A New Day, A New Poll

Are the presidential and senatorial races in Texas really this close? I doubt it. When even the pollster suggests his numbers may be skewed, the doubt increases. (A silly question: if the poll is skewed, why bother to release it?)

The Economics of Solar: When The Sun Shines on Texas

McKinsey has developed this chart to predict when solar power will reach price parity with fossil electricity in certain parts of the world. In Italy, for example, it is already close. In Texas, it will be near the end of 2020.  Which, when you come to think of it, isn’t that far away. (Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan)

Eric Celeste Has a Problem

Seriously. Those who have followed this blog for the past several months know that Eric has become obsessed with losing weight. Sure, he said it was for a bet. But that bet has long since been won. But the man won’t. Stop. He just walked into my office, cleared some space on the floor and started doing whatever this is you see pictured. Sexual harassment?

Probably Nothing: Memphis Grizzlies Want Josh Howard

I say it’s nothing because that literally is all that is contained, Mavericks-wise, in this post from the Commercial-Appeal’s Ronald Tillery. But go ahead and get your NBA draft pants in a bunch over the possibilities of the Mavs holding the No. 5 pick.

Franco Bertolasi, R.I.P.

I just learned that sweet and charming restaurateur Franco Bertolasi, 69, founder of The Riviera, passed away yesterday from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He will be sorely missed. Franco was the finest host ever to grace a restaurant in Dallas, and thousands of woman will mourn the loss of Franco’s lovely hand-kiss. (Thanks for the note, CC.)

Celebrity Sighting: Bill Kristol

A FrontBurnervian in the field says he just spotted the conservative commentator in the lobby of Lincoln Centre and asks, “Will Wick get excited by such news?”

The Best Thing in Dallas

A reminder that voting ends tomorrow on the Elite Eight. Right now, Texas-OU has a substantial lead over Shopping, and High School Football is beating Dirk Nowitzki. But the other two matchups are essentially tied: State Fair of Texas vs. Snuffer’s Cheddar Fries and Greenville Ave. St. Pat’s Parade vs. The Ticket. Remember, you can’t complain if you don’t vote.

Keeping Up Our (High-End) Spirits

There’s a DMN business story today (apparently not online) about high-end liquor sales holding up in the down economy. Chuck Shaw, the local honcho for spirits distributor FutureBrands LLC, confirmed the trend the other day, jawboning at a banquet in Dallas. Surprisingly, Shaw said, sales of the cheaper stuff have tailed off recently, while premium booze like Maker’s Mark bourbon has kept selling well. So, if and when the economic apocalypse hits, at least we’ll all be well-soused.

JoeCon 2008 Kicks Off Today

When I was a kid, I was totally in the tank for anything G.I. Joe–the toys, the cartoon, the comics, whatever. So the young version of me would be excited to know that JoeCon 2008 (also known as the Hasbro International G.I. Joe Collectors’ Convention) kicks off today in Frisco. The older version of me is glad his son knows nothing about it. The convention lasts until Sunday, and with the live-action movie coming to a theater near you next summer, I’m sure there will be a full-ish house. So now you know … and knowing is half the battle.

Insane Reenactment of the Birth of the “Hail Mary”

Via the great (and, I should note, usually extremely blue) Kissing Suzy Kolber comes this very funny, very weird, borderline pointless staging of Roger Staubach’s “Hail Mary” pass to Drew Pearson in the 1975 playoffs, created with stuffed animals, old action figures, and DIY ingenuity.

Our Insane Immigration Policy

George Will today tees off with the story of Dallas icon Jack Kilby, inventor of the microchip, to ask why we are deliberately requiring the smartest people in the world to leave our country. (Of course, Kilby was no immigrant; I think the point is that he was very smart.) Those who opposed the comprehensive immigration policy (hello, fellow Republicans!) should have to answer for the consequences. I can hear them now: we didn’t mean those people, we meant those other people. The blunt fact is, though, you ended up keeping the status quo, and the status quo is hurting America. Good work.

Layoffs at American

Breaking news from the DMN. No full story yet. Just the headline: “American Airlines to reduce management, support ranks by 8 percent.”

NBC Settles To Catch a Predator Suit

Louis William Conradt Jr.’s name will be known to journalism students forevermore. It took his suicide to end the run of the worst program ever broadcast on television. Good for his sister, Patricia Conradt, for fighting the good fight, though the money will be cold comfort. And good for Luke Dittrich, who wrote a brilliant story in Esquire, “Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die,” which showed us all what really happened.

Update: As a commenter points out, the terms of the settlement weren’t disclosed. The original headline of this post read “NBC Settles To Catch a Predator Suit for $105 Million.” The sister sued for that much; what she got is likely something less.

NBA Draft Musings, Mavs-Style

Money sentence in Star-Telegram draft story today:

Josh Howard, taken 29th in 2003, is the only first-round pick this decade currently on the Mavs’ roster.

In said story, Donnie Nelson suggests those waiting for a big Mavs splash shouldn’t get too excited, partly because last year’s second-round picks (remember Reyshawn Terry, summer league fans?) have a chance to make this year’s roster. In the DMN, Eddie Sefko asks us to keep in mind that DeSagana Diop could be resigned soon. Meanwhile, the only person having the sort of “Let’s Play Jr. GM” fun we like to engage in is Mike Fisher, who says if the Mavs moved up to No. 6 or 5, they could target Eric Gordon (yu-uck) or Joe Alexander (hmmm). Fun for having starts at 6 p.m.

Angela Hunt Explains Her Pet Ordinance Vote

Per my (and commenter) request, City Councilwoman Hunt explains her “no” vote on the pet ordinance yesterday:

I will write more on my blog, but long story short, we’re not going to legislate ourselves out of our horrible stray dog problem.  I almost feel like this was a feel-good, “look at us, we’re doing something,” ordinance rather than a real plan to reduce the stray dogs. I’ve been pushing for a real education campaign (plus stiff penalties for violators) regarding stray dogs.  I got a map from code with all the 311 stray dog calls, and while there are calls from all over the city, most are clumped in specific areas.  I was pushing for a very concentrated, targeted education/enforcement/free spay neutering in those areas.  I think that’ll do more than this ordinance, which has some provisions that may actually discourage people from registering their pets with the city.

Leading Off (06/26/08)

1. DISD will today consider a desperate makeover of Spruce High School, a last-ditch attempt to keep Texas Education Agency commissioner Robert Scott from completely shutting down the school. Whatever they decide to do, it doesn’t sound like there’s a magic bullet out there. Unless, of course, they hire Joe Clark.

2. Mayor Leppert will appear in public service announcements for Univision television and radio, encouraging more Latinos to register to vote. My idea for the TV spots–Leppert as a luche libre wrestler known as El Hombre con Manos Grandes–was unfortunately rejected. (Thanks, Dave.)

3. Still avoiding massive layoffs, American is dropping 42 flights from DFW Airport. You would think that would make a place like Waco kind of ticked since it’s losing two of its six daily flights. Nope. They’re getting jets! (Top story on wacotrib.com when I posted this: Chipotle gave away free burritos!)