Monthly Archives: November 2005

A traffic enforcement mechanism we can all applaud

Posted on November 22, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The Freakonomics Blog suggests a traffic-enforcement mechanism that would be (in the city of Houston, at least) both highly lucrative and deeply satisfying. I was in New York City the other day and my taxi cab driver bypassed a long … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 16 Comments

Tax reform commission gets started

Posted on November 22, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The long-awaited Tax Reform Commission, appointed by Governor Perry and chaired by John Sharp, is finally getting down to business, and already they’re making me question why they’re bothering. At its first meeting Monday, the governor told the commission to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 4 Comments

Abbott sues Sony over rootkit

Posted on November 22, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has filed a lawsuit against Sony for violating the state’s new anti-spyware law. Attorney General Greg Abbott said he filed the lawsuit under a new Texas state law forbidding such hidden tracking tools, and predicted … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | 4 Comments

Two for CD32

Posted on November 22, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Via Kirk at BOR, two Democrats are preparing to challenge Rep. Pete Sessions in CD32: Dallas lawyer Will Pryor and 2002 candidate Pauline Dixon. This is of course a good thing, as the goal is to run everywhere. CD32 is … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 4 Comments

Not the kind of endorsement one wants

Posted on November 22, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Remember how, when I made my endorsements for the 2005 elections, I advised skipping over City Council At Large #3 because neither incumbent Shelley Sekula Somethingorother nor challenger James Partsch-Galvan was worth a vote? Well, Galvan’s recent “endorsement” of Sue … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2005 | 7 Comments

More GOP self-targeting

Posted on November 21, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Jaime Castillo has more on attempts by the state GOP to purge itself of members who committed heresies on school finance reform (see here for some background). According to the El Paso Times, the border city’s biggest GOP muckety-mucks are … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 3 Comments

More in-depth reviews of the new Chron.com

Posted on November 21, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Check out Fixing Chron.com for some in-depth critiques of the look and usability of the new Houston Chronicle website. Dwight, I’d be very interested to know what you think of this fellow’s ideas. His alternate front page and search suggestions … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Websurfing | 2 Comments

Scanlon flips – who’s next?

Posted on November 21, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I didn’t really have the time this weekend to write anything about this, but Jack Abramoff cohort and former DeLay staffer Mike Scanlon has apparently agreed to testify for the prosecution against his erstwhile partner in crime. Along the way, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 1 Comment

Giant Presidential heads: True identities revealed

Posted on November 21, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Last April, several buddies and I visited David Adickes’ sculpture studio for the purpose of photographing the Giant Presidential Head statues that he has there. (Adickes is the gent who did Big Sam in Huntsville and is now working on … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 1 Comment

Teacher Man

Posted on November 21, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Note to self: Obtain a copy of Frank McCourt’s latest book, if for no better reason than to see if his description of life at Stuyvesant High School matches up with my memory of it as it did for Julia. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Books | 5 Comments

Endorsement watch: Runoff recommendations

Posted on November 20, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Unlike the November election, the Chron wastes no time in handing out endorsements for the December 10 runoffs. In half of the races, they get to stick with the person they touted originally: Jay Aiyer in City Council At Large … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2005 | 6 Comments

Bell County Watch

Posted on November 20, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Via Eye on Williamson, there’s a new progressive blog in Central Texas called Bell County Watch. I hope she can help keep us all up on what’s happening in her county as EoW has done in his. Welcome aboard! Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Comments Off on Bell County Watch

The far west frontier

Posted on November 20, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not surprised that the Grand Parkway out in west Houston/Katy is spurring lots of new development. That was the whole reason for the Grand Parkway, after all. I’m just amused by this: For now, the area lacks the level … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 1 Comment

Progress on I-45 expansion

Posted on November 20, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

After getting a promise to communicate with them better and to try to avoid taking new right-of-way, the Transportation Policy Council of the Houston-Galveston Area Council has given its approval to TxDOT’s plans to widen I-45. Resistance to the expansion … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

New look at Chron.com

Posted on November 19, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I see that the Houston Chronicle has rolled out the new look for its online site. I had a sneak preview of it awhile back and thought it looked pretty snazzy, and I still do. Too early for me to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Websurfing | 4 Comments

Those accursed numbers

Posted on November 19, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Will we ever find out what those numbers mean on Lost? Maybe, maybe not. Those mysterious numbers on Lost (4 8 15 16 23 42) may be a McGuffin, according to series creator Damon Lindelof. “I think that that question … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | 1 Comment

Don’t want no short people round here

Posted on November 19, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

What the world needs now is a list of the greatest short dudes of all time. Angus Young, lead singer-guitarist of AC/DC, tops Maxim’s list of the “25 greatest short dudes of all time,” standing tall at 5 feet 2 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in General snarkiness | 6 Comments

Packing and cracking in a nutshell

Posted on November 19, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I’m really glad I copied the Quorum Report 2006 master candidate list before it went behind their paywall, even though by now it’s likely to be hopelessly out of date. One reason why is because it gives information about the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Comments Off on Packing and cracking in a nutshell

Pena and Gonzales

Posted on November 18, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Aaron Pena has announced that he will kick off his reelection campaign on Monday. He also says that his legislative neighbor Veronica Gonzales announced her intentions to run again last night. As Pena notes and as I wrote … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Pena and Gonzales

Aiyer files ethics complaint against Lovell

Posted on November 18, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

In today’s column on the unpredictability of local runoff races, Kristin Mack notes a storm brewing in the Council At Large #2 race, now between Jay Aiyer and Sue Lovell: The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) contributed $10,000 to Lovell’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2005 | 3 Comments

To boot or not to boot

Posted on November 18, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Earlier this week, FEMA announced it would stop paying hotel bills for evacuees who still have not been placed in apartments. FEMA had planned to place families in longer-term housing before Dec. 1, but more than 53,000 hotel rooms remain … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Comments Off on To boot or not to boot

JP convicted of document tampering

Posted on November 18, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Justice of the Peace Betty Brock Bell was convicted on Wednesday of using her dead mother’s name to obtain handicapped parking placards. During a visit to the Harris County Tax Office last year, Bell signed her late mother’s name on … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 1 Comment

Katy ISD kerfuffle resolved for now

Posted on November 18, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Back in May, there were complaints raised about improper politicking in Katy’s ISD elections. Today, the Texas Ethics Commission cleared the accused of wrongdoing, but that may not be the end of it. Fred Hink, a 2004 school board candidate, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2005 | Comments Off on Katy ISD kerfuffle resolved for now

Lobbyists give money to DeLay: Film at 11

Posted on November 17, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

So sorry I’m missing this event tonight, but we had to go grocery shopping. High-profile lobbyists and Republican operatives will gather for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres tonight in hopes of raising more than $200,000 for embattled U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Comments Off on Lobbyists give money to DeLay: Film at 11

Republican Party of Texas agrees to obey the law

Posted on November 17, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

It’s just so hard to keep up with all the wrongdoing these days. The Republican Party of Texas avoided prosecution Thursday by agreeing to stop using corporate money in several ways being investigated by Travis County Attorney David Escamilla. Escamilla’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 1 Comment

Another game, another useless economic impact estimate

Posted on November 17, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The NBA All-Star Game will be played here in Houston in two months. You know what that means. The NBA All-Star weekend in Houston could inject as much as $79.6 million into the Texas economy, Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn said … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 4 Comments

Welcome to the city of Your-Name-Here

Posted on November 17, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s one way for a town of 125 people to put itself on the map. Back in the 1950s, Hot Springs, N.M., was renamed Truth or Consequences, N.M., after a popular quiz show. During the dot-com boom of 2000, Halfway, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 3 Comments

The insured driver database

Posted on November 17, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

When I read this Chron story from yesterday about a new state database of insured drivers, my first reaction was “When exactly did that happen?” No matter how closely one tries to follow the Lege, they still manage to slip … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Comments Off on The insured driver database

Talmadge Heflin rises again

Posted on November 17, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

An old, familiar name has surfaced as a candidate for the top job at the Texas Lottery Commission: Talmadge Heflin. Heflin, a Houston Republican who served 22 years in the Texas House before being defeated in 2004, said Wednesday that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Jackpot! | 2 Comments

Henley jumps into CD07

Posted on November 17, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

We now have two Democrats looking to challenge John Culberson in CD07. Joining David Murff is Lanier Middle School debate teacher Jim Henley, whose website should be up this weekend. From an email I got from Lamar High School student … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 3 Comments

Hubener, Stallings, and Thibault

Posted on November 17, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Katy Hubener, who gave State Rep. Ray Allen a close shave in 2004, will run again for HD106, which is now an open seat with Allen joining the retirement brigade. Hubener, made her first try for an elected office in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 3 Comments

CD14 – Possible primary opponent for Ron Paul

Posted on November 16, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

After running completely unopposed in 2004, US Rep. Ron Paul may be facing challenges in both the general and the GOP primary next year. You already know about Shane Sklar; now meet Greg Roof. Greg Roof, an economics professor at … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

The appeal of classic rock continues to endure

Posted on November 16, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I first noted a story on how Kids Today were becoming an increasingly large share of the Classic Rock audience. Via John, I see that the WaPo has picked up this theme. It’s a long and fascinating piece, and it … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 2 Comments

The runoffs

Posted on November 16, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The runoff elections for the City of Houston municipal races that went into overtime will be Saturday, December 10, with early voting from November 30 to December 6 (all info courtesy of a phone call to the Harris County Clerk’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2005 | 22 Comments