Dallas, TX

Cothrum: Stop with the speakerphones in public

Published

3 months ago

October 15, 2024

Cothrum: Stop with the speakerphones in public

(Michael Hogue)

If you spend time with me, you’ll potentially hear me muse, “I feel a column coming on.” Often, it’s because some city staff member or elected official has said or done something I deem egregious.

Other times, it’s because I’m trying to write about what everyone is experiencing. I’m listening for it. Unfortunately, it’s becoming harder and harder to listen because too many people are using their speakerphones in public. It’s a menace. From where I sit, people are increasingly violating the earspace of others.

As Woodrow Call in Lonesome Dove maintained: “I hate rude behavior in a man. I won’t tolerate it.”

It makes me want to take out my old referee whistle and blow it and cry, “Foul!”

I recently was forced to hear a lengthy Facetime interaction — a woman being beseeched by her friend, who was in Portugal, to travel more. Ironically, we were in a crowded airport terminal.

Sadly, she and her cousins were only off to Cincinnati.

I’ve been logging these conversations for a few months now. At Tom Thumb, an offender needed to discuss swim lessons by speakerphone. Out for a walk, I saw a shirtless man riding a bike — poorly, I might add — holding a phone and barreling toward me. My pandemic skills kicked in and I safely distanced. I’ve gotten to hear a woman discussing her aging mother’s health. I was worried I was unwittingly committing some HIPAA offense.

I can report that people also feel compelled, while eating tacos, to watch programming on speakerphone. This is wildly out of bounds. Everyone has to be entertained all the time. We are not at Idiocracy levels yet, are we?

Still others think they are starring in their own reality television show. Often on those programs the loathsome contestants talk into their phones so as not to spoil the shot. Perhaps people think this has a high cool factor and seek to emulate it.

Come on, people. How hard is it to hold the phone to your ear? Maybe I’m more sensitive because I sometimes read in public — and not what’s on my phone. You know, like books and stuff.

I can’t turn my hearing off, so I try to turn off my active listening. It’s getting increasingly difficult to do so because the disruption is blatant.

Sometimes the culprit isn’t thinking about it. That’s a sin of omission. In others, however, it’s one of commission. They know it’s loud and invasive — and they do not care.

I politely tried telling the guy eating tacos that the volume was bothering me. He curtly let me know, “I don’t care.”

I’m not always one to let things go — even in my 50s. I asked if he was aware of something revolutionary called headphones. He flashed me the number one signal. I hope he isn’t a newspaper subscriber.

I imagine many of these scoundrels are unhappy, unrecognized or frustrated with life. Maybe they are intentionally oversharing their volume because they need to be noticed. I am reminded of the work of the late psychologist Marshall Rosenberg. His groundbreaking work on nonviolent communication surmised that people are only ever saying two things: please and thank you.

These societal offenders seek attention. I have started to give them some with a simple greeting or wishing them a good day. I’ve tried to ask what musician or television program they’re enjoying. Next time, I’ll ask the guy eating tacos if his lunch is good.

“I like to listen,” Ernest Hemingway remarked. “I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.”

I’m trying to hear people and listen to ideas. But all the noise makes me want to give up, put on my headphones and ignore everyone.

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Dallas, TX

Thomas Harley scores in OT to give Stars win over Utah

Published

1 hour ago

January 5, 2025

Press Room

Thomas Harley scores in OT to give Stars win over Utah

Defenseman Thomas Harley scored on a rebound at 3:01 of overtime and the Dallas Stars beat the Utah Hockey Club 3-2 on Saturday night.

Jamie Benn and Oskar Bäck also scored for the Stars, who have won four straight for the first time since opening the season with four wins. Matt Duchene and Wyatt Johnston each had two assists, and Jake Oettinger made 33 saves.

Matias Maccelli scored twice and Karel Vejmelka stopped 26 shots as Utah lost for the sixth time in seven games (1-4-2).

In overtime, Harley lifted the puck into the net after Vejmelka stopped a shot by Matt Duchene at the crease. It was Harley’s 21st career goal — fourth in overtime — 155 games.

Maccelli tied it 1-1 just 1:14 after Benn put the Stars ahead 16 seconds into the second period. Bäck put the Stars ahead 2-1 with 9 1/2 minutes remaining in the second, and Maccelli tied it again 3:07 later with his second two-goal game and fifth goal of the season.

Maccelli scored for the first time since Nov. 7, going 23 games without a goal. Bäck scored for the first time since Nov. 14, going 22 games without a goal.

Takeaways

Utah: An 11-shot third period with the score tied kept them in the game.

Stars: The Stars are 23-2-1 in their past 26 games combined against Utah and its predecessors, the Arizona Coyotes.

Key moment

Oettinger stretched for a glove save on Lawson Crouse about two minutes into overtime.

Key stat

Dallas killed the game’s only penalty. The Stars have the best home penalty kill in the league and have allowed one power-play goal in 26 chances over the last 12 games.

Up Next

Stars play at the New York Rangers on Tuesday to open a five-game trip, and Utah hosts Florida on Wednesday to start a season-high seven-game homestand.

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Dallas, TX

Cowboys doghouse: 2024 RB plan in Dallas was doomed from the start

Published

13 hours ago

January 4, 2025

Press Room

Cowboys doghouse: 2024 RB plan in Dallas was doomed from the start

The Dallas Cowboys had a ton of issues heading into last offseason. One that was at the forefront was the running back position and what their plan was going forward. Tony Pollard was set to be a free agent, and the 2024 NFL Draft had quite the selection of players at running back that Dallas could have chosen from. When free agency came, the Cowboys let Pollard walk and sign with the Tennessee Titans. They also went through the entire draft without selecting a running back and signed Nathaniel Peat as an undrafted rookie free agent.

They brought in veteran Royce Freeman to compete, and signed former first-round pick Ezekiel Elliott for his second stint with the organization. Lastly, back in August, the Cowboys signed veteran Dalvin Cook to their practice squad. By the time the regular season came around, Peat and Freeman were no longer on the roster. This left the Cowboys with Elliott and Cook, two veterans that had seen better days. Deuce Vaughn, who hadn’t consistently shown anything yet, was also on the roster. Then, there was Rico Dowdle, who hadn’t proven that he could consistently stay healthy. That wasn’t exactly an ideal situation at the running back spot.

What made this situation so frustrating is that it was completely avoidable. Although the Cowboys didn’t have a fourth-round selection, there was plenty of running back talent on the board in the first three rounds, and not getting one was a total lack of evaluating the room as a whole. However, that was the way Dallas wanted to move, which would once again put more responsibility on quarterback Dak Prescott and the passing game.

Elliott got the start in the season opener against the Cleveland Browns, and to his credit, he looked pretty decent running for 40 yards on 10 carries. Over the next four games, though, Elliott averaged less than three yards per carry in three of them. Meanwhile, Dowdle put up over four yards per carry in each, which included an 87-yard performance in a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is around the time that Elliott voiced his frustration with his role with the team. As a result, although he averaged five yards per carry against the Detroit Lions the next week, Dowdle only got five attempts while Elliott got eight. Mind you, he only amassed two yards per attempt. The Cowboys offense was already limited with a lack of talent and no real plan when it came to running the ball, but to purposely not use your most effective runner didn’t make any sense.

Dowdle didn’t play against the San Francisco 49ers due to an illness. The Cowboys finally smarten up and made Dowdle the unquestioned lead back in November, which is when he took off. He goes into the final week of the season with four 100-yard games in the last five weeks, and he’s also hit the 1,000 yard mark for the year. While that’s great for Dowdle, seeing as he’s in a contract year, he may have priced himself out of Dallas with how frugal they are in free agency. So, if he is to go elsewhere, the Cowboys will once again be left in dire straits at the running back position.

It’s pretty simple for the Cowboys. They can’t let the 2025 NFL Draft go by without getting a running back. In fact, they may even need to consider double-dipping at the position with how deep it is and how much they need quality talent in the room. The only thing is, the Cowboys need to fill a lot of holes, and they don’t make a lot of moves in free agency, which makes the draft where they do the most damage. They’re without a fourth-round pick again in 2025. So, it will be interesting to see how they address the needs or if they value the running back spot to invest seriously in it.

Building a roster is difficult enough in the NFL, and the Cowboys have made it harder on themselves when it comes to having a quality rushing attack.

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Dallas, TX

Hundreds of animals killed in Dallas shopping center fire – Times of India

Published

21 hours ago

January 4, 2025

Press Room

Hundreds of animals killed in Dallas shopping center fire (Picture credit: X)

DALLAS: A fire that broke out at a shopping centre in Dallas on Friday morning killed more than 500 animals, most of which were small birds, authorities said.
The 579 animals in the pet shop at Plaza Latina in Northwest Dallas died from smoke inhalation, Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesperson Jason Evans said in a statement.
The flames from the fire never reached the animals. Chickens, hamsters, two dogs and two cats also died, Evans said.

The two-alarm fire took about two hours and as many as 45 firefighters to extinguish around 11 am (local time), Evans said.
“While DFR personnel did search and attempt rescue, all animals in the shop unfortunately perished due to smoke inhalation,” Evans said.
No people were injured in the fire. The structure of the large, one-story shopping center was severely damaged, including a partially collapsed roof, Evans said.
The shopping centre includes multiple small businesses and was described on its Facebook page as “a place where people can go to eat, and buy all sorts of Latin goods and services.” A post on the page in Spanish asked for prayers for the families who work there.
Evans said the cause of the fire was not immediately determined and is under investigation.

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