D

Name That Corporate Lobby

My New-Found Love for SMU’s Diminutive Mascot

I’m told by someone who would know that SMU is going to unveil a new mascot at the Navy game, on the 17th. Anyone hear anything about this? The Internet isn’t talking to me right now. Apparently June Jones is doing the same thing for SMU that he did for Hawaii, when he upgraded them from the Rainbows to the Rainbow Warriors. That little pony named Peruna will get himself a big brother, an actual mustang. All of which I offer as an explanation for why I was doing some Peruna research. Says here the little guy not only has tried to have intercourse with another mascot (Tech’s horse), but he’s actually killed another mascot (Fordham ram). I think this sort of behavior could be leveraged to increase attendance at games. You listening, June?

The Dallas Health Department is Shutting Down Local Farmers Markets

Several successful weekend food markets have cropped up in the parking lots of Celebration, Bolsa, and the Green Spot. The Dallas Health Department has been making the rounds and has already closed down the operations at Celebration. Why? They require the markets to have “mechanical refrigeration” which means products stored on dry ice aren’t “legal,” and they say each vendor will need a $150 temporary permit and that you can only get 1 permit per quarter.  We all know there are more than four sides to every story. The DHD insists they are protecting the public from unsafe food. On the other hand, several local vendors, who rely on these markets for income, are suffering. I’m just an old hippie stuck in the middle–can’t we all work together and figure out a win/win situation.  I hate to report sad tales.

Jerry Jones Wins Medal for Death Star

You can read the full release here. The gist:

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is the inaugural recipient of the “Spirit of Place” medal to be awarded by the Texas A&M University College of Architecture for “significant contributions to the built environment” in recognition of the design and construction of Cowboys Stadium.

But what about that couple caught kunkling in the handicapped bathroom stall? No award for them?

Gwen Ifill on Queen Latifah’s Ifill Take: ‘Cool!’

Washington newswoman Gwen Ifill, delivering the Sammons Media Ethics Lecture last night for SMU’s Meadows School, said she isn’t crazy about the increasingly blurry lines between journalism and advocacy or entertainment. Rachel Maddow, Michael Moore and Glenn Beck don’t do journalism per se, she contended–though there’s plenty of room for their acts in the national conversation. At the same time, Ifill (pictured) said she welcomed her own 15 minutes of fame in the entertainment realm when Queen Latifah played her in a Saturday Night Live skit spoofing last year’s vice-presidential debate, which Ifill moderated. “I loved it,” the newswoman said. “A big movie star and singer and actress wants to play you. Cool!” Ifill said she’d met Latifah earlier and urged her to do the spoof, to which the entertainer replied, “Sure. Get me some material.” Added Ifill: “After McCain picked Sarah Palin, I knew I was in like Flynn!”

An Alternate Cover of D Magazine for Star Trek Fans

By now, surely, you have seen the cover of the October episode of the “print product.” I’ll tell you this was a tough one for us. We went through several iterations of the cover before we settled on the one that you’ve seen on the newsstand. Here’s a version that we almost went with (and that I kinda still wish we had). Here’s to you, 7 of 9. (And for those who are confused, here was my inspiration.)

Baggage Fees Weigh Down American Airlines

Southwest Airlines has stuck to its guns, refusing to charge customers fees for checking bags. I’m amused by the subtlety of the dig they take at other air carriers with their “Grab Your Bag. It’s On” campaign.

But are they leaving money on the table, money that passengers have shown they’re  willing to pay? In September the airlines reported a 275% growth in revenue from bag fees in the second quarter this year compared to last year. That’s hundreds of millions of dollars more.

But Portfolio.com looked deeper and found that the two major airlines that don’t charge baggage fees — including Southwest — actually performed better revenue-wise than did those that charged fees. Look how they compare to Dallas-Fort Worth’s other big dog:

American Airlines, for example, generated an industry-leading $118.4 million in bag fees during the second quarter, a 219 percent year-over-year jump, says the BTS. Yet its total revenue in the second quarter dropped 20.9 percent to $4.88 billion from $6.17 billion in 2008’s second quarter …

Just as in the first quarter, the only carriers to keep their second-quarter revenue declines in single digits were the two airlines that still permit free checked bags. Southwest was down 8.8 percent

So you tell me: Have passengers “accepted” these fees?

Press Release of the Day: “Five Murdered in Pleasant Grove Restaurant”

We get a lot of press releases. Many of them are misdirected, poorly written, and a waste of time. This one caught my eye. It was headlined “For Immediate Release: Five Murdered in Pleasant Grove Restaurant.” Cheers to its author, Keith McKeague of Out of The Box Marketing and Design.

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Cool Bike Festival Rides Into Town Today

If you’re the pedaling sort, you need to check out Cyclesomatic, a bicycle festival put on by Bike Friendly Oak Cliff. It goes all weekend and involves beer and bicycles and movies and bicycles and scavenger hunts and bicycles.

Leading Off (10/02/09): Our Salute to Governor James Richard Perry

1. Gov. Ricky and attorney general Greg Abbott want to assure the good people of Texas: They will fight to keep a Dallas gay couple legally wed, to protect the sanctity of traditional marriage.

2. Dallas ISD board president Adam Medrano is accusing fellow board members of pulling a play from Gov. Ricky’s book: Don’t like what’s on a public meeting’s agenda? Conspire to get the meeting canceled.

3. So you’re Gov. Ricky’s cousin. You served on his re-election campaign steering committee. You’re enjoying an evening out on your backyard deck, just you and your shotgun. Long story short, you end up dead. Rest in peace, knowing that Gov. Ricky ”couldn’t pick [you] out of a lineup.”