figure out that Dreamhost had changed server names on me, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Administrivia | 1 Comment

Bob Graham and NASCAR

Posted on July 21, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

As always, one of the interesting things about travel is seeing a different daily newspaper. Today’s top story in the Sun-Sentinel is about Sen. Bob Graham’s “NASCAR strategy” for winning the Democratic nomination. The NASCAR gambit, the bluegrass music, the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | 2 Comments

There is such a thing as bad publicity

Posted on July 21, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm, one of the fresh, marketable faces of the WNBA, has a bet with a radio DJ in her town that involves…I’ll let Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times describe it: Sue Bird has agreed … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 3 Comments

I’m back

Posted on July 21, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

We’re back, meaning that I get to be busy unpacking, doing laundry, checking email, spending quality time with the dog, etc. Posting will be back to its usual schedule later tonight or tomorrow morning, time permitting. I see that the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in See, I do have a life! | 1 Comment

The wedding tour continues

Posted on July 18, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

I’m off to Florida for what should be my last wedding road trip of the year. Not my last wedding, mind you – there’s one in Houston in two weeks – but the last one that requires a plane ticket. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in See, I do have a life! | 1 Comment

Back to the cities

Posted on July 18, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

I’m about to take off to a wedding, so I don’t really have time to say much about this, but it looks like the current redistricting strategy in the Senate is to do more or less what the House did, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 2 Comments

Morales pleads guilty

Posted on July 18, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Former Texas Attorney General Dan Morales has pleaded guilty to mail fraud and filing a false tax return and will serve a four-year prison sentence. U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton said as part of the mail fraud plea, Morales admitted backdating … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 2 Comments

Bye bye, BAMF

Posted on July 17, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Houston Police Chief C.O. “BAMF” Bradford has announced his resignation in September, saying he needs to spend more time with his pregnant wife. It’s been a rough year for Bradford, and it’s hard to imagine the next mayor keeping him … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in K-Mart Kiddie Roundup | Comments Off on Bye bye, BAMF

New maps, get yer new maps

Posted on July 17, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Two new maps wee presented in the Senate today, one by Sen. Florence Shapiro and one by Sen. Jeff Wentworth. Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, on Wednesday said the map being considered would create 18 Republican-dominated districts; 11 Democratic and three … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 5 Comments

Guess they forgot their PIN

Posted on July 17, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Bandits Use Backhoe To Steal ATM SAN ANTONIO — Bandits have used a backhoe to steal an automatic teller machine from a Central Texas bank. A witness called police early Wednesday after watching two men in black using the backhoe … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 1 Comment

Weddings…In…Spaaaaaace!

Posted on July 17, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Okay, not really: A woman who plans to marry a Russian cosmonaut who is currently orbiting the Earth on the International Space Station has been issued a marriage license in Fort Bend County. Close enough! Yuri Malenchenko, a member of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 1 Comment

Howard Dean’s electability

Posted on July 17, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s take a few minutes and talk about Howard Dean’s chances in a general election matchup with President Bush in 2004. Everyone else seems to be talking about this (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | 8 Comments

Late breaking blog news

Posted on July 17, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

“Late” in the sense that it was breaking several days ago, and I’m only just now getting around to mentioning it. I blame a combination of TS Claudette and Howell Raines, and I note that my headline is technically true. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Comments Off on Late breaking blog news

Theater of the absurd

Posted on July 17, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

It’s probably taken a lot longer than it should have, but I’m finding it hard to describe what’s happening in the redistricting wars with a straight face. Let’s recap the highlights from this week: – Eleven Senators – ten Democrats … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 5 Comments

More good news for the Houston economy

Posted on July 16, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

The rate at which the four major mayoral candidates are spending money, the city’s econom should snap out of the doldrums any day now. The four major candidates for Houston mayor already have raised more than $5.4 million, an indication … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2003 | 5 Comments

Byron’s on the beat

Posted on July 16, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Byron has all of your redistricting news today. This thing currently has more pathos and bad acting than a telenovela, without the skimpily dressed women to compensate. They’re doing this just to torture me, I’m sure of it. Byron also … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 2 Comments

I’m back!

Posted on July 16, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

As you can see, I’m back up, following a snafu with my webhost. Took longer than I would have liked to get resolved, but that’s not matter now. I’m back and feeling much better now. Thanks to the following for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Administrivia | 10 Comments

Mister DeLay Goes To Iowa

Posted on July 15, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Now that he has everything in Texas under his control, Tom DeLay is trying to settle Iowa’s hash with a “Dear Christian Friend” letter sent in conjunction with the Rev. Lou Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition. Charles Eicher has … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Comments Off on Mister DeLay Goes To Iowa

The session that never ends?

Posted on July 15, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve got to be kidding me: AUSTIN — Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said Tuesday that he expects Gov. Rick Perry will call another special legislative session to address congressional redistricting if a plan is not approved this session. Perry, speaking … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 8 Comments

Official DOT investigation of FAA

Posted on July 15, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Here is the letter that the Inspector General for the Department of Transportation sent to Sen. Joe Lieberman in response to his request for an investigation into the FAA’s involvement in the Killer D search. I’d been unable to find … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 1 Comment

Aguirre mulling City Council run

Posted on July 15, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

I thought that when the trial of former HPD Captain Mark Aguirre ended in an acquittal that I wouldn’t have anything more to say about the K-Mart Kiddie Roundup. Thankfully, that’s not so: Minutes after having the infamous Kmart raid … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in K-Mart Kiddie Roundup | 1 Comment

ESPN hires Rush Limbaugh

Posted on July 15, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

What were they thinking? Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh will soon be calling some signals for ESPN’s weekly football preview “Sunday NFL Countdown.” Starting in September, Limbaugh, 52, will join the show’s line-up as the “voice of the fan,” delivering … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 23 Comments

Ratliff reaction

Posted on July 15, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

The reaction to Sen. Bill Ratliff’s announcement that he will join 10 Democratic Senators in opposing any redistricting bill has been pretty much what you’d expect: joy from Democrats and insistence from Republicans that they ain’t dead yet. Democrats hailed … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 3 Comments

The All-Star break

Posted on July 14, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

So now we enter that three-day long, dark tea-time of the baseball fan’s soul known as the All-Star break. For approximately the 28th consecutive summer (not counting 1981, when the ASG was played immediately following the end of the strike), … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | 4 Comments

A brief history of redistricting

Posted on July 14, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Going through the Chron‘s archives in the wake of the sudden announcement that 11 Senators – enough to block a vote to suspend the rules – are “unalterably opposed” to redistricting, one can’t help but be struck by the fact … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 5 Comments

RIP, redistricting?

Posted on July 14, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Holy crap, David Dewhurst is holding a press conference right now amid rumors that there are enough votes in the Senate to kill redistricting. Rumors swept the Senate floor Monday afternoon that 10 Democrats and Sen. Bill Ratliff, R-Mount Pleasant, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 3 Comments

Donkey Meets Dean

Posted on July 14, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Rob Humenik and his wife Jen attended a fundraiser for Howard Dean yesterday at which Rob valiantly but unsuccessfully tried to take Governor Dean’s coat. Go read for all the details and a few photos. Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Comments Off on Donkey Meets Dean

Bush bashing at La Raza convention

Posted on July 14, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Raul Yzaguirre, the president of the National Council of La Raza strongly criticized President Bush for his “two years of neglect, disinterest and disrespect” towards Hispanics at their annual convention in Austin. Yzaguirre criticized the administration’s policies from health care … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | 3 Comments

If at first you don’t succeed

Posted on July 14, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, here’s a great idea: Let’s crack down on illegal street racing in Houston, and this time let’s do it (this is the best part) by arresting people who are actually caught while racing illegally. Lt. Shannon Broze, who oversees … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in K-Mart Kiddie Roundup | 5 Comments