Monthly Archives: December 2004

Thirteen things to like

Posted on December 17, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Prentiss Riddle gets into the “Houston: It’s Worth It” game by giving us thirteen things he’ll miss about our fair city now that he’ll no longer need to travel here on a regular basis. A couple of things I’d add … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 1 Comment

Feigen on Murphy

Posted on December 16, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron’s Jonathan Feigen comes out in favor of Calvin Murphy returning to the broadcast booth next year. For the Rockets to bring Murphy back will be a tough, perhaps even courageous move. But the jury said he was not … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 4 Comments

Judicial Watch sues over payments to gambling lobbyist

Posted on December 16, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Judicial Watch is a bunch of crackpots, but they can be useful. A lawsuit filed by a watchdog group seeks to block the state from making more payments to a Las Vegas law firm hired a year ago to draft … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 5 Comments

Kinkster to declare for Gov in February

Posted on December 16, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Kinky Friedman says he will announce his candidacy for Governor in early February. Coming soon outside the Alamo: Writer, singer and showman Kinky Friedman launching his candidacy for governor live on cable TV. Friedman said Wednesday he expects to appear … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 4 Comments

Molly Beth for DNC Chair?

Posted on December 16, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Former Texas State Democratic Party Chair Molly Beth Malcolm is contemplating a run for DNC Chair. Malcolm is the first woman to consider the job to succeed Terry McAuliffe, who plans to step down next year. Nearly 450 DNC members … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2004 | 3 Comments

More comment spam grousing

Posted on December 15, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

SixApart says the following about comment spam: We’re in the process of identifying all the separate issues involved, coming up with some concise and effective recommendations, and then outlining our plan going forward. We’re also going to be reaching out … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Administrivia | 1 Comment

Now that’s high-speed communications

Posted on December 15, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Good news and bad news from the FCC. Federal regulators voted today to give airline passengers high-speed Internet connections while they fly. The unanimous vote by the Federal Communications Commission means air travelers could be surfing the Web by 2006. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

An issue for whoever does eventually run against Rick Perry

Posted on December 15, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

George Strong says (via Greg) that Chris Bell is taking serious steps towards making a run for the Governor’s office in 2006. I think Bell would make a great Governor, but I’m not so sure about him as a candidate … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 3 Comments

Stall on traffic light cameras

Posted on December 15, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

I was going to headline this post Traffic cameras run into a red light, but thankfully, I decided against it. City Attorney Arturo Michel said he expected today’s scheduled vote on the ordinance to be delayed, because City Council members … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on Stall on traffic light cameras

Yates appeal starts

Posted on December 15, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Lawyers for Andrea Yates are arguing before an appeals court that false testimony from a prosecution witness tainted her case and helped wrongfully convict her. During the trial, [Dr. Park] Dietz, a California psychiatrist and prosecution witness, told defense attorney … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 2 Comments

Koufaxing along

Posted on December 15, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder that nominations are still being taken for the annual Koufax Awards (current nominations thread is here), and that it would really help the fine folks who do this award every year if you donated a few bucks … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Comments Off on Koufaxing along

What price corruption?

Posted on December 15, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

If there’s one thing I don’t understand about the guilty plea copped by former Lee Brown chief of staff Oliver Spellman over a bribery charge, it’s this: Spellman, charged just last week, admitted that he accepted $2,000 from a consultant … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 5 Comments

More on the Red Light Blues

Posted on December 14, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Insurance companies are complaining about the proposed traffic cameras in Houston because they won’t get to know who the actual red light runners are. “We’re questioning the wisdom here,” said Mark Hannah, spokesman for the Austin-based Insurance Council of Texas, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 5 Comments

Stephen F. Austin gets the Big Statue treatment

Posted on December 14, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Is this a great day for eccentric Texas stories or what? Scheduled for completion in May, a 60-foot concrete statue of the Lone Star hero will tower over a 10-acre park in Angleton, not far from the site of Austin’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 3 Comments

Don’t mess with Texas merchandising

Posted on December 14, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

“Don’t Mess With Texas”: It’s not just a great anti-littering slogan, it’s a potential cash cow for the state. Without enough lawyers to pursue all the dealers of unauthorized “Don’t Mess With Texas” gear, the state transportation agency will announce … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 4 Comments

Name that fermenter!

Posted on December 14, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve always wanted to have a brewery fermenter named after yourself, right? Well, here’s your chance, courtesy of Houston’s own Saint Arnold. On Monday, the microbrewer began auctioning naming rights for a new fermenter, a 17-foot-tall, 2,500-gallon stainless steel tank. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | 1 Comment

The Trans Texas Corridor

Posted on December 14, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting article on the Trans Texas Corridor, the $183 billion network of toll roads, railroad tracks, and pipelines, and the transportation geek who actually looked at the details and figured out it’s mostly a crock. We could use a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 3 Comments

Koufax nomination time

Posted on December 13, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

You know what to do. Remember, only blogs that get nominated in this round make it to the finals voting, so if you don’t speak up here, you can’t complain about a missing choice later on. And please think about … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Comments Off on Koufax nomination time

Lupe Valdez

Posted on December 13, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Nice article on Lupe Valdez, the new Sheriff of Dallas County. I sure look forward to the day when the Harris County GOP chair has to look for a reason why his candidate just lost a race like that. I … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2004 | 3 Comments

About that new viaduct

Posted on December 13, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Early last week, TxDOT presented some new options for renovating the Elysian Viaduct as part of a longstanding plan to extend the Hardy Toll Road into downtown. Later in the week, we learn that many of the affected neighborhood residents … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on About that new viaduct

It’s just different

Posted on December 13, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Why are some large damage awards by juries treated differently than others? Read Dwight and find out. Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | 1 Comment

And so the whining begins

Posted on December 13, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Via The Stakeholder, I see that attorneys representing two of Tom DeLay’s indicted cronies are none too happy about the squealer. Charges were dismissed Thursday against California-based Diversified Collection Services, Inc., accused in the campaign finance investigation that has so … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 2 Comments

When we say “It’s Worth It”, this is what we mean

Posted on December 13, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

This is the best article I’ve seen by a non-Houstonian about what there is to like here. The writer was inspired to visit by the Houston: It’s Worth It campaign, and the best evidence that he gets it is right … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 2 Comments

On the new MT Blacklist

Posted on December 12, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve mentioned before that I love the new MT Blacklist, which in my mind is worth the price of upgrading Movable Type by itself. Seeing how much comment spam I’ve gotten in the month or so since I upgraded ( … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | 2 Comments

Upset in D-III playoffs

Posted on December 12, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Mary Hardin-Baylor, which knocked off my alma mater Trinity in the opening round of the Division III NCAA football playoffs for their first win ever over the Tigers, makes me feel better about that loss by upsetting perennial powerhouse Mount … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Comments Off on Upset in D-III playoffs

Hutchison gets testy

Posted on December 12, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison lashes out against big campaign contributions after being asked by Governor Perry supporters not to challenge him in 2006. “We didn’t expect that reaction,” El Paso businessman Ted Houghton said. “That’s when the meeting fell apart, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

“I am not a number! I am a free man!”

Posted on December 11, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

For the record, none of the teachers that I had at this famous understanding and caring high school referred to his students by number instead of by name. Maybe things changed when they moved to the new building, I don’t … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in See, I do have a life! | 2 Comments

Hutchison calls for stem cell research

Posted on December 11, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s another log for the still-not-yet-set Hutchison-for-Governor fire: KBH calls for stem cell research in Texas universities. “There are embryos in place today that are going to be thrown out,” she said. “I don’t want to see something in place … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Hutchison calls for stem cell research

A John Waters Christmas

Posted on December 11, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Tired of the same old Christmas songs every year? Looking for something new and unusual? John Waters has the CD for you. “I’ve always loved Christmas albums. I collect them,” Waters said during a phone interview from his home in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 3 Comments

Unindicted co-conspirators

Posted on December 11, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

The list of Enron unindicted co-conspirators can be made public. Well, sort of. U.S. District Judge Sim Lake originally accepted the list from the government under seal but defense attorneys asked that it be made public. One hundred and fourteen … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Enronarama | 1 Comment

The Super Bowl (Re)Shuffle

Posted on December 10, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t look now, Houston. The Super Bowl could be back real soon. The NFL was so impressed by the show Houston put on for Super Bowl XXXVIII that commissioner Paul Tagliabue vowed the game would return to the city. It … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 5 Comments

A little TV nostalgia

Posted on December 10, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

The Mickey Mouse Club is being released on DVD. Reviewer Bruce Westbrook is not impressed. Mouse Club discs have the first five shows from 1955, along with featurettes and intros by film critic Leonard Maltin. Sounding like he misses Ovaltine, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | 13 Comments

Video slots setback

Posted on December 10, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

The Governor’s plan to overhaul school finance with help from gambling revenue took a hit yesterday, as Attorney General Greg Abbott ruled that two of the three Indian tribes in the state are off limits according to federal law. Abbott, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 3 Comments

Squealer?

Posted on December 10, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Is one of the companies that was indicted along with DeLay cronies Colyandron, Ellis, and Robold about to turn state’s evidence on The Hammer? Well, via the Stakeholder, one of them is at least talking to Ronnie Earle. A company … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 1 Comment