Apparently Urban Fracking Is Threatening The Dallas Suburb Of Fort Worth

Late this afternoon Elsie Hotpepper emailed me with the subject line of the email being "FW was first at something..."

I was intrigued.

The message in the email said "Why do I have a feeling no one is 'green' with envy?"

The green with envy reference refers to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's now, mostly, dormant practice of claiming this, that or the other actual lame thing, in Fort Worth, was causing spasms of envy in other locations on the planet.

Long ago I documented, via a webpage, instances of the Star-Telegram's Green With Envy verbiage.

That particular webpage is one of my more popular ones. It has generated a lot of ad revenue over the years.

But, I digress.

Elsie Hotpepper's email included a link to an article on the Truth Out website, with that article titled "Urban Fracking Bonanza Threatens Dallas Suburbs".

I am sure those in Fort Worth who suffer from what some refer to as the Dallas Fixation will really be liking that the Dallas suburb this article refers to is the town that calls itself Fort Worth.

Basically the article tells the tale of what a mess this Dallas suburb has made of itself by allowing itself to be the world's first large city to allow thousands of fracked gas wells to pollute its environs.

Fort Worth's noted Watch Dog, Don Young, makes an appearance in this article, as is to be expected in articles of this nature...

Apparently Many Believe A New Bridge Will Be A Signature Feature Of Fort Worth's Skyline

It appears the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is once again allowing online readers to read their newspaper without having an online subscription. I suspect the initiation of the online subscription saw a precipitous drop in numbers of readers, and thus what could be charged for online advertisements and thus the return of being able to read the online version without a subscription.

I learned that I was back empowered to read the Star-Telegram when I clicked on a headline that intrigued me on the front page.

The headline that intrigued me is "Fort Worth's newest bridge going up while traffic flows."

Turns out the bridge in question is the new West 7th Street Bridge that crosses the Trinity River from the downtown Fort Worth zone to the pretentiously named Cultural District.

The blurb on the front page included the following...

In a dirt field just west of downtown Fort Worth, a giant gantry crane is being used to hoist freshly cured concrete and steel arches into an upright position. Here, the pieces of what many believe will be a new signature feature of Fort Worth's skyline -- the new West Seventh Street bridge.

Can you guess what part of the above blurb caught my eye?

If you guessed that it was "what many believe will be a new signature feature of Fort Worth's skyline" you guessed correctly.

This seems to be a variant of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Green with Envy verbiage, where the Star-Telegram informs its readers that some perfectly pedestrian thing in Fort Worth is making other towns, far and wide, Green with Envy.

The Star-Telegram's Green with Envy verbiage seems to have been laughed out of existence.

One of the reasons I was so appalled at the bizarre Green with Envy Star-Telegram declarations was I wondered how it was that the Star-Telegram determined that other towns were Green with Envy about something in Fort Worth. That is just really, obviously, goofy.

And now I am wondering how it is the Star-Telegram determined that "many" believe this new bridge will be a signature feature of Fort Worth's skyline? That just seems to be another really, obviously, goofy thing to claim.

Now, that is not to suggest that this bridge won't be a signature feature of Fort Worth's skyline. Lord knows the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth could use a signature feature. One that actually made other towns Green with Envy would be a really good thing.

Judging by the artist's renderings I saw in today's Star-Telegram (one of which is below) if these renderings even remotely represent what this bridge is going to look like, I can see where this bridge might add a long needed signature feature to downtown Fort Worth's skyline.

Time will tell if this bridge makes other towns, far and wide, Green with Envy...

A Long Time Ago Fort Worth's Citizens Made The Town A Synonym For Progress

I was not long in Texas before I had my first experience with reading something in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that caused a cringe reflex in me.

That being my first experience with reading the Star-Telegram's patented "Green with Envy" verbiage.

Over the following years I experienced the same cringe numerous times. There were variants of the cringe inducing verbiage, for instance it might be that something in Fort Worth is the "envy of other cities and towns far and wide. "

Or those other cities might "salivate with envy."

Or someone moving to Fort Worth, who few have heard of, gives the town "bragging rights."

I'd not looked at my Eyes on Texas webpage devoted to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Green with Envy syndrome in a long time.

I'd forgotten how funny the Green with Envy verbiage is, along with being cringe inducing. Below are 3 excerpts from my Eyes on Texas Green with Envy webpage, and following that I'll get to the reason I am on this subject....

We thought the Star-Telegram had cured itself of its patented "Green With Envy" type verbiage. But we were wrong. With about a year of not using that unfortunate type verbiage, today, March 23, 2008 they did it again, in an editorial. Here's a blurb containing the offense:

"Fort Worthians love to think their community is unique among big U.S. cities. And it is. Local downtown revitalization is a case study for municipal leaders nationwide. The cooperative, progressive elected leadership found here is the envy of cities that are beset with political and racial divisiveness."

Here the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has other cities salivating with envy over Fort Worth's museums.

"Wealthy patrons and an enthusiastic city have welcomed some of the world's most celebrated architects, including Louis Kahn, Philip Johnson, and Tadao Ando, to create museums that make much larger and more cosmopolitan cities salivate with envy."

In this blurb the Star-Telegram has cultural institutions being the envy of many prideful metropolises. We have no idea what these Fort Worth envy inducing institutions might be. Or how metropolises more prideful than Fort Worth were discovered.

"Fort Worth also has cultural institutions which are the envy of many metropolises which pride themselves on their sophistication."

As far as I know March 23, 2008 was the last time the Fort Worth Star-Telegram used their cringe inducing "envy of" verbiage. What caused them to stop? An outbreak of common sense?

So, what is it that got the Star-Telegram's "Green with Envy" verbiage on my mind?

Well, a couple days ago on my favorite Fort Worth blog, that being Hometown by Handlebars, there was an amusing posting titled "Fort Worth Is It": Open Vistas..That Intoxicate the Brain" in which I saw an article gleaned from what may be a Star-Telegram precursor, or maybe an early rival, named the Fort Worth Register, in which I learned that cringe inducing verbiage has a long history in Fort Worth.

The article above, in which you see the headline "FORT WORTH NEVER FAILED" is very amusing.

From that article we learn "That Citizenship Which Has Made the Name "Fort Worth" A Synonym For Progress and Enterprise Still Directs Its Destiny."

I have no idea what that means, except for the part about Fort Worth being a synonym for progress.

The article is about Fort Worth getting a new meat packer. Getting a new meat packer brought about "One of the Greatest Mass Meetings in the History of the City."

We also learn that "Fort Worth made history for herself and for Texas last night. Fort Worth today will be on the lips of every man, woman and child who reads. Fort Worth, the packing house center of all of the South and Southwest. Fort Worth, the metropolis of Texas - the metropolis of the South and West. Fort Worth started on her road to greatness last night. At 11:35 o'clock, Monday, October 7, 1901, the die was cast, and J.W. Springer, of Denver, Colorado, standing on the rostrum of the city hall auditorium, in  front of the packing house soliciting committee, and before a vast multitude of Fort Worth citizens, ladies and gentlemen, from all the better walks of like, announced that: "FORT WORTH IS IT.""

Good grief.

In 1901, "FORT WORTH WAS IT."  And now, 111 years later, regarding Fort Worth, "YOU GET IT WHEN YOU GET HERE?"

So, way back in 1901 Fort Worth was a synonym for progress? What happened between then and now that changed Fort Worth into no longer being a synonym for progress?

Fort Worth Mayor Moncrief Thanks TCU For Making Fort Worth The Envy Of America

You are looking at Fort Worth's ultra-goofy, ultra-corrupt mayor, Mike Moncrief, in purple shirt and tie, in Texas Christian University's Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on Sunday for a public celebration where only around 6,000 TCU fans showed up to celebrate TCU winning the Rose Bowl.

You who live in the part of America that is not Fort Worth may be surprised to learn that Fort Worth is the "envy of the nation" because a university in this town won the Rose Bowl.

At Sunday's celebration Mayor Mike Moncrief thanked TCU "for making us the envy of the entire nation."

The "entire nation."

That is impressive.

I no longer subscribe to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Because it was no longer worth subscribing to. So, I do not know if the paper has reverted to using its "Green with Envy" type verbiage over and over again in its print version regarding some nonsensical thing that no one is envious of. Like some little known country music singer moving to town.

But.

I do look at the online Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and, though I missed it til Elsie Hotpepper pointed me to it, there it was, once more the goofy "envy of" conceit. This time in quote form on the front page, linked to an article titled "More than 6,000 TCU fans pay tribute to 'unbelievable' season for Horned Frogs" in which the Star-Telegram repeats the "envy of the nation" verbiage....

FORT WORTH -- As the community heralded its university and Rose Bowl champions as the "envy of the nation," one couldn't help but wonder whether guys named Baugh, O'Brien, Meyer and even Wacker weren't somewhere looking down and sporting smiles as big as Fort Worth.

More than 6,000 enthusiastic Texas Christian University fans filled Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on Sunday for a public celebration honoring coach Gary Patterson's football team and recognizing a 2010 season that was about as good as any in the 110-year history of the program.

I have no clue who guys name Baugh, O'Brien, Meyer and Wacker are.

But, I do know I read in west coast online newspapers, more than one Pac-10 football fan opine that a Fort Worth school named TCU, from one of the non-top type conferences, playing in and winning the fabled Rose Bowl is the final nail in the coffin of the widely disliked BCS system of choosing who plays in what football Bowls.

This somehow does not sound like envy to me. It seems more like disappointment that a fabled institution like the annual Rose Bowl has been greatly lessened. And is no longer even played on New Year's Day.

Now, what I am really curious about is all the years some team other than a Fort Worth football team won the Rose Bowl, was Fort Worth collectively envious of the town in which that winning team was located?

I do not recollect ever reading in the Seattle P-I, or hearing anyone opine that Seattle was the "envy of the nation" because the University of Washington won the Rose Bowl.

Do these locals who tout this type verbiage have even the slightest clue that it gets read by people outside of Fort Worth, you know, out in America, and that it makes Fort Worth seem really silly? And that it is sort of embarrassing to be saying this that or the other thing in a town like Fort Worth is the "envy of the nation."

This type bragging really needs to be retired permanently from this town. Until the day comes where something is actually worthy of such lofty verbiage.

Boasting & Bragging

I find a Texas thing or two a bit perplexing at times. One is the concept of bragging rights or boasting. I see this in that newspaper I've complained about before, but continue to buy and read, that being the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Like today there is an article about American Idol. That is a TV show where boys and girls sing and people call in over and over again in a sort of a fraudulent public vote to determine the winner.

The first winner of American Idol was a Texan. You never see her name in the Star-Telegram without her hometown as a modifier, as in "Burleson's Kelly Clarkson". Today's American Idol article did the usual Kelly Clarkson mention. The headline for the article is "The latest 'Idol' boasts North Texas ties".

The article goes on to give a look at the 4 American Idol top 24 people with a Texas tie, saying "Two contestants in the top 24 cite North Texas cities as their hometowns, another has lived here, and another is married to someone from here".

Okay, so 2 actually live in North Texas towns. In the details the 'one who lived here', basically grew up and lives in Oregon, is now 24 and spent one year in Dallas, Frisco and McKinney. The one who married someone in Texas is an Australian living in LA who married a girl from Fort Worth and has visited here.

Now, how does this boasting thing work? Does someone from north Texas run into someone from south Texas and proceed to brag that north Texas has 4 people on American Idol? And two of those actually live there?

This boast/brag thing seems closely related to another odd pathology I've made note of before, that being the Green With Envy pathology where the Star-Telegram would say this that or the other totally ordinary thing in Fort Worth made towns far and wide green with envy or was the envy of towns far and wide. Strangely, ever since I webpaged examples of this bizarre verbiage from the Star-Telegram I have not seen another incident in that paper of something causing others to be green with envy.

Now back to this bragging about someone being from here thing. The Star-Telegram always does this. Like actor Bill Paxton apparently is from Fort Worth. Any mention of him is always Fort Worth native Bill Paxton. An actress named Betty Buckley is from Fort Worth, so it is always Fort Worth native Betty Buckley. Today there was mention made of Betty's brother, who I'd never heard of, Fort Worth native Norman Buckley, who apparently got an award at some obscure event called the "Eddie" Awards. I guess Fort Worth will now have the bragging rights and likely a city wide celebration because a Fort Worth native won a prestigious "Eddie" Award. Whatever that is. I guess I could look it up.

A country music singer I'd not heard of, Pat Green, moved to Fort Worth, with the Star-Telegram saying this now gave Fort Worth bragging rights regarding what they called the Texas Transient's move to FW, and that this move had Dallas, Lubbock and Waco green with envy. I am not making this up.

I could go on and on with examples of the "native of" verbiage, but won't. If I haven't made a point by now, more examples aren't going to do so.

So, where I used to live I subscribed to 2 newspapers, the Seattle P-I and the Skagit Valley Herald. Seattle has a few celebrities and well known people, as does the Skagit Valley. Burl Ives lived in the Skagit town of Anacortes til he died. I don't recollect ever reading his name in an article with verbiage like Anacortes native Burl Ives. That guy who played Jesus in that Mel Gibson movie, Jim Caviezel, is from the town I lived in, Mount Vernon. I don't recollect either the P-I or the SV Herald ever referencing him as Mount Vernon native, Jim Caviezel. The richest man in the world was born and raised and still lives in the Seattle zone. I don't recollect ever reading him referred to as Washington native Bill Gates, or Seattle native Bill Gates. Nirvana's Kurt Cobain grew up in the Washington coastal town of Hoquium. I don't recollect ever reading Hoquium native Kurt Cobain.

I can think of more examples of well known people living in the Seattle zone than I can think of here in Texas, suffice to say I don't ever recollect reading about any of them where the local papers repeatedly refer to people as being a native of this that or the other place. Let alone the fact of them being from this that or the other place giving that place some sort of bragging rights. Or being something to boast about. That just seems like bad manners. Maybe the Northwest is just a zone with better manners. And a lot of serial killers. But that's another day's blogging.