Articles for April, 2010
What To Do In Dallas This Weekend, April 23–25
Comedian Chelsea Handler is going to be performing Saturday night at the newly-renamed Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie (formerly Nokia). But if you don’t have tickets to that, you can still get some face time with Chelsea at her book signing at Legacy Books at 3 pm. The folks at Legacy say they are expecting a huge turnout, and they recommend getting to the bookstore at least an hour early. The event is free to attend, but here’s the kicker: you have to buy one of Chelsea’s books at Legacy in order for her to sign it.
For something a little different, head to the West Village to Pop Up 310, a temporary art gallery located in the former Gardens space. On Saturday from 2–4 they are hosting the awards ceremony for the Goss-Michael Foundation’s student art contest, Ready, Set, Go! Pop Up co-owner James Cope says everyone is welcome, and they will have drinks, snacks, and tons of free stuff to giveaway. Okay. Sold. Meet you there.
For more ideas, go here. And if you’ve got an event, please email me the information at sarah.eveans@dmagazine.com.
Texas Tribune’s Public Employee Pay Database Taking Some Heat
The Texas Tribune has launched all kinds of databases that make information finding for the average citizen much, much easier. One of those is a database that shows the pay for 480,000 or so public employees in Texas.
Editor-in-Chief Evan Smith writes today that it’s catching some heat. Most people who find themselves in the database are unhappy about their inclusion. They want out. The Tribune is saying no.
And before anyone asks how a Tribune employee would feel about having their salary known by anyone with a basic understanding of Internet searches, Smith points out they released that information already.
Why Is Texas Doing Better Than Everyone Else?
Daniel Gross over at Slate comes up with reasons which I find rather eccentric. I mean, wind power? Really?
Mickey Kaus, the anti-liberal neo-liberal who seems to be having fun running in the California Democratic primary against Barbara Boxer, adds one big reason that I don’t think we appreciate enough:
Texas has a relatively low rate of unionization–about a third of California’s. That means a) fewer rigidities in the labor market, allowing it to adjust to the market more quickly–tiny quick wage cuts for a lot of people, for example, mean employers don’t have to lay people off as quickly b) fewer rigidities in organization structure–they don’t have UAW-style work rules at Dell; and c) the absence of the public sector union “death-grip on state and local government” and politics and finances, which has helped produce near-bankruptcy at the state level (and actual bankruptcy in Vallejo)…
The public-service unions have a stranglehold on New York, New Jersey, California, and several other states where Democratic politicians have depended on them for campaign money and field work. And the teachers’ unions have a stranglehold on local school boards, which is why this week’s news that voters in 58% of New Jersey school districts had rejected their annual school budgets came as such a pleasant surprise. (In many Northeast states, local district budgets are approved — or in this case, disapproved — every year by the citizenry. Wonder what would happen if we did that here?)
Cats of the Internet Protest Ouster of Friends from Bush Presidential Library Site
As Tim mentioned in Wednesday’s Leading Off, a colony of feral cats was displaced to build the Bush presidential library. Thanks to Jimmy Kimmel, we have the response from the cat population.
Leading Off (4/23/10): The “Guess Who’s Doing a Draft Post for One Specific Reason?” Edition
1. So Jerry Jones did not pick Tim Tebow, as expected, in the first round of the NFL draft. He did, however, take Okie State product and DeSoto native Dez Bryant last night. Tim Tebow went to the Broncos, who now have the weirdest depth at QB ever. OU quarterback Sam Bradford went first overall, to St. Louis. TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes got picked up at 31 by Indianapolis. Colt McCoy was still waiting to be asked at the end of the first round. Maybe he’ll go to the Dolphins.
2. Apparently feats of strength are used a lot to attract people to some churchin’. But in Little Elm, things may have gotten a little out of hand, and the head of Power of Life ministries is being accused of pinning a kid down and smacking him around.
3. I will now attempt to summarize Tom Hicks’ decision-making process for the last few months: First, he was all, “Yay! I will sell the Rangers to these baseball hero people!” Then he was all, “Oh, wait, I wants some money!” Then he was like, “Oh noes, Monarch Alternative Capital, I kind of didn’t pick the highest bidder!” And then MAC says, “The hell you say, well, we don’t like this deal!” And then the MLB is like, “Oh, you will like this damned deal, and you will like it hard and long, because this is the deal we like, and we will dangle your body — dipped in chum — over piranha infested waters if you mess this deal up.”
4. The good news is, if you live in Dallas you have a 60% chance of your property tax bill being lower this year. The bad news is you have a 60% chance of your home being worth less this year.
5. I was remiss last Friday, and neglected to provide you with a Friday Ear Worm. Today, I give you this.
Kay Bailey Back in GOP Senate Leadership Role
When she ran for governor, she gave up her GOP conference policy chairmanship. She’s now a “counsel” to the Minority Leader. And God knows he needs it.
NCAA Adds to Tournament, Now 68 Teams
Today, the NCAA announced plans to expand the basketball tournament to 68 teams next year (although some are saying anywhere from 68 to 96 teams). Stupid or awesome?
Discuss.
Memo To the Folks at McKinney Avenue Trolley
Sirs:
You see this little inset from the route map on your website? See how the trolley line up and down St. Paul stops just-this-short of Ross Avenue? Doesn’t look like very much, does it? Maybe 20-30 feet?
Twice in the last month, in approaching that very intersection, I have come across befuddled tourists (tourists! in Dallas!) looking at their maps and trying to figure out where the trolley stop is. So, like the polite citizen that I am, I have stopped, inquired, and assisted.
But what happens when I’m not there? Do they wander off in despair? Do they backtrack their steps and start over again, only to end up in the same befuddled state?
I have an idea. Put a sign at the corner of St. Paul and Ross. Have it say something clever, like
Trolley<—- Here
I think that might help.
Your friend,
Wick
D’s Sarah Eveans is Judgmental at Mad Hatters Tea Party
D’s Event Empress Sarah Eveans is checking out everything under the sun or clouds. Here’s a shot of her this morning at the Dallas Arboretum’s Mad Hatters Tea Party with her fellow judges Shirin “Project Runway” Askari and Steve “Dallas Dozen” Kemble. Sarah’s the one in the sedate yellow dress. Shirin is in the one shoulder number. Steve is the one with Cowboys Stadium on his head.
Perry’s Pours $6.2M into 2000 McKinney
Exactly what Dallas needs now–another upscale steak joint–was revealed last night when the new Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille threw open its doors at 2000 McKinney Avenue to more than 400 folks from The Real Estate Council. (They were getting all jacked up for their May 6 FightNight fundraiser.) The eighth Texas eatery for Perry’s–it’s got six outposts in Houston and one in Austin–opens officially on Monday.
Standing in the airy crowded bar, owner Chris Perry said that he’s pumped $6.2 million into the Uptown restaurant–it features five private dining rooms and a pork chop that’s “seven fingers high”–and that his 31-year-old, Houston-based company rakes in about $40 million annually. What’s more, Perry added, he ain’t worried about all the local competition: “If you get ‘em in and you wow ‘em with great service and you have a good product, there will be room for you in any market.”
What to Do in Dallas Today: April 22, 2010
Happy Earth Day. Take the DART, replace your light bulbs with the energy efficient kind, and trade your plastic water bottle for one of these. If you work downtown, walk over to Pegasus Plaza for Dallas EarthFest. It’s free, and organizers say we shouldn’t miss the fashion show, where students from El Centro College, the Found Objects Studio, and more will show off their designs made out of recycled stuff. That’s from 10-11. There’s also going to be entertainment and food and stuff, so fill a flask and call it your lunch break. Just kidding, DPD.
Tonight, continue the theme of the day by sampling Earth Day-friendly wines from Benziger at i Fratelli.
Don’t like these suggestions? Fine. Here are a few more.
“Leading” Off: The Minor Hockey League Edition
The Allen Americans spanked the Jackalopes of Odessa last night by a score of 4-2. The victory catapulted the Americans into the CHL finals. Their opponent will be the Rapid City Rush. The best-of-seven series will have a 2-3-2 format. Allen will start the series with the first two games on the road in Rapid City. (Eric Celeste reports Gettddy Lee will sing both the American and Canadian national anthems.) Schedule and ticket details below. (more…)
Southwest Spokesman in Lewdness Arrest
Southwest Airlines spokesman Brad Hawkins, formerly an anchor/reporter at WFAA-TV, finds himself in some hot water today over an incident in a Dallas park. Whatever the facts of the situation, I don’t think this is what Southwest had in mind calling itself the “LUV” airline.
Q&A With Texas Monthly’s Esteemed Skip Hollandsworth
Dallas’ own Skip Hollandsworth is up for a National Magazine Award for a story that ran last year in Texas Monthly. The award ceremony is tonight in New York City. Yesterday I conducted a Gmail chat Q&A with him to find out what he thinks his chances are of winning. To do the Q&A, I had to set up a Gmail account for him because he couldn’t figure out how to do it (I chose his screen name). I don’t think he’d ever used instant messaging before. But once he got going, hilarity ensued:
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