Back Talk Lakewood/East Dallas

Around the web: Donating blood, the Yugo, Google and the flu, TV heroes

A regular roundup of stuff that wouldn't necessarily make it on the blog, but is worth noting:

• Had to come to this, given the state of the economy. I saw my first donating blood to make ends meet story, in the Chicago Tribune. Said one person at a plasma donation center: "Instead of sitting at home watching TV, I can spend a couple hours and make some extra gas money. Everything is hard, it's all getting more expensive: gas of course, just the cost of living."

• Those of us a certain age remember the Yugo, quite possibly the worst car ever made. It ended production recently, and to much fanfare. Apparently, in its native Serbia, the Yugo is still well-respected: "This is driving in its most natural form," said one enthusiast. "You feel every bump, squeak and jolt, and one can enjoy the sweet smell of gasoline and exhaust fumes. No car can replace it."

• Want to know if we're having a flu epidemic? Check with Google. Google.org, the search company’s philanthropic unit, says it has a tool that may be able to detect regional outbreaks of the flu 10 days before they're reported by the federal government. The tool tracks hits on flu-related web sites, figuring that someone who is sick will search Google for symptoms, cures, and the like.

• Ed Bark, local TV critic and blogger extraordinaire, rates the toughest TV heroes of all time. Gunsmoke's Matt Dillon is No. 1, which seems a bit high. I'd think NYPD Blue's Andy Sipowicz (No. 7) could take Matt just by sneering at him.

Back Talk’s final day on this site

Starting Monday, the blog’s home will be on our new website. So far, so good -- not too many problems, and we appreciate everyone reporting bugs, oddities, and the like. Please, let us know if something isn't working.

This site will be turned off after today. There will be no new posts, and you won't be able to make comments on previous posts. But you will be able to read old posts. After the jump, everything you need to know as we finalize the transition.

DISD news roundup: No election, new CFO and another investigation

Lots of DISD action this week ... here's a brief summary of some of what went down, along with (of course) a little commentary:

• After its embarrassing financial crisis, DISD is spending $258,000 annually to hire a new chief financial officer. Larry Throm comes via Austin and Lubbock, where he is credited with being a tough watchdog on district finances there. "Dallas is absolutely fixable," Throm told the DMN. "I would not have taken the job if I didn't think I could be successful. They need to install some internal controls, generally accepted accounting principals and some safeguards."

Save-a-Lot on Abrams closes

The Save-a-Lot no-frills grocery store, at the corner of Northwest Highway and Abrams, didn't always smell quite right, but the produce was of good quality and cheap -- as much as one-third less as elsewhere. But when I went to buy onions over the weekend, the store was closed and cleaned out. Not even a fixture was left.

Save-a-Lot apparently closed the location quietly. I have a call in to the Missouri corporate headquarters to see if this was a one-store thing, or if the chain is pulling out of the Dallas market. It still has a half dozen stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including one on Ferguson near Buckner.

DISD board vote may extend trustee terms and delay May election

When Carla Ranger starts looking like the reasonable one on the DISD board, we might have a big problem. But that seems to be the case on the board's possible vote today to delay the currently scheduled spring elections for trustee seats currently held by Edwin Flores, Leigh Ann Ellis and Ron Price.

In a nod to stability, the board is considering extending board terms, which would mean the three trustees wouldn't face re-election until 2010 as opposed to May 2009. The board is relying on a state law that allows school boards to extend trustee terms; DISD's lawyers apparently are giving the board the go-ahead even as Ranger cites other legal opinions saying such a move would be illegal.

Jim Schutze weighs in on the idea in this week's Dallas Observer, and most of his points are dead-on.

Extending trustee terms is a good idea, giving the volunteers we elect a longer period of time to learn the ropes and at least try to keep everything honest on Ross Avenue.

But voting to extend the terms to get around having an election, as opposed to making the term extension effective after the next election cycle, essentially trumps our right as voters to have a say on DISD's ongoing issues. It could very well be in DISD's best interests — and it certainly is in Supt. Michael Hinojosa's best interest — to keep these three supportive board members on the job. But that's just not the way things should be done in a democracy. An election to vote in new board members, if that occurred, might make things even more messy at DISD, while re-electing these three board members would send a message that stability is what voters want.

But that's a decision for voters to make, and it shouldn't be taken away from us by the very people whose actions many are questioning.

Back Talk is moving, Thursday edition

Frankly, I'm a little concerned. Not enough of you have changed your RSS and email subscriptions yet. If you don't do it this week, your subscription will end when the old site goes dark on Monday. It's easy, really -- just click a link or two and some basic typing. If you click the RSS link and get some code and not the form, close the page and click the link again. It should work the second time. We know about this, and we're trying to fix it.

After the jump, everything you need to know to re-subscribe and use the new site.

Frankie's is open again

Restaurant closings and openings and closing then re-openings are getting a little tough to keep up with around here. But I sure like the re-openings better than the closings. This afternoon, we told you that La Parrillada was reopen. Now I just got the latest Frankie's Li'l Europe newsletter that reads as follows:
"We Are Back Open and Happy to be Here! Sorry if We Missed You, Let Us Make it Up to You!"

Then it goes on to offer a FREE entree ... but you have to sign up for their newsletter to get in on that offer.

La Parrillada is open

Looks like the neighborhood restaurant settled up with the tax man. I got a report from the field (one of our keen Lakewood-area advertising reps called in) that La Parrillada on Gaston, which closed last week, will reopen tonight. I just got off the phone with a happy waitress who told me that yes, it's true. They open at 5 p.m.!

Back Talk is moving, Wednesday edition

Some shameless self-promotion for the Advocate and the blog as we get ready to switch to the new blog platform. Friday will be our last day at this address.

Karen Blessen, who designed our October 2007 magazine cover, won a Katie award for best magazine cover, beating every other magazine in town (including all the famous ones). That was our Trinity toll road referendum issue. Meanwhile, Outside.in has named Back Talk one of the top blogs in Dallas. That was nothing -- wait until they see what we do next with the new platform.

After the jump, everything you need to know to use the new site.

Wine review: Dufouleur Père & Fils Nuits St. Georges Premier Cru Les Saint Georges 2002

Regular readers know that I don’t put much stock in expensive wine. Even when it’s worthwhile, these wines often fail the 10 times test: Is a typical $100 wine 10 times better than a typical $10 wine?

This red Burgundy (what the French call pinot noir) is from a 400-year French wine family and it does pass the 10 times test. The 2002 vintage, meanwhile, is one of the best in Burgundy in decades. Even better, the wine is only about $30 (available at Goody Goody). This is classic red Burgundy, with zippy tannins and a pleasantly rustic feel and taste. It isn’t especially fruity, so if you drink a lot of New World pinot noir you may be disappointed. Try it anyway.

I drank most of a bottle of this on the porch, enjoying the pleasant fall weather we’ve had lately. The St. Georges will also pair with almost anything you can throw at it for Thanksgiving, and it has lots of aging potential. How often can you say that about a $30 wine?