Articles for February 19th, 2013
Secret Twin Peaks Expansion Memo Revealed
A lot of folks are less than enthusiastic about the news that Twin Peaks will open a restaurant in Mockingbird Station. Alice Laussade posed this question on Twitter: “Will Angelika still offer Cry Baby matinees, and if so, will Twin Peaks offer Twin Leaks lunch specials for breastfeeding moms?” It’s a fair question that deserves an answer.
Well, if the breastaurant’s expansion into what we all thought was an urbane setting has you riled, then wait till you read the corporate email that FrontBurner has obtained. I know a guy who knows a guy who has a cousin who, with a combination of SQL injection and social engineering, hacked into the email server of Twin Peaks’ parent company, which happens to be called Front Burner Restaurants. Have a look:
John Mackey Still Doesn’t Like Obamacare
John Mackey, CEO and co-founder of Austin-based Whole Foods Market, is something of an enigma. Mackey runs a “hippie” grocery store and is a strong believer in something called conscious capitalism, arguing that companies need servant leaders, empowered employees and a higher purpose than just making money. At the same time he’s a fierce proponent of unfettered free enterprise and a staunch critic of crony capitalism (see: the bank bailouts) and Obamacare. In fact he found himself in hot water last month for referring to the president’s health-care reform as “fascism,” a word he later apologized for.
It’s “one of those ‘F’ words you’re not allowed to utter in our society,” Mackey told a luncheon meeting of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth today, without addressing the flap further. Earlier, he was asked whether equating Obamacare with fascism was causing any fallout for Whole Foods. “Yeah, journalists keep asking me about it,” he replied. “I wasn’t trying to start a controversy. I was just answering a question and tried to be accurate. I was thinking philosophically, but that term has a lot of baggage. So now I just call it government-controlled health care. I’m a capitalist, but we do not have capitalism in health care—and haven’t for 50 years. And now we have a lot less.”
Mackey will make another local appearance at the Preston/Forest Whole Foods tonight around 6, when he’ll be interviewed by Container Store CEO Kip Tindell, a pal since their days together at UT-Austin.
What Caused A Dozen Fire-Rescue Trucks To Come Downtown?
I was alerted via Twitter user @FoodSparks that there was a situation developing downtown, not terribly far from our offices: “What’s going on downtown? 2 ladder trucks, 6 other full size fire trucks, and multiple fire & rescue vehicles???” When I arrived at the site, Dallas Fire-Rescue, according to a bystander, had just rescued a man who had apparently fallen down a manhole, under the building on Elm next door to the Majestic. He was being loaded out on a gurney, but appeared responsive. I hope he is OK. Pics after the jump.
Clive Davis Called Burleson Native Kelly Clarkson a ‘Sh*tty Writer Who Should Be Grateful For The Gifts That He Bestows’
Let’s go straight to the source, KellyClarkson.com:
So I just heard Clive Davis is releasing a memoir and spreading false information about me and my music. I refuse to be bullied and I just have to clear up his memory lapses and misinformation for myself and for my fans. It feels like a violation. Growing up is awesome because you learn you don’t have to cower to anyone – even Clive Davis.
First, he says I burst into “hysterical sobbing” in his office when he demanded Since You Been Gone be on my album. Not true at all. His stories and songs are mixed up. I did want more guitars added to the original demo and Clive did not. Max, Luke and I still fought for the bigger sound and we prevailed and I couldn’t be more proud of the life of that song. I resent him dampening that song in any way.
But, yes, I did cry in his office once. I cried after I played him a song I had written about my life called “Because Of You.” I cried because he hated it and told me verbatim that I was a “sh*tty writer who should be grateful for the gifts that he bestows upon me.” He continued on about how the song didn’t rhyme and how I should just shut up and sing. This was devastating coming from a man who I, as a young girl, considered a musical hero and was so honored to work with.
But I continued to fight for the song and the label relented. And it became a worldwide hit. He didn’t include that in the book.
Team Kelly, all day. Listening to Since U Been Gone on loop for the remainder of the day, in solidarity.
Hood County Woman Arrested For Calling 911, Asking For Cigarettes
There’s some (barely) foul language in this 911 tape, but it’s worth it. The conclusion — “I think I’ve dialed the wrong number.” — takes the cake.
No, Dallas Isn’t a True ‘Baseball Town.’ But That Doesn’t Mean We Don’t Love Our Rangers
If you have any interest in sports at all, you likely heard elsewhere about former-Texas-Rangers/now-Los-Angeles-Angels-of-Anaheim player Josh Hamilton telling CBS 11′s Gina Miller on Sunday that Dallas isn’t ”a true baseball town.”
Hamilton wasn’t saying anything that any reasonable person could disagree with, assuming any reasonable person was considering whether baseball or violence-punctuated-by-committee-meetings is first in the hearts of North Texas fans. But Grant Brisbee of SB Nation makes the point today that sports fandom isn’t a binary choice.
Why can’t a person await breathlessly the latest reports about Tony Romo’s valiant offseason struggles to ward off athlete’s foot, while also calling himself a true-blue (or red, depending on which color the team is wearing that day) Rangers fan?
Brisbee’s got some simple, compelling data that Dallas-Fort Worth supports the Rangers just about as well as any other baseball city in the country. Rangers fans were showing up fairly well even when the team was lousy:
Amazon Should Buy Fort Worth-based Radio Shack
Photo: StockMonkeys.com
When’s the last time you were in a Radio Shack? For me it was two months ago, and I bought an overpriced headphone splitter. I was honestly surprised it still existed. The Fort Worth-based company has lost nearly 90 percent of its value in the past three years and is now worth only $325 million (down from $2.7 billion only two years ago), stamped out of the market by Amazon and other online retailers. Highlighting the reversal: Amazon has recently taken to installing lockers at RadioShacks where customers can pick up packages in a secure location.
Quartz, the Atlantic‘s business-news offshoot, says the online marketplace should just take the whole plunge:
The scenario of Amazon acquiring an ailing brick-and-mortar retailer like RadioShack, Sears or Best Buy (the latter two of which have market caps in the $5 billion range), has been talked about in the tech and dealmaker community. Such a move could give Amazon regional warehouses, a place for customers to pick up deliveries, and a storefront for popular items.
These locations could help Amazon as it expands into areas such as groceries that could benefit from same-day delivery or pickup. They might even become virtual showrooms where shoppers can place orders.
There are downsides, of course. By creating brick-and-mortar locations, Amazon could no longer avoid the sales taxes it has skipped on since its inception.
A Bowler Hat Recently Showed Up in the Cedars
A few different sources have written about this new installation, but (no offense) it’s probably cooler to watch a video about it.
Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Feb. 19
Ra ra for Ra Ra Riot.
It should come as a surprise to precisely no one that Mike Tyson’s Undisputed Truth tour is DOA. So you can’t go see that particular trainwreck tonight. I know you’re all disappointed. Speaking of trainwrecks, yes, I was on D TV this morning.
Ra Ra Riot is one of those bands that I don’t necessarily set out to listen to very often, but whenever they pop up on shuffle, I’ll stop and listen to everything I’ve got. Their first album, The Rhumb Line, is generally considered their best effort, with bright strings and broody bass worthy of Angel himself. Thus, Beta Love, which features two less string-playing members and way more synth, doesn’t even really resemble the Ra Ra Riot of old. Opinions seem split on whether this new sound works for them, but the DMN’s Mario Tarradell thinks it’s the first great release of 2013, so you may interpret that as you wish. Still, their concerts are not for the lethargic, and this new album provided a reason for them to come to town. Along with opening act Pacific Air, they’re playing the Kessler Theater in Oak Cliff, an excellent venue for just about any band, and hands down one of the best for pre-and-post concert food and drink. I like Nova, since not only can you get a great meal (they have vegan and veggie friendly stuff, too) but they stay open late.
Also this evening, the Dallas Architecture Forum hosts a panel discussion at the Dallas Center for Architecture about architecture. Surprised Specifically, the panelists, which include Brent Brown, director of the City of Dallas’ City Design Studio, Larry Hamilton, CEO of Hamilton Properties, Theresa O’Donnell, Director of Sustainable Development and Construction for City of Dallas, and Ken Hughes, president of Hughes Development LP, will talk about the changes Dallas has seen since the early 2000s. It’s moderated by Coy Talley, the Perot Museum’s landscape architect, and completely free for the curious.
For more to do tonight, go here.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins: We Should Expand Medicaid
In an editorial in the Texas Tribune today, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins split from the majority of Texas pols (but not their constituents) and endorsed an expansion of Medicaid in the state:
Dallas County has 672,681 residents who are uninsured — 28.1 percent of the population. Expanding Medicaid would provide eligibility to an additional 133,000 citizens, add $580.5 million in annual Medicaid funds to Dallas County, and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in additional economic activity, providing Dallas County and other large counties with the opportunity to cut local taxes while simultaneously dramatically improving coverage and economic competitiveness. Conversely, failure to participate will place our taxpayers in the position of covering other states’ expansion with our federal taxes while continuing to pay the full cost of our own expansion population with local taxes…
…Now is the time to seize the opportunity. The Texas Medicaid population represents a significant portion of the critical mass needed for national expansion to reach its objective. As other states opt in, critical mass grows without us. Since the first three years of expansion are covered by federal tax dollars, drawing down our fair share as soon as possible is only prudent.
Dallas State Rep. Eric Johnson has filed a bill to expand the state’s Medicaid program in accordance with the Affordable Care Act. Rick Perry is not impressed.
Ed Bark’s Take on D: The Broadcast
Someone told me that Ed Bark, former TV critic for the Dallas Morning News, wrote “a really mean review of the show.” I’ve tangled with Bark before. I was looking forward to a good hate-read and an opportunity to fire back at him here on FrontBurner. You know what, though? I agree with everything he said. Yes, The Broadcast and D Living are a bit of an odd fit with the rest of KTXD’s lineup. That discordance will fade as we come up with ideas for new shows in the coming months (and years). And, yes, Suzie Humphreys is the sea anchor of the show. Or, as Bark put it: “Humphreys serves as the Ma Barker of this mix, but with a lot more starch in her. And she knows a crock when she sees or hears one, which viewers witnessed very early in the game Monday. … It’s [hard] to imagine what D: The Broadcast would be without Humphreys. It might just float away.”
This morning’s show brought a couple more examples of Humphreys’ greatness. At one point, Courtney Kerr said something about a hashtag. Humphreys jumped in and said, “Now, what is a hashtag?” Coming out of anyone else’s mouth, the question would have sounded stupid, out of touch. But Humphreys’ twangy delivery was shot through with something else. Call it wisdom. To my ear, her questions sounded like: “What the heck are you saying? Do you realize how silly people sound when they pepper polite conversation with neologisms like ‘hashtag’? This, too, shall pass.”
Anyway, I’m with Bark. Humphreys is the early leader in the clubhouse. Once more: for U-Verse, DirecTV, and Dish customers, it’s on Channel 47. On Time Warner, it’s Channel 24. Verizon is Channel 18. Charter is 22.
Dwaine Caraway’s Fingerprints Are All Over the City’s Black History Month Talent Show
City officials just sent over a release about its Black History Month talent showcase, taking place March 1 at Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center. Disregard for a second that the talent show is actually not during Black History Month, and look at one one of the guidelines:
Performers must keep their content and lyrics clean, with no profanity, and dressed in family-friendly attire (baggy style acceptable but no sagging)
Hmm. Okay. Will there be someone at the showcase with a ruler, deeming the difference between baggy and sagging? Or is it a belt issue? Either way, I’m sure Councilman Dwaine Caraway had a say in all this.
Belmont Addition: Not a Great Place to Live If You Want to Build a New Home
If you have a half-hour or so, check out this piece on BarkingDogs.org, the site run by rabble-rouser/ community organizer/ parade hater Avi Adelman. It includes: an over-reaching (?) conservation district, City Hall, City Council candidate Philip Kingston, and a couple trying to build a home on Goliad Avenue. Excerpt:
Such a battle is taking place over 5902 Goliad Avenue. Before the land was turned, the enforcers harassed and insulted the Brittany and Dusty, who simply wanted to build a house as soon as they applied for a building permit and CD review. It’s too tall, it’s too high, it’s too off grade, and on and on and on. Even when Brittany and Dusty fought back, saying the demands by the CD were not in the CD’s rules or City Code, the enforcement committee kept pushing, and harassing and threatening them to force subjugation. There was a meeting in the Kingston home between the so-called enforcement committee and Brittany and Dusty – and Britany clearly knew the City and CD rules better than anyone on that committee.
It should be noted that the antagonist in Adelman’s story — Kingston’s wife Melissa — has sued Adelman before. So, grains of salt, etc.
Here Are Two Bobcats Screaming at Each Other in A Carrollton Neighborhood
If I’ve learned anything from this video, it’s that bobcats make the worst noise known to man, after every Supertramp song ever recorded. That and I’d probably keep the kids locked inside for a few weeks if I lived in Carrollton.
Leading Off (2/19/13)
Dallas DA Craig Watkins Thumbs His Nose at the Court. You’ve been following this (paywall), right? You haven’t? Okay, let me get you up to speed. DA Craig Watkins and super rich lawyer Lisa Baron are totally besties 4ever. Lisa doesn’t like Al Hill III, because even though he’s a Hunt and should have tons of money, he doesn’t want to give any of it to Lisa, who at one point tried to get even more money for Al from his father, whose name is Al Hill Jr. He used to live in Dallas. I’m talking about Al Hill III, not his father. Now he lives in Atlanta. Again, still talking about the younger Al Hill. But so anyway, right before Al was supposed to go to court to talk about all the money that Lisa says he owes her, Craig initiated a criminal case against Al for mortgage fraud. So then Al was all like, “With this criminal thing hanging over my head, I can’t go to court and defend myself against Lisa. You two are totally ganging up on me!” That right there, in certain legal circles, is called prosecutorial misconduct. So State District Judge Lena Levario wanted to hear about this whole thing, and she said, “People, don’t make me do this on Valentine’s Day! If you don’t stop it this instant, I will make you all come to my court on Valentine’s Day.” And that’s what she did. Only guess what? Craig was all like, “Talk to the hand.” On Valentine’s Day, he sent his assistants to court, and they were like, “Craig’s not coming. Take that, beeyotches! That’s how you protect the sanctity of prosecutorial investigations. And, anyway, he’s sick. Yes, yes, he’s in the office right now. He’s not that sick. He’s not, like, vomiting chunks. But he’s not feeling awesome enough to come to court.” In an editorial today, the Dallas Morning News got all sour facey about the whole deal. And now you’re up to speed.
Former Saginaw Cop Loses His Ess on Video. I am writing this post on an 8-year-old MacBook running woefully out-of-date version of Safari, so I can’t watch the video myself, but you’ll probably want to watch this vid of Andrew Peterson. Because that’s the kind of person you are.
Man Kills Baby Because He Had a Bad Hangover. Dammit. The world can be an ugly place.
Home |
Masthead |
News from D |
About Us |
Contact Us |
Subscribe |
Advertise |
Privacy Policy |
Customer Service |
Awards | Archives | Reprints | d custom | Jobs | Advertiser's Index
Awards | Archives | Reprints | d custom | Jobs | Advertiser's Index