Monthly Archives: January 2005

Pardon me?

Posted on January 24, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Via Atrios, this rather stunning bit of testimony from the Gonzales confirmation hearings. Asked by Sen. Patrick Leahy to describe “in detail” the only court appearance he ever made on behalf of Bush, Gonzales—who was then chief counsel to the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 4 Comments

Will Andy Taylor put out for us?

Posted on January 24, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Andy Taylor, chief mouthpiece for Talmadge Heflin, was supposed to have a press conference this afternoon at 2:30 in which he would present irrefutable evidence that those nasty Democrats stole the HD149 election from poor ol’ Talmadge. He’s been saying … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2004 | 2 Comments

Taking back Congress, one step at a time

Posted on January 24, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, Chris Bowers of MyDD looked at a number of Congressional races that ought to be priority targets for the Democrats in 2006. He has a goal of targeting 80 races, with every seat being challenged. As a proponent … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 2 Comments

Cell phone directory still a no-go

Posted on January 24, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

For the foreseeable future, there still won’t be a comprehensive directory of cell phone numbers. Nearly half of the 175 million cell phone users in the United States will not have a chance to sign up for the directory when … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Comments Off on Cell phone directory still a no-go

I-45, westward ho?

Posted on January 24, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The latest crazy-ass proposal for I-45 north of downtown: Move it west, where Houston Avenue is. Just say no. First Ward leaders reacted with alarm when a Downtown Management District board member proposed rerouting a section of Interstate 45 to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on I-45, westward ho?

RIP, Johnny Carson

Posted on January 24, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Good night, Johnny. As always with all things showbiz, Mark Evanier‘s blog is the place to go for the best information. Start here and work your way forward. Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | 2 Comments

Round Two with Three Judges

Posted on January 23, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The Stakeholder points to the UPI coverage of the re-arguments of re-redistricting in the federal appeals court. I agree it covers the main points well, but there’s a glaring factual error that needs to be corrected: The old Texas map … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 2 Comments

Get well soon, Eleanor

Posted on January 23, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

A couple of emails have hit my inbox this week with the news that former Houston City Council member Eleanor Tinsley has been diagnosed with breast cancer. I just want to take this opportunity to offer her my best wishes … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | 1 Comment

A question as the Heflin challenge draws nearer

Posted on January 22, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

One of the advantages of occasionally dawdling before posting on something is that sometimes someone else will do the heavy lifting for you, which Greg has done on this story regarding the state of the Heflin challenge. Basically, he covered … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2004 | 2 Comments

Postcards from the Responsibility Era

Posted on January 22, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Letter to the Editor: Do all the Bush-bashers really believe that if John Kerry had won that he would not have had an even grander inaugural ceremony? Please! LINDA SNYDER Sugar Land Memo to Linda Snyder’s children: The next time … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in General snarkiness | 2 Comments

Prosecution appeals Yates order

Posted on January 22, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The Harris County DA office has appealed the order for a new trial for Andrea Yates. In a motion filed Thursday, prosecutors say the 1st Texas Court of Appeals erred Jan. 6 when it ordered a new trial, citing an … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Comments Off on Prosecution appeals Yates order

Lisa Diaz and Park Dietz

Posted on January 22, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

In September of 2003, Plano housewife Lisa Diaz obeyed the voices in her head that ordered her to kill her children. She drowned her two daughters in a bathtub, then stabbed herself repeatedly in an ultimately unsuccessful suicide attempt. In … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 6 Comments

“Bright college days, oh carefree days that fly”

Posted on January 21, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

One of the things that attracted me to Trinity University while I was going through the college applications process was getting personal letters from the chairs of the math and music departments telling me about their programs. Now that I … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | 4 Comments

More Trans Texas Corridor stories

Posted on January 21, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I’m glad to see stories skeptical of the Trans Texas Corridor being run, especially on the TV news. There’s quite a bit that’s good in this KHOU piece from earlier this week, but before I get to that, I need … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 4 Comments

Welcome to Your-Name-Here Stadium

Posted on January 21, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

This was bound to happen sooner or later: HISD ponders selling naming rights to high school football stadia. If HISD goes forward with the proposal, Houston would join a small but growing list of Texas school districts to plaster corporate … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 12 Comments

The perils of pop culture deprivation

Posted on January 21, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I thought that James Dobson’s bizarre obsession with SpongeBob’s sexuality would easily be the dumbest thing I’d read this week, but damn if Jim Henley didn’t find something even dumber. Do we need to start putting warning labels that read … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in General snarkiness | 3 Comments

More CHIP carping from KBH

Posted on January 20, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Once again without directly attacking Governor Perry, Senator Hutchison is talking about how much money Texas has lost in CHIP funds. Texas forfeited $104 million in federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program when it failed to spend all … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 6 Comments

Jackson v. Perry, Take Two

Posted on January 20, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The Supreme Court-ordered review of the federal lawsuits filed against the Texas re-redistricting of 2003 is scheduled for tomorrow. SCOTUS has ordered the lower court to reconsider its ruling in light of the Vieth v Jubelirir case that it decided … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 4 Comments

The bottom 100

Posted on January 20, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Norbizness dares us to list all the movies in the IMDB Bottom 100 that we’ve seen. This one is easy for me: Jaws 3-D That’s it. Sometimes not being a big moviegoer has its advantages. In case you missed it … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | 14 Comments

One thing leads to another

Posted on January 20, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Parole, probation violators add to prison overcrowding Scarce Texas prison beds are increasingly being used by offenders who have violated a condition of their parole or probation, often for something as minor as missing a meeting or failing to pay … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 3 Comments

Math is hard

Posted on January 19, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Just for the record, in my junior year of college, I took an upper level math class (Real Analysis, in case you’re curious) in which I was the only male. That includes the professor, who happened to be my major … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | 6 Comments

Let’s keep it right here

Posted on January 19, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The trials of Rick Causey, Jeff Skilling, and Kenny Boy Lay will not be moved to another venue. Despite their plea to be tried outside of Houston, a federal judge ruled today that the fate and future freedom of ex-Enron … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Enronarama | 1 Comment

Blogrolling update

Posted on January 19, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Since Bloglines is my tool of choice for blogreading, I don’t update my blogroll as frequently as I should. I finally did so today, adding some sites that were long overdue for the sidebar. When I get in a frenzy … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Administrivia | 5 Comments

No room in the pen

Posted on January 19, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Once again I got those overcrowdwd penitentiary blues. Texas prisons are running out of beds more quickly than expected and may need to lease space in county jails by March. But there is no money in the prison system’s budget … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Comments Off on No room in the pen

It’s like high school all over again

Posted on January 19, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Omigod! Carole says that, like, Rickie totally dissed her and all. As if! Her name missing from an invitation letter to an upcoming Texas Republican Party fund-raiser, state Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn cried foul Tuesday and blamed the perceived snub … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 2 Comments

Another Enron movie

Posted on January 19, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

No, not a sequel to The Crooked E, but a documentary called Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, based on the book by the same name. The movie, which will have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Enronarama | Comments Off on Another Enron movie

Spector is in

Posted on January 19, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Former State Supreme Court Justice Rose Spector has officially entered the race for the now-vacant HD121 seat in San Antonio. There’s two Republicans and an independent as well. Like Greg says, the demographics aren’t favorable, but anything can happen in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2005 | Comments Off on Spector is in

The Statesman blogs the Lege

Posted on January 18, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Yoo hoo! James Howard Gibbons! If you want to learn the right way for a newspaper to embrace the blogging concept, look here. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to send a box of chocolates to the Statesman’s news … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Comments Off on The Statesman blogs the Lege

On Martin Frost for DNC Chair

Posted on January 18, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Let me start by saying that I agree with what Sam Rosenfeld says regarding Martin Frost and his candidacy for DNC Chair. There are plenty of reasons to oppose Frost’s candidacy for this position, but on balance I’d say how … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | 5 Comments

Erik Slotboom and Camino Columbia

Posted on January 18, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Nice article in the Press about Erik Slotboom and his work disputing the need for the Trans Texas Corridor. One thing I learned in reading this piece is that we already have a shining example of a private toll road … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 4 Comments

Harry Carson

Posted on January 18, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

As a lifelong Giants fan, I’m saddened to see this. Harry Carson, an all-time great Giant, plans to stage an unprecedented protest if this is the year he makes it from finalist to enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 7 Comments

More red light debates

Posted on January 18, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Supporters and detractors of traffic light cameras duke it out with competing studies which may or may not show that such cameras reduce collisions at intersections. I’ll simply note again that Fritz Schranck has discussed this issue in the past, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 9 Comments

Banjo Jones on NPR

Posted on January 18, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Banjo Jones tells his story of getting fired by the Chron for blogging to NPR. Also see the Houston Press story from the time. Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | 1 Comment

Reflections from Tulia

Posted on January 17, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The Rev. Alan Bean files his last dispatch from the Lubbock County courtroom in which Tom Coleman was convicted of perjury. I’ll say it again – if this man started a blog, I’d not only read it every day, I’d … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 1 Comment