Email Author Patrick Williams

2009 Stories by Patrick Williams

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  COVER STORY

  Buzz Gives '09 a One-Fingered Wave Goodbye

  published December 31, 2009

  Is it safe to come out yet? Is this horrifying, recessionary, alien-anal-probe of a year finally—finally!—over? Whew! It... More >>

• Challenger Eric Johnson Takes the High Road Against State Representative Terri Hodge, But Where Will It Lead Him?

  published December 24, 2009

  Brand control: Self-restraint has never been high on Buzz's list of virtues, as anyone who has ever seen our nicotine-stained fingers... More >>

• If the Rapture Comes Soon, At Least We Won't Have Rick Perry Anymore

  published December 10, 2009

  Burn, baby: Well, that's distressing. Here Buzz is, due to dispense our bit of weekly wisdom/news/crapola, but we just can't get into... More >>

• Pay to Stay: It's Tough Being an Immigrant, Unless You're Rich

  published December 3, 2009

  Pay to stay: If Emma Lazarus were alive and living in Dallas these days, she'd probably throw up. Lazarus—for those of you... More >>

• Federal Judge Barbara Lynn And The Observer Go Toe-To-Toe Over A Vague Legal Principle Known As The First Amendment

  published November 12, 2009

  Well-mannered: Well, that was awkward—one of those embarrassing breach-of-etiquette moments, like when some guy on the bus asks to... More >>

• Can a Good Democrat Vote for Perry?

  published November 5, 2009

  True confessions: Many of us carry some secret shame, a memory of youthful indiscretion that we'd rather no one else know. Maybe you... More >>

• Some Like It Hot

  published November 5, 2009

  You have to give the organizers of the Chile Pepperama Festival at Old Town Shopping Center credit. They don't shy away from asking the... More >>

• Rick Perry: Crazy or Crazy Like a Fox? Guess Which We Pick.

  published October 22, 2009

  Governor nutso: So, whaddya think? Is Governor Rick Perry crazy like a fox or just plain crazy? Dallas Morning News... More >>

• Governor Rick's re-election campaign has the feel of an infomercial as he multi-level markets for paid volunteers

  published October 1, 2009

  "Perry sets up pay for recruiters"—headline in The Dallas Morning News about Governor Rick Perry's Amway-like campaign program... More >>

• Buzz: Dont Blame The System

  published September 24, 2009

  Don't blame the system: We've been hearing a lot of chatter from commenters on the Observer's Web site about how former city... More >>

• Chicken Nuggets

  published September 24, 2009

  They're the kings of the barnyard, rulers of the roosts, clarions of dawn and a mighty fine artistic metaphor in virtually any medium. Just don't... More >>

• The Dallas City Council is Tackling Ethics Reform Behind Closed Doors. Anyone Else Have a Problem With That?

  published September 10, 2009

  Defining inanity: It's not often anything we read in The Dallas Morning News makes us laugh out loud, but we giggled last... More >>

• The Right Steals A Page From The Left’s Playbook And Scores

  published September 3, 2009

  Copy cats: You'd think the activist folks on the left of the political spectrum would be pretty chapped right about now. After all,... More >>

• A Chat with Carol Reed is Worth $10k? Let’s Hope She Speaks Really Slowly.

  published August 27, 2009

  Leaking dollars: Buzz is not what you'd call a materialistic person. A loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thou is paradise enow for us.... More >>

• Smokey dare: Maybe it's time to regulate marijuana like cigarettes

  published August 20, 2009

  Smoke 'em if you got 'em: Craig Johnson, executive director of ProtectYouth.org, a Dallas-based... More >>

• If Pay as You Go Works for City Council, Why Not Everyone?

  published August 13, 2009

  Immodest proposal: Buzz has yet to weigh in on the draconian budget cuts facing City Hall, which could spell layoffs for 840 city... More >>

• Judging Judges

  published August 6, 2009

  Oh, sure, Mr. Private Sector Wage Slave, you probably get formally evaluated by your boss every year. That annual review by your... More >>

• Mitchell Rasansky Speaks Up About Mayor Tom and the Trinity a Little Too Late

  published July 30, 2009

  Now he tells us: Regrets. Mitchell Rasansky has had a few—and not too few to mention. For example, the former city councilman now... More >>

• Recipes In The Rough

  published July 30, 2009

  There's plenty of shooting and fishing to be done at Rough Creek Lodge & Resort in Glen Rose--lots of trails to ride, an enormous swimming pool,... More >>

• Those New Smart Electricity Meters May Be Too Damned Smart

  published July 23, 2009

  Too smart: Buzz, being a geek, was pretty excited about the rollout of new-fangled "smart meters" in Texas by Oncor, the giant electric... More >>

• More Cops Means Less Service?

  published July 16, 2009

  Dallas two-step: Buzz has been a crime victim four times in Dallas: one car break-in, two break-ins of a shed and one home burglary that... More >>

• The Germans Declare Victory is Theirs

  published July 9, 2009

  Victory smells: It is wrong to kick a man when he's down or rub salt in another's wounds. Very un-Christian. But what the heck?... More >>

• Go On, Have Sex. Do It for Big D.

  published July 2, 2009

  Just do it: This can't be right. A highly unscientific "Trojan Pleasure Survey" undertaken by the condom maker finds that Houstonians... More >>

• Dope opera: A New York music prof takes aim at Dallas' new arts center. Misses.

  published June 11, 2009

  Geographically clueless: This week, we give a Buzz salute to Cornell University associate music professor David Yearsley. (A Buzz salute... More >>

• Avi Exposes Another Troublemaker on Greenville -- Himself

  published June 4, 2009

  Going batty: Buzz has always been kind of fond of Avi Adelman—a position not common among many of our readers, who would prefer to... More >>