Articles for January, 2009
The Strange Case Of Eye-Plucker Andre Thomas
Grits for Breakfast posts a thought-provoking discussion on the Texas death-row inmate who plucked out his eye and ate it (it was his second plucking). The question is not only what we do with such deranged people, but more importantly, what can we do to prevent their derangement from hurting other people. Texas under Rick Perry has elected to save money by letting them out on the streets.
Street Signs of the Times
Dallas street signs are getting larger because people are getting older, reports WFAA. The aging population means motorists can’t see so good, which means Dallas is replacing 300,000 signs. Lettering on the new ones is one inch taller, the signs themselves are more reflective, and stop signs are six-inches bigger.
Font nerds will no doubt recall the U.S. Federal initiative to make a more readable sign. It’s called Clearview, and it debuted in Texas (among a few other states). Why didn’t Dallas just use it? You can download it here, after all.
Gates $3.77 Million Grant A Major Endorsement of DISD
The continuing turnaround of the Dallas public schools is one of the major stories of this decade. When the Dell Foundation last year came to the table with a $5 million grant to back the reform movement, one of whose goals is to give parents , administrators, and principals tools for measuring schools and students, it was a mark of confidence. The Gates Foundation today will second the motion, putting DISD squarely in the national spotlight. To see what this private money is buying for the public benefit, go here. To catch up on the full story, buy our special edition here.
Leading Off (1/22/09)
1. Crowd/traffic control around the Bushes’ new crib is going to cost the city $1 million. If they post two officers in a car in the neighborhood 24/7 for one year. Which they may or may not do. At any rate, city manager Mary Suhm says she won’t ask for reimbursement no matter how much it costs. Which is probably good, since the Secret Service says she can’t. Or she can. Not sure. Also, the DPD also doesn’t plan to provide motorcades for the former president. Except on the occasions when they do. In other words: ????
2. Hey, SMU Mustangs basketball made a rare appearance on SportsCenter last night! On the Top 10 Plays segment, even. Unfortunately, it was because Marshall’s Markel Humphrey hit a 75-foot bank shot for the win, 53-50. (UPDATE: Video here.)
3. And finally, I could tell you about the $519 million makeover of Love Field. But I don’t care — or at least, not as much as I will in 2014. Instead, since Elizabeth Mitchell is from here, anyone else want to talk about the season premiere of Lost? Get all caught up here and here. (And even nerdier here and here. UPDATE: Or here, courtesy of some local folks.)
Breaking News About New Kent Rathbun Restaurant
It’s more than just the location. Nancy’s got the concept over here.
TexMo Hits SMU With Story About Drug Overdose
Folks on the Hilltop won’t likely be thrilled by the February issue of TexMo, which includes a piece by Nate Blakeslee about a 2006 drug overdose in an SMU frat house. It’s titled “An Isolated Incident.”
Dallas Mavericks Hope Obama’s a One-Termer
Or, they do if they pay attention to the statistic, unearthed by Dave Berri’s Wages of Wins blog, that the team has never made the playoffs while a Democrat was in the Oval Office. (Under Republican administrations, they’re 14 for 20.) Needless to say, as an MFFL and Obama supporter, I’m extremely conflicted.
Downtown Group, Lill Tapped For Arts District Roles
The nonprofit group called DowntownDallas is leaping into active management of the Dallas Arts District. As part of its new role, DowntownDallas–headed by John F. Crawford, president and CEO–helped announce today that former Dallas City Council member Veletta Forsythe Lill has been hired to run the District as executive director. With her salary paid primarily by District “stakeholders,” Crawford says, Lill and an assistant will office at the DowntownDallas headquarters, bringing the outfit’s total staff to 12. More details here.
Happy Bullets Want You to Make Out With Them
Or at least, they want you to come to Hal Samples’ SPACE on February 13, where Samples will shoot a video for the Happy Bullets song “F&*# Yeah, I’m In Love With You!” — will will double as an attempt to break a world record: “filming the most people making out in one place at one time.”
Lord Help Me! I’m Being Cuted To Death!
I usually ignore these “most-popular” dog breeds lists, until I found that one of the oddest-looking dogs I’ve ever seen … one that I thought only existed in posters … is popular in Dallas. It’s something called a “cavalier King Charles spaniel” (shown left). A press release from the American Kennel Club today says that this spaniel tied with dachsunds and miniature schnauzers to be the seventh most-popular dog in Dallas. Boxers, thankfully, nose out the spaniel. The most popular breed in Dallas? The Labrador retriever. The most popular unregistered dog (my guess, at least)? I’d say it would make short work of King Charles, with or without lipstick.
Dave Levinthal Rates Council Member Websites
Right here. If you had money riding on the results, I hope it wasn’t on Vonciel Jones Hill. Or Mitch Rasansky.
Bald Eagles Sighted in the Trinity River Corridor
My friend Judy Schmidt, the Communications and Marketing Manager for the City of Dallas and the Trinity River Corridor Project, needs your help. The TRCP is calling for “trail maintenance” volunteers this weekend at Rochester Park, a 900-acre park blossoming with birds, ponds, and meadows since the TRCP, Dallas Street Department, and Parks and Recreation agreed to stop vehicular traffic in the area near the levee.
Judy and other local birders have reported multiple sightings of Bald Eagles in the wetland area near the intersection of I-45 and Loop 12. Look out, Dallas. You may think being a nature freak is nerdy, but Nature Nerds, like me, spend a lot of money looking for natural beauty (and birds). I hope the city of Dallas focuses on the potential for what I call “Twitcher Tourism.” (Maybe build a series of cabins in the woods for visitors to rent?) Call volunteer. I would love to join you but I have volunteered to help the Texas Bluebird Society install a few miles of bluebird nesting boxes at Lake Tawakoni. With Boy Scouts! Jump for more info on Rochester Park opportunity.
Re: Motorcade in Highland Park
I just got a call back from the DPD. The motorcade is for the former president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf. A quick Google News search says he’s on a national speaking tour, which started in Grand Rapids. Now, we still don’t know why he was visiting whomever he was visiting, but we at least we know who the visitor is.
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