I commend the Democrats for keeping most of their platform targeted at state issues. No Hamas here. I do have a question, though. If both the Texas Republican and Texas Democratic parties oppose the Trans-Texas Corrider, why is it being built? Is there a third party nobody told me about that somehow snuck into the majority?
A Frontburnervian writes to note that since Dallas is the 4th largest metro area, our fifth-place ranking is not that impressive. In general he makes a good point:
This is similar to a trap reporters regularly fall into when reporting that Texas ranks, say, 5th in the number of [some bad thing]. This is always reported as a negative…since Texas has the second largest population of any state and ranks first or second in lots of other things, ranking 5th in [some bad thing] often means it is less likely to happen…
As I said, good point. However, in the high-tech rankings, Dallas’ position only would be mediocre if the pattern merely followed normal population distribution. But this ranking didn’t. Ahead of us were New York, Washington D.C., San Jose, and Boston, all of which are the recognized centers of high-tech activity. So I think we should feel pretty good about it.
Hey, I really enjoyed it today, guys. Seriously. Funny stuff. I’d link to you if there was anything worth linking to besides the pictures of your interns. I hope your traffic numbers went up.
You know, this reminds me of something Nicholas Negroponte once told me …
Because my wife deals with plants and such at her job, I also think about that kind of thing from time to time. Because of this, I happen to know that the area known as the Trinity River Bottoms is home to a number of types of deciduous trees, such as sycamore, pecan, sugarberry, and my favorite, Shumard red oak. Since it was a little slow this afternoon, for some reason I started wondering: what would happen to those trees if someone were to, I don’t know, flood a large portion of that area? Go ahead and call me a tree hugger. I don’t care.
I had the pleasure of attending The Art of Skateboarding event hosted by Guapo Skateboards Friday at Southside on Lamar. Dozens of boarders and art enthusiasts were there to check out boards designed by celebrity artists, graphic and interior designers, and a few St. Philip’s School students. Too bad these folks weren’t there. Might have improved their visit to our fair city.
If the name “Lennon Madzima” rings a bell, you might be in a bit of Dutch with the IRS. Seems Mr. Madzima, d/b/a Sameday Tax Services, filed “more than 1,100 returns with more than $1 million in combined fraudulent credits,” according to the great Eric Torbenson at the DMN. The Department of Justice is on the case, so you definitely don’t want to be mixed up in that. People: use TurboTax. It’s easy. Not too expensive. Not run by someone with a clearly fake name.
You can browse the 149 agenda and addendum items for tomorrow’s meeting here. But if you’re one of those habitual public speakers who like to dress up in costume and rant at the Council during the open-mic session, you’d best get your Cactus Juice and get there early. Because Mayor Leppert is trying to get his mighty, mighty hands around that mic and take it away from the noisy troublemakers.
Shad Rowe is a long-time Dallas investment manager, shareholder activist, and former Forbes columnist who, until yesterday, headed the Texas Pension Review Board. Rowe didn’t like what he saw going on with local municipal pension funds and had the temerity not only to say so but to ask the Attorney General to investigate. So Governor Perry fired him.
If you were ill-informed enough (as perhaps I was) to think that the mention of speed limits in the Texas Republican platform was gratuitous, you haven’t met Aren Cambre. Aren, as it happens, knows quite a bit about speed limits and got the plank inserted into the plaform. For his very good reasons, follow the jump:
I might have mentioned before in this space that I’m good, close friends with Keven McAlester, the St. Mark’s alum and former ink-stained wretch who has gone on to directorial greatness with his documentary about Roky Erickson. He also did the Old 97’s new video for “Dance With Me.” I had the idea to post that video and share with you an e-mail exchange I had with Keven about a year ago. I had just seen his genius video for Spoon’s “The Underdog.” Here’s the Old 97’s video. After the jump, our e-mail exchange.
In 2004, Pete Sessions beat the most formidable challenger of his career, Martin Frost, by a margin of 54-44%. In 2008, he faces a little-known opponent, and the latest (and for all I know, the only) poll puts him at 52-43%. So that means that if Eric Roberson, who seems like a good guy (Naval flight officer in Operation Desert Shield, former Haynes & Boone, Hughes & Luce attorney), works his heart out he might be able to add one point.
No, not Fred Hoiberg. Zachary Crain. Pad your rebounding stats and jump for it:
The DMA’s King Tut exhibit opens to the public October 3. Today, intern Abby attended a press conference announcing the opening of individual ticket sales. Hold on to your headdresses …
I was just reading something interesting. The American Electronics Association, or the AeA as it’s known, has determined that the Dallas-Fort Worth area is fifth among U.S. cities in high-tech employment. The findings come from the group’s recently published report — which has yet to receive much attention — “Cybercities 2008: A Complete State-by-State Overview of the High-Technology Industry.”
The State of Texas is charging a Garland charity and its founder with violating state law, alleging that they illegally used charity money to fund a NASCAR Truck Series team.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has asked a state court to issue an order that would prevent the charity’s founder, Gene Christensen, from receiving further money from the charity, People Against Drugs Affordable Public Housing, and would place a temporary injunction against him and some of the charity’s board members.