Change DFW to AFW?

Arlington (that's Texas, not Virginia) has received several recent mentions in the national news lately, both of interest to us in Fort Worth.
A Wall Street Journal article Thursday, reported on the fact that Arlington is the largest city in the U.S. (around 350,000) without public transportation. Residential and business growth has now burdened the road capacity to the point where they have to do something and and one solution being considered is cooperation with Fort Worth in their public transit system. An example of this growth is the Tom Hicks development, GloryPark. The development will add several hotels, retail centers and apartments, about 500 million dollars worth, to the already booming Ballpark/Cowboys Stadium area.
Related but a separate news item: the Dallas Cowboys are now valued #1 of all the franchises in the NFL according to a recent Forbes magazine study. Forbes currently values them at 1.5 billion dollars.
Which brings me to the change of DFW to AFW. I wasn't born here and don't know the antipathy developed over the years between Dallas and Fort Worth. But I shake my head in disbelief of Dallas sometimes. Why let the number one sports franchise in football not only move out of the city but move out of the county? I'm sorry, the Laura Miller argument doesn't work for me, and the libertarians need to get a grip on reality. If only for civic pride they ought to support it. I don't care how rich Jerry Jones is. I was around the people who almost got the Mavericks to move to the north- of- Dallas suburb cities. Dallas almost lost the Mavericks and would have lost them had it not been for Mayor Kirk. Now look at what is happening near the AA Center, and that is as it should be. But Dallas' loss of the Cowboys is our gain and kudos to Arlington for their vision. Dallas still gets the name recognition but Arlington gets the future income. I'll take the latter, but Dallas could have had both. I don't seriously think DFW will ever be AFW but Arlington and Fort Worth are winning their fair share of the competition for incoming businesses and residents. A drive down the tollway from Highway 121 in Frisco to Downtown Dallas gives you an idea of how much bigger the Dallas and immediate north is than Fort Worth, Arlington and its immediate north. But the difference today is a whole lot less than when I moved here 25 years ago especially when you consider that the growth immediately north of Dallas is not in Dallas. It's in Addison, Carrollton, Richardson, Plano and now Frisco. Frankly, if I were in charge of Dallas, I would be worried about it. I think Dallas has a problem, I really do. If you think growth is automatic in a city, ask someone from Cleveland or Detroit where populations have halved in the last 15 years.
Congratulations to Arlington, all of DFW will benefit, but next to Arlington itself Fort Worth and its residents will benefit the most.

Dallas Cowboys stadium: http://stadium.dallascowboys.com/
Dallas Cowboys, #1 valuation in NFL: http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/235074.html

24 Talk and Now What?

I am usually 5-7 years behind every trend. So, if it's too late for readers to be interested in commentary on 24, the television series of now six seasons, I understand. I just got hooked a few months ago. My wife and I, who tend to buy or rent a television series instead of watching it during the year, got introduced to 24 recently. Before that we were introduced to Lost, and liked the first two years of that and lost interest during the third. I think it was my daughter who suggested both.
We're almost done year five of 24, with no flagging interest and I'm sorry year six is the last. Here are some general comments and a few criticisms.

• Year 1 is fantastic. Palmer is great as is Jack.
  
• Note to Kim: Men = Lock down in cave, car, or jail cell. Consider other sexual orientation.
  
• Seriously, there has been no year when the "daughter thread" hasn't annoyed me. Even now in Year 5. Here Jack has just kept her alive by keeping anonymity and she's "needing time" before she can forgive him. Of what? She annoys the hell out of me, big boobs and all.
• Chloe is a favorite character.
• Tony's tilted head twitch is annoying.
• Why are a lot of the bad guys gay, slightly gay, or metrosexual? Kims latest boyfriend, a lot of the terrorists, Kay's assistant in Year 5.
• I disliked the Year that had the blood nose dripping disease. That was gross.
• I liked Michelle's low cut dresses and heaving breasts. I miss them, I mean her.
• Jack doing the paddle heart shock treatment to Audrey's husband was "jumping the shark." I can understand him flying airplanes and all the acrobatics but where in CTU training do you learn that?
• Year 4 is my favorite, especially the end, when Jack is cast off, James Dean style. Righteous and rejected rebel. Great stuff.
• Year 5 is good. Is the Secret Service agent cool, or what? The President is a great character, because you have to dislike him, but you sometimes pity and almost like him. He is a complex character not often seen in TV. I do see flashes of Nixon, or the public perception of Nixon.
  
• The Department of Defense guy (Audrey's father) was out of character when he attacked Jack. All along he had been the cool, sensible one, then he turns into Mr. Politician, zaps Jack in the neck and runs off leaving his daughter behind. Not believable.
  
• How many woman can Jack fall in love with in a six year period? He's had more soulmates than a squad of high school cheerleaders. James Bond made no such pretense.

Please, I am at the end of 24 and need suggestions for a similar television series? 24 has about all the soap opera type element I can take, and at times Jack gets a little too in touch with his feminine side, so Desperate Housewives is out for me, as is anything with a hospital in it. Suggestions? Jeromey? Andrew?

I Miss The Ticket (the ticket?)

When you are away from home for a while, and when you have lived at that home with a certain routine for a while, you start to miss things. Restaurants, churches, parks, kids, grandkids, and all things local and not transportable. The Ticket (KTCK 1310) is one of them. Yes, I miss The Ticket. http://www.theticket.com
I spent a lot of time in a car in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and they got me through some long, boring stretches. The Morning Musers -- JubJub, Junior, and the occasionally annoying Gordon (yes, I heard you interview Cheech or Chong and you deserved to be hungup on). Norm, whom I have listened to since the "I Am not a Jock Club" (love ya' Norm). I even miss Bob and Dan, even if Dan whines too much. And, of course, the #1 show, the HardLine -- Greggo, Reiner (yes, Reiner) and the old yuck-monk himself, Corby.
A few of my nostalgic favorites:

• The first Compound Radio Week was the best radio program(s) ever.
• Corby's original overcusser, I really did drive off the road, I was bent over in laughter.
• The "Cat, don't tell Reins", fake Greggo call-in, I have played dozens of times, which reminds me that Greg's admission on public airwaves was as good as good gets. Not too many guys would do that.
  
• Fake Jerry and all things fake.
• Norm broadcasting from his kitchen after the operation.
  
• Over the top Gordon when Norm was admitting some temptations he struggles with and Gordon wouldn't let up. I was mad at Gordon but riveted to the radio.
  

I listened while driving because it's a bunch of guys talking about what guys talk about, which is often sports, but also women, food, music, TV, movies, high-tech gadgets, politics and religion. Mostly unimportant, but the conversation is relaxing. Sports for most of us is a way of relaxing from whatever is eating at us; we play it poorly, or did, and like watching other guys play it well, but it's only one interest, which is what most "sports" shows miss. As my son has observed while listening to sports talk in San Antonio, most sports talk shows are hosted by self-important sports guys who talk sports with radio voice but who don't get "it", and the "it" is they sound fake because they are fake. That's true in San Antonio, Philadelphia, and everywhere else I have ever been. I don't listen to the sports shows here, not because they are Philadelphia fans but because the shows lack the authenticity that The Ticket has. I try but at some point I start looking for a bridge to drive off of, it's that bad.
I could listen on the internet, I know, but it's not the same, most of my listening has been in the car. I want to be in a car on a wide freeway, fighting traffic and talking back to the Ticket talk radio. I miss the mellifluous sound of Reins' gravel voice:
"It's five-forty-toooa, and we'll be back . . . on The Ticket, (the ticket?)."
Those were good times. I'll be home soon boys. (hmmm, gay or not gay?)