Monthly Archives: October 2003

Falwell on Boykin and Clinton

Posted on October 24, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Mark Evanier catches Jerry Falwell saying something really dumb on Crossfire. BEGALA: General Boykin said — and I’m quoting him here about our president — “Why is this man in the White House? The majority of Americans did not vote … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | 4 Comments

That’s not the point

Posted on October 24, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Ezra attempts to answer a question that President Bush recently posed: Who can possibly think that the world would be better off with Saddam Hussein still in power? The problem here is that this is the wrong question to be … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq attack | 18 Comments

Slacktivist takes on “Left Behind”

Posted on October 24, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Allow me, somewhat belatedly, to add my voice to those (such as Patrick) who have cited and praised Slacktivist‘s ongoing series of posts about the “Left Behind” books (start here and look for posts whose titles begin with “L.B.”) As … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Books | 1 Comment

Oh, yeah, that election

Posted on October 23, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know how many people get mail from the Houston Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus PAC and the Harris County GOP PAC on the same day, but it sure feels special to be in that group. The HCGOPers endorsed … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2003 | 1 Comment

Pop goes the X10

Posted on October 23, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Normally, I consider business bankruptcies to be a Bad Thing, but every once in a while there’s one that makes you reconsider. SEATTLE – X10 Wireless Technology, known for ubiquitous Internet ads showing scantily clad women as seen from miniature … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | 4 Comments

Concordes retiring

Posted on October 23, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

So long, supersonic. LONDON — British Airways’ last Concorde flight for fare-paying passengers took off for New York today, a day before scheduled supersonic service ends for good. Both today’s London-New York flight and Friday’s final trans-Atlantic return are expected … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Around the world | 1 Comment

Dems send some money home

Posted on October 23, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like some of the external fundraising that the Killer D’s/Texas 11 did has borne some fruit. Since the redistricting fight erupted last spring, 13 of the 17 Texas Democrats in Congress have donated more than $230,000 to the state … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 1 Comment

Chron endorses Davila Martinez

Posted on October 23, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has endorsed Diana Davila Martinez for City Council District H, which is where I live, citing her past experience as the key. Davila Martinez served ably in the Legislature from 1993-1999. A graduate of Harvard University, she spent … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2003 | 1 Comment

Beef! It’s expensive for dinner

Posted on October 23, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Before I get to the main purpose of this post, I’d first like to address this, which was cited by Atrios. CHANGE OF MENU. Jeffrey’s at the Watergate, a restaurant that served Texas cooking, has closed its doors, reports The … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | 8 Comments

…And the rest

Posted on October 23, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Today we get to meet the low profile candidates in this year’s Mayoral race. It’s quite a collection. Come Jan. 1, Houston will have a new mayor. It will not be Anthony Dutrow, Douglas Robb, Jack Terence, Ralph Ullrich or … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2003 | Comments Off on …And the rest

RIP, Rerun

Posted on October 23, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a sad day today: Fred “Rerun” Berry has passed away, apparently from natural causes, at the age of 52. By his passing, he leaves behind an eternal mystery: He wore his red beret and suspenders in real life, and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | Comments Off on RIP, Rerun

De Clunibus Magnis Amandis Oratio

Posted on October 22, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

I think we can all agree that what the world needs now is more Latin translations of hiphop music, such as this stunning effort to bring the words of Sir Mix-a-Lot into the realm of Cicero, which inspired an equally … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 3 Comments

Blog doings

Posted on October 22, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Kos points out an interesting new blog called the Swing State Project, which aims to analyze the upcoming Presidential race in 19 states that were decided by less than 5 points in 2000 (full methodology explained here). It looks pretty … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | 2 Comments

Extremism in the name of preventing fraud can be a vice

Posted on October 22, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Jonathan Ichikawa points out the case of tax loony Irwin Schiff, who was recently hit with a restraining order that forbids him from distributing his latest tome, Federal Mafia: How the Government Illegally Imposes and Unlawfully Collects Income Taxes, from … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | 1 Comment

Who’s afraid of Richard Gephardt?

Posted on October 22, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Big Media Matt says he’s “puzzled” by this story in which a majority of GOP politicians and strategists polled named Rep. Richard Gephardt as the Democratic candidate that they think is the strongest challenger to Bush. I can understand his … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Comments Off on Who’s afraid of Richard Gephardt?

How the other half votes

Posted on October 21, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not exactly sure how “The Kuffner Family” got on a mailing list for the Conservative Republicans of Harris County, but we got their voting guide for the upcoming election in the mail yesterday. As a public service, here’s who … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2003 | 4 Comments

TAB gives it up

Posted on October 21, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Association of Business has finally surrendered documents to Travis County investigators who are looking to see if secret donations had been made last year that helped pay for campaign ads. Since January, the association has fought — and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 1 Comment

Interview with a war correspondent

Posted on October 21, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Hope has a friend who’s a reporter for the Associated Press, and he was kind enough to respond to a few questions she emailed him. He spent time in Afghanistan and was embedded in Iraq, and he’s now in East … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Around the world | Comments Off on Interview with a war correspondent

Be careful what you wish for

Posted on October 21, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

It would appear that some of Rep. John Culberson’s constituents are not happy with his ideas about mobility solutions. Residents of the 7th congressional district this week launched a petition to oust U.S. Representative John Culberson. Leading the effort is … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | 4 Comments

Van de Putte retracts remark, accepts apology

Posted on October 21, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

From the Things That Happened While I Was Out Department: Sen. Leticia Van de Putte has retracted her charge that a Republican Senator, whom she has not named, made an ethnic slur to her in the presence of others. The … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 1 Comment

District H candidates overview

Posted on October 21, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

It’s District H’s turn to get a quick candidate overview in the Chron. No one says anything shocking or profound in the two paragraphs or so they’re allotted, but if you’re still unfamiliar with the names this ought to help. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2003 | 3 Comments

So are you gonna talk about redistricting again or what?

Posted on October 20, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

I have to say, after obsessing over the whole redistricting thing for waaaaay too long, it was good to head off to a foreign country where I had no Internet connection and only the International Herald Tribune for any news. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 1 Comment

Bacardi update

Posted on October 20, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Seems Tom DeLay is catching a little flak for his attempts to shoehorn an amendment favorable to Bacardi into an unrelated bill. Watchdog groups and some business interests have already objected to the Texas Republican’s efforts. Last week, four House … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 2 Comments

Endorsement in District H

Posted on October 20, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

I just got some feedback regarding my dilemma about who to vote for in the District H City Council race. The following is from an email from Diane Mosier, President of the Greater Heights Democratic Club, which has made an … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2003 | 5 Comments

Enron rap

Posted on October 20, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

You know, I was just thinking that what the world really needs right now is a rap CD about the fall of Enron. The words “Enron” and “rap” don’t normally go together unless someone’s talking about “taking the rap for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Enronarama | 1 Comment

How ’bout those insurance rates?

Posted on October 20, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember when Governor Perry took credit for a reduction in homeowner’s insurance rates? Yeah, right. Gov. Rick Perry last week listed among his accomplishments saving taxpayers more than half a billion dollars in lower home insurance costs. But rate … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Comments Off on How ’bout those insurance rates?

Carole and Kay and Rick

Posted on October 19, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Both Clay Robison and Cragg Hines speculate about the next governor’s race in 2006 and which of Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Kay Bailey Hutchison will be more likely to challenge Rick Perry at that time. Robison does a good job … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | 3 Comments

Missed opportunities

Posted on October 19, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Such a shame we didn’t have time to visit Austria while we were overseas, or we could have stopped in on the Schwarzeneggar Museum. In Graz, travelers can visit the Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum in the Fitnessparadies gym, with photo displays … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Around the world | Comments Off on Missed opportunities

Endorsement season

Posted on October 19, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has started endorsing candidates in the last week or so. I’m not at all surprised to see today’s endorsement of Bill White for Mayor, since White is exactly the kind of candidate the Chron generally endorses. I’m moderately … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2003 | Comments Off on Endorsement season

Ferry crash

Posted on October 18, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

During one of the brief times that I got to do a little websurfing last week, I was shocked to read (via Making Light) that there had been a deadly crash involving the Staten Island Ferry. I took the Ferry … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Comments Off on Ferry crash

What’s the big secret?

Posted on October 18, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Among the things that went down while I was off eating cheese and swilling champagne was the revelation that the folks behind the anti-Metro referendum group don’t want you to know who they are. Texans for True Mobility has declined … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on What’s the big secret?

Rice makes it official

Posted on October 18, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

Rice has signed on the dotted line to join Conference USA, along with SMU and Tulsa, thus rejoining its former mates Houston and TCU. Rice University president Malcolm Gillis signed an agreement Friday with Conference USA, paving the way for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 2 Comments

Rice to C-USA?

Posted on October 17, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

I caught a bit of this in the IHT earlier this week (thankfully, both our B&B and the hotel in Paris had this lifeline for me), but the story has advanced since the last I’d read of it. Apparently, the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 2 Comments

We’re back

Posted on October 17, 2003 by Charles Kuffner

We have returned, and in true Houston fashion our arrival was greeted by an overturned 18-wheeler on I-45, thus adding a half hour to our 20-minute drive home. Ah, well, we were enthusiastically greeted by our dog, who’d been picked … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in See, I do have a life! | Comments Off on We’re back