The Trinity River Vision's J.D. Granger Wins A Coveted FW Weekly 2011 Turkey Award

J.D. Granger Wins Coveted FW Weekly
2011 Turkey Award

If I remember right, last month I mentioned going to a TRIP sponsored forum at Fort Worth's Botanic Garden.

J.D. Granger was scheduled to be on the forum panel, but panicked and cancelled at the last minute. This news was greeted with loud booing when it was announced to the assembled forum goers.

This week's week before Thanksgiving edition of FW Weekly is the 2011 Turkey Awards issue.

J.D. Granger won one of the coveted Turkey Awards.

This is what FW Weekly had to say by way of explaining why J.D. deserved this coveted award in the cover article title "The Big Bird".....

Last month, the Trinity River Improvement Partnership (TRIP) sponsored a forum at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden to discuss the merits of the $900 million Trinity River Vision project and ask questions about where that money will come from, what the justification for the project is, and what it has to do with flooding and water quality issues. About 125 people showed up, but it was one person missing that stirred the ire of the citizens. J. D. Granger, executive director of TRV, had promised to sit on the panel and give direct answers to those important questions. But at the last minute, he cancelled. The only one to show up on the “pro-TRV” side was a gutsy Jim Lane, a board member of the Tarrant Regional Water District. Lane did his best to answer some of the questions, but the water district is handling only part of the project. The reason given for Granger’s backpedaling was that he realized the event would involve discussing policy, and, shucks, he’s just the hired hand (although he’d known about the format of the event for weeks). But the fact is that Granger is in charge and is one of the few people who can sort out where this multi-agency project is going. Canceling at the last minute just doesn’t cut it. Maybe voters should drop him from their holiday invitation list. Oh, wait. That’s right. He’s not an elected official.

A Cloudy Cold Tandy Hills With The Dallas Cowboy Stadium Scandal Back Haunting Me

The drop in temperature has arrived. It is currently a chilly 61 degrees in the outer world at my location.

The brisk chill made for some brisking hill hiking on the Tandy Hills today.

As you can see, looking west at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, there is a layer of clouds blocking the clear blue sky.

The clouds were very interesting looking in the noon time frame. They looked like snow clouds.

Changing subjects from the weather to the Dallas Cowboy Stadium Scandal.

Way back in 2004 when homes, apartments and businesses started being taken from their owners and destroyed, often via abusing the perfectly legit concept of eminent domain, to build a football stadium, I was totally shocked at such thing happening and the idea that a community (Arlington) would go along with doing such a thing to their neighbors.,

I documented the destruction and the building of the new stadium.

Today I heard from someone associated with something called NFL Films. This is what someone asked me...

Hi! I work with the Footage and Photo Acquisitions Department at NFL Films. I am looking to see if I can get copies of the photos on your site that show the demolition of the home in Arlington.  Do you own these photos?  I am looking to possibly license the photos for use in an upcoming segment that will be produced for the show NFL Films Presents. The segment is on Fred Jackson, whose childhood home was demolished. If you do own rights to the photos, I do have a standard release that I can email over to you for your review.

Several years ago a magazine called Backpacker paid me $100 for a photo of a Longhorn surrounded by wildflowers on a hill by Lake Grapevine.

I wonder why, after all these years, NFL Films is going to film a segment about the destruction of one of the homes demolished during the worst abuse of eminent domain in American history?

Alma The Songbird Of The Texas Gulf Coast Pointed Me Towards The Right Buckets To Drop A Quarter

I was just fixin' to write a check to make a donation to UNICEF when I got an email from the Songbird of the Texas Gulf Coast, Alma, currently crooning at various venues in Port Aransas, that caused me to change my mind and decide to drop a quarter into the next Salvation Army bucket I see instead.

Below is the email from Alma....

As you open your pockets for the next natural disaster, or for Christmas donations, please keep these facts in mind:

The American Red Cross President and CEO Marsha J. Evans salary for the year was $651,957 plus expenses.

The United Way President Brian Gallagher receives a $375,000 base salary along with numerous expense benefits.

UNICEF CEO Caryl M. Stern receives $1,200,000 per year (100k per month) plus all expenses including a ROLLS ROYCE. Less than 5 cents of your donated dollar goes to the cause.

The Salvation Army's Commissioner Todd Bassett receives a salary of only $13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing this $2 billion dollar organization. 96 percent of donated dollars go to the cause.

The American Legion National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!

The Veterans of Foreign Wars National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!

The Disabled American Veterans National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!

The Military Order of Purple Hearts National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!

The Vietnam Veterans Association National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!

No further comment is necessary. Please share this with everyone you can.

Day 16 Starts With Another Warm Morning In Texas

I thought I'd awaken to Day 16 of the next to last month of 2011 chilled in the outer world to barely above freezing.

But. I must have mis-read the weather predictors prediction because this morning it is 58 degrees in the outer world at my location on this parched part of the planet.

As you can see in the view from my secondary viewing portal on the outer world it is not quite clear whether the sky is clear or not. The sky appears to be gray, but very bright. I see no blue.

Changing the subject from my favorite subject to something else.

I heard from my favorite grammarian, who's expertise in that area is unsurpassed, this morning, pointing out a grammar error I made and which I repeated three times. The grammar trouble came from one particular word, who's misuse of an apostrophe, which on 99% of English words indicates possession, on this particular word, simply implicates a contraction.

Now, I have long been a believer in helping the language evolve, which for me means with those pesky type words who's grammar rule seems to fly in the face of logic and common sense, I opt to make the mistake and pay the consequences.

Even if that means I risk rising the wrath of CatsPaw, who's advice I greatly value.

Wondering About Green Graffiti On The HOT Humid Tandy Hills With Bubba

Un-Natural  Tandy Hills Manhole Cover & Post

Today whilst wandering the Tandy Hills Natural Area I found myself wondering why manhole covers in the Natural Area have been painted a very un-natural shade of green with what looks like graffiti.

Previously I wondered why the cash strapped, library and pool closing City of Fort Worth spent money sticking green poles in the ground next to the now green manhole covers.

The green poles say "CAUTION SEWER" on them, along with the City of Fort Worth Molly the Longhorn logo.

For years these manhole covers did not have a "CAUTION SEWER" sign by them. Did something change and what is under those manhole covers has become dangerous? Requiring a cautionary warning?

It's very perplexing.

On a related Fort Worth note, someone named Bubba made a comment regarding yesterday's blogging about the Lone Star International Film Festival. I don't know why, for sure, but I found Bubba's comment to be amusing...

Bubba has left a new comment on your post "Up A Creek Did Not Win Best Documentary Short Film...": 

FW and Tarrant county are notorious for overhyping any positives and ignoring or minimizing their deficiencies. And that's a big loss for everybody. 

Changing the subject from Bubba to my favorite subject, that being the temperature and the weather.

Earlier today I said as far as I knew no rain fell yesterday. Well, as I often am, I was wrong. A little rain did fall. But, even though the amount of precipitation was small it was enough to amp up the humidity, with that humidity making it feel HOTTER than the real temperature, as in right now it is 81 degrees in the outer world, but feels like a HOT 83.

I refuse to turn the air-conditioner on in the middle of November. But, if it gets any hotter that resolve may dissolve.

Solving The Mystery Of Foster The People & Pumped Up Kicks

Foster the People

That is Foster the People in the picture.

More on Foster the People later, but first I have to say that when I moved to Texas, late in the previous century, I was not much of a fan of the current pop music.

I listened to the radio on the drive from Washington to Texas, having to find new stations as I drove along. When I crossed the border into Texas I found I could only find Christian and Country radio stations.

I never had listened to much Country Music before. I did not know, at the time, that a lot of it now sounded like old style rock and roll. By the time I got to Fort Worth I was sort of a Country Music fan.

Being a fan of Country Music soon faded.

And then a few years ago I discovered myself finding a lot of new pop tunes to be quite good.

Pumped Up Kicks

For a couple months now there has been a song on the radio that I found myself liking. But I could not understand the lyrics. Nor did I know who sang the song. Or what the name of the song was. The DJs never seemed to identify it.

Then yesterday I thought to Google "American Top 40." That led me to a Top 40 Charts website.

On the chorus of the song that had been vexing me I thought I'd made out the words "Pumped Up Kids."

On the Top 40 Chart I saw a song in the #6 spot called "Pumped Up Kicks." From a group called Foster the People.

I Googled "Foster the People" to learn via Wikipedia that...

"Foster the People is an American indie pop band formed in Los Angeles, California in 2009. Members Mark Foster (vocals, keyboards, piano, synthesizers, guitar, programming, percussion), Mark Pontius (drums and extra percussion), and Cubbie Fink (bass and backing vocals) formed the band while in their mid-twenties. The band is best known for its song "Pumped Up Kicks", which reached number one on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart, number 3 on the Rock Songs tally and number 3 for 8 consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100."

So, now I knew the name of the song that have been vexing me and who's song it was.

That left the words to the song and what the song was about as the remaining mystery.

I Googled "Pumped Up Kicks Lyrics" and learned that there are a lot of websites where you can find the lyrics to songs.

Below are the Pumped Up Kicks lyrics and below that is a YouTube video of the song who's name I did not know and who's words were mostly a mystery to me. I may now know the words to this song, but I still am not sure what it is about...

"Pumped Up Kicks"

Robert's got a quick hand.
He'll look around the room, he won't tell you his plan.
He's got a rolled cigarette, hanging out his mouth he's a cowboy kid.
Yeah, he found a six shooter gun.
In his dad's closet hidden with a box of fun things, and I don't even know what.
But he's coming for you, yeah he's coming for you.

[Chorus]
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you'd better run, better run, outrun my gun. All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet.

Daddy works a long day. He'll be coming home late, he's coming home late. And he's bringing me a dark surprise. 'Cause dinner's in the kitchen and it's packed in ice. I've waited for a long time. 
Yeah the sleight of my hand is now a quick-pull trigger,
I reason with my cigarette, And say your hair's on fire, you must have lost your wits, yeah.

[Chorus]
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you'd better run, better run, outrun my gun. All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet.

The Ides Of November Dawns Dry So Far In Texas

It is the Ides of November.

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the world, in the early morning of the 15th day of the next to last month of 2011, you can sort of tell it is yet one more clear blue sky day, so far, at my Texas location in this parched part of the planet.

So far, as far as I know, none of the predicted rain has hit the ground in my zone of the planet. More predicted rain is scheduled for today.

If I had a place to bet on such a thing, I would bet that no rain is going to fall today.

Currently the predictors are predicting that tomorrow, Wednesday, it will get cold, as in 35 degrees cold.

35 degrees cold means I likely will not be trying to go swimming tomorrow morning. I've discovered that I am not a big fan of shivering.

So, I think I will go swimming now and get in a bout of being waterbound before the predicted chill arrives.

Up A Creek Did Not Win Best Documentary Short Film At Fort Worth's Lone Star International Film Festival

Lone Star Film Festival Did Not Show Up A Creek

Fort Worth's Lone Star International Film Festival ends today, Monday, November 14.

The fact that I did not realize this was taking place is a good indicator of how un-festive this film festival is.

It's not like the Telluride, Sundance, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver or Cannes Film Festivals with a herd of celebrities coming to town.

If I remember right, last year's big deal, at the LSIFF, was low level film star, hometown boy, Bill Paxton, showing up.

The Lone Star International Film Festival rejected the award winning documentary "Up a Creek" from appearing on the roster of films shown this year.

"Up a Creek won the Best Award in some category I'm not remembering, in September, at the prestigious Glen Rose Neo-Relix Film Festival.

It is sort of ironic that Fort Worth's film festival would choose not to show "Up a Creek" due to the fact that it was filmed mostly in Fort Worth and focuses on a Fort Worth issue, that being the Trinity River, deadly flooding and the billion dollar boondoggle known as the Trinity River Vision.

I believe "Up a Creek" will be shown at the Seattle and San Francisco film festivals.

I already told the star of "Up a Creek" that I would go to the Academy Awards, in Los Angeles, with her, if "Up a Creek" gets nominated for Best Documentary Short Film.

I suppose I could be talked into going to Seattle and San Francisco. But not Telluride. The high elevation makes me too dizzy.

Checking Out The Tandy Trojan Horse Looking At The Stunning Smoggy Skyline Of Beautiful Downtown Fort Worth

The Tandy Trojan Horse Looking At The
 Smoggy Skyline Downtown Fort Worth

As you can see looking west from halfway down Mount Tandy, today, it is currently smoggy in this parched part of the planet. The smog makes the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth look faded.

Thunderstorms and rain are supposedly on the menu for later today.

The Tandy Trojan Horse Shrine seems to be losing its shrine elements. Currently all that remains is the Tandy Trojan Horse, a couple golf balls and a glass insulator.

Who is desecrating the Tandy Trojan Horse Shrine?

Could the desecrator be the guy I encountered today in a rare Tandy Hills human encounter?

I was peaceably walking along, lost in my thoughts, when I was suddenly startled by a tall lanky guy armed with a big camera, a big camera which I, upon first seeing it, mistook for a handgun, instantly causing me to be concerned I was about to have an encounter with a dangerous armed man.

But, we exchanged polite "hellos" and continued on our way with no shots fired.

Changing the subject from not firing shots to my favorite subject.

Currently we are 3 degrees short of today's predicted high of 81. I've got windows open and a ceiling fan spinning. This seems unusual for mid-November.

Up With The Sun The Second Monday Of November Thinking About Incoming Japanese Floating Balls

The dawn of the 2nd Monday of the next to last month of 2011 has arrived with the sun illuminating what appears to be a clear blue sky.

Even though currently the sky is clear, rain is in the forecast for today. A 20% chance of wet stuff falling. With a greater chance of getting wet tomorrow.

Currently, at this early hour of the morning, the outer world is being heated to 67 degrees. The high today is scheduled to reach the low 80s.

I had my windows open all night long. I do not previously remember leaving my windows open, at this location, all night long in the middle of November. This almost switches me back to being a global warming believer.

I saw two interesting things in the news this morning. Both involved Japan. I was surprised to learn that Japan's economy expanded at a 6 percent rate during the most recent quarter. That is a much bigger expansion than the American economy experienced in the most recent quarter.

And, unlike Japan, we in America have had no HUGE earthquakes or tsunamis to deal with.

Speaking of which, that's the other interesting news this morning that relates to Japan.

The debris field washed out to sea, following the Japanese tsunami, a debris field the size of California, is due to start washing up on our west coast shores any day now.

That should make for some interesting beach combing.

When I was a kid I recollect beach combing on the Pacific beaches in the Ocean Shores/Copalis zone of the Washington coast. At that point in time the Japanese fishermen still used glass balls to float their fishnets. Those glass balls would  break loose from the fishnets and make their way to west coast beaches. I recollect only finding one. A small one.

Speaking of small balls floating long distances, it is time for my morning swim before it gets any hotter.