Texas Monthly articles from October 2004

Texas Monthly archives from October 2004

Incomplete: the state's method of calculating the high school dropout rate is bogus. But the bigger problem is that no one knows how to get kids to stay in school.(Behind the Lines)
October 1, 2004... When my daughter finished her freshman year at Johnston High School, in Austin, where she was a student in a liberal magnet program, I paid a visit to the college adviser to find out her class ranking. "She's thirty-seventh in a class of 750,"...

The divider.(Roar of the Crowd)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... My compliments to Lou Dubose and Jan Reid for their account of Tom DeLay and his role in the 2003 redistricting debacle ["The Man With the Plan," August 2004]. Mr. DeLay is an embarrassment to this state and a blight on the democratic processes...

An airloom.(Roar of the Crowd)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... It's wonderful that these few pieces of World War II airplane nose art have been saved from the scrap heap and sad that so many have been lost ["Bombshells Away," August 2004]. Another one that has not been lost decorated the nose of the B-17...

War of words.(Roar of the Crowd)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... Unlike the deserters of the Vietnam War who were drafted and compelled to serve, Mr. Hughey was a willing volunteer [Texas Monthly Reporter: "First in Flight," August 2004]. This is not the story of a boy protesting an illegal war; its the...

Seeing red.(Roar of the Crowd)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... Your authors and other media sports experts like to talk of the game of the year in the Big 12 as OU and Texas [Texas Monthly Reporter, Conference Call: "Orange Crush," August 2004]. This game will not matter when Texas Tech puts it to the...

For the record.(Roar of the Crowd)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... Paul Burka says in "Wax Stories" [Behind the Lines, August 2004], "what Bush did or didn't do in the National Guard is irrelevant today" and cites Republican senator John McCain's suggestion that we all just "agree that both candidates......

October: people, places, events, attractions.(Around the State)(Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... 10.30.2004 So what if Smarty Jones opted to spend the rest of his days at Three Chimneys Farm, near Midway, Kentuck, thereby forgoing an appearance at this month's BREEDERS' CUP WORLD THOROUGHBRED CHAMPIONSHIPS. Pleasantly Perfect,...

Around the state.(events)(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBILITY KEY (W) The place is accessible to wheelchairs: The main entrance is at least 32 inches wide and there are no steps; restrooms, however, are not accessible. (W+) The place and its restrooms are accessible. ...

Okie dokie stomp-a-thon.(Gather 'round/ Fairs, fests, and other reasons to get together.)(Rockin' Beaumont Blues Festival)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... The blues took hold of the Beaumont-Port Arthur area back in the day when gambling and prostitution houses were abundant and bars were open round the clock. Not that the outside world noticed much. In time, the scene died down and Houston, with...

Bound to intrigue.(Gather 'round/ Fairs, fests, and other reasons to get together.)(Texas Book Festival)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... Chances are good that the upcoming election is going to be the hot topic at this year's TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL. Think Seymour Hersh will fail to mention it? Or Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Jim Hightower--or perhaps the editors of the Texas...

Off camera.(Gather 'round/ Fairs, fests, and other reasons to get together.)(Austin Film Festival)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... For every screenwriter who makes an honest-to-goodness living through his craft, there are thousands of three-job-working, Ramen noodles--eating asphirants who don't. And for the brave souls who also say things like "I wanna direct," the odds...

Good housekeeping.(48 Hours/ Houston, October 29 through 31)(Project Row Houses)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... In 1993 Rick Lowe and a group of artists came across 22 abandoned shotgun houses--an architectural style with rooms lined up one behind the other--in Houston's historic Third Ward. Lowe envisioned the structures as places to show temporary art...

A memorable season.(48 Hours/ Houston, October 29 through 31)(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... Long known for its innovation, the Houston Grand Opera goes back to its roots for its fiftieth season-opener, Madame Butterfly (above). Puccini's perennial launched the company in Z955 and has been its top draw ever since. What sets this...

State of emergency: what happens when 130,000 kids lose their taxpayer-funded health insurance? To find out, visit the ER at Children's Medical Center Dallas, where the waiting room is always full and chances are you're footing the bill.(Reporter)
October 1, 2004... There's a theory making the rounds in the emergency department at Children's Medical Center Dallas: "I'm not sure why it is," Dr. Thomas Abramo told me one morning last April as he headed toward one of the ER's cramped treatment rooms, "but it...

Halloween is the same as the day of the dead.(TexasMyth # 107)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... HALLOWEEN IS THE SAME AS THE DAY OF THE DEAD. Make no bones about it: Both are celebrated in Texas, but the two holidays are a world apart. El Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), November 2, is a respectful yet playful Mexican celebration...

Encyclopedia Texanica: Anne Dingus solves the state's greatest mysteries.
October 1, 2004... Q: A friend of mine won't let her children go trick-or-treating because she's still afraid of a Houston murderer she remembers called the Candy Man. Was there really such a person? A: In fact there were two, but only one had anything to do...

Timeless.(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
October 1, 2004... It's been more than forty years since the Orange-raised icon CLARENCE "GATEMOUTH" BROWN ruled the roost at Don Robey's Peacock Records, yet the eighty-year-old guitarist continues to crank out recordings. In fact, he's signed a new label...

Scared Money.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Houstonian JAMES HIME has built a global stage for retired Texas Ranger Jeremiah Spur and deputy sheriffClyde Thomas to strut on in his second novel, SCARED MONEY (St. Martin's Minotaur). Spur (who also appeared with Thomas in Hime's debut, The...

Good Times.(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
October 1, 2004... Only CHARLIE ROBISON would audaciously name his album GOOD TIMES (Dualtone), and sure enough, the John Prine-ish title track mines every cliche in the book. Charlie is known for being the honey-voiced troublemaker sibling in the Bandera-raised...

Fifty Years of the Texas Observer.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... In compiling FIFTY YEARS OF THE TEXAS OBSERVER (Trinity University Press), editor CHAR MILLER has fashioned a loving tribute to the doggedly liberal rag and the iconoclasts who have produced and sustained it since its 1954 debut. The 91 pieces...

Motion.(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
October 1, 2004... "Let's do something wonderful," BEAVER NELSON sings in his new album's opener, "Let's do something grand/Let us build a monument / That we don't understand." He knows more than he lets on. There are reasons Nelson is not a star, and none of...

In a Dark House.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Like a finely tuned Jaguar XJS humming along Britain's M1 motorway, DEBORAH CROMBIE'S Scotland Yard mysteries have provided classy, reliable thrills since the Texan first launched the series, in 1993. The tenth installment, IN A DARK HOUSE...

A new lease on life: Ernest Willis may soon be the seventh man in Texas history to be set free from death row.(Where Are They Now?/ Catching up with characters from our pages.)
October 1, 2004... Ernest Willis, death row inmate number 881, may soon be free man. On July 21 federal district judge Royal Furgeson granted the 59-year-old convicted murderer his petition for writ of habeas corpus and ordered that he be released or granted a...

The cowboy myth: we're told repeatedly that George W. Bush's leadership style is rooted in Texas values, but what's so Texan about squinty-eyed moral clarity, shoot-from-the-hip decisiveness, and go-it-alone gunslinging?
October 1, 2004... Not long after he moved into the Eastern White House, George W. Bush let it he known that he could just as easily do the free world's business at the Western White House. "This is a fabulous environment in which to make decisions," Bush said of...

Arlington's team: it was the Super Bowl of negotiations: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones versus Dallas mayor Laura Miller. He wanted Dallas to build his storied franchise a new stadium. She didn't want the city to pay for it. That's why the 'Boys will remain in the 'burbs.
October 1, 2004... The possible return of the Dallas Cowboys to their 1960 birthplace at Fair Park seemed so right that you just knew it was going to go wrong. Until the Cowboys moved to an Irving freeway intersection in 1971, they were Dallas's team--all of...

Winning the fight against cancer.(Women's Wellness)(Body and Soul: The Courage and Beauty of Breast Cancer Survivors)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... Body & Soul: The Courage and Beauty of Breast Cancer Survivors A book by Jean Karotkin jeankarotkin.com When Jean Karotkin was diagnosed with breast cancer, she could have given in to the tragic news. Instead, she decided to make some...

Empowering women.(Women's Wellness)(The Crossings)(Southwest Airlines)(DeVry University)
October 1, 2004... The Crossings: 13500 FM 2769 Austin, 512-258-7243 thecrossingsaustin.com Created as a unique meeting and retreat space where guests can experience "personal and/or professional growth and renewal in a beautiful Texas Hill Country setting,"...

Party crashers: never mind Ralph Nader. Texas has its own third-party presidential candidates stirring the pot this election--and that's a good thing.(Michael Badnarik, David Cobb)
October 1, 2004... Sometimes it's hard not to feel spurned. The presidential contenders, so busy wooing Pennsylvanians and Michiganders, don't pay any attention to Texans. The fix is in, we're told. The state's 34-electoral votes are guaranteed to go to the...

Mike Judge: the 41-year-old writer, director, and animator on Hank Hill's Texanness, the inspiration for Beavis and Butt-head, and the case for burning down Harvard.(Talks)(Interview)(Cover Story)
October 1, 2004... Television is so weird these days; you never know what's going to be a hit. Did you over imagine King of the Hill would make it to a ninth season? I have to say I didn't think it would be on this long. And if you had told me so at the...

A Texas survival kit: with its cranky critters, wild weather, prickly plants, and inhospitable insects, this state can be a perilous place. Chances are you'll have a close encounter of the dangerous--or at least unpleasant--kind one of these days. So here's what to do if you're ...
October 1, 2004... DID PIONEERS COMPLAIN, "Nothing exciting ever happens to me"? Probably not. For them, a mere trip to the creek for water meant keeping an eye out for rattlesnakes coiled in the weeds at their feet and panthers poised on a branch overhead....

Continental rift: when George W. Bush appointed him U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Brownsville native Tony Garza talked of strengthening out ties to our most important neighbor. Then came Iraq--and his best laid plans became another casualty of war.
October 1, 2004... TONY GARZA, AWAY FROM HIS MARBLE residence in Mexico City, was learning about the "migration problem." He strolled through the plaza in the little town of Altar, Sonora, and observed the men gathered everywhere. There were several hundred of...

I hate school! Too much time spent on homework and pizza parties. Too many pleas for money to make up for cuts in state funding. Too much worry over whether my son is learning enough. I want to be involved in his education, but the demands teachers and principals place on parents these days are ridiculous. That's why, I'm sorry to say ...
October 1, 2004... I seem to remember, as a child, my mother being overtaken by euphoria each year as summer came to a close. She bought my brothers and me Big Chief tablets and crisp new clothes with abandon; she accepted her carpool duties with gratitude. And...

Good vibration: in Burleson, one woman's small business has the whole town buzzing. And depending on whom you ask, she's either a depraved exhibitionist or a family-loving Baptist who's discovered the secret to saving suburban marriages--batteries not included.
October 1, 2004... ON A HOT August afternoon in Burleson, a quiet bedroom community of 25,000 residents and 53 churches just south of Fort Worth, an attractive 43-year-old woman named Joanne Webb is preparing for a sales presentation. Sitting in the family room...

Conventional wisdom: four more years? Four more months? Whatever their message, Texas Republicans and Democrats were the life of their parties in New York and Boston--and we captured it all on film.
October 1, 2004... THIS IS AN ELECTION YEAR in which Texas, it's routinely said, doesn't get to participate (see "Party Crashers," page 106). The president will win the state handily--though possibly not by as wide a margin as last time (59 to 38, for those of...

Where to stay now: 2004.(Hotel ZaZa)(Riverwalk Vista)(Mansion at Judges' Hill)(Hotel Paisano)(Hangar Hotel)(Hotel Icon)(Watermark Hotel and Spa)(Lake Austin Spa and Resort)(Hotel Valencia Riverwalk)(Four Seasons Resort and Club at Las Colinas)(Hotel Review)
October 1, 2004... I've eaten room-service dinner on a balcony over the River Walk, sipped a smoking martini, enjoyed a crushed-pecan body polish, soaked in a tub with an Alamo view, and generally had a swell time sleeping around (usually swaddled in luxurious...

Directory.(Where To Stay Now)(Directory)
October 1, 2004... All prices are for double occupancy unless otherwise noted. Before you make you 'reservation, ask about off-season, weekend, and package deals and cheek the hotel's Web site for Internet specials. At many downtown hotels, be prepared to pay a...

October: restaurants, cafes, bistros, joints.(The Dining Guide)(George)(Restaurant Review)
October 1, 2004... Pat's Pick: George I sat down at George and immediately started thinking of words to describe the pristine surroundings--words like "ice," "light," and "silver," not to mention "minimalist," "pure," and "serene," At this new Dallas...

The Dining Guide.(Directory)
October 1, 2004... POLICIES AND DEFINITIONS The Dining 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 reviewers'...

Slow boat with China.(Eating around/ Gastronomic gateways in Texas--and beyond.)(Far Flung Adventures)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... How does this sound? A three-day float down the Rio Grande through a majestic Big Bend river canyon with periodic stops for gourmet camp cuisine: eggs Benedict in the morning; meats, cheeses, and pates on the riverbank at lunch; and in the...

Texas charm.(New Next)
October 1, 2004... Just introduced! 14KT Lone Star Wheels[TM] are exclusively available at Rewards. Worn alone or with Lifeline Story Wheels, you can create a necklace that is truly all your own. > 9722 Great Hills Trail, Austin, 800-292-0195. shoprewards.com

New and improved.(New Next)
October 1, 2004... Award-winning Vein Center Houston, a new cosmetic and medical facility, features on-site vein treatments, using state-of-the-art laser technology. Benefits include no downtime, and procedures are virtually pain free. Owner/Founder, Mario...

In balance.(New Next)
October 1, 2004... The Living Spa[R] at El Monte Sagrado in Taos presents a new series of unique services focused on de-stressing, de-toxifying and rebalancing the body and the spirit. Offering Sounds and Vibrational Therapy, Intuitive Touch, Egyptian Anointing,...

Luxe lounger.(New Next)
October 1, 2004... This unique XXL chaise lounge is made of comfortable, heavyweight top-grain leather with cowhide trim built on sturdy hardwood frame. Ask for the King of Cowboys. Available at Brumbaugh's Leather Gallery, Fort Worth. > 817.244.9377 or...

Fall fashion.(New Next)
October 1, 2004... Crisp autumn colors make for a versatile accessory. Three strands of white coin pearls and dotted with bronze tablet pearls, are strung on a 14kt gold cable chain. Don't forget the matching earrings. Necklace, $930; earrings (not shown), $220;...

Gourmet comforts.(New Next)
October 1, 2004... Bush's introduces Homestyle Chili in see-through glass jars, the first premium heat-and-serve chili that looks and tastes like homemade. Available at major grocery stores nationwide. > bushbeans.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Italian design.(New Next)
October 1, 2004... The new Mody and Mody is Houston's only showroom stocking the striking collection of B&B Italia furniture. This showroom offers homeowners, interior designers, and architects a place to experience this furniture firsthand. > 6808 Hornwood,...

Bring him on: I'm pals with Clinton and pals with Bush--so, obviously, if John Kerry wants to be president, he has to make friends with me. Hey, is that my phone ringing?(Bill Clinton, George W. Bush)
October 1, 2004... "Start talkin'," I said as I picked up the blower. "Kinkster," said a familiar voice, "this is John Kerry. I haven't been very happy with you lately." "Why the long face, John?" "Are you aware that I'm running for president of the...