Articles for October, 2011
State Fair of Texas Guide: Oct. 7-Oct. 14
She ain't got that swing? Thanks for noticing.
And we’re back for the second week of the State Fair of Texas. Some helpful reminders: you can bring a cooler into the fair if you can’t or don’t want to eat all the fried junk. (We won’t judge you.) Just note that the cooler will be searched upon entry, and ixnay on the metal silverware and glass containers. Without further ado, jump for your day-by-day plan.
Programming Note: Local Editor To Appear on Radio
This morning at 9 on 570 KLIF, Jeff Bolton and I will be talking about the efforts of some ESD parents to get us kicked off newsstands.
Leading Off (10/7/11)
The Sweet Smell of Uh-Oh. Dallas-based Komen for the Cure has been selling this perfume, “Promise Me,” for about $60. Proceeds, like all the other pink-colored items the organization sells, go to breast cancer research. Only some are saying the ingredients of “Promise Me” include some known carcinogens. Komen is revamping the perfume for next year, but the current version will remain for sale, because they say their scientists reviewed the ingredients and gave it the green light.
Sleep Tight, Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite. No. Really. Now if you excuse me, I’m going to scratch furiously as I always do after reading/seeing a story like this.
Look Away, Dixie Land. State Sen. John Carona has joined State Sen. Royce West in opposing a possible Confederate state license plate, saying, “Those who are advancing such a plan do not reflect the sentiments of most Texans.” The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles could take up the issue again at its Nov. 10 meeting.
Tuberculosis Threat Spreads. After an Ennis teacher apparently exposed several students and their families to tuberculosis, Denton High School is now also faced with testing students after a suspected case was reported Wednesday. The student in question had been a student last year in Ennis, and had taken a class with the teacher there.
Detroit To Visit Sunny Dallas. Hello, Detroit Tigers. Congratulations, and welcome to Arlington, which everyone will call Dallas when you arrive here. With Texas-OU weekend, the State Fair, Texas 360 being closed and your little baseball game with the Rangers, expect traffic to be a complete clustercuss. Oh, and Yankees? HA HA . Love, Me.
Texas Rangers to Chicago White Sox: Remember, Our CEO Can Put a Beatdown on Your Manager
I’d like to thank today’s shocking news out of Chicago for providing an excuse for linking to what was, at least until last year, the grandest moment in Texas Rangers history.
Texas Rangers Responsible For Rash of Stupid Celebratory Gestures in Baseball
I’ve always appreciated that baseball players don’t tend to put on the sort of showboating celebrations that seemingly occur after every play in football. (Although the tendency to celebrate every walk-off win like it’s the end of the seventh game of the World Series is an unfortunate MLB trend.)
And look, I know you all enjoyed your antlers and your claws last year, Rangers fans. But how can you sleep easy at night, knowing that your team’s fun little way of punctuating a key hit or speedy feat spread like a virus across Major League Baseball? The worst current incarnation is the Milwaukee Brewers’ Beast Mode.
The Rangers are the progenitors of this abomination, so Baseball Nation says the team has got to stay part of it. They’ve recommended a new required gesture, as a sort of punishment:
They’re the ones responsible for this whole stupid trend, as they were flashing antlers and claws at each other throughout the whole postseason last year. Then somehow the “claw” became a “spotlight” that other teams picked up on and started doing. Miguel Tejada did the “spotlight” pantomime back at the Giants’ dugout for every one of his double this year, for example.
So because they started it, the Rangers get to do The Lasso.
The Lasso, Step 1
State Fair of Texas Picture of the Day: Oct. 6
No blinders required at Fair Park. photo by Jason Janik
Check out our guide to plan your own trip to one of the greatest public spaces in America.
Ticket Giveaway: Topdog/Underdog at Jubilee Theatre
By now, you should all be familiar with the place that I have affectionately referred to as FrontRow Giveawayland on many separate occasions. Every Tuesday and Thursday, we offer you free tickets to something, usually a music show or a theatrical performance. Occasionally, some of these tickets are for stuff that’s sold out, or shows that are a little on the expensive side. Sometimes it’s a brand new guitar.
Anyway, today’s giveaway is a pair of tickets to Topdog/Underdog at the Jubilee Theatre in Fort Worth. I haven’t had a chance to see this play yet, but it’s worth the drive for the writing alone. Suzan-Lori Parks is brilliant, and she won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for this one. Go. Enter, now that the 3 p.m. entry deadline has been extended. Winning is fun, and losing doesn’t kill you. Usually.
Karl Rove, Comedian, Emcees a Dinner in Dallas
Who knew Karl Rove was such a comedian? That’s what about 700 people were asking
last night when the worlds of Texas oil and gas, Republican politics, and philanthropy came together in one big decked-out room at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. The occasion: the Methodist Health System Foundation’s presentation of its 2011 Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award to Barnett Shale billionaire Trevor Rees-Jones. Organized by mega-GOP operative Jim Francis, the dinner event wound up raising more than $1 million for Methodist and was emceed by Rove, aka “The Architect,” who was a “surprise” guest.
The “surprise” made sense. Rees-Jones has donated a reported $2 million, at least, to Rove’s American Crossroads, a 527 political group. And Rove’s pal former President George W. and his wife Laura Bush served as the shindig’s honorary chairs. The Bushes were no-shows, though, which Rove acknowledged right off the bat: “I have heard the ugly rumor, and I want to deny it. 43 is not here tonight out of personal pique over not getting this award,” Rove (pictured in photo by Jeanne Prejean) told the crowd. “… The true reason is because of mountain biking. [Bush and Rees-Jones are both biking enthusiasts and have ridden together]. The president is a little irritated that Trevor didn’t lay back. Instead, he rides the president’s sorry ass into the ground every time.”
Two Days, Two “Occupy Dallas” Protests, Two Very Different Groups, Ctd.
Yesterday we talked about the two different groups “occupying” Dallas this week. A few reviews of today’s protest here (behind the paywall) and here. Estimated attendance: about 500. Best sign: “I’ll believe corporations are people when Texas executes one.” Quote from a protester: “This is the children’s future we’re fighting for.” Quote from a police officer on the scene: “The group doesn’t seem to be real organized…We’re not sure what their intents are.”
Big 12 Votes to Invite TCU
TCU will most likely join the Big 12 next season, after paying $5 million to exit the Big East, which the school never officially joined. The Horned Frogs will essentially replace Texas A&M, which will start SEC play next year. So the Big 12 will have a team in North Texas. That means local fans of schools up and down the conference will now get to see their teams every so often without having to travel.
Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Oct. 6
The stupidest and bravest thing I’ve ever done is chase down a mugger to get my pretty white second generation iPhone back. When he was caught, he chucked the phone into the street. It didn’t break, and I called my mom on it to tell her I was okay and that the NYPD booking officers were chuckling over Mr. Mugger’s idiotic collection of tattoos as we spoke. So, you know. Thanks, Steve Jobs, for one of the better stories I’ll ever tell, and for the device I used to look the guy up on Facebook with later. It’s a whole different world.
My first-ever concert was not actually at the Granada, but the theater has been a welcoming, formerly warm (now freezing, what with the new a/c unit) venue for some of my favorite shows over the years. Tonight, help celebrate the seventh anniversary of owner/operator Mike Schoder’s tenure. Portland’s Blind Pilot is the musical headliner, and I assume they did not bike to get here. For local appeal, Telegraph Canyon is one of the opening acts. You should probably get in some peaceful partying tonight before Texas/OU weekend arrives and your friends split into warring factions and demand that you choose a side.
For a different sort of evening, SMU hosts Temple Grandin tonight for a lecture about the humanizing influence of animals. People Newspapers editor Dan Koller blogged about it yesterday, but it’s worth mentioning here. Grandin, who is autistic, is an inspiration in many ways. She’s a doctor and professor of animal science who developed livestock-handling systems that reduce stress on animals as they’re led to slaughter, and her talk benefits Guide Dogs for the Blind and Lone Star Puppy Raisers. She’ll stick around to sign books afterward.
For more to do tonight, go here.
ESD Parents Help D Magazine Get the Word Out
Channel 8 did an ever so brief story last night about the efforts of some ESD parents to get us kicked off newsstands. Zac saw the story and asked me who wrote the statement that came from D Magazine. I looked at him like he had a squirrel on his head and said, “I wrote the damn thing.” To which Zac replied, “Didn’t sound like you. There were no big words, and there weren’t any jokes.”
Well, that’s because they didn’t run the statement in its entirety. My fault for being prolix, I guess. Anyway, here’s the longer version:
“We think it’s an important story. The more widely discussed it is, the greater the chance that the school will undertake the reforms necessary to protect its students. In that light, these parents’ efforts to get D Magazine kicked off the newsstand have helped the magazine immeasurably. Instead of covering up the story, the parents have brought it to Channel 8’s audience. For that, they have our hearty thanks!”
Thing That Made Me Giggle
First, I have to say that our commenters, as of late, have done a great job of debating a topic without trying to draw someone offsides, or engaging in ad hominem attacks. As many of you know, for a time FrontBurner’s comment section got to be such a minefield that some (including me) quit commenting, and then the comments were actually turned off for a while.
And to this day, I still wonder if people would always use the same tone to comment if they were having the same discussion in person, and knew the person. So this skit on last weekend’s Saturday Night Live kind of cracked me up.
Leading Off (10/6/11)
Dallas City Council Approves New District Map. Don’t really see how, since no one seems too happy about it.
Missing SMU Grad Found Dead in Italy. Allison Owens was working as a tour guide, and disappeared three days ago while out jogging. Owens appears to have been the victim of a hit-and-run. She was 23.
Highway Shutdown Could Cause Traffic Disaster Around Rangers Ballpark. But only if the Tigers win.
R.I.P., Steve Jobs. Not from here, obviously, but there aren’t many around here the Apple founder hasn’t affected in some way. And while I’m here: take a moment and remember Bert Jansch and Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth.
Myers: Make War on Terror More Efficient
Gen. Richard B. Myers, who led the U.S. into war in Iraq and Afghanistan, thinks the 
government ought to be better organized to fight “the war on violent extremism.” Speaking at the Belo Mansion in Dallas today, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the secretary of defense, for example, has no authority over the state department, or the justice department. That means that “we don’t have anybody in charge,” Myers said. “It can’t be the president,” because he has too many other things on his plate.
The country’s founders “didn’t want our government to be very efficient,” Myers said. “So they ought to be very happy right now.”
The retired Air Force general (pictured above, in middle) also said that Iran is a serious threat to funnel nuclear weapons to terrorist groups like Hezbollah. And he warned that, unless it’s resolved, the U.S. fiscal crisis could greatly diminish the country’s status as a world power: “We may not need to be the world’s policeman, but we have to play a significant leadership role if we want the world to be a better place.” Myers was speaking at a luncheon benefiting MediSend International, a Dallas-based group that sends medical supplies and biomedical repair equipment to developing countries including Haiti, Uganda and Kazakhstan.
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