Monthly Archives: January 2005

Radnofsky makes it official

Posted on January 11, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Vince brings us the news that Barbara Radnofsky is indeed now an official candidate for the Senate in 2006. This is reflected on her campaign website, which by the way has a rather cleverly named (though permalink-free) blog on it. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Radnofsky makes it official

Bye-bye, Beltran

Posted on January 11, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

So now that Carlos Beltran has left the Astros, the question is are they better off without having to spend the kind of money it took to sign him? Tom Kirkendall says Yes, while David Pinto thinks the Mets got … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | 4 Comments

Will any tax overhaul include farm exemptions?

Posted on January 10, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

One possible source of school finance revenue is a change to the way farmland is evaluated for property tax purposes. [A] growing number of legislators would like to add a revamp of the agricultural valuations to the list. Rep. Sylvester … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on Will any tax overhaul include farm exemptions?

Rock will return in February

Posted on January 10, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Back when KLOL first switched formats, I thought that another station would eventually switch to a similar style to fill the void it left. According to this thread on the Houston Architecture Forum (which is a useful place to find … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Comments Off on Rock will return in February

Why the Andrea Yates case still breaks my heart

Posted on January 10, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Reading this article about how Andrea Yates is (according to her best friend) doing a little better now reminds me why after all this time I still get irrationally pissed off reading articles like this. [O]ver time, Yates, who home-schooled … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 14 Comments

For sale: Biosphere 2

Posted on January 10, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Ed Bass is letting go of some property you might have heard of. The company that owns Biosphere 2 Center, 3.1 glass-enclosed acres designed to simulate the Earth’s environment, has put the site up for sale. The company is also … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | 3 Comments

Tom Coleman’s trial begins

Posted on January 10, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The perjury trial of Tom Coleman, the renegade undercover cop whose false testimony led to the wrongful conviction of dozens of citizens from Tulia, Texas, begins today. Guest blogging for the trial at Grits for Breakfast is the Rev. Alan … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Comments Off on Tom Coleman’s trial begins

December traffic report

Posted on January 10, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Not too surprisingly, I saw a big dropoff in traffic from November to December. About 41,000 visitors came by last month, making it the second slowest month of the year, and that was after a late referral from Atrios. Everything … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Traffic Reports | Comments Off on December traffic report

Is there any entity which does not have eminent domain powers?

Posted on January 9, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I was reading this column by real estate writer Nancy Sarnoff about a group of folks from a neighborhood near where I work trying to fight against the construction of a big Med Center parking garage when I came across … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 8 Comments

Is the honeymoon over?

Posted on January 9, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like just last week we were looking back on how successful a year Mayor Bill White had in 2004. (See also his interview in the Texas Observer.) Since then, White has been pummelled for problems with the Safe Clear … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | 1 Comment

The fun begins on Tuesday

Posted on January 9, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Tuesday is the day that state legislators are sworn in, marking the start of the 79th biennial 180-day session. Many of the problems of 2003 will be back in 2005 – budget shortfall, a tax structure in dire need of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 1 Comment

Perry’s endorsements so far

Posted on January 9, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Having previously announced the support of conservative groups, Governor Perry has released a list of fellow Republican officeholders who really really like him. The endorsements for Perry were from Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Attorney General Greg Abbott, Agriculture Commissioner Susan … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Perry’s endorsements so far

Another reason why It’s Worth It

Posted on January 9, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

This morning, Tiffany and Olivia and I walked to the new Berryhill near our house for breakfast tacos. It’s about 70 degrees outside, with clear and sunny skies. In a month or so, I expect many of you who are … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 2 Comments

Dietz blames DA for screwup

Posted on January 8, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The plot thickens. The psychiatrist whose erroneous testimony led an appeals court to overturn Andrea Yates’ conviction for drowning her children said Friday that he got the flawed information from Harris County prosecutors. Park Dietz, of California, said it was … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 1 Comment

This page brought to you by Ken Lay

Posted on January 8, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Kenny Boy Lay is sponsoring links in order to spread the word of his innocence. The former chairman’s computer-literate litigation team is making use of “sponsored links,” which appear prominently in searches for a word or name in an Internet … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Enronarama | 3 Comments

Elsewhere with Park Dietz

Posted on January 7, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Mac notes that despite his screwup in Houston, Park Dietz can still be a force for good. Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 1 Comment

Is the fix in for Heflin?

Posted on January 7, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Keir Murray, a familiar name but a new blogger around here, reports a conversation he had with a state senator, who thinks the House may override the result of the Hubert Vo-Talmadge Heflin election. I spoke last night with a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2004 | 8 Comments

The underground primary

Posted on January 7, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The Perry VsWorld blog points to this story about the early movings of the Perry campaign in Southeast Texas. He notes that there are no quotes in support of a primary challenge by Kay Bailey Hutchison, but I think the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on The underground primary

What now for Andrea Yates?

Posted on January 7, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The updated Chron story on the overturning of Andrea Yates’ convictions has some info on what might come next. The decision means that if prosecutors cannot get Yates’ capital murder conviction restored through appeals, they will have to decide whether … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 6 Comments

Quantify this

Posted on January 7, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

In this article about the productive bench of the Rice Owls men’s basketball team, writer Moisekapenda Bower makes a strange assertion about Owl swingman Jamal Moore. His energy and stifling defense, intangibles statistics can’t quantify, are as valuable as [teammate … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 1 Comment

Koufax voting

Posted on January 6, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Voting for the 2004 Koufax Awards is going on at Wampum. There are several posts up with the nominees in different categories for your approval. I’m as motivated by enlightened self-interest as the next blogger, so I’ll point out that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | 1 Comment

Is there a list of these?

Posted on January 6, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

A Top Ten List of Top Ten Lists. Why didn’t I think of that? Via Kimberly. Continue reading →

Posted in Other punditry | Comments Off on Is there a list of these?

The Gonzales Confirmation Hearings Blog

Posted on January 6, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

If you really want to follow the Senate confirmation hearings of Alberto Gonzales for Attorney General as closely as possible, this blog will help. Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Comments Off on The Gonzales Confirmation Hearings Blog

Yates conviction overturned

Posted on January 6, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Andrea Yates’ conviction has been thrown out by the Texas First Court of Appeals. The three-member appeals court granted Yates’ motion to have her conviction reversed because the state’s expert psychiatric witness testified that Yates had patterned her actions after … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 4 Comments

Tell it to the arbitration council

Posted on January 6, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

In 2003, the Lege created the Texas Residential Construction Commission to resolve disputes between homeowners and builders without having to use the civil courts. Today’s Chron takes a look at the effectiveness of the TRCC, and learns that the answer … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Comments Off on Tell it to the arbitration council

An inside view of the Health and Human Services Commission

Posted on January 6, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

A comment in this post on Gregg Phillips led me to this blog post that I recommend you read by Father John Whiteford, a caseworker with TxHHSC. Father John and I are not on the same side of the fence … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | 1 Comment

Morrison gears up

Posted on January 5, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I’m a bit behind Greg and Byron in noting that Richard Morrison is more or less gearing up already for a rematch with Tom DeLay in 2006. That may sound a bit extreme, getting started so soon, but it’s entirely … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 4 Comments

Do I blog about “Lost” too much? Nah.

Posted on January 5, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

How happy am I that there’s a new Lost tonight? Very very happy. That said, having watched a lot of football on ABC and ESPN these past couple of weeks, I’m glad I won’t have to see any more promos … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | 5 Comments

One down, two to go

Posted on January 5, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Former Rep. Jack Stick has dropped the challenge of his electoral loss to Mark Strama. The former legislator calls the voting system in Travis County problematic and chaotic and he’ll continue to review the system. Stick plans to submit his … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2004 | Comments Off on One down, two to go

Ignore this post

Posted on January 5, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an interesting suggestion for a more comprehensive way to fight comment spam: Create standard HTML tags that tell search engines to ignore the content within when indexing. With such a tag around your comments, there’d be no good reason … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | 1 Comment

Bad doctors cause lawsuits…who knew?

Posted on January 5, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

News flash: A big part of the medical malpractice litigation problem is caused by a few bad doctors. So says a study commissioned by the Bush Administration, ironically to support their contention that damage award caps need to be implemented. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | 22 Comments

On DeLay’s retreat

Posted on January 5, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

David Donnelly has an op-ed in today’s Chron about why Tom DeLay and the Republicans reversed course on the DeLay Rule. There are three reasons why DeLay caved on the provision, which was enacted by the House Republican conference back … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 2 Comments

So much for Kirk

Posted on January 5, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Guess that NY Metro fellow will have to redo his odds: Ron Kirk has dropped out of the race for DNC Chair. Kirk, who made an unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate in 2002, wrote a letter to DNC members … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2004 | 3 Comments

Running against the Trans Texas Corridor

Posted on January 4, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Near the end of this article on the Trans Texas Corridor comes an observation about the 2006 elections. I’ve whined a lot that the biggest cost of sprawl is the opportunity cost – the value of the things we didn’t, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 7 Comments