Monthly Archives: February 2006

Pro-DeLay ad denied

Posted on February 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe we should just declare a moratorium on all political advertising related to the CD22 race this year. After four Houston TV stations initially refused last month to show an ad criticizing the Republican House member from Sugar Land, at … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 3 Comments

METRO announces schedule for Universities rail line

Posted on February 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

METRO has announced a timetable for the Universities light rail line, which is the official name for the east-west line from UH/TSU to the Galleria area. METRO board selects light rail technology Feb, 2006 Selection of technical team March, 2006 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 4 Comments

Guerra on the TTC

Posted on February 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Carlos Guerra has a couple of good columns about the Trans Texas Corridor and the opposition its been generating in San Antonio, home of a nasty fight over toll roads. See this one about the financial aspects, and this one … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

Let’s not overdo this just yet

Posted on February 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

As happy as I am with Donna Howard‘s win on Tuesday, I think this is an overbid. The seat was also once held by State Ag Commissioner Susan Coombs who is now seeking to replace Carol Strayhorn as Comptroller. Coombs … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 2 Comments

February numbers from Rasmussen

Posted on February 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

BOR and PerryVsWorld have the latest Rasmussen poll numbers for the Texas gubernatorial race. 500 Likely voters; MoE 4.5%, pollster Scott Rasmussen; conducted February 6th. Rick Perry 40% Carole Strayhorn 31% Chris Bell 13% Kinky Friedman 9% Rick Perry 38% … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 6 Comments

Psst…Wanna be a blog critic?

Posted on February 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Dwight is looking for a blog critic. As I’ve been looking for and reading hundreds of Houston blogs with an eye toward linking them on our Opinion page, I’ve been thinking a lot about the quality of the posts. There’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | 6 Comments

Reminder about Richmond rail METRO meeting

Posted on February 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Christof says that we’ll be seeing “a lot of press coverage on Richmond rail in the next few days”, thanks to the METRO board meeting on the rail line tomorrow and a protest by the anti-Richmond people today. While the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

1836 no more?

Posted on February 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The new MLS team Houston 1836 is considering a name change. Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Sylvia Garcia said Tuesday that Philip Anschutz, owner of the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which in turn controls 1836, confirmed that a name change is … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 9 Comments

Donna Howard wins runoff

Posted on February 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Final tally, hot off the Secretary of State page: Candidate Votes Pct ============================ Ben Bentzin 9,281 42.38 Donna Howard 12,618 57.62 Remember, this was a district drawn to elect a Republican, and Todd Baxter got 52.37% in 2002 when he … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

Club for Growth pushes Cuellar

Posted on February 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

It’s pretty much like this: Being a friend of the Club for Growth is not anything a Democrat should want to be. It’s roughly equivalent to MoveOn making an endorsement in a Republican primary. So go support the Democrat who … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

Comment change

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve had moderated comments for several months now – it was originally a defense against an obnoxious troll, but it’s also the default setting that I inherited when I upgraded to version 3.2 of Movable Type. I think it works … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Administrivia | 2 Comments

Hackett’s departure

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

For what it’s worth, I agree with Kos and Greg on Paul Hackett’s announcement that he’s dropping out of the race for the Democratic nomination for Senator in Ohio. I’m sorry to see him go, and I’m sorry he feels … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 2 Comments

On the trail of hackdom

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Your best belly laugh of the day comes courtesy of John Fund, who had the following to say about the primary battle between Ciro Rodriguez and Henry Cuellar: Should he lose, despite an effective first term, it will send a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 11 Comments

Another connection to Abramoff?

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing her investigation into attempts by the Republicans in Congress to pass a bill absolving the government of its court-ordered obligations to the Indian Trust, Mary Beth Williams thinks she’s found a link to Jack Abramoff in testimony by Stephen … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 2 Comments

CD10 misconception

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The Austin Chronicle, which is usually pretty sharp about political matters, is propagating a myth here in its preview of the Democratic primary for CD10: In 2004, the Tom DeLay-designed CD 10 was so overwhelmingly tilted toward the GOP that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

HD48 election is tomorrow, and other notes

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The HD48 runoff election between Donna Howard and Ben Bentzin is tomorrow. According to the Quorum Report, early voting was heavy compared to the original election: The vote may not be until Valentine’s Day, but more HD 48 voters are … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on HD48 election is tomorrow, and other notes

Still skeptical of the TTRC

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Time to check in on what the Texas Tax Reform Commission is up to as it continues its statewide tour. Eye on Williamson notes that there’s a lot of mixed signals out there. The commission has rejected charging the franchise … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 2 Comments

Chip implantation update

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

When I said “Just implant the chip in my head now and be done with it”, I was only kidding, I swear! Two employees have been injected with RFID chips this week as part of a new requirement to access … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Comments Off on Chip implantation update

“I shot a man in Corpus just to watch him die”

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The jokes are pretty much gonna write themselves over the Cheney accidentally shoots fellow hunter incident, aren’t they? Stina‘s right – it’s like someone wanted to give Jon Stewart a present. On the not-so-funny side of things, here’s a question … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in General snarkiness | 11 Comments

HSAs in the real world: Not well liked yet

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Given the amount of feedback to Ellen’s recent guest post on HSAs, I thought I’d link to this piece on how employer-offered HSAs are mostly being shunned by workers. “It’s got a lot of the right design features, but the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | 2 Comments

The Stink Panther

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t get out to see a lot of movies these days. I was never that much of a cinephile, and having a toddler around makes it even harder to find the time needed to sit through a full-length feature. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | 4 Comments

More Koufax 2005 nominations

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Get yer Most Humorous Blog and Most Humorous Post nominees right here. Earlier Koufax nominations for your consideration are here. Voting will be opened when all categories and their nominees are listed. In the meantime, read and enjoy. Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Comments Off on More Koufax 2005 nominations

“You still like me! You really still like me!”

Posted on February 12, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

How bad are things for Tom DeLay when stories with headlines like GOP voters still like DeLay get published? Last I checked, it wasn’t supposed to be news when an incumbent officeholder could claim to have support from his fellow … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 2 Comments

Reviving the Muppets

Posted on February 12, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Via Mark Evanier, an article on Disney’s attempts to revive the Muppets franchise. As with many Hollywood comebacks, the saga of how Kermit is trying to leap back on top is a story of changing tastes and the eternal quest … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | 2 Comments

More support for a la carte cable pricing

Posted on February 12, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

A la carte pricing for cable channels, which I’ve blogged about before, just got another push. Most cable TV subscribers would save money if allowed to pay for only the channels they want, a Federal Communications Commission study said Thursday, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | 3 Comments

Say bye-bye to Krispy Kreme

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The Krispy Kreme franchise is exiting Houston next month. For now, anyway. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts is exiting the Houston market after reaching an agreement with its Houston franchisee, Lone Star Doughnuts. The five Houston-area stores will cease operations on March … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | 14 Comments

Daily Ciro update

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The support for Ciro Rodriguez keeps coming in. First, from organized labor: Add steelworkers to the list of unions gunning for U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar. “He is our No. 1 primary target in the United States,” said Chuck Rocha, national … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 2 Comments

Criminal justice reform proposals: Not so impressive after all

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Scott has read the criminal justice reform proposals in detail, and he’s not impressed. Read why here and here. I confess, I went by the news story instead of the original document, and it sounded better to me there. So … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Comments Off on Criminal justice reform proposals: Not so impressive after all

Subpoenas in the Reed/Channel One lobbying case

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

More subpoenas from the Travis County DA. New subpoenas issued by Travis County prosecutors on Thursday cast light on a campaign contribution made by Primedia Inc. in 2002 just two days before the State Board of Education cast a vote … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Comments Off on Subpoenas in the Reed/Channel One lobbying case

No FTA funds for Metro

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

This is unfortunate. The future of the Metro Solution’s Plan has always depended on federal money. It’s a planned 50/50 match to move the bells and whistles beyond downtown and the Med Center to the north and southeast sides. But … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 11 Comments

Bell v Gammage on the air

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

WFAA in Dallas hosted a debate between Chris Bell and Bob Gammage yesterday – Jason Stanford described it as “No rules, no opening & closing statements, no time limits, just a conversation moderated by Wayne Slater of the Morning News … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 2 Comments

A tale of two counties

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I see that the Ciro Rodriguez-Henry Cuellar primary has been written up on MSNBC. It’s a nice enough piece, with one point that I want to discuss: This time, analysts don’t expect the Cuellar-Rodriguez race to be as close [as … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

With friends like Tom…

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Tom DeLay now, as quoted in Roll Call: In his letter to Republican constituents, mailed out by his re-election campaign this week, DeLay acknowledges that he faces political problems due to his ethical problems, although he dismisses the allegations as … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Comments Off on With friends like Tom…

“The bestest company evah!”

Posted on February 9, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Ah, the memories that this must bring back. Watching a video shot five years ago this month, defendants Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling looked up on a big screen in court Wednesday and saw themselves predict that by now Enron … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Enronarama | Comments Off on “The bestest company evah!”