A caller to KTRH this evening claims to have witnessed Morgan Ensberg checking into Methodist Hospital’s ER today after the game. At this time I have no confirmation of this.

REDACTED on 4/11 to avoid redundancy with posts above.

Seems that some of the detainees that have been released from Guantanamo think that the place was "Club Med". They were given the first education they have ever recieved, excellent food, and they want to come to America.

That must have been SOME TORTURE…..

Hat Tip Right Wing News

In this age of hyper health consciousness and steroid-pumped cyber-genetics, it’s refreshing to see an athlete whose not afraid to approach training the Old School way:

John Daly, warming up before The Masters

[Hat-tip: Houston's Clear Thinkers]

There’s a blogger named Dignan– and he’s gonna run against Cynthia McKinney.

[Hat-tip: Is Full of Crap]

I’m guessing that the amount and manner of taxpayer vs. private funding for renovations to Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick’s Capitol apartment is not at the top of your legislative agenda this morning:

The Craddicks say they will raise private money for the makeover, but thousands of dollars from a Capitol maintenance fund have been spent on it so far.

The Craddicks occupy a 1,960-foot apartment near the House chamber, as have previous speakers’ families. It’s billed as the only official residence inside a state capitol anywhere in the country.

Lucky us.

The use of state money and lack of public oversight over the proposal drew complaints from state Sen. Kim Brimer, R-Fort Worth, who, like Craddick, is a member of the board that oversees all modifications to the state Capitol.

Brimer said state money spent so far should be quickly reimbursed. He called for a public meeting of the State Preservation Board to discuss the proposals.

Seems reasonable. Unless a politician’s ego is involved:

Craddick’s lawyer, Royce Poinsett, said the decisions made so far, including the awarding of a yet-to-be-paid $45,000 contract to a private design and construction consultant, do not require a public meeting.

He said there’s no reason for the other members of the State Preservation Board, including Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, to oversee the speaker’s apartment renovation.

"The speaker doesn’t tell the governor how to decorate the Gov.’s Mansion, and we probably don’t tell the lieutenant governor how to renovate his area," Poinsett said.

Hey Austin– can you even begin to comprehend how this debate is perceived by average Texans?

Here are some specifics:

In February, the State Preservation Board spent $18,291 from its Capitol maintenance fund to buy carpet as part of the renovation project, records show. The figure represents half the cost of the order, which includes Grand Parterre and Grand Velvet Midnight carpets made of 100 percent New Zealand wool.

The state has also paid at least $1,200 for photos of the residence ahead of the renovation. [snip]

Planning for the project began only two years after the apartment was refurbished, repainted and stocked with expensive crystal goblets and china.

Taxpayers picked up about $10,000 of the cost of the 2003 refurbishing, including the cost of repainting and the purchase of a mattress, frying pans, napkins and other household items. About $25,000 raised from private donors financed the purchase of $65 crystal goblets, furniture recoverings and a new sofa. [snip]

Estimates for the new project, which would require demolition work, and new kitchen and bathroom fixtures, range between $500,000 and $1 million, documents show. Brimer said he heard that the cost could hit $2 million.

The work is supposed to start in June, after the Legislature meets in special session on public school funding.

Raising campaign money during a legislative session would be illegal, but there’s no law against private fundraising for Capitol renovation.

Lest one simply declare "Good, let them pay for it with private donations!"…

A list of "potential donors" prepared by the preservation board lists some of the best-known lobbyists and political contributors in Texas.

Here’s my idea– throw the Speaker’s butt out in the street, get a volunteer brigade to fix the place up, and rename the apartment "The Texas Taxpayer’s House"– open to any non-elected official who needs a quick nap or refreshing beverage while visiting Austin to keep an eye on the legislature. LST could use it as our Capital-Blogging Command Post.

Besides, I’m sure Craddick can find someplace else to live fairly quickly– I hear there’s a very nice apartment opening up in the area soon.

Welcome to the LST Spring 2006 Begathon’s Official Online Auction!

Items up for bid and rules are posted below; please keep all comments auction related; general subject comments should still be posted in the open comments thread.

——————–

RULES

• All bids after the initial minimum must be in $5 dollar increments.
• Only bids extended in the latest official online auction thread will be considered valid.
• If you have already donated, feel free to "add" the amount you have already paid to your calculation of your bid– we’ll work it out later.
• In addition to any trash talk or superfluous commentary, please indicate which item you are bidding on when you make an offer.
• Payment due within 72 hours of auction close; failure to pay within that time frame will result in item being awarded to the next highest bidder.
• Auction is closed at 12 AM on Thursday, April 13th; in other words, any bids time-stamped after 11:59 PM on Wednesday, April 12th will not be considered valid.

——————–

ITEM : "Headshaker’s ’Teddy Bear as Big as Texas’"

We don’t know why he owns it; we don’t know what he’s done with it; we don’t know why you’d want it.

But he offered, and we’re desperate– so here goes nothing.

A 36-inch Teddy Bear emblazoned with the word’s "God Bless Texas," donated by Headshaker.

Note– Pre-delivery dry-cleaning not included.

Starting Bid– $10 dollars.

——————–

ITEM : "Fred Hill’s Bubble Fill-In-The-Blank"

Not quite a boot in his arse, but satisfying just the same!

Supply a quote and have it pasted into the speech-bubble next to Fred Hill’s head and published on LST.

Note– Subject to a modicum of LST editorial control.

Starting Bid– $10 dollars.

——————–

ITEM : "Dan’s Bubble Fill-In-The-Blank"

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you to not just tell Dan Patrick what you think– but to decide what he is going to say!

Quote supplied from highest bidder will be pasted into the "speech bubble" of a Dan Patrick editorial cartoon and published on LST.

Note– Subject to a modicum of LST editorial control; bubble can be made bigger to accomodate more text.

Starting Bid– $10 dollars.

——————–

ITEM : "Ban Your Blog Nemeses for One Week"

We suspect this might end up being our most popular item– the highest bidder will be allowed to pick a fellow LST commentator who will subsequently have their IP address blocked by Squawkbox for seven straight days!

Think of the person whose thoughts you’d most like to not encounter upon visiting LST… chances are, they are spending a lot of money to ban you from the site. Better pony-up fast to make sure they get stuck with the stinky end of the stick.

Note– Subject to the good-natured humor of the person who ends up getting banned; ban applicable only to readers, not contributing LST bloggers.

Starting Bid— $10 dollars.

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ITEM : "Booze with Bramanti"

Thousands have gotten publicly drunk with Bramanti at one point or another– but YOU will have the unique distinction of being the only person to do so with him picking up the tab for the drinks!

Tab to be picked up in conjunction with LST’s April 28th barblogging tour stop in Cypress; includes an  engraved memento, suitable for display in place of your wedding photo album, in addition to a 22-oz. beer stein emblazoned with the famous LST "ranger badge" logo. Perfect for your morning "coffee."

And the best prize of all: POWER. That’s right, the top bidder will get to select the date and location of the May Barblogging Tour Stop.

Starting Bid– $20

——————–

UPDATED ITEM : "Fill-In the ‘Booze with Bramanti’ Bubble"

Reader Big45Iron has spotted an obvious deficiency in our auction, which we correct here– your opportunity to fill-in-the-blank of the speech bubble for the "Booze with Bramanti" pic, to be published on LST.

Note– Subject to only a pretense of LST editorial control.

Starting Bid— $20 dollars.

——————–

ITEM : "BBQ with the RINO"

There’s nothing LST’s inflatable RINO enjoys more after a hard day’s work than sitting back (gently) with a burger and nice cold brew.

This is your chance to join the party– at a time and in a Houston area public park of your choosing!

The lucky highest bidder will win a burger BBQ for 6 prepared by the RINO (with a little assistance from Benzion). We’ll provide the meat (snicker), buns (snort), and pickles (guffaw), as well as chips and assorted condiments.

Note– Beverages not provided; date, time and location subject to mutual agreement.

Starting Bid– $80

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LST’s Spring 2006 Begathon continues, highlighted by the online auction taking place through Wednesday–

Note: Pic not Mrs. Benzion or Jr.

Your support is greatly appreciated!

Click here for text ad rates and information.

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Happy Birthday "Monica D"!!! Betcha didn’t expect to see this here! :)  We are blessed to have you in our lives as wife, mother, and caring owner. All our love– Dean, Matthew, Jack and Cotton.

Dawn Wolf Design– LST’s full-service graphic designer of choice. Talented, professional, competitively priced; a generous LST volunteer, we could not recommend her more highly. | 713-781-8900 | website |

Adams Insurance– Over 50 years serving Houston business’ and families. Offering commercial, bonds, benefits, personal, risk management and life insurance services. | 713-869-8346 | website |

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Ability Tree Experts– Houston’s Leading Tree Surgeons. Recommended by Dan Patrick and Edd Hendee; protect or heal your valuable trees from insects and diseases. | 281-441-4179 | website | 

The Arbor Gate– Take an ordinary journey to an extraordinary place. Northwest Houston’s premier garden destination, showcasing the best in perennials, herbs, roses and native plants. | 281-351-8851| website

Amazing Siding & Windows– Never paint your house again! Offering James Hardie Siding and Vinyl Replacement Windows; free estimates, unmatched warranties. | 281-583-7000 | website |

Hy-Tech Foundation Repair– Free estimates, lifetime transferable warranty. Residential and commercial; pier, beam and concrete slab styles; serving the greater Houston area. | 713-686-1733 | website |

Baker Mortgage– Serving Houstonians for three generations. New mortgage, refinance or equity loans; selling a note, contract deed, or land contract; professional appraisals. | 713-661-6683 | website |

Royal Oaks Bank– Experience the Royal Treatment. Personal attention for individuals and corporations, with Champions, Post Oak, Westheimer and West U. branches. | phone | website

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