Articles for August 16th, 2012
Don’t Spray Me, Bro, Ctd.
My wife has been blowing up my cell today. “What do we do about this aerial spraying? I’ve read that we should turn off the AC during the spraying. And what about the kids tomorrow? Should we let them outside? I’m telling you, it’s like Agent Orange. A few years from now, when we’re all about die, I’ll have the last laugh.” I’m not making any of this up.
So, to appease my wife and help you, the dear FrontBurnervian, I asked an expert. No, not the city of Dallas. A real expert. In his rants against the aerial spraying, Jim Schutze has referred to the work of a UT Austin scientist named Andrea Gore. She’s a professor of pharmacology and toxicology. I asked Dr. Gore what she would do if she lived someplace where they were about to spray this poison from planes. Her response:
Thanks for your email. David Crews just happens to be sitting next to me, as not only are we scientific collaborators but we are also married. We discussed your question and we do have some recommendations.
Ideally, all people should avoid contact with pesticides during periods of active spraying by staying indoors.
Tux Challenge Day 16: I Got Some ‘Splaining To Do
Do we have a bean bag in the office, over in the art department? Yes, we do. And I sat on it.
The Great Tuxedo Challenge of 2012, brought to you by Patron XO Cafe, with special help from Al’s Formal Wear, has presented certain, um, challenges that I had not anticipated. I didn’t understand how hard it would be to get up on skis while wearing a tuxedo, for example. Similarly, I didn’t understand how many times in the course of an average day I would have to explain — or, as I’ve come to prefer, try not to explain — why I’m wearing a tuxedo.
For instance, getting my kids registered for school entailed a lot of interaction with other parents and school officials. There was a room, and in that room there were many tables. At each table, there were electives to be chosen, volunteer opportunities to sign up for, green pencil bags to acquire, etc., and so on. And at each table there was seated a person who wanted to know why I was wearing a tuxedo.
Curious human at Table 1: “Well, I guess I didn’t get the memo!”
Me: “Yessir! You must have missed that memo! Gotta keep your eyes open for those memos!”
Curious human at Table 1: “Seriously. Why’re you wearing a tux?”
Me: [lengthy, exhausting explanation involving the time-wasting predilections of Zac Crain and the genesis of the bet and the payoff thereto]
They Turned Denton’s Fry Street Into Plano, Ctd.
Wait, did I speak too soon? Â The University of North Texas has an exciting announcement:
UNT is battling the epic heat with a new Emery Thompson batch freezer capable of producing 44 quarts of delicious ice cream in just over ten minutes.
The university decided to invest in the largest batch freezer available commercially last year in an effort to provide quality, all-natural frozen treats to students and the UNT community as a whole. This fall will be the first full semester that dining services will exclusively offer the UNT-made ice cream during dinner and late-night services at Kerr Hall, the university’s largest dining hall. Prepackaged containers of the ice cream currently are being offered as “Scrappy’s Ice Cream” in the University Union. The old standbys of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry are always offered, but dining also is offering a specialty flavor in the dining hall each night. So far, specialty flavors have included chocolate covered avocado, pineapple cilantro, candied ginger and apple pie ice cream.
Dining says that as far as they can tell, UNT is the first university in Texas to move to in-house ice cream.
Who said Denton ever lost its funk? Â And did UNT just take the lead in the race to become Dallas-Fort Worth’s first great university?
Burl Osborne, R.I.P.
I’m not sure why the DMN would put this news behind its paywall, but the paper’s former executive editor and publisher has passed. The first two graphs of the story:
Burl Osborne, who led The Dallas Morning News to a come-from-behind victory in one of the last great newspaper wars, died late Wednesday at UT Southwestern University Hospital. He was 75.
Mr. Osborne woke up not feeling well Wednesday. His death was not related to his kidney transplants, his family said.
Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Aug. 16
Sunshine on a mentally cloudy day.
Every time I’ve started to get a little crazy this week, I’ve pulled up this YouTube video of an adorable penguin named Ralph who has to wear a wetsuit because he gets sunburned. Sunburned! It’s so cute it makes my eyes water, and then I feel better about whatever it is that’s stressing me out or pissing me off. I’ve already forced my friends to watch it (One reaction: “What’s a sunburn?” Another: “I’m just glad that you are feeling a positive emotion even if it is for the world’s most pathetic penguin.”), so I figured, why not you guys?
Speaking of things that inspire intense emotion, there seem to be a number of folks up in arms about the fact that Downtown Dallas Inc.’s Thursday park pop-up happy hour series does not yet feature any local breweries. Solid effort to increase post-business hours foot traffic in our public spaces, though, DDI. Now get back to work pleasing 100% of people 100% of the time. Tonight’s location, revealed via Facebook and Twitter, is Ferris Plaza, where you can trade cash for Crispin cider, Shiner, Blue Moon, Coors Light, and other beers.
There’s also Art & Wine at the Station, which is about what it sounds like and takes place at the Mockingbird Station lofts. Everything benefits Café Momentum, the pop-up non-profit restaurant concept that trains at-risk kids in the culinary arts. You’ll taste wine from Times Ten Cellars, and the snacks are prepared by the Café Momentum crew. Dallas-based artists David McCollough (a regular at Kirk Hopper) and Michael Cross (who has a gallery in Mockingbird Station) are responsible for the art on view.
For more to do tonight, go here.
Yep, They Turned Denton’s Fry Street Into Plano
The Denton Record-Chronicle notes that the first residents (students, mostly) are moving into the brand spanking new Sterling Fry Street mixed-used development at the corner of Fry and Hickory streets in Denton, right across from the University of North Texas campus.
Early last year, I waxed nostalgic in the pages of D Magazine, about my many hours of youth misspent on that block. At the time the parcel of land had been sitting empty, in limbo, for three and a half years. I talked to the longtime owners of the much-beloved Tomato pizza joint, who had been forced from their building when developers swooped in and decided to create something new. There were hopes that the Tomato could return to Fry Street, though I doubted whether it could ever again be what it once had been without a space anywhere near as expansive or distinctive as the original restaurant’s.
Since then, some former employees of the Tomato have reopened under the old name, using the old recipes, in the nearby town of Sanger instead. And the Sterling project – with 194 apartments, a six-story parking garage, and 10,500 feet of retail space – finally got built. It’s surely a nightmare come true for people like cantankerous 70-something Bob Clifton, who told me for my story:
“The thing about Denton, the thing that attracts people to Denton, is Denton was a funky town. Musicians could come up here, 10 of them live in a f—ing house, dope flows like it’s going out style, everybody’s laid-back, not giving a s— about nothing, and it’s just funky,” he says. “They’re turning it into Plano.”
Puppeteer Takes on Africa
Darren Collins. Photo by Billy Surface
In our June issue, I introduced readers to Darren Collins. Collins is a puppeteer who gave up his house more than a year ago and decided to live in his car, on friends’ couches, or in backyards. I also mentioned that he planned to take his puppets to Africa to teach people about AIDS. Puppets have the freedom to say things humans can’t.
Well, Collins is in Africa. He’s been there for more than a month. He does updates about his time there nearly every day through Facebook. I’ve enjoyed reading his updates–sometimes they’re funny, sometimes they’re very sad, and other times they’re just great to see what it’s like to be a vagabond/puppeteer in a foreign country.
After the jump, I’m including a few of Collins’ more recent posts. Collins is hoping to stay in Africa for as long as possible. He’s meeting with various organizations and has found a team of puppeteers who want to work with him. He’s running out of money, though. If you want to help, go here.
How North Texas Could Have — But Didn’t — Discover the “God Particle” Before Europe
Imagine a time when eager young Republican congressmen from Texas pushed strongly for government spending on things like science and research. When conservatives actually thought that could mean an abundance of high-paying jobs and a stimulus to both the national and local economies. Crazy, right? It wasn’t so long ago, actually.
My friend Brantley Hargrove wrote the cover story in this week’s Dallas Observer, about the Super Collider, and how this region missed being on the forefront of history. From his story:
Thousands of physicists from all over the world, including [SMU physicist Ryszard] Stroynowski, pulled up stakes and migrated to the North Texas site as though it were Mecca, a holy place where the future of the field lay. They established physics departments at nearby universities and began construction of the Super Collider and the components they had to literally invent as they went along. But in 1993, after more than a decade of work and $2 billion spent, Congress canceled it. Its death rendered stillborn American hegemony in the physics world and drove a host of promising young minds from the field.
We also learn what’s become of the giant tunnels that would have led to one of humanity’s greatest discoveries. (Hint: it involves the mixing of fracking fluids.) Read Brantley’s entire story here.
Brek Shea Nutmegs Mexico’s Severo Meza, Leading To U.S. Gooooooooooooooooooal
Slouchy got this up over on Unfair Park earlier, but it’s too awesome not to share here also.
Don’t Spray Me, Bro
Mayor Rawlings’ office called the TV stations yesterday to ask for their help in getting the message out about West Nile virus. We didn’t get any such call here at D HQ. But we still want to help. So here’s a helpful video. Watch. Learn. Then take a look at the spray map to see if the poison will rain down tonight on your veggie plants and herbs. Then know that, according to North Haven Gardens, frost cloth or floating row cover will protect your plants from the poison. Then, finally, know this: only female mosquitoes bite. Not males. Just females.
Best of Big D Giveaways: $50 Gift Card to EatZi’s
Today’s prize in the Best of Big D Giveaway series is a $50 gift card to EatZi’s, the readers’ pick for Best Gourmet Shop and Best Bakery for Bread.
Leading Off (8/16/12)
Aerial Spraying For West Nile To Start Tonight. Taking a cue from Bill Pullman’s President Thomas Whitmore in Independence Day, Mayor Mike Rawlings will be piloting one of the planes himself. (The other will be flown by Tom “Viper” Skerritt.)
Brek Shea Helps Lead U.S. Men’s National Team To Historic Win Versus Mexico. Historic, as in: the U.S. soccer team hadn’t beaten Mexico in Mexico over 24 games going all the way back to 1937. Yeah, it was a friendly, BUT STILL.
Hawkins Romo Meets Crypt Keeper At Cowboys Training Camp. And smartly avoids eye contact. Solid hustle, Hawkins.
DISD Offering $500 Rewards For First Day Attendance. Probably not a terrible time to mention I didn’t actually finish high school, so I’m reenrolling.
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