RobertB

• 1 month, 2 weeks ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  Star Trek Guinness record attempt fell short

  I lost interest when I realized that the event was sponsored by the Texas Lottery. I think the Venn diagram of "hardcore cosplay trekkies" and "lottery players" is pretty small. In DFW, it's apparently somewhere around 550. As Mr. Spock would point out, playing the lottery is... not logical.

  
  
• 3 months, 2 weeks ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  Poll: Dough Pizzeria is best pizza place in DFW

  Do any of these have a real Chicago Deep Dish pizza? The kind that costs $30 bucks but is so loaded that it feeds you for a week?

  
  
• 3 months, 3 weeks ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  Deck Park simply covers up a problem in Downtown's infrastructure

  And it's ridiculously overpriced, and hardly the sort of place you'd duck into while casually walking along. Not to mention the physical barriers between the museum and the freeway. Plus, one establishment does not make a "scene".

  Earlier this week, my wife and I were meeting up downtown. "What's in the Arts District?" she asked. "Lots of stuff, but nowhere to meet," I replied. So we ended up at Sushi World (an awesome place) by West End Station. So much for the promise of the park.

  
  
• 6 months, 1 week ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  Mavs dancers’ skimpy uniforms draw international attention

  At the game I went to on Monday (with tickets I won in a Karaoke contest), I found the dancers to be desperately in need of a sandwich platter. They had the protruding ribs of a band of Ethiopian refugees, and the permanent smiles of a toy chest full of Barbie dolls. Not a sexy combination for me... but à chacun son goût, YMMV.

  
  
• 10 months, 3 weeks ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  Promise of Peace Community Garden in East Dallas in peril

  I found a PayPal link (and used it). But yeah, as mundane as it may be, a fundraising link needs to be "above the fold". Fundraising is like manure - it stinks, but you can't grow without it.

  
  
• 11 months, 3 weeks ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  Runoffs abound in Texas primary races

  From the article: Yarbrough said he just hasn’t filed any reports yet but did spend money around the state promoting his campaign. “I spent money, you bet I have,” Yarbrough said.

  Congratulations, Mr. Y, you just confessed to violating federal election law! That should help me decide who gets my vote in the runoff. :/

  
  
• 12 months ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  Dallas Morning News attacks ice cream trucks

  @dbrusca1: Seriously? You blame the obesity epidemic on ICE CREAM TRUCKS?

  Back in the 70s, I can absolutely certify that I lost more calories chasing the ice cream truck than I ever got from the sweets my quarter bought me.

  Childhood obesity is not being caused because of the ready accessibility of ice cream trucks in neighborhoods. It's caused by the five twelve-packs of soda pop in the fridge, the cupboard full of ready-to-eat processed meals, and -- most importantly -- kids who never go outside and run off the empty calories that make up their entire diet. ANYTHING that can get that kid away from Skyrim and out under the IRL "Sky" is going to have a direct effect on the kid's waistline.

  Having an ice cream truck in the neighborhood is not the cause of obesity... it's part of the CURE.

  As for the music... I say let them play. The off-key tune of the ice cream truck is a cherished childhood memory for me. Even if the Millenial generation seldom heard it (because their parents believed the Boogie Man was going to snatch their kids off the street), it's not too late for their kids to work up a sweat chasing the distant ice cream vendor.

  
  
• 1 year ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  Activists hoist inflatable puppy outside American Meat Institute Expo in Dallas

  I think our distinction between what we eat and what we pet goes back to a couple of things: their diet and their utility. Dogs eat meat (like us) and help us hunt more meat. Cats eat meat (like us) and help protect our common food supply by eating the competition (rats, mice). Perhaps those relationships would be considered "unevolved" -- I can accept that criticism.

  I'd say that the anthropomorphism of non-human animals should work both ways. If animal rights activists want to equate the value of all species, fine. Equate me with a dog or a cat, because the three of us will readily agree that the unfortunate pig is going to be heading for the dinner table.

  
  
• 1 year ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  Review and photos: Dale Chihuly glass sculptures brighten Dallas Arboretum

  I would guess that the price tag could be a factor in the exhibit not showing up in FW. "Costing $1.8 million to maintain over the course of six months" -- that's $300k a month, which isn't pocket change. And that's before the hailstorms come!

  
  
• 1 year, 1 month ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  Theater review: August: Osage County at Addison Theatre Center

  Great review! Having graduated from Hominy High School, Osage County, Oklahoma, class of 1985, I'm sure I'll recognize several of the characters. But for cryin' out loud, how can anyone misspell "Okies"? With two K's, it would have to be pronounced "Ahk-kees", rhyming with "Rockies".

  
  
• 1 year, 2 months ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  Future of regional rail service in Dallas area could be in doubt

  Mesquite's leaders do want rail, but they can't justify the cost unless they can prove that somebody wants an alternative to $5 a gallon gasoline. No, $300k a year won't pay for a rail line, but it might pay for a bus that would lead to a much larger investment in regional rail.

  Mr. Turner wants cities to choose between all or nothing. The result of that would be simple: Nothing. He wants the perfect to be the enemy of the good. As a citizen of Mesquite, I'll take the good now and the perfect later.

  
  
• 1 year, 2 months ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  UPDATED: Company accused of dumping pig blood into Trinity denies wrongdoing

  If Dwaine Caraway wants to get rid of the plant because pig slaughtering and meat processing isn't the image he wants for South Dallas, that's fine. He should just come out and say so, like the folks in Frisco are doing with the lead battery plant. Or like Kaufman did with the horse slaughtering plant.

  Like those folks, though, he needs to find real, legal issues on which he can fight the plant. So far, everything the city has come up with has been empty charges that have been immediately refuted, with proof, by the plant owners.

  If it turns out that the owners are lying about the "second hidden pipe", then throw the book at 'em. But if recent experience is any indication, it's the City of Dallas that most often gets caught with its pants on fire. Trinity River "park", anyone? How 'bout a nice ride through the Trinity Kayak Death Chute?

  Myself, I see no shame in putting 250 people to work in Dallas' most historically underserved neighborhoods, even if it's not a glamorous job. Does a meat processing plant prevent new "trendy" businesses from setting up in South Dallas? I don't think it could have a fraction of the impact of, say, the seedy bars at the Dead Man's Curve on US 175, or the collapsing, violent apartment blocks along Hatcher St.

  And as far as the cruelty argument... well, of course it's true, and I wish more local stores would make humanely-raised meats available (thanks, Brookshire's, for reasonably-priced happy-pig bacon!). But getting rid of one slaughterhouse in South Dallas won't do a thing to help that problem. It'll just move it out to East Texas, alongside Pilgrim Pride's relocated chicken "processing" facility. I guess "Out of sight, out of mind" should be Dallas' new slogan, replacing "What, me worry?"

  
  
• 1 year, 2 months ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  Gloria's in Oak Cliff runs afoul of residents, neighboring businesses

  The problem isn't that Gloria's doesn't have parking... it's that there's no alternative way to get there. Once the streetcar line is built (cross fingers), there will be other ways to get to Bishop Arts besides your rubber-tired behemoth.

  I'm glad Avi calls attention to issues, though his use of out-of-context TABC numbers is as irrelevant as, say, posting the purchase dates and prices of M-Streets homes. But even a dog who barks all the time can occasionally spot a problem. Let's see if Oak Cliff can step up and partner with businesses where Lower Greenville couldn't. I think OC will have a deeper appreciation for the value that Gloria's and other businesses bring to the revitalized neighborhood.

  
  
• 1 year, 3 months ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  UPDATED: Court gives Flower Mound squatter one week to leave, appeal

  From the article: "I don’t care if it was my brother," says Chris Custard, "it’s not right that someone can come in here and get for almost nothing what we’ve all worked and paid for."

  From another source: "Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?"

  So the last will be first, and the first will be last. -- Matthew 20:1-16

  
  
• 1 year, 3 months ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  Gospel group Take 6 replaces Kool & the Gang at the Meyerson in March

  There's a Kool story (see what I did thar?) about one of the Gang members on PegNews here: Karaoke benefit at Bengal Coast in Dallas. It's a great read, written with style and flair... and I know that's the truth 'cuz I wrote it. :)

  
  
• 1 year, 3 months ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  I Live in Dallas picks best pizza in Dallas

  None of the pizza joints mentioned seems to specialize in real Chicago deep dish, with a crust so tall it rivals the Great Wall of China. We had a place in Mesquite that wasn't exaggerating when they said they were "better than the best", but it closed last year. Is there anyplace in Dallas (or suburbs) where you can get a pizza on par with real Chicago joints -- like Gino's or Giordano's? I know $35 seems like a lot for a pizza... but you get what you pay for with a real Chicago deep dish pizza.

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

  KidFilm 2012: Meet Peter Brown and the Lorax

  I'm going to be at the festival for the Studio Ghibli movies -- big screen Totoro FTW. I'm curious, though... I loved "Despicable Me", but every other attempt to turn "the imagination of Dr. Seuss" into a feature-length film has been nothing short of horrific. Can they pull it off? I have my doubts... I haven't seen "Hop" myself, but I notice that the credit isn't being given to "the creators of Despicable Me and Hop".

  
  
• 1 year, 5 months ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  Mega-wave of new bars opening in Dallas

  But there's yet no answer to the most important question: Which of these new bars will have Karaoke?

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

  Photo gallery: Occupy Dallas drew about 500 protesters (October 6)

  Yeah, 'Kane, let 'em have it. We all remember how the Fed bailed out those worthless working folks, and left the poor, defenseless banks to fend for themselves. :/

  
  
• 1 year, 8 months ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  The X List: 15 secret new foods at the State Fair of Texas

  @TLS: Canned Unicorn is available from ThinkGeek. Seriously (well, kinda): http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/wac...

  Fun facts: the National Pork Board sent ThinkGeek a Cease And Desist over the phrase "Unicorn - The New White Meat", and a shipment of the (parody) product was seized by German customs as "meat of a rare animal".

  
  
• 1 year, 9 months ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  Rick Perry's presidential campaign releases first ad

  Um, actually, it is the change I voted for in November. I voted to change the Bush-era policies that gave us massive war debt and untouchable tax breaks for corporate jets and their owners, which led to our country's credit rating being downgraded.

  I value hard work, patriotism, and faith in God, too. That's why I'm angred by a right-wing fringe that takes the lazy way of obstructionism, rather than the hard work of compromise. I'm beyond angry at the Tea Party's denunciation of all things governmental, because I'm a patriot; I believe my country and its system of government is the best in the world and I'm tired of it being insulted. And I can only pray for forgiveness for those who have used the name of my Savior as a way to get themselves on the evening news.

  
  
• 1 year, 9 months ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  Toys R Us in Tyler protests Double D's Ranch breastaurant opening nearby

  It should be noted that this is a dispute between a property owner (Toys R Us) and a tenant. The owners of the El Chico on T-R-U property decided to change their "concept" to something more profitable... but it's something that Toys R Us feels is not compatible with their own business plan. Don't read more into it than there actually is... this isn't a brave fight against "the demise of our culture", it's just a landlord-tenant conflict.

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

  Arlington's slogan "And the crowd goes wild" gets bad grade from Advertising Age

  In the category of thankfully-no-longer-current slogans, you couldn't get much worse than Greenville's pre-Civil Rights slogan: "The Blackest Land / The Whitest People"

  
  
• 2 years, 2 months ago
  RobertB's comment on:

  The Cavern on Greenville is now The Crown and Harp

  I heard that they got rid of the comfy couches upstairs, dang it. That was my favorite part of their Tuesday Karaoke night. Though they do still have Karaoke, at least as of last week (according to their latest DJ, @DJHecta on Twitter).

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

  Denton's A-Train on track for June opening

  I think there's a typo: "Unlike the DART system, the DCTA will operate light rail. The A-train will be a diesel-powered, stainless steel rail car fashioned in a 1950s style." That should probably be "the DCTA will not operate light rail."

  
  

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