Re: That’s Alternative to Alternative

I’m sort of confused by the argument Schutze makes — that suburban white kids won’t be exposed to diversity if they don’t go to inner-city (or whatever the code word is these days) public schools.

What sort of deprived, sheltered life is your kid living if the only time he or she socializes is at school?

That’s Alternative to Alternative

So, I just commented on Jim Schutze’s excellent post about Woodrow Wilson. Go read it if you’re interested. But I just wanted to point out what always kills me when I post on Unfair Park (the blog of the Dallas Observer) is the following message you get when you finish your comment:

Your comment has been received and held for approval by the blog owner.

Especially because that means, somewhere in the city, I’m creating work for Robert Wilonsky and his iPhone. That tickles me.

Loose Lips: Tony Talks About Jessica

I love that early stage in every up-and-coming celebrity’s love life, when they’re still fresh and new haven’t yet gone through a really nasty break-up brought on by too much attention from the press (a la Bennifer), so they’ll just talk about their relationships openly and not give the whole “I don’t discuss my private life” line. Tony Romo talked to People today about one J. Simpson, where he expressed just how “fun” and “excited” he is about her.

Tony on winning one of Cosmopolitan magazine’s Fun Fearless Male of the Year Award (yes, that’s an actual thing): “[Jessica and I] don’t usually have conversations about how fun and fearless I am, but I’m a pretty fun guy. …We’ve done a lot of fun stuff. Any time you get away and do some interesting things. We just went to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl. That was pretty fun.”

On Jessica’s upcoming country album: “She’s doing a great job, and I’m really excited about the way it sounds. It sounds real good. I’m excited.”

And for the record, Tony says the couple—who’ve been dating since fall—aren’t engaged, despite some recent rumors to the contrary.

DFW Claims Sixth Place in Corporate Moves: Hey, It’s Better Than Honorable Mention

According to Site Selection magazine, Dallas-Fort Worth fell from 4th place into a tie for 6th place (alongside Nashville, Tenn.) among U.S. metropolitan areas with the most new or expanded business facilities in 2007. Houston ranked 4th, while Chicago took the top prize. At the state level, Texas came in 5th behind Ohio (their second consecutive year in the top spot), Illinois, Tennessee, and North Carolina.

Update: The Karen Dillard Mess

A few weeks ago we told you about Karen Dillard, who is being sued by the College Board for administering “live” tests to students enrolled in her $2,000 SAT-prep classes. (She has since filed a countersuit and both sides have agreed to a gag order after some nasty public exchanges.) Jasper High School Principal Michael Novotny, who is not named as a defendant in the suit but was accused of providing an active PSAT test to the Karen Dillard College Prep company where his brother Matthew is executive director, was put on paid leave Feb. 21 pending an investigation by the Plano Independent School District. (The PSAT is a practice SAT exam that is used to determine National Merit distinctions.) Friday, PISD reinstated Novotny, saying he violated no district policies or state laws and that it’s “not really the district’s job to determine whether a test is live or inactive.”

Meanwhile, students who have taken Dillard’s class—and the parents who footed the bill—are no doubt nervous at the possibility of their test scores being thrown out, potentially interfering with college acceptance, scholarships, and the like. So far, the College Board hasn’t made any moves toward doing so, but acknowledges that it has done so in similar past situations and is still a possibility, as any students who were allowed to practice on live tests (knowingly or not) were given an unfair advantage. Developing.

High School Reunion the Show More Enjoyable than Your Own, Less Humiliating

High School Reunion is the newest kid on the reality TV block. Premiering Wednesday on TV Land, the show features a group of thirtysomethings who graduated from Richardson’s J.J. Pearce High School 20 years ago. The good folks at TV Land were kind enough to send over a screener DVD with the first three episodes. D Home’s amazing Laura “Nielsen” Kostelny was kind enough to watch them and preview the show for you dear, sweet FBvians:

Wondering whether you should tune in to High School Reunion Wednesday night? One word: yes. The show comes to you from the geniuses behind The Bachelor and features folks from Richardson’s J.J. Pearce late-’80s graduating classes. All of the stereotypes are covered: the beauty queen (she’s been married four times!!); the stud (still cute!); the divorced couple (plus the dude she cheated with!); and the lesbian (will she end up falling for a dude? No.) Still leaning toward watching Big Brother 9 on CBS? As an expert on all things reality television, let me assure you that watching folks closing in on 40 is different than anything you’ve ever seen on television. Curious? Jump.

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Politically Posh

If you want to make a statement about your political views, here’s one way to do it. Slipper company Stubbs & Wooton have designed these velvet loafers in honor of this year’s national Presidential election. You can purchase them here for $350.

Too Close To Call

After the jump, today’s polls on the Texas Democratic race, courtesy of RealClearPolitics:

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Re: Are Republicans Voting For Obama Or Clinton?

Here’s another take on the Republican strategery in Texas that mentions my own no-chance candidate. The takeaway — pro-McCain ‘pubs are voting for Hillary because they think she’s an easy target in November. Someone fetch me some Anacin Percocet.

The Layoffs Begin at the DMN

We told you recently about the News‘ plan to batten down the hatches. The battening has begun. After the jump, a memo just out from Jim Moroney:

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I Have Confirmed the Van Halen Show is Postponed

I have exclusively learned, via the Internet, that the Van Halen show is indeed postponed, possibly due to the fact they were good 15-20 years ago and people my age need to get over it.

Update: Love will come walkin’ in April 24.

Former Local Deadline Buster Now Poker Bigwig

Former Dallas journalist Dan Michalski moved out to Vegas a few months ago to concentrate on his poker site, Pokerati. Today he was quoted by ESPN poker columnist Gary Wise in this wrap-up of Chris Ferguson’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship victory. Looks like those of us who didn‘t invest in the semi-public offering of Pokerati stock/ownership missed the boat. Go Dan! Go Batfaces!

Waiting For Hillary’s Phone Call

Poor Jay Root over at the Star-Telegram. Hillary stood him up.

Be Careful Out There

Texas leads the nation in dangerous weather, reports the Austin American Statesman.

Are Republicans Voting For Obama Or Clinton?

There’s anecdotal evidence both ways. Some of our commenters says they are voting for Clinton to mess up the Democratic race. Others say they are voting for Obama (a) because, like Christine Allison, they are disgusted with the GOP, or (b) because they want to drive a nail into the Clintons’ political coffin. Rod Dreher’s latest thoughts on the Obama phenomenon here.

More Demographics On Early Voters

This time from Austin, courtesy of Karen Brooks at the TrailBlazers blog. Here’s the skinny:

The most who have ever voted in a Travis County (Austin) primary is about 65,000, my source says. The final number this time around: 96,747. Women turned out at a 25.9 percent, while men had a turnout of 21 percent. A full quarter of the early voters were under the age of 35. Only 38 percent of those who voted had ever voted in a primary before, including about 5,000 who had voted in at least one Republican primary in the past three cycles.So - are you ready for this? If this guy’s count is accurate, that means that nearly 60,000 brand new primary voters have turned out - and it’s not even election day yet.

An Auction House That Isn’t Heritage Has An Auction Worth Paying Attention To

The Pugliese Pop Culture Collection is set to be auctioned off March 15-16 at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. “Big deal,” you say. “Heritage does this all the time.” It does, yes. But this particular auction has some serious nerd-alert items: Indiana Jones’ whip, Charlie Chaplin’s cane, Christopher Reeve’s Superman costume, John Lennon’s “Imagine” jacket, and tons more. The local hook (at least the first one we found)? A big batch of JFK-related stuff, including the gun Jack Ruby used to kill Lee Harvey Oswald. (Hat tip: Pop Candy.)

Spring Is Springing

Holy murder of crows, it’s only March 3 and I’ve already been bitten by a dozen mosquitoes. I’m posting a pic of one of the charm of goldfinches that have wintered in my backyard because I have a feeling they will be gone soon. Robins and the wacky cedar wax wings are all over town. One poor soul reports that after a flock of CWWs flew into her window, she picked up a stunned bird that seemed destined to recover. The second she set it on her patio table, a huge hawk swooped down and whisked the drunken bird to meet its maker. Remember, it’s a jungle out there. All you have to do is pay attention.

Leading Off

1. As Eric would say, “North Texas — duck!”

2. The Mavs lost to the Lakers, but the Kobe-Dirk duel was fun to watch.

3. A bunch of Van Halens are in town. If you see Eddie, beat him down by humming “Eruption” in its entirety. Or, keep calling him Dave. Either way.