Monthly Archives: March 2004

Yet another moralizing pharmacist

Posted on March 31, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

What an outrage. A pharmacist refused to fill a North Richland Hills woman’s prescription for birth-control pills this week, but the woman hopes her experience will provoke an examination of pharmacists’ power over patient care. Julee Lacey, 32, a first-grade … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | 6 Comments

Les Francais, ils aiment McDonalds

Posted on March 31, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Ah, French cuisine. Escargot. Crepes Suzettes. Big Mac and fries. Call the French snooty, or just demanding, for their attention to good food, good wine, good atmosphere in their restaurants. But the French have a dirty little secret: Of all … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | 2 Comments

Casey v. Neeley

Posted on March 31, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve done my share of ragging on Rick Casey, the Chron’s hotshot columnist, who by and large hasn’t been all that impressive to me. I have to say, though, when he connects he can hit it out of the park. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Comments Off on Casey v. Neeley

Doing good works

Posted on March 31, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

There’s been some good discussion of the theological implications of John Kerry’s use of Scripture and Team Bush’s fierce response to it. In particular, I suggest you check out Lean Left, Political Aims (Happy Blogiversary, Amy, by the way), Slacktivist, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | 5 Comments

Pop ups???

Posted on March 31, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

I first saw this in a Kos diary, but without a link I was not willing to believe it. Now that I’ve done a little Googling, I can see for myself that it’s true: The GOP’s Internet “strategy” is ludicrous. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2004 | 11 Comments

DeLay denies indictment reports

Posted on March 31, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Tom DeLay is denying earlier reports that he has taken steps to deal with the possibility of being indicted by a Travis County grand jury in its investigation of TRM/TAB (see here). “If the law is the standard in the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Comments Off on DeLay denies indictment reports

Cuellar takes the lead

Posted on March 30, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Some 300 new ballots have been found in Zapata County, and they have combined to give Henry Cuellar a slim lead in his primary race against Rep. Ciro Rodriguez. More than 300 votes were discovered during a Zapata County recount … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2004 | Comments Off on Cuellar takes the lead

“The Complete Peanuts”, Volume One

Posted on March 30, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Mark Evanier reviews the first of the Complete Peanuts volumes and explains why you should spend a few extra bucks and order it straight from the publisher instead of Amazon. Check it out. Continue reading →

Posted in Books | 1 Comment

Bloglines

Posted on March 30, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been migrating all of my regular reads into the Bloglines RSS aggregator. I’ve been wanting some kind of aggregator for my blogroll for awhile now, and as I’ve been getting a good number of referrals from Bloglines pages, I … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | 10 Comments

She got game

Posted on March 30, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. In what could prove a significant step in the evolution of women’s athletics, a high school girls basketball player did more than just compete in a slam dunk contest Monday against five of the nation’s best high school boys … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 1 Comment

BlogAds followup

Posted on March 30, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Martin Frost is the latest candidate to run BlogAds, joining fellow Texan Morris Meyer in tapping this market. I’ve been wondering ever since Ben Chandler’s much-ballyhooed (and now copied) success at running BlogAds how other candidates would do now that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2004 | Comments Off on BlogAds followup

Buy-curious

Posted on March 30, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll let Julia explain it all to you about Lynne Cheney’s hot lesbian Western bodice-ripper. I just wanted to note that I knew some people at Rice who considered it a good time to crack open a few brewskies and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Books | 4 Comments

How do you say “Opening Day” in Japanese?

Posted on March 30, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

The Devil Rays beat the Yankees earlier today by the score of 8-3 in the Tokyo Dome. The hosts did their best to duplicate the atmosphere of games back home, with some twists, of course. The Yankees, including Hall of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | 2 Comments

Calvin Murphy charged

Posted on March 30, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

I’m in shock. Hall of Fame basketball player and Houston icon Calvin Murphy was charged Monday with sexually molesting five of his daughters more than a decade ago. Murphy, a television commentator for the Rockets, surrendered to authorities after being … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 2 Comments

Progress yes, consensus no

Posted on March 29, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Over the weekend, our only Governor reported that progress has been made towards a consensus that would allow for him to call for a special session on school finance reform. Perry, a Republican, said his meeting with about 50 members … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 3 Comments

Boo Boos in Paradise

Posted on March 29, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Well, thanks to my enforced silence this morning, pretty much everyone else has beaten me to the punch on this excellent deconstruction of David Brooks. I guess I don’t have a whole lot more to add to what’s already been … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other punditry | 3 Comments

Pledge the Preamble!

Posted on March 29, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

This is my preferred solution to the whole Pledge of Allegiance “under God” situation. The best solution to this problem — one that respects both the community’s desire to instill patriotism and the conscience of religious dissenters — is to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | 6 Comments

Wonkiness

Posted on March 29, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, my webhost is having some mySQL problems today. Slow response and an involuntary morning hiatus are the symptoms, but it appears they are finding a cure. Obviously, since here I am. Right, then. Continue reading →

Posted in Administrivia | Comments Off on Wonkiness

One week to go

Posted on March 28, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Opening Day for the Timbergrove Little League is this coming Saturday. We’ll finally get to play on the brand-new fields that were supposed to be ready for last year’s season but were delayed due to drainage problems. We were able … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Just call me Coach | Comments Off on One week to go

Let us all now join together

Posted on March 28, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

This is what Democratic unity looks like. John Kerry is getting fund-raising and message-making help from his former Democratic primary foes, some of whom are potential running mates and big financial draws in important parts of the country. Missouri Rep. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | 1 Comment

More commuter rail considered

Posted on March 28, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Another day, another commuter rail study. Harris County is casting its eye on five additional corridors to study for potential commuter rail lines. Commissioners Court is expected next Tuesday to tell the county’s Public Infrastructure Department to begin negotiations with … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 4 Comments

Wildflowers

Posted on March 27, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been a good spring for wildflowers. Colonies of bluebonnets have claimed embankments in Memorial Park and gardens in the Heights. The blooms, densely packed on 1-foot stems, quietly herald the wildflower season. Follow the showy pink primroses, dropped like … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 1 Comment

A pounding from the people

Posted on March 26, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like Governor Perry’s Bahamian getaway was not appreciated by some Texans who weren’t afraid to tell him about it. “With all due respect, have you LOST YOUR MIND?” asked a Lockhart woman in an e-mail to Perry. “This little … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 2 Comments

Rules are for the other guy

Posted on March 26, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

News of the potential indictment and step-aside of Tom DeLay has hit the Chron, and it seems that DeLay has reacted to his situation the way he reacts to pretty much everything else: Cry “partisanship” and raise funds. U.S. House … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 1 Comment

Woodland Heights Home Tour

Posted on March 26, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

A little plug for my neighborhood here, which is hosting a Home Tour this weekend. Come on down and see some interesting houses built before evil soulless developers like Bob Perry got his hooks into Houston. You can buy tickets … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 2 Comments

Governor steps into Ellis County mess

Posted on March 26, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Governor Perry waded into the pollution controversy around cement plants in Ellis County and their effect on the Dallas/Fort Worth area’s nonattainment status for clean air, and managed to piss off everyone involved. First, here’s what our only governor proposed: … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 2 Comments

Top 25, baby

Posted on March 25, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Houston has cracked Travel & Leisure’s list of America’s 25 Favorite Cities for the first time. We may be at the bottom of that list, but by Gawd we’re on it. You can see the list and how we fared … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 7 Comments

Around the blogs

Posted on March 25, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Some days there’s just a ton of stuff to look at, so let’s get started. The College Democrats have a blog, which among other things tells us that one of their own is a candidate for the State House in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | 3 Comments

Tulia prosecutor may face sanctions

Posted on March 25, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

This seems appropriate to me. State Bar of Texas officials announced Tuesday they will file a lawsuit seeking sanctions against the prosecutor from the controversial 1999 Tulia drug bust. The case against 64th District Attorney Terry McEachern will be heard … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 3 Comments

More immigration division

Posted on March 25, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Yet another Texas poll shows that there’s a roughly even split of opinion over President Bush’s immigration reform plan. Forty-eight percent of the 1,000 Texans surveyed randomly by telephone endorsed Bush’s plan, 45 percent opposed it and 7 percent declined … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 1 Comment

Blog Maverick

Posted on March 25, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Mark Cuban, the hyperactive owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has a blog. It’s actually pretty good, and it’s very much in line with the general blog philosophy of “a place for one’s ramblings”. He’s busy flogging his hobbyhorses of officiating … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 1 Comment

Escalation on another DeLay front

Posted on March 24, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Byron points to this WaPo article in which watchdog groups call for a House ethics investigation of another Tom DeLay moneymaking machine, in this case one masquerading as a charitable organization. Democracy 21 contends that the charity, Celebrations for Children … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 3 Comments

The trickle down effect, Perry-style

Posted on March 24, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an example of how that “no tax increase” pledge from the last legislative session works in real life, from Lubbock. Cuts in Medicaid and a state insurance program for children as well as decreases in private employee insurance are … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on The trickle down effect, Perry-style

“Dream Team 2: Senate Boogaloo”

Posted on March 24, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Cara Morris has been beating the drums lately for the Democrats’ enhanced electoral prospects in the Senate. She quotes from this Roll Call article in which DSCC Chair Jon Corzine talks about promoting some of their candidates as a package … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2004 | 3 Comments