Whitt’s End: 6.10.11

Whether you’ve reached the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt’s End: *In 31 years of basketball, the Dallas Mavericks have won a combined (regular season and playoffs) 1,349 games. One more in Miami either Sunday or Tuesday and they are NBA Champions…

Suddenly, the Morning News Cares About Minority Neighborhoods

Let’s talk about sincerity. It’s awfully easy to take a certain position on an issue and be sincere about it when that position happens to coincide with the interests of your boss. We speak here of The Dallas Morning News editorial page and its campaign against scrap yards near mainly…

Baby Buggy Buggers: And You Thought Hummers Were Obnoxious

Went to NorthPark Center in fancy North Dallas a few afternoons ago. Don’t go often. Already have all the monogrammed Kleenex I need. But let me ask you something. What is it with the triple baby carts? You know I’m not making this up. You’ve seen it. There are people…

Whitt’s End: 6.3.11

[jump] *Last night has to be psychologically devastating to Miami. Remember after the Mavs lost Game 3 in ’06 very similarly — they were up 13 with six minutes left — they never showed up in Game 4, eventually losing by 24 in a no-contest blowout. *Poor Dallas Stars. No…

A Seven-Point Plan for Screwing Up Higher Ed

My poor son is the child of two writers. When he was still preadolescent, his mother wrote something about him for a newspaper or magazine article, I forget which. His teacher saw it and showed it to the class. He came home and said to us in a very grave…

Happy Memorial Day — 2011

Osama Bin Laden is dead. But the fight — and the hefty price — to fend off terrorists around the globe lives on. Just yesterday, for example, eight more American soldiers were confirmed dead in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Sad, but let’s face it, we’ve become numb to the numbers…

Whitt’s End: 5.27.11

Whether you’ve reached the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt’s End:   *Hey, remember the shooting incident involving former Richardson Berkner High School football star Aqib Talib that I told you about in March? So does a Dallas County grand jury, which…

Is Spanglish Something to Celebrate?

Dear Mexican: I’m a Spanish court interpreter in Santa Barbara, California; I’ve also worked in Los Angeles courts. I just read your most recent column regarding the promotion of the learning and practicing of English by Latinos in the United States. Generally, I agree with your view. But my question…

Dealey Plaza Redo: Beware the Goon Squads

Yesterday’s city council committee briefing on restoring Dealey Plaza was all very well. The well-intended and the well-heeled have joined together to raise money for a well-designed refurbishing of the place where President John F. Kennedy was … well, you know … shot. I’m sure it will be well done…