Monthly Archives: July 2007

Burka on Heflin

Posted on July 31, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Having previously made a mockery of the announcement that the state GOP has hired Talmadge Heflin to the post of Executive Director, I was all set to cackle a little more when I saw that Paul Burka‘s jaw had dropped … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | 1 Comment

Lampson op-ed on Farm Bill

Posted on July 31, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

The following is an op-ed by Rep. Nick Lampson on the farm bill that was just passed out of Congress. I confess, this is not the sort of thing that I normally follow closely (some folks at MyDD did a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Comments Off on Lampson op-ed on Farm Bill

What “innocent till proven guilty” really means

Posted on July 31, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

As the case against Michael Vick goes forward, I think it’s important to pause a moment and think about this. R.L. White, president of the Atlanta chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the Atlanta … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 2 Comments

But who might take advantage?

Posted on July 31, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday, Clay Robison wrote about Governor Perry’s controversial community college funding veto, and speculated about the possibility of political gain for Democrats as a result: There is a potentially large, negative political impact — not for Perry, who won’t be … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Comments Off on But who might take advantage?

Laney disputes Craddick’s absolute power

Posted on July 31, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, Attorney General Greg Abbott is soliciting briefs from various parties before he makes a ruling of some kind on the Keffer request, which is about the legality of House Speaker Tom Craddick’s assertion that he is not … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Comments Off on Laney disputes Craddick’s absolute power

Development along the Main Street line

Posted on July 31, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Christof looks at development projects along the Main Street rail line since 2004: As in 2004, I can count lots of proposed projects along the line: the two Midtown projects, more Downtown highrises and renovations, air rights development at Wheeler … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on Development along the Main Street line

HOT or not?

Posted on July 31, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I see from this article in the Chron that my impression of the whole HOV-to-HOT lanes thing has been mistaken. If an HOV lane becomes congested under rules requiring at least two people in each vehicle, there is little choice … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 2 Comments

Bad ad placement

Posted on July 31, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

And now for something a little lighter: I present to you Fifteen Unfortunately Placed Ads. I may never get the image of the second one out of my head. Thanks to Mark Evanier for the link. Continue reading →

Posted in General snarkiness | Comments Off on Bad ad placement

Texas blog roundup for the week of July 30

Posted on July 30, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

You know the drill. As with the last time, Vince is the roundup master. Click on for the highlights. Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of July 30

Astros punt on Ensberg

Posted on July 30, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this shouldn’t surprise me, but it still kinda does. While the rest of his former teammates were on the field with their wives and children as part of the Astros’ annual family day, third baseman Morgan Ensberg was … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | 3 Comments

Back to the future with Talmadge Heflin

Posted on July 30, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent. Former House Appropriations Chairman Talmadge Heflin of Houston is the new executive director of the Texas Republican Party, state GOP Chairman Tina Benkiser announced today. Heflin served in the Legislature from 1983-2004, when he was narrowly unseated by Democrat … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Comments Off on Back to the future with Talmadge Heflin

RIP, Marvin Zindler

Posted on July 30, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Marvin Zindler, Channel 13’s iconic crusading news reporter, has died from cancer at the age of 85. Marvin Zindler, a Houston institution for more than three decades and a pioneer of consumer reporting, died Sunday at M.D. Anderson Hospital after … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | 2 Comments

JudgeCriss dot com

Posted on July 30, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Judge Susan Criss, the “blogging judge” who’s also a candidate for the State Supreme Court, has revamped her website in preparation for her planned statewide run. Sure seems like there’s a lot of Democrats out there who are already pretty … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | Comments Off on JudgeCriss dot com

One more thing about the community college veto

Posted on July 30, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I’m reading this AusChron article (link via PinkDome) about more reaction to the community college funding veto (see here and here for more, and I’m reading Burka’s post on why we shouldn’t count out Rick Perry after all this time, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Comments Off on One more thing about the community college veto

Thanks for the timely warning

Posted on July 30, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I just have one question regarding this article about the cancer research bill that passed the Lege and will appear as a referendum on the November ballot. The rhetoric was befitting a $3 billion assault on the nation’s No. 1 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Comments Off on Thanks for the timely warning

Homeless in suburbia

Posted on July 30, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Good article in yesterday’s Chron about the issue of homelessness in Houston’s suburbs, where the problem is often invisible. Although homelessness in the suburbs has not yet reached a critical level, service providers say they are nearly stretched to the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Comments Off on Homeless in suburbia

It is finished

Posted on July 29, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

It’s done: I have finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Our copy arrived from Amazon UK yesterday, and after Tiffany announced that she didn’t intend to start reading it till Monday, I pounced. I’m happy to have finally … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Books | 5 Comments

A new Costco coming

Posted on July 29, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Costco will open a new store in the Greenway Plaza area next year in a 24-acre retail and apartment development planned on Richmond at Weslayan. Trammell Crow Co. said Thursday that the warehouse club operator … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | 1 Comment

Rainout!

Posted on July 29, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I feel their pain. Like thousands of other ballplayers across Texas, the young T-ball players at the YMCA have been plagued by rained-out practices and games, muddy fields and the hordes of fire ants that thrive in the wet weather. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Just call me Coach | Comments Off on Rainout!

The eight habits of highly successful commuter rail lines

Posted on July 29, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

One thing to remember as we talk about the Northwest Corridor project is that it’s about more than just widening US290. Commuter rail, using the tracks along Hempstead Highway, is a part of it as well. Christof takes a look … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on The eight habits of highly successful commuter rail lines

Lady Bird Lake

Posted on July 29, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The scenic lake that is one of the capital city’s treasures will be named after the former first lady who helped make it beautiful. Austin’s City Council voted unanimously Thursday to change Town Lake’s name to Lady Bird Lake, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Comments Off on Lady Bird Lake

Maybe not so Comcastic for some

Posted on July 28, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

The switch is on, but not all newly Comcasted users are happy about the experience. Tony Speller, Comcast senior vice president, said less than 1 percent of the 750,000 Comcast customers in the Houston area have experienced problems during the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | 1 Comment

DADS: We’re not that bad

Posted on July 28, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Following the earlier reports of systemwide problems of abuse and neglect at state facilities for the mentally retarded, the agency in charge has responded by saying it’s not as bad as it sounds. State officials said Friday there was no … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Comments Off on DADS: We’re not that bad

Congratulations anyway

Posted on July 28, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the Boise State running back who scored the game-winning two-pointer in overtime against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, then proposed to his girlfriend? (Here’s YouTube video of the play and the proposal if you don’t.) Today is their wedding … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Comments Off on Congratulations anyway

Community college leaders to state: Hurry up!

Posted on July 28, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Now that the possibility of a funding veto reversal has been floated, community college leaders hope that the state hurries up and acts, because they have budgets to plan. [Lt. Gov. David] Dewhurst has indicated that legislative budget leaders could … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on Community college leaders to state: Hurry up!

Craddick to former parliamentarian: Shut up!

Posted on July 27, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Vince has a copy of a letter (PDF) written by House Speaker Tom Craddick to his former parliamentarian, Denise Davis, in which he tells her that she can never speak about anything she did in that job because she’s a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Comments Off on Craddick to former parliamentarian: Shut up!

Judge overturns Hazelton anti-immigrant law

Posted on July 27, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Back in June, I noted that a ruling in a lawsuit against the city of Hazelton, PA over anti-immigrant ordinances was expected this summer. That ruling came down yesterday, and it’s a win for the plaintiffs and a loss for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 1 Comment

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to hire Accenture again

Posted on July 27, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Back in June, I noted that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) was gearing up to hire a replacement for Accenture to do basically what Accenture had been doing so well before we terminated their contract. Judging from … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on Those who do not learn from history are doomed to hire Accenture again

Further dispatches from the “Good news, bad news” files

Posted on July 27, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Good news: Plentiful rains throughout Texas the past year led weather officials today to declare an end to drought conditions across the state for the first time in at least a decade. “We’ve gotten so much rain this year we’ve … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Comments Off on Further dispatches from the “Good news, bad news” files

Hurricane season so far: Good news, bad news

Posted on July 27, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

You might have noticed that it’s been a quiet hurricane season so far this year. There are good reasons for that, but don’t go drinking all that bottled water just yet. First, the good news. Scientists had worried about La … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Comments Off on Hurricane season so far: Good news, bad news

Define “full time”

Posted on July 27, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

There was this article in the Chron business section earlier this week about how more women with children are saying they want to work part-time these days. I don’t know a whole lot about that, but it seems to me … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Comments Off on Define “full time”

Reversal of community college funding veto?

Posted on July 26, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

You never know sometimes what will turn into a big political issue. In the wake of the 80th Lege, one of the bigger controversies has turned out to be Governor Perry’s veto of $154 million in health benefits for community … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 1 Comment

Metro to discuss HOV/HOT lanes with TxDOT today

Posted on July 26, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

TxDOT and Metro are getting together today to talk about the possibility of making HOV lanes available to single-occupancy vehicles for a toll. The agenda includes discussion of a Metropolitan Transit Authority proposal to convert High Occupancy Vehicle lanes on … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 2 Comments

Noriega visits the Valley, slams Cornyn

Posted on July 26, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Noriega was down in the Rio Grande Valley, and had a few sharp words for John Cornyn while he was there. Noriega joked that he ought to come down more often to the Valley, so that the region gets … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | Comments Off on Noriega visits the Valley, slams Cornyn