Monthly Archives: August 2007

Vick suspended indefinitely

Posted on August 25, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell didn’t wait long to take action on Michal Vick. Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended the Atlanta Falcons quarterback indefinitely without pay, just hours after Vick filed a plea agreement that portrayed him as less involved than three … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Comments Off on Vick suspended indefinitely

Some intelligence on “intelligent design”

Posted on August 25, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

All things considered, I’d have to say that this counts as pretty good news. For now, anyway. Should “intelligent design” – the cousin of creationism – be taught in science classes in Texas alongside evolution? A solid majority of the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | 3 Comments

The return of the DeLorean

Posted on August 25, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll spare you all the tedious “Back to the Future” jokes and simply note that the DeLorean will be back in 2008, and what’s more they’ll be manufactured locally. We sat down with James Espey, veep of the DeLorean Motor … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | 4 Comments

Digital billboards

Posted on August 24, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Is there anything about the phrase digital billboards that sounds like a good idea to you? The prospect of digital billboards proliferating along highways pitted outdoor advertisers against scenery defenders Thursday at the Texas Transportation Commission, which proposed rules for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 6 Comments

The Eureka corridor

Posted on August 24, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Did anyone catch this article in yesterday’s Chron? The Metropolitan Transit Authority board today will consider the purchase of a former rail bed between downtown and the 610 North Loop, as well as sites for new Park & Ride lots … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on The Eureka corridor

Fixing the fence

Posted on August 24, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

This article about one of the border fences we already have was sent to me last night, and I think it pretty much speaks for itself. Every day, Eddie Lujan and fellow members of his Border Patrol welding team go … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Comments Off on Fixing the fence

Is that your uniform number or your age?

Posted on August 24, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Great story. Mike Flynt was drinking beer and swapping stories with some old football buddies a few months ago when he brought up the biggest regret of his life: Getting kicked off the college team before his senior year. So, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Comments Off on Is that your uniform number or your age?

Stephen King and Harry Potter

Posted on August 24, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Nice piece by Stephen King on the Harry Potter series, the generally uninteresting reviews of those books, and the future of reading. Check it out. Link via dghall. Continue reading →

Posted in Books | 1 Comment

Thirty!

Posted on August 23, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

When was the last time a 110-year-old record was broken in major league baseball? The Texas Rangers rounded the bases at a dizzying pace and became the first team in 110 years to score 30 runs in a game, setting … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Comments Off on Thirty!

Goodbye, Dean

Posted on August 23, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

In the end, it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. As of Wednesday night, the system was downgraded to a tropical depression. There were no deaths reported in Mexico nor known damage to its vital oil infrastructure, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Comments Off on Goodbye, Dean

I don’t see any dissent. Do you?

Posted on August 23, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t say I’m surprised by this. Not that they’re worried or anything. But the White House evidently leaves little to chance when it comes to protests within eyesight of the president. As in, it doesn’t want any. A White House … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 1 Comment

HISD bond skepticism

Posted on August 23, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

The HISD bond package might be a tough sell in one of the communities most directly affected by it. Fifth Ward community leaders said Monday that they won’t support any bond that consolidates several schools in their area. They fear … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2007 | Comments Off on HISD bond skepticism

Lawsuit filed by ex-SOS lawyer

Posted on August 23, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the case of Elizabeth Reyes, the attorney with the Secretary of State’s office who was fired after she was quoted in a Washington Post story about the possibility that Karl Rove had committed a civil offense by improperly registering … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Comments Off on Lawsuit filed by ex-SOS lawyer

Downtown towers sprouting up everywhere

Posted on August 23, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

More downtown construction activity coming soon. Hines, the Houston-based firm that develops real estate across the globe, is planning its newest building in the heart of its hometown. The new project, to be called MainPlace, will be a 46-story, 1 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Comments Off on Downtown towers sprouting up everywhere

Watch those right-on-red turns

Posted on August 22, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready for another red light camera modification. Motorists making illegal turns at the 50 intersections monitored by Houston’s red-light cameras so far have avoided citations because of a loophole in the city’s ordinance. City Council could close that loophole … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 2 Comments

Burge departs Sports Authority

Posted on August 22, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

And another local icon leaves the scene. Billy Burge, who played a major role in building Houston’s three professional sports venues, will not be reappointed to the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority. Burge said he had served long enough on the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Comments Off on Burge departs Sports Authority

Permit for demolition acquired

Posted on August 22, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been driving by the River Oaks Shopping Center on my way to and from work lately, to see when the demolition work would begin. Nothing happened last week, which I attributed in part to the heavy rains from TS … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 1 Comment

Hope you kept the receipt for that ring

Posted on August 22, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

In thirty-plus years of attending live sporting events, I’ve seen my share of public wedding proposals done via Jumbotron, airplane banner, and the like. One of my best friends proposed to his wife by putting a message on the scoreboard … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | 2 Comments

How much would you pay for that advertising blitz?

Posted on August 22, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Have you seen an ad for the Trans Texas Corridor lately? They’re out there, and you’re paying for them. The Texas Department of Transportation, which complains about chronic underfunding, has launched a multimillion-dollar campaign that promotes the divisive Trans-Texas Corridor … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

Craddick and Keel

Posted on August 22, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Vince has been checking into the documents related to the highly unusual resignation and replacement of House Parliamentarian Denise Davis and Deputy Parliamentarian Chris Griesel, and he’s found some interesting stuff. Among the documents is a memorandum written by new … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Comments Off on Craddick and Keel

Can This Name Change Be Stopped?

Posted on August 22, 2007 by admin

They are going to name the Harris County Department of Education building on Irvington after RONALD REAGAN? This falls under the “I thought I’d seen it all” category. Reagan was NOT the education president, contrary to what the misinformed Republican … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | 6 Comments

RIP, Eddie Griffin

Posted on August 21, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Former Rockets forward Eddie Griffin was killed today in an auto accident. The Harris County Medical Examiner’s office has identified former Rockets power forward Eddie Griffin as the man who died when the SUV he was driving plowed into a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Comments Off on RIP, Eddie Griffin

Why does the President want children to be sick?

Posted on August 21, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not sure else how to say it when I read stories like this. The Bush administration, engaged in a battle with Congress over whether a popular children’s health insurance program should be expanded, has announced new policies that will … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 3 Comments

Dean in Mexico

Posted on August 21, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

It could have been much worse. Hurricane Dean slammed into the Caribbean coast of Mexico today as a roaring Category 5 hurricane, the most intense Atlantic storm to make landfall in two decades. It lashed ancient Mayan ruins and headed … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Comments Off on Dean in Mexico

Strike three for the SOBs

Posted on August 21, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

If this isn’t the death blow, I don’t know what is. A federal appeals court today upheld a city ordinance restricting where topless clubs and sexually oriented businesses can operate. The ruling by a three-judge panel from the 5th Circuit … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Comments Off on Strike three for the SOBs

A conversation with David Baldwin

Posted on August 21, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I finally had a chance to catch up with David Baldwin, the president of the Foundation for the Retarded, which is the fundraising arm of the Center Serving Persons with Mental Retardation, and ask him a few questions about the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Comments Off on A conversation with David Baldwin

The warped lock-em-up mentality

Posted on August 21, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

There’s much to be said about this article regarding our statewide prison overcrowding epidemic and the muleheadedly stubborn refusal by some DAs and sheriffs to think constructively about the problem. Grits has already done most of the heavy lifting, but … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Comments Off on The warped lock-em-up mentality

Cater to me or else!

Posted on August 21, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

For the most part, this article about life in Farmers Branch a year after the anti-immigrant movement took hold there just makes me sad. What a colossal waste of energy (and money, too, given the cost of defending the losing … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 6 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of August 20

Posted on August 21, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Time again for the weekly texas blog roundup, as conducted once again by Vince. Click on for this week’s highlights. Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of August 20

Cornyn to Bush: Stay away! (But send money!)

Posted on August 20, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

It’s tough to pick the most wrong thing from John Cornyn’s Q&A with the Statesman, but it’s easy enough to pick the most poignant: Q. Will you ask the president to appear with you on the campaign trail? A. I … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | Comments Off on Cornyn to Bush: Stay away! (But send money!)

Vick takes a plea

Posted on August 20, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise, given all the ammunition that the prosecutors had at their disposal. Michael Vick’s lawyer said Monday the NFL star will plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, putting the Atlanta Falcons quarterback’s career in jeopardy and leaving him … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 4 Comments

Special master for HPD crime lab urged again

Posted on August 20, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

When Michael Bromwich released his final report on the HPD Crime Lab, he urged there be a special master appointed to oversee what cases involving potentially tainted serology reports needed to be reviewed. His recommendation was opposed by Mayor White, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 3 Comments

Dean heads towards Mexico

Posted on August 20, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Here comes Dean. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the first hurricane of the Atlantic season was a powerful Category 4 storm, and could reach the highest level — Category 5, with maximum winds greater than 155 mph — … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 1 Comment

On Latino political power

Posted on August 20, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this article concerning Latino population growth versus Latino political power in Harris County and elsewhere. 1. I think one reason why Latino voter registration and turnout lags its population and is so poor … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Comments Off on On Latino political power