Monthly Archives: March 2005

DeLay’s emerging public profile

Posted on March 27, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve seen several takes on this NYT story on the waxing and waning of Tom DeLay’s role in the Schiavo affair and how his front-and-center appearance may affect his name ID in 2006. Obviously, Democrats would love nothing more than … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 2 Comments

Bill Hammond: The flexible lobbyist

Posted on March 27, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I always appreciate stories like this, which help me to realize where the current bounds of my cynicism are. The leader of Texas’ largest business association is endorsing a proposal that would make it more expensive for racetracks to operate … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 1 Comment

Houston in the lead for Super Bowl XLIII

Posted on March 27, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not, here it might come. Houston and Atlanta appear to be headed for a photo finish in the race to determine which city will host the 2009 Super Bowl. Houston, Atlanta, Tampa and Miami are the finalists for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 3 Comments

People for whom I won’t feel sorry

Posted on March 26, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Tax shelter crackdown bears fruit The IRS has collected more than $3.2 billion, mainly from wealthy people, in its most ambitious effort ever to crack down on improper tax shelters, the agency said Thursday. There’s been “some real pain” among … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 1 Comment

CD versus DVD

Posted on March 26, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Atrios points to this interesting post about the differences in pricing models for CDs and DVDs, and how that may be a contributing factor for lackluster performance in CD sales. I think there’s something to that, though the many comments … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 4 Comments

More politician blogging

Posted on March 26, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The Christian Science Monitor picks up on the story of politicians who blog. There’s not a whole lot new to that angle, but I found this tidbit intriguing: Entire communities have turned to the Web in hopes of providing information … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Comments Off on More politician blogging

Coleman on HB2

Posted on March 26, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Garnet Coleman had a strong op-ed piece in yesterday’s Chron about the shortcomings of HB2, the school finance reform bill. Among other things, he noted the bill’s ideological underpinnings. Coleman’s web page contains a fuller analysis (PDF) of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on Coleman on HB2

T-Rex!

Posted on March 26, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, cool, they found soft tissue from a Tyrannosarus Rex. If anyone comes near it with frog DNA, my orders would be to shoot first and ask questions later. Via Julia. Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Comments Off on T-Rex!

I got those nekkid-pictures-on-my-cellphone blues

Posted on March 25, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Every day in the news there are many stories which require sober reflection, reasoned commentary, and a frank exchange of thoughtful views. This is not one of those stories. It began as the fairly routine arrest of a drunken-driving suspect … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 4 Comments

Metro gets FTA approval for two more lines

Posted on March 25, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news for Metro today. The Federal Transit Administration’s notice of intent to approve preliminary engineering next month for the Main Street light rail extension to Northline Mall and a new line to the southeast side clears a major … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

That’s a little better

Posted on March 25, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still not happy with Rep. Sylvester Turner, and I’m still not convinced that the telecom bill (also known as HB789) deserves to be passed despite the 145-1 vote in favor of it in the House, but he’s at least … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 1 Comment

Susan Hays resigns

Posted on March 25, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

According to the DMN, Susan Hays is now the former Chair of the Dallas County Democratic Party. Byron applauds her decision, while Bill thinks it should have happened long ago. All I care about is having that group in fighting … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | 5 Comments

The case against DeLay

Posted on March 25, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

This Kos diary nicely summarizes the case against Tom DeLay as put together by Common Cause (you can also see it here and here. There’s more, so much more, from the NYT to the Charleston Gazette (reproduced here) to the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 1 Comment

Hey, it was the Nineties, you had to be there

Posted on March 25, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re still sorting through the tea leaves looking for a reason why Kay Bailey Hutchison would abandon the Senate for a cage match against Rick Perry, here’s one: In her 1994 campaign, she pledged to serve no more than … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Hey, it was the Nineties, you had to be there

Firefox users: It’s patch time

Posted on March 24, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

If you use Mozilla Firefox (and Lord knows, you should), please note there’s a new version, 1.0.2, which fixes what they’re calling a “risky” security flaw. It takes just a few seconds to download and install the upgrade, so hie … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | 5 Comments

Serendipity in a small package

Posted on March 24, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Came home from work today and sat down at the computer only to see that I couldn’t connect to any websites. The wireless router was showing good signal, so I shut down the PC and headed downstairs to reboot the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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

Earth to Sylvester!

Posted on March 24, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

While Rep. Sylvester Turner inexplicably carried forward a campaign finance-weakening bill on behalf of an anonymous colleague, twenty-five of his Republican friends were signing on to support a real campaign finance reform bill. So far 36 House members, including nine … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 1 Comment

What’s so funny ’bout peace, love, and understanding in the Senate?

Posted on March 24, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

This is hilarious. Start with a video in which Sen. Hillary Clinton says a few nice things about her Senate colleague Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, which gets widely circulated by email to those who work themselves into a lather at … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 3 Comments

Another bill to weaken campaign finance laws

Posted on March 24, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Yo! Rep. Sylvester Turner! What the hell are you doing? Legislation that would allow political candidates and committees to violate legal restrictions on contributions without being subject to civil, monetary penalties has been filed in the Texas House by a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 2 Comments

Wonder Woman

Posted on March 24, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

What with the baby and all, I’m not too likely to see the “Wonder Woman” movie in the theaters, even if Joss Whedon writes and directs it. But on the odd chance that I am able to catch it, I … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | Comments Off on Wonder Woman

More HB789 analysis

Posted on March 23, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Inside the Texas Capitol takes an in-depth look at HB789 and confirms my suspicion that the more you look at it, the more you find beyond the muni WiFi ban to dislike. Frankly, at this point, King amendments or no, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Comments Off on More HB789 analysis

Bye-bye, Barry?

Posted on March 23, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Will we not have Barry Bonds to kick around anymore? Coming off knee surgery and caught up in baseball’s steroids scandal, Barry Bonds said he might not play at all this season — despite standing on the doorstep of the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | 3 Comments

Eddie Rodriguez: Future blogger?

Posted on March 23, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Scott reports that State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez appears to be ready to join his colleague Aaron Pena in the blog world. For what it’s worth, I’ll second Scott’s recommendation to aim for a different site design. Rodriguez is considered one … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 1 Comment

The “Freebird!” controversy rages on

Posted on March 23, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Forget Chicago. Ray in Austin is claiming credit as the progenitor. Personally, I think we may have ourselves a Newton/Leibniz situation here. I’ll leave it to the historians to decide who’s right. Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 2 Comments

Congrats to Pat Summit

Posted on March 23, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Major congratulations to Tennessee coach Pat Summit for becoming the winningest college basketball coach of all time. The Tennessee coach broke Dean Smith’s career victory record Tuesday, getting No. 880 in the Lady Vols’ 75-54 win over Purdue in the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 8 Comments

Strayhorn’s letter hits the news

Posted on March 23, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Comptroller Strayhorn’s letter warning of fiscal imbalances in HB3 has provoked a strong reaction. “Maybe she is playing politics or maybe she and her staff are inept,” said House Speaker Tom Craddick, who added he was taken aback by the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 3 Comments

Other reasons to fear HB789

Posted on March 23, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

HB789, known for its provision that would forbid municipalities from offering free WiFi services, is up for debate today, and there’s more than just that bad part of the bill to worry about. Earlier versions of House Bill 789 said … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Comments Off on Other reasons to fear HB789

Freebird!

Posted on March 23, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I heard this on this past Saturday’s edition of “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me!” (it’s Limerick Challenge #3, which you can see and hear here) – the mystery of why drunks shout “Freebird!” at concerts gets probed by the Wall … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 6 Comments

A local view of the SA Mayoral race

Posted on March 23, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I received an email yesterday from the fellow in San Antonio who runs a blog called The Jeffersonian. He’s got a nice post up about the upcoming Mayoral race, and promises regular updates on the subject, for which I’ll be … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2005 | Comments Off on A local view of the SA Mayoral race

More stupid developers’ tricks

Posted on March 22, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has a story today about something near and dear to my heart – a battle between Heights homeowners and a developer. After work and on weekends, between appointments or during lunch breaks, a half-dozen or so Heights residents … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 5 Comments

I got yer sunshine right here

Posted on March 22, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Never let it be said that our Lege does not have a finely honed sense of irony. Last week, newspapers around the country banded together for Sunshine Week, an effort to publicize the importance of open government and public access … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 2 Comments

I called it

Posted on March 22, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Me, earlier today: I’m sure Judge Whittemore’s ruling won’t be the end of [the Terri Schiavo case], just as I’m sure that pre-ruling stories which proclaimed him fair and unbiased will be non-operative within the next hour or so. Senator … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 9 Comments

Strayhorn criticizes HB3

Posted on March 22, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Comptroller Strayhorn has released a letter (PDF) which criticizes HB3 for not coverning the proposed property tax cuts with alternate revenue. In Fiscal Year 2006, the bill raises $2.8 billion in new state taxes with no local property tax relief. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on Strayhorn criticizes HB3

Destination: Freeport

Posted on March 22, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

And now for something a little less weighty: The City of Freeport in Brazoria County has designated an official red-light district inside its borders. In a 4-0 vote Monday night, City Council approved the district on a 40-acre tract extending … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 4 Comments