Articles for August 17th, 2010
Bethany Anderson: The Reluctant Feminist
Remember the whole deal earlier this month about whether Dallas Police Chief David Brown actually said girls should quit drinking if they don’t want to be raped? Bethany didn’t much cotton to his remarks. Then she gave it some more thought — and still didn’t like what she heard. Then the video of the chief’s remarks came out, and, in context, they didn’t sound quite as offensive as they did at first blush. Bethany offered a mea culpa “of sorts” — because, as she wrote, “Could he have phrased his response better? Yes. Could I have, too? Yes.”
Okay, that’s the background you need to know to appreciate this Q&A Bethany did for Feminists for Choice on the topic. I asked her about it. She said, “I don’t know if I am a very good feminist. I kept thinking I needed to be more angry or something.”
Project Bandaloop Scales Down Thanksgiving Tower
This morning, our own Samantha Shaddock told us about Project Bandaloop’s plans to put on an aerial dancing spectacle at Thanksgiving Tower – or rather, on Thanksgiving Tower – so Jason Heid and I walked the few blocks from the D offices at noon to catch the show. I’ll take a shot in the dark and guess the event was hosted by Reliant Energy. Maybe because of the army of reps handing out free Reliant hats on the streets, or the appearance by Reliant President Jason Few, or the plane I can see from our office windows towing a “Reliant: Cap and Save!” banner over downtown — but that’s just a hunch.
The promise of free food brought out the masses (I’d guess the attendance was in the hundreds), but we didn’t indulge in complimentary tacos because the line stretched around the block. After a few minutes, six dancers in red unitards descended from open windows about halfway up the tower, and performed to sitar music backed by a house beat. The best word I can think to describe the presentation is “graceful.” Since the performers were strapped into harnesses, most of their moves seemed to happen is zero gravity, and they danced and spun and flipped around for all of five minutes before the aforementioned Few grabbed the mic. He stammered out a few rehearsed lines about how Bandaloop represents Reliant’s business plan, including the gem, “Just as Bandaloop scales down the tower, so do our prices.” Granted, I didn’t have a recorder, so that might be a slight paraphrase, but rest assured the exact line was something equally cringe-worthy.
Jump for a few video clips of the performance:
Kyle Bass Doesn’t Have a Sunny Outlook
Two things you’ll notice about this CNBC appearance by Dallas hedge fund manager Kyle Bass: 1) he has lost weight since we profiled him in 2008. And 2) he doesn’t exactly have upbeat outlook on where the world is headed financially. He ain’t long stocks, and he certainly ain’t long Japan. Have a watch. And if you’ve got a couple million to invest, put Hayman Capital in your consideration set. Last time Bass predicted doom and gloom, he nailed it.
Dallas Symphony CEO Doug Adams Resigns
In yet another bombshell announcement out of the Dallas Arts District, Dallas Symphony Orchestra president and CEO Douglas Adams says he’s leaving the DSO, effective in 30 days, and returning to Colorado. Adams, who joined the DSO as CEO in 2008 after running the Colorado Symphony Orchestra for six years, says he misses the state and still has a house there he hasn’t been able to sell.
The current D CEO magazine reports that, with corporate and individual contributions down, the Dallas symphony has been plagued by budget deficits and rising expenses. But it’s not alone in its money struggles. Adams’ departure comes not long after Mark Nerenhausen resigned his posts as president and CEO at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, where contributions to the capital campaign have tailed off sharply.
What to Do in Dallas Tonight: Aug. 17
It’s not often we see people in harnesses rappelling from skyscrapers in person—at least not legally. If you’re downtown around noon today, stop by Thanksgiving Tower on Elm Street for Project Bandaloop’s aerial dancing spectacle. Reliant Energy President Jason Few will speak briefly (because nothing says “electricity rates” like performance art) and Green House Truck will hand out tacos, water, and frozen treats.
If you’re up for live music tonight and your taste skews mellow (or “boring,” if you’re a hater who hates), check out Jack Johnson’s show at Superpages.com Center. “Wasting Time,” the seventh track from his 2003 album On & On, is appropriately lazy and romantic for a sweltering August night, and there’s plenty more where that came from.
Since Johnson is from Hawaii, it’s only fitting that you dine at Roy’s in Plano beforehand. I have my eye on the mahi mahi and peach-and-macadamia-nut tart, but that’s just me. You might also consider ordering a Hawaiian martini and an appetizer from the $5 “Aloha Hour” menu.
Not feeling it? Find other things to do in Dallas.
Russ Martin’s Ratings Slip After Early Spike
Awhile back, I put up a post about early numbers on Russ Martin. In the first three days of his return to the airwaves, he pulled in some impressive numbers, taking the station from No. 14 to No. 1 during his time slot with 25-to-54 demo. A source I quoted, though, cautioned that three days is a but a tiny snapshot. And now that picture has had some time to develop. What is shows is that early interest in Martin has waned a bit. Below are the numbers through his first three weeks on the air — which come with the same caveat. Three weeks is a better picture than three days, but it’s still only three weeks.
Men 18 to 34 — down three weeks in a row
July Wk 3 9.0 #2
July Wk 4 8.8 #3
Aug Wk 1 7.1 #6
Adults 18 to 34 — down three weeks in a row
July Wk 3 8.2 #1
July Wk 4 6.8 #3
Aug Wk 1 5.0 #5
Adults 25 to 54 — down a full share
July Wk 3 5.1 #3
July Wk 4 5.2 #3
Aug Wk 1 3.9 #7
Thank You, Mary Nix
I have to take a minute to thank Mary Nix publicly. As many of you know, last week I had a bit of an unfortunate encounter with some Dallas sanitation workers.
Well, Mary did follow up with me via e-mail. And I replied, but via iPhone, which may or may not have done it’s job, since she didn’t get it. But today we exchanged e-mails again. Long story short, the situation is being handled after the culprits were found via GPS.
Really, though, all of this is probably an example for pretty much anyone with a job, yes?
TEA Asks to Censor Writer’s Play, And Then This Happened
NPR lovers like myself recognize the name Peter Sagal – the host of “Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me!” Peter wrote a play that the Texas Education Agency thought would be great for testing – students would read the play, and then answer questions about it.
Only, they wanted him to change a line that said, “For God’s sake.” Sagal wrote about it, Tweeted about it, and ultimately decided to change it to “For Pete’s sake.”
But now that he’s written about it, the TEA has said never mind. It apparently never occurred to Sagal that some enterprising high school student would find a copy of that play and study up prior to the test, I suppose.
Garland Rep. Joe Driver Needs to Resign
An AP investigation shows that State Rep. Joe Driver has billed the state for lots of travel expenses his campaign had already paid for. Asked about this, the Garland Republican–who sits on the House Appropriations Committee–said he didn’t realize it was wrong. Joe needs to resign his position, right now. If this is the way he treats his personal finances, how must he be dealing with the taxpayer’s dough? taxpayer dough for government programs on the appropriations committee?
Leading Offish (8/17/10)
1. It’s hot, it’s going to stay hot, and cold fronts that only bring a little bit of rain and don’t cool the temps down below 100 are not actually cold fronts. Also, Tim seems to think that since I live close to work I should be walking here. I maintain that if it takes two seconds of being outside to start sweating then I shouldn’t have to walk to work, but I can still love the Earth.
2. Here’s something we haven’t talked about in a while: Erykah Badu and her naked stunt. She was given six months probation and paid a $500 fine. Worth it.
3. And this, my friends, is just to get your Tuesday off to a good start. (Careful, the tune is catchy.)
Mayor Ups the Ante on Love Field Concessions
Mayor Leppert just sent out an email blast, reproduced below (apologies for the graphics not showing; the usual cut-and-paste problem). The message is aimed, as is evident from the bold-faced type, at putting constituent pressure on Angela Hunt, who is the one swing vote.
Hunt now finds herself in an interesting position, which she has leveraged to delay the vote for months. If she goes with the minority bloc, her career of fighting for transparency and financial prudence will be cancelled out by a single vote for opacity and favoritism. If she goes with the mayor, she alienates the minority politicos she may feel she needs if she wants to be mayor herself. A compromise just irritates both parties, but at least it puts the issue to bed — for now. And that may be the best she can hope for. The mayor has two compromise proposals on the table. Will she go for one of those, or create her own?
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