February 2006 Archives

28 February 2006

Another Case Of Sudden Acceleration

Accident Traps Receptionist Behind Desk (KPRC-2)

A car crashed through a northwest Houston business Monday morning, pinning a woman inside, KPRC Local 2 reported.

Investigators with the Houston Police Department said the accident happened at about 10:20 a.m. at the H&R Block on Ella Boulevard near 18th Street.

Police told KPRC Local 2 that a customer driving a Crown Victoria hit the gas instead of the brake, causing the car to crash through the business.

Most instances of "sudden acceleration syndrome" are caused by drivers hitting the gas instead of the brake.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/28/06 22:40 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)

Texans Begin To Jettison Dead Weight

Texans part ways with Walker, Coleman, Banks, Hollings (John McClain, Houston Chronicle)

Defensive tackle Gary Walker and cornerback Marcus Coleman, cornerstones of the franchise for four seasons, were among four Texans who were informed today that they are being released.

Walker, Coleman, quarterback Tony Banks and running back Tony Hollings have played their last game for the Texans.

"I told them after evaluating the film that we had decided to go in another direction," coach Gary Kubiak said.

And those moves officially put the Texans in rebuilding mode. That's kind of sad for a team that has yet to finish .500.

The Tony Hollings pick was one of Charley Casserly's many personnel bungles, costing the Texans a second-round pick. It remains astounding that Casserly still has a job with this team. One can only imagine that he was kept around so Kubiak could execute personnel moves rapidly and according to all league regs, while learning the ropes. I'd be surprised if Casserly is still around next year.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/28/06 22:32 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)

New No Justice Tunes

I've been eagerly awaiting the latest No Justice CD, which had an initial release date in February that got pushed back to March.

Apparently, somebody forgot to clue in the E-Music service, because as Gary helpfully points out over at H-Town Grooves, the CD is available for purchase/download there.

That was enough to get me sign up for the service, which has a free trial. I feel a little bad, because it's really doubtful that I'm going to subscribe to the service after the trial period. But, I'm sure I'll purchase some CDs at the next show in Houston, so it's not like I'm ripping the guys off.

That next show, by the way, is at the Armadillo Palace on March 11.

I really like these guys since they've become a five piece and reworked their sound a bit. I hope Houston turns into a more regular stop for them.

UPDATE: I just took a peek at the mp3s themselves -- they're VBR encoded using LAME to a compression standard that I use for my own stuff. Very impressive. I'm sometimes dissatisfied with the quality of downloadable mp3s.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/28/06 19:45 | Music | Technorati | Comments (2)

The Mandate Misses A Deadline

Opponent's late filing gives Gammage ethics ammunition: Bell's spokesman says financial disclosure delay was an oversight (Robert Garrett, Dallas Morning News via Perry vs World)

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bob Gammage blistered opponent Chris Bell on Friday for styling himself as an ethics reformer but filing a state-required financial disclosure form 11 days late.

Mr. Gammage stopped short of branding Mr. Bell unethical, though he called him hypocritical.

"You can't have it both ways, you can't say you support strong ethics requirements and then not follow the requirements yourself," said Mr. Gammage, a former Texas Supreme Court justice.

A spokesman said Mr. Bell, a former Houston congressman, is sorry he missed the Feb. 13 deadline for filing a personal financial statement with the Texas Ethics Commission.

"This is an oversight, and it's been corrected," said Bell campaign spokesman Jason Stanford. He said staff members forgot about the deadline, though he said Mr. Bell wasn't blaming others.

"Obviously, it was his own responsibility," Mr. Stanford said. "He's apologized."

[snip]

On Wednesday, the Gammage campaign seized on Mr. Bell's missing the deadline in a statement that mocked an ethics speech Mr. Bell gave in Austin last fall. "There is an unofficial 'don't mess with ethics' policy around here," Mr. Bell said then.

The Gammage statement chortled: "Why hasn't Mr. 'Don't Mess with Texas Ethics' filed his personal financial statement? ... Just what does he have to hide?"

What an embarrassing misstep for the Bell campaign.

That's nearly as amateurish as manufacturing an endorsement from a group that claimed that Bell had withdrawn from a three-way mayoral runoff.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/28/06 10:24 | Texas | Technorati | Comments (3)

27 February 2006

How To (And How Not To) Respond To Readers

Saturday afternoon, I whined here that the Dallas Morning News had no RSS feed for their excellent state news section.

Shortly after whining, I emailed them and asked if they could provide a feed.

I got an email yesterday (Sunday!) that the email was forwarded to their web development folks.

I got a followup email this afternoon that my requested feed is now available.

That's an outstanding response by the Dallas Morning News.

In contrast, I emailed the Chron.com folks on Jan. 20 asking that they either include the columnists in the RSS feeds for individual sections of the newspaper, or set up an RSS feed for the columnists, like many other newspapers.

The response at the time: They have "other priorities."

There is still no RSS feed for the columnists on Chron.com.

One newspaper gets kudos for responding promptly to a reader request. One does not.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/27/06 22:33 | Media Matters | Technorati | Comments (1)

26 February 2006

Conservative Split On Abortion

No challenge to Roe foreseen in Texas: Foes are content to chip away, let other states wage costly, risky fight (Lisa Falkenberg, Houston Chronicle)

The GOP-led Texas Legislature hasn't been quiet about its opposition to abortion or shy about restricting women's access to it.

In recent years, lawmakers have required parental consent, a 24-hour waiting period, state-directed counseling and state funding for abortion alternatives.

All this, according to some abortion rights groups, makes Texas one of 21 states most likely to ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court ever gives them the chance.

But with South Dakota lawmakers last week approving the nation's most rigid abortion ban — designed to challenge the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion — one might wonder: Is Texas ready to take it that far?

The answer, according to several of Texas' most ardent abortion foes, is no. Though they may admire South Dakota's gusto, most think a law blatantly violating Roe v. Wade at this point is hasty, risky and too brazen for Texas to attempt.

[snip]

Those in Texas' anti-abortion camp say they're content to let other states take the lead on picking an expensive court fight over Roe. In Texas, abortion opponents are encouraged by their strategy of chipping away at abortion, one restriction at a time, hoping to end the practice with a whimper rather than a bang.

Since one party is beholden to NARAL, Planned Parenthood, and other groups that oppose any restrictions on abortion, this is really a debate among conservatives/Republicans as to how to proceed in further restricting abortion in the United States. David Cohen summed up the conservative/Republican debate as follows:

The proponents of the ban are betting that Justice Stevens is going to retire soon, giving the President a third opening on the Supreme Court. Without Justice Stevens retirement, there seem to be five solid votes to uphold Roe, which is why other abortion opponents want to concentrate on whittling down abortion rights. The problem with whittling the right down is the courts' insistence that there must be allowance made for any abortion to protect the health of the mother, that "health" includes mental health and that, as far as doctors are concerned, threats to mental health include things that might make the mother unhappy or induce stress.

Brother Cohen is right about the weakness of the whittling-down approach. However, there are no guarantees that Roe is going to be overturned, even if Stevens is replaced. I don't know how much good it does for anti-abortion states to rush to duplicate the South Dakota effort, when the immediate result of that effort will be a federal judge overturning the legislation and forcing the Supreme Court to decide if it wants to take up the subject anew.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/26/06 20:42 | American Politics | Technorati | Comments (0)

A Late Answer To A Bad Question

Would the local blogosphere benefit from a blog critic? (Dwight Silverman, Chron.com)

Would Houston's blogging community benefit from a blogging critic?

I'm not thinking about an attack dog . . . God knows there are enough of those in the blogosphere! I'm thinking of someone who points out great local blogging; who understands the form and has thoughts and ideas about how to make bloggers more effective; and who isn't afraid to call out blog posts that are misleading, sloppy with facts, or plain dishonest.

This person would have to be someone who's non-partisan, who's been blogging awhile, and who has the respect of the blogging community.

This is an old post that I never got around to answering because I've been blogging a bunch about topical local political news at the little cityblog, in addition to the little podcast experiment.

My initial reaction to this (as a good former Lence student) was: What a bad question.

And that's the reaction I've had since.

The question is bad because it is loaded with some old-media assumptions.

The local blogosphere already has plenty of blog critics. For example, any blogger who takes up Houston politics and media is a potential critic of posts on blogHOUSTON. And blogHOUSTON is a potential critic of blog posts on those same topics. That's the independent, distributed nature of the blogosphere at its best. The best blogs are having a conversation with each other, and with readers. "Blog criticism" is active and distributed. The old-media model of "Here's the finished product and a bunch of J-School rules, now let's have a 'critic' judge it" is SO NOT what the blogosphere is about. For better or worse, readers and other bloggers are the critics -- and that's the fundamental nature of the media form itself!

The local blogosphere can always benefit from new bloggers with something to say -- in other words, potential blog critics. The notion that it somehow needs a single "blog critic" who has the imprimatur of a professional journalist from the Houston Chronicle continues to strike me as bizarre. The suggestion from several bloggers that a hub site might do a better job as a portal/guide to the local blogosphere is a good one, though (and one that involves work for someone!).

BLOGVERSATION: TBIFOC, Big Pink Cookie, Mike McGuff, Greg's Opinion, Off the Kuff.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/26/06 11:45 | Media Matters | Technorati | Comments (2)

Is Wal-Mart Gearing Up For The Effects Of HSAs?

HSA's Are the Right Medicine at the Right Time (Sally C. Pipes. Real Clear Politics)

Health Saving Accounts, first allowed in 2004, combine high deductible medical insurance with a side fund that provides a tax deduction for contributions, tax-deferred investment growth, and tax free ultimate dispersal, provided funds are spent on qualified medical expenses. In 2006, an individual is responsible for the first $1,050 to $2,700 of expenditures ($2,100 to $5,450 for families). Routine care is paid for out of pocket, albeit in a tax advantaged way.

Just as car and homeowners insurance doesn’t pay for maintenance and minor repairs, health insurance kicks in only when true catastrophe strikes. Once a deductible is met, however, a generous insurance package, often 100 percent of covered expenses, takes over the burden. Money that isn’t spent in one year rolls over into the next, earning compound interest.

In short, Health Savings Accounts put the insurance back into health insurance, provide Americans with a triple tax free means to save for future expenses, and deliver a strong incentive to economize on the use of health care.

Like any change to the status quo, HSAs have powerful and vocal enemies. Liberal activists groups, policy analysts, and members of the media are attacking HSAs, claiming that only young, healthy, and well heeled Americans will find the innovative arrangements attractive. “You’re giving them peanuts,” gripes Columbia University professor Sherry Glied who authored an anti-HSA study for the Commonwealth Fund. “Very few people will gain insurance coverage because of tax preferences for health savings accounts.”

The evidence so far contradicts the critics. Health Savings Accounts have proven popular with both individuals and employers. Although a significant change from traditional medical insurance, more than three million Americans are now covered by HSAs.

Wal-Mart looks forward and back at health care (Timothy Goddard)

Wal-Mart made two different announcements today, both with very different implications. The media, unsurprisingly, is treating them as if they were essentially two sides of the same coin, but they’re not. In fact, they are two very different approaches to the same problem–one looking back, one looking forward.

[snip]

The important announcement is being largely ignored in the media, though: Wal-Mart is opening 50 more health clinics in their stores, adding to the nine started in a pilot program mainly in the Southeast. This could be the start of something remarkable–if Wal-Mart can begin applying the same downward price pressures to medical prices that it has applied to goods in general, then it could be the beginning of a trend that finally halts the long upward march of medical prices.

State-based health care, about a century old, is proving a very expensive disaster everywhere it’s been tried. Employer-based health care, which has been with us for about 65 years, is likely on its way out, taking GM and other venerable US companies with it. But consumer-based health care, with doctors and clinics competing for our business and dollars, that may just have a future.

Health Savings Accounts were the most important reform contained in the (admittedly expensive) Medicare Reform Act of 2003. They're still new or even unavailable at many companies (leading one local blogger recently to confuse them for FSAs/MSAs -- oops!), but we are starting to see more companies (large companies) adopt them, as Pipes points out. My company first offered them for this fiscal year, and it made such great sense for me that I didn't hesitate to jump all over it. My notion from talking to a few HR folks is that it's only going to accelerate as companies start renegotiating their insurance coverage with carriers, a process that doesn't take place every year at all companies.

The Wal-Mart experiment is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, they are gambling that there's a (growing) market for cash-based, non-insurance, affordable basic healthcare. Second, they have to be gambling that HSAs and growing numbers of cost-conscious health consumers are going to be shopping around, so to speak, in the near future.

Wal-Mart is usually pretty good at sizing up markets and trends.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/26/06 10:48 | Other | Technorati | Comments (1)

Good Music Week

Thursday, I caught Greg Trooper for the first time. He regularly plays the Mucky Duck, and I don't know how I've missed him for so long, but I'm glad I solved that problem finally. The guy's voice reminds me a bit of John Hiatt, he plays some evocative tunes, and he was backed by a good band (including our friend Rick Poss from the Dead End Angels on guitar, and Houston's own Jack Saunders). I'll definitely catch Trooper next time he's in town.

Last night, I saw Kimberly M'Carver with Gary C on his recommendation. She sang a whole bunch of pretty songs with that beautiful voice of hers. I'm going to have to catch her at a more listener-friendly venue one of these days, because she's really good. And it was an excellent last-minute substitution for seeing UH Cougar baseball in the cold/dampness (even though the Coogs pulled off a big win).

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/26/06 09:20 | Music | Technorati | Comments (1)

25 February 2006

Bleh

The Dallas Morning News is the best newspaper in the state, yet doesn't seem to have an RSS feed for its state news section.

Nice.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/25/06 15:16 | Media Matters | Technorati | Comments (4)

Better Question: Why Hasn't He Been Retired Yet?

Should Sutton's wins count? (Mike Baldwin, Daily Oklahoman)

No.

In fact, if Sutton weren't such a legendary figure in college basketball and at Oklahoma State, the university would have immediately announced that his retirement was effective immediately. The man got plastered, got in a car, and had an accident. It's very fortunate that nobody was killed.

In my view, the man has forfeited the right to go out on his own terms as someone in charge of college athletes. Now that we know from blood tests that the man was plastered, the question of whether his son's wins should count as his seems a little wack.

UPDATE: Spunky Fort Worth Star Telegram reporter Jennifer Floyd Engel NAILS it with the following:

She has a name.

The driver of the vehicle that Oklahoma State basketball coach Eddie Sutton crashed into during his alledgedly alcohol-and-prescription-drug-impaired spin in his motor vehicle is a person.

Her name is Teresa Barnard and just because Sutton did not kill her does not mean he deserves the free pass he is getting.

No doubt.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/25/06 13:29 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (2)

Chron.com and Bloglines

Bloglines emailed me last night that Chron.com feeds are working again in their service.

I had a support request in, as the feeds stopped updating early in the week. The feeds were fine from the Chron.com end (thanks to them for helping to troubleshoot), but Bloglines just wasn't getting 'em.

I tried NewsGator-web just for Chron feeds during the downtime, but didn't really like the service. The interface is slick, but the screen refreshes and frequency of updates just didn't seem to compare favorably to Bloglines.

Bloglines is starting to seem misnamed, though. I don't use it to track that many blogs really, but I find it indispensable for tracking news.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/25/06 12:01 | Web Stuff | Technorati | Comments (0)

22 February 2006

Not So Big XII

Big 12 takes low road with weak schedules (Berry Tramel, Daily Oklahoman)

Another Big 12 football school has gone to the dark side.

The latest white flag has been waved by Texas A&M, a proud football school that in the first 10 years of the Big 12 played non-conference games against the likes of Brigham Young, Florida State, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Clemson.

Those days are gone. The Aggies in 2006 will play only Cajuns or soldiers: The Citadel, Louisiana-Lafayette, Army and Louisiana Tech. All but Army at A&M's Kyle Field; the Aggies play the Cadets at San Antonio.

That's embarrassing for a school that once valued competition. That's embarrassing for a conference that claims the Aggies among its elite.

Sadly, such cowardice has become commonplace in the Big 12. In 2006, the Big 12 teams have scheduled 48 non-conference games. Only eleven are against BCS-league opponents. Eleven are against NCAA Division I-AA foes, who hand out fewer scholarships and are nothing but sacrificial paydays.

[snip]

In 1996, the first year of the Big 12, league teams played 36 non-conference games. Ten were against BCS-league teams and just two were from I-AA. A year later, only one I-AA opponent appeared on a Big 12 schedule, and 13 of the 36 games were against BCS teams.

Even as late as 2002, when the NCAA first allowed a 12-game schedule, the Big 12 did not duck. It played 17 of 49 non-conference games against BCS opponents and scheduled seven against I-AA schools.

But by 2005, the league was in full retreat mode. Texas Tech played Florida International, Sam Houston State and Indiana State. Oklahoma State played Montana State, Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State. Kansas played Florida Atlantic, Appalachian State and Louisiana Tech. Baylor played SMU, Samford and Army.

The Big 12 has turned absolute bully. It picks on people not its own size. In 2005, the league played more non-conference games against I-AA teams (8) than BCS teams (7).

How long will schools be able to sell such a fraudulent product? How long will $50 tickets be acceptable for what is nothing more than a glorified scrimmage?

Some of the schools in the league still play quality competition, but I've long complained about the weak schedules around most of the league, especially the I-AA teams that keep getting scheduled. That's just embarrassing, and may get worse with the 12-game schedule.

In its early days, I thought the Big 12 matched up pretty well against almost any conference. I still think the elite teams match up well, but the conference overall has slipped. It's about time some sports columnists started saying as much.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/22/06 22:58 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (4)

Okies Are OK

Banjo Jones just got back from a trip to Oklahoma.

He writes it up nicely here.

Okies ARE extremely nice folks.

And for those who care about such things, the annual Okie float trip is only three months away!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/22/06 22:46 | Other | Technorati | Comments (1)

20 February 2006

Maybe It Depends On The Meaning Of Drastic

Democrats make a push for Districts 7 and 10: Hopefuls must win over many GOP voters (Alexis Grant, Houston Chronicle)

Houston's 7th U.S. Congressional District has had only three representatives — all Republican — since it was created in 1966: first, former President Bush, then long-serving Bill Archer, and now former state lawmaker John Culberson.

But two Democratic hopefuls insist voters may turn that record on its head this year.

And four candidates, including two from Harris County, are seeking the Democratic nomination in the heavily Republican 10th District, which spans from west Harris County to northeast Travis County.

"It's not as drastic an uphill battle as people think," said candidate David Murff, a 36-year-old lawyer and Army veteran running in the 7th.

It really pretty much is.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/20/06 00:55 | American Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)

19 February 2006

Checking In On The Mandate

Former Reporter, Lawyer Looks To Unseat Governor: Bell Uses Past To Prepare For Democratic Bid (KPRC-2/Associated Press)

[Bell] surrounds himself with campaign staff who specialize in digging up negative material on opponents and has already used it against Gammage, who as a congressman in the 1970s voted against government-financed abortions for poor women and against raising the minimum wage. Abortion rights and favorable labor laws are the red meat of Democratic primary campaigns and the research brought Bell endorsements from several women's and Hispanic groups.

Watching the lefty bloggers slap each other around on this matter has been great fun, although not as much fun as watching Bell supporters try to convince themselves their guy is not a complete phony on abortion.

BLOGVERSATION: Isolated Desolation.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/19/06 23:00 | Texas | Technorati | Comments (2)

A Little Sunday Listening

So, when I'm not listening to Texas alt-country or 80's music or (gawd forbid) local talk radio, one of the types of music I really enjoy is religious choral music.

Even though I'm not particularly religious.

Today, Bach-Radio.com served me up a composer in the genre whom I hadn't heard before: Don Carlo Gesualdo.

I pulled up some more stuff on Rhapsody, which posted this useful blurb:

When not murdering people, this Italian prince wrote inventive and progressive madrigals.

Ha! Outstanding. He was also married to his first cousin. There's more fun detail on Wikipedia.

Whatever the case, his music is beautiful.

Another composer in this rough genre whom I really like is Giovanni de Palestrina.

I know this is a niche request -- but if any readers listen to this kind of stuff and have other suggestions, please do share!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/19/06 17:05 | Music | Technorati | Comments (3)

Coogs Romp; Chron Still Needs Editors

UH defense puts squeeze on Tulsa: Cougars force 21 turnovers, get 18 steals in rout (Jeremy Rakes, Houston Chronicle)

The Houston Cougars showed how good their defense could be Saturday night, holding the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to 14 first-half points and cruising to a 73-46 victory at Hofheinz Pavilion.

Tulsa did not score for the first 10:27 of the game as UH raced to a 23-1 lead before Charles Ramsdell hit a jumper to end a 0-for-11 start from the field.

But it only got worse for Tulsa (9-14, 4-6 Conference USA) as the Cougars limited the Golden Hurricane to 5-for-25 shooting in the first half and 1-for-12 on 3-pointers to take a 38-14 halftime lead.

If Tulsa did not score for the first 10:27 of the game, then how did UH race to a 23-1 lead?

What should have been printed is that Tulsa did not hit a field goal for the first 10:27 of the game. Tulsa did hit a free throw at the 14:56 mark. Somebody should have caught this error before it made it into print.

Notably absent from the story was any indication that UH matched last year's win total (18), with three regular-season games remaining. It's another sign that Tom Penders has the program headed in the right direction.

After the game, Penders heaped praise on Tulsa as being a good team that just seemed a step slow. That was very generous of him. Tulsa just looked terrible after the first couple of minutes, and never established any kind of offensive rhythm (even though the refs decided it was okay for their clumsy big man to take an extra step or two on many possessions). And their new coach really needs to calm down. His courtside theatrics and histrionics didn't seem to accomplish all that much. He seems like a real step down from the school that's had Nolan Richardson, Tubby Smith, and Bill Self at the helm. That's a shame, because CUSA desperately needs Tulsa to get back to being the serious basketball school it once was.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/19/06 14:17 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (2)

16 February 2006

Come On Out To The Hof

Houston is on the right track: After 78-71 win, Cougars hope NCAA tourney will come calling (Bill Fay, Houston Chronicle)

There may be no better indication of how much things have changed around the University of Houston basketball program in the last month than the relative ease with which the Cougars dispatched the University of Central Florida on Wednesday.

Lanny Smith scored 25 points and handed out nine assists, and three other Cougars scored in double figures as Houston won 78-71 for its seventh straight victory.

There is a sentiment among players that the Cougars (17-6, 7-3 Conference USA) are destined for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

[snip]

"We don't have to rely on just one or two guys anymore and that's been the real growth of our team," head coach Tom Penders said.

Fans aren't flocking to see Cougars in action: Penders and Maggard look to new incentives (Michael Murphy, Houston Chronicle)

Cougars coach Tom Penders and athletics director Dave Maggard have more than delivered on their promise to revive the basketball program. Now it's time for the fans to deliver.

[snip]

Looking down the line, Maggard is pushing for a "Red Sea" for the March 1 game against Rice -- a sold-out Hofheinz Pavilion with every Cougar fan wearing a red shirt for the CSTV cameras. And to make it even easier, if you don't have a red shirt, the Cougars will provide one for you.

There's only one catch -- fans have to actually show up, which they've been somewhat reluctant to do thus far this season, even though the Cougars take a six-game win streak and a 16-6 record into tonight's game.

"I think we're doing our job, putting an exciting basketball team on the floor, a winning basketball team on the floor -- a tournament contender," Penders said. "It would help if we had at least 6,000 fans at every home game, but I'm not going to chastise those who haven't been here."

Penders said he and Maggard are considering bumping the opening tip for weekday games back 30 minutes from its present 7 p.m. time, which would allow fans a bit more time to get home from work and make it to the game.

"We have to find creative ways (of getting fans out)," Penders said. "I don't care if we give away tickets. When I was at Texas we used to give away 4,000 and 5,000 tickets a night just to expose them (the fans) to (the team). We have to do those things, expose people to it and make it a place to be."

I haven't missed a home game the past two seasons, and I have to say that even when the Coogs have lost at home (rarely), it's never been because of a lack of effort. They play exciting basketball, and they come out to play every night. I had lost interest in college hoops in recent years, until Penders arrived. He has definitely revived a moribund program.

I wish the place was more packed, but these things do take time. The team is averaging somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 fans per game. The numbers are up from last year, and they are up considerably from the pre-Penders levels, when the Hof might have a few hundred fans in the joint.

Last year's Cougars were 16-10 as of this date, and finished 18-13 in the regular season. This year's Cougars are 17-6 as of today, with two tough road games and two winnable home games left. They seem to be peaking after a mid-season swoon. They've played onto the bubble, and now have a chance to play themselves into the NCAA tourney (my co-sports-podcaster Ethan doesn't like their chances, but I'm more optimistic). It's hard to ask much more of a team, especially given the pre-Penders/post-Guy V performance of the program.

If you haven't been out to the Hof this season, give some thought to coming out to Saturday night's game against Tulsa.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/16/06 22:46 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (5)

On The Divine Right To Report From Press Releases

White House Press Corps Exposed: Sitting in armchairs waiting for handouts not the best way to get scoops (Jon Ham, Carolina Journal, via Anne)

Members of the elite White House press corps this week have acted more like animals that have been kept in captivity for so long that they can’t find news unless it is forced down their open gullets at a daily press briefing.

The Cheney hunting accident story embarrassingly revealed this fact, which probably explains the greater-than-normal anger and outrage of White House correspondents over the last few days. “Why weren’t we told?” has been the refrain, not “How did we miss that story?”

Imagine if just one of the reporters assigned to cover the vice president had staked out the entrance to that ranch in Texas instead of waiting in some warm spot to be spoon fed by a flak. At some point they would have seen an ambulance arrive. Don’t you think that would have piqued some reportorial interest? But apparently that’s not the way reporters who cover the president and vice president work.

This reminds me of Ken Hoffman's blurb on KRIV-26's Mark Berman, who tends to break big sports stories in Houston before everyone else:

The best reason to watch Channel 26, though, is sports anchor Marc Berman. How many times do you hear ESPN suck it up and admit, "According to Channel 26 in Houston ... ?"

Berman's secret for breaking so many stories? He works harder than all the other sportscasters in town put together. I once asked a Houston Rockets' official, "How come you give all those scoops to Berman? Don't the other sports anchors get mad?" The official said, "Every single day, Berman pops his head in my office and asks if anything is up. I answer him honestly. If the other anchors dropped by, I'd give them the same story. But I never see them here unless it's a big game." And this was back when the Rockets didn't play that many big games.

Somehow, I don't think David Gregory is quite as persistent and diligent as Mark Berman, but I could be wrong.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/16/06 22:21 | Media Matters | Technorati | Comments (0)

The Upbeat Wizard Of West U

Basketball team 'knocking on door': Coach says Owls peaking as C-USA tournament nears (Moisekapenda Bower, Houston Chronicle)

We're knocking on the door of being a very, very good team," Wilson said. "We're not far away. The last few steps are little things."

The Owls (10-12, 4-5 C-USA) have struggled with consistency, but they were on the cusp of winning the five games they've dropped in conference. They lost in overtime at SMU and Tulsa, led Tulane 47-46 with 5:03 remaining, trailed UAB by six points with just over one minute left, and were within 80-77 of No. 3 Memphis in the final minute.

"I feel like we're playing good basketball, but we've got to be five to seven possessions better on any given night," Wilson said. "If we're two to three possessions better on any given night, we're probably standing a lot better when you consider (the narrow losses).

They are not "knocking on the door of being a very, very good team," but you do have to credit Willis Wilson for always being upbeat despite the fact that his administration won't help him recruit better players by building him a decent place to play basketball.

Rice is a team that could easily surprise someone in the C-USA tourney, but they aren't good enough to make a deep run.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/16/06 22:14 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)

15 February 2006

Stupid Sports News Of The Day

Sean's wins will be Eddie's (John Rohde, Daily Oklahoman)

Sean's wins will be Eddie's

Oklahoma State head coach designate Sean Sutton has coached three games this season, and his career record is 0-0.

Though Cowboys coach Eddie Sutton is on a medical leave of absence the remainder of this season, his career record remains active through his son.

Before Monday night’s game against Kansas was played, OSU sports information officials determined this season’s results would count toward Eddie Sutton’s career record.

Although Sutton has not worked during the Cowboys’ current two-game losing streak, those losses and all remaining games this season - including any in the postseason - will count toward his career mark, which currently stands at 794-311.

“Basically, it’s up to the university,” said NCAA stat man Gary Johnson, who compiles the official men’s basketball record book. “We talk to the school and try to get it settled before the next game is played.”

If Sutton were to formally resign before this season ends, his career record officially would end at the time of the resignation - unless it comes in the final week.

“If there are only a couple of games left in the season and a coach resigns or is fired, we’ll still give it to that coach,” Johnson said.

It’s a judgment call and there has been controversy.

There should be no controversy because it should NOT be a judgment call. Either a man is coaching the team or he is not. Eddie Sutton isn't. If he doesn't get to 800 victories because he overloaded on cough syrup (or whatever) and caused a big wreck that injured someone, tough.

UPDATE: Coach Sutton announced today that he had alcohol to drink before driving, that he was resigning immediately, and that he would be going into rehab. He is a recovering alcoholic who has done rehab once before.

UPDATE (02-16-2006): ESPN originally reported the news as a resignation, but now reports that Sutton is taking a leave. That's how the Daily Oklahoman is reporting it today.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/15/06 11:24 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (6)

14 February 2006

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone!

As longtime readers know, my friend Laura renamed this fine holiday Halloween ages ago.

She's now living in Greece happily married and probably doesn't even remember, but the tradition lives on.

Have a good one, ya'll.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/14/06 08:01 | Other | Technorati | Comments (7)

13 February 2006

Sutton Charged With DUI

Sutton takes leave of absence; cited with DUI (ESPN)

Six wins shy of 800 collegiate victories, Eddie Sutton's future as Oklahoma State's basketball coach was up in the air Monday because of a car accident in which he was injured and cited for driving under the influence.

The university announced that Sutton would take a medical leave and that Sean Sutton, his son and head-coach designate, will finish this season as coach. The school said no decision had been made on who will coach next season.

Eddie Sutton, 69, spent the night in the hospital with a head injury following Friday's accident in Stillwater. But he said in a statement released by the university that he had been close to taking a medical leave after a Feb. 4 trip to Kansas State because of chronic back pain that was "making it very difficult to coach."

"After Friday's events, I know it is best to go on medical leave the remainder of the season to address my future health," he said. "It is very difficult to step away from the team. But I know they are in great hands."

In their first game without the elder Sutton, the Cowboys lost 64-49 to No. 22 Kansas on Monday night.

Stillwater police cited Sutton after the accident but did not jail him on a complaint of driving under the influence because of a lack of physical evidence, the city's police chief said Monday.

Sutton was en route to join his team at the Stillwater airport Friday when his sport utility vehicle went left of the center line on a Stillwater street, corrected and then struck another SUV from behind at about 60 mph, according to a police report. The occupant of the other SUV received minor injuries and was released at the scene.

Witnesses told police that shortly before the accident, Sutton was unsteady on his feet and struck his head after falling in the parking lot of Gallagher-Iba Arena before entering his vehicle, Stillwater police said Saturday.

According to a report in The Oklahoman, witnesses reported smelling a "slight fruity odor" on the coach's breath and seeing a bottle of hydrocodone, a narcotic pain reliever related to codeine, in his SUV. Stillwater police chief Norman McNickle wouldn't discuss whether alcohol or medication was a contributing factor to the accident.

Eddie Sutton has not looked well for a while now. This would be a terrible way for such a great coach to end his career. I'm hoping the results come back negative, and he gets to come back next year and get to 800.

UPDATE (02-14-2006): This is a sensible perspective from Daily Oklahoman columnist John Rohde.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/13/06 22:43 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)

12 February 2006

Blogs As Glue

Quite a while back, Laurence and I had a discussion about blogging during which he described blogs as glue.

I thought it was an apt description of what some of the most interesting blogs do.

First Quin, Now Mel?!

Quin Snyder was forced out at Mizzou earlier this week, which isn't all that notable in a local sense except for the fact that former Texas A&M head man Melvin Watkins was elevated to head coach.

Watkins had a disastrous run at A&M, managing to lose every conference game one season. His teams lost 20 games four times. He had a 17-game losing streak. Ouch!

Poor Mizzou. They had quite a program under Norm Stewart. And they seem to think they might be able to hire Mike Anderson (UAB) or John Beilein (West Virginia). Lon Kruger or one of several MVC coaches seem more likely.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/12/06 21:35 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (1)

Brad Lincoln

UH pitcher/dh/first baseman Brad Lincoln pitched seven shutout innings today as the Cougars finally won a game at Minute Maid.

Lincoln has pitched 12 scoreless innings on the young season, with 16 strikeouts and only 2 walks.

He's hitting well too. If only Rayner Noble had about a dozen more of him...

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/12/06 21:10 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)

UH, Rice 2006 Football Schedules Finalized

UH and Rice both released their 2006 football schedules in the last week.

The Cougars open with two straight conference games (starting with Rice), and then get into their nonconference schedule (at New Mexico State, home versus Oklahoma State, at Miami, and home versus Louisiana-Lafayette). The UH website indicates that the Oklahoma State game will be played at the Robertson dump, which has to make the game considerably less attractive for Oklahoma State (and certainly for me). Starting the season with two conference games is a strange move as well.

Rice's Athletics Director must have a death wish for newly hired coach Todd Graham. The nonconference schedule includes a "home" game at Reliant against UT, road games against UCLA and Florida State, and a home game against Army. That's brutal. But, at least they get to open with UH:

The Owls will open the 2006 season and their second campaign in Conference USA against crosstown rival Houston on Sept. 2 at Rice Stadium, a positive development that helps offset the daunting non-conference schedule facing Graham and the Owls.

"We're really excited to be able to get a home opener," Graham said. "That's going to be a great opportunity to get a great crowd out and see what the new Rice Owls are all about.

You have to admire Coach Graham's enthusiasm, but it's hard to imagine a huge turnout in the Houston early-September heat to see two mediocre football programs go at it.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/12/06 21:02 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (1)

11 February 2006

Whoops! wink wink

Oops! - Bush Unaware Mikes Were Still On (AP)

The eavesdropping tables were turned on President Bush on Friday. The president apparently believed he was speaking privately when he talked about listening in without a warrant on domestic communications with suspected al-Qaida terrorists overseas. But reporters were the ones doing the listening in this time.

The incident happened at a House Republican retreat. After six minutes of public remarks by the president, reporters were ushered out. "I support the free press, let's just get them out of the room," Bush said, intending to speak behind closed doors with fellow Republicans and take lawmakers' questions.

When reporters left, Bush spoke about the National Security Agency program that he authorized four years ago and which has drawn criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike.

However, the microphones stayed on for a few minutes. That allowed journalists back at the White House to eavesdrop on Bush's defense of the eavesdropping. His private statements were basically no different from what he's said in public.

Two things here are notable:

1) The gullible press actually believed that the microphones were "accidentally" left on. (Come on, we know that press types watch the West Wing!)

and

2) The "private" statements were no different than the "public" statements (like the President's policies or not, that should come as no surprise).

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/11/06 17:53 | American Politics | Technorati | Comments (0)

Those New Coaches Are Just Groovy (All Of 'Em)

The Chronicle's Editorial LiveJournalists swoon today over the hiring of Gary Kubiak as the head coach of the Texans. I posted about the Editorial LiveJournalists trying to write about sports over at blogHOUSTON.

Rich Connelly, however, noticed that Chron sports columnist John Lopez has been swooning over Kubiak, as well as just about everyone else who manages to get hired to coach teams in Houston:

Now that Roger Clemens has taken his leave, you might have thought Houston would be bereft of Godlike sports figures. Luckily there's always Houston Chronicle columnist John P. Lopez to come to the rescue.

As the Texans prepared to name former St. Pius High quarterback Gary Kubiak as their new coach, Lopez was there to testify: "No matter how Gary Kubiak decides to use the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft," he wrote January 25, "you can count on this: If the pick proves to be a booming success, Kubiak will deflect all credit. And if the pick ends up being a flop, he will take the blame."

And if the bottled water in the press room suddenly turns into a robust cabernet sauvignon, you'll know who to thank.

Lopez went on and on about Kubiak's near-deity status. Which isn't really anything new when Lopez is greeting incoming Houston coaches:

January 2001: "Hiring [Dom] Capers will mark the first time [Texans owner Bob] McNair has veered onto a road that has a few potential potholes. But don't turn in your PSLs just yet, Texans fans. As much as this will be a daring hire, it'll be a good one."

November 2001: "On many fronts, [Jimy] Williams is a perfect fit for this club…Williams will quietly and with dignity take the fall, even if it is obvious that it's the [Astros] players or management bumbling and stumbling."

December 1998: "This was a night that didn't just offer evidence that the [University of Houston] Cougars could be on their way to a bright future. It offered some hints that [new coach Clyde] Drexler might be more serious about this coaching gig than most experts and fans around the country believed he would be."

Less than three years later, writing about UH athletic director Chet Gladchuck: "He seemed to follow the Clyde [Drexler] disaster with a smart move, hiring Ray McCallum, who appears to be doing things the right way." McCallum lasted four years and was axed with a 44-73 record.

Man. If only Lopez would criticize a new hire, Houston sports fans might have some hope.

Oh my! Talk about notable misses!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/11/06 17:12 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)

Early Departure From Plan For UH

The CoogFans posters have reported all preseason that Rayner Noble had committed to DHing Brad Lincoln on days he doesn't pitch, instead of playing him at first base like last year.

Lincoln was the opening day pitcher on Tuesday. In last night's game, Lincoln played first base.

So much for that "commitment."

I've long appreciated the flexibility of the players Noble tends to recruit (he goes for the athletic types who often can pitch, hit, and play a position or two). However, asking a guy to pitch, hit, and play the field seems like a good way to wear down a potential All American by the end of the season. It really makes me wonder about the plans for freshman Luis Flores, who may well pitch in addition to his duties as the regular catcher.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/11/06 15:03 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (2)

He Could Have Been An Astro

We went out to Minute Maid last night to see UH take on UT at baseball.

It was a pretty well played game by both teams, with the difference in a 3-1 UT victory being one rough inning for the Coogs and some outstanding defensive plays from UT's centerfielder.

The Chronicle's Big 12 writer has an account:

Drew Stubbs doesn't let himself think about what could have been.

But for someone who turned down a chance to sign with the Astros out of high school, Stubbs looked right at home roaming center field at Minute Maid Park.

Stubbs made three dazzling defensive plays to back seven strong innings by righthander Adrian Alaniz as No. 7 Texas defeated Houston 3-1 on Friday night in the Houston Baseball Classic.

[snip]

Stubbs chased down two deep fly balls to left-center in the fourth and fifth innings, and ran at least 45 yards to get to Isa Garcia's drive to right-center in the sixth.

Stubbs was drafted in the third round (No. 89 overall) by the Astros out of Atlanta High School in 2003 but turned down a $450,000 signing bonus and opted to enroll at Texas.

One of those "deep fly balls to left-center" was more of a liner, making the Stubbs catch even more spectacular (but I digress). The Chron reporting really doesn't do justice to the background story (Stubbs' not accepting the Astro offer), but fortunately another Chron blogger/columnist does (pun intended, btw):

If you saw Drew Stubbs play center field for the University of Texas on Friday, you might have been reminded of a young Carlos Beltran.

The Astros thought so as well three summers ago when they agreed to a pre-draft deal of $900,000 and took him in the third round of the draft out of Atlanta High School.

Astros owner Drayton McLane, under pressure from Bud Selig's office to stay within mandated signing guidelines, ordered his scouting staff to reneg on the offer and lower it to $450,000.

Stubbs signed with the Longhorns.

''I wouldn't say we reneged,'' McLane told me last summer. ''I never approved the deal you're talking about.''

His baseball people clearly didn't think his approval would be an issue. Signing Stubbs should have been as routine as signing any other draft choice that year.

''Please don't mention Drew Stubbs to me,'' a club source told me last summer. ''I get sick thinking about the way we handled that.''

''We had a firm figure,'' Rick Stubbs, the player's father, said last summer. ''The Astros knew what it was. I remember sitting with one of their scouts and discussing this. He said, 'Are you telling me that if we offer $750,000, he won't sign?' I said, 'I'm telling you if you offer $889,000, he won't sign.'

''I'm angry with the way they handled it. They strung us along for a month. They asked Drew not to play summer ball. They understood what our price was. They said they needed to sign the guy they picked in front of him. They said they had the money and would pay us what we wanted. We waited a month.''

That's quite a bit different from the way the Chron's Big 12 writer reported it, eh?

Kudos to Richard Justice for reminding readers about it on his blog. His June 2005 story on the bungled signing is here.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/11/06 14:05 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)

09 February 2006

Ilona!

KTRK-13's Ilona Carson made a (brief) appearance in All My Children today.

Go Ilona!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/09/06 22:04 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (0)

Beyond Heir

Bush-appointed Judges Most Conservative On Record, New UH Study Finds (UH Newsroom)

Judges appointed by President George W. Bush are the most conservative on record when it comes to civil rights and liberties, according to a new study by a political science professor at the University of Houston.

Bush judicial appointees are significantly more conservative than even the very conservative voting record of jurists appointed by Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bush Sr. in the realm of civil rights and liberties, said Robert Carp, professor of political science at UH. When it comes to these decisions, the Bush team is a full 5 percentage points more conservative than even the trial judges appointed by Presidents Reagan and Bush Sr.

[snip]

In a previous study that was released in August 2004, Carp and his team of researchers predicted that if Bush was re-elected that year, the federal judiciary could take on an even sharper conservative slant. At the time, Bush’s judicial appointees delivered liberal decisions 27.9 percent of the time in cases involving civil liberties and rights. For this latest study, researchers analyzed more data, and the figure has dropped to 27.2 percent.

“Our findings are significant because the general consensus is that President Reagan is the most modern conservative president on record, and yet the judges appointed by George W. Bush are even more conservative than the Reagan judges,” said Carp, the study’s lead investigator.

I'm some ways, President Bush is well beyond simply being Reagan's "heir." This is one of them.

As for the study -- good for Professor Carp getting some attention for his work. He's been scoring judicial decisions for years (probably a couple of decades), so his methodology is well established and accepted in the profession. He was on my comps committee, but I never was interested in the scoring of Court cases *shudder*. Just straight con law.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/09/06 22:01 | American Politics | Technorati | Comments (2)

This Is Evolution?

Texans to keep Carr through 2008 season (John McClain, Houston Chronicle)

The Texans have finally exercised the $8 million option that extends quarterback David Carr's contract through the 2008 season, a person close to the team said today.

An announcement is expected Friday.

This posted to Chron.com at 9:23 pm.

David Dalati reported this for Clear Channel's sports talk station in the 5:00 pm hour today.

McClain's "news" is already olds.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/09/06 21:50 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)

08 February 2006

More Sudden Acceleration

Truck crashes through restaurant, 8 injured (KHOU-11 News)

Customers at the Texas Hamburger Palace located at Ranchester and Harwin got quite a surprise Tuesday afternoon when a pickup truck crashed into the building.

The truck went through the front of the restaurant.

There was a large lunch crowd in the southwest Houston restaurant when the vehicle crashed through the front window shortly after 1 p.m.

"I was just sitting down when I caught something out of the corner of my eye. I just dove under the next table," said customer Gary Friedman, "I think there was a priest in there and he must have been looking after us." Friedman received a scraped knee.

Several people were transported to the hospital and others were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

The driver said he actually owns the building and was there on business. He said he thought he had put the truck in park.

"I thought I put my car in park and as soon as I pulled up there and tried to get out, it just lunged forward and went through the front end of the store," said Steve Haase.

If Mr. Haase were a reader of this blog, he would have known to claim "Sudden Acceleration Syndrome" and to call his lawyer! Ah well.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/08/06 23:09 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (1)

07 February 2006

Oh Those Upper West Side Sensibilities

Box office doesn't walk the Oscar line (Scott Bowles, USA Today, via Brothers Judd)

The weekend after Oscar nominations is traditionally a strong one for best-picture contenders.

[snip]

The weekend, though, was supposed to belong to the candidates for best picture, which were announced Tuesday. Four of the five candidates —Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Good Night, and Good Luck and Munich— expanded their screens by the hundreds to capitalize on awards momentum.

Brokeback Mountain had the best showing at No. 4, but it did mediocre business. It leads all films with eight Oscar nominations and expanded by 435 screens this weekend, bringing its nationwide total to a country-canvassing 2,089. But the movie still dropped 13% from last weekend, taking in $5.7 million.

The Johnny Cash biography Walk the Line re-entered the top 10 after 12 weeks in theaters with $3.4 million, a 12% surge from last weekend. But the per-screen average was a so-so $2,171. Line was not nominated for best picture, but it nabbed best-acting nominations for Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon.

"It's acting like it got a best-picture nomination," says Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for 20th Century Fox, which released Line. "Maybe that's a sign it should have."

[snip]

The numbers could be an ominous sign for the March 5 Oscar telecast. The show's ratings typically reflect how popular the films are. But this year marks the lowest-attended slate of best-picture candidates in more than two decades.

They should really start coming up with excuses now for why the ratings are going to be terrible. Otherwise, some folks might conclude that the sensibilities of the Upper West Side (and erratic features editors) just aren't the sensibilities of really large numbers of Americans.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/07/06 23:54 | Other | Technorati | Comments (2)

Almost An Emissions Event To Report

While watching UH try to give away a baseball game with sloppy play (and then to rally twice with big homers), we noticed helicopters hovering nearby, and heard firetrucks.

A quick check of the google mail via cellphone turned up a KHOU email alert that a hazmat crew had been dispatched to a truck leaking hexane. GREAT!

Thankfully, the hazmat crew seemed to get it under control, and our baseball watching was not interrupted by an evacuation.

So, no emissions event reporting here today. I'm happy to leave that to Banjo and others.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/07/06 23:36 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (1)

06 February 2006

It Must Be The Start Of College Baseball Season

We've had unusually warm temperatures for a while now, until a bit of a dip today.

Of course.

The UH Cougar baseball home opener is tomorrow, and the Minute Maid Classic is looming this weekend.

The temps had to dip.

I believe Brad Lincoln is set to go for UH tomorrow. Big things are expected for him and Rayner Noble's team this season. I'm looking to sneak out of work a bit early for the afternoon start.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/06/06 23:20 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (4)

05 February 2006

Post Secret

It's Sunday, and that means a new edition of Post Secret.

Callie discovered this quirky project a while back, and got the book for Christmas.

It's utterly fascinating.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/05/06 12:23 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)

"Longtime, trusted" Dem Aide Steals $166,000+

Former aide to Doggett admits to embezzling: Attorney says Willis, who is being investigated, intends to repay the $166,000 (Associated Press)

A former aide to Rep. Lloyd Doggett has acknowledged embezzling more than $166,000 from the Austin Democrat's campaign and other groups, has apologized and intends to pay it all back, according to her attorney.

Kristi Willis, 37, a longtime trusted ally to Doggett and well-known figure in Austin political circles, is being investigated by Travis County prosecutors.

Willis has acknowledged taking the money from Doggett, another $17,000 from Texas House District 48 Democratic candidate Andy Brown and at least $10,000 from the Capitol Area Democratic Women where she once served as treasurer.

[snip]

Claire Dawson-Brown, chief of the Travis County District Attorney's grand jury division, said her office is investigating and that police have met with Doggett's office.

I'm sure, given Ronnie Earle's nearly messianic quest for purity when it comes to money and politics, that the DA's office will be putting all its resources into tackling this clear-cut instance of illegal, corrupt behavior, without regard for party affiliation.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/05/06 12:05 | Texas | Technorati | Comments (4)

Sudden Acceleration (cont'd)

Driver slams into west Houston restaurant (KTRK-13 News)

A woman accidentally turned a new west Houston deli into a drive thru.

It happened on Longpoint at Gessner. Authorities say she hit the accelerator instead of the brake and crashed through the restaurant.

This woman blew it. Instead of admitting the obvious, she should have hired a lawyer and claimed "sudden acceleration syndrome."

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/05/06 11:54 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (1)

02 February 2006

Only Half?

Bachelet era begins with change: Chile's first female president named a cabinet of 10 men and 10 women Monday (Jen Ross, Christian Science Monitor)

Michelle Bachelet made history Jan. 15 by becoming Chile's first female president.

Monday, she chalked up yet another precedent: naming a cabinet of 10 female and 10 male ministers. It's the first of its kind in the entire western hemisphere - and one of few examples in the world.

"This Cabinet reflects the new style of government I've proposed," Ms. Bachelet said, as she announced her choices. They included women in the key portfolios of economy and mining, as well as in her own two former ministries: health and defense.

It's a significant change to the political status quo, and expected to be the first of many. But in a country known as the most socially conservative in the region, not everyone is celebrating her announcement. In fact, some experts question whether she'll sacrifice competence for image.

"I think it's a grave error," says Ignacio Illanes, an analyst with the right-wing thinktank Liberty and Development (Libertad y Desarrollo). He puts it bluntly: "There's only one way to have a 50-50 cabinet and that is by lowering the quality of the cabinet."

I agree. It should be in favor of the women by at least 15-5. Otherwise, the quality suffers.

I just hope none of the ten women have anger-management issues like some Houston politicians. That could bring goverment to a standstill!

Actually, that might not be such a bad thing. Here or there.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/02/06 15:00 | International | Technorati | Comments (0)

SITE MENU

» Weblog
» About Me
» Archives
» Disclaimer
» Flickr Gallery
» Syndication
» Twitter