Articles for June, 2010
Is Museum Tower a Good Investment?
Comes news that Museum Tower will get built after all, thanks to $200 million from the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System. Patrick Kennedy over on Walkable DFW has a look at the development and calls it a “cul-de-sac in the sky.” Will the wealthy buy units in the place? He doesn’t think so — at least not to live in. Why? There’s really nowhere to walk. There’s not enough density and complexity down there. And worst of all: the damn highway. Read the whole thing.
Texas Tribune Wins Two Edward R. Murrow Awards
Word comes today that the folks at that grand experiment – the Texas Tribune – have picked up two Edward R. Murrow awards. Having only been around for a year, the Tribune kind of came out of the box ready to produce the kind of journalism major metro dailies used to do regularly, and still do occasionally.
The press release, after the jump: (more…)
Did Stefani Carter, Ctd.
Yesterday, I posted the Carter campaign’s response to allegations made by the Lone Star Project that she plagiarized speeches and fluffed up her resume.
I gave Matt Angle, Lone Star Project director, and the Carol Kent campaign the opportunity to respond. No word yet from the Kent camp, but Angle took me up on the offer. What did he say? Let’s jump.
Dallas is Beating the Recession — But Not as Well as Austin, San Antonio, or El Paso
We’ve been hearing for awhile that Dallas, and Texas in general, are outperforming the rest of the country when it comes to the current economic doldrums. So this latest Brookings Institution study hardly seems surprising. I was actually more interested to note the photos that the Huffington Post chose to represent the 11 most resilient cities.
The Dallas snapshot, while terribly cliche, is decent. But somehow they seem to have set out to feature the least attractive pictures possible of San Antonio and Austin (Nos. 1 and 2 on the list).
Are You Offended by the Dallas Women’s Museum Gift Shop?
Laura Kostelny is. Her latest post is a great reminder that if you’re not already regularly reading FrontRow, you’re missing out.
What To Do in Dallas Tonight: June 16, 2010
I’m all about Oak Cliff this week. There’s just so much going on in that part of town. Tonight, the Kessler Theater is having an open house with music from Denton-based guitarist Michael Tillman. FrontRow’s Peter Simek wrote a great article about the theatre in the June issue of D, and I’ve been wanting to check out the newly renovated space since then. But tonight is the night. Why? For one thing, organizers told me it’s mostly a neighborhood crowd that comes to the open house happy hour that starts at 5 (Tillman goes on at 7). I don’t know about you, but everyone I know who lives in Oak Cliff is much cooler than me. So I’m hoping to make some new friends (no offense old, uncool friends). Secondly, this YouTube video of Tillman performing at the Kessler during the renovation is enough to prove to me I’ll enjoy his music. Third, it’s free tonight, so I really can’t lose.
If you don’t want to go to Oak Cliff, you can also go to Henderson. Austin transplant J. Black’s is having its opening night party tonight, even though it has been open for a few weeks. Drink specials, etc. You could also use this information to avoid the bottleneck that is certain to occur on that street later tonight. IJS.
More on Harold Simmons, Dallas’ Evil Genius
In the February issue of D Magazine, Laray Polk wrote a story for us about Harold Simmons titled “Dallas’ Evil Genius.” It was about how a company controlled by the billionaire, Waste Control Specialists, has rigged the political system to get permits to bury radioactive waste on a West Texas site that some scientists say is not suited for such use. Laray is continuing to advance the ball on this issue. Today the magazine In These Times publishes another installment from Laray, titled “How Does Your Water Glow?,” about Waste Control Specialists. One of my favorite graphs:
WCS’ success can be traced to the flexibility of the TCEQ. As the lead environmental agency for the state, it is not only responsible for granting licenses for nuclear waste disposal, but it is also charged with monitoring the state’s water quality. Yet in the case of WCS, TCEQ spokesperson Terry Clawson says it is the licensee’s responsibility to implement ongoing water monitoring. In other words, the TCEQ gave WCS, the operator of the nuclear waste site, the responsibility to monitor itself. In other words, safety of the water in the Ogallala Aquifer — the same aquifer that 1.9 million people get their drinking water from — is in the hands of a company that operates a radioactive waste site.
Then Laray goes on to talk about the little problem of earthquakes.
Something That Only Dorks Should Read
If you’re cool; if you’re a lawyer or a hedge fund manager; if you never played Dungeons & Dragons; if you don’t work in publishing, then don’t read this letter from the typeface Comic Sans that is title “I’m Comic Sans, Asshole.”
Leading Off (6/16/10)
1. A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine ranked UT Southwestern 140th out of 141 schools in how it fulfills its “social mission.” Time for gnashing of teeth? Well, Johns Hopkins University was ranked 122nd, Stanford University 123rd, and Duke University 124th. Sounds to me like a study you actually don’t want to wind up on top of.
2. There’s a guy in Grapevine going around taking pictures of other guys under bathroom stall walls. I see at least two things wrong with the pictures that would result from using this technique.
3. Good grief. The Trinity project continues to unravel. The Army Corps of Engineers might declare the levee system historic, which would make fiddling with them — building the toll road AND shoring up the levees to meet FEMA flood standards — more difficult. Although the Corps claims the historic designation wouldn’t affect the latter fiddling. You following along so far? So Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, at the city’s request, slipped provisions into a spending bill that would exempt the toll road and the entire Trinity project from the federal laws that the Corps would use to declare this historic designation. The way I read this, the city has declared open warfare on the Corps. I’m sure that’ll work out just fine.
Samuell Farm for Sale?
Before most of us were born, Dr. W. W. Samuell officially willed Samuell Farm and other properties to the City of Dallas with the stipulation that the properties were “not to be sold.”
Now, a very small item on page two of today’s “Metro Section” of The Dallas Morning News‘ reports that the city is thinking about selling Samuell Farm.
So, does this mean that when you give something to City of Dallas, the city mothers/fathers don’t have to honor their part of the agreement?
Candy, is there a “For Sale” sign in front of Lee Park yet?
Rick Perry Campaign Reportedly Gets Drowned Out at Own Press Conference
Phillip Martin over at the Burnt Orange Report is live blogging. But why no video?
This American Life’s Ira Glass Assists in Dallas Couple’s Wedding Proposal
I’m sure you all visited FrontRow and read Zac Crain’s terrific review of Ira Glass’ performance at the Eisemann Center in Richardson on Saturday. Now hear from the host of public radio’s This American Life himself about how he helped coordinate one young man’s wedding proposal.
My wife has assured me that my own proposal to her was better. But I think she’s just humoring me.
What to Do in Dallas Today: June 15, 2010
Have you visited the Texas Theatre lately? I recommend heading there tonight. For one thing, they’ve got an awesome sign. For another, they are doing a Classic Movie Series every Tuesday night, and tonight they are showing one of the best movies ever made, Easy Rider. Organizers say the movie is free, but donations are greatly appreciated. They also recommend arriving about 30 minutes early to get a good look at the building’s interior. You might remember that after Lee Harvey Oswald was captured there, and after being thrust into the national spotlight, the theater’s lovely wood railings, false bridges, and intricate designs were covered over with spray-applied plaster. It is much more historically significant than your local movie megaplex, to say the least. And cheaper.
Hungry? Like meatloaf? Head to Norma’s Cafe today for a deal. The restaurant is offering meatloaf and chicken fried steak dinners for $1.79 in honor of its 54th anniversary, but only while supplies last.
The Late John Ware Is Smiling This Morning
For those of you who weren’t paying attention back in 1998, the battle to build a new arena in downtown Dallas was ferocious. Mayor Ron Kirk threw everything he had into getting it passed. Opponents, including one Laura Miller, fought a heated campaign against it. Sharon Boyd’s website, dallasarena.com, was created to air overheated conspiracy theories about it (I see that she has now moved on to newer topics, but you still find most of the juicier material on Google). The bond proposal passed by a tiny margin.
City Manager John Ware, who died on May 2, negotiated the deal with Tom Hicks and Ross Perot, Jr. that gave the city a commanding position in the financial structure of the (now-christened) American Airlines Center. Then he quit the job and went to work for Hicks. “Aha!” said the opponents. “See, it was fixed all along!” “Not so!” cried Hicks. “I hired him because he out-negotiated me!”
That’s the back story on today’s DMN report by Rudy Bush that the bonds the city issued to finance its part of the public-private investment will be paid off years before their 2027 due date.
Garner’s Modern American Usage Goes Online
We’ve talked in this space before about Bryan Garner, the Dallas-based English-language lexicographer. His Garner’s American Usage is a well-fingered volume in our office (even if the magazine might, on occasion, lead you to believe otherwise). The resource is published by Oxford University Press, whose newsletter informs us today that GAU is now available online. When I interviewed Garner for WRR awhile back, we talked about this development. If memory serves, I told Garner that I thought dictionaries like this, when presented online, don’t allow for the possibility of random discoveries, which is a shame. If you look up a word online, you either find it or you don’t. If you look up a word in a book, you might find something you didn’t even know you were looking for. Garner’s take: he just wanted as many people as possible to have access to his work.
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