Articles for November 15th, 2011
TXI Gets Permission To Burn Even More Hazardous Waste
Earlier this month, we learned that North Texas has the worst air in the state, even worse than Houston’s. Now the folks at Downwinders at Risk inform us that TXI has gotten permission from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to burn 12 new kinds of hazardous waste in its cement kiln — and it got this permission without ever serving public notice, fielding comments, or holding a hearing, and based solely on data from other cement plants. From Downwinders:
“This is the worst case of intentionally avoiding public participation since 1987, when the same company began burning hazardous waste without public knowledge” said Jim Schermbeck, director of Downwinders at Risk, the DFW-based group originally formed to fight the burning of wastes in Midlothian cement kilns in 1994. “State and company officials have learned nothing from the past 20 years except how to further exclude the public from decisions about these cement plants affecting our health and property.”
And:
TCEQ gave TXI the new permit without any public notice or chance to challenge it despite the fact that TXI is on the EPA’s “Watch List” of 1600 “High Priority Violators” identified last week through an investigation by National Public Radio.
If you breathe air, you should read this entire story, and you should be upset.
Words With Friends Helps Launch New Ford
On Nov. 15, from 11pm to midnight EST, fans in the U.S. can collectively play Words With Friends against celebrity Jenny McCarthy, who will be at an event in Los Angeles. While they do, a full reveal photo of the new 2013 Ford Escape will be exposed on giant screens. The new Escape will debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show tomorrow.
Crystal Worthem, manager of brand content and alliances for Ford, said players can submit word suggestions through a live-stream chat. The game will also be live-streamed at www.Facebook.com/fordescape and livestream.com/ford so fans at home can play along, too.
“We’re calling it ‘Jenny McCarthy versus the world,’” Worthem said.
Gordon Keith Takes His Tired Bits to Dallas Morning News
I have long maintained that Gordon Keith, he of Ticket fame, is the most overrated, pompous, bearded comedian in town. Several studies have shown that his column in Quick is what finally caused that publication to fold. But now the paper is letting him write op-eds. Today, Keith nominated the Barnett Shale for Texan of the Year. It’s behind the paywall, so here’s a taste:
I could nominate Dirk Nowitzki, the happiest German in D-FW. The Teutonic baller not only brought us an NBA title this year, but also the worst rendition of “We Are the Champions” in recorded human history. Musically, Dirk sounded exactly like Freddy Mercury, if Freddy Mercury were being water-boarded with a bullfrog lodged in his throat.
John Wiley Price could be nominated for bringing more law enforcement to our city. Unfortunately, it was to investigate him.
It is at this point that the stockholders of AH Belo Corp should begin dumping their shares.
Mark Cuban: Why Corporate Taxes Have Nothing to Do With Job Creation
Mark Cuban appeared on CNBC yesterday to talk about Warren Buffett talking about taxes. Right off the bat he said that the notion that cutting corporate taxes would lead to more hiring is “nonsense.” He said arguing for lower corporate taxes is “the right thing for [CEOs] to say,” but that in reality, taxes are “far down the list” of considerations large corporations make in hiring. His thinking: it’s much more about market positioning and competition.
Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Nov. 15
I’ve been craving a clay pot from Mai’s since I woke up yesterday morning. Tonight was the night. But you know what? It’s hot outside. I made the mistake of going there in late July. Two minutes into his curry, my friend Mark was dripping sweat and grumbling about how “it feels like actual Vietnam in here.” No a/c = no clay pot for me. Curses.
It’s okay, though, because as Sarah mentioned on SideDish some days ago, it’s Dallas Beer Week. Tuesday is as good a day as any to celebrate the cold hoppy stuff, but that leaves the question of where, exactly, to go. I was lured in by the Plano Ginger Man’s Brooklyn pint night advertisement because, um, Buffy pint glasses. Sadly, the fine print tells me that the picture does not coincide with the actual glasses that will be given away tonight, “though you’ve always wanted a Buffy the Vampire Slayer pint glass collection and you know it.” This could not be more true. The person who wrote that already knows me so well.
Meanwhile, The Common Table has their usual BrewsDay Tuesday special, tapping four Lagunitas kegs: Wet Hopped Maximus, cask conditioned Imperial Russian Stout, Fusion VII, and Farmhouse Saison. The brewery’s Lauren Young will be there. And finally, because I’m a sucker for the fried goat cheese, Holy Grail Pub in Plano is pouring a bunch of pumpkin ales.
For those not yet recovered from the Rangers’ very sad loss and/or bemoaning this NBA kerfuffle I know very little about, options for overcoming your sadness include supporting the other long-suffering local sports team that plays at the AAC. The Dallas Stars take on the Florida Panthers this evening (and it’s Brenden Morrow Bobblehead Night!). Eschewing athletics altogether? The free weekly lecture at the Modern in Fort Worth sounds like a good one— the special guest is CUNY art history professor Katy Siegel, discussing her latest book on contemporary criticism. This event also offers the opportunity to dine at Café Modern, by far my favorite museum eatery.
For more to do tonight, go here.
Rais Bhuiyan Named One of Esquire’s “Americans of the Year”
As you’ll recall, Rais Bhuiyan is the Dallas man who, earlier this year, sued the state of Texas to stop the execution of Mark Stroman, the guy who in the weeks after the 9/11 attacks went on a killing spree and shot Bhuiyan in the face. I wrote about Bhuiyan for the October issue of D Magazine. This week Esquire named Bhuiyan, an immigrant from Bangladesh, to their list of Americans of the Year. Other people on the list include Steve Jobs, Elizabeth Warren, Warren Buffett, Paul Ryan, and Andrew Sullivan. Esquire’s story about Bhuiyan, written by Mike Sager, winner of last year’s National Magazine Award for profile writing, isn’t online yet, but it’s quite moving.
A Few Thoughts On the NBA Lockout/My Worst Nightmare
Tim Cowlishaw has a column in today’s Morning News [reg. req.] about the continuing NBA lockout. His thesis statement:
There is only one set of “bad guys,” and those are the owners represented by Commissioner David Stern. I don’t see the players as bad guys in this deal. There’s another word for it.
I believe it’s called “idiots.”
Hm.
Meet Ruby, a Diabetic Alert Dog
Ruby is alerting Faith that her blood sugar is not within the 100-180 range. Photo by Type 1 Diabetes Foundation
Often, while in the middle of a deep sleep, I start dreaming about food—sandwiches, doughnuts, steak, peanut butter cups, gnocchi. It doesn’t matter what it is, I dream about it all. Slowly, I start to wake up. And that’s when I realize my blood sugar is low. I stumble into the kitchen, and in a half-conscious state, dig through the pantry and eat. The next morning, I go back to the kitchen and am ashamed of what happened during my “midnight feeding.” It’s amazing what combinations of food seem like a good idea when I’m half-awake. (Apparently, peanut butter goes with everything.)
This is just what life’s like for me, a type 1 diabetic. I was diagnosed when I was 3. Two-year-old Faith Wilson was diagnosed when she was 9-months-old. She doesn’t dream about food when she’s low. She doesn’t wake up. Life for her, her siblings, and her parents has been a nightmare. But things got just a bit easier a year ago when the Wilsons got Ruby, a British Lab.
Leading Off (11/15/11)
Another Writer Embedded With Occupy Dallas. First a writer for the Morning News spent a day at the Occupy Dallas encampment. Now Pegasus News publishes a report from inside the tents. And that anonymous writer’s conclusion? “These people are simply people. They are you and I. And together, right now, we are all the sad, culminating, multi-generational product of our own undoing.” Does that clear everything up for you?
Child Abuse in Dallas Is Up. On balance, crime is down in Dallas. But a new report out of UTD finds that child abuse and neglect in Dallas County is up nearly 40 percent. One doc at Children’s Medical Center says he sees two to three devastating head injuries to a child every week due to child abuse.
Jason Terry on NBA Situation: “It sucks.” Interesting tidbit in this ESPN post about the players’ union disbanding. His kids go the same private school that Mark Cuban’s and Rick Carlisle’s kids attend. I imagine a very tense carpool dropoff line.
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