Articles for August, 2009
Leading Off (8/26/09): Done With an iPhone While Walking Briskly on a Treadmill Edition
1. Dallas Fed president Richard Fisher says the recession has ended. Isn’t that a little reckless? I mean, let’s not taunt the recession like that, eh, buddy?
http://m.dallasnews.com/tdmn/db_22036/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=J2RKspAh&src=cat
2. The battle over illegal aliens continues. Biologists are trying to figure out if the dreaded and feared zebra mussel has found its way into Lake Lavon. Look for Farmers Branch to pass an ordinance aimed at keeping them out of that city’s apartments.
http://m.dallasnews.com/tdmn/db_22036/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=VYOdTnU5&src=cat
3. A woman returning to DFW Airport from her grandmother’s funeral says that a portrait of the selfsame grandmother was stolen at the airport. She thought her husband packed the painting; he thought she did. Just doesn’t make sense to me that someone would steal it. Sounds very “Home Alone.” I bet the painting is right now rigging a series of booby traps to defend the airport against Islamic jihadists.
http://m.dallasnews.com/tdmn/db_22036/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=yBjkWPC3&src=cat
Mark Cuban: “Internet Interesting Again”
A little over an hour ago, Cuban decided that the intertubes are no longer dead and boring. In fact, our favorite Internet billionaire even sounds excited. What has him so fired up? Pubsubhubbub. What is that? Read to find out. (And thanks to our FB tipster.)
Inane Mario Tarradell Line of the Week
From this week’s column:
“Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher – collectively known as Depeche Mode – are expert showmen ready to mix synthesizers, live instruments, dark lyrics and dance-rock Saturday night at Superpages.com Center.”
Meaningless and clumsy, the usual two-fer.
Faulty Poles, Ctd.
From Leading Off, No. 1: Michael Precker, the Lodge’s very able PR man, replies to my joke: “Giggle away. But they’re tested every day, dude. And they’re solid.”
Bush Library Dispute, Ctd.
From No. 2 in today’s Leading Off: A smarter-than-me-be FBvian says I’m not very smart. No surprise there.
I think you need to go back and read that article a little more carefully. The dispute is over SMU’s lawyers writing up the Settlement Agreement giving SMU and final JUDGMENT relinquishing all claims. The owners claim that the agreement never used the word judgment but said all claims would be dismissed. Big difference – dismissing a lawsuit and one party getting a judgment that can be abstracted and recorded in the public record. There appears to be more “misunderstanding” than just wanting more money. I don’t have a stake in this game and don’t even know any of the parties. I’m just saying…
Are You Voting Every Day for the 10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas?
No? Well, you should be. I mean, everyone is doing it. This week we said goodbye to Beatris Martinez, Heidi Lockhart, and Merlene Phillips. But anything can happen in week two. So what if Kinsey Wilton was running away with it last week? There are several ladies gaining on her–and fast–this week. Cast your vote now. And then tomorrow. And then the next day …
Pot, Meet Kettle: Bush Pal Rips ‘Cronyism’
It’s no secret that allies of George W. Bush are playing key roles in Kay Bailey Hutchison’s campaign for Texas governor. With top Bush pal Jim Francis, Karen Hughes and maybe even Karl Rove (he’s said to be at least a behind-the-scenes adviser) on board for the senator, the race is shaping up as a battle between “moderate” Bushies and the GOP’s conservative base. That’s why this part of Francis’ pro-Kay op-ed in the DMN this morning was so, well, interesting:
Austin has changed markedly under Perry – from advancing the core philosophies of the conservative movement to cronyism and back-door dealings. These are precisely the problems the Republican Party has faced at the national level and caused the demise of our numbers in Congress and cost us the White House.
But, wait; hold on a minute. Wasn’t it W himself who was accused of “cronyism”–see Alberto Gonzales, Harriett Miers, Michael Brown, et al–and of almost single-handedly causing the party’s “demise” in the last election? Hmmm. Maybe I had him confused with somebody else.
Denton Drilling Protesters Do Me Proud
I’m from Denton, the crowning jewel on top of the Golden Triangle. I misspent many hours of my youth at Recycled on the Courthouse Square, inhaling secondhand smoke at Karma Cafe and the Tomato on Fry Street, and making out with my girlfriend at McKenna Park.
That’s the memory that came flooding back to me as I saw the photo at left, from this report about protesters at McKenna Park opposed to drilling that may be coming to the old Rayzor Ranch site. Two observations of how this photo makes me less than proud of my hometown:
1. You’re in a touchy-feely college town like Denton, and that’s all the people you could gather?
2. The best slogan you could think of was “Human Need Not Corporate Greed”? For shame. You’re stealing from children at an Iraq War march?
Job Opening at D Magazine
For details, see our Media Bistro ad. Eric says I make the job sound awful, and he wants people to know that it’s actually much worse than that.
Bud Kennedy Is Pursued By Axe Murderer
The Star-Telegram has redesigned its website. Judging from the 30 seconds I spent clicking through it (hey, it’s the Internet, and I’ve got a short atten–), it’s much improved. Clean and easy to navigate. Solid work, people. But on his Twitter feed this morning, columnist Bud Kennedy mentions that he’s not a huge fan of his new head shot (pictured, in case you couldn’t tell). Yeah, it does look like you’re scared of something, Bud. Maybe a smile would help?
Most Powerful Men in Dallas Health Care, Ctd.
A medicine-practicing FrontBurnervian says Baylor orchestrated a carefully controlled campaign of intimidation and fear-mongering asked employees politely to vote to get their guy high up the list:
You do need to be aware that the Baylor website when any employee or doc signed in implored you to vote for Joel…it included the web link as well. I guarantee Trevor did not do that…the guy is way too humble for that.
So there we have it, folks. Empirical evidence that nice guys finish last. Or at least 53rd.
Texas’s Disturbing Rise of Special Police Forces
A FrontBurnervian alerts me to an excellent report by Eric Dexheimer in the Austin American-Statesman. The nut paragraph:
In recent years, the peace officer designation has spread far beyond its original constitutional definition of constables, sheriffs, marshals and police officers. Since 1965, legislators have amended the state’s Code of Criminal Procedure, which sets out who can designate their own police department, nearly 50 times.
The result: Today there are three dozen types of agencies, institutions, boards, commissions and political subdivisions that can appoint their own law enforcement agents. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education, which licenses police officers, keeps tabs on 2,615 separate law enforcement agencies.
These are not just hobby cops.
Read the whole thing.
Leading Off (8/25/09)
1. Mayor Leppert says he will propose huge changes to the way the city conducts its zoning cases, a process change he has been working on since 2007. The plan has three key components, which I should list here, but just typing the words “zoning cases” makes me so very sleepy. Jump and read if that tickles your fancy. [Yawning.]
2. Now this story keeps me awake. Remember that settlement in the Bush Library dispute? Let me refresh your memory: SMU needs to tear down some condos to make room for the library. The owners wanted more cash. They agreed on a settlement. Now that the settlement is in writing, the owners are saying, whoa! That’s not what we agreed to. So the stalemate is back on. And remember when the condo owners said they might want Bush to testify? I’ll bet that threat is back on, too. A hearing on the dispute is scheduled for Friday. [Munching popcorn.]
3. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission asked for inspections of large poles made by a now-defunct Fort Worth company after evidence that the poles are unsafe. In fact, the poles have cracked, fallen, and been proven unsafe. When asked for comment, The Lodge said, “We’ll get right on it.” [Giggling at my joke, because I am a 10-year-old .]
Medieval Times=Best Birthday Ever
On Wednesday, I will turn [redacted] years old. I’m very old. You know what old people like to do? Look back. In my case, I wanted to go way back–to Medieval Times. And so, a few merry maidens and one princely soul accompanied me there last Saturday night. Never been? I hadn’t either. It’s magical. This is a place where lords and ladies enjoy motley menus—tomato soup, garlic bread, a chicken leg, and rib—sans silverware. It’s a little piece of paradise where the Pepsi flows like champagne, and despite the fear of lice and germs, the general public dons headbands and costumes without question. And you know what? It was fabulous. Jump for a few of my favorite things.
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