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January 2003

  • Features

    • Feature

      The 2003 Bum Steer Awards

      By

      It was a year of asinine atheists, buck-naked bad guys, crud-coated coins, duct-taped duds, ex-Enron exhibitionists, felonious Ferraris, gaffe-prone guests, hijacked heads, icky incumbents, jittery java junkies, kaput kampaigns, lascivious lawyers, Munsters maniacs, ninny newlyweds, obdurate officials, pesky perfumes, quickie-minded quadrupeds, risible reading, superannuated sodas, titillating textbooks, un-dry urbanites, vamoosed vaudevillians, wandering weapons, Xena-like Xanthippes, yammering Yankees, and zealous zit-ologists.

    • Feature

      Dick Armey: Armey Maneuvers

      By

      Dick Armey: Armey Maneuvers Armey Maneuvers I: Backward, March! After House majority leader Dick Armey announced plans to retire from Congress at the end of 2002, his son Denton County judge Scott Armey, trying to capitalize on the family name, ran for his father’s seat but lost the primary runoff. Armey Maneuvers II: At Sleaze! …

    • Feature

      Dependable, Lendable, Undefendable, Vendable!

      By

      Dependable! Bum Steers wouldn’t be Bum Steers without the Bushes. Econology Can Be So Confusing President Bush described part of a conversation with Japan’s prime minister as “the devaluation issue,” causing a dip in the value of the yen until White House officials released a statement explaining that the president had meant to say “the …

    • Feature

      The 2003 Bum Steer Awards

      By

      The Bull Just Smiled and Declined to Press Charges Joey Allen Long, of Paris, was charged in Mount Pleasant with the theft of $4,600 worth of bull semen. We Can Only Imagine What the Words “Bob Torricelli” Did to Him Thomas Ray Mitchell, of Texas City, was convicted of aggravated assault for shooting his girlfriend …

    • Feature

      The End of the River

      By

      Why the mighty Rio Grande isn’t so mighty anymore: a twisted tale of international politics, water rights, and environmental reality (with a drought thrown in for good measure).

    • Feature

      Bottom’s Up

      By

      The U.S. Census Bureau says that Cameron Park, a Brownsville colonia, is the poorest community in America—and yet optimism thrives there. How do you explain to statisticians and demographers that poverty is a relative thing?

    • Feature

      A Ride for Mrs. Oswald

      By

      On November 22, 1963, I was working as a reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram when I answered the phone—and got a close encounter with history.

    • Feature

      Two Wings and a Prayer

      By

      Legend has it that an East Texas preacher’s homemade flying machine took off in late 1902, nearly a year before Kitty Hawk. Are the history books wrong about who was first in flight—or are they right, brothers?

  • Around the State

    • Atsbox

      Music

      By

      O SUSAN! The Houston Grand Opera is throwing a party this month for Texas-raised diva Susan Graham, celebrating her triumphant Houston (and world) debut as the hero in the HGO’s staging of the Handelian melodrama Ariodante in November. Where’s the shindig? Why, in the second act of Lehár’s Merry Widow. In a rare second appearance …

    • Atsbox

      Straight Talk

      By

      THE CABLE GUY Conservative political columnist Robert Novak, the co-host of CNN’s Crossfire, will speak at the University of Texas at Tyler’s R. Don Cowan Fine and Performing Arts Center on January 30. You’ve cultivated this image of yourself as tough, even mean, but everyone I know in Washington says you’re a pussycat. That’s really …

    • Atsbox

      Round Up

      By

      “YOU A REAL COWBOY?” Debra Winger asked that question of John Travolta more than twenty years ago in the film Urban Cowboy. Today, with a couple more decades of urban sprawl under our big, shiny belt buckles, it’s even harder to find one. But this month, if you look for some in all the right …

    • Atsbox

      Flight

      By

      PLANE TO SEE Despite claims from folks in East Texas that a Pittsburg preacher named Burrell Cannon created the first operational aircraft in 1902 (see “Two Wings and a Prayer”), Austin’s Centennial of Flight Celebration observes the Wright brothers’ December 1903 takeoff. Even so, the commemorative event, held on January 15, will focus on Texas’ …

  • Columns

    • Cartwright's Texas

      The Idealist

      By

      If you’re wondering why trial lawyers were once regarded as heroes rather than pariahs, let me tell you about my friend Warren Burnett, the late, great champion of little guys and lost causes.

    • Great Outdoors

      Cast Away

      By

      There are rivers in Texas—some of the most beautiful places on earth—where the fly-fishing is great and you don’t have to battle the crowds. Now, tell me again why I should vacation in Montana?

    • Faith

      Jung at Heart

      By

      When I could no longer tolerate the religious fundamentalism of my childhood, I turned to the teachings of a Swiss psychiatrist—and rejuvenated my spiritual life.

    • Behind the Lines

      By George

      By

      Can the Republicans govern?

    • Books

      Master Class

      By

      No one took the literature of Texas or the Southwest seriously until J. Frank Dobie put it, and us, on the map.

    • Sports

      The Joy of Sacks

      By

      Drew Brees’s parents don’t look forward to seeing him get thrown to the ground on national TV each week. But they sure do love having an NFL quarterback for a son.

  • Reporter

    • A Few Words With. . .

      John Lee Hancock

      By

      The director of the new Alamo movie takes on the storied battle—and the eyes of Texas are upon him.

    • Not Forgotten

      Silence Is Golden

      By

      Opal Yarborough’s silence.

    • Reporter

      American Idle

      By

      They’re ready for their close-up; are we? Our writer prejudges the thousands of celebrity wannabes at Austin’s American Idol tryouts.

  • Web

    • Pat's Pick

      On The Road

      By

      CABIN FEVER Call us affected big-city snobs, but we never thought we’d see Hawaiian lomi lomi salmon on a small-town East Texas menu. Actually, the cevichelike dish was a special on our first visit to the Homestead on 19th in Huntsville. A fine nut-crusted wahoo filet was another, as was a straight-from-the-oven macadamia nut layer …

    • Recipe

      Tropical Ham with Fruit Glaze

      By

      Homestead on the 19th, Huntsville

    • Pat's Pick

      Primary Flavors

      By

      PASS THE PEAS, PLEASE We have a friend—an all-grown-up adult friend, mind you—whose mother won’t let her leave the New Year’s table without downing 365 black-eyed peas (gulp!). That’s one seed of the lucky legume for each day of the upcoming year. But even if you have trouble swallowing this Southern belief—which has its roots …

    • Recipe

      Black-Eyed Peas

      By

      Black-eyed Pea Salsa Mynetta Cockerell, Marty’s Bistro, Dallas 1 can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed 1 teaspoon chopped garlic 1/2 cup chopped cilantro 1 cup diced yellow pepper 1 cup diced red pepper 1 cup diced red onion 1/2 cup finely diced poblano pepper Dressing 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 1/2 …

    • Pat's Pick

      Riviera Grill

      By

      SEEING STARS Thank heaven the Riviera Grill has finally left that tatty suburban location and moved into glittering new digs in downtown Houston. The sleek Sam Houston Hotel is the perfect setting for chef-owner John Sheely’s inspired French and Italian cuisine. At dinner, the menu showcases dishes like velvety grilled scallops with braised fennel and …

    • Recipe

      Sea Scallops

      By

      Sea Scallops with Slow Braised Fennel and White Bean Puree Bean Purée 1 1/2 cups dry Great Northern beans 1 onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice 1 rib of celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice 1 carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice 2 cloves of garlic, minced 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme 6 …

    • Web Exclusive

      Get Hooked

      By

      Click here for more information on fly fishing.

    • Web Exclusive

      Reality Bites

      By

      Editor Katy Vine sucked it up and sat around the auditions with a bunch of young vocalist hopefuls keyed up with the prospect of becoming…an American Idol.

    • Web Exclusive

      Old Man River

      By

      Photographer Artie Limmer talks about the challenges of shooting the mighty Rio Grande.

    • Web Exclusive

      Fort Worthy

      By

      Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer remembers Cowtown in the sixties.

    • Web Exclusive

      Bum Steer Banter

      By

      Paul Burka, senior executive editor and resident Bum Steer co-captain answers a few revealing questions.

    • Web Exclusive

      Steering the Bum Steers

      By

      Senior editor Anne Dingus, who along with Paul Burka, organizes and supervises the annual Bum Steer Awards, gives insight on the history of the long-standing tradition.

    • Web Exclusive

      First to Flight?

      By

      Texas Monthly senior editor Michael Hall launches into a discussion about his story “Two Wings And A Prayer.”

    • Web Exclusive

      Bandera ‘Cowboys Up’ for Television

      By

      A small town showdown with Hollywood comes to a draw.

    • Texas Tidbits

      Texas Tidbits

      By

      Fly Fishing

    • Texas History 101

      Texas History 101

      By

      Black-Eyed Peas

    • Happy Trails

      Happy Trails

      By

      Spend an afternoon antiquing or a weekend just relaxing—historic Salado is worth the trip.

    • Books That Cook

      Books That Cook

      By

      The Contemporary Cowboy Cookbook: Recipes From the Wild West to Wall Street

  • Miscellany