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Australia

You don't have to have been raised on colonial Brit Lit, classic melodramas, Westerns or war movies, or Gone With the Wind to figure out the likely outcome of Baz Luhrmann's Australia within its first 15 minutes, but any or all of the above will help. Tightly wound and corseted...
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Burning Question: Which Ingredients Do Chefs Hate To Work With?

How would you like to slice into these everyday? Lobsters are easy. We mean that in a culinary sense. Bind up the pincers, drop them in water and commence to melting some butter. Likewise steak: a dash of salt, another of pepper and a crackling grill—that’s all there is to...
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Bolt

With his blazing white coat and pig-pink ears, to say nothing of the zigzag of lightning cut into his flank, the eponymous canine lead of Disney's lively new animated movie Bolt looks a little bit real and a whole lot not. That's not a failure of craft: Goofy and sweet...
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Craziness Continued …

I'll just say it, referee Terry McAulay and his crew suck. After a 60-yard punt by the Cowboys' Mat McBriar results in a touchback, McAulay announces a 10-yard penalty on Philly. First and 10 from the 10 when we come back, right? The TV timeout is called and ESPN viewers...
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Top Ten Americana Albums of 2008

In next week's paper, we'll unveil our national package on the best music of the year (the following week, we'll tackle the best in DFWd music). But, as a teaser, here's our paper's contribution to the national package: Noah W. Bailey's picks for the best Americana/folk releases of '08. Picking...
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Salvia Is Not Your Bud

In 2002, by way of public service, Patrick "Buzz" Williams and I taste-tested various flavors of legal highs, among them salvia divinorum, then a burgeoning novelty in your finer lifestyle accessory shops. The result: moving colors and fits of laughter, which lasted two minutes, and the hellacious headache that followed...
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DISD’s $64 Million Budget Shortfall Caused By “Inadequate Budgeting”

Intern Courtney's at 3700 Ross Avenue this very moment, where district officials have indeed confirmed a sudden $64-million shortfall -- in the 2007-'08 budget. How'd this happen? Well, see, it's "complicated," said superintendent Michael Hinojosa, the result of having more teachers and support staff in the schools. "The majority of...
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DISD|Teacher Layoffs|Michael Hinojosa|PACs

"Band of Brothers-In-Law," October 16, by Jim Schutze Fire Everyone The Observer has a chance to make a difference. No local paper can have any effect on the economy. No local paper can have an effect on our totally incompetent and self-serving state government. You can, however, have a definite...
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Never a Dull Moment on the City’s Economic Development Agenda

The city's giving away the Atmos Complex, highlighted, mostly because nobody can do a danged thing with the buildings till the Statler Hilton, top right, is redeveloped or exploded. Sam detailed yesterday the city's plan to redo the convention center and restructure its $263.9 million debt (bond sale! bond sale!)...
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Once and for All, Was Jimmy Hendrix Mexican?

Dear Mexican: I recently received the biography of Rolling Stones bassist Ronnie Woods. While reading about his friendship with Jimi Hendrix, Ronnie described him as part black, Cherokee and Mexican. I've always read about Jimi's grandmother being Cherokee, but this was the first I read about him being Mexican. I...
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Tonight: Lucinda Williams Listening Party At The Double Wide

Little Honey, Lucinda Williams’ latest release, hit the streets today and, because of that, the Double Wide is hosing hosting a listening party for the new disc tonight. No word on whether or not the great Lucinda might make an appearance--although I'd say the chances are slim to none), but...
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Dallas Wants to be a Green City, So Why Not Save Some Trees?

On a windswept rise in southwest Dallas, Frank Bracken squints into the late-afternoon sun and sweeps his wiry, flannel-clad arm across the empty expanse of chalky white caliche. This ridge used to be thick with 30-foot jade-green cedar and oak trees, the only species tenacious enough to cling to the...
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Kings of Leon Ready to Hold Court

For a moment, imagine that you're Caleb Followill. You front Kings of Leon, and on your band's just-released fourth album, things finally seem to be falling into place. That disc, Only by the Night, is (for the most part) critically acclaimed and commercially successful—in the U.K., your album debuted atop...
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Green Cement Plants Could Mean Cleaner Air and Lower Costs

The belching, cement-producing smokestacks that dot Dallas County's southern horizon have long befuddled area officials working to comply with federal clean air standards. Facing deadlines, fines and the potential loss of federal funds, a growing group of local governments is mounting a green revolution in the cement market. Two years...
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“West Texas Puro Tango Blast” — Not As Much Fun As It Sounds

Only a few days ago, The Dallas Morning News ran a piece about Texas' Tango Blast gang, which was formed within the confines of the state's penitentiaries and "could change the Dallas landscape because it rejects old notions of prison gang exclusivity and lifelong commitments," wrote Tanya Eiserer. (The D-Town...