Wuh-Oh: Lamar Smith Doesn’t Take Scott McClellan Seriously

For those not keeping track of D.C. doings this a.m., former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan is talking to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary. And, for one, Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith, the Republican from our great state’s 21st Congressional District, isn’t terribly pleased about the…

Pardon, But a Princeton Prof’s Pop is Making Moonshine in Dallas?

Tennessee Tech University Harrison Hong’s a highly regarded 37-year-old professor of economics and finance at Princeton University. He’s written articles with titles like “A Unified Theory of Underreaction, Momentum Trading and Overreaction in Asset Markets” and “Does Fund Size Erode Mutual Fund Performance? The Role of Liquidity and Organization” –…

Interested in Building Nine Homes in West Dallas in Seven Days?

Never too early to make plans for November, especially since you need to act between July 2-11 in order to make the date. That’s when Whirlpool Corporation’s accepting applications for its Building Blocks Annual Community Build, during which Whirlpool and Habitat for Humanity will marshal their forces to build danged…

Angela Hunt Has Your Bunny

Well, OK, maybe it’s not your bunny. But it’s somebody’s, because the kindly council member swears her temporary house guest isn’t a wild hare: “He’s a tame bunny,” she says. “It’s apparent he’s house-trained.” And she’d like him back in the house in which he belongs, which is why she…

In Dallas, You May Not Be Murdered. But Your Stuff’ll Get Stolen.

Yesterday, during our weekly staff meeting, the question was raised concerning the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report for 2007, a preliminary version of which was released last week. We wondered if perhaps we’d missed it in The News; all I can find concerning the report’s release is this very general Associated…

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? No, Not You.

Fascinating piece in the new Economist about how some Americans are choosing the neighborhoods to which they’re moving — based on a little something called “political segregation.” Using Bill Bishop’s new book The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart as its jumping-off point, the…

DFW International Has New Web Site. Wow, Just in Time!

A Friend of Unfair Park, by which I mean The Big Bossman, shot me a missive early this morning in which he alerted me to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport’s revamped Web site. Seems it’s a big deal now, what with the real-time Flight Tracker and search engine that allows you…

Is Koons’ “Balloon” Sexual? Depends on Your “Cipher.”

A close-up of Jeff Koons’ “Balloon Flower (Magenta),” from the Christie’s interview with the artist As we noted last month, Howard and Cindy Rachofsky are selling one of their beloved sculptures: Jeff Koons’ “Balloon Flower (Magenta).” Christie’s will handle the sale on June 30, so the Rachofskys can expand their…

Boston

On March 9, 2007, Paul Rudd walked into a room in the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin wearing a faded T-shirt bearing the iconic Boston logo from the band’s 1976 debut—the spaceship with the blue flame, or whatever. “Dig the shirt,” I told Rudd. “It’s for Brad,” said the actor,…

Weezer

Fucking Weezer. Rivers C. and the other dudes (till Matt Sharp returns, who cares?) make one-third of a decent record—pure pop for now people, if your “now” happens to be somewhere between the blue debut and Pinkerton. “Troublemaker” goes nowhere, but it’s a catchy rut nonetheless; “Pork and Beans” is…

Coldplay

Upon first listen: amiable and ambitious, a step in the right direction after the overcooked banalities of 2005’s X&Y—which, still, had its share of keepers (“Fix You,” “Till Kingdom Come,” “Low”). Upon second listen: well-produced wallpaper courtesy Brian Eno, who can and will make every band with whom he works…

You’re a Wiener, Day Two! Meat the Man Known As “Meat Sweat”

Marc Laureys: a little man with a big appetite for Skittles and meat Yesterday, we told you about Dallas’ first-ever qualifier for the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest and introduced you to homegrown rookie Bryan “The Chazzer” Lipchitz. In his Q&A, Lipchitz said he hopes…