The only two people in D editorial still here are chicks (Sarah and myself). Jessica is here, too. Where are the guys? Probably reading this while having their nails buffed.
A legal-minded FrontBurnervian spotted another local connection to the case of Michael Vick:
In addition to the marketing item you posted earlier today, there’s another local connection to the Vick indictment. The Asst US Attorney who signed the indictment, Mike Gill, used to be an Asst US Attorney in the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division, and before that was a lawyer at Dallas firm Strasburger & Price. Good fella. Was sorry to see him go to Virginia, but glad he’s (apparently) doing well up there.
Southwest’s dynamic duo announced it this afternoon.
As noted earlier, Lisa “Elizabeth” Albanese thinks the Press Club is harassing her, and she says she did nothing wrong. As the DBJ is now reporting, the Press Club’s response: “Oh, yeah? We think we’re entitled to $420,000 in damages.” The Press Club is electing new officers tonight. To the new brass I say: good luck with all that.
I just got another phone call from someone who can easily afford the $40, asking me if I could put them on the list for tonight. People, the ticket money goes to Kidd’s Kids. All of it. So a tyke with bone cancer or leukemia or whatever can go to Disney World. So listen to me: Pay. The. Money. Take the tax write-off, generate a little good karma. And I’ll see you tonight with bells and cocktails on.
I just came back from getting my hair cut, telling my hairdresser that I needed her to straighten it for a “big work party.” (She didn’t pry.) During my blow out, she told me that she had just discovered the greatness of the Dallas Observer for finding out concert dates and show times. I agreed that it was a good source and asked if she had seen their website or read their blog. “They have a website?” She responded. Straight, lustrous hair blowing in front of my eyes concealed my smile. (Of course I didn’t have the nerve to ask her if she knew of D.)
When I came to work for this company six years ago, we had about 40 employees. Now we’ve got 180. In the process of finding places for all these people to sit, we annexed space that once housed an architectural firm and we took over Tommy Hilfiger’s old showroom space. We overtook Tommy about two years ago. Well, a gentleman just stopped by from the Comptroller’s Office, looking for Tommy. He had a badge around his neck.
“Oh, no,” I said. “You want some taxes or something, don’t you?”
“Yeah, something like that,” he said, without breaking a smile.
So, um, message to Tommy Hilfiger: Duck!
Well, forgive me but a dummy grenade is an inert lump of metal and an empty rocket tube is just that — empty. Baseball bats are more dangerous. I’m sorry if said FBvian is a’feared of inanimate objects. Meanwhile, it appears I have struck a nerve. A couple of less hoplophobic FBvians weigh in after the jump.
Edit: Unfair Park has a nice little side angle about some right-wing nutjob website hyperventilating over this.
The real estate industry, which has been a mainstay of newspaper advertising, is pulling out.
Uncle Barky says so, and I believe him. Because he’s a better reporter than Tim. I mean, look at all the numbers!
He calls Dungan a “classy guy,” which is true. But that does remind me of the first time I met him, which he won’t remember and which he’ll be mortified that I type here. I was a journalism student at SMU (my journalism teacher: Jim Schutze…it’s true!), and I was assigned a profile on a local news personality. I chose Channel 8’s Tracy Rowlett, who graciously talked to me for a solid hour and handled questions like, “Is Dennis Holder right? Can your newscast fairly be called, ‘Four Old White Guys Sitting Around Talking?’” At one point, Dungan walked by and Rowlett pleaded good naturedly, “Hey, Troy, take my place, will you? This is killing me.” Dungan, in bow tie and suit, classy as ever, took one look at my tape recorder, mustache, and bi-level haircut, smiled and said cheerily, “No f—ing way!” Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it, Pete Delkus!
Speaking of tonight’s party, here’s a fun game everyone in attendance can play. As the evening progresses and my appearance grows disheveled and my eyelids grow heavy and my footing becomes uncertain, guess how many inappropriate and/or incoherent things I will say tomorrow morning at 7:15 when I’m live in the studio with Jody Dean on 98.7 KLUV. Tune in to find out — but only if you don’t have kids in the car.
An odd thing happens at this company every year on the day of the “Best of Big D” party. Shortly after the lunch hour, the office becomes funeral-home quiet. Rough guess puts the percentage of female employees, companywide, at about 80 percent. They all apparently need no less than six hours to prepare for the evening — when, from my chair, they all look smashing every day, just the way they are.
(Can you tell I’m already in emcee mode?)
An FBvian who, no doubt, is afraid that Trey might track him down and use the Castle Doctrine to shoot him with a concealed rocket launcher (which he’d have to unconceal before he shot it) writes:
I’m a gun owner and hunter, but if having a rocket tube and practice grenades is A-OK with Trey, maybe someone should check his apartment as well. But, to be fair, I’m glad he agrees that child pornography is “troubling.”
NB: Trey does live in a house. But still.
Pegasus News (congratulations on your sale, guys!) reports on a study of Latino spending in Dallas.
Exactly why should a person have to explain to police why they own perfectly legal firearms? Here we have a surprising twist of an ATF spokesman actually standing up for a gunowner, while at the same time we have a Dallas Police senior officer who apparently doesn’t know the first thing about civil rights.
Dallas Police Deputy Chief Vincent Golbeck says, “Whoever the owner is will have to explain how these weapons came into their possession.” And then asks “Why does a person have these types of weapons?”
Does “None of your damn business” work for you on both counts, Chief Golbeck? Any other exercises of constitutional rights you require people to justify? (Yeah, I know. The potential child porn is a separate and troubling issue, and I reserve judgment until they clear that up.)