Texas Monthly articles from February 2004

Texas Monthly archives from February 2004

The other war: last year politicians in Washington and Austin trained their sights on a vicious enemy who threatens our way of life. I'm talking, of course, about the press.(Behind the Lines)
February 1, 2004... ONE FRIDAY NIGHT IN LATE November, I found myself at a fancy party on the University of Texas campus in Austin, speaking to a few hundred lawyers from Fulbright and Jaworski. The storied firm was celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of Leon...

A friend in deed.(Roar of the Crowd)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... THE FIRST TIME I EVER TALKED TO Billy Joe Shaver was right after I recorded "Tramp on Your Street" ["The Ballad of Billy Joe Shaver," December 2003]. He was in Detroit, and a mutual friend put him on the phone so he could tell me he liked my...

Healing words.(Roar of the Crowd)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... HAVING BEEN BORN AND RAISED in Jasper, I was delighted and relieved to read an account that was both balanced and unbiased ["Jasper," December 2003]. I appreciate Pamela Colloff's ability to articulate the feelings of those of us who love...

Divided and conquered.(Roar of the Crowd)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... PREDICTABLY, PAUL BURKA LONGS for the good ol' days when the gerrymandered Legislature was controlled by the Democrats and the state wide offices were held by Republicans [Behind the Lines: "Ruthless People," December 2003]. But now his world...

Clip job.(Roar of the Crowd)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... THE KINKSTER FAILED TO MENTION that the proceeds from the sale of his dreads go to one of the numerous Kinkster charities [The Last Roundup: "Hair Today..., " December 2003]. Therefore, Kinky's haircut is good for Kinky, but it's also good for...

Around the state: a selective guide to amusements and events.
February 1, 2004... Austin MUSIC/DANCE Cactus Cole UT campus, the Texas Union, 24th & Guadalupe (512-475-6515) Feb 3 at 8: Ruthie Foster and Cyd Cassone. Feb 4 & 5 at 8:30: Robert Earl Keen Wheelchair Accessibility Key (W) The place is...

Hot time in the city.(Sports)
February 1, 2004... It takes a lot of planning to get ready for the nation's biggest party. Just ask Houston city officials, who have been preparing for Super Bowl XXXVII for the past three years. Those who want to revel in the hoopla can attend any (or all) of...

What, this old thing?(Fashion)
February 1, 2004... WHAT, THIS OLD THING? Some women think about killing out of jealousy or love. Others for a Judith Leiber handbag. To fans of Leiber's work. "handbag" is a dirty word; they prefer "minaudiere," They'll speak breathlessly of the tiny sparkling...

Austin power.(A Great Weekend In Austin)
February 1, 2004... Let me set you a scene, one I've participated in often during many a pleasantry-exchanging encounter: "So where are you from?" inquires a new acquaintance. "Austin," I reply, with a smile on my face. "Oh you must love it. Austin's a great...

A muse, me.(Art)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Fernande Olivier must have been a heck of a girl At least Picasso seems to have thought so between the spring and fall of 1909, when his imagination was so captured by her that he produced more than sixty heads, busts, and half- and full-length...

Off the wall: while Michael Jackson faces a courtroom thriller, one Corpus Christi superfan--and her army of 15,000--is making sure the Gloved One comes out swinging.(Letter From Corpus Christi)
February 1, 2004... DEBORAH OANNELLY'S MOST cherished possession is a black fedora signed on the brim in silver ink by Michael Jackson. It is displayed in a glass case in her bedroom in the simple Corpus Christi home that she, age 48, shares with her two cats, two...

Broken apart: on February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia and my husband of twenty years were coming home. But nothing that day turned out the way it was supposed to.(As Told To)
February 1, 2004... THE COLUMBIA LAUNCHED ON January 16, 2003, and Rick had been gone for sixteen days. I was at Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, with my twelve-year-old daughter, Laura, and my seven-year-old son, Matthew. We were waiting with the other crew...

Customer service: running a big city is like running a business, say two new Texas mayors: you cut costs, manage your resources, and try to keep your clients happy.(Conference Call)
February 1, 2004... PARTICIPANTS: Editor Evan Smith El Paso mayor Joe Wardy Houston mayor Bill White Smith: You both ran for mayor at a time when being the guy in charge of a major American city is no day at the beach. Why would either of you...

Mark Cuban: the Dallas Mavericks owner on what's wrong with the NBA--and what he would do if he ran the league.(A Few Words With ...)
February 1, 2004... Why would someone who did well enough in high tech to run off to a desert island for the rest of his life want to buy a pro sports team? Because I could. I had been a Mavs season ticket holder through thin and thin and was at the opening game...

The verdict: the safe money had Robert Durst getting convicted of murder in seconds flat. How on earth did he get off? Two words: Dick Deguerin.(Gary Cartwright's Texas)
February 1, 2004... A FEW WEEKS AFTER HE MASTERMINDED the acquittal of Galveston's alleged killer-butcher Robert Durst, Houston attorney Dick DeGuerin lectured his second- and third-year students at the University of Texas law school on, you guessed it, the art of...

The right ring.(New Next)
February 1, 2004... In business for 77 years, Robson's Diamond Jewelers introduces this year's hottest fashion accessory, the diamond right-hand ring. Save 10% on any diamond right-hand ring. * 1120 West Baker Road, Baytown, 877-427-5655 or robsonsjewelers.com ...

Green with envy.(New Next)
February 1, 2004... At The Green Bull Jewelry Co. find original designs by Jerry Gowen. Jewelry with a Texas attitude; boot bracelets, longhorn pendants and rings, diamond stars. Platinum, 22K, 18K, and silver. * Boerne, 830-249-7393 or...

Arizona awaits.(New Next)
February 1, 2004... Arizona is a land defined by its wild beauty and simple openness, world-class resorts, culture and heritage, dining and golf. Get a free Arizona travel Packet. * 866-663-6650 or arizonaguide.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Golden time.(New Next)
February 1, 2004... Discover Festina Gold--and the 18K Granada Chronograph, with automatic Swiss movement. Founded in 1902 in LeChaux de Fond, Switzerland, Festina timepieces for men and women are recognized for exquisite designs, exceptional quality and...

Take me out to the ball game hotel.(New Next)
February 1, 2004... Located across from Minute Maid Park in the heart of downtown Houston, the new Inn at the Ballpark is a nostalgic themed hotel featuring over 200 luxury appointed guest rooms. * 713-386-8031 or innattheballpark.com

With this ring ...(New Next)
February 1, 2004... Exclusively available at Bachendorf's in Dallas SUWA wedding band, set in platinum with sapphires and diamonds. All colored stones in the SUWA collection untreated. SUWA wedding bands are exceptional heirloom quality. * Plaza Store:...

Calm down at the dentist.(New Next)
February 1, 2004... The Texas Center for Cosmetic Dentistry and Spa in The Woodlands gently calms the anxiety and nervousness sometimes associated with going to the dentist. They offer a relaxing spa environment complete with hand and foot massages, paraffin hand...

Take two tablets: is it okay to display the ten commandments on the capitol grounds? A homeless former defense lawyer insists thou shalt not.(on Faith)
February 1, 2004... IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THE LINE THAT separates church and state, stand smack in the middle of West Fourteenth Street in Austin, halfway between Lavaca and Colorado streets. On one side, Texas attorney general Greg Abbott sits in his eighth-floor...

Arrested development: along the remote South Texas Coast, you'll see no condos, few roads, and more wildlife than in any other region of the state.(on the Great Outdoors)
February 1, 2004... A COUPLE OF PELICANS CIRCLE IN THE AIR OVER Baffin Bay as the roar of a Chevy 454 engine fills the morning. Bart Ballard, a research scientist at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, at Texas A&M-Kingsville, hands me a pair of...

The man who isn't there: in 2000 I thought Texas Governor George W. Bush was the best person to lead this country. He still would be--except the guy in the White House is a different George W. Bush. And that's why I'm so ambivalent about reelecting him.(Cover Story)
February 1, 2004... I NEVER EXPECTED TO KNOW A PRESIDENT of the United States. I had met several presidents-to-be, the first being Richard Nixon during a family vacation in Washington when I was barely a teenager. He was vice president then, and he was eating...

Life during wartime: by this spring, nearly 40,000 troops will have been deployed to Iraq from Fort Hood. For the military spouses left behind, time passes. They raise their kids, wait for breaking news, and pray whenever they hear a knock on the front door.
February 1, 2004... AT FORT HOOD, THE SPRAWLING MILITARY POST forty miles southwest of Waco, news of a casualty usually arrives with an unexpected knock on the door or a phone call that comes too early in the morning. On December 14, telephones across the post...

Where to eat now 2004: instead of dishing on restaurants of all vintages, as in the past, this installment of our annual smorgasbord tells you what you really want to know: what are the best new restaurants in Texas?
February 1, 2004... IT'S SEVEN O'CLOCK. DO YOU KNOW where you want to eat tonight? For the past two years this annual restaurant roundup has aimed to help you answer that burning question. In the 2002 and 2003 editions, my goal was to be all-inclusive, so I...

The family man.
February 1, 2004... As a churchgoing father with a loving wife, four healthy kids, and a comfortable two-story house in one of Dallas's tidiest suburban enclaves, Todd Becker did everything he could to set a good example for his less fortunate siblings. He even...

"I had a great future behind me": this winter, as headlines around the country trumpeted the comeback of the economy, 47-year-old Jost Lunstroth entered his eighth month without a job. Like thousands of other formerly successful Texans, he's found himself mired and humiliated in the harrowing new world of unemployment--with no end in sight.
February 1, 2004... Sometime last summer I began to notice that my friend Jost Lunstroth had developed a verbal tic. He would suggest a time to meet for lunch and then punctuate the invitation with "Does that make sense?" Or he'd suggest an alternate route for...

Do you want your life back? Mary's story.
February 1, 2004... Dear Hotze Health and Wellness Center, With this letter, I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to your Center for the changes that have occurred in my life since beginning your program last March, 2003. Prior to my first visit...

Restaurant guide: a selective guide to food and drink.(Directory)
February 1, 2004... Policies and Definitions The Restaurant Guide is a service to our readers. The magazine accepts no advertising or other consideration in exchange for a listing. Reviews are written by resident critics in the cities that we list. The...

Shady deal.(Pat's Pick)(Shade is a new restaurant in Houston.)(Restaurant Review)
February 1, 2004... SHADY DEAL Attention. Houston: Claire Smith is back. Residents of the Bayou City became the young chef's loyal followers during the six years that she owned the Daily Review Care and mourned when, in 2000, she decamped for Chicago. Happily, it...

Eat! They said.(On The Road)
February 1, 2004... In the game of Where To Eat When on the Road, the surprises behind doors 1, 2, and 3 really aren't surprises at all. There's your standard please-drive-forward-and-pick-up-at-the-window hamburger, your country-kitchen chicken-fried steak (which...

That's amore.(Season's Eatings)
February 1, 2004... If your relationship (with your sweetie or with chocolate) needs a jump start this Valentine's, try one of these novel Texas-made gifts. Austin's Dr. Chocolate (512-454-0555) promises to cure the Valentine's Day doldrums with one of its Pizzas...

See kinky run: how's my semi-serious, nontraditional, not-entirely-implausible campaign for governor going? Glad you asked.(The Last Roundup)
February 1, 2004... MANY MOONS AGO I WROTE A RATHER WHIMSICAL column about the possibility of my running for--or more accurately, taking a leisurely stroll toward--the high and mighty office of governor of Texas ("Oaf of Office," March 2003). There have been a...