Articles for April, 2009
Starck Club Documentary Screening Will Be Followed By A Party At Dali Wine Bar
If you remember the Starck Club, you’ll want to see this movie and go to this party.
Leading Off (4/28/09)
1. If I told you I knew a doctor who, last week, treated someone with flu-like symptoms who had just returned from Mexico — a pig farm in Mexico — would you be more or less freaked out about the swine flu thing.
2. There is a bill pending in the U.S. Senate that would force the Bush Library to disclose its donors. Spoiler alert: Not on the list are the following people—me, Avi Adelman, and this guy.
3. The diaper robbers were captured in Grapevine. They stole Huggies. Why did they do it? Because, as we all know, Nathan needs some Huggies.
Lily Tomlin to the Rescue
An alert FBvian points us to this story about Tomlin’s pachyderm-related efforts in Seattle. Says the FBvian, “I feel like Tomlin is cheating on Jenny.”
The Dr Is In
Dr Pepper, which is already available in many McDonald’s restaurants, is about to be available in a whole lot more of them.
Ford Honcho Concerned About Suppliers’ Stability
Unlike General Motors and Chrysler, relatively healthy Ford Motor Co. isn’t taking dough from the feds. But it’s keeping a wary eye on its rivals as they do. While Ford wishes the pair well while they restructure, one of its main concerns is that its supplier base stays healthy through the effort, since Ford shares 70 to 80 percent of its suppliers with the other big automakers. Going forward, “if there isn’t debtor-in-possession financing [in place] to allow the supply base to continue to deliver parts to some of our competitors and still get paid, that would cause a severe disruption in the supply base,” Mark Fields, the president of Ford’s Americas division, said in North Texas today. The rivals “wouldn’t be able to run their factories and, because we share many of the same suppliers, [those suppliers] would not be able to supply parts to us to keep our plants running.” Fields, a youthful-looking 48–he’s pictured here–was in DFW for a Texas auto writers event at Texas Motor Speedway.
Dallas Investor Kyle Bass, Ctd.
If Kyle Bass’ name sounds familiar to you, Wick, it should. We wrote about him last year.
Your Swine Flu Map, Courtesy of Google
It’s here. The Richardson elementary school case isn’t on it.
Dallas Investor Kyle Bass Casts A Wary Eye On Europe
The great Ambrose Evans-Pritchard of the (London) Telegraph, with whom I have had the pleasure of sharing a pint or two, explains why some governments in Europe may default under the crushing load of bank debt. His major source is Dallas hedge fund manager Kyle Bass, who has been combing through the financials of European banks:
US hedge fund Hayman Advisers is betting on the biggest wave of state bankruptcies and restructurings since 1934. The worst profiles are almost all in Europe – the epicentre of leverage, and denial. As the IMF said last week, Europe’s banks have written down 17pc of their losses – American banks have swallowed half.
Leave it to Ambrose to put this in historical context:
Great bankruptcies change the world. Spain’s defaults under Philip II ruined the Catholic banking dynasties of Italy and south Germany, shifting the locus of financial power to Amsterdam. Anglo-Dutch forces were able to halt the Counter-Reformation, free northern Europe from absolutism, and break into North America.
Bass’ fund is up 340% since inception and was up 6% in 2008.
City Council Candidate Brint Ryan’s Taxes, Ctd.
Don’t know if you saw these reports late Friday, Tim, but it turns out that Ann Margolin was spinning a half-truth. Ryan did have a lien put against his house as he argued with the IRS over the bill. He also immediately paid the full amount, and THEN was refunded nearly three-quarters of the bill, since the IRS agreed with him. Oh, and turns out Margolin’s husband’s businesses have outstanding liens against them for unpaid taxes. The charge falls somewhere between politics as usual and sleazy, depending on your tolerance for such things. I lean toward the latter.
Burl Osborne, Ctd.
Wick, I can’t recall the last time I listened to a cassette tape.
UPDATE: [From Wick]: Others suggested by FrontBurnervians are scribes, town criers, Pony Express, and telegraph. If we’re only talking content media, and not distribution systems (such as cassette tapes and Pony Express), I would say town criers and pamphleteering, which was also big in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Burl Osborne: New Media Won’t Destroy Old
The former editor and publisher of the News during its heyday spoke on Saturday at a newspaper event in Austin. He told the insiders what has been obvious to outsiders for years:
“We didn’t accept the fact that the monopoly was gone,” he said. “And even with the clouds upon us, the bubble continued to grow. And then all at once it burst.”
And he also made an observation that (I think) is true, until a FrontBurnervian contradicts it:
…no new medium has ever destroyed an old one — so far
George And Laura Bush Dine At The Mercury In Dallas
They did. And Mr. Bush pretended to be a waiter. Funny guy.
Kelleher, Lay on CEO Lists, Ctd.
You know that magazine Portfolio you were talking about? It just went out of business.
Kelleher, Lay On CEO Lists
The new issue of Conde Nast Portfolio names the 20 Best (and 20 Worst) CEOs of all time, and at least a couple of Texans–Herb Kelleher and Ken Lay–have made the cut.
News Circ Down 10%: Why That’s Good
Newspaper circulation would seem to be in a free fall, if you just took the numbers at face value. But don’t.
In the year just past, the News increased prices 100% in single-copy daily, 33% in Sunday and 17% in home subscriptions. As a result, it took in $10 million more in circulation revenue. The newspaper is doing exactly what it should be doing: dumping marginal readers and zeroing in on a quality audience willing to pay top dollar for the product. My compliments to Jim Moroney. It’s a tough time to effect such a strategy — but it is also the right time.
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