RE: BUSH LIBRARY

To the FBvian: if you think our country’s most incurious leader will provide SMU academic prestige, well, great. I don’t.

We’re gonna have to jump the rest. So please bear in mind that the views expressed come from a person who will probably vote for John McCain in 2008.
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RE: BUSH LIBRARY

Thanks for enlightening me. I, unlike Paul, am not against it, I just saw those numbers and couldn’t imagine how that could be a reality. Boy, I can’t wait for those think tanks. Obviously, I need one. Santa, are you listening?

RE: BUSH LIBRARY

Paul, I’ll let my fellow FBvian do my rebutting for me:

Please tell Nancy and Paul that the implications of having the library here are much larger than more Outback Bloomin’ Onion purchases by visiting scholars. In addition to the visitor aspect, the supposedly most sophisticated presidential library ever (and planned accompanying think tank) brings immediate recognition and prestige to the university (of which I am a proud graduate), which in turn attracts better professors, which makes university ratings go up, which attracts better students, who will make more money and ultimately give more money to the school (not to mention most likely live in Dallas and spend said higher salaries in Dallas). And who can argue about the economic influx wealthy SMU students have on the Dallas economy in general, which will only grow as the student population grows?

And since Nancy talks about quick Internet searches, a real easy one will take you to the following site, which shows the five-year outlook for the Clinton Library is a not-too-shabby $57 million just in visitor revenue. And that’s in Arkansas.

RE: TWO WORDS

I love their music. Listen to track 10.

HERE’S TO YOUR HEALTH

Nancy, two words: monkey paw.

RE: VOTE, SNATCH, AND BEYOND

Are you guys drinking? I am. I quit the over-the-counter cough medicine and went straight to Gran Marnier. Works every time. Hell, yes, I’d work at Belo–most of my family does. All I hear at every family gathering is Belo this and Belo that. I have to sit there and listen to cheap shots aimed at Tim and Rod. They fail to see the warm fuzzy side of D. Like the time Timmy and I short-sheeted Wick’s bed at the Christmas party and didn’t get fired. Awe. Some.

RE: BUSH LIBRARY

Tall Paul, it’s been nice working with you. I hear there could be an opening at the Houston Press. BTW, a quick search revealed that the average salary of a scholar ain’t much. So we fill up all the Red Roof Inns and Outback Steakhouses and we somehow add billions of dollars to our community? Unless…oh, never mind. I love my cube. It’s sooo Greta Garbo.

WHY LOCAL CRITICS RULE

The DFW Film Critics Association — remember the announcement on Monday? — got a little respect yesterday out in movieland. Our president Todd Jorgensen, who does the dirty work of counting votes and keeping us up to date on screenings, sent the story after the jump.

Two questions, though: Is predicting the Academy Award winners really the function of other awards ceremonies? To me that supposes that the Oscars establish what’s real while the rest of us just try to guess at what the Great and Powerful Wizards will ultimately tell us. [Grumble.]

And, bless our hearts, is it the really best recommendation for DFWFCA to say that we merely vote in the same way the Academy does? We’re talking about stalwarts like Fyngers of Furi here.

But to the article:
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RE: VOTE

Rod, Nancy’s always looking to get snatched.

RE: BUSH LIBRARY

At least we can hope the Bushbots get a better architect than the one who built the last president’s library, which fittingly looks like a mobile home beach house.

RE: VOTE

QBU–why would we want you to go to the House of Belo? Stay here, girl. But if I were them, I’d snatch you faster’n a hungry coyote grabbin’ a stray lamb chop.

RE: VOTE

Before the polls close, I would just like to say that I am not taking the job at the DMN unless Evan Grant is my associate editor. Roddddd, since you voted outside the family, why don’t you call your beer-drinkin’ bud Robbbbb and get a quote from him?

RE: BUSH LIBRARY

I’d like to see the economic impact LBJ’s library has had on Austin, if such a thing can be measured. My guess is that it’s minuscule, the political equivalent of building stadiums in barren downtowns to jump start urban growth. (Which is itself a politicized issue, but that’s another story.)

I think Bush is the worst president we’ve ever had. And I voted for the guy in 2000. Our city is already tied to one presidential tragedy; now, alas, we have two.

RE: BUSH LIBRARY

Um, the $47 billion was an exaggeration, Nancy. And Paul’s over here making remarks along the same lines. “Bush is a bad president. It’s an embarrassment for Dallas. Blah, blah, blah.” Fine. I’m not a huge fan of many things his administration has done either. But it has done some rather historic things. Historic things that–whether bad or good–will draw visitors and scholars to the library.

RE: VOTE

Timmy, just got back from DMN. Waited forever. Finally, some intern came down and said that nobody could see me cuz I didn’t have an appointment. Oh well, got to see lots of starlings in the park across the street. One question about the Bush library. Is that forty-seven billion a year a positive or negative impact? IJA.

RE: BUSH LIBRARY

Bully for SMU. And for Dallas. Forty-seven billion a year in economic impact? What’s it supposed to bring? I’m sure Rod is already anxious to go check out some books.

HEY, HOUSTON PRESS

Apparently the blog at New Times-owned Houston Press (same folks that own the DO) hasn’t noticed that we’ve outed their foodie Robb Walsh as a candidate to work at the Snooze. Or that he trails dismally (I voted for you, big guy!) in the crooked poll that we’re running over on the right side of this page (remember Zac Crain for mayor?).

But what we noticed is that the Houston blog site format is exactly the same as the one in Dallas, and that on the main page, one of the lead stories is from Fingers of Fury. Some fingers.

RE: BUSH LIBRARY

Seems there’s a bit of confusion. The SMU email said the library selection committee had approved the “next phase of planning discussions.” DMN is reporting that SMU is “likely [the] site for Bush library.” The Star-T says SMU is the “lone finalist.” Sounds like it’s a done deal. Except it isn’t.

CHRISTMAS GIFT

A 5-year-old boy named Logan Doyle knows what he wants for Christmas. He wants people to pray for Connor Cruse, his kindergarten classmate at Prestonwood Christian Academy. Connor has a rare form of cancer. Logan plans to track emails from people praying on a map and present it to Connor. Here is Logan’s email:

littlelion2019@yahoo.com

I’ve never met Connor but I know his dad, Tate. And I can’t think of a better Christmas gift that any of us could give than to share our prayers with Connor and his family. Thanks, Logan, for coming up with such a powerful idea. (And thanks to the Frontburnervian who heard Logan announce it on KLTY-FM this morning.)

RE: BUSH LIBRARY

Thanks to an email-forwarding FrontBurnervian, I can save both of us a trip. Here’s a head’s up on the big announcement:

December 21, 2006
TO: SMU Students, Faculty and Staff
FROM: R. Gerald Turner, President
It is my pleasure to inform you that Don Evans, Chairman of the George W. Bush Presidential Library Search Committee, notified us that SMU has been selected by the Committee for the next phase of planning discussions. These discussions will begin after the first of the year. We do not know how long these discussions will take. However, any significant announcement concerning the process will come from Chairman Evans. Today at 2:30 pm SMU is hosting a press availability to which Trustees and the campus community are invited. The press availability will be held in the Hughes-Trigg Ballroom. We are obviously delighted to have reached this final stage of the selection process.

RE: BUSH LIBRARY

I’ve been meaning to tell you this, Tim. You’re misspelling his name. It’s W-I-L-O-N-S-K-Y. You might want to program your spell-check or something.

RE: BUSH LIBRARY

Adam, get over there and “go live from campus.” We have to beat Wilonski on this one.

BUSH LIBRARY SMU-BOUND?

We may have an answer in but one hour. This note just came across the transom:

SMU will have an announcement for the media at 2:30 p.m. today, Dec. 21, in the ballroom of the Hughes-Trigg Student Center on campus. The speaker will be SMU President R. Gerald Turner.

WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 21, 2:30 p.m.

WHERE: Hughes-Trigg Student Center, 3140 Dyer St.
Ballroom, lower level

PARKING: Parking for trucks is available on the bricks west of the Hughes-Trigg student center.

Following the announcement, media wishing to go live from campus may do so by the flagpole on the main quad.

RE: AMAZING RACE

I did overlook Mary, darn it. Can’t add names on the fly, though. Sorry. The poll ends when we leave for the Monk today, kids, so get your votes in. And good luck on your interview, Nancy.

RE: VOTE

An Austin-livin’-bird-lovin’-opinionated FBFoodie sez:

The job is almost impossible to fill with one reviewer. The position warrants a high-brow AND a low brow point of view. I wouldn’t want the delicate high dollar pallette/gastrointestinal system of the gentrified restaurant reviewer to be tainted, nay contaminated, by the truck stop, greasy spoon, lunch buffet, taco hut, roach coach of gastronomy de-light where the rest of us (non-expense account having) folks eat. Or vice-versa. And, God forbid, someone needs to sample fast-food too (they do provide interns for the job, right?). Keep the fashionistas and face paint and suits in HP/UP/Preston/Uptown and Addison, send the hardhat/steel toes/cast iron stomach out to the ‘burbs and/or blue class/minority neighborhoods where working people eat and perhaps still buy newspapers (no offense to the working upper-mid class peeps).

Wow, that’s a more than a mouthful. Just vote, dude.