Anti-environment Texas Legislature at it again

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse down in Austin comes word that tomorrow the House Committee on Environmental Regulation will hear testimony on HB 4012, which, among other things, would eliminate the contested-case hearing process, just about the only opportunity ordinary citizens who care about air quality have to challenge a power plant permit.

Two years ago Gov. Hair, who has never once been on the side of environmental quality, tried to protect coal plants from regulation but was overruled by the courts. Now the legislature is trying to achieve what the governor couldn't.

Rep. Lon Burnam of Fort Worth is one of the few true environmentalists in the Texas House of Representatives and he is a member of this committee. Give his Austin office a call (512-463-0740) and voice your opposition to HB 4012.

Disney's 1940 porno film

This weekend I picked up a copy of the recently released remastered Pinocchio, the 1940 animated version from the Walt Disney factory, as a present for my granddaughter. After reading this lengthy essay from GQ's Tom Carson, I'm not sure I did the right thing.

Sure, Pinocchio contains some disturbing images that could frighten some impressionable kiddies, especially the scenes where the kids turn into donkeys. But Carson makes the film sound absolutely pornographic:

"Children can also intuit sexuality long before they've got a clue what it is, and Pinocchio is the dirtiest Disney feature ever. The unavoidable Exhibit A is the Freudian no-brainer of the hero's lengthening proboscis, though I'd forgotten that in the scene when it happens he's a) locked in a cage and b) lying to the Blue Fairy, the only adult female in sight. As if the fact that "blue" was the contemporary slang for "dirty" wasn't enough, she's also drawn in an eroticized Maxfield Parrish style that has no equivalents elsewhere in Disney. When not only leaves but chirping little birdies sprout from his "nose's" tip at the scene's—wait, the word'll come to me—climax, the image is as pornographic as anything in a Tijuana bible. Even Betty Boop would blush."

I have always been accused of being somewhat naive, but I gotta tell ya I never had any "blue" thoughts when I saw Pinocchio as a child. What I always remembered was that it featured the best songs of any Disney movie ever -- "When You Wish Upon a Star," "I've Got No Strings," "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee (An Actor's Life for Me)," and "Give a Little Whistle." Great stuff.

Bruce's Austin setlist

Bruce Springsteen has always performed dynamite shows in Austin, ever since I first saw him at the Armadillo World Headquarters. Dallas has never been much of a Springsteen town, but Austin definitely is. He was selling out the Erwin Center in Austin while he was still playing the 1,500-seat Dallas Memorial Auditorium Theater.

Bruce played a two-hour, 55-minute show in Austin last night, the third show of his current tour. Here's the complete setlist:

Badlands

Outlaw Pete

My Lucky Day

Prove It All Night

Out in the Street

Working on a Dream

Seeds

Johnny 99

Youngstown

Working on the Highway

Sherry Darlin'

She's the One

Because the Night

Waitin' on a Sunny Day

The Promised Land

The Wrestler

Kingdom of Days

Radio Nowhere

Lonesome Day

The Rising

Born to Run

ENCORES:

Hard Times

Jungleland

Tenth Ave. Freezeout

I'm a Rocker

Land of Hope and Dreams

American Land

Glory Days

The Boss planted "Seeds" last night in Austin

'Young Turk' questions our desire to curb gun violence

Cenk Uygyur is the host of The Young Turks, the first ever live, daily web television talk show. The Young Turks are available from 7 to 9 a.m.. providing you have access to XM Satellite Radio (Channel 167). The show also has partnership deals on the web with You Tube, AOL, Airamerica.com and TidalTV.com. The Young Turks is one of the Top 100 You Tube Partners, with over 3 million views a month on their You Tube Channel.

Cenk Uygur is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania - Wharton School of Business and Columbia University Law School. He worked as a lawyer, television writer and television host before starting The Young Turks. Cenk also blogs on Huffington Post, Daily Kos, Politico and AOL Newsbloggers.

I say all this just to assure you he is not someone who just fell off the back of the turnip truck. An article he wrote appeared today on the Huffington Post which asks the question "How many shootings do there have to be in the news before we wonder about the wisdom of allowing just about anyone to get a gun in America?" It's a question I have posed here before and, when I do, I always receive tons of responses from the gun advocates, who continue to argue the same old tired NRA rhetoric that makes absolutely no sense in a civilized society. Their argument is basically "We need to be able to shoot them before they shoot us." Tell that to the five children who were shotgunned to death in Washington recently by their own father. The gun nuts' response would be we need to provide those children with concealed weapons so they could defend themselves.

What was it that Bob Dylan asked 45 years ago now? "How many deaths will it take till we know that too many people have died?"

Texas legislators remove democracy from the legislative process

There are two sides to the issue of the embryonic stem cell research, and both sides are passionate about their reasoning. I have no problem with that. Let the debate begin.

What I don't like -- in fact, what I absolutely abhor -- is when one side of the issue tries to force its will on the majority without any debate, without any discussion, whatsoever.

That is exactly what is going in the Texas Legislature where some unknown legislator (he or she doesn't even have the courage to come out of the shadows and admit this heinous act) has inserted an obscure rider into the state budget that says "No funds appropriated under this Act shall be used in conjunction with or to support research which involves the destruction of a human embryo."

According to a letter written by Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, "under this provision, public universities (where much of this work is taking place) would be prohibited from such basic things as paying the salaries of some researchers or the electricity bills for buildings where this research is taking place." But Watson also adds:

"The most remarkable thing, however, isn’t the action; it’s the way it happened. There was no notice that this rider was up for a vote, the committee didn’t discuss it at all, and no one was given the opportunity to testify on it.This for a provision that could dictate whether Texas will lead in the biomedical industries that rise from this research, attract researchers who will power the 21st Century economy, and play a role in developing cures to horrible diseases and afflictions."

Watson, of course, has personal ties to this subject:

"I naturally support any ethical, humane form of research into cures for the cancer that killed both of my parents and dramatically impacted me, or the Type 1 diabetes that keeps my oldest son on what amounts to a life-support system (albeit one that gives him a healthy, productive, active life).Embryonic stem cell research has the potential to treat, prevent and cure these and other diseases. Scientists can work with these cells to study how organs develop and become damaged. And they might find cures that will lead the body to re-create healthy cells and organs in the place of sickened ones."

But whether you agree with Watson's views on this are beside the point. What's important here is the way this is underhandedly being sneaked into law. I thought Texas was supposed to be a democracy, a place where both sides would present their arguments, the legislature would act based on those arguments and then voters would decide which of those legislators to re-elect and which to send home, based on their votes on this and other issues. But I was wrong.

Texas is a place where the entire legislative process is rigged, created to avoid public scrutiny, to allow legislators to circumvent the wishes of those who elected them in order to suit their own agendas. Or, as Senator Watson put it, "It’s wrong to pass the most important laws in ways that people are the least likely to see."

20 Things To Do With Matzah

Thanks to a dear friend now residing Allen for the tip that led me to this fun video.

Environmental outlaws

Better be careful what you dump and here. You just might wind up here. You might even wind up here if you start talking about such local environmental and health hazards as this.

New movies to be released tomorrow on DVD

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) *½ An alien named Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) is sent to Earth to warn the leaders of the world about the consequences of their dangerous ways. This botched remake seriously dishonors the seriously fine 1951 sci-fi landmark on which it’s based.

Donkey Punch (2009) *½ In a coastal Mediterranean paradise, seven people take their nonstop party from a nightclub to a luxury yacht far out to sea. When one of them mysteriously dies in a freak accident, the others come to blows over how to deal with the situation. A workmanlike thriller that works as an auto-critique of mainstreamed Internet-age hedonism.

Doubt (2008) *** In a Catholic elementary school in the Bronx, Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) begins to have doubts about one of the priests, Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who seems to have become overly involved in the life of a young African American pupil. Cinematically, this is something of a dud. But if it remains a play, it’s an ingeniously structured one, with smart, thought-provoking words spoken by fabulous actors, and how often do most of us get to see one of those, whether in three dimensions or two?

I.O.U.S.A. (2008) *** A documentary that examines several of the ways America can get its economy back on the right track. Equal parts enlightening and alarming.

Not Easily Broken (2009) *½ The trials and tribulations of Dave (Morris Chestnut) and Clarice Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), a married couple forced to reevaluate the strength of their bond after Clarice is injured in a car accident. These resourceful actors — to say nothing of the audience — deserve better.

The Tale of Despereaux (2008) ** Despereaux (voiced by Matthew Broderick) is different from other mice: He reads books, has ears too big for his too-small body and loves the human Princess Pea (Emma Watson). With his friend, a rat named Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman), Despereaux sets out to escape the castle dungeon and win the girl of his dreams. A little slow for the very youngest kids — though the messages it imparts are certainly ones you’ll want them to hear.

Yes Man (2008) ** As an antidote to unhappiness, Carl (Jim Carrey) resolves to say "yes" to everything that comes his way. The biggest problem with this movie is not that it’s mediocre, dull, or barely written (though it’s guilty on all counts). It’s that Carrey himself is miscast.

I'm sorry, Mayor, but I just don't understand your reasoning here

On his Transportation Blog today, Michael Lindenberger of the Dallas Morning News had the following quote from Da Mayor concerning the levees and the proposed toll road in the Trinity River Corridor Project:

The genesis of this project was improving flood protection. So from the start, we fully expected that the components - including the Parkway - would be a part of that fix and must enhance the level of flood protection for Dallas. That planning must not stop because it only will delay the fixes longer. For instance, the Parkway component will enhance flood protection along its length with a wider and higher levee.

Someone needs to explain to me in language that I can understand (admittedly, that means simplistic) how the toll road will "enhance the level of flood protection for Dallas." At the same time, tell me why you need a toll road in order to have "a wider and higher levee."

Found a copy of the new Wolverine movie

Now you can see it for yourself right here.

News Notes

1. This may seem like a long sentence, but in reality he will be eligible for parole in November of 2457.

2. I'm trying to find out what part of "preserve and protect" this guy doesn't understand.

3. Back in my day, we got it with a ping-pong paddle, but I can't believe that these guys can't decide whether being hit with a canoe paddle constitutes child abuse. Of course it does.

What's in a name

For the same reason I would never trust anyone named Honest John Smith, I've usually found that individuals named Lucky aren't.

A pair of tragedies

You don't suppose this story and this one are connected in any way.

A message to the citizens of Dallas...

The link below will take you to a letter from Da Mayor asking Dallas voters to vote "no" on the propositions on the May ballot, one that would try to stop the construction of a Dallas Convention Center hotel and the other which would require voter approval of major future development projects in the city. Although I vehemently disagreed with "Hiz Honner" on the Trinity River Toll Road referendum, I'm on his side this time around. I have seen no logical argument -- only scare tactics based on faulty propositions -- against the hotel, but I have seen quite a bit of economic studies and results from other cities to support it. And the second proposal is just plain stupid, fostered upon us by a union whose own members are leaving it in droves. Thus, I give you the mayor's letter: A message to the citizens of Dallas...

Jason Witten likes him some Terrell Owens

Dallas Morning News sportswriter Calvin Watkins ran into (literally) tight end Jason Witten at a go-cart track yesterday and during the "course" of the afternoon asked Witten whether the Cowboys will be a better team this coming season now that Terrell Owens has shuffled off to Buffalo.

"I don't know about that," Witten said. "Terrell was a great player. I think I was a better player because of him and what he brought to the team. His track record speaks for itself. He has been good wherever he has been. He is going to help Buffalo a lot."

GOP plays April Fools joke on us

Does anyone else think it was more than just a coincidence that the Republicans issued their alternative budget plan -- one that would freeze discretionary spending, thus spiraling our economy into a Depression, and one that cuts taxes 10 percent for the super wealthy -- on April Fools Day?

As political writer Bob Cesca put it: "Congratulations, Republicans, you just released a budget that rewards wealthy corporate executives while blocking any attempt to dig us out of the economic catastrophe they created."

Goodbye to folks I never knew

Admission: I never saw a single episode of this show or this one. Now this admission should not be interpreted as my reflection on the quality of either program -- how could I ever judge a show's merits if I had never seen it? -- only that neither fit my tastes of programs I would take time out to watch.

We all have our preferences and ever since the first season of Ben Casey ended in 1962, medical shows have just never appealed to me because, well, too many of them come across like what I'm afraid watching a soap opera might be like. In fact, I can only recall two medically-related movies that appealed to me and both of them came out right around the same time, MASH and The Hospital. Which reminds me, would someone make The Hospital available on DVD?

My next car may be coming from China ... or not

In news that should make Detroit wince, China has adopted a plan designed at making that country one of the world's leading producer of hybrid and all-electric vehicles. According this story in today's New York Times:

"China wants to raise its annual production capacity to 500,000 hybrid or all-electric cars and buses by the end of 2011, from 2,100 last year, government officials and Chinese auto executives said. By comparison, CSM Worldwide, a consulting firm that does forecasts for automakers, predicts that Japan and South Korea together will be producing 1.1 million hybrid or all-electric light vehicles by then and North America will be making 267,000."

The story outlines the problems in such an effort, including the limitations and high cost of electric cars and the problems China is having with exploding batteries. But it also says the majority of Chinese are first-time car buyers so they really don't have much to compare the electric cars to.

Who really leaked "Wolverine"

A high-quality, full-length work print of the movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine appeared on line Tuesday evening and, although 20th Century Fox had the film removed from that first Web site, it continues to pop up on various file-sharing sites.

But how did it get onto the Internet in the first place? I'm hearing reports that this may all be part of some grand insurance protection deal. These reports say the movie is a dud, almost on the level of the recent Watchmen, but that the studio has insurance to protect them against box-office failures created by events other than the picture itself, i.e. making it available for free on-line.

Stay tuned.

New movies to be released tomorrow on DVD

Bedtime Stories (2008) *½ Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) is a down-on-his-luck guy who’s always telling bedtime stories to his niece and nephew, and whose life is turned upside down when these fantastical stories suddenly turn into reality. Sandler’s laziness, sloppiness, and cynical pandering are all over this film, and it turns what’s intended to be a graceful intersection of fairytale whimsy and real-world slapstick into an ugly, head-on collision.

This is going to require more than a thumb in the dike

The Dallas Morning News, on its transportation blog, contains an item today about yesterday's release of the Army Corps of Engineers' inspection report of the Trinity River's levees and its headline asks "Does this mean the Trinity toll road can't be built?"

What kind of question is that? Anyone reading the Corps' report should be asking only one question: "What must be done to protect downtown Dallas from a Hurricane Katrina-like catastrophe?" Any other questions pale in importance to this one.

City officials have repeatedly told us the levees are designed to protect us against a flood that only has one-eighth of 1 percent chance of hitting the city. That's an epic flood, an Old Testament belly washer. However, what this latest report shows is that our levees can't even protect us from a 100-year flood, the kind that hits ... well, the last one of this magnitude hit Dallas 101 years ago. Uh-oh!

Wait a minute! It gets worse. A team of experts reviewed the corps' findings, found them accurate and then added they weren't sure the levees could withstand the flooding that occurred here in 1990.

Now the city claims we shouldn't have to worry about that because the levees today are 14 feet higher than they were in 1990. Wrong argument. The concern is not that the water will crest over the top of the levees; the concern, according to the corps' report, is that the cracked earth found throughout the levees mean they won't hold and the water will come crashing through them.

Here is the section of the report (found on Page 55) that really bothered me:

"The semi-arid, windy environment found in the North Central Texas area renders the highly plastic clays that comprise the levees prone to desiccation. As a result, desiccation cracks are the usual conditions for the Dallas Floodway Levees. These cracks frequently extend deep into the levee cross-section, both parallel and traverse to the levee crest, and are believed to be a significant contributing factor in the development of shallow slides of the levees; more than 300 of which have occurred since the USACE completed reconstruction of the levees in 1958. It should be noted that although referred to as 'shallow' slides, these slides are generally deeper than what is considered 'normal' for most shallow slides. This is due to the deep desiccation cracks that develop in the moisture deficient embankments. Slides as deep as 15' are reported to have occurred after cracks have become filled with water. ... Examination of the moisture contents of levee samples obtained by USACE in 2004 indicates more than half of the samples had moisture levels less than the plastic limit. These samples were found at depths just below the levee crest to more than 30' -- essentially the full height of the levees, so deeper cracking is theoretically possible. The standardized Inspection Checklist used for Periodic Inspection indicates that any cracking deeper than 6' feet deep is considered to be 'Unacceptable'. Under this criterion, it will be a long-term challenge (emphasis mine) for the 23 miles of Dallas Floodway levees."

Here comes the hard part. How does the City fix this? The Corps lists three methods, two of them stop-gaps, one a permanent fix. If the City is serious about the long-term protection of its citizens and its core downtown area, it needs to go with that permanent solution:

"To accommodate desiccation cracking, the existing levees could be replaced with structural walls (T or L-base walls). Alternatively, structural walls or barriers (diaphragms) could be incorporated into the levee cross-section. Each of these options is very expensive (again, emphasis is mine), but they are alternatives that could be properly designed and constructed to enhance the integrity and performance of the protective works as mitigations for the desiccation cracking."

Less than a month ago, I sat in a banquet room at the Lakewood Country Club to hear Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm deliver her latest "state of the city" address and she said ... and this is an exact quote ... "The Trinity River Corridor Project is first and foremost a flood-control project." If that's so then here's what the City of Dallas must do and must do immediately:

Forget about the Calatrava bridges, the chain of lakes, the toll road, the promenades, the overlooks, the soccer fields, the jogging paths and everything else that was supposed to be part of this project and put all available resources into fixing those damn levees and fixing them now!

Because here's what happens if those levees are not fixed: If the Corps finds that the levees are unacceptable, that would mean Dallas would not be eligible for any federal disaster relief assistance if and when The Big One comes.

What scares me is that the City may instead decide to fight the Corps findings, instead of fixing the problem. According to this Morning News report, "specialists hired by the City will spend weeks, and probably months, investigating whether the flaws found by the inspection are as bad as the corps' worst-case fears would indicate. The City will also hire a firm to begin assessing the levees in an attempt to convince the U.S. government that they can withstand a 100-year flood."

Oh, that makes me feel a lot more secure.

"Public Enemies" Trailer

What's wrong with this movie poster?

1854: The year Sherlock Holmes was born, according to his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle.

1887: Holmes' first appearance in a Doyle story.

1929: Sam Foster, founder of Foster Grant, sells the the world's first pair of sunglasses on the Boardwalk of Atlantic City, N.J.

For $5 you get a panoramic view of the entire field (except for left field and possibly third base)

Pictured above is the view from seats in Section 201 of the new $2 billion Yankee Stadium. Notice anything? If a ball is hit into left field, you will need to have a radio nearby to learn what happens to it. Close play at third base? Same thing. That wall you see on the right that's obscuring much of the field of play is the outer wall of a sports bar. Because some disgruntled Yankee fans complained about the view from Section 201 (as well as Section 239 on the other side of the bar), I hear the Yankees will be installing some TV screens on these walls. The good news is that you can get these seats for a comparative pittance: $5. Next time you run into Jerry Jones, ask him how many $5 seats he will have at Jonestown for Cowboys games.

This could be a good deal for Stafford, Lions

Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen released a statement last night saying his team "will begin discussions with other teams in an effort to accommodate (quarterback Jay Cutler's) request to be traded."

For those who care, but have not kept up with this soap opera, Cutler became disgruntled when word leaked out that new Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels was interested in acquiring New England quarterback Matt Cassel, whom McDaniels groomed last year when he was the Patriots' offensive coordinator. Both Bowlen and McDaniels apparently have attempted to mend fences, but in his statement last night Bowlen said neither he nor McDaniels have been able to reach Cutler in the last 10 days. This, Bowlen said, convinced him "that Jay no longer has any desire to play for the Denver Broncos."

So here's what I'm thinking would be perfect for everyone concerned. The Broncos trade Cutler and their first round draft pick to Detroit for the Lions' No. 1 draft choice which the Broncos use to select Matthew Stafford (pictured above from his days at Highland Park High School). The Lions benefit because they get a top-notch quarterback with NFL experience. The Broncos benefit because they finally get someone who could easily be the second coming of John Elway. And Stafford benefits because he comes under the tutelage of McDaniels (if he can turn Cassel, who never started a football game after he left high school, into a NFL playoff quarterback, imagine what he could do with a talent like Stafford) and he winds up in Denver, which, to my mind at least, is a slightly more enticing environment than Detroit.

Doncha just love representative government? It's the best money can buy

Students across all college campuses in Texas oppose it. So do school faculties and staff. So do law enforcement officials

But the NRA is behind it and that makes it OK with our Texas Senate which is getting ready to pass legislation allowing students to carry concealed handguns on college campuses. Here's hoping House members display a little more common sense, not to mention being more representative of those that elected them.

The bill is being heard by the House Committee on Public Safety. Rep. Barbara Mallory Caraway, the wife of Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwayne Caraway, is a member of that committee. It is somewhat ironic that Mr. Caraway, who led a courageous effort to get handguns out of the hands of youths in Dallas, now sees his wife considering legislation that would place guns back in their possessions. You can go here to send Ms. Caraway an e-mail, pleading with her to do everything in her power to stop this heinous legislation.

Bolton vs. the Supremes

At least former Dallas Police Chief Terrell Bolton can say he made it all the way to the Supreme Court. Thankfully, he didn't prevail there, but at least he can say he had his day. Now I guess he can turn his attention on the folks in Dekalb, Ga., and claim those officials wrongfully fired him as well.

New movies to be released tomorrow on DVD

Cthulhu (2008) *½ The death of his mother prompts a gay professor’s return to his hometown.

Marley & Me (2008) **½ Jennifer and John Grogan (Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson), who, as newlyweds about to start a family, learn many of life’s important lessons from Marley, their lovable yet trouble-seeking dog. An imperfect, messy and sometimes trying film that has moments of genuine sweetness and humor sprinkled in between the saccharine and the sadness.

The Other End of the Line (2008) *½ Though she works half a world away in Mumbai, India, a credit card company operator passes herself off as American to callers. When she falls in love with a New York man over the phone, she agrees to meet him in person. Now, it’s not fair to ask that a romantic comedy be entirely realistic, but some level of plausibility would make the jokes go down easier, as would a touch of delicacy in the writing.

Seven Pounds (2008) *½ Distraught over his wife’s death — and convinced that his own actions had something to do with it — a depressed IRS agent (Will Smith) begins plotting his suicide, vowing to improve the lives of seven strangers in the process. Preposterous romantic melodrama, which uses a fractured narrative to cloud an absurd plot that would probably be laughed off the screen if it were presented in a straightforward manner.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) ***½ Coming within one question of winning 20 million rupees on the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" 18-year-old Mumbai "slumdog" Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) is arrested on suspicion of cheating. While in custody, Jamal regales a jaded police inspector (Irfan Khan) with remarkable tales of his life on the streets, as well as the story of Latika (Freida Pinto), the woman he loved and lost. A great movie is something more than the sum total of all its parts, and here, the elements all come together to form a feature that speaks a universal form of optimism that isn’t likely to get lost in translation, no matter where it screens, or who is watching.

Special (2008) **½ Enrolling in a drug study to spice up his humdrum life as a low-paid meter reader, Les Franken (Michael Rapaport) begins taking an experimental antidepressant, which proves to have a few unexpected side effects. Convinced that he’s actually developing special powers that can be used to fight evil, Les decides to quit his day job and focus on being a superhero despite his doctor’s professional opinion that his abilities are all in his mind. Thanks to Rapaport’s brio in embracing the hero’s drug-induced delusions, the movie is less a failure than a noble experiment gone awry.

Tell No One (2008) ***½ Eight years ago, pediatrician Alexandre Beck (Francois Cluzet) was the prime suspect in his wife’s murder. He’s put all that behind him, but now, two dead bodies have been found near his home — and once again, he’s the suspect. The case takes an unexpected turn when he receives an anonymous email showing his wife alive — and instructing him to "tell no one." The movie brims over with action — check out Alex’s run through traffic on the Paris beltway — but director Guillaume Canet scores a triumph by plumbing the violence of the mind.

Timecrimes (2008) *** After accidentally traveling to the past, Héctor (Karra Elejalde) meets himself and triggers a series of mysterious events that lead to a shocking crime. There’s a dark and demented little psychodrama of self-inflicted madness beneath the narrative contrivances. Nacho Vigalondo’s direction makes it work more like a waking nightmare than a genuine experience, and he gives it the quality of madness.

Go figure

30 The number of points the Mavericks scored in the first quarter Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers when Dallas led the NBA's best team 30-20.

15 The number of points by which the Mavericks led the Cavaliers early in the second quarter.

11 The number of points the Mavericks scored in third period -- their lowest one-quarter output of the season -- after which they trailed 77-60.

25 The number of points the Mavericks scored in the entire second half as they lost 102-74.

3 The number of times the Mavericks have won in their last eight games.

0 The chances the Mavericks have of making it past the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

A must-read for anyone who cares about the future of Dallas

Nicolai Ouroussoff, who writes about urban planning and urban affairs for the New York Times, has a passionate essay on the front page of today's Times Art section today on the need for more advanced urban planning that should be required reading for anyone who cares about the future of Dallas.

I was particularly struck with the section about Los Angeles in which Mr. Ouroussoff discusses that city's version of the Trinity River Corridor Project along the Los Angeles River, which, if planners have their way, would eventually become a 51-mile long chain of lakes and parks (with no mention of a high-speed roadway). This section also discusses the brilliant idea of coordinating activities between the school and transportation systems so that new school construction would take place along bus and rail routes.

Good feelings surround hiring of Alabama's new basketball coach

Alabama's hiring of Anthony Grant as its new basketball coach is surrounded by all kinds of ironies. He becomes the first black coach of a major sports program at Alabama, the school where on June 11, 1963, I saw Alabama Gov. George Wallace stand in the doorway to prevent black students Vivian Malone and James Hood from enrolling at the school.

Then there's this wonderful sentence in the AP's story of the hiring: "(Athletic director Mal) Moore and executive athletic director Dave Hart interviewed Grant in Richmond last weekend."

Gotta love it.

Minds like steel traps

Here's my nominee for the "Duh!" headline of the week. Next thing you know, someone will come up with a report that claims food will go a long way to solving hunger problems.

The most exciting spot in Greenville? Probably not the Whataburger

Maybe this guy was protesting the fact that he couldn't get it his way.

I'm sure this will do a lot of good

DART has scheduled a series of community meetings to "educate" the public about proposed fare changes and hear comments on the plan. And I'm sure if an overwhelming majority of those attending object to the new fares, DART will bow to the pressure and not implement them. Yeah. That's what the "educate the public" part of this is all about. By "educate," DART means they will be explaining why the fares will go into effect at the beginning of next year and even higher fares will be implemented the following October regardless of what anyone who depends on DART for transportation in these troubled economic times thinks about the increase.

Here you can find a chart of the proposed new fares plus a schedule of the DART undemocratic propaganda sessions.

Randomly bragging about your unexceptional lives

I'm really tired of all this twittering business.

Owens says Stephen, not Jerry Jones, fired him

According to this story in the Toronto Globe and Mail, Terrell Owens believes Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones reneged on a personal commitment to keep him on contract, and suggested that the owner's son, Stephen Jones, the executive vice-president of the NFL team, was behind his release this month.

"I know whole-heartedly he [Jerry Jones] wanted me there," Owens is quoted as saying. "There were some people I know who got in his ear that pressured him to make that decision. For that, it's sad. You let two or three people conspire to get me out of the situation."

I'll do all the yada yada

Nothing But the Truth deserved a much wider audience than it ever gained. As I understand it, the film was one of the first victims of the current economic crisis and, as a result, couldn't get a wide release. But it features some amazing performances from the likes of Kate Beckinsale and Matt Dillon (featured in this clip) as well as Alan Alda and Vera Farmiga. In my earliest Oscar polls last year, Ms. Beckinsale received a lot of votes for best actress and Ms. Farmiga for supporting actress. It will be released on DVD next month and is worthy of a rental. Reserve your copies now.

Upcoming Scorcese film

Pictured here is the first poster for Martin Scorcese's film Shutter Island scheduled for release Oct. 2. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo. Based on the Dennis Lehane novel, the movie, set in 1954, tells the story of a U.S. marshall (DiCaprio) investigating the escape of a murderess from a hospital for the criminally insane who is presumed hiding on the remote island from which the movie gets its name. Lahane is the author of the books that resulted in the films Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone.

Here is the verbiage taken directly from the book jacket of Shutter Island:

In summer 1954, two U.S. marshals, protagonist Teddy Daniels and his new partner, Chuck Aule, arrive on Shutter Island, not far from Boston, to investigate the disappearance of patient Rachel Solando from the prison/hospital for the criminally insane that dominates the island. The marshals’ digging gets them nowhere fast as they learn of Rachel’s apparently miraculous escape past locked doors and myriad guards, and as they encounter roadblocks and lies strewn across their path-most notably by the hospital’s chief physician, the enigmatic J. Cawley-and pick up hints of illegal brain surgery performed at the hospital. Then, as a major hurricane bears down on the island, inciting a riot among the insane and cutting off all access to the mainland, they begin to fear for their lives. All of the characters-particularly Teddy, haunted by the tragic death of his wife-are wonderful creations, but no more wonderful than the spot-on dialogue with which Lehane brings them to life and the marvelous prose that enriches the narrative. There are mysteries within mysteries in this novel, some as obvious as the numerical codes that the missing patient leaves behind and which Teddy, a code breaker in WWII, must solve; some as deep as the most profound fears of the human heart.

Perhaps there's Hope in Hollywood when it comes to casting women

Actress Hope Davis made some news recently when she turned down the role of a mother to a son that would be played by Johnny Depp. In fact, she not only turned it down, she said she was furious she was even offered the role. Why? Because she's a year younger than Depp.

This is obviously not the first time there has been this kind of discrepancy when it comes to casting men and women in films today. It wasn't that long ago that a 29-year-old Angelina Jolie played the mother of Alexander the Great, played by 28-year-old Colin Farrell. Six years after she played Tom Hanks' love interest in Punchline, Sally Field was relegated to playing his mother in Forrest Gump. Lea Thompson and Michael J. Fox were both 24 when they were cast together in Back to the Future. She played his mother in the film. Elizabeth Taylor was four years older than Dennis Hopper when she played his mother in Giant.

I guess in Hollywood, women age faster than men. But something needs to be done about this casting discrepancy (Jack Nicholson was 26 years older than Helen Hunt when they made As Good As It Gets.) Perhaps Ms. Davis' adamant refusal will give other actresses hope.

I'm all for preserving our environment, but ...

I have front row tickets to tomorrow night's performance of Agatha Christie's mystery Death on the Nile tomorrow night at Theater 3 and I am really looking for it. Attending Theater 3 is always a welcomed respite and one that I have neglected to engage in of late for many reasons. But what I am praying for is that Jac Alder and his folks at Theater 3 won't ruin the entire experience by participating in this stunt. Naww, they wouldn't do that.

Our new digs

We can make this work. I'm talking about the best time-share plan available. This place has, from what I understand, more than 100 rooms (even the owner doesn't know for sure), but you take away the media room (with the theater screen that rises from the floor), the beauty parlor, the barber shop, the gift-wrapping room (Trust me. I'm not making this up. The house has a gift-wrapping room.), the wine cellar and the wine-tasting room -- take away all the extraneous stuff and I'm betting you still have at least 60 rooms that can be made available as luxurious sleeping places.

Now you have 52 weeks in a year so 60 times 52 is 3,120. Now divide 150,000,000 by 3,120 and you get 48,077 (rounded off). That's right, for a measly $48,000 plus change you have the right to spend a week a year for the rest of your life in the largest and, I'm sure, the more luxurious home in Los Angeles County. Then, for the pittance of $5,000 for the week you choose, you can be a privileged guest (the price includes all meals, providing you come to the dining room at the prescribed meal times) at this palace located just as bunny's throw away from the Playboy Mansion. We're talking annual vacations you and your family will always cherish and look forward to.

(By the way, I sign the management contract to handle the deal, and live on the estate rent free and, if there are any problems, you can find me out by the pool over there on the right. I'll be the one with a Manhattan in my hand.)

It's all about expectations

If Texas A&M makes the NCAA basketball tournament, it's something to celebrate in College Station. Making the field of 64 is something that is not a given at the beginning of every Aggie season. So when the Aggies do well, as they have the last four seasons or so, accolades are accorded to the Aggies basketball coach.

It's an entirely different situation at Kentucky, where the question is not whether the Wildcats will make the tourney, but will they win it. There are seven national championship banners hanging from the rafters at Kentucky's Rupp Arena.

I really don't think Billy Gillespie knew what he was getting into two years ago when he left A&M to succeed Tubby Smith to assume the position of being the most prominent state official in the state of Kentucky. That's right -- I'm convinced twice as many people in Kentucky can name the state school's basketball coach as can name the state's governor and four times as many people have an opinion on the coach's performance than they do on the job the governor is doing.

When it was announced today that Kentucky had fired Gillespie after two seasons, Kentucky's athletic director Mitch Barnhart was quoted as saying Gillespie "spoke to things that were not in his job description, just about winning and losing and improving. This program is bigger than that. There's much more to it than that."

Get the picture? I'm betting that at A&M and most other schools in the nation, all the head basketball coach needs to worry about is "winning and losing and improving." I'm also betting that Gillespie thought that was all he needed to worry about at Kentucky. That, more than anything else, proved his undoing. He was doomed before he arrived on campus.

Who wrote this about Gene Hackman

"As we moved into the main course, it was as if a cosmic wind enveloped us. Some giant space magnet was pulling us together. We didn't finish the meal. We went upstairs, flew into bed and made love. It was epic. And the next morning, Gene went back to his film and I went back to mine. I haven't seen Gene since that night, but I remember well the feisty lad he was."

Angela's prediction and remedy

Dallas City Council member Angela Hunt, who has led the fight against the idea of placing a toll road between the Trinity River levees, is predicting that in the year 2014 the Dallas City Manager will finally announce the toll road project dead. But, by that time, she claims:

Trinity levee improvements have not been completed. Not a shovel of dirt has been turned to bring the Trinity Park to life, and no lakes exist within the floodway. Now that plans for the park have been all but scrapped, the residential and mixed-use developments once planned along Industrial Boulevard have been abandoned.

But it doesn't have to be that way, she writes in today's Dallas Morning News. She has a Plan B "premised on eliminating the toll road from the Trinity River floodway." You can read all about it here.

"We can no longer allow the toll road's delay and uncertainty to prevent Dallas from moving forward in addressing our transportation and flood control needs and in fulfilling the promise of a great park," she writes. "Plan B will allow us to finally realize the dream of the Trinity River project ... I hope our city leadership will recognize the need to chart a new course, one that fulfills promises rather than defers them. "

I have had my philosophical differences with Ms. Hunt, but on this matter I agree with her completely.

A film I'm really looking forward to seeing

It seems difficult for me to believe right now that it was 40 years ago that my little brother and I each grabbed a backpack and a bedroll and hitchiked our way from Austin to Bethel, New York, for what became known simply as Woodstock. Luckily we arrived three days before the festival's start, avoiding the logjam that prevented thousands of people from getting there. However, it did mean it was two days after the festival's conclusion that we managed to slog our way out.

Unlike many who have memories of Woodstock, mine were not all that pleasant. They are chiefly comprised of the facts that (1) the one place that prepared and served food on the site burned to the ground the first night of the festival; (2) later that it rained, turning the entire festival grounds into a muddy quagmire; and (3) the government officially declared the site a disaster area and food and emergency medical supplies had to be airlifted to the area and dropped from helicopters by parachutes. Seeing the much heralded 1970 documentary on the event (seeing it several times, in fact) has not altered my remembrances.

But after watching this trailer I must admit I am anxious to see "Taking Woodstock." Not that I feel it will change my opinion of the week I spent in Bethel -- not by any stretch of the imagination -- but because I am a big fan of director Ang Lee, his casting in this looks inspired and, well, from what I've glimpsed in this trailer, he seems to have captured the flavor of the Catskills.

Henry Hill pleads guilty to public intoxication

Henry Hill (pictured right) received two years' probation, credit for four days served in jail and a $220 fine in a San Bernardino, California, court for two misdemeanor counts of public intoxication. For those scratching their heads, going "Henry Hill ... Henry Hill ... Why do I know that name" it's probably because you are, like me, a big fan of Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas in which Ray Liotta played the mobster-turned-FBI-informant. Hill is now 65 and testified against the mob in 1980. In return, he was placed in the federal witness protection program, but removed from it in the early 1990s after repeated drug arrests.

Calendars? What calendars? And what about those water bill envelopes?

The Dallas Mornings News' City Hall blog contained an item today about the City's latest calendars including a whole bunch of holidays but not Easter. OK, that's not my issue. My issue is two fold:

1. Are these calendars just coming out? Isn't the last part of March somewhat late in the year to be publishing a calendar? But that question pales in comparison to

2. The blog's entry begins: "Each year, Dallas City Hall publishes a handsome, glossy calendar distributed free to residents." WHAT????? I have been a Dallas resident for 40 years now and not once -- NOT ONCE -- has a handsome, glossy calendar been distributed by Dallas City Hall to me.

Has anyone else been slighted in the distribution of these calendars?

And while I'm on the subject of the City's distribution policies, what the hell happened to the notion of including envelopes with which to return the monthly payments to Dallas Water Utilities? Used to be the monthly water bill included such envelopes, but since the city switched to bills that fit in a No. 10 envelope, no return envelopes have been included. What gives?

I want my calendar and I want my envelopes and I want them now!!!!

A kickoff for Orange Line rail route

I received an invitation today to attend something called a Rail Stacking, which, I am told, is to railroads what ribbon cuttings are to storefronts. According to the invitation, the occasion is to "celebrate the start of the DFW Orange Line. The DFW Orange Line marks a major accomplishment for regional rail to connect downtown Dallas with the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport."

In Journalism school it was hammered into me that "A good journalist never assumes anything," but, what the hell, I'm going to make a couple of assumptions here. The first is that this occasion is to mark the beginning of construction, not the beginning of operations. If this isn't true, then the Orange Line is one of the great stealth projects in rail history. The second assumption I'm going to make is that, since the rail line has a color as its designation, like all the DART rail lines, this has something to do with DART, although the invitation never uses the acronym "DART" except in very small letters under a picture that claims said picture is "Courtesy of DART."

Anyway, the Rail Stacking is supposed to take place at 1 p.m., Monday, April 13, at 3215 Spur 482 (see the map above), near the soon-to-be-demolished Texas Stadium. U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, will be a featured speaker.

The Orange Line is going to be special. It will mean that, if (1) I'm still alive in four-plus years and (2) I can still afford an occasional journey by air, I will be able to travel from my home to DFW by rail. The line is supposed to be running between Dallas and Las Colinas by December 2011 and to terminals A and B by December 2013. Now that's something to celebrate.

KBH sees roadblocks on way to governor's mansion

I have not heard anything concrete -- just rumors -- but the word is floating around out there that Kay Bailey Hutchison has decided not to resign her U.S. Senate seat to run for governor of Texas next year. Not that she won't run -- she probably will -- but she now sees her chances of defeating incumbent Rick Perry in the primary more remote and she doesn't want to gamble her seat in the Senate on it.

Not only that, fellow Republicans are telling her not to resign either, fearing Texas just might elect a Democrat to replace her.

Perry is going to make the issue of the race as one between a real Texan (himself, of course) against a Washington insider meddling in the affairs of Texas (Hutchison). This will play well to the ideologues that vote in the Republican primary. That is why he rejected the federal stimulus unemployment funds.

I also think this is good news for Democrats, who would have had a tough time defeating KBH in a general election but stand a far better shot against Perry, who stands squarely on the side of the wealthy. That is a vulnerable place to be in these economic times.