November 2005 Archives
30 November 2005
The Model For Rice
Kragthorpe has Golden Hurricane on the right track (Berry Tramel, Daily Oklahoman)
The University of Tulsa football team came to Norman on Sept. 10, played the stripes off the Sooners' pants and we all walked away talking about how much OU stunk.
Shame on us. We failed to see what was right before our very eyes. Namely, that Tulsa has a danged good squad and a big-time coach.
The Golden Hurricane have spent the rest of the season proving just that. Tulsa has won seven of nine games and plays in the Conference USA championship game Saturday at Central Florida.
"It's kind of like what Bob (Stoops) says at Oklahoma," said TU coach Steve Kragthorpe. "We want to play for championships."
Few saw it coming in September, when OU led TU 17-15 midway through the fourth quarter, until Adrian Peterson emerged from the phone booth and a defensive touchdown in the final seconds padded the margin to 31-15.
"I found out a lot about our team when we played Oklahoma," Kragthorpe said. "The way we competed in that environment."
What you saw out of Tulsa that day at Owen Field has been on display throughout the season. Sophomore quarterback Paul Smith is skilled and savvy; he's got 17 TD passes and six interceptions. That's winning football. Senior tight end Garrett Mills, who was the best player on the field most of that September afternoon, has 75 catches for 1,031 yards.
Of course, few saw a Tulsa turnaround coming when Kragthorpe was hired three years ago. He took over a program that had nine wins in four years and 26 wins in nine years. Not since 1991 had TU had so much as a winning season.
It's hard to imagine that Tulsa will be able to hold on to Kragthorpe much longer. He's a solid coach who's done well in a tough job.
Now that Ken Hatfield is out at Rice, that institution is going to have to hope it can find someone like Kragthorpe -- an assistant looking for a chance to prove himself at a mediocre job. That's not going to be an easy task.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/30/05 23:41 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (2)
Why Is Millen Still A GM?
Mariucci's gone, but Millen remains ... why? (Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN.com)
The wrong guy was handed a pink slip Monday and shoved out the fuselage door of Air Lions. Matt Millen ought to be the one hurtling earthward toward unemployment, not the guy he fired Monday morning, Steve Mariucci.
Do the Detroit Lions stink like diesel exhaust? Absolutely. They can clear out a stadium faster than a bomb scare. But if Lions ownership (Hello, anybody there?) can OK the canning of Mariucci, the least William Clay Ford could do is make it a package deal.
[snip]
Rather than assume his share of responsibility for the Lions' annual collision with icebergs, Millen fired his third head coach since assuming the job in 2001. With the exception of Los Angeles Clippers VP Elgin Baylor, I can't think of a front office executive who has won less and still kept his job. In fact, Millen recently received a contract extension, which is like giving an Oscar to Jackie Chan.
At what point does Millen start not living up to expectations? When exactly does he admit that he has underachieved? Under Millen's remarkable leadership the Lions are 20-55. The only thing they've changed is their uniforms. Otherwise, they remain eligible for federal disaster relief.
Millen is the one NFL GM who makes Charley Casserly (and every other GM) look good.
The fact that Millen still has that job is nonsensical.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/30/05 23:33 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)
29 November 2005
A Shock For The Reality-Based Community
Stink from Abramoff hovers over Congress (San Antonio Express News)
If Congressional ethics committees want to prove they care about Capitol Hill's image, they have a mountain of work to do.
A recent Associated Press report on lawmakers' efforts to help lobbyist Jack Abramoff block a Louisiana Indian tribe's planned casino documented a situation so smelly that a starving dog would be repulsed.
The AP report revealed that nearly three dozen lawmakers joined Abramoff's battle against the Jena tribe of Choctaw Indians "while collecting large donations from the lobbyists and his tribal clients."
"Many lawmakers, including leaders in both parties, intervened with letters to Interior Secretary Gayle Norton within days of receiving money from tribes represented by Abramoff or using the lobbyist's restaurant for fundraising," the AP reported.
The article detailed the involvement of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and others.
Abramoff tied to Dorgan donation, tribe says (John Solomon and Sharon Theimer, AP)
New evidence is emerging that the top Democrat on the Senate committee currently investigating Jack Abramoff got political money arranged by the lobbyist back in 2002 shortly after the lawmaker took action favorable to Abramoff's tribal clients.
A lawyer for the Louisiana Coushatta Indians told The Associated Press that Abramoff instructed the tribe to send $5,000 to Sen. Byron Dorgan's political group just three weeks after the North Dakota Democrat urged fellow senators to fund a tribal school program Abramoff's clients wanted to use.
Senator Reid? Senator Dorgan?
But... but... how can that be?
Because if you read lefty blogs, you'll come away convinced that Abramoff is the devil spawn of the hated Tom DeLay, and that only Republicans are guilty of misbehaving when it comes to money and politics.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/29/05 22:14 | American Politics | Technorati | Comments (8)
28 November 2005
They're Not Just Meaningless Cells?
Fifty babies a year are alive after abortion (Lois Rogers, Times, via Brothers Judd)
A GOVERNMENT agency is launching an inquiry into doctors’ reports that up to 50 babies a year are born alive after botched National Health Service abortions.
The investigation, by the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH), comes amid growing unease among clinicians over a legal ambiguity that could see them being charged with infanticide.
Kill it inside the mother, and it's just a meaningless cluster of cells.
But outside the mother, the cluster of cells becomes an infant (hence worries of infanticide)?
Interesting.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/28/05 20:58 | Other | Technorati | Comments (3)
27 November 2005
Big 12 Wrap: Week 13
Thanksgiving weekend was also the final weekend of regular-season games for the Big 12. I'll have some thoughts on the Big 12 regular season at the end of the post, but first this week's games:
Texas 40, Texas A&M 29
Credit Texas A&M for hanging tough with the Longhorns much of the game. That said, did anyone really think A&M was going to win this one? The Longhorns romped to 40 points on a day when their Superman quarterback wasn't even the best quarterback on the field, and that might have hurt Vince Young's Heisman chances. Then again, he'll have one more chance to show off in what will effectively be a home game at Reliant in the Big 12 Championship (Colorado fans do not travel well). A&M fans have to feel a little better about who will be replacing Reggie McNeal next year.
Oklahoma 42, Oklahoma State 14
Casual fans will see the big numbers from Oklahoma's Superman, Adrian Peterson, and assume that he won this game singlehandedly. The real story -- and one that has the Sooner coaching staff looking forward to next year -- is that Rhett Bomar had an excellent showing as OU raced to a 21-0 lead in a quarter and change, then went into a shell offensively for the rest of the game, until things got a little closer and Peterson went off to the races. With a little more experience at receiver and expected o-line juco help, the Sooners should be more competitive next season if Peterson sticks around (he should) and they recruit wisely. Oklahoma State, on the other hand, needs to try to come out of the tailspin.
Nebraska 30, Colorado 3
Husker coach Bill Callahan promised a high-flying NFL passing offense when he arrived in Lincoln. In the last regular-season game of his second season, Callahan may finally have given the Nebraska faithful a glimpse of that offense. To be fair, Zac Taylor has shown flashes this season; maybe it's finally a case of the coaches getting out of his way (a la Vince Young at Texas). In any case, Nebraska took it to Colorado, which still won the Big 12 North because....
Kansas 24, Iowa State 21 (OT)
After Colorado's loss, Iowa State would have won the Big 12 North with a win against Kansas. For much of the game, it looked liked they would get that win. But Kansas came to life late, rallying behind backup quarterback (and former starting quarterback) Brian Luke, who had an excellent game in relief. Kansas likely saved Mark Mangino's job with the victory, which made them bowl-eligible. Iowa State misses out again on the Big 12 title gain, and the right to get pummeled by Texas.
I can't really say I'm sad to see this Big 12 regular season come to an end. The conference was down terribly this year, with Texas being the only elite team in the league and the North being even worse than I thought it would be.
Looking ahead to next year, there are reasons to think the conference might be more interesting. Commenter BradS suggests Nebraska could be up there in part because of a favorable schedule (recruiting also seems to be going well). Oklahoma should be much improved (and it's worth noting again that the four teams they lost to have themselves lost a total of four games), with Bomar and three freshmen receivers beginning to emerge (how good Oklahoma will be depends on how well the coaching staff can recruit to needs). A&M has to be better or Coach Fran will be gone (a terrible schedule should help -- seriously, Army, Troy, and the Citadel?!). Tech will again have a potent offense. And Texas? If the Superman Quarterback comes back, they will be very good again.
Up next: The Big 12 Championship. Does Colorado even have a chance?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/27/05 18:58 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (5)
26 November 2005
Mud Bowl, Anyone?
It's extra special to UH: On top of rivalry aspects to game, Cougars must beat Rice to go to bowl (Michael Murphy, Houston Chronicle)
Usually it's enough that a game against Rice means rivalries and bragging rights, but for the Houston Cougars, today's Bayou Bucket game against Rice at Robertson Stadium means much more.
Much, much more.
The Cougars, who entered the season expecting to challenge UTEP and Tulsa for Conference USA's West Division title, remain stalled at 5-5 after last week's loss to SMU and need a victory over the Owls to get the necessary sixth win for bowl eligibility.
The Fort Worth Bowl is interested in the Cougars, but bowl eligibility remains a stumbling block, so today's game — the first Conference USA clash between the longtime rivals — essentially becomes a bowl of sorts.
"Rice Bowl," anyone?
Mud Bowl is more like it.
UPDATE: UH wins, after making it interesting early. There are six teams eligible for the five C-USA bowls. Will UH get an invite?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/26/05 13:18 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)
Two Doses Of The Hardline
One nice thing about driving to and from Oklahoma over Thanksgiving was that I got to listen to these guys around Dallas.
They're just some entertaining sports talkers. They make driving through Dallas much more tolerable. :) Locally, though, I just can't get into Houston's sports talkers. The comparison may be unfair, but none of 'em even come close to the Hardline.
I'd probably stream the Hardline if they weren't on during what tends to be gym time most days.
UPDATE: Well, well, The Ticket offers podcasts of many shows including The Hardline. That might be enough to get me into podcasts. It sure would be nice to have podcasts of some Houston shows (HINT Chris Baker HINT).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/26/05 07:53 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)
24 November 2005
Happy Thanksgiving
I'm stuffed. :)
PS The Cowboys should not wear those stupid looking uniforms. Dear gawd.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/24/05 17:37 | Other | Technorati | Comments (4)
22 November 2005
Nice Start
Nice home opener for the Coogs.
Last year's team was scrappy and played tough defense, but they were a little short on shooters, especially for a Penders team. This year's team looks to have a few more guys who can shoot. Lafayette and Roberson both seem to have a really nice touch.
And the freshman "Tree" Adiefe.... he's going to be an interesting player to watch as he improves, I think. 8 blocked shots and 7 rebounds isn't a bad debut.
Granted, Florida Tech is gawdawful. I think it was 30-0 before they scored on UH. But still, it's a nice start to the season.
UPDATE: The Chronicle coverage says Tree had 15 rebounds, which is what Tom Franklin said during his interview with Tom Penders after the game. The Cougar coverage says 15 rebounds too, but their box score says 7. Weird.
UPDATE 2: I emailed the Chronicle's Michael Murphy, and he says Tree had 15 rebounds -- 7 defensive, 8 offensive. I bet the 8 got transcribed as 0 in the box scores, hence the discrepancy. I hope UH gets it right on the official box score. A player deserves proper credit for an 8 blocked shot/15 rebound game!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/22/05 21:59 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (5)
Texas Supreme Court Rules On School Finance
KHOU-11 appears to have been the first news organization in town to report on the Texas Supreme Court's ruling today on school finance (I received their helpful news alert -- Belo almost always scoops everyone else with those things).
KPRC-2 came in a close second with their posting.
Nothing that I can see on the new Chron.com just yet, but maybe it's hidden somewhere.
UPDATE (10:30 am): Chron.com now has the story posted.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/22/05 10:27 | Texas | Technorati | Comments (0)
21 November 2005
That Sounds A Lot Like Federalism
Governors Write Their Own Prescriptions for Healthcare Crisis (Ronald Brownstein, LA Times)
Bill Richardson, the Democratic governor of New Mexico, says that in his next budget he'll propose to ensure universal coverage in his state for all children 5 or younger. Anthony Wright, executive director of the liberal group Health Access California, says activists are planning a state ballot initiative next November that would fund universal coverage for children through a cigarette tax increase of $1.50 a pack.
Blagojevich says he is hoping his action will encourage more states to fund universal coverage for children; nationwide, about one in nine children are uninsured. "If we can do it in Illinois, other states can do it," he says. "The idea that we are going to wait around for Washington or the Bush administration to do this is not a good use of time."
Conversely, the hot idea in Republican states is giving private health insurance companies the principal authority for operating Medicaid, the joint state-federal healthcare program for the poor. Sanford was actually the second GOP governor to propose such a shift; Florida's Jeb Bush has already won approval from Washington for a test he'll begin next year, assuming the Legislature gives its final blessing in December.
Last week, approving a proposal from Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), House Republicans nudged other states to follow; the House authorized a five-year, 10-state test of Health Opportunity Accounts, which would allow low-income families to buy healthcare directly from doctors or insurers as an alternative to Medicaid.
Compared with the GOP initiatives, Blagojevich's plan builds more on the existing public systems. Since his election in 2002, Blagojevich has steadily expanded access to the Children's Health Insurance Program — a state-federal partnership, known as CHIPs, that provides insurance to the children of working-poor families. (Children in the poorest families receive coverage through Medicaid.) Those expansions, with an improving economy, have reduced the number of uninsured children in Illinois by about half, to about 250,000 this year.
The law Blagojevich signed last week covers those remaining children by allowing all uninsured families to purchase subsidized insurance for their children through the state's CHIPs. Insurance would cost $40 per child per month for middle-income families, about one-fifth as much as private insurance; the state's cost would rise to $100 million annually within five years. Eventually, Blagojevich wants to add adults.
While Blagojevich would increase the state's role in guaranteeing care, Bush and Sanford want to shift authority to the private sector. Medicaid now guarantees all eligible low-income families access to a specific set of services, such as doctor visits or X-rays. Both Bush and Sanford would instead provide a fixed sum for Medicaid recipients to purchase private health insurance.
It makes a lot of sense for red and blue states to put their red and blue ideas to the test, even though the mere mention of de-emphasizing CHIP makes some of our friends on the left spastic.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/21/05 22:05 | American Politics | Technorati | Comments (1)
T O In Dallas?
Peter King had an interesting quote in his Monday Morning Quarterback column today:
"I'm avoiding, deliberately avoiding, saying whether or not the Cowboys would be interested. He's a player that is a competitive player. He's an outstanding addition to an offense ... In general, I am a risk-taker. We've gone down that road. We've had some situations that worked and some that didn't. Alonzo Spellman had a great year with us. Alonzo certainly had some issues ... I probably have a propensity to try and make things work ... We've got a quarterback in Bledsoe who is arguably as fine a long-ball thrower as there is in the league. A top receiver could flourish with Drew Bledsoe. That's always appealing.''
-- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, on the Dunham and Miller Show on KCTK in Dallas, on the prospect of Terrell Owens playing for the Cowboys in the future.
Any question about whether the Cowboys will be a lead dog in the 2006 race for Owens?
I don't see it.
Michael Irvin has correctly pointed out that the Cowboys don't currently have a #1 wide receiver, but instead have lots of #2s. But I think Bill Parcells is happy enough with that arrangement.
Instead of locking up TO for big cash, the Cowboys need to be thinking seriously about their quarterback of the future.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/21/05 21:57 | Dallas Cowboys | Technorati | Comments (0)
Weird
Does Charlie Palillo read this little blog on occasion?
I wonder....
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/21/05 21:51 | Other | Technorati | Comments (1)
20 November 2005
Big 12 Wrap: Week 12
Many of the teams in the conference were off this week, which was probably a relief to many fans, given the mediocrity of the conference this season. There were only three games:
Texas Tech 23, Oklahoma 21
This was effectively a battle for the rights to the title "second best" in the Big 12. And on the game's final drive, the officials decided that Texas Tech would be awarded that title with several poor calls. Had Chuck Long's offense not been pathetic for most of the game, maybe it wouldn't have come down to blown calls at the end. To his credit, Bob Stoops refused to whine afterwards. Of course, why should he? If OU beats OSU next week, the Sooners head to the Holiday Bowl or Alamo Bowl. Poor Tech likely locked up a trip to the Cotton Bowl.
Kansas State 36, Missouri 28
Missouri caps off a disappointing 6-5 season with a disappointing loss to a bad Kansas State team. Retiring K-State coach Bill Snyders goes out with a win in the stadium named after him this week.
Baylor 44, Oklahoma State 34
A week after upsetting Texas Tech, Oklahoma State locks up last place in the Big 12 South against the doormat of the conference since its inception. The Cowboys take on Oklahoma next week .
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/20/05 21:47 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (2)
Texans' Offense: Respectable? Looking Up?
Back on October 23, the Chronicle's Emily Davis declared that things were looking up with the Texans offense (interestingly after the team's second worst offensive performance of the season in terms of yardage).
Since then, the Chronicle's more seasoned sportswriters have not gone quite so far as their colleague who admires the pretty pants and jerseys of high school football players, but even Richard Justice wrote the following:
The Texans are respectable. They're coming close.
Really?
The numbers suggest otherwise. I threw together a quick spreadsheet of offensive output using stats on NFL.com, and produced the following chart:
The chart doesn't show significant improvement over time in terms of net yardage. Rather, it shows slight improvement over the first two games (David Palmer was fired after the second game). However, the team's second worst output of the season came in Game 6. And it's important to keep in mind that slight improvement still has the Texans second-to-last in the NFL in net yardage, with an average of 215.9 yards per game. In contrast, the third-to-last team averages 242.4 yards per game, and the best team averages 391 yards per game.
The Texans' offense is, frankly, terrible. Statistics suggest it has not turned the corner just yet, as Emily Davis wrote. The offense has been hurt by injuries to be sure, and I don't mind anyone pointing that out. But these offensive numbers are really bad even after "slight improvement" from the first two games.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/20/05 11:15 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (1)
Model Of Inconsistency
Puzzler puts UH in bind (Michael Murphy, Houston Chronicle)
Huh?
That pretty much sums up Houston's 29-24 loss to SMU on Saturday. The Cougars had everything in their favor — they were playing at home, they were healthy, they were playing a hard-luck team that entered the game with only three wins and they were playing for bowl eligibility.
And they lost.
Huh?
The 14,650 at Robertson Stadium sullenly filed out, shaking their heads and staring at the scoreboard like it was an optical illusion. But it wasn't. No matter how hard you stared, those numbers — 29-24 — weren't about to change.
Among those walking out shaking their heads was a representative from the Fort Worth Bowl.
Maybe that's it. Maybe it was all the bowl talk in the preceding days, with the players perhaps dreaming of the glory and the university bean counters eyeing the fat paycheck that comes with a postseason game.
But UH wound up receiving a different kind of check on this night — a reality check, issued and endorsed by the Mustangs, who got a 49-yard field goal from Chris McMurtray with three seconds remaining for the win and then a safety on the Cougars' final play for the five-point margin.
While the SMU players celebrated the victory, Houston struggled to understand what happened in the game.
It's not hard to understand. Unfortunately, the reality is that UH had to take a gamble on high school coaches mostly unproven at the college level and hope that they would eventually grow into successful I-A college football coaches. I'm not criticizing that decision in hindsight because I have been as hopeful as anyone that it would work out, but that is the reality of the situation.
Unfortunately, the penalties and turnovers and untimely miscues and inability consistently to beat inferior teams just serve as an indicator to me that UH's collection of high school coaches still haven't matured into a quality division I-A college football coaching staff. They may never do so.
Sadly, the loss didn't come as a surprise. After Dave Maggard's giddy talk this past week that he has UH headed towards Big 14 membership, I consistently suggested it might be good to win these final two games against inferior teams before getting carried away, and I suggested on Tom Kirkendall's blog that I had my doubts whether this team would do so.
The loss jeopardizes UH's bowl chances. Meanwhile, new C-USA coaches George O'Leary and Mike Price have their teams poised to meet in the C-USA championship game (despite UTEP's loss yesterday). Coaching makes a difference in a relatively competitive, balanced conference.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/20/05 10:19 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (2)
19 November 2005
Chuck Long
The Daily Oklahoman has recently run some nonsensical columns praising Chuck Long and his so-called resurrection of the Sooner offense.
The cheerleading has, frankly, been pretty stupid and clueless.
Today's offensive performance against Texas Tech (7 points so far, well into the fourth quarter) should ensure that such stupidity does not appear again on the Oklahoman's sports pages this season.
Heading into this game, I feared that Texas Tech would just run away with the game. It's unfortunate that Chuck Long's offense has been so terrible today, because the defense has played well enough to make this game very winnable with even an average offensive showing.
Here's hoping Long gets strong consideration for the K-State job.
UPDATE: The Sooners scored, and are now down 17-14. The Long Juggernaut is rolling along now!
UPDATE 2: The Sooners scored again, and are now ahead 21-17 with a minute and a half left. I will shut up about Chuck Long now.
UPDATE 3: The officials and not the players decided the outcome of this game. That was as bad as anything I've seen in years of watching the Big 12 and Big 8 before it. Still, if Chuck Long's offense hadn't been dormant for 55 minutes of the game, the officials never would have had a chance to become Texas Tech's 12th man.
UPDATE 4: I have to correct the statement above. The extra (fifth) down that the officials gave Colorado against Mizzoui in 1990 was one of the worst blunders in the history of any conference, and definitely worse than any single call today. And the stakes were high, as Colorado went on to a share of the national championship that year.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/19/05 14:04 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (3)
17 November 2005
Shawn Mullins
I've been swamped much of the day, or I would have put up a plug for Shawn Mullins at the Mucky Duck already.
I saw earlier this year at the Duck, and he put on an excellent show. I'm looking forward to seeing him again (8pm tonight).
Now it's off to the gym to try to cram in a workout....
UPDATE (11-18-2005): Not a bad show. Or half show, at least. I bailed after one set, which got started late because of the dreadful opening act. Blar.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/17/05 16:58 | Music | Technorati | Comments (0)
16 November 2005
Who Will Get The KSU Job?
The Daily Oklahoman's Berry Trammel comments on ten candidates to replace Bill Snyder at Kansas State, as compiled by Powercats Illustrated:
1. Brent Venables: The total package - young, energetic, sharp, tutored under great coaches and a K-State guy to boot.
2. Jim Leavitt: Has built a strong program at South Florida; once was KSU’s co-defensive coordinator with Bob Stoops under Snyder.
3. Gary Patterson: K-State grad who this year produced his third 10-win season at TCU.
4. Bob Elliott: Snyder’s defensive coordinator; he has the pedigree, but does he have the charisma?
5. Darrell Dickey: Now North Texas’ coach, in 1982 led KSU to its only pre-Snyder bowl game, but a long shot to return.
6. Chuck Long: No KSU ties, but played quarterback at Iowa for Snyder and is still close to his old coach.
7. Dana Dimel: Longtime Snyder offensive lieutenant but not successful as head coach at Wyoming or Houston.
8. Del Miller: Long-time Snyder offensive lieutenant but a head coach only at Southwest Missouri State.
9. Sean Snyder: Director of football operations for his dad but no Sean Sutton.
10. Phil Bennett: SMU coach might not keep his current job, much less get a better one.
I was surprised to see Chuck Long's name on this list. I don't think he'll be hired, but I'm hopeful. I think his run with the Sooner offense has lasted long enough, and this would be a good way for him to move on.
Dana Dimel is just a complete joke. No way he gets that job.
I don't think Gary Patterson is likely to be that interested.
Brent Venables is listed as the top candidate, but I disagree with Tramel's calling him the "total package" for one reason -- he's never been a head coach. That's not the end of the world (neither had Bob Stoops, after all), but it is one shortcoming. Personally, I hope the guy stays at Oklahoma. :)
I'd give strong consideration to Jim Leavitt if I were the AD at Kansas State.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/16/05 23:58 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (3)
15 November 2005
Funny Stuff
On Monday, Tom Kirkendall and I were both surprised when the Chronicle's Richard Justice wrote the following:
The Texans are respectable. They're coming close. They've got four 2-7 teams left on their schedule. They almost won in Jacksonville, and they made a run at the Indianapolis Colts before losing 31-17 Sunday.
The Texans might be coming close to becoming respectable, but even that's debatable. They are a really bad football team.
Today, Justice wrote the following:
UH thinks big. It wants an invitation to join the Big 12. Athletic director Dave Maggard even has a prominent school ready to join UH in making it a Big 14.
Ah, yes, the man who couldn't even convince a Nebraska team that desperately needs to recruit Texas to honor an agreement to play UH at Reliant is negotiating the entry of UH and a mystery team into the Big 14. Come on now. I wonder if Justice wasn't just having a little fun with Maggard by committing that to print. :)
As I said in a comment earlier today, I'll be pretty happy if UH can simply win its next two games, both against inferior opponents it should beat.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/15/05 23:09 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (13)
Snyder To Retire
Snyder leaving K-State: Saturday’s game to end long tenure (Howard Richman, Kansas City Star)
Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder is expected to announce his retirement today effective at the end of the season, sources told The Star late Monday night.
Snyder, 66, told the team and coaches of his decision Monday evening, sources said. According to one of the sources, Snyder informed them of his decision about 9 p.m., and the news caught them off guard. Snyder’s regular weekly news conference is at 1 p.m. this afternoon at the Vanier Football Complex.
Snyder could not be reached for comment.
“Everybody tried to talk him out of it,” a source told The Star. “It was totally his decision. He convinced us all this is what he wants to do.”
Former K-State linebacker Ben Leber, now with the San Diego Chargers, said Monday night said he was saddened to hear that Snyder was saying goodbye. Snyder is about to conclude back-to-back losing seasons, the first time that’s occurred since 1989-90.
“We’ve heard rumors for four years,” Leber said, “but it’s kind of shocking that it’s becoming a reality. I feel bad for him. I think the guy that brought K-State back, put us on the map, should go out on top. It’s too bad, and sad, that he doesn’t get to do that.”
Snyder, in his 17th season at K-State, built the program from virtually nothing when he took over in 1989.
K-State, 4-6 overall this season and 1-6 in the Big 12, concludes its season at 1:10 p.m. Saturday at home against Missouri. K-State has lost five in a row, the first time that has happened on Snyder’s watch since his first season.
Snyder, a graduate of William Jewell, is 135-68-1 at K-State.
True to form, Snyder ends his own way (Bob Lutz, Wichita Eagle)
It surprises me that Snyder, 66, is going to announce his retirement today as Kansas State nears the end of a second consecutive losing season. A Wildcat player's parent confirmed to The Eagle on Monday night that Snyder told the team of his intentions.
We'll find out why today during an afternoon news conference. Maybe.
Snyder will tell us only what he thinks we need to know. Nothing more.
What has driven him to step down now, of all times. It's more than odd; it's almost unbelievable.
It has to be something more than the Wildcats' struggles during the past two seasons. Because Snyder isn't the kind of coach to give up. If he were, he would have never sent in his application for the job.
At the time, it was difficult to imagine a football coach with his faculties would want to venture within 100 miles of Kansas State for fear of being poisoned by the kind of losing that makes losers feel good about themselves.
You had to see K-State football in those days to believe it. And even then you needed a second opinion.
But from Day 1, Snyder talked about putting the Wildcats on the college football map. In his first news conference as coach, he said: "No. 1, to turn this program around would be THE major resurrection in the history of college football. That heightens the challenge for me."
Well, Snyder did it. He has won 135 games and taken the Wildcats to 11 bowl games. K-State won 11 games in a season six times in seven years from 1997 through 2003. In 1998, K-State was within a Texas A&M fourth-quarter miracle from playing for a national championship.
Snyder closed his football program to outsiders. But from the inside, the view was scenic.
The guy is obviously an outstanding coach, and probably doesn't get the credit he deserves for the number of former assistants who have gone on to greater things (Bob Stoops, Mike Stoops, Mark Mangino, and Brent Venables come to this Sooner fan's mind, but there are many others). Then again, his demeanor and the demands he places on assistants may not be the best way to promote loyalty to the program and praise from his subordinates. But a person can't argue with his results at that previously moribund program. And the fact that he never treated it as a stepping stone to "bigger things" made me respect the man even more.
He's going to be missed in the Big 12, and certainly he's going to be missed at K-State.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/15/05 08:34 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (4)
14 November 2005
Vaunted Or Below Average?
UH celebrates breakthrough (Michael Murphy, Houston Chronicle)
"I thought that we might have scored too fast," Marshall said. "I kind of wanted to run the clock down a little more before we scored.
"But I'm sure glad we did score."
That's because Gilbert, who had consistently hammered through the vaunted Southern Miss defense, fumbled to give the Golden Eagles the ball at the UH 44-yard line with 2:40 left.
Vaunted?
The Southern Miss defense entered the game ranked 82nd (of 117 ranked teams) in total defense, 76th in rushing defense, 84th in pass defense, and 49th in scoring defense.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/14/05 23:19 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (4)
13 November 2005
Big 12 Wrap: Week 11
It's time now for my whimsical weekly look at the football action in the Big 12. This week, the games further drove home the notion that the conference should be renamed The Big One and Little Eleven this season, with every ranked team but Texas (okay, there are only two) suffering upsets to lesser teams.
Texas 66, Kansas 14
Mark Mangino did a very dumb thing last year when he blamed the officiating for a close loss to Texas. While he was correct, he also motivated Vince Young to remove any doubt about the superiority of Texas this year. The score was 52-0 at halftime. How in the world does Vince Young not win the Heisman this year?
Oklahoma State 24, Texas Tech 17
Mike Leach usually manages at least one loss to an inferior team each year, so this is perhaps not entirely surprising. Then again, Oklahoma State has looked pretty bad so far this season. But in this game, they had fewer turnovers and more yards. That's usually how you get a W against a Mike Leach team.
Oklahoma 36, Texas A&M 30
Oklahoma played as well as they have all season -- for one quarter. And they played just well enough to hold on the rest of the way, with a few assists from the Aggies. Both teams had occasional highlights on offense, just too occasional for most fans. Oklahoma is eligible for a bowl with the victory. A&M must beat Texas to become eligible. Oklahoma still has games with Texas Tech and Oklahoma State that will determine the quality of their bowl.
Iowa State 30, Colorado 16
Penalties and turnovers killed #22 Colorado against surging Iowa State, but Colorado will still win the North with a victory against Nebraska in Boulder in two weeks. Should Colorado lose to Nebraska, Iowa State and Mizzou still have a shot at the right to get pummeled by Texas in the title game, as described by AP/ESPN here (and as the Chron's Big 12 blogger posted here, without blockquote or linking or even attributing the writing to AP).
Missouri 31, Baylor 16
Baylor just isn't quite good enough yet to win a tough one on the road, but they certainly put a scare in Missouri with a late rally, before Brad Smith took charge. Mizzou finishes the season at Kansas State next week. Baylor has a winnable game against Oklahoma State, in a battle to stay out of the Big 12 South basement.
Nebraska 27, Kansas State 25
Neither of these teams is very good, but the wheels seem really to have flown off for Bill Snyder, whose team committed 14 penalties, 2 turnovers, and was only 6 of 30 passing for 103 yards. Ouch!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/13/05 22:32 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (2)
Classy
Irish salute Navy during alma mater (Jim O'Donnell, Chicago Sun-Times)
Moments after Notre Dame's 42-21 victory over Navy was final, most of the 80,795 fans in attendance remained to watch as Charlie Weis and his Irish players stood at attention while a visiting segment of the Naval Academy band played the school's alma mater, ''Navy Blue & Gold.''
A corps of Midshipmen in the southeast corner of Notre Dame Stadium sang along, doffing their white caps and holding their hands over their hearts. Weis later said his team's participation was hardly impromptu.
''I went to coach [Paul] Johnson before the game and asked him, 'When do you sing your alma mater? Does anyone come over and honor you when you do this?''' Weis said. ''He said, 'Sometimes.' So, I said, 'Well, you don't mind if we come, do you?'
''We would have done that whether we won or lost. Not to be redundant, but [Navy players] stand for so much more than college football.''
That's a classy move from Charlie Weis.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/13/05 20:25 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (1)
The Rise Of American Democracy
'The Rise of American Democracy': A Constant Struggle (Gordon S. Wood, New York Times). Review of The Rise of American Democracy by Sean Wilentz.
Wilentz's first book, "Chants Democratic" (1984), was a celebrated study of the rise of the working class in the early Republic, an especially appropriate subject for a scholar known for his devotion to liberal causes and the Democratic Party. This new book is an outgrowth of that earlier work, but it is not likely to receive similar acclaim from the scholarly left; for it very much runs against the flow of current academic trends. Most historians today, especially those writing about the period Wilentz is concerned with - the period of the early Republic from Jefferson to Lincoln - are interested in what they call "the new political history." They seek to transcend the usual stuff of politics - elections, parties and the political maneuvering of elite white males in government - and to provide a history that views politics through the lenses of race, gender and popular culture. So they devote themselves primarily to the symbols and theatrics of politics - the various ways common people, including women and blacks, expressed themselves and participated in the political process, whether in parades, costume or drinking toasts. These historians believe culture trumps policy and power. They explicitly reject any sort of narrative of dead white males bringing about the triumph of democracy within the two-party system. This, however, is the very subject of Wilentz's book.Wilentz is well aware of the new political history. Indeed, elsewhere he has expressed his contempt for it, assailing it as filled with "bargain basement Nietzsche and Foucault, admixed with earnest American do-goodism, that still passes for 'theory' in much of the academy." In opposition to the fashionable emphasis on culture, he wants, he says, to highlight the independent existence and importance of politics. However significant social and cultural developments were to the American people in the early Republic, these developments, he claims, were perceived primarily in political terms - "as struggles over contending ideas of democracy." From the late 19th century to our own day we are apt to see economics, society or culture as the ground for politics and political institutions. But, Wilentz says, for the people of the early Republic, politics, government and constitutional order, not economics, not society, not culture, were still the major means by which the world and the men who ran it were interpreted.
He therefore feels justified in making this in-your-face challenge to the new political historians and in writing this old-fashioned narrative.
UPDATE (11-14-2005): Peter Schramm posts his thoughts here.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/13/05 14:21 | Books/Culture | Technorati | Comments (2)
Sprawl
Suburban Despair: Is urban sprawl really an American menace? (Witold Rybczynski, Slate). Review of Sprawl: A Compact History by Robert Bruegmann.
We hate sprawl. It's responsible for everything that we don't like about modern American life: strip malls, McMansions, big-box stores, the loss of favorite countryside, the decline of downtowns, traffic congestion, SUVs, high gas consumption, dependence on foreign oil, the Iraq war. No doubt about it, sprawl is bad, American bad. Like expanding waistlines, it's touted around the world as yet another symptom of our profligacy and wastefulness as a nation. Or, as Robert Bruegmann puts it in his new book, "cities that sprawl and, by implication, the citizens living in them, are self indulgent and undisciplined."Or not. In Sprawl, cheekily subtitled "A Compact History," Bruegmann, a professor of art history at the University of Illinois at Chicago, examines the assumptions that underpin most people's strongly held convictions about sprawl. His conclusions are unexpected.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/13/05 14:13 | Books/Culture | Technorati | Comments (0)
Team of Rivals
'Team of Rivals': Friends of Abe (James Mcpherson, New York Times). Review of Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
MORE books about Abraham Lincoln line the shelves of libraries than about any other American. Can there be anything new to say about our 16th president? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. Having previously offered fresh insights into Lyndon Johnson, the Kennedys and Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Doris Kearns Goodwin has written an elegant, incisive study of Lincoln and leading members of his cabinet that will appeal to experts as well as to those whose knowledge of Lincoln is an amalgam of high school history and popular mythology.
"Team of Rivals" (an apt but uninspiring title) opens in May 1860 with four men awaiting news from the national convention of the Republican Party in Chicago. Thousands of supporters were gathered in Auburn, N.Y., where a cannon was primed to fire a salute to the expected nomination of Senator William Henry Seward for president. In Columbus, Ohio, Gov. Salmon P. Chase hoped that if Seward faltered, the mantle would fall on his shoulders. In St. Louis, 66-year-old Edward Bates, a judge who still called himself a Whig, hoped the convention might turn to him as the only candidate who could carry the conservative free states, whose electoral votes were necessary for a Republican victory. In Springfield, Ill., a former one-term congressman who had been twice defeated for election to the Senate waited with resigned expectation that his long-shot candidacy would be flattened by the Seward steamroller.Although her readers presumably know who won the nomination, Goodwin leaves them in suspense for almost 250 pages as she chronicles the personal stories and political careers of these four men. The unifying theme is the growing sectional polarization over the issues of slavery and its expansion. But each story follows a separate track until they begin to converge with the death of the Whig Party and the birth of the Republican Party in the mid-1850's.
Who's the Boss? How an obscure pol from Illinois mastered the political titans of his age -- and saved the Union (Allen C. Guelzo, Washington Post)
The Constitution makes no provision for a president's cabinet. After all, no one in the Constitutional Convention in 1787 ever thought the office of the president would require much more than secretarial help. If there was to be a council of state or an assembly of sage heads in the new republic, the Framers expected that it could be found in the Senate. But the Senate, as George Washington discovered, was too political and fractious a body to play that role. And the men he had invited to serve as his executive secretaries -- Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Henry Knox -- were of such extraordinary abilities that by the end of Washington's first administration, a "cabinet" of advisers and administrators with wide latitude to execute presidential policy was already emerging.
This did not mean that the president's cabinet acquired any predictable shape. Cabinets have been recruited by wildly different rules, from the purest cronyism (under Andrew Jackson) to the purest impartiality (under John Quincy Adams, who tried to construct a cabinet that included some of his deadliest political opponents). Sometimes cabinet secretaries have been submissive messengers of the president's will; sometimes they have used their independent political power to subvert his policies. Not even the size of the cabinet has remained stable. Washington had a cabinet of four (if we include his attorney general); John Adams added a fifth, the secretary of the navy, in 1798. George W. Bush has 15 cabinet posts, along with four other cabinet-rank executive positions. To date, almost no serious critical literature exists to give it all coherence.
Which means that the task the popular historian Doris Kearns Goodwin has set for herself in writing the history of Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet in Team of Rivals is neither easy nor immediately attractive.
Here's hoping she's well past those pesky problems with proper attribution and it really IS her history.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/13/05 14:05 | Books/Culture | Technorati | Comments (4)
Empires Of The Word
The Dress of Thought (John Derbyshire, NRO). Review of Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World by Nicholas Ostler.
Most of us have, at one time or another, puzzled over such historical-linguistic conundrums as: Why did only Britain, of all the Roman provinces overrun by Germans, end up speaking a Germanic language? Why did the Portuguese language “take” in Brazil, but not in Africa, while Dutch “took” in Africa but not in Indonesia? If the Phoenicians were so important in Mediterranean history, how is it that they left not a single work of literature behind? Since we know of no nation named Aramaia, whence came Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus of Nazareth? What actually happened to Sumerian? Or Mongolian, the language of a vast medieval empire?Plainly, what we have been needing is an account of world history written from the linguistic point of view. Well, here it is. Nicholas Ostler is a professional linguist and currently chairman of the Foundation for Endangered Languages. His loving fascination with languages is plain on every page of Empires of the Word, and in the many careful transcriptions — each with a brief pronunciation guide and a translation — of passages from Nahuatl, Chinese, Akkadian, and a host of other tongues. Ostler actually has a feel for languages that, he has convinced me, goes into something beyond the merely subjective. He speaks of “some of the distinctive traits of the various traditions: Arabic’s austere grandeur and egalitarianism; Chinese and Egyptian’s unshakeable self-regard; Sanskrit’s luxuriating classifications and hierarchies; Greek’s self-confident innovation leading to self-obsession and pedantry; Latin’s civic sense; Spanish rigidity, cupidity, and fidelity; French admiration for rationality; and English admiration for business acumen.”
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/13/05 13:55 | Books/Culture | Technorati | Comments (0)
DFW or Hobby?
Airports, economics and one done deal (Mike Moncrief, Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
At the time that the region agreed on the Wright Amendment, Southwest's founder and leader Herb Kelleher said he was pleased. So were we -- and we still are.
If restrictions on air travel out of Love Field are lifted, American Airlines and AirTran Airways say they will have no choice but to shift flights from D/FW Airport to Love. That's bad news for us, for D/FW Airport and the entire North Texas community -- and it's bad news for passengers worldwide who rely on connecting flights out of D/FW to Mexico, Central and South America, and elsewhere.
Connecting traffic makes much of the nonstop service offered at D/FW -- especially service to small domestic markets and international destinations -- economically viable. Most of the people traveling on flights from D/FW to London, Sao Paulo, Osaka, Buenos Aires or any other international destination begin their trip somewhere other than North Texas. Creating two hub airports and dividing air traffic between the two could cost D/FW up to 21 million passengers annually.
We want Southwest to stay. It is welcome at D/FW. Southwest's decision not to accept the invitation to move to D/FW -- and the $22 million in incentives offered by the airport -- is its choice.
Or, Southwest could move to Hobby.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/13/05 12:53 | Texas | Technorati | Comments (0)
No
Could Kinky Friedman really be our next governor? (Christy Hoppe, Dallas Morning News)
As a singer of goofy country ditties and writer of modestly successful mystery novels, Mr. Friedman, 61, is not the mega-star that Arnold Schwarzenegger was before switching effortlessly to politics. He may not even be as big as Mr. Ventura was before he got elected.
At the very least, he'll get a bunch of people to help finance a big publicity tour for his music and books. Who cares if he's an idiot when it comes to politics -- the marketing is brilliant.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/13/05 11:54 | Texas | Technorati | Comments (1)
Perfect
Nashville to overrun Big Apple with CMAs (John Goodspeed, San Antonio Express-News)
It's an awards show for the record books.
Sure, there'll be plenty of glitz on the red carpet and gobs of gab from Joan and Melissa Rivers on the TV Guide Channel.
But instead of Christian Dior and Oscar de la Renta, they'll be talking about Manuel and Nudie.
On stage, there won't be film clips from "Million Dollar Baby," but there will be live performances from duos as unlikely as Elton John and Dolly Parton and Paul Simon and Willie Nelson.
Then there's the location for country music's biggest night — Madison Square Garden in New York City.
[snip]
For the first time in its 39-year history, the Country Music Association Awards will take place outside Nashville during the three-hour broadcast at 7 p.m. Tuesday on CBS. Another first: Doors will be open to the public in the larger venue.
"We want to show that country music connects with a broader culture, and doing so with part of the New York scene and engaging some of these artists who are associated with it was a logical thing for us to do," said Ed Benson, executive director of the Country Music Association.
He did not add, "We hope the bigger stage will provide a corresponding boost in tampon sales."
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/13/05 11:50 | Music | Technorati | Comments (0)
12 November 2005
A Tale Of Two Offenses
Texas Tech’s Leach a square inside a circle (Berry Tramel, Daily Oklahoman)
Football is the ultimate copycat business. Texas tried the wishbone in 1968, and three years later 50 teams had embraced the ’bone. Tom Landry revived the shotgun in the 1970s, and now no self-respecting team leaves home without it. The zone read, which is all the rage these days? Three short years ago, none of us ever had heard of it.
Yet no one copies Leach. No one spreads the field with four flankers and linemen taking wide gaps between each other. No one throws the ball 50 times a game, sideline to sideline.
Why not? What would Baylor or Kansas or Indiana have to lose, trying the Leach offense. Is it unavailable to the masses?
Is Leach smarter than the rest of college football? Is Gundy right? Is this offense too complicated for all but the brightest bulbs?
Heck, no, says the man who begat Leach.
“We never had a playbook,” said New Mexico State coach Hal Mumme, who hired Leach for staffs at Iowa Wesleyan, Valdosta State and Kentucky. “You can teach the whole thing in three practices.”
Mumme is Dr. Frankenstein, the man who made the monster.
Coaching high school in Copperas Cove, Texas, Mumme borrowed from the Brigham Young offense and threw the ball all over the field. He first met Leach on the BYU practice sideline.
At Iowa Wesleyan, Mumme said, Leach was “O-line coach, recruiter, equipment manager and taught business law at night. We paid him $12,000 a year. We had a ball of fun.”
They instituted an offense that today lives at Tech, New Mexico State and two other schools where Mumme coached - Valdosta State and Southeastern Louisiana.
Let’s take the risk and try to explain this offense simply. You know how for almost half a century the Oakland Raiders have touted their vertical passing game? Texas Tech runs a horizontal passing game.
Wide splits by the linemen spread out the pass rush, giving the quarterback a precious extra fraction of a second. With four and sometimes even five wide receivers, usually running very short routes, the ball can be delivered quickly.
Find a quarterback who can quickly make the right decision play after play, which Leach consistently has, and it’s a hard offense to stop.
Tramel's story on Leach's offense really is worth reading in its entirety. Leach is the most innovative, interesing offensive mind in college football today.
At Long last, an offense emerges (Jenni Carlson, Daily Oklahoman)
Rhett Bomar and Malcolm Kelly show increasing signs of greatness. The offensive line continue to play musical chairs but managed to stabilized. Add Peterson and Wilson back into the mix, and the Sooners are playing some mighty fine ball.
Credit Long and his staff for not being short-sighted and looking for a quick fix, for building with the ultimate outcome in mind and doing it right.
Inexperience added to injury could’ve spelled total disaster - a losing season. What Long has done developing this offense is nothing short of spectacular.
Despite commanding all those high-powered offenses during the past five seasons, this is his best coaching job.
The Sooner offense has improved somewhat from the bumbling bunch that couldn't even manage to snap the ball without disastrous results early in the season, but Carlson gets carried away in this column. A team with Oklahoma's talent should never have started this season looking so sloppy on offense, and much of the "improvement" has come as the Sooner schedule has eased up and they've been playing some of the defensive sad sacks in the Big 12. There is no doubt that this offense has good young talent and is improved from the start of the season, but "spectacular" is not the way to describe Long as offensive coordinator.
The story on Mike Leach story provides a nice contrast because Leach really does run an offensive system. Under Long, the Sooners run a mish mash of schemes and formations and plays that really shouldn't be described as a "system."
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/12/05 13:30 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (0)
New Driver's Licenses By 2007?
New-look driver's license in store for Texans (John Moritz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
That driver's license photo that makes you cringe every time someone looks at it could soon save you from falling prey to identity theft.
The Texas Department of Public Safety awarded a $30 million contract last month to an Oregon technology company to develop a highly secure driver's license that incorporates biometric facial-imaging and thumbprint-verification features to better safeguard personal information.
"In states where we have already implemented this technology, literally hundreds of cases of identity theft a year have been thwarted," said J. Scott Carr, executive vice president of Digimarc Corp. of Beaverton, Ore.
"Illegitimate use of identity documents poses a threat to our personal, economic and national security. Ensuring that identity documents are issued only to legitimate holders is more important than ever in the security-conscious world we live in."
Carr said the new licenses, expected to debut in summer 2007, will be backed by computer records that will store each holder's facial image and thumbprint, along with the usual data, including name, birth date, address and identification.
If someone tries to use another's person's name, photo or ID number to obtain a driver's license, the computer records will raise a red flag, he said.
"Ultimately, it will take human intervention to address any potential problems that arise," said Carr, whose company has made driver's licenses for Texas for 11 years and produces them for more than 30 states.
Tela Mange, spokeswoman for the Department of Public Safety, said the agency received direction from the Legislature this year to employ facial-recognition technology in the 4 million driver's licenses and state identification cards that are issued to Texans each year.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/12/05 13:13 | Texas | Technorati | Comments (2)
Follow The Money
Democrats Losing Race For Funds Under Dean (Chris Cillizza, Washington Post)
The Democratic National Committee under Howard Dean is losing the fundraising race against Republicans by nearly 2 to 1, a slow start that is stirring concern among strategists who worry that a cash shortage could hinder the party's competitiveness in next year's midterm elections.
The former Vermont governor and presidential candidate took the chairmanship of the national party eight months ago, riding the enthusiasm of grass-roots activists who relished his firebrand rhetorical style. But he faced widespread misgivings from establishment Democrats, including elected officials and Washington operatives, who questioned whether Dean was the right fit in a job that traditionally has centered on fundraising and the courting of major donors.
Now, the latest financial numbers are prompting new doubts. From January through September, the Republican National Committee raised $81.5 million, with $34 million remaining in the bank. The Democratic National Committee, by contrast, showed $42 million raised and $6.8 million in the bank.
The elections that just took place may well be as portentous as some hopeful lefty bloggers have claimed, but political donors don't seem to be betting that way just yet.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/12/05 12:01 | American Politics | Technorati | Comments (1)
Peter F. Drucker, RIP
Peter F. Drucker, 1909-2005: Prolific Father of Modern Management (James Flanigan and Thomas S. Mulligan, LA Times)
Claremont Graduate University said Drucker died of natural causes. He was the Marie Rankin Clarke professor of social sciences and management at Claremont from 1971 to 2003, and he continued to write and consult from the campus until his death.
Drucker was often called the "father of modern management." But on the occasion of his 90th birthday, he described his life work much more simply:
"I looked at people, not at machines or buildings," he said. That approach led to nearly three dozen books and thousands of articles that formed nothing less than a guide to the 20th century economy.
The former newspaperman did not think up economic theories or elaborate systems of business operation. Rather he looked at people working, put them in historical context and saw a new liberal art: management.
"Unlike many philosophers, he spoke in plain language that resonated with ordinary managers," Intel Corp. co-founder Andrew S. Grove said in a statement. "Consequently, simple statements from him have influenced untold numbers of daily actions; they did mine over decades."
Peter Drucker (Peter Schramm, No Left Turns)
The first time I met him was over dinner, with two others (I think it was my second year in grad school). In preparation I read many of his books, and found them surprsingly interesting, but, of course, wasn’t yet persuaded that this was a serious person. And, being young and imprudent, over dinner I hastened to point out to him (you know, in that supercilious tone that grad students are prone to) that his books (especially something called, as I recollect, The Effective Executive) were nothing more than watered down Machiavelli. He was surprised that I was surprised, and readily admitted the fact and then quickly revealed that he knew a lot about Machievlli. Well, still in my arrogant mode, I pushed on and started pontificating about Frederick the Great’s book on Machiavelli (which I had just discovered and was sure no one else in the whole world ever heard of, never mind read), and to my surprise he had not only read it but had some very interesting thoughts about the book and Frederick. It was after this that I started to sit in on his classes. He was asked a question about the Vietnam War and its significance for America and the world; in a class that had nothing to do with the war, of course. He responded with a thirty minute discourse on the history (not excluding the art) of South East Asia, emphasizing China and Japan in the 17th and 18th centuries, never mentioned Vietnam, yet answered the question. It was wonderful. The student didn’t get it. But by then I did. Rest in Peace, good teacher.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/12/05 11:18 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)
11 November 2005
Thanks, Veterans
Rob Booth has a great post up about Navy chiefs.
My dad was a chief petty officer, so I thought it was a cool post.
Thanks to all the veterans out there for your service.
And thanks to all the chiefs out there who keep things straight in the Navy AND especially to the one who keeps the Float Trip campground straight!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/11/05 17:07 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)
10 November 2005
Senate Libs Raise Funds For Radnofsky
Hutchison foe in spotlight (Todd J. Gillman, The Dallas Morning News)
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has the best poll numbers of any Texas politician, a huge campaign account and a safe job from a Republican state. Yet Tuesday night, the Democratic leadership of the Senate joined forces against her, co-hosting a fundraiser for her little-known challenger, lawyer Barbara Ann Radnofsky.
[snip]
"We believe that next year, there's going to be a very dramatic election campaign," said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, who met Ms. Radnofsky two months ago and decided to give her a boost by recruiting colleagues for the reception. "We've told our incumbents and challengers to be prepared for a much different election cycle."
[snip]
At last count, Ms. Hutchison had nearly $7.4 million in her campaign account. Ms. Radnofsky, a first-time statewide candidate, had raised $584,000.
Spotlight or penlight?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/10/05 22:56 | Texas | Technorati | Comments (0)
Who Would Vote For A Soccer Star?
As Results Pour In, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Maintains Lead in Liberia Election (Abdoulaye W. Dukulé, AllAfrica.com)
With vote counting from Tuesday's run-off presidential elections proceeding faster than the first round on October 11, Liberians may learn by the end of the week who they have chosen to lead their nation into peacetime reconstruction and reconciliation.
In a surprise development, the early lead went to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a 66-year old former banker who came in second in the first round to 39-year old soccer sensation George Opong Weah.
Bah, soccer.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/10/05 10:57 | International | Technorati | Comments (5)
09 November 2005
Can Anyone Tell Me Why?:
Air attack gives Katy get-up-and-go (Emily Davis, Houston Chronicle)
A new football season at Katy began.
The crisp, red jerseys were unpacked.
Pure white pants handed out.
Shiny, scuff-free helmets got new owners.
And a group of bright-eyed, determined athletes started to write their own chapter in Katy's rich history.
Texans can rely on Wells (Megan Manfull, Houston Chronicle)
Texans running back Jonathan Wells has plenty he could complain about. Nothing he could say would raise eyebrows in a league where "me" is heard more often than "we."
But Wells is different. Sunday, after starting for the first time this season, Wells wanted to talk more about how grateful he was than how effective he was. He praised the organization that re-signed him in the spring and said he felt privileged to be a part of the franchise.
There was not even a hint of bitterness. He never complained about how the Texans have drafted three running backs since the 2002 season, when Wells led the Texans in rushing during their inaugural season. Nor did he whine about being allowed to carry the ball only if starter Domanick Davis is incapacitated.
Why?
Why does that newspaper insist on MeMofying the sports pages with features-style sportswriting from girl reporters, fare that would be more appropriate to a college newspaper and not (as Jack Sweeney would boast) one of the nation's ten largest newspapers?
Why inflict that nearly unreadable pap on the sports page readers?
Why?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/09/05 21:57 | Media Matters | Technorati | Comments (7)
Clueless Callahan Gets Vote Of Confidence
Nebraska AD stays behind Callahan (AP)
Nebraska athletics director Steve Pederson is standing firmly behind coach Bill Callahan, the man he hired to return the Cornhusker football program to excellence."I see progress in the program every day," Pederson said Tuesday. "What I see happening is this team and this program evolving, and I feel very good about the future of this program."
Why?
The Huskers (5-4, 2-4 Big 12) play Kansas State (4-5, 1-5) in Lincoln this week in a game that could determine who finishes last in the conference's North Division.
The 40-15 loss to Kansas on Saturday ended Nebraska's 36-year winning streak against the Jayhawks and fueled the outcry by fans impatient for the team's return to dominance.
"I understand that its easy to measure everything by what happens on the scoreboard....
Callahan's scoreboard results just aren't very good, except for when he's playing I-AA teams in Lincoln.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/09/05 12:18 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (0)
08 November 2005
Meltdown Coming?
Friend Tom Kirkendall raises the possibility of a Coach Fran Meltdown with two games left in Texas A&M's disappointing football season.
I don't really have an opinion, other than hoping that Bob Stoops can hasten the meltdown with a win in Norman this Saturday.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/08/05 23:34 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (0)
Texans Embrace Traditional Marriage
Texans approve gay marriage ban (Dallas Morning News)
With a measure to outlaw gay marriage passing easily, Texas on Tuesday became the 19th U.S. state to make the ban part of its constitution.
[snip]
Known as Proposition 2, the Texas constitutional amendment defines marriage as between a man and a woman and bars the state and its political subdivisions from creating or recognizing "any legal status identical or similar to marriage."
"I think Texans know that marriage is between a man and a woman, and children deserve both a mom and a dad. They don't need a Ph.D. or a degree in anything else to teach them that," said Kelly Shackelford, a leader Texans For Marriage, which favored the ban.
With nearly two-thirds of the precincts counted, 76 percent of voters statewide said they supported the gay-marriage ban, while 24 percent were opposed.
That's a fairly decisive result. Those who want to change the traditional view of marriage have some work to do.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/08/05 23:25 | Texas | Technorati | Comments (8)
When The Vaunted Editing Process Breaks Down
If your head feels like it's spinning, don't be surprised (Don Erler, Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
But because newspapers separate the "news hole" from the opinion pages, and because they carefully label "opinions" and "analysis," some readers might be less attentive to spinning in news stories.
Two additional examples come from Thursday's paper. In the first, a Washington Post story reported that "House Republicans are pushing to cut tens of thousands of legal immigrants off food stamps, partially reversing President Bush's efforts to win Latino votes by restoring similar cuts made in the 1990s."
Notice that a motive is attributed to Bush's previous actions ("to win Latino votes"). How does the Post know this? It doesn't say.
Notice also that "similar cuts were made in the 1990s." Why not substitute "during the Clinton administration" for the time designation? I'll bet that sharp readers will have figured this out.
A final example is a Knight Ridder News Service story about Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. According to James Kuhnhenn and Steven Thomma (the authors of this news report), "moderates in both parties have voiced reservations, especially at his stance on abortion."
The specific case cited was Alito's appellate court vote to permit Pennsylvania to require a woman to inform her husband before getting an abortion. The story did not mention that a "judicial bypass" was part of Pennsylvania's law or that Alito has (according to data available at findlaw.com) ruled in favor of women seeking abortions in three of four high-profile cases in which he has ruled.
But who is a "moderate"? What does that heavily laden word mean? Given that only the Pennsylvania case is cited in this story, does that imply that "moderates" favor abortion rights? Are all pro-life citizens immoderate -- that is, "extreme"?
Readers expect spin in opinion writing. We also get it elsewhere.
That sort of thing is so common -- especially at newspapers like the Chronicle, where the editing is especially weak -- that it's hardly worth the effort (to me) to point it out anymore. Not that it's not useful when others make the effort. :)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/08/05 23:10 | Media Matters | Technorati | Comments (0)
07 November 2005
Randy Rogers Goes For A Little Tampon Revenue
Randy Rogers' songwriting talents embraced by one of country music's biggest stars (RandyRogersBand.com, pdf)
When CMA and ACM’s entertainer of the Year, Kenny Chesney, was looking for material for his new studio release he happened upon a record called RollerCoaster from one of the hottest new country bands around…the Randy Rogers Band, that is. Word has it that Chesney immediately fell in love with the record seeing it as a country music treasure chest full of gems for the taking. His pick was “Somebody Take Me Home,” which appears on The Road And The Radio, Chesney’s first studio offering in 17 months, slated for release on November 8th!
“Somebody Take Me Home,” (co-written with RRB producer Radney Foster) is an honest interpretation of emotional break ups that leave you feeling like you live in your own personal haunted house with your heart a vulnerable target for ghosts that don’t intend to leave anytime soon. So much the stuff of great songs, and Rogers has those in spades spanning across three stellar record releases (Like It Used To Be, RollerCoaster, Live At Billy Bob’s). Rogers notes, “My whole entire life I have wanted to be a song writer. I think the ultimate compliment an artist can receive is when another artist records their song.”
I don't quite know what to say, except that the excerpt above is apparently not a spoof.
The RRB's press lady ought to consider applying at the Chronicle sports department. That bolded excerpt would fit right in with some recent fare.
UPDATE (11-08-05): I just listened to the Chesney Tampons version on Rhapsody. It's about what I expected -- most of the life (not to mention the COUNTRY) is ripped right out of the song. It's vomitous.
Expect another update later. I have a snippet of one of my live recordings of Randy Rogers that I just can't resist posting.
UPDATE 2 (11-08-05): Okay, I decided not to post the snippet, because I get permission to record these shows from most artists with the understanding that I won't sell them on ebay or stick them on file-sharing services, but will just keep them to myself or to friends who saw the show. If I know you and you want to hear the snippet though, shoot me an email and I'll send it to you. I just think it's best not to post the thing. The last thing I want to do is have every Texas country music artist decide I can never record a show again. :)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/07/05 23:23 | Music | Technorati | Comments (6)
Vice President Perry *snicker*
Wanted: true-red conservatives (Salena Zito, PittsburghLive.com, via RAWBservations)
Contrary to popular belief, the core of conservatism does not spring from "life" issues; those just suck up all of the air and make all of the noise. Conservatives are, first and foremost, proponents of limiting government's power and strengthening national defense.
A search for someone who runs and governs as a Goldwater reveals three leaders from different parts of the country: former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell and Texas Gov. Rick Perry. All are preachers in the church of Reaganomics.
[snip]
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is steadfast about governing responsibly, which translates into consistently facing resistance when balancing fiscal policies with social concerns. His maverick approach to remaining true-blue has earned him a solid reputation with conservatives. Beltway-types look to him as perfect vice-presidential material, despite his disdain for elbow-rubbing.
U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, a fellow Republican, briefly considered running against Perry in 2006. Faced with a daunting primary against a truer Republican, she quickly backed down.
Apparently, the author missed the last budget that Perry and a Republican legislature put together. It's not exactly a symbol of fiscal austerity.
For that matter, the author apparently doesn't understand that Hutchison probably would not have won a primary against Perry because of social issues, not fiscal issues. The author gets things precisely backwards.
RAW does a nice job of batting down both the author and Glenn Reynolds over this silliness. And silly it is! That bolded part about Perry being vice-presidential material made me think it was a spoof the first time I read it.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/07/05 23:06 | Texas | Technorati | Comments (2)
Bring Back The Daisy Costume!
Collins Open To Idea Of Genesis Reunion (Associated Press)
Will there be a Genesis reunion?
Singer Phil Collins said he is open to the idea.Nothing has been announced, but Collins said a reunion is "a possibility."
He also said he is willing to let Peter Gabriel be the lead singer. Gabriel left the band in 1975 to pursue a solo career and Collins became the frontman. He went solo in 1996.
Collins said he remains in touch with the former Genesis members, adding they're all "still good friends."
If the reunion doesn't happen, it will be because of scheduling conflicts, not because the group doesn't want to get together again, he said.
If he's going to let Peter Gabriel be the lead singer, it's only fair to require that he dress up like a daisy.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/07/05 22:14 | Music | Technorati | Comments (3)
06 November 2005
Big 12 Wrap: Week 10
It's time for another Big 12 Wrap, my pithy look back at the week's action in the conference.
This week might aptly be called Blowout Week, because there were no competive games.
Texas 62, Baylor 0
Prior to this game, Baylor had made real strides towards being competive in the conference. But Texas is so much better than the Little Eleven this year that this was effectively a scrimmage. It is doubtful that even Mack Brown can screw up his first conference championship and a trip to the BCS title game at this point. The only question I have is whether the mediocrity of the conference will keep Vince Young from winning the Heisman.
Texas Tech 56, Texas A&M 17
Texas Tech rolled up 600+ yards of offense against a hapless bunch of Aggies. The wheels seems to be coming off for Coach Fran, who still needs one more win to qualify for a bowl. With a trip to Norman and a home game against Texas looming, he may get to stay at home for the holidays.
Colorado 41, Missouri 12
The North's best team didn't have much trouble against disappointing Missouri, and appears headed for a rematch against Texas in the Big 12 title game.
Iowa State 45, Kansas State 17
Iowa State continues to roll after last week's performance at College Station. Bill Snyder will not be bowling this year.
Kansas 40, Nebraska 15
Nebraska had beaten Kansas 36 straight times! Beating a bad Nebraska team probably won't be enough to save Mark Mangino's job, but you never know. Why did Nebraska hire Bill Callahan again?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/06/05 22:16 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (4)
Where's The Crime?
Analyst says Wilson 'outed' wife in 2002 (Art Moore, World Net Daily)
A retired Army general says the man at the center of the CIA leak controversy, Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, revealed his wife Valerie Plame's employment with the agency in a casual conversation more than a year before she allegedly was "outed" by the White House through a columnist.
Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely told WorldNetDaily that Wilson mentioned Plame's status as a CIA employee over the course of at least three, possibly five, conversations in 2002 in the Fox News Channel's "green room" in Washington, D.C., as they waited to appear on air as analysts.
Vallely and Wilson both were contracted by Fox News to discuss the war on terror as the U.S. faced off with Iraq in the run-up to the spring 2003 invasion.
Vallely says, according to his recollection, Wilson mentioned his wife's job in the spring of 2002 – more than a year before Robert Novak's July 14, 2003, column identified her, citing senior administration officials, as "an Agency operative on weapons of mass destruction."
"He was rather open about his wife working at the CIA," said Vallely, who retired in 1991 as the Army's deputy commanding general in the Pacific.
Vallely made his claim in an interview Thursday night on the ABC radio network's John Batchelor show.
Clearly, Miss Plame was not covert at the time of her "outing," and the special prosecutor has not claimed otherwise. Why Scooter Libby didn't just come out with the truth, instead of misleading the grand jury, is not entirely clear (and while we do believe in the presumption of innocence, the apparent differences between Libby's and the journalists' accounts of their conversations are troubling).
UPDATE (11/07/05): Of course, Orrin Judd has more.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/06/05 20:15 | American Politics | Technorati | Comments (0)
The State And Terror
For reasons of state. Review of Deadly Connections: States That Sponsor Terrorism by Daniel Byman (Sreeram Chaulia, Asia Times)
Since the end of the Cold War, a myopic fad of obfuscating state-sponsored terrorism as "old talk" has set in, paralleling the fascination among current affairs commentators for non-state actor violence.
In this methodical survey of the regimes that create, nurture, mould and abuse terrorist groups for self-interested objectives, Professor Daniel Byman of Georgetown University in Deadly Connections. States That Sponsor Terrorism restores the state back to the epicenter of the problem. The author's central message is that puppets cannot dance without powerful governmental manipulators. For terrorism to recede, the states profiting from it have to be reined in.[snip]
Among the lessons for victim states and dissuaders, Byman calls for putting an end to the fiction of deniability behind which sponsors hide. The burden of proof should be on the accused state. Lowering the international bar on legitimate escalation against sponsors allows the victim state to respond adequately. Demanding a high standard for regime accountability and creating a strong norm against state sponsorship at the international level are also necessary for preempting new state sponsors from emerging.
This book is recommendable as a course-correcting comparative study of terrorism. It shatters the myth that non-state terrorist groups have taken over the sordid business of deliberate violence against civilians. The paradigm is still a state-centric world with state-sponsored terrorists penetrating and weakening enemy states. At least in this sphere of transnational affairs, nothing has changed drastically from the Cold War era when proxies were normalized as weapons of indirect warfare.
One of the issues in the last presidential election was whether or not the matter of terrorism should be treated more as a law-enforcement matter against individual actors, or whether terrorism required a broader approach that might include pre-emptive action against sponsoring or affiliated states. That debate was never fleshed out particularly well, but clearly the Bush Adminstration shares some of the assumptions of the author of this text.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/06/05 15:02 | Books/Culture | Technorati | Comments (0)
Dulled Senses
Missing the fine print (Howard Kurtz, WaPo)
At first, my knowledge consisted essentially of one word: "Scalito."
Then I heard on television that Samuel Alito had once ruled that a woman had to notify her husband before getting an abortion.
Then I read that his 90-year-old mom says he's against abortion.
Now I have the benefit of long newspaper and online pieces about Alito's 15-year record as a federal appellate judge, which is roughly 15 years more experience than Harriet Miers.
But still, when I watch the tube or listen to what the left-wing and right-wing activists say, I hear declarations that Alito is either a lock to overturn Roe v. Wade or that he might well refuse to upset the 32-year-old precedent.
All of which makes me wonder: Does the media echo chamber inevitably dull our senses and reduce everyone in public life to a caricature? Is it possible to have a nuanced debate over a judge's rulings when all the caveats and extenuating circumstances seem to get drowned out?
Yes to both. Thankfully, the "media echo chamber" doesn't have nearly the influence over political debate that it once did.
Americans Split on Supreme Court Nominee Alito (Angus Reid Consultants)
Adults in the United States are divided in their assessment of George W. Bush’s latest nominee to the Supreme Court, according to a poll by Gallup released by CNN and USA Today. 43 per cent of respondents believe Samuel Alito is an excellent or good choice, while 39 per cent consider him only fair or poor.
It's difficult to believe that most Americans even know enough about Alito to have an informed opinion. But, why should CNN and USA Today let that inconvenient fact dissuade their polling?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/06/05 14:46 | American Politics | Technorati | Comments (2)
Takes One To Know One
The Depression of the Elites (Glenn Harlan Reynolds, TCS, 11/02/2005)
I couldn't resist noting the fun of the comman man InstaPundit talking about those darn elites.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/06/05 14:35 | Other | Technorati | Comments (1)
No Justice At The Firehouse
Friday night, Oklahoma red-dirt country/rockers No Justice played the Firehouse as the opening band.
It was my second time to see those guys, and it was another excellent (albeit slightly abbreviated) set.
They're a five piece that features three guitars, harmony vocals, and a very tight sound. The combination makes for an oustanding live sound -- and actually, even the songs from their only CD sound a little different live, since they were a four-piece when it was recorded.
The highlight of the evening was probably a wicked cover of "Finger on the trigger" by Brandon Jenkins (his version is available on Rhapsody, for those who use the excellent service). They also did a little Steve Earle, Rolling Stones, and U2. These guys are versatile.
These guys are definitely the best up-and-coming band I've seen in a while. Unfortunately, we may not get to see much of them in Houston in the near future. There was not much of a crowd at the Firehouse Friday, and that generally means bands may have trouble getting booked again. Plus there was the usual problem of Houstonians deciding their conversations were MUCH more important than the sound actually coming from the stage. Houston really is a crap music town that way.
Anyway, here's hoping for a return engagement soon from the up-and-comers from Oklahoma (maybe they'll even get a link from the Chron's little local music blog). In the meantime, Brandon Jenkins is playing Victoria on November 17 and the Sidecar Pub in Houston on November 18. Those could be interesting shows.
EXTRA: Friend Gary C. comments on our early departure from the Firehouse on Friday:
After hearing No Justice, we were too frightened to stay for the headliner because one of our group was told that the fellow sounded like Big and Rich. Halloween may be over, but when someone drops that blood-curdling line on you, the place is about to get too scary to stay and you just have head for the exits.
Exactly!
EXTRA EXTRA: The guys gave us permission to tape the show using mics and a new device (no, I didn't pay retail; I got a sweet deal on ebay). The recording came out okay, the powered mic input doesn't have a low sensitivity setting, and I got some distortion at high SPLs. I need to order a cable to run my mics into the dual phono jack inputs, which have a line-level setting and shouldn't suffer from that problem. Otherwise, the device worked exactly as advertised and produced a nice recording.
UPDATE: No Justice plays the Armadillo Palace here on December 3. It's a terrible sounding room, but it ought to be fun to hear the guys crank up those guitars and wail over all of the pretty people who will be trying to shout over 'em. Have I mentioned that's one thing that's really crappy about Houston music? Grr.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/06/05 14:02 | Music | Technorati | Comments (0)
05 November 2005
A West Alabama Saturday
The West Alabama Icehouse is promoting a "Bikini Bike Wash BBQ" Saturday.
The festivities apparently will start about 1pm or so.
I don't know much beyond, bikinis, bikes, water, washing, BBQ.
The weather should be excellent tomorrow, so that combination seems promising.
The locomotive-sized smoker was fired up this evening about 10:30 pm, so I'm guessing the 'cue should be good.
This city really is a hoot sometimes.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/05/05 01:01 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (5)
04 November 2005
No Justice
The Okie band No Justice is the opener at the Firehouse tonight.
I'm planning on catching the show. Callie and I saw the guys a few weeks ago, and they really ripped it up.
It's good that the weekend is under way. Finally.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/04/05 17:43 | Music | Technorati | Comments (0)
03 November 2005
The Term "Useful Idiots" Comes To Mind
Why the KGB went on a shopping spree: Review of The Mitrokhin Archive II by Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin (Alan Judd, Telegraph)
Meanwhile, KGB Active Measures campaigns flourished throughout the world's media, ranging from the widely-believed CIA-started-Aids story to the alleged kidnapping of Latin American children for US spare part surgery (a story taken up by the Jehovah's Witnesses).There is much else in this well-written and often ironically amusing work, making it as great a credit to the scholarship of its author as to the dedication and courage of its originator. It convincingly demonstrates that any assessment of 20th-century international relations that does not include the intelligence dimension is one-legged, at best. And, as Christopher Andrew points out, the SVR - the KGB's successor - flourishes still.
This ought to be excellent reading just to see how badly American media bit on KGB Active Measures campaigns.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/03/05 23:30 | Books/Culture | Technorati | Comments (0)
The Politics Of Jim Wallis's God
The Religious Politics of Jim Wallis: Review of God's Politics: A New Vision for Faith and Politics in America By Jim Wallis (Doug Bandow, American Spectator)
After John Kerry's presidential loss and their discovery of "values" voters, Democrats have tried to find religion. But unless the Democrats can engage people of religious faith who worry about cultural decline, they will continue to lose elections -- even in the midst of an increasingly unpopular Bush-led war.Unfortunately for the Democrats, at least, most of them simply don't "get it," as Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourner's Magazine, puts it. Wallis is both an orthodox evangelical and a political liberal, an abortion opponent who lives among the poor in Washington, D.C. He demonizes neither Bush, whom he likes personally, nor religious conservatives. People may join the latter, he writes, "less to do with wanting to take over the country than being desperate to protect their kids from the crass trash and degrading banality" produced by America's media conglomerates. God's Politics is his worthwhile but not entirely successful attempt to get beyond a politics that pits faithless left against faithful right.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/03/05 23:14 | Books/Culture | Technorati | Comments (3)
Classless AND Clueless Callahan
Nebraska's Callahan says incident overblown (Eric Olson, AP, 11/02/05)
Nebraska coach Bill Callahan dismisses the commotion as nothing more than "Gesture-gate."
And he isn't worried about being disciplined for his apparent throat-slash motion toward an official during the Cornhuskers' 31-24 loss to Oklahoma.
"I don't think they're going to send me to Alcatraz," Callahan said Tuesday.The Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal Star, the state'