Articles for March, 2011
Leading Off (3/4/11)
“Sex Is Natural, Sex Is Fun, Sex Is Best When It’s One on One.” Fellowship Church pastor Ed Young and AshleyMadison.com site creater Noel Biderman faced off to debate on adultery for an HBO documentary on adultery. This is actually the second time the two have done so, but Young insists he’s right because, “you know I’ve read the last page and the Bible says we win.” It also mentions giant multi-headed dragons, so you know, there’s that.
Slow Down in Flower Mound. Flower Mound police have pulled over about 49,000 cars in a year, with about 26,000 tickets. The town has about 70,000 residents.
Feliz “Meh” on First Outing as Starter. It’s not certain that he’ll get a second opportunity to try, but Neftali Feliz, the guy everyone kept saying needed to be a starter last year got to try yesterday, and didn’t do so great.
Rainy Day Fund May Get Used. House Budget Chief Jim Pitts said he’s hopeful that the Lege will vote to use at least part of the state’s rainy day fund to close there rest of the budget shortfall. Considering one of the other options is just to delay paying bills, maybe this is actually a rainy day?
Spring is Here, So Go Out and Freaking Enjoy It. People have seemed a little cranky this week. I attribute this to a severe lack of patio-dwelling. So this weekend, find one. Put your feet up, grab a frosty libation, and do not move from that spot until your outlook improves. That’s an order, FrontBurnervians.
Vote for “Best of Big D”
I’ve begun to see signs around town, businesses asking their customers to vote for them to be included in our “Best of Big D” issue in August. When I ate at Crossroads Diner this morning, the bill came with a reminder card urging me to vote. But a check-signing FrontBurnervian passes along this shot taken at Eatzi’s. That’s going the extra mile. Nice work.
University of Dallas Alum in High Dudgeon Over Potentially Teaching Sodomy to Undergrads
Okay, confusing headline. Let’s break this down.
Patrick Fagan writes over on The Catholic Thing that he’s got five kids who went through the University of Dallas. But now he’s poised to condemn the university. It all depends on how UD board votes tonight on a curriculum matter. Fagan writes:
The UD theology department gives undergraduates the real goods – the full faith and orthodoxy. Yet UD is poised to offer a new undergraduate major in pastoral theology next fall to be taught by the School of Ministry, not the current theology department. Unlike theology and the rest of UD’s departments, this school is not well known and has had a rather separated existence, but is now about to become part of the UD mainstream.
And why, pray tell, might it be a bad thing if the School of Ministry becomes part of the mainstream? You know the answer already. Gay sex.
Take, for instance, Professor Jerome Walsh, who is currently teaching an Old Testament course to School of Ministry graduate students. Walsh’s interests in the Old Testament include publication of a lengthy analysis of Leviticus in which he claims that Israel’s holy law only ever meant to condemn the completed act of sodomy and that “other forms of male-male sexual encounter, encompassing the whole range of physical expressions of affection that do not entail penetration, are not envisaged in these laws” (see p. 209, warning: graphic content). Will this be taught to undergraduates?
[Insert Brokeback joke. Cue brimstone.]
Things to Do in Dallas Tonight: March 3
I just received some very bad news. Tonight’s Mozzarella Co. wine and cheese pairing class was canceled because apparently, not enough people in Dallas like cheese and/or wine. I say that’s ridiculous. I thank the cheese gods daily for Central Market’s house-made pepperjack. People, go sign up for April right now.
Regardless, that still leaves me searching for something else to do tonight. Luckily, the WaterTower Theatre’s Out of the Loop Fringe Festival starts this evening with Faye Lane’s Beauty Shop Stories on the main stage. Lane, who grew up in her momma’s small-town Texas beauty salon, blends monologue with country-western cabaret to tell her inspirational tale of an overweight little girl who learns to follow her dreams. Sounds a little cornball (I could have said “cheesy” just to continue the theme, but behold my restraint) to me, but luckily the two-week festival is jam-packed with other options. I’ll also be checking out comedian Robert Wuhl’s Assume the Position, a one-man, semi-educational act based on his HBO show of the same name.
And while I lament the loss of my cheese class, SideDish brings us happier food news. Starting today, the North Texas Food Bank will receive 25% of the proceeds of purchases made through the A-List’s “Spoiled for Good” discount program. Grab gift certificates to whole host of tasty places. Since I’ve been craving French lately, Lavendou is my pick.
Finally, if you happen to read this before 3 pm, enter FrontRow’s ticket giveaway — two pairs of tickets to Travesties at Theatre Three are up for grabs.
For more things to do tonight, including a quirky percussion concert out in Denton, go here.
Buzz Bissinger and Mark Cuban Get Into a Fight, Someone Animates It
So Mark Cuban took exception to something Buzz Bissinger wrote in the Daily Beast, and took to Twitter to call him a coward. Then Buzz got his feelings hurt, and talked way too long about it. Then he asked for floor seats to a Sixers game.
The African-American Phenomenon
The News ran an excellent piece on Sunday about black suburban growth. A new interactive map from the Texas Tribune of Texas legislative districts allows us to see how dramatically this is playing out. John Carona, for example, represents District 16, which includes Dallas and most of the inner suburbs. His district saw a frightening — for me — 17 percent decline in white population. Interestingly, it also showed a 3.5 percent decline in black population. Now let’s jump to Florence Shapiro’s northern District 8.
Leading Off (3/3/11)
Second-Grader Donates Money. A second-grader at a school in Fort Worth walked in and handed a bunch of pennies to the principal. She’d been saving the money for college but was worried about teachers losing their jobs. And now the the Fort Worth School District has made a dent the size of $4.96 in its budget deficit.
Oak Cliff Doesn’t Think Saving Money Makes One Live Better. The proposed Walmart in Oak Cliff is causing a stir. Our good friend and neighborhood super hero, Jason Roberts, is not a fan of the plans. He’s disappointed that more community input was not taken into consideration. There are no giant yellow smiley faces to be found in the OC.
Chief Justice Rules Against AT&T, and Makes It Personal. I’m a day late to this, but on Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations don’t have personal privacy rights under the Freedom of Information Act. AT&T argued that certain documents were protected because the noun “person” included corporations, therefore, the adjective “personal” should apply to corporations. What followed was Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. talking about adjectives. After explaining the difference between craft and crafty and squirrel and squirrelly, he ruled against AT&T. And then left them with this little nugget, “We trust that AT&T will not take it personally.” I do appreciate a chief justice who plays with words.
Who’s Linking to DMagazine.com Now?
Today’s referring website of the week is mademoiZelle.com, a French site featuring fashion content geared to young females who consider themselves no longer girls but not yet women. That’s according to the site’s “manifesto.” (Note to self: DMagazine.com needs to publish a manifesto.)
MademoiZelle.com linked to our February story about Grant Mower, a 12-year-old fashion designer in Flower Mound. Their article, I gather, expresses some concern or dismay about kids being treated as if they know anything about fashion. Or, as Google’s translation of the page puts it:
If we saw more and more old, the world of fashion, he seems to seek to avoid the weight of years. The nebula fashion mired it in a latent ageism?
Our life expectancy is increasing every year (1), gradually as the personalities of more than 70 years carton in the media … yet it remains an area closed to changes in society of the XXI century: the very cruel and ugly world of fashion.
Things to Do in Dallas Tonight: March 2
After reading this article yesterday (it was e-mailed to me by two different people), I’m declaring that today is the day to treat yourself kindly. The week is halfway over, so don’t stress. Just picture your perfect, feel-good evening. A little Motown music, perhaps?
There is, of course, no way you haven’t heard of this lady. Diana Ross, former lead singer of the Supremes, is in Dallas. And yes, she’ll probably sing “Stop! In the Name of Love.” Linkin Park is also in town for their rescheduled show, but I definitely prefer divas to headbangers.
With all the Oscar craziness, I slacked on new releases. Luckily for me (and you), Another Year, directed by Mike Leigh, is still playing at the Magnolia. Show times have slowed to one a day, which means this gem will soon disappear. Read our FrontRow review before you go.
For more things to do in Dallas tonight, go here.
Why Does Texas Subsidize Movies?
If you make a movie in Texas, a broke state government will refund 15 percent of your production costs. (If you produce a magazine, a TV documentary, or a book, it won’t.) Why the special treatment? Because 41 other states also offer subsidies. So we find ourselves in a self-defeating subsidy war among states who are nearly all broke.
Michael Kinsley suggests states call a halt to this welfare for movie producers. For one thing, the numbers used to justify it are fake. For another, nobody can afford it.
Law Man Walking: Nature Treks With Bill Holston
Here’s another in the series from our friend Bill Holston. On this adventure, he hikes Spring Creek Forest.
Law Man Walking
By Bill Holston
There are a couple of reasons that I started writing about my walking adventures. The reasons are related. I really would like people to realize just how many natural areas we have to explore here in North Texas. It’s my corresponding hope that this motivates people to advocate for the preservation of the few remaining undeveloped areas we have left and to urge our elected representatives to make them accessible to people while at the same time preserving them from development or even too much park infrastructure. Finally, I hope this recruits volunteers to work on these areas.
One of the keys to maintaining my mental health is to go to areas that are truly wooded and undeveloped. I love the sound of boots hitting dirt, leaves and rock. I also prefer solitude. It’s like a soothing tonic to my soul. No matter how stressful the week is, a little time in the woods returns some equilibrium. I understand the need for paved trails, especially to provide access for people with physical disabilities. Yet at the same time, it’s really important for those of us that prefer the less tamed aspects of woods, to have less intrusive and developed access to these few areas of forest and prairie.
Leading Off (3/2/11)
Super Bowl Problems Persist. We haven’t talked about the Super Bowl in a while. So I thought it was about time for another story. Here goes: the NFL promised those who thought they had seats but didn’t that they’d pay them three times the value of their tickets. But now, for the 2,000 who watched the game inside the stadium, they’re being offered a ticket to next year’s Super Bowl or face value. I really think our odds for Super Bowl L are good. I really do.
Baby Born in Strip Club Parking Lot. Star-Telegram reporter Nate Jones was pulled over for driving 80. He explained to the cop that he was just trying to get his wife to the hospital. The cop gave him a lecture and let him go. But it was too late. The family pulled into the club Flashdancer in Arlington, which is where Jones’ wife gave birth. At least the baby wasn’t overdressed in his birthday suit. (No? Not funny?)
Wall Angers Neighbors. Belo Garden, which will begin construction soon, has come under scrutiny from its neighbors. They hate the 12-foot-high wall that will border one side of the park, but the planners say the wall provides privacy, safety, and helps make the park an urban oasis. What’s that? You can’t read the story from the link I gave you? Oh, sorry. That’s just another one of those Belo walls.
An Open Letter to Mike Rhyner, Plagiarist
Dear Mr. Rhyner:
Moments ago on your evening drive-time radio presentation on 1310 The Ticket, you did a roughly 12-minute segment on In-N-Out Burger’s impending arrival in North Texas. I was particularly interested in this topic, as it is the current cover story of the magazine I edit.
Imagine my chagrin when it became apparent that our story was, in fact, the inspiration for your segment, which you launched into with nary a mention of D Magazine. Now imagine my spleen filling with bile as I heard you read whole sections of our story and tell your listeners information about In-N-Out that we discovered — for instance, where In-N-Out’s first distribution center outside of California will be situated — without, again, ever once mentioning your source. Now imagine me texting your producer and co-host for the day, Danny Balis, as I careened through Lake Highlands, forcing other drivers off the road as my rage grew to the white-hot intensity of a coal gassification furnace. (more…)
Statler Finds a New Owner
I love the Statler. I love its history. I love its eerily glooming bottom floor. I love the idea of its potential. And apparently so does developer Leobardo Trevino, of Ricchi Dallas Investments. He just recently bought the hotel from a developer who didn’t do much with the place. Trevino has released some sketches of the proposed renovations, but there aren’t many details beyond that. Regardless, I’m excited.
The Two Sides of Tom Leppert
DMN political writer Gromer Jeffers Jr. is a good guy and a good reporter. But his column this morning (subscription required) about Tom Leppert running for U.S. Senate as a hard-core, anti-earmarks, tea party-style conservative includes some puzzling logic that seems to give the former mayor a huge free ride. Specifically:
Though it seems to some that Leppert is selling out Dallas, what we’re actually seeing is the former mayor embracing his core beliefs.
Being Dallas mayor is a complex job with a simple goal. City Hall is the only part of government that taxpayers, no matter how conservative, want more of. What’s more, campaigning for Dallas mayor forced Leppert to deal with all aspects of the community.
There’s purity in mayoral politics that removes the stench of partisanship and the hypocrisy it often brings.
So, if you’re running for U.S. Senate–an office which represents the entire state–it’s fine to be true to your core beliefs. But if you’re merely representing a city, it’s OK to toss your core beliefs aside and kowtow to everybody and his dog, because there’s no “stench of partisanship” there? This doesn’t make any sense. I think the “authenticity” question will be a major problem for Leppert, especially in the GOP primary in a tea-party year. In a state whose leading Republicans are battling with the EPA, for one example, it will be especially interesting to see whether he defends–or runs away from–his record as one of Dallas’ “greenest” mayors ever.
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