2009 September 04 | FrontBurner

Articles for September 4th, 2009

Name the Biggest Pop Culture Moments in Dallas History

We’re working on something here, and we could use your help. We’re trying to identify the biggest pop culture moments in Dallas history. We’re gonna do something fun with them online once we’ve got our list nailed down. We’ve already got about 50. Examples:

– On March 21, 1980, the Dallas episode “A House Divided” aired, launching the ad campaign “Who shot J.R.?”

– Last month, at the Buick Open, David Feherty farted on national television and made Tiger laugh.

– On October 19, 1991, Nirvana played Trees and Kurt Cobain got into a fight with a member of the audience.

– On November 10, 1975, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders appeared on Monday Night Football and changed the world.

– On August 4, 1993, Nolan Ryan punched the ever living crap out of Robin Ventura’s head.

See where we’re headed? What moment springs to your mind? If your moment makes the cut, you will receive due credit. Comments are open. Thanks in advance for being awesome.

Greenway Parks Residents Question Men in Trees

People around here sure take their trees seriously. The latest uproar over Oncor efforts to keep its power lines branch-free came this week in Dallas’ Greenway Parks area (pictured). Homeowners there say contract trimmers showed up suddenly and proceeded to butcher everything in sight. So, some residents are asking, how come they can’t be notified of such pruning in advance–and then be given the option of hiring their own trimmers to do the work more “sensitively”? Oncor spokeswoman Jeamy Molina says everybody gets five days’ advance warning, including a full explanation of the process to come. And it’s not safe for anyone but Oncor’s experts, she adds, to prune trees within 10 feet of power lines.

What To Do in Dallas This Labor Day Weekend

Staying in town? Looking for something to do? Never fear. Our girls-about-town Kyle Kearbey and Sarah Eveans did the legwork for you.

Leading Off, Ctd: James Glassman To Run Bush Policy Institute

This is great news for Dallas. Jim Glassman is the kind of public intellectual who will contribute not only to the Bush program but to the city. Jim happens to be a former magazine guy (New Republic, Atlantic), which makes him an A#1 kind of guy. He’s also author of a book (Dow 36,000: The New Strategy for Profiting from the Coming Rise in the Stock Market) that was as spectacularly wrong as most of the major politicies of the Bush White House (Medicare drugs, deficit spending, Iraq, torture). But who among us has not made that kind of miscall? During the 1992 primaries, I argued the Democrats ought to drop Bill Clinton, who was in the midst of the Gennifer Flowers scandal, and adopt Ross Perot. So, Jim, if you don’t bring up mine, I won’t bring up yours. Welcome to Dallas.

Dallas Invented Health Insurance

Maybe all you wise FrontBurnervians already knew this, but I’m reading this morning that the first health insurance plan in the country originated right here in Dallas, at Baylor University Medical Center:

For its beginnings we need to go back to 1929 to a man named Justin Ford Kimball when he became vice president of Baylor University in Dallas, Texas. He was an experienced administrator, as he headed the College of Medicine, School of Nursing, College of Dentistry, and the university hospital.

Soon after taking the job, he developed a health plan that guaranteed teachers 21 days of hospital care for 50 cents a month. The plan soon spread to other employee groups in Dallas, and then similar plans began to crop up nation-wide.

Yes, that Justin F. Kimball. And I read about it on two different websites, so come on, it’s got to be true, right? Maybe Dallas is the best place to figure out a new model of health care.

Wade Phillips Takes to Tweeting

No kidding. Wade is tweeting now. Follow him at twitter.com/sonofbum. Some samples of his work:

“I don’t have as much time as Marty B to tweet—keep up with him and you will have fun”

“saw Julie and Julia thought it was good”

Trey Garrison Hates the Government

One of our contributing editors has an op-ed piece in the DMN today. Trey writes about the upcoming Obama address to schoolchildren. He says:

I know some people will say that we live in a democracy, he’s the national leader and the people voted for him. Those people are wrong on all three counts. We’re a republic. He’s the president of a federation of states. And a majority of the members of the electoral college voted for him.

You should read the rest of the piece. And then get really angry. Or super supportive. And then send Trey an e-mail: trey@treygarrison.com.

Leading Off (9/4/09)

1. A damning revelation in the Don Hill corruption case, according to this story. Prosecutors played a tape of Hill linking payments to votes. He is quoted as saying the following:

“They need to get $50,000 to $100,000 together and get it to y’all by the end of the week. If I don’t see any money, I’m not voting on no maintenance contract.”

But, see, I think this absolves him. He says I’m not voting on no contract, suggesting he would vote on any contract. Double negative. Right? Right? Bueller? Bueller?

2. Former President George Bush tapped James Glassman to run his new policy institute at SMU, the News is reporting. This is important for two reasons. One, it gives hope to journalists that they can turn writing gigs into paying gigs someday. Two, his last name gives blog commenters an easy target.

3. The kids from Allen High School bonded with Mexican high schoolers from Prepa Tec of Monterrey before the two teams played each other last night. I blame Obama.

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