April Powell

• 1 year, 4 months ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  First PegNews community team trivia night Tuesday

  Ah, fearless leader sells the team short -- we were in ELEVENTH place going into the final, not tenth. He also sells himself short -- he was mostly responsible for the final answer that secured our underdog victory.

  Of course, such dramatic redemptions would be unnecessary if we could just find someone with a working knowledge of sports trivia . . .

• 1 year, 4 months ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  Coppell recycling contractor cuts back on types of material accepted

  Sorry for the blip above -- tried to edit my comment and accidentally removed it. Was trying to say that the humorous name apparently is the result of a merger:

  http://wastenews.texterity.com/wasten...

  Who knew that the Chinese are so anxious to get their hands on our old newspapers?

• 1 year, 4 months ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  Coppell recycling contractor cuts back on types of material accepted

  (This comment was removed by the site staff.)
• 1 year, 5 months ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  2nd Annual Robert Johnson Recording Anniversary Party and Song Contest

  Ah, yes, I remember when the photoshopped Robert Johnson image on the 1994 honorary postage stamp (based on the same original photo that the one above is, also without cigarette) caused a bit of a stir. Looks like the original photo that these images are based on is still causing some controversy among Johnson's putative heirs.

• 1 year, 7 months ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  2008 Main St. Arts Festival

  Just heard (on Fox 4 News) that all of the events for tonight (Thursday, April 17) have been canceled due to the impending storm.

• 1 year, 10 months ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  UPDATED x2: HGTV Dream Home in Tyler on the block Saturday

  Actually, the exact bid was $1,325,000. I think Mike has more details, with photos, to come . . .

• 1 year, 11 months ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  Lancaster police look to garbage men for neighborhood watch program

  
  moar funny pictures

• 1 year, 12 months ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  Thanksgiving

  You, you big mushpie.

• 2 years ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  DMN Viewpoints column on homelessness

  Nice Pegasus cross-pollenation, Catherine! A question for you:

  In your investigating and interviewing, has anyone in Dallas suggested doing something like Roseanne Haggerty and Common Ground are doing with supportive housing in New York City? It just seems that there are so many empty buildings downtown that could be converted into these kinds of units, which seem to be more attractive than the stereotypical "shelter."

• 2 years ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  National Homelessness Awareness Month prompts action in Dallas

  While I agree that homelessness is a problem that has to be addressed on a community level, the NYT reported yesterday on the increasing number of homeless veterans (while only 11% of the total U.S. population are veterans, they make up 26% of the homeless population). To me, this trend indicates an area where the federal government (through the auspices of the V.A.) really should be chipping in to lend a hand, if only with some services and facilities for veterans and their families.

  I'd hate to see us return to a 1933 world full of "forgotten men."

• 2 years ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  Dunkin' Donuts to open 125 stores in Dallas over next few years

  There was a Dunkin' Donuts on Greenville (somewhere in the malls on the west side of the street, between Caruth Haven and Lovers) when I moved here in the mid-late '90s. Not sure when it left, though. I'm not a doughnut fan.

• 2 years ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  UPDATED with video, Dancing with the Stars Mark Cuban watch: Week Five

  Breaking news: Cuban was, in fact, eliminated from the competition this week.

• 2 years, 1 month ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  Able Walton Machine & Welding owner shoots, kills second intruder in 3 weeks

  In response to the first commenter's question, it is my understanding (backed up by this NBC 5 news report about the intruder shot at Joe's Cleaners), that such cases are referred to a grand jury as a matter of standard procedure, even if no charges are likely to be filed.

• 2 years, 1 month ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  We are so in the wrong business

  Buffett Leland failed to mention that he shares the marquee with Halley Windsor.

• 2 years, 1 month ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  UPDATED: Cedars district resident isn't fond of the noise at Lee Harvey's

  Hey, the oxymoron objects . . .

• 2 years, 1 month ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  HDNet hires strategic consultant

  Well, as someone who kept her own name after marriage and occasionally even dares to use the middle initial her parents gave her (believe me, I'd rather be April N. Powell than the April R. Powell I keep getting collection calls for, so that one little letter does sometimes make a difference) -- I'd like to speak in defense of Sue Ann R. Hamilton.

  Are none of you people originally from the south? I grew up surrounded by Jo Beths and Jim Bobs and Jo Anns and Mary Beths and J.D.'s. Some of them didn't even live in trailers. It's not that unusual, people.
  

  I'll take an honest Sue Ann R. Hamilton any day in business over someone who doctored up her name to sound more "professional." People who change their names for "professional" reasons always make me think they're trying to hide something . . .

• 2 years, 2 months ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  Marryourdaughter.com

  Yes. Full names of satisfied customers so I can pull the marriage licenses in the respective states to confirm their "testimonials."

  Sigh. This website is "real" the same way that Pam Anderson's boobs are "real." They exist. They're not imaginary. That doesn't mean they're authentic.

  The website occupies virtual space. In that sense, it's a "real site." But I say there's no way it's "real" in the sense that the information presented is in earnest.

• 2 years, 2 months ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  One hat isn't enough

  I'm a little surprised over this whole brouhaha. I went to a small, public high school in one of the poorest states in the union. I took "Journalism" in high school and worked on the school paper. It wasn't that our GRADE depended on whether we could sell ads or not . . . whether we HAD A PAPER AT ALL depended on whether we could sell ads.

  The school didn't have a budget or facilities for us to print a paper to distribute. We had to go out and sell to local merchants in order to fund our four-times-a-year printing. We thought it was cool that we got to go off campus during the class period to try to sell ads to the businesses in the area.

  We just wanted to learn how to run a newspaper. Nobody ever suggested that our journalistic integrity was being compromised or that we were "buying a grade." Of course, we weren't doing hard-hitting exposes, either.

• 2 years, 3 months ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  UPDATED: Oh, TXU. Shame on you.

  terryorze, I feel ya. It seems like all electric utility deregulation does is take the situation from one or two companies trying to fleece you, to seven or eight companies trying to fleece you.

  I've heard about municipal power companies being able to provide affordable service, but I haven't taken the time to find out why some local governments can do it and we can't. Perhaps it's an issue I'll start looking into . . .

• 2 years, 3 months ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  Buy-Rite 'Divine Inspiration' bracelets of death

  It's not just lead you have to worry about ingesting from Chinese products. The latest scare? Dirty chopsticks. Perhaps they were selling them as "flavored" chopsticks?

• 2 years, 3 months ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  UPDATED: Oh, TXU. Shame on you.

  I received an email today from one of TXU's competitors, suggesting that my experience with their sales force was not unsusual:

  Being a regular to Pegasus News, I read this morning your posting from yesterday concerning your experience with TXU.

  Unfortunately for our sector, I can particularly confirm that your experience with some of TXU's marketing methods is not unique. Due to Stream Energy's widespread growth over the past two years, we have found that our customers seem to be of particular fascination to The Downtown Gang and we weekly receive similar reports from our customer base of similar Bait & Switch tactics.

  Anyway, we'd love your business. Let me know if I can help.

  Rob Snyder

  Chairman, Stream Energy

  www.streamenergy.net

• 2 years, 3 months ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  UPDATED: Oh, TXU. Shame on you.

  I just received a telephone call from Kelly Brcka, the Channel Manager for TXU's door-to-door operation. She apologized on behalf of TXU for the experience I had with their representative and informed me that he had been pulled from sales and might possibly be terminated.
  

  She emphasized that their door-to-door representatives had not been trained to make such inaccurate statements as part of their sales presentation (e.g., that the service plan had no contract involved, that the papers presented to me were not relevant or important to the rebate and rate being offered).

  She seemed very apologetic and concerned about the issue. I hope that means that TXU will be making any needed clarification about sales methodology to its staff and that we will not be hearing about any more experiences like mine.

  What is truly amazing to me about this is, although I considered calling TXU to complain, I hadn't yet. I got this response totally on the basis of the blogpost above. Behold, the power of the Internets.

• 2 years, 3 months ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  Movie Review: Rush Hour 3

  I can honestly say that I never expected to see a Jackie Chan/Chris Tucker buddy cop film compared to an obscure, Orson Welles pseudo-docmentary. Interesting.

• 2 years, 3 months ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  Road Rules

  twisted dog --

  I'm sure you're correct that the sign is for the benefit of both motorists and cyclists. I, for one, wish that they could just co-exist in peace. I do disagree with you on a couple of points, though.

  Personally, I feel much less threatened by a bicycle running a stop sign than a car. Even if I'm in a car, the other car is a lot more likely to kill me. I've come to expect the bikes to disobey the traffic laws, so I am not "more startled, frustrated and prone to take revenge than if [I] saw another car do the same thing."

  Mike's comment about "on your left" was more hyperbole than fact. He was trying to be funny. The joke arose between us (that he SHOULD have done it to a pack of 20 or so cyclists that we just passed) because so many cyclists bark the phrase at us while we're walking our dogs on the path around WRL. The only thing more startling than a bike coming out of nowhere, blowing past an inch away from you at 20 mph, is that same bike blowing past while its driver yells "on your left" at you. I understand that the phrase is meant to be a courtesy, but it's just as disconcerting to pedestrians as I imagine it would be to a cyclist, coming from a motorist. Maybe it's because the person doing the yelling is manning a bigger vehicle? It doesn't seem nearly as aggressive a warning to me when used on the ski slope, for instance.

  But mentioning cyclists on the path around the lake (as opposed to the public streets) raises another point: Cyclists at WRL could avoid both cars and the inconvenience of traffic laws by using the path. Most of the cyclists I see appear to be cycling recreationally, not commuting. Someone who's not actually commuting from point A to point B can choose his course.
  

  Do the cyclists who use the street avoid the path because they don't want to put up with slower-moving traffic (like pedestrians), much the same way some drivers don't want to put up with slower-moving traffic (like cyclists)? I've always wondered about that.

• 2 years, 3 months ago
  April Powell's comment on:

  Road Rules

  J --

  Where do you think the majority of pedestrians who are killed by motorists are located, if not on (or near) the road? In their bedrooms?

  My blog post about cyclists not obeying traffic laws was made specifically regarding the streets around White Rock Lake (which I frequently use as a motorist, cyclist AND pedestrian). Limiting my comments to that geographical area, I see just as many cyclists disobeying traffic laws as motorists, if not more.

  If the City of Dallas had recently placed signage at the intersection of Lakewood and Lawther to explain and elaborate traffic laws regarding motorists (see photos above), I might have posted about that. But the City put up signage regarding bicycles. Sorry you find it odd.

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