Articles for August 18th, 2010
Sneak Peek at Perot Museum of Nature and Science: Only $50 Million More to Full Funding
The Perot Museum of Nature & Science invited Dallas media into the project’s Broom Street construction center for a look-see today and — shocker — handed out positive financial news: $135 million has been raised to finance the museum thus far, only $50 million left to find under the seat cushions to fully fund the place. The 180,000-square-foot museum will open in early 2013 near Victory. It’s a merger between the Dallas Museum of Natural History, The Science Place, and the Dallas Children’s Museum. In May 2008, you might recall, the Perot children made a $50 million gift to the museum in honor of their parents, Margot and H. Ross Perot. For that energizing chunk of change, the science cube was named in their honor.
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American Airlines Finds Another Way to Squeeze You for Cash
Today American Airlines began selling “express seats” in coach. You pay extra for the seat and then get to board with the first group when general boarding commences. You get first shot at the overhead bins and, says American, “the convenience of being among the first coach customers on and off the plane.” I presume Southwest is already working on a series of commercials that will point out the odiousness of this new pricing plan. Man, 2015 can’t get here fast enough.
What to Do in Dallas Tonight: Aug. 18
The good news: the view from the D observation deck is gloriously cloudy, and my sources tell me there’s a decent chance of rain all day. The bad news: your hair looks awful. Better let a professional do something about that.
It’s midweek, and perhaps you’re concerned about making your money last until the next payday, particularly after shelling out so much on defrizzing treatments (though you really had no choice). Solution: a free show at the Granada featuring Rodney Atkins and Rich O’Toole. These guys serve up palatable country tunes, and I hear just a tad of rock inspiration in O’Toole’s songs (listen to “Kelly Comes to Town” and tell me what it reminds you of). Will sponsor Velveeta be on hand to pass out boxes of Shells & Cheese? You won’t know unless you go, friends.
O’Toole doesn’t hit the stage until 8, and Rodney goes on at around 9:20, so you have plenty of time to eat and play before the music starts. Personally, I think beer and pizza are fine appetizers for this show, and the Granada happens to have both in-house. That said, country music also pairs beautifully with barbecue, and Baker’s Ribs is just up the street.
Twang not your thang? Browse these other things to do in Dallas.
Did Southwest Flight Attendant Overstep or Do the Right Thing?
On a flight from Dallas to Albuquerque, a Southwest flight attendant took a 13-month-old baby from a couple after the mother allegedly slapped the baby in the face. At the end of the flight, police were there to suss out the situation, and ultimately decided it was an isolated incident and returned the baby to the parents.
I’ve read several versions of this story (I linked to the ABC News one because it had video, too), and several things make me think that the flight attendant did the right thing (although I’ve seen some comments saying they think she overstepped). The baby had a black eye. The parents were yelling at each other. It seems as if the situation was only getting more heated, and sometimes a neutral party stepping in to calm things down does help. And in this case, you also have the safety and comfort of the other passengers to think of, too.
And, well, the baby was a passenger, too. The consequences would’ve been far worse, I imagine, if the woman had say, slapped an adult fellow passenger.
Would you have stepped in?
Will Sooners Get to Show Their Pride Through License Plates?
A couple weeks ago, Bethany told you how My Plates is off on its projected revenue. It looks like the company has figured out how to bring in that revenue. They’re evoking that good, ole OU/TX rivalry with the proposal of an OU license plate. According to the article at the News, some people are for it, some are against. I really don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t be offered. And, yes, I’m biased.
Candice Crawford Leads the “10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas” Voting
Leah McCann’s in a close second place. But it’s still anyone’s game with five days of voting left for Week 1. Three will advance. Push for your favorite here.
And watch the video clip of Vicki Hutson Ford, the woman behind the voice you hear on American Airlines flights. She does a little demo. It’s awesome.
Wholesalers Try to Quash Texas Wineries
And how would they do that? By the same way all protected industries get their way in Texas, lobbying the Legislature. Oh, wait. Congress wants to limit the Lege’s restrictions on interstate commerce? Can’t have that! Quick! Who do we have to give money to in Congress?
George and Laura Bush Welcome Troops at DFW
Now — just for a second… ok, for seven minutes — let’s put aside our various partisan opinions and just try to imagine how these troops felt on returning home on August 11. Those old guys, the veterans, forming the line are the ones I really appreciate. They are the only ones who know exactly how the younger troops feel.
Leading Off (8/18/10)
1. You’ll find solid reporting by Jessica Myers and Valerie Wigglesworth in this story about Patrick Sharp, the guy who became unhinged yesterday and led a one-man assault on the McKinney Police HQ. My favorite detail: until his MySpace page was shut down, he said on it, “I love guns more than toothpaste.” I think the lesson here is clear. Anyone who still has a MySpace page should be looked at with suspicion.
2. Note to all the animal lovers who go insane when they read a story about someone setting a puppy on fire: yes, that is a heinous crime. But it falls several orders of magnitude short of a father beating his 4-month-old baby daughter to death with a wooden spatula. In court testimony yesterday, jurors learned that “doctors at Children’s Medical Center discovered that in addition to the healing rib injuries, the baby had a broken arm, a skull fractured ‘like a cracked egg,’ bleeding in the back of the eyes, and a brain injury.” Reserve your outrage for THAT crime. Pressure the DA to set up a special court for THAT.
3. This is one reason we ought to legalize card rooms in Texas. Because it’s a lot easier to hold them up and shoot the doorman in the head when they’re illegal and have to operate on the down low. The other reason to legalize them: tax revenue.
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