Campaign Blog: News & Updates

Ezra Klein gives precisely the type of review of the Amazon Kindle that I was hoping to read. Not that it helps move me toward purchasing one any sooner. Like Matt, I'm mostly stuck on the initial pricetag. It might be enough if my fallback use for it was for the internet-ish use it offers, but Ezra offers a rather harsh verdict on the beta browser.

Still, the idea has a lot of potential and it's natural to assume the pricepoint will come down eventually. Of course, as a confirmed book-a-holic, it's just as natural for me to wish that that would be sooner rather than later.

Not a lot of time for blogging, but here's a cool toy picked up over the internets today ...

Play around with it yourself and see if you don't find some fun in it.

New Andrei Cherny book goes on sale Thursday. Website for the book is now up and running. And Andrei blogs a bit over at HuffPo to plug the book not once, but twice.

Part two of those blog posts is a key sales close for my reading interest.

Interesting imagery of earth's outter habitat.

I'm not going to be quite so luddite to suggest we treat outer space better than ANWR, but given the apparent problem of explosions of satellites in space, I've got to think there's some redundancy that could be done away with.

(ht, IFOC ... who also tracks my Astros grumblings.)

I can't claim to take beauty pageants all that seriously (well, at least as seriously as the Iowa Straw Poll ... but then again, that's just another beauty contest with bribery allowed). But apparently, things are looking so up for Texas Democrats, we're getting PR everywhere:

A 26-year-old entrepreneur from Texas was named Miss USA on Friday, besting 50 other beauty queens for the coveted crown.

Crystle Stewart, of Missouri City, Texas, runs a party-planning and motivational speaking company, and models professionally. She says she wants to dedicate her life to international philanthropy.

....

Stewart was headed for the publicity circuit. She said she was eager to travel and spread her message of self-improvement to young women. She noted she was one of only a handful of black woman crowned Miss USA in the pageant's 57-year history.

"I think the United States is coming together," she said, citing the historic presidential candidacies of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. She declined to name her preference.

"I don't know, we'll see. Fundamentally, I'm a Democrat," she said.

Sounds like she's been by the kool-aid stand, but hey ... good pub for Texas Democrats is good pub.

Back to my reasons for not taking beauty contests seriously, though:

The panel of judges for Friday's pageant included Heather Mills, model and former wife of Paul McCartney; comedian Rob Schneider; Olympic gold-medal swimmer Amanda Beard; and Christian Siriano, winner of Bravo's fashion reality series, "Project Runway."

Rob Schneider and a reality show contestant. How embarrassing for the reality show contestant!

Meanwhile, Fox News skips the partisan angle. Instead, they pick the approach that sells as news on their network:

The pageant tried to showed off its edge, featuring a grinding live rock performance by the band Finger Eleven, music from Rihanna, and contestants in barely there black bikinis and faux-fur coats.

UPDATE: Ignacio Sanchez @ Houstonist points out an angle that even I missed ... MissUSA is a Coog!

» TSG: Couple Sues Google Over "Street View"

Some people are just totally confounded by technology:

Pittsburgh couple is suing Google for invasion of privacy, claiming that the web giant's popular "Street View" mapping feature has made a photo of their home available to online searchers. Aaron and Christine Boring accuse Google of an "intentional and/or grossly reckless invasion" of their seclusion and privacy since they live on a street that is "clearly marked with a 'Private Road' sign,"

...

Click here for some photos of the Boring property, which is now even easier to locate via Google Maps, since the plaintiffs included their home address on the lawsuit's first page. And while they are litigating, perhaps the Borings should consider suing Allegheny County's Office of Property Assessments, which includes a photo of their home (which was built in 1916 and sits on 1.82 acres) on its web site.

I'm only disappointed that Google's Street View of Houston is limited to mostly the major artery streets.

CORRECTION: Well, well, Google did do some more drive-bys in Houston. Funny thing, though. They apparently skipped over large portions of Gulfton. Guess they just weren't brave enough for that.

... but figure "Hey, why not pass on a link anyway?"

» Washington Monthly's Paul Baumann does a review of Amy Sullivan's "The Party Faithful"

» The NYT does a pretty decent overview of what's going on in the world of Barry Diller. I'm generally a fan of Diller's, having gone so far as to do a small bit of my business class research work on his career. But I've had a problem seeing him as a good fit for internet businesses. The fact that he passed up offering $400M for MySpace is but the most glaring rationale for that opinion.

» College Basketball Invitational ... this is a joke, right? Reports broke that UH was guaranteed to play a "name" opponent in exchange for an early commitment. We end up playing AT Nevada? It used to be said that the NIT existed to settle who could claim to be 65th in the nation. Now, with the expanded NCAA and the NIT/CBI coexistance, we pretty much have the equivalence of handing out trophies just for suiting up.

» Twenty-two. That is all.

» Seriously, "that is all" aside, I can't claim to have been the biggest Rockets booster in the days since the team was defined by Charles Barkley. Yao and McGrady were certainly welcome additions to erase those memories, but still ... my days of daily Sports Page reading have long since been gone. With that, I merely announce my presence on the bandwagon.

Now, really ... that is all. At least till the next blog post.

One day, we'll all be bloggers. Today, we're two steps closer: Andrei Cherny and Dr. Richard Murray have recently joined the ranks.

All part of the master plan for world domination, guys.

Interesting bug with the SansaExpress that I've otherwise enjoyed since purchasing. Out of the blue, the thing just doesn't turn on. Power up, see a brief logo as if it's starting up, and then fade to black. Nothing. It makes for a terrible ride home or to work knowing you've got no tunes for the trek.

But even weirder was the fix. Plug in the microSD card (which I'd held off on purchasing) and the thing is good to go. An added bonus is that I've now officially doubled the capacity of my MP3 player. Time to fill it up.

It's official, there's nothing you can't do at an IKEA ...

The good news for now-newlyweds Paul and Patricia Burgess is that IKEA picked up the tab for their Valentine's Day wedding.

The bad news was that because they were winners of an IKEA contest, the event drew print and TV media as well as friends and family.

Paul seemed bemused by the fuss, which was no doubt made fussier by the presence of the ceremony's officiant, ZZ Top guitarist Billy F. Gibbons.

On a completely worthless sidenote, I've met Billy Gibbons once in my life ... while working at IKEA.

» Chron: Houston-area flu cases up 31% over previous season (Kevin Moran)

Not the most encouraging story to read as I cough up a lung or two.

Trust me, I loathe aggreposts. But the workload is what it is. So bear with me. I'll look into eradicating this habit after the primaries are over. Might also need to look into this concept I hear about once in a while: vacation. Sad fact of the matter is that I'm an awful vacationer. I vacation like I shop: with a distinct mission that must be accomplished in as record a time as possible. "Winning" at Vacation is akin to seeing Disneyland in 30 minutes ... and bragging about it!

Till then ...

» Is it just me, or is Buckley getting lazy in his old age? I mean, concluding that Obama "might" have wanted to offer a guaranteed success in stock market investing? THAT'S the best the guy can come up with?

» In other news, the internet is everywhere. Film at 11 ... YouTube at 10:30.

» In another instance of YouTube speed versus MSM speed: Tom Brady's cast. I expect the Super Bowl to be a great game, but I may love it a little more if Giants fans get their hopes up over this, only to be crushed in a manner that only New York sports fans should: harsh. Is it too much to ask that Belichick run up the score in a Super Bowl?

» Back to conventional warfare, pretty cool article here on the software that goes into the military's Future Combat Systems.

» Maybe it's a sign I'm getting old (a point my co-workers will cruelly pointed out for a rusty nickel), but with actors dropping and musicians snorting, I'm already longing for the days when I actually used to know who these people were before they crashed and burned. Seriously, I own a grand sum of zero Amy W(h)inehouse tunes and the only Heath Ledger flick I'm going to see if the one that comes out after he's dead. And that, only because of an affinity for the Batman genre - a point that scores me zero points on the so-called "hip, youth culture" index that I'm graded against. To heck with it all. Van Halen arrives in town Monday. At least when those guys crash and burn, everyone will know who they were!

» More or less finished Randall Ballmer's "Thy Kingdom Come: An Evangelical's Lament." Sadly, I'm reminded why I didn't pick it up originally ... there's too much of it that comes across as a liberal screed than a more sincere lament. Ah well, not much lost. The book was inexpensive and a quick read. Back to Taylor Branch, though.

» On the topic of nerdy bookworm habits, I'm still on the lookout for anyone willing to rent out an Amazon Kindle. Seriously, I've asked every nerd I know and not a one of them knows a soul who owns one (often after having to explain to my target audience what it is I'm actually talking about). I'm trying to rationalize the purchase even if I don't take to it as a book replacement - the browser and free internet seem like a nice lure. But if I can adjust to reading on it and plunking down fewer dollars per book at the same time, it's a cinch for me. First things first, though. For a small chunk of change and the addition of a book or two (can even be negotiated for mutual interest), I'm offering to take the gizmo off your hands for a week.

» A few minor Pres-race notes: Huckabee seems to be tanking for lack of money and a shrinking field. I'm more than a little relieved to see that. Oddly, Romney seems to be back in contention for Florida. Is that really how the GOP side is going to come down? ... Romney vs McCain? What a faustian bargain for conservatives. I mean, Bush more or less altered the mix temporarily for what it meant to be a conservative - at least on the surface. Suddenly - and briefly - concerns for education and social services were the new fad. No more. Now, it's seemingly down to two guys who will switch any position necessary in order to grab the mantle of party leadership.

» For my own side, it seems more and more like South Carolina is a runaway for Obama. Saw the question out there somewhere - I'll have to look it up for a h/t - but if you add up an Obama win in SC and a Hillary win in Florida, is there anything that undoes the calculus for Feb. 5 states that show Clinton with a still significant lead in most states? I guess this has me a bit closer to speculating what we'll see that day. And obviously, I'd love to see a tidal wave for Hillary - so that's what I'll call. But Obama's rise in those states is just as significant and could be worth some attention as some states get more and more attention (say, California).

The lack of a winner-take-all scenario, however, does also raise the possibility that it could be difficult to get 50%+ of the delegates going into the convention. Yes, another brokered convention theory. But let's say the majority of states go something like 45-40-15 for any one candidate. That makes Edwards (Mr. 15%) the spoiler in all this. Could it be his leverage to once more be an ineffective VP pick by one or the other frontrunners? Here's hoping not. My original pick for automatic VP was Mark Warner, but now he's got a good Senate race he's likely to win. I'm partial to a border south pick for VP and if I were to make a sentimental pick, it'd be Georgia's John Lewis. Watch the guy on TV, though, and he doesn't have a great presence (which I hate to concede). Lacking that, the crowd is thin for my top tier: O'Malley is facing low ratings back home. Kaine is a possibility, but he's no Mark Warner. Does Evan Bayh sneak into consideration once again? I still find him insufferably boring. Something to shore up Ohio a bit, maybe? I love Ted Strickland (and, apparently, so does Ohio), but he's still new on the job as Gov.

Maybe go midwest and pick up Gov. Sebelius. Think about it ... in 1992, Bill Clinton picked someone who was, in a sense, something of a mirror image. Worked for him. If Hillary does that with Sebelius, I think it'd help on a meta-level for her even if it means she doesn't carry Kansas. How'd she play in Sandusky? Go ahead and pencil her in as my preferred pick for Hillary.

First things first: Happy MLK Day

UPDATE: Greg Boyd offers a few theological thoughts that I tend to agree with on the meaning of this day.

A few additional thoughts over at the other blog. I've got more on my reading list, podcast list, and DVD viewing list than I really ought to have right now. But it's all too highly engrossing to pass up on. For today, I'll just try and stick to Taylor Branch's "Parting the Waters."

Secondly: Patriots and ... Giants??? Way to suck out half the joy of the Super Bowl for me, guys! I guess I'm stuck with being just another hostile Patriots fan for two weeks instead of cheering on what should have been one of the most memorable Super Bowls ever. Granted, the Giants aren't pushovers and Eli's last name is still Manning. But all that said, I'm still hoping we see 19-0 this season.

Thirdly: It's a week of decisionmaking in Gregville. Van Halen comes to town, but I'm leaning against the principle of plunking down $150 for a ticket. Stellar Kart hits town on the 26th. Much cheaper ticket, but the bill looks a bit longer than my interest in youthful Christian punk rock does these days. Maybe I'll hit it, but plan on arriving somewhat late. We'll see.

Among a few other quick links to pass on for the day:

» Sheila Dracula-Gonzales discusses her change of heart on the issue of abortion. Naturally, none of the reasoning had anything to do with her sudden interest in running for Congress.

» In East Texas, they're having their way with graven images: Beaumont with an MLK statue ... Port Arthur with a Janis Joplin historic marker.

» Decent article in the NY Times about Huckabee's use of the pulpit as part of his campaign methodology. It's among the issues I have with Huckabee. You'll see him take the pulpit at a church - almost always arranged by James Robison - and announce that he's not there as a Presidential candidate. Really? I can't imagine what it feels like to open up a sermon with a flat-out lie like that. Where was the whirlwind tour of megachurches when you were a lowly Lt. Governor? ... or Governor?

FWIW, the Chron opens up their primary campaign attention with a Huckabee story.

» With only a small amount of voting to be done before SuperDuper Tuesday, it looks like Obama should pick up South Carolina and Florida should get the second verdict in on whether the south is more favorable territory for McCain or Huckabee. Seems most of the analysis of the South Carolina numbers suggest that McCain won with less support among Republican than he had in 2000. Chalk it up to a fractured field. That's what should make Feb. 5 so interesting. Are there enough winner-takes-all states out there to prevent a muddled outcome for the GOP side?

» And what of the Dem side on that day? Some early number crunching going on about the views of southern black voters, with most of it suggesting Hillary still has a healthy plurality. We'll see if that holds after South Carolina.If Hillary can manage some key wins in the south (I'm not including Florida, though she should win there), it'll go a long way towards handing her the nomination. Add California to that mix, too. That state always has been an oddball in the primaries. Hill's up by double digits for now, but my gut tells me that's due to be incredibly competitive. Time to check and see where folks are spending their ad dollars.

It's official: Sharpstown Mall is the Abe Vigoda of shopping malls.

Among my habits: surfing YouTube for political ads. On a whim, I was curious if there were any for my namesake county in Virginia's coal country. Apparently, there's these two:

And this one, with no embedding. Too bad since he's got some great Dem endorsements ;-)

Yeah, and there's also a chick fight that comes up under the search. Hand to God ... it's not my work.

Chron.com 3.0? I still hate the ads, but there doesn't seem to be much of a way around that these day.

As was the case for the last major overhaul, the internal pages don't seem to be affected yet. Hopefully, that's a matter of time. My own gripes about the 2.0 setup (for lack of a better term - it lumps a lot of iterations under 1.0) are that the story pages take too long to load up and that the section pages are a bit too clunky.

The former seems to be related to the comments feature. I don't claim to be a fan of super-long comment threads, so maybe I'm just showing my bias in declaring it not worth the hassle. I mean, having a means to deselect the option of seeing comments on my user profile would be a nice option. An odd one, perhaps ... but a nice one nonetheless.

The latter has some exceptions (Sports always struck me better than the others) and you get used to it. So the complaint is relatively minor. And given my own newsjunkie need for having massive lists of links to lots and lots of stories, it's clear to me that any fix may be met with a lot of moaning and groaning from this reader.

That last item of interest is sorta what has me a bit optimistic about the new frontpage redo. Lots of links and lots of scroll. Yay me! But what's up with having a "Highlight" underneath the main story you're plugging? Is it really a highlight if it's not at the top of the page?

"Your Stories & Photos" ... ironic as it may seem, this webjunkie hasn't been overly impressed with the concept of user-generated content. As a concept, it may have it's time. I'm not overly convinced it's here. Until you get some reads in there that rival some of the reporters - and I mean hard news stuff, not the fluffy bunny stories/columns - then we can talk and/or justify the high placement of this feature.

Video ... for me, I'd honestly like to see this given more prominence. I think the Chron's done a decent-to-good job of incorporating video into their stories. Now if they can just train John McClain to wear matching clothes from time to time ....

And what the heck is News Bizarre doing at the top of the news listings? That's just ... um ... bizarre.

UPDATE: It seems the Tennessean (we all read that on a daily basis, right?) also got a facelift. Organizationally, I think it's a mess. But the color scheme is a nice change of pace from the March of White that seems to be enveloping so many newspaper websites. Maybe if they made the news sections larger and moved them up to ... say, the top third of the page ... I'd like it more.

Consider this an irregular PSA. The Houston Holocaust Museum has been having a seemingly exhaustive mega-part lecture series dating back to last fall. It's about to wrap up with one of the reasons I took note of it. Francis Collins is one of the scientists who led the public effort to map the human genome. He's also written a great book that I'm finally gotten around to reading: The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. Check it out if you're nerdy enough.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"21st Century Genetics: Maximizing Benefits, Minimizing Harms"
and
"What Does 21st Century Eugenics Look Like"

with

Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, National Human Genome Research Institute

Christine Rosen, Ph.D.
Fellow, Project on Biotechnology and American Democracy at the Ethics and Public Policy Center

"Medical Ethics and the Holocaust," a 15-part lecture series presented by Holocaust Museum Houston, concludes this January with a warning against tampering with the genetic code - tampering that could lead to the next generation of discrimination. Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Christine Rosen, Ph.D., senior editor of The New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology & Society, will both ask what happens when DNA tampering leads to genetic discrimination - the type of discrimination used against victims of the Holocaust more than 60 years ago. Collins will discuss how it will take the full involvement of scientists, health care providers, policymakers and society at large, together with an appreciation of history, to ensure that the medical benefits of the genome revolution are not misused. Rosen will discuss how eugenics, the movement to improve the human race through better breeding that influenced the practices of the Third Reich, has long been held in disrepute. Nevertheless, she will point out that society continues to practice eugenics through sex selection, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and the abortion of fetuses diagnosed with diseases such as Down Syndrome. Admission is free, but advance registration is required.

The lecture is co-sponsored by the University of Houston as their annual Elizabeth Dr. Rockwell Ethics and Leadership Lecture.

Lecture at 7 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 17, 2008

Entrance 1
Cullen Performance Hall
University of Houston

Please note: All seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Arrive early. Parking is available for $3 after 6 p.m.

For more information, visit www.hmh.org/medethics. Medical professionals may register for CME, CNE and Ethics credit for each lecture, which will be certified for two (2) credits per lecture. For more information, contact Deanna Tessenyi at dmtessen@utmb.edu.

Don't miss our companion exhibit:

"How Healing Becomes Killing: Eugenics, Euthanasia and Extermination"
On display at Holocaust Museum Houston's Morgan Family Center,
5401 Caroline Street, Houston, TX, 77004 in Houston's Museum District
September 7, 2007 through February 3, 2008
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday
Noon-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Free Admission Always

For more information on the human genome, visit "Genome: The Secret of How Life Works," on display February 2 through May 4, 2008 at The Health Museum. "Genome" explores the mysteries of the human gene, why the genome is being mapped and the potential benefits of gene research. It also looks at the 200-year history of this science and the individuals who have shaped it - from Gregor Mendel, the 19th-century monk who discovered the rules of inheritance by cultivating peas in a monastery garden, to Jim Watson and Francis Crick, who in the early 1950s discovered the form and process of genetic replication, the famous DNA double helix. Holocaust Museum Houston members receive a $1.00 general admission discount with a valid membership card. For more information, click here.

Sorry for the slow pace of blogging these days. Note to self: look into Andrew Sullivan's business model for myself. In the meantime, here's a sampler of what's on my plate:

» Mike Huckabee wants to amend the Constitution to "God's standard."

» John McCain has some thoughts on "the hope of mankind" that might come as a surprise to some of the folks who Huckabee was pandering to.

» Michael Skelly - one of the local good guys - gets some run in the Houston Business Journal. Full text available here.

» Predictions? I'm going to go out on a limb and say Hillary gets about 99% in Michigan -- give or take a point. For the GOP side, no clue. But if Romney loses, it's hard to see how he leaves the race much later with any more dignity than he already dropped when he started making up his issue positions for this year. Even if he wins, it's bound to be a one-off event.

UPDATE: CNN is already calling Michigan for Romney. Again, my sense is that Michigan's outcome is small potatoes for the overall race. But it's especially small for Romney. His best bet is to keep finishing second or a close third from here on out and hope that the race is a war of attrition. I'm not sure it is. Once Fred & Rudy are out (and it's not entirely clear how soon each might bolt), I have a hard time seeing those folks go to Mitt. It seems to be a safer bet that they'd move over to coronate whoever the frontrunner is at the time of departure - at this point, presumably McCain.

Now, from that point on, it's still likely to be a battle between Huck & McCain. That's the type of split that could genuinely portray any possible "conservative crackup." If Huck wins in areas where social conservatives are strong with McCain winning where they aren't ... it could be damaging for them. It's that conclusion that leads me to believe that it might not quite come down to those two.

But if not them ... who? For junkies like me, that's what ya gotta love about politics. McCain's "comeback"-let has already been met with some old-guard harrumphing. Bottom line is that whoever the GOP nominee is, it seems incredibly likely that they've gotten there by ticking off a substantial base of GOP voters.

Of course, on the Dem side ... it's all Hill. I was under the mistaken impression that she was literally the only name on the ballot. In fact, there's two cranks and a Dodd ... and also an option for uncommitted. Still, she's winning about 60%. Nothing significant to brag about, but I'd have to think a second-place finish to uncommitted would certainly revive some of the "Hillary is toast" commentary. Then again, a mere 12% of the votes are in.

On the whole, turnout seems to have been somewhere in the neighborhood of suck. What that means, I'll leave for the pundits. Nevada & SC are a bit more interesting to me at the moment.

» It's quite a day for photo blogs. Kuff (via Juanita) offers a very Princess Bride type of moment for Tom DeLay's "irrevocable residency" in Virginia. Once more, it's worth pointing out that that word doesn't mean what he thinks it means. Then again, who could blame Tommie for moving back? I'm sure he's represented better in the 22nd by Nick Lampson.

Elsewhere, Muse offers her qualifications for Harris County District Attorney. I'm suddenly feeling qualified myself. Maybe I'll form a "Screwballs and Nuts" Party and run myself. I like to think that I'm starting off with a 47,000 vote head start.

» Some brief NFL talk since I'm actually blogging before the big games this weekend. I'm watching the HBO team basically come to the conclusion that Dallas doesn't have a shot against the Giants. But part of their premise is that Dallas will be TO-less. Not quite the case. We'll see how healthy he is, though. I'll be pulling for the Giants (sorry Wade!), but they're a bit more of an unproven entity at this point. My pick is on boosterism alone: Giants by 3.

My personal favorite Super Bowl option would be for New England to play Green Bay. But the Seahawks-Packers game will be two teams looking at each other in the mirror. I guess my pick here comes down to which factor I think is more important - Favre or Holmgren. Generally, I'd say the coach is more important. This one should be entertaining if nothing else. I'm only rooting for the Packers to get my Super Bowl choice. Otherwise, I'd probably be a slight Seahawks fan out of the NFC. I'll go on record as offering a high-scoring outcome something like 38-31, Pack. Slight case of boosterism involved in that calculation.

Over in the AFC, it strikes me as interesting to see how difficult the Patriots path to the Super Bowl has really become. The Jaguars aren't going to be a pushover. At least ... they shouldn't. I'll have to pick up the second half of this one at church tonight. Obviously, I'm pulling for perfection this year. Patriots 28-21 ... the Jags should keep the clock under good control to be close at the end.

Bolts & Colts? Oddly, the easiest game of the weekend. Now watch the Bolts prove me wrong by winning. I'll go along with the thought that the real Super Bowl is going to be between the Patriots and Colts. It's tough to not see that coming down in the AFC Championship Game. Tough, but not impossible to see another matchup. For now: Colts, 42-14. I think they enter the AFCCG with more momentum ... but come up short.

» Someone answer for me what taking down two paintings from the State Capitol has to do with dissing someone at a party.

» Trend of the future? ... or just an indication of how deep the subprime mortgage crisis is really hitting the stand-up comedian circuit? I dunno. I worked at IKEA for the first several years here in town. That was enough for me.

Well, thanks to the world's worst filing deadline and a boatload of other work, I'm pretty beat for the day. Here's a few thoughts to get through the day with ...

» It's Caucus Day in Iowa ... hurry up and vote y'all. I could really stand to get to bed early tonight knowing that some portion of the world has sorted itself out on this matter. Again predictions are for Huck and Hill to win ... I'm far wobblier on the latter than the former.

» Rosenthal ... out. Interesting. I'm still curious what it took to talk him down from the treehouse. The GOP has until Friday to finalize their candidate(s). In the meantime, it's Jim Leitner. That makes for three new candidates on the November countywide ballot: Theresa Chang for District Clerk, Leitner/whoever for District Attorney; and Ed Emmett or Charles Bacarisse for County Judge. Each will be first-time nominees for that office, making for an increasingly level playing field in a year that promises to be challenging for the Harris County GOP.

» Other local filing news ... Al Edwards tries to make a comeback. Kuff says Garnet has another opponent, but I'm really too lazy to look it up this morning. Apparently, the GOP is giving my favorite State Rep a free pass and we're still trying to sort out what they've offered us for Ellen Cohen. Obviously, the big races to watch in the primaries will be over whether we can dump another local Craddick-D, Kevin Bailey ... and whether Dan Patrick can dump a non-Patrickite State Rep in Corbin Van Arsdale. John Davis also faces a primary challenger in the Clear Lake area. For now, I'm assuming he'll do just fine. Joe Crabb, once more, has primary opposition. This time, they come in pairs. Last time, he won with something like 60%. Dunno the actors on that side, but maybe it'll be interesting. The other stuff I care about: Kristi Thibaut taking another shot at HD133 and watching Hubert Vo school Greg Myers out in Alief.

» Noam Scheiber gives a dose of Huck-landia at TNR. Anecdotal, to be sure. But still a snapshot that rings true of a lot more scenes among conservative Republican/Christian circles.

» Kuff blogs about his holiday itunes procurements. I, on the other hand, opt to not let a gadget define my lifestyle. I debated a holiday pickup of a little PMP gadget (Archos 605 or better). But the interface proved too clunky for me to use it in the manner that I might like. Still might get a regular, cheap DVR. But I'm replacing my MP3 player with something smaller in size and bigger in storage. Here's some new stuff I'm loading it up with ...

• Kim Hill: Glory Unto You
(Got hooked on this one from spinning discs at church)
• Leslie Phillips: Heart of Hearts
(oldie, but a goodie from the 80s CCM genre)
• Green Day: American Idiot
(I'm not a big GD fan, but for high-energy stuff, they're as good as it gets)
• Jimi Jamison: Love Is Alive
(and yet, I didn't opt for the Gary Wright original)
• Shaw/Blades: I'll Always Be With You
(awesome CD ... I just needed to update my favorite tune from it)
• Hardline: In the Hands of Time
(I swear, I have the CD somewhere ... it's just easier to drop .99 cents for now, though)
• Stellar Kart: Living on a Prayer & Life Is Good
(I loved their second CD, but I'm suddenly cheap when it comes to their first. Still, these tunes are mandatory listening.)

I'm still mulling some options to add from a live Hardline CD and the second studio album the band put out ... both of which lack the guitar contributions of Neal Schon. Jeff Scott Soto has probably one of the best hidden 2004 releases I've stumbled on for a hard rock taste. I may just pick up that whole dang album.

Apparently, Amazon and Warner Bros. have made their peace over MP3 sales. So that's good news for a host of artists I've been waiting on. The entire Van Halen catalog is now available, but I pretty much have about 105% of those songs anyway (the extra credit being the demos recorded by Gene Simmons for the band, pre-1978). Still no sign of some out-of-print stuff like Rough Cutt (who I believe were on W.E.A.). I should probably grumble about the inability to get Derek Webb tunes from Amazon, but it may just as well be an excuse to pick up some of his older CDs in full.