Articles for August, 2009
Countdown Begins in Favorite R.E. Blog Contest
OK, so Candy Evans’ DallasDirt is in the finals to be named the favorite real estate blog in Texas. The winner will be named next Tuesday. Hit this link to check out the competition–scroll down to the last item–and then follow the instructions and vote. For Candy, of course.
A Modest Rx for (Alleged) City Hall Corruption: Forget Race in Awarding Development Contracts
As The Wall Street Journal notes this morning via Unfair Park, defendants in the Dallas City Hall corruption trial say what they did was basically OK because, historically, not enough “minority contractors” have been tapped for development work. Which leads to the admittedly naive question: Why the hell should skin color play any role at all in who pours your concrete and bangs in your nails? If jobs were awarded instead based on two fair simple criteria–who can do the best job, for the best price–wouldn’t all these (alleged) opportunities to game the system dry up?
The Dumbest Threatening Email of the Month, Ctd.
Several FrontBurnervians have sent me the Facebook photo (left) of Aircorp General Counsel C. Bruce Willis II, accompanied 
by various snarky remarks. Let us desist from these sorts of ad hominems. A magazine that serves the 5th largest metro area in the United States is not in a good position to cast aspersions on others’ maturity when its executive editor runs a Facebook photo in a wig.
So let’s get back to the issue. As one might expect, Mr. Willis disagrees with my arguments yesterday, which is fine. However, he still seems to be incapable of making a point without making a threat. But let’s just mark that down to an overly aggressive law instructor and let him have the final word:
Mike Judge at Angelika Tonight
The Austin-based animator and film director will take some questions at the Angelika Film Center in Dallas after a special 7:30 p.m. screening of his new movie, Extract. Which of his fan bases do you think is more likely to show up: people who ask him to sign TPS reports and Swingline staplers or those who worship these idiots?
Belo Succeeds Where Others Fail: Squeezing Money Out of “Old” GM
There’s one bankruptcy attorney out there who deserves a bonus. Belo was owed $2.5 million for advertising from the “old” GM (the remnant company still in receivership). In a recent filing, Belo announced the matter been settled. Meanwhile. other media companies are still standing outside the courthouse door with their hats out.
BlockBuster, Motorola To Offer OnDemand
But there is, shall we say, scepticism in the blogosphere.
Leading Off (8/19/09)
1. Rick Perry hired a plane to fly over Kay Bailey Hutchison’s campaign rally yesterday at Eddie Dean’s Ranch. The plane pulled a banner that read: “Kay come clean — release your taxes!”
2. Claire Garza plays her viola at nursing homes and hospitals, and she teaches music to children. Except her viola was stolen, and now she can’t. Let’s all keep our eyes and ears open, people. If your neighbor suddenly starts playing “Devil Went Down to Georgia” on his new viola at all hours, call Rick Perry. He’ll hire a guy to fly a plane over your neighbor’s house, pulling a banner that reads: “Fiddler come clean — return that viola!” (Maybe not my best joke. But it’s better than the first one I came up with, which involved the term “F hole.”)
3. Message to homeowners: sometimes when you see a guy working on your electric meter in the backyard, that guy is not a thief. He works for Oncor. Don’t shoot at him.
Dallas’s Gerald Ford Makes Bid For Guaranty
Banking is where he made his fortune, and it looks like he’s plunging back in. Last week the rumor was that Dallas billionaire Gerald Ford was considering a bid for the troubled Guaranty Bank. Now it looks like he has, leading a consortium of private funds.
Dallas Has Five Unemployed For Every Open Job
According to this market comparison from the job-search site indeed.com, that ratio puts Dallas squarely in the middle of the top 50 metro cities in the nation. Washington, Jacksonville, and Baltimore the best cities for job hunters. Detroit, Miami, and Riverside are the worst. Austin at #10 turns in the best state-wide performance, followed by San Antonio at #12. Houston at #25 is right behind us at #24. So much for Texas exceptionalism.
City Nabs Favorable Interest Rate For Convention-Center Hotel Bonds
Dallas has taken another big step toward construction of its convention-center hotel. According to a news release from Mayor Tom Leppert’s office, the city’s just nailed down “buyer commitments” for nearly $480 million in revenue bonds for the hotel at an average interest rate of 4.69 percent. That’s good news because that rate is well below the 5.5 percent cap set by the city council–meaning the city will be having to pay out less dough.
Dallas Power Outage Explained
You in the Harwood area? Then you’re not reading this unless you’re reading it on a phone. An alert FBvian explains:
Do you remember that news story about the construction worker on the St. Anne project in the Harwood area? The one that fell to his death? Well, that same construction site seems to be cursed. They have just crossed a cable leading from (what looks to be) the fifth floor over the live power line over the alley, causing a power outage to the adjacent buildings. There were two episodes of smoke coming from the building and the lines themselves. They have closed off the street as all of us in the neighboring building look on.
What’s Next for KERA at Pledge Time, Ctd.
People are still exercised about KERA’s membership drive, which continued last night with an interesting takeout on the Benny Goodman era. One irritated FBvian points to yet another aspect of the money-raising campaign:
I’d happily sit through hours of champagne music makers and doo-
woppers if it would mean the termination of those snake-oil salesmen and sleazy “doctors” and pseudo psychologists and misadvisors who want to sell us their pet Solutions for Everything (love, parenthood, financial independence, self-actualization) and their books, DVDs, pamphlets and elixirs during pledge drive. Shame, shame on Public Television for promoting this con-game. And shame on KERA. Yes, yes, it brings in money. So does prostitution.
Another FBvian returns to the original point:
Your observations are correct. None of that “Heather Has Two Mommies” stuff at pledge time. Remember when Newt Gingrich and the Congress were going to stop funding PBS? Funny how PBS turned down the Bill Moyers Blame America Crowd tone and turned up a little Lehrer News Hours Tone stuff. Then, when the Republicans RAN EVERYTHING AND WENT MAD, they had the temerity to suggest having a (GASP!) Republican running PBS! The Outrage! In fact the shrieking and shrewing (maybe not a word but should be) was so loud the REPUBLICANS WHO RAN EVERYTHING gave up on the idea. And so, PBS has sort of drifted back to its natural bent, which is, has been, and will always be, Leftward. More LEFT at times than others, but LEFT nonetheless. Does anyone really watch PBS anymore? I don’t. And if there are 322 gazillion channels available now, tell me again why tax dollars are needed for TV?
Wick Debates an Engineer on Think
I haven’t yet had time to watch all of Wick’s appearance on Think, whereon he debates Geoffrey C. Orsak, dean of SMU’s Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering about whether engineers are evil or good (slight overstatement). So let’s open the comments for those who are inclined to watch the video and tell us what we ought to think of it. (See what I did there?)
The “Dressed in Warm Clothes” Bandit Strikes Again, Needs New Nickname, Ctd.
I asked for new nicknames for the bank robber who has hit five banks in two weeks in North Richland Hills, Burleson, Euless, and Fort Worth. Here’s what you came up with:
• Señor Rockabilly
• The Incubator Bandit
• The Overdresser Bandit
• The Heat Stroke Bandit
• The Cold-Bloodied Bandit
• The Sweater
• The Sweating Bandit
• The Some Like It Hot Bandit
Of those, I think I like the Heat Stroke Bandit best, with the Some Like It Hot Bandit a strong second.
UPDATE: Another entrant, one that might appeal to any Ticket P1s out there: Sweaty Theft.
The Onion Sees Bleak Future For Dallas-Fort Worth
My desk calendar, featuring headlines from the Onion, today portrays a frightening possibility for North Texas, “5-Million-Car Pileup Kills Dallas-Fort Worth.” The most frightening bit:
Dallas, 151, and Fort Worth, which turned 134 two weeks ago, are survived by their sister city, Arlington, and several younger suburbs.
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