It’s December, and the world may be ending soon. The sparkly silver lining: we get to see Dallas dressed up in her holiday finest one last time before surrendering to the ever-reliable Mayan calendar. This weekend, the stars aligned to kick off this festive season in style. Friday, the Gallery…
Eric has already noticed The New York Times piece this morning focused on Dallas’ own G. Brint Ryan as a sort of national go-to fixer for companies seeking generous tax breaks from state and local government. The Times piece reports the hard side of those tax breaks — the screws…
Had it again last night. The nightmare. The one where I work for The Dallas Morning News. Woke up with the sweats. It’s always the same. The story meeting. In my dream the editor leading the meeting is this huge dude named Bob-George in a baggy gray suit and wingtips…
Two experts from the Monterrey Institute of International Studies have an op-ed piece in The New York Times this morning advocating the abandonment of the National Flood Insurance Program, which is about to stick us taxpayers for $57 billion in rebuilding costs from Hurricane Sandy. If the experts want to…
Dear Mexican: In President Bush’s State of the Union address, he reiterated a need for a guest worker program. What is your opinion of such a program? UNA GUERITA POR UN MUNDO SIN MUROS Dear Gabachita for a World Without Border Walls: Sorry I’m answering your question — what, five…
On November 22 of next year, Dallas will observe The 50th. No, not Dallas’ 50th. Not your 50th. THE 50th. The 50th anniversary of mm-mm. We’re not supposed to say what mm-mm is. At a media event last week to announce plans for The 50th, Mayor Mike Rawlings said, “The…
Two things to start. 1) Don’t know much about architecture. 2) Tim Rogers and his wife probably are not cannibals. Or anything like that. You know what I mean. Rogers, the editor of D Magazine, and his wife, Christine, part owner of a public relations company that has done work…
If you go to the Curtain Club or Liquid Lounge and ask for Mark, chances are you’re not going to be pointed in this guy’s direction. He’s not only known as “Whit” to those on the corner of Main and Crowdus, but to everyone chummy with him since about eighth…
Damn! Who the hell is in my pocket? This morning’s New York Times tells me Senate hearings will convene Thursday on the issue of cell phone privacy. I convened yesterday. My wife was complaining about banner ads appearing on the display of her flip-phone. The thing is: She has to…
When you get a call from Blake Ward, notorious for his Glamorama party at Beauty Bar, kindly calling you a tastemaker and asking you to do a guest hour on the decks at The Dram, you smile, agree and then panic about what hour of music you are going to…
A wonderful Thanksgiving behind me, having managed to enjoy generous hospitality in Wichita Falls while keeping my mouth shut about Obama. But now it’s the morning after, and Monsieur Gilles de la Tourette beckons. I blame a thought-provoking piece on today’s Dallas Morning News op-ed page by the Reverend Gerald…
Dear Mexican: My granddaughters were born and raised in Georgia, as was their father. Their knowledge of their culture is zero, and I have tried to educate them by talking to them and even writing a book of my life growing up in New Mexico. I even encouraged them to…
Look, you did not hear this here, OK? I don’t want to have any of this attributed to me. Anyway, it’s possible I overdid my Benadryl and maybe this is just one of those brain swerves like when I thought we were going to get bike paths. But I can’t…
Damn. Now I have to send Roland Dickey’s barbecue book back to him. I got it a few days back. It was a gift. I looked it up online, and it’s worth about 45 bucks with shipping. I want to say something positive about his wife today, so if I…
Spent the first part of morning searching around on-line for anything to remind me why Rod Dreher and I used to fight. No luck, really. When he was here working on The Dallas Morning News editorial board, he lived on my old street in East Dallas, and I think we…
It’s been almost two years since we talked to booker Scott Beggs for this column. He was one of the first approached for it, as he’s done a lot for Dallas and Deep Ellum’s entertainment intake through the years, but his most recent gig booking for LaGrange came to an…
As a teenager, I remember eating breakfast at a friend’s home after spending the night. We were all gathered, about to take some little sister types get their photo taken with Santa Claus. My friend’s grandmother used to be a shop girl at Neiman Marcus, and told us stories of…
So a couple weeks ago Angela Hunt calls me up and tells me I have to go down to the new deck park. Then maybe two days later my wife starts telling me I have to go down to the new deck park. So Sunday I was about to embark…
Every once in a while life provides us with a major reality check, which can be good or bad, depending on our relationship with reality. The news yesterday that the massive reconstruction of Dallas’ downtown freeways is about to get under way at long last contained one very big reality…
The story in today’s Dallas Morning News about Dallas Cowboys football player Dez Bryant getting off on mom-beating charges contains this line about Bryant’s lawyer, state Senator Royce West: “West said the incident was a dispute, not an assault.” The woman called DeSoto cops and said her son had tried…
Dear Mexican: Lately, I’ve noticed a few bands, como Voodoo Glow Skulls, have embraced ska music both at home and in Mexico. I was curious what the appeal is for Mexicans. Also, if you had to turn people to Mexican ska, what would be your top five recommendations? TOMMY MILAGROS…
Last week I attended a Dallas City Council briefing in which I heard a top staff member tell council members the city needs to spend $12 million in tax money on a “horse park” because it “fills the public purpose that voters have twice said they want.” I’m a voter…
