SPEAKING OF PICTURES

A real estate-appraising (and novel-writing) FrontBurnervian alerts us to Amazon’s new yellow pages function. It offers street-level pictures of many of the businesses. So, for instance, if you check out, oh, say, The Lodge’s entry, you can read the license plates on the cars that are parked in front of the gentleman’s establishment. These pictures also mean that when you go to Alcoholics Anonymous, you’re no longer quite so anonymous.

WHY NOT MORE POLICE?

Theresa Comstock asked that question on the News op-ed page this morning. The city manager thinks she is doing everyone a big favor by budgeting for 55 new officers next year. Whoopee-doo. It’s a drop in the bucket. Dallas is off-target by 500 officers, and a FrontBurnervian parent reports on the result:

Last night at White Rock lake while the HP Crew team was at practice, one of the student’s cars was broken into and the back packs of 4 or 5 students stolen . They contained wallets, cell phones, books etc. The call to the police elicited this response: we’ll call you back in 2 hours for the report.

If the city manager and the City Council are too timorous to do the right thing–spend money–we should take the decision away from them. I’ve heard people talking about a city-wide referendum to get the police whatever they need. Half-measures and tiny little baby steps at City Hall are getting us nowhere.

RE: KATRINA, A LITTLE OFF TOPIC

You may not have to open up the Rogers’ household, Rogers. According to KRLD, Reunion Arena is being readied for refugees. More on that here.

RE: KATRINA

A natural-disaster-obsessed FrontBurnervian tells us the AP is reporting that the DISD says it will enroll the children of any Katrina refugees who ask for it. The same FBvian as us politely to refrain from making Wilmer-Hutchins comments.

TROLLEY, TROLLEY, INCOME-FREE

A charitable FrontBurnervian over at the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority is doing her part to help out the victims of Hurricane Katrina. One hundred percent of the proceeds from Monday’s fareboxes go to the American Red Cross. Full release after the jump.
(more…)

I AM NOT A HARASSER

So, when I got to the office this morning, I was sifting through my emails, drinking my coffee, minding my own business, and I got this unsettling email.

Good Morning,
I am Det. Todd Burnside of the Carrollton Police Department. I am investigating an internet harassment complaint and need to ask you a few questions.
Could you call me or respond to the e-mail.
Thank you for your time.
Det. Todd Burnside

So, of course I called Det. Burnside right away. He asked if I knew a certain guy who has been getting harassing emails from Ryan Mendenhall. The detective googled me (oh, the investigative methods these days), found my name listed on our website, and emailed me at work. I am sure he was looking for a dude because once I called him back, I could tell he dismissed me as a suspect right away. Once again, people, I AM A GIRL. You can also tell that to the chick at Premier Video. Last night I walked up to the counter to rent a movie and the woman informed me that I had some late fees. I paid the late fees with a smile on my face and after she glanced at my Premier card she replied, “You can thank Ryan for those fees, I am sure.”

KATRINA, A LITTLE OFF TOPIC

It is looking like the Rogers house might soon be filled with two more adults, two more children, and a dog, all New Orleans refugees. Another friend of mine has a brother in N.O. who is an anesthesiologist and who had to stay behind to work at his hospital. But now the hospital is being evacuated. He is stranded on the second floor of his brick apartment building in the middle of the city. He’s got food for a couple days but no power obviously. And now he needs to leave. But how? And my friend can no longer reach his brother.

Last night on Nightline, Ted Koppel asked each of his reporters in the field if they thought New Orleans would survive. None could say it would. You realize we may have actually lost the entire city?

AARRGGG! THE PICTURES ARE GONE!

News came to us earlier in the week that the Texas Lege, in all its wisdom, passed a law requiring the removal of all those delicious photos of our neighbors’ houses on the Dallas Central Appraisal District’s Web site. The photos were supposed to come down tomorrow. But, lo, what do we find today? No photos! An official at DCAD tells me that it was a huge undertaking, taking down more than 650,000 images. They weren’t sure how long it was going to take. And the law states they have to be down “on or before September 1.” DCAD, ever the efficient organization, got it done “before.”

RE: MTV’S VMA’S

Sorry, guys. Better late than never, right? I forgot to mention that Kelly Clarkson looked pretty good on Sunday night. IDontLikeYouInThatWay has a few more pics here. Jessica, you’re out. Kelly, you’re back in.

RE: D’ANGELO LEE

Um, Wick? I know you’ve been gone awhile, and you’re trying to get back into the swing of things here on FrontBurner. But nice work with that last post!

MORE REASONS NOT TO REMOVE D’ANGELO LEE

Another media report for the City Council to ignore, from CBS11:
(more…)

SPEAKING OF RACISM

It really was inappropriate for Laura Miller to call for D’Angelo Lee’s removal from the Plan Commission. I mean, all we’ve got is media reports. Media reports! That’s all!

[shaking head slowly]

RE: FREE RANGERS TICKETS FOR KATRINA VICTIMS

A FBvian asks:

Haven’t these people suffered enough?

CLEAR PROOF THE FBI IS RACIST

The man you see here is Ruben Bohuchot, the DISD technology chief whose shady practices the FBI is investigating. Have a good look at Bohuchot. What do you see? No, not the jowls. Yes, that’s right! He appears to be Latino! So the FBI not only has it out for black people, but they also want to run the Latinos out of town. I ask you: WHEN DO THE RACE RIOTS BEGIN?

RE: SMELL OF BURNING

An resourceful FBvian points us to the “active incidents” page of Dallas Fire-Rescue, which said, “One-alarm structure fire at Bedford and Esmalda in West Dallas.”