Articles for November 7th, 2008
Here’s That Album Cover: Now Get Off My Back
This Herb Alpert album cover keeps landing as a backdrop to my blog postings (hello, cluttered desk), and it seems everytime it does, it elicits more comments than whatever I was writing about. Anyway, to the right of it is D’s attempt to replicate it in August 2000. They just about nailed it, don’t you think? Comments are on …. NOW.
Here’s a Weekend Birding Project
A FrontBurnervian Birder (‘memba them?) has spotted this yellow/green bird in his yard in Richardson. He lives about two blocks from a creek. Double click on the picture to make it bigger. Post your guess. First one to get the correct answer, may win something. Remember, American goldfinch season is just around the corner. Hummingbird feeders down. Thistle feeders up. That’s what I always say! Meanwhile: enjoy the show.
Friday Afternoon Random Question: Getting Handsy
You have a chance to permanently derail one of Mayor Tom Leppert’s pet projects (pick one; doesn’t matter). To do so, however, you have to best him in one of the following hand games:
Standard rules apply for each contest. If you lose, not only will the project in question proceed unabated, you will be forced to work, for free, as Pacman Jones’ personal bodyguard for one year with a minimum of one strip club visit per week. So — which would you choose?
(If you are completely on board with everything Leppert has done, you may use your victory to drop the hammer on the pet project of the council member/county commissioner of your choosing.)
The DSO Pays Homage to Brahms
I’m not a big symphony person, but after all the buzz about Jaap van Zweden, I thought it would be worth the relatively cheap ticket price ($26—hard to beat, unless you want to sit behind the orchestra for $17) and figured I could use a little culture in my life.
Last night, van Zweden and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra put on an amazing concert, beginning with the romantic In Sommerwind by Webern, followed by Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major by Mozart. The big draw was the last piece, Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 in E-minor (the first movement was perfection), but van Zweden stunned the crowd with an encore featuring Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5. Van Zweden poured his heart into the concert, and the audience was in awe. Do yourself a favor: go. Applaud like crazy, and see what all the fuss is about.
First Baptist Not Okay With Gay
In the wake of the election, those looking for a little activist action might want to show up at 10 AM this Sunday at First Baptist downtown, where a crowd will be assembled across the street to protest the sign at left. The friend who forwarded this to me says they are asking demonstrators to bring signs and their singing voices, for spirited choruses of “Jesus Loves Me.” Here’s what the Dallas Voice has posted about the controversy.
7-Eleven Coffee Cups Earn Pundit Street Cred
OK, so those blue and red coffee cups called it (sort of). Of the John McCain/Barack Obama coffee cups sold by 7-Eleven, 60 percent carried the Obama blue. Final returns (or as final as they get for the next week or so) show that Obama took 53 percent of the vote. I hear now the cups have earned the right to be 3-D holograms on the set of CNN and will be yelled at by Keith Olbermann. Caps off to you, mysterious inanimate coffee objects!
DMN and Star-T Newsgather … Together?
The two papers recently announced a partnership of sorts when it came to distribution of the news. Now comes word they might be collaborating in the newsgathering stage. The Star-Telegram has info on it here. And Bob Mong’s memo to DMN staffers is after the jump.
TCU Football Coach To Be Kansas State Football Coach … ?
A sportsy FrontBurnervian passes along this report that reports TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson has accepted the head coaching position at Kansas State. Horned Frogs frowny face? Or smiley face?
Update: As seen in the comments, Patterson denied the report, and the linked-to site has removed the item.
ShopTalk Friday Giveaway
If you want to a chance to win this be sure to go here. Every Friday we give away a new beauty (spa gift cards and the latest beauty products) or fashion (accessories and more) item on ShopTalk. While you’re there, be sure to check out the latest news on local sales, shopping, fashion, beauty and more.
Crime Talk Ruffles Feathers At Charity Bash
From the Will People Always Be Nervous About Race/Ethnicity? Dept.: You could have heard a pin drop last night after a comment by live auctioneer Bob Hopkins at the grand opening of the new La Duni Latin Kitchen at NorthPark Center. Hopkins was auctioneering at a benefit there for a program called Outward Bound Mexico, which helps at-risk Mexican kids build self-esteem and better lives. Trying to pump up bids by the well-heeled crowd, he basically explained that it was good to support these youths, because they’re the ones coming to the U.S. and breaking into our homes in East Dallas. In other words: more support for Outward Bound equals less crime in our streets. Which sort of made sense–but not to a lot of folks in the big crowd. We wanted to ask Hopkins about it a little later, but somebody said he’d already scrammed.
La Parrillada: Another Restaurant in Arrears With the Tax Man
An alert FrontBurnervian tells us that La Parrillada, on Gaston, has also been shuttered for not paying its taxes. The same notice taped to Bailey’s has shown up on the door of this Mexican restaurant, which our FBvian guesses has been in business — had been in business — since 1995. Which reminds me: right next door is a bar called the Goat. Anyone ever darkened its door? I’ve been curious about that place for a long time.
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Ron Kirk Cried Like a Baby
After I quibbled with Robert Wilonsky over Ron Kirk’s whereabouts on Tuesday night, Robert got the man himself to explain why he watched the returns at home. Kirk said: “I needed to be some place I could cry like a baby and not have anybody laugh at me.” I should have been at the Kirks’ house, too.
Friday Fun: Splitter
‘Tis Friday, which means ’tis time for Friday Fun. Today’s game is a puzzler called Splitter. The object is to split the blocks of wood to move the smiley-face guy to his home. Each level gets more difficult. Some get so difficult that you shake your head and fist in frustration and end up YouTubing “Splitter walkthrough,” which is kind of cheating. So try not to. Have fun.
Leading Off (11/07/08): Cold Dead Hands Edition
1. The Star-Telegram reports that, in Tarrant County, the election of Barack Obama prompted a run on guns and ammo. Best I can tell, these folks are concerned about stiffer gun control, foreign invasion, mind-altering HD TVs, and the possibility that in the future women will be allowed to vote.
2. The concern over the election results spread to area high schools and universities, where young people reacted to their inability to arm themselves by threatening to riot and organizing protests in a vain attempt to prove they have any idea what is going on outside of Twitter updates and Facebook events.
3. Meanwhile, deportations and removals of undocumented immigrants rose more than 20 percent in North Texas this year, which, as predicted, really helped turn the economy around.
(Go comments!)
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