The Island Moon Published by Island Moon Publishing, LLC 15201 S. Padre Island Drive Ste. 250 Corpus Christi, TX. 78418 editor@islandmoon.com
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Island Moon The Island Newspaper
Island Area News ● Events ● Entertainment
July 29, 2011
Phone (361) 949-7700 ● Email editor@islandmoon.com The Island where redfish go to school - see photo at right
Around The Island By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com We’ve got a lot going on Around The Island so let’s get right to it. Rewiring The Island You may have noticed a bunch of trucks with digging equipment running around lately. They are literaly rewiring The Island. The guys digging trenches and putting in pipe along the median in Whitecap are crews from AT&T and they are running a connection from their building near Gypsy all the way down Whitecap to the tower near the water treatment plant. When they are done we will have full 4G service for AT&T users. The Moon New Technology Department is not real sure what that means but they tell us that 4G is at least 25% better than 3G so we’ve got that going for us. There is another covey of crews working over near the Tesoro area who are putting in lines for Grande Cable. Grande is a regional provider that began just over ten years ago in San Marcos and already has service to the part of the Island nearest to the Laguna.
Inside the Moon
A Few More Chances To See A Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle Hatchling Release This Year Page A 3
Island Night Life Page A 4
Negotitations for the sale of the Padre Isles Country Club are still ongoing and we’re told an announcement may be forthcoming in the next few weeks but there is no firm date so far that we are aware of. A bridge too far On a related subject the Corpus Christi City Council is is scheduled to vote on the construction of the water-exchange bridge under SPID (Park Road 22) in one of their August meetings. As of the last writing money for the $7 million dollar project was $1.6 million short. The latest is that all the money – the $1.6 million plus $4 million pledged by the city, plus $1.4 million that was in the 2004 bond package for the brige project– will all come from that same 2004 package. The additional money will come from savings on projects already completed.Once the Around Island Continued A 5
Year 15, Issue 393
brings emails or calls about things that happened over the weekend. So, at the risk of repeating myself, and for those of you who think this does not apply to you, I hope you will read on. Canals are not garbage cans
Area of proposed development
The canals are not the depositary place for the fish carcasses and innards! DO NOT use the canals as a garbage can. These things do not disappear. There are not enough “critters” in the canal to eat them because too much has been put in the water and instead of supporting the life cycle, you have actually stopped it. Please put the fish cleaning leftovers in the city garbage can, or use them in your planting area. They do make good fertilizer. Another alternative is to freeze them and then put them in the trash Friday morning.
Arial Photography by Olaf Johansen
Neither are yards
The area shown here is the location of the Packery Pointe Subdivision plan done by the city in Dog owners can’t seem to get the 2009. Among other things, the plan calls for a road to provide an alternate route to SPID for message that they should pick up getting to SH 361 and Port Aransas. It also shows the area which is said to be under contract to after their dog does its business. a developer.
Real Estate Roundup
Light polution
Island Projects
Again, nothing is coming from official sources but here is what we hear: Members of the Schlitterbahn management team are putting the finishing touches on their new ride at their big park in New Braunfels and then will be on The Island in the next few weeks to look around. We also hear the city of Cedar Park just north of Austin is putting on a push to get the park located there and is offering an attractive financial package but there is a concern that Cedar Park is too close to New Braunfels to have another park and it seems unlikely that will happen.
Next Publication Date: 08/12/2011
News From Your POA Monday mornings at the POA office
Neighbors don’t like to tell you, but they do not want your dog using their yard as a “bathroom.” Be courteous and responsible pet owners. Pick up after your dog!
So pretty soon the Island we be all wired up. Now if we can just get good phone service all the way down PINS so we can call for help when we’re stuck in deep sand. A commom question around the Word Factoy these days is What’s going on with Schlitterbahn? We don’t get much information from official sources on this subject as the ongoing talks are between private parties who are not obliged to release anything to the public. Developer Paul Schexnailder is scheduled to make a presentation to the Kiwanas Club on The Island the day after this writing so we should have some details from that meeting in the next issue and on our Facebook page in the next few days.
Lights on canals. Please, do not leave your outdoor light on all night. There are good motion detectors available for lights which will only turn the lights on if someone or something gets too close to your dock. You might also check into a shield which will shine the light on your area and not across the canal or into your neighbor’s house. You have no idea how far that light shines and how annoying it can be to the person who is trying to sleep. Boat trailers Boat trailer stickers are required on your trailer and a vehicle sticker is required on the vehicle towing the trailer. They are available at the POA office. We issue a warning sticker the first time we find you do not have a sticker, but you will be towed if we find you again. The ramps are patrolled every day. Mulch and brush Mulch will not be coming to the Island any time soon. The big fire over the weekend of July 24 was at the City landfill and the mulch is what burned, unfortunately. Brush set out time is OVER! The POA Continued on page A 4
By Dale Rankin
Deal Reportedly Made for Option on 61-Acre Island Tract
Editor’s note: The real estate business is a cornerstone of the Island economy and almost all of the tranactions are between private parties so until property actually changes hands there is little on the public record. In the interest of keeping readers up to date we are starting the Real Estate Roundup. In the spirite of the Wall Street Journal’s Heard on the Street we’ll pass along what we hear.
frontage property on SPID on one side to Packery Channel on the other. The site is part of a Federal Management District that can issue bonds, and according to the San Antonio reps, while the entire 61 acre site is not included in the district it can be expanded so that all 61 acres is part of the district. We have not heard a number for the purchase price of the larger, 50-acre, parcel but the agreed price for the 11-acre site is said to be in the $1.7 million range. The cost of the purchase option, we are told, is “just into six figures.” When the owner of the larger parcel was contacted by phone he would not confirm the options but did say the property “has not been sold.”
a 45-day purchase option has been signed for 61 acres of land located on the east side of SPID just north of the Best Western motel
Some of the content is of a second-hand, heresay nature and some is from public record. We encourage anyone with information they want to share to send it along. We will list our source so readers can make their own judgment on what is fact and what is heresay. A deal?
According to some out of town businessmen who were on The Island last week a 45-day purchase option has been signed for 61 acres of land located on the east side of SPID just north of the Best Western motel. The land is made up of two parcels, one 50 acres and the other 11. The land is the site where Islander Clyde Smith tried to build a grocery store several years ago and runs from
There is no word on what the potential owners have planned for the site.
The development would be in line with a study commissioned by the City of Corpus Christi and conducted by Urban Engineering in 2009 that calls for Aquarius to be extended across SPID onto the 61-acre tract and connected with a road running off SPID near the cur-
Real Estate Continued on page A 4
Healthy Growth or Pandora’s Box?
Port Aransas City Council Approves Move That Could Bring Beach Vendors
By Meredith Dunning
The issue of allowing beach vendors on the beaches inside the Port Aransas city limits drew a crowd and aroused heated debates at Thursday’s meeting of the Port Aransas City Council. Residents attending the meeting and members of the council split almost evenly over the issue. Pending the Texas General Land Office approval, the amendment to the city’s Coastal Management Plan opens the door for the City Council to approve a proposed ordinance that would permit vending. Before a City Hall crowd that packed chambers with interested residents, the council passed the amendment on a split vote of 4-3 in favor, the issue will most likely be put to a vote by the residents in the next election cycle. Councilman Charles Bujan has already begun the process via petition by affidavit, which would require the signatures of about 170 voters, more than 40 of whom were gathered at Thursday’s City Council meeting. “I was elected to make decisions for all of Port Aransas,” stated Councilman Keith Donley, who voted in favor of the amendment, “Not just the vocal few…We have a fiduciary responsibility to the city… It’s free enterprise.”
A man awoke on Windjammer last Monday morning and noticed his car was missing. It was later Councilman Edwin Myers and Councilwoman Glenda founding floundering in the second cut at the end of Whitecap. Balentine, who both voted against the amendment, in-
sisted they were elected to make decisions on behalf of the people who live in Port Aransas, not the tourists. Together with Bujan, they stated the residents of Port Aransas must decide the issue and want to put it on a citywide ballot.
The amendment provides that City Council would be able to assume local control over its own beaches, giving the city the autonomy to “chart its own course,” according to Mayor Keith McMullin, who voted yes to the amendment. The Mayor and several other Councilmen also stated several times that the city had no immediate plans for vending, but that control over the beaches might empower the city’s interests at some point down the line. “But what may be appropriate ten years from now may be something entirely different,” said Mayor McMullin.
Toward the end of the meeting, the Mayor was asked to elaborate on these potential future advantages, which were determined to be the power to implement vending plan(s). In protest, residents such as Bill Simms continued to echo the familiar mantra, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
“Doesn’t the Planning and Zoning Department already have a plan ?” said Councilman Myers. City Planning Beach Vendors Continued A 4
Island Moon
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July 29, 2011
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On July 19th, the Red Hat Chapter PIPPs lunched at the new Crazy Super Buffet restaurant savoring an abundance of Chinese, American, & Japanese cuisine. Pictured left to right: Pearl Benoit, Lorraine Dorsey, Colleen Haas, Tricia Jones, Katie Mosley-Clark, Bebe Gale (Vice Queen), Roseanne Milroy, Clara Mosley, Judy Johnson, Ginger Daugherty, Judy Marsyla & Sandy Leber. Carol Elliot pics a mess of tomatoes on her recent trip to Atlanta
Steve and Mary Canion get married on the beach in Port A
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Deep Sea Round Up Winner Steve Reupke caught these babies in The Laguna Madre, just north of Pure Oil channel. :) this past week
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July 29, 2011
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Island Moon
A Few More Chances To See A Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle Hatchling Release This Year
GulfBreeze Padre Island Surf Camps
By Donna J. Shaver, Ph.D. Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery National Park Service Padre Island National Seashore e-mail: Donna_Shaver@nps.gov
By Mike Murphy This is the third summer that the Padre Island Surf Camp (PISC) folks have offered surf camps on the beach adjacent to the seawall parking lot. This year the PISC camps have been busy with campers enjoying a terrific time in the sand, sun and surf. These surf camps are available all summer and are a great option to consider for the kids.
So far this year, 23 releases of endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle hatchlings have been held at Padre Island National Seashore. Thousands of people have attended, with about 100-500 people at each release. Public and media interest in the releases remains high, and hundreds of people are expected to attend the few remaining releases that will be held this year.
Padre Island Surf Camp….. bringing you the stoke Rob Pruett, who graduated from high school and college locally, manages the surf camps here in Corpus Christi. The PISC is part of the Billabong Camps program and strives to provide personal attention with a 4:1 surfer/instructor ratio. The knowledgeable staff and focus on safety insure an enjoyable and effective learning experience. Scott Gasiorowski, a long-time local resident and high school teacher, is currently the program director of operations on the beach. PISC instructors for a recent five day camp included Chris Stolley with past surf camp experience, Josh Perez and Justin Brown who started with PISC this summer. Five day surf camps…..basics and results There were twelve campers in one of the five day camps held earlier this summer. The daily schedule starts with the core activities including stretch and warm up exercises, safety and ocean awareness, surfing etiquette, dry land instruction, equipment orientation, importance and ways to avoid sun exposure. After the basics are covered, campers spend a couple of hours in the water before a lunch break then return to surf with the instructors. The day ends with a beach clean-up and a raffle for sponsor goodies.
Wave Surf Shop in Flour Bluff. For more information and schedules visit the Padre Island Surf Camps web site at http://www.padreislandsurfcamp.com Other surf camps…..individuals and groups Private lessons are available and can be tailored to any level of surfing ability from beginner to experienced. The individual surf lessons are generally 1.5 hours with one-on-one personal instruction and longer lessons can be arranged. This is an excellent way to learn at your own pace with instructors that are capable of training any experience level. PISC also offers surf camps that are customized to best accommodate the needs of your particular group. Group camps are the perfect way to reward your team, club or organization, just contact rob@padreislandsurfcamp. com for more details and group discounts.
Peyton Hill, age 14, found out about the PISC from his grandmother who lives in San Antonio. Peyton was here on vacation from Abilene, Texas and was only able to attend the camp for the last day. He enjoyed the short time in the surf and hopes to be able to surf again.
Surf’s Always Up…..sign up soon The one and five day surf camps are for kids ages 5-17 and run through mid-August. Equipment including soft top surfboards, regular surfboards, Stand-Up Paddle boards and kayaks is provided. Transportation is available with pick and drop offs at Benjamin’s Surf Shop at Airline and McArdle or Wind and
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AAA Home and Away magazine July/August issue contains an article entitled “Texas Twosome”, which features hatchling releases at Padre Island National Seashore and other attractions in Corpus Christi. This magazine is distributed in several other U.S. states.
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Hatchling releases will continue through mid-August for the eggs that have been found and are currently un-
There has been a lot of positive media coverage about our Kemp’s ridley sea turtle restoration work at Padre Island National Seashore again this year. KSAT, an ABC network affiliate television station from San Antonio, came to the National Seashore twice this year to film news segments about the turtles. The first was about nesting and aired in May, and the second was about hatchling releases and aired on July 11. They filmed the public hatchling release on July 7 and obtained beautiful video of hatchlings swimming in the water. Swimming has rarely been filmed because of the specialized equipment required for underwater video and the limited water visibility. This segment is called “Record Year For Endangered Sea Turtles In Texas”. We have provided a link to it on our Facebook page. If you do not use Facebook, you can find it directly at the link http://www.ksat.com/video/28517471/index.html?taf=ant
The Texas Monthly Magazine August issue contains a brief profile of me. Our work has also recently been mentioned in Scientific American, Houston Chronicle, and other media outlets. In past years, it has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, ABC World News Tonight, and hundreds of other outlets in the U.S. and abroad. This positive media coverage has helped educate the public about our work and sea turtle conservation, alert them about opportunities to view Kemp’s ridley turtles here, and draw them to visit our area.
J. R. Cox, age 14, lives in the city and this camp was his third straight week of surf camps. He hopes to buy his own surfboard soon. J. R. has really progressed and is now able to paddle himself out through the surf and catch waves. His mother, Robin, found out about the surf camps on the internet and after considering several camp options chose this one.
Kids Eat Free
Each release is attended by a combination of local residents and visitors from out of town. Each year, many people come to our area just to witness a hatchling release. No matter where they come from, people tell us at each release how grateful they are to have had the chance to see these tiny turtles take their first steps in life and swim away from shore.
der protected care at the Padre Island National Seashore incubation facility. We hope to hold about five more public releases this year. Barring thunderstorms or a hurricane, public releases should be held during the weeks of July 24, July 31, and August 14. We will announce each release on our Hatchling Hotline at 361-949-7163 and on our Facebook page entitled Padre Island NS Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery.
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Island Moon
A4
Night on the Island
July 29, 2011
POA Continued from A1
Beach Vendors Continued from A1
next time to set it out is not until September 5. If you are doing any trimming and cutting, your best bet is to bring the clippings to the POA office starting at 9 AM Saturday, July 30. Do not just leave it on a vacant lot. It doesn’t look any better there than in your yard! The City will issue a fine to the property owner if there are clippings set out too early. The owner of that vacant lot should not have to pay a fine because you put your stuff on their lot.
and Project Manager, David Parsons, was then asked to elaborate on discussions that had been conducted concerning the design and implementation of a theoretical vending plan. It included the exclusive right to choose what kinds of vendors would be permitted, which excluded “roach coaches” but encouraged “high end vending services.”
Bloodmobile The Bloodmobile will be in the parking lot of the Island Presbyterian Church Sunday, August 7 from 8 to noon. Donors are always needed, but this time of year the demand for blood is high. Stop by and donate the gift of blood.
“I mean, I wouldn’t have printed out the directions to San Antonio unless I was planning on going there,” said Councilman Myers.
“38,000 cars crossed the ferry between July 1-4th,” said resident Bill Simms. “Let’s inspect what we expect: beach permits bring in plenty of revenue. Do we really need more?”
“Of the two restaurants on the beach, neither ever has a wait, “ added resident Sally Marco.
Other key factors mentioned by residents at the meeting included local small business owners who complained of the present challenges without an influx of outside competition, corset-popping misery increase over an already over-crowded beach, sky-rocketing parking problems, and additional trash issues due in part to the already insufficient number of trash recepticals and port o potties. Mistrust of future City Councilpersons who may abuse this power, as well as concern for the preservation of Port A’s unique identity as a BYOC beach (Bring Your Own Cooler), were voiced as well.
David Bendett of Coffee Waves spoke on behalf of vending, explaining a select number of vendors which represent the interests of Port A, coupled with a required “Adopt a Beach” program by each would be a mutually advantageous scenario for healthy growth of the community. This plan would in turn eradicate the present trash problem. “I plan on raising a family here, and would like to be able to sell icy beverages and gelato on the beach… but I will never stop going for gourmet blackened tuna tacos just because I can buy a hotdog at a beach stand.”
Work continues on Whitecap
Top Left: Mingo Fishtrap, an 8-piece band from Austin, put on quite a show at the Back Porch
Some present said beach preservation is an antiquated, narrow-minded approach with regards to the best fiduciary future and cultural growth of Port A. Others argued any further commercialization of the beach would forever reduce the quality of life for locals and tourists alike. Both sides accused the other of greed.
Center Left: Augie Meyers had the crowd dancing during his July 16th show at the Back Porch Bottom Left: Cody Angel, Ken barnett and Dave “Bottlehead” Miller at the Coast Club in Port A Top Right: Augie Meyers’ guitarist Mike Ellis came down from San Antonio where he has been doing a weekly jam session for nearly 20 years. Bottom Right: A group from Houston enjoys the music at the Back Porch
Trash Piling up on the Beach
Johnny D’s
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Located on Padre Island, Johnny D's offers Island dining at its best. Serving Corpus Christi with the freshest local seafood and culinary masterpieces, order the rack of lamb and you'll be calling your friends from the table! Hours of operation are Tuesday-Saturday 4:30 to 10pm and Sunday 4:30 to 9pm
Full Service Bar Featuring 7 Draft Beers Daily Features. Fresh Fish. on Tap HOURS-Closed MONDAYS 15600 SPID On the Island 949-2500 TUES-SAT 4:30 till 10:00 SUNDAY 4:30 till 9:00
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July 29, 2011
Letters to the Editor Urgent Help Needed For Local Veterans Mr. Rankin, I am asking for your help to publish the following notice. The request is in the name of local veterans - WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq/Afghanistan, Desert Storm, and many other areas of conflict. It is not any easy thing to request this kind of assistance from the public. The local home is in jeopardy of being closed by the State Comptroller. The home has existed for over 50 years, has been involved with the community in many functions of the area, and continues to support the local schools, scouts, etc. Dick Prewett Urgent Help Needed For Local Veterans The local Veterans Home for Veterans is in urgent need for money help. The State Comptroller has taken a position that these veterans cannot immediately comply with and time is very short. If you can assist your Veterans with donations, loans, fiscal help, please call 210-410-2732, or 210-219-0091 (both are cell phones) to discuss. Local mail contact is PO Box 18473, CC, TX 78480-8473
Spoil island clean up Saturday august 13, 2011 8:00 a.m. Boats will pick up volunteers at the gypsy boat ramp and the padre island yacht club docks at 8:00 a.m. Raffle drawings & lunch will be served at padre island yacht club at 11:30 a.m. For all volunteers. Contact john white for more info: (361) 549-6347
Who Are the Moon Monkeys
8th Annual Conquer the Coast Bikes, Bridges & Beaches! Special Sign-Up Event, Monday - August 1st @ Brewster Street Ice House, 5pm - 8pm Now is the time to sign-up for the 8th Annual Conquer the Coast bike ride and experience one of the Best Coastal Trails in the United States as revealed by Coastal Living Magazine, June 2011. In it’s 8th year, Conquer the Coast, has become the ride of choice for avid cyclists and novice riders. The challenge is up to the cyclists with four levels of rides being offered: a free-10mile cruise, a 17-mile cruise, the 68 mile ride with option to add the “Toughest 18 miles in Texas” Time Trial. Once again, all cyclists can experience the thrill and adrenaline rush of braving the Coastal Bend by conquering the coast while enjoying the beauty of the City of Corpus Christi. The 10-mile, 17-mile cruise and 68-mile ride will start at Whataburger Field, located at 734 E. Port Ave. in Corpus Christi on Saturday, September 24. The 68-mile cyclists will get the race underway, starting at 7:30am, and the ride will lead them over the Harbor Bridge-138 feet up high overlooking the Port of Corpus Christi, to Portland, through Ingleside, Aransas Pass and to Port Aransas and on the Port Aransas Ferry where riders may have a chance encounter with a dolphin or two and continue through Upper Padre Island and then to the breathtaking view of Ocean Drive and Corpus Christi Bay and back to Whataburger Field. Also included in the 68-mile ride, the “Toughest 18 miles in Texas” Time Trial, which runs from Port Aransas to Packery Channel, usually against a strong gulf breeze. The 10-mile and 17-mile cruise is just as captivating and awarding with riders taking off at Whataburger Field riding towards Shoreline down Ocean Drive and back to Whataburger Field. Bikes, Bridges & Beaches provide the backdrop for an amazing ride and the dedication to make this event a success comes from this year’s co-chairmen; Andy Heines, AEP Texas and Sean Murphy, Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce Board Member. Both enjoy the experience of cycling in the Coastal Bend and are looking forward to the number of cyclists who will take on the same adventure. “This event helps showcase the beauty of the Coastal Bend,” said Heines. “Additionally, our local economy benefits as cyclists from throughout the state come to town for the weekend to participate.” Murphy added, “This is a fun and challenging event which showcases the natural beauty of our Coastal Bend communities while promoting a healthy, active lifestyle for people of all ages.” Proceeds generated by the 8th Annual Conquer the Coast benefit the Corpus Christi Chamber Foundation, STARRS (South Texas Area Runners and Riders) and the Texas A&M -Corpus Christi Tarpon Foundation.
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Island Moon
Around the Island Continued from A1
Why do we say that?
Black Market In medieval England there were nomadic mercenaries who wandered the country side and would sell their services to the highest bidder. These were hardened fighters who lived solitary lives in the wilderness. They did not have the luxury of servants to polish their armor and it would oxidize to a blackish hue, and they came to be known as black knights. At local town festivals they would have exhibition jousting matches in which the winner of the fight would win the loser’s weapons and armor. The local gentry, softened by the good life, would lose to these black knights. The nomadic knights didn’t have much use for an extra set of armor and would sell it back to them immediately after the fight. The losing nobility would be forced to buy back their armor and this after market came to be known as the “Black Market”
Fuddy Duddy A fuddy duddy is an old-fashioned person with fussy, hyper-critical ways. Example: “Professor Higgins is such a fuddy duddy, he won’t even let his boys play in the yard on Saturdays.” The origin of this phrase is uncertain. It seems to have first gotten started around 1900 in Maine, a place and time of puritanical, straight-laced attitudes. Some dictionaries suggest that the phrase is related to “fuddled,” an old word meaning “drunk or confused,” but that theory seems unlikely because a fuddy duddy is not the kind of person who is likely to get drunk. A more intriguing theory is that it emerged from the letters sometimes found after the names of clergymen who were also professors, something fairly common in those days. Someone known as “James Witherspoon, Ph.D., D.D.” might have been called “James Witherspoon, fuddy duddy” by those with little respect for his credentials.
Getting Your Goat This apparently refers to an old English (Welsh?) belief that keeping a goat in the barn would have a calming effect on the cows, hence producing more milk. When one wanted to antagonize/terrorize one’s enemy, you would abscond with their goat rendering their milk cows lessto non-productive.
In the Limelight Limelight has nothing to do with citrus fruit, and it’s not even green. Being in the limelight means the same thing as being in the spotlight. Limelight is what theaters used to light the stage with before modern lights were invented. It was called limelight because the source of the brightness was calcium oxide, the corrosive substance also known as lime. When burned, lime gave off an intense white light that fully exposed actors to the public gaze. So if you’re in the limelight the spotlight is yours and all eyes are upon you.
Mind Your P’s And Q’s In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It’s where we get the phrase “mind your P’s and Q’s.”
Mike Ellis, Founder Distribution Pete Alsop Island Delivery Coldwell Banker Advertising Jan Park Rankin Dana Pope Office Lisa Towns Classifieds Arlene Ritley Design/Layout Jeff Craft Tracy Stoffel Contributing Writers (In no particular order) Devorah Fox Sunny Reed Mary Craft Chris Adler Maybeth Christiansen Dr. Tom Dorrell Kendal Ezell Jay Gardner Diane Halfety Todd Hunter Mike (Murph) Murphy Ronnie Narmour Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers Andre LaVoy Patrick Lewis Miles Merwin
For more information including registration, schedule and maps, visit, www.conquerthecoast.org Be sure to become a fan on Facebook - www.facebook.com/ conquerthecoast and follow on Twitter - www.twitter. com/conquerthecoast. *A special sign-up event is taking place on Monday, August 1st at Brewster Street Ice House from 5 pm-8 pm.
Office Security/Spillage Control Riley P. Dog
The next rally will be saturday aug.13Th at 5:00p.m.
State of the University, September 13
Meet at the POA building at 5:00 p.m.
Home and Garden Expo, September 15-18
We will travel to ellis beach for a bbq potluck. Please bring you own chairs, umbrellas etc. For sun protection. Bring own drinks, a dish to share, and your own meat to grill.
Harvest Moon Ball, September 17
Editor/Publisher/Spillage Control Supervisor Dale Rankin About the Padre Island Moon The Island Moon is published every other Wednesday, Dale Rankin, Editor. Total circulation is 10,000 copies. Distribution includes delivery to 4,000 Island homes, free distribution of 3,000 copies in over 50 Padre Island businesses and condos, as well as 600 copies distributed in Flour Bluff, 1,400 copies on Mustang Island and Port Aransas businesses. Mailed subscriptions are available in the US and are $100 per year. Next day home delivered subscriptions are $100 per year on Padre Island and in Flour Bluff. News articles, photos, display ads, classified ads, payments, etc. may be left in the Moon tray at Isle Mail & More, 14493 S P I D. For more information call 361-949-7700 or contact the Moon at 15201 S Padre Island Dr., Suite 250, Corpus Christi, TX 78418 or by e-mail to editor@islandmoon.com.
I Love Port A! I love this town. It’s summertime - the crabs and lizards are dancing in the heat, the beach is perfect, the baby turtles are hatching, the tourists are lost in paradise, the locals are trying to cross the street, and I get to drink cold beer with the not often appreciated, very talented, hard working, six-man band rolled into one musician, Mr. Kit Mandoo, doing his regular longtime gig on Friday and Saturday nights at Phyllis’s home away from home, the Crazy Cajun. The whole family loves those crazy crawdads and Kit. And then I got to experience the first show of the summer for Mr. Mo and his Famous Unkowns on the porch of the world famous, historic Shorties bar on Friday night where this 3 piece combo found their “sand-dirt” Blues-Colored, Rock-n-Roll groooveee and kept us grateful locals and lucky tourists bumping and grinding for about 3 hours. Woohoooo - it was amazing!!! Thanks Kit and Mo for all your hard work and doing what you like to do - it shows. I am grateful to be alive and living in Port A.
Over 29,000 Attendees Expected Within Next 60 Days American Bank Center to hosts over 25 events between July and October During the next couple of months thousands of people will walk through the doors of the American Bank Center. Over 25 events ranging from comedian Ron White to the Home and Garden Expo are expected to draw over 29,000 guests. “We have numerous events scheduled at this time that will bring a variety of entertainment to the American Bank Center,” said Eric Jaramillo, SMG American Bank Center Marketing Director. “We are staying busy with not only public events but with a lot of various private events.”
Ron White, July 23
music lover, ex-professional toe ring sizer, walk-about artist
Dancing with the Brides, July 24
Anyone interested in golf carting may come, even if you have not bought your golf cart yet. Come and meet the group, enjoy, and have fun. Contact ellie at 949-7123 or e-mail upigolfcartclub@aol.Com For information.
Padre Island Enrichment Club, Inc.
FUN FUN FUN… was had by all who attended our July Open House Luau luncheon. Decorations, good food and some helpful photo taking information made for a great day. AUGUST will be another fun one with B-IN-G-O planned. Great prizes (of course) so be sure and make your reservations (by 8-10-11) to PIELuncheon@aol.com BTW: P.I.E. is a social club open to ladies who live or own property on N. Padre Island. We have lots of activities, functions and just plain fun – contact Sheila @ 949-2072 for more information.
Moon Matter
The Moon may take on a new look in the next issue. We are the last of the Big Broadsheet papers left in the Texas and printing a paper that big is becoming almost impossible. Printers have to order special paper just for us and it is becmong difficult.
They’ve tried to push us to become one of those little narrow knucklebusters like the Big Dailies are all going to but is just doesn’t seem right. We’re looking at going to the tabloid format that Mike started with when the Moon first started back in 1996. It allows for more flexibility in layout and will keep our costs down so we don’t have to raise advertising prices to pay for higher printing costs.
The content won’t change but the look of the paper may have to. The Moon, like time marches on. Say hello if you see us Around The Island.
Just Breathe! Just Breathe Hosts 1St Annual Kacey James Hendrix Memorial Kingfish Tournament
Just Breathe will host the 1st Annual Kacey James Hendrix Kingfish Tournament on August 20, 2011 at the Marker 37 Marina.
Just Breathe will host the Kacey James Hendrix Memorial Kingfish Tournament on Saturday, August 20, 2011 from 6:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Person’s interested in participating in the tournament should call 361-960-4033 or visit www.kaceyjameshendrix.com.
“We are pleased, proud, and honored to be part of such a wonderful tournament.” Said Fallon McDonald, Owner of Just Breathe. “It is important to us to keep Kacey’s legacy, spirit and memory alive. He is gone but never forgotten.”
Kacey James Hendrix, age 12, passed away after a tragic drowning accident on May 15, 2011 just north of Packery Channel in Corpus Christi, Texas. He left behind family and friends that have been deeply touched by his presence in their life. He was a kind, sweet, caring, outgoing boy whose vibrant smile became infectious to everyone he encountered. He is survived by his loving parents, older brother, grandparents, as well many cousins, aunts, uncles, and extended family.
The Kacey James Hendrix Memorial Kingfish Tournament will be a near shore and bay fishing tournament and is open to the public for entry. All proceeds will be donated in Kacey’s memory to the Coast Guard Foundation, Corpus Christi Sector.
Deadline Fri. July 29 to Sign up for Ranch Management Workshop
The deadline to sign up for “Profiling Profitable Ranchers” clinic is Fri., July 29. The ranch management clinic will be held on Aug. 4 at the Bee County Expo Center, 214 South FM 351, in Beeville, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The workshop will be headlined by Dave Pratt who teaches “Ranching for Profit.” Successful ranchers in the region will also present information about their individual operations.
For more information or to register by July 29, call Tim Reinke with Texas Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) at 361-358-1178
Upcoming events can be viewed in detail on the American Bank Center’s website, www.americanbankcenter. com. The following events are scheduled at the American Bank Center:
Dana Rene Pope,
Upper Padre Island golf cart club
financing is in place TxDot will begin design work.
Wedding Fair 2011, July 24 Monster Jam, July 29-30 Nueces County Health Fair, July 30 TAMUCC summer graduation, August 6 Corpus Christi Party & Events Fair, August 28 Casa De Amour, September 7
Mystery Person of the Fortnight We got this photo from our mystery Islander with the following note: Here is a photo taken of me in 1959 when the world was my oyster, my options unlimited and non-Hodgkins Lymphoma was not even in my vocabulary. It’s none other than Diane Halferty, Moon Culinary Contributor. Check out her column in Section B of this issue.
Island Moon
A6
July 29, 2011
Trivia Question of the Fortnight
I will save you money on your next purchase or refinance.
What is the name of the town along the Texas border allegedly founded by the Pirate Jean Lafitte? (hint: it’s not Galveston)
By Dale Rankin
Outside of the men who died at the Alamo few characters in Texas history stir the imagination like the pirate Jean Lafitte. One of the most fun things about Lafitte’s time in Texas is that there is very little contemporary writing about it. Almost all of what we know, whether it is his smuggling prowess or the location of his buried treasure, was passed down by word of mouth then at some time well after his death reduced to writing not by someone who was there but by someone who talked to someone who claimed to have heard it from someone who claimed to be there. As the saying goes; when the legend become fact print the legend.
That is the case with the story of Jean Lafitte and the founding of Bagdad, Mexico. At the outbreak of the Civil War Bagdad on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande and Clarksville on the U.S. side were small ports known mostly for their lawlessness and citizenry of low moral quality. Dubbed the Sodom and Gomorrah of the New World by a local priest, it was said that every house was a saloon and whiskey was cheaper than water. See what we mean by the legend becoming fact? Fresh water was free from the Rio Grande River, so how could whiskey be cheaper than that? But it makes for a better story. Beginnings in Barataria
How Bagdad was formed and who formed it has been lost to the mist of time but there are a few tantalizing facts that tie the story of Baghdad to Lafitte. First a little background on Mr. Lafitte. What is known is that Lafitte favored Islands located along national borders to locate his pirate colonies. His first colony located on Grand Isle just south of the mouth of the Mississippi River was called Barataria. He made his first fortune there by smuggling slaves through the swamp to the markets in New Orleans raiding ships under the charter of various governments who used privateers to raid the shipping of rival nations. When the various nations made peace the privateers went rogue and the profession of pirating was born. With the profits from his raiding and slave trading Lafitte bought a “plantation” with the future Texas legend and famed knife fighter Jim Bowie, which they sold for $90,000 and Bowie used his half to move to Texas.
Lafitte stayed on for a time and his aid to Andrew Jackson which led to the defeat of the British in the final battle of the War of 1812 made him a folk hero to the people of New Orleans but to the U.S. government he was still a pirate. He eventually left Barataria under pressure from the U.S. government and set up shop on Galveston Island which was abandoned at the time. On to Campeachy
Where his hideout on the south bank of the Mississippi was out of reach of American authority until the Louisiana Purchase Galveston Island was just south of the Sabine and as part of Mexico still out of their reach. Lafitte occupied and fortified the town on Galveston Island in May 1817, and changed its name to Campeachy, intending to recomence his pirate activities under the Venezuelan flag. The brothers ran a very successful slave-dealing operation out of Galveston but other than that there is little in the way of historical documentation about Lafitte’s activities in this period. What history has recorded is that in late 1820 the USS Enterprise docked in Campeche Bay and on board was a designated naval diplomat, Lieutenant Larry Kearney, who, in speaking for President Madison, ordered Lafitte to abandon Galveston Island. For months, Lafitte stalled. But in the end, it was Lafitte’s pirating activity that brought about his undoing. Continuing to harass Spanish ships bound for Mexico, he insisted he had a letter of marque bestowed by a patron that allowed him to plunder Spanish ships. But the U.S. and Spain were entering a period of peace and the only thing that stood in the way of developing a friendship with Spain was the constant harassment of Spanish ships by buccaneers anchored off the American coast. President Madison issued an all-out war on piracy.
Lafitte knew he had to go but pirating was profitable and he continued to stall until May Day 1821when a U.S. war fleet off Galveston produced a single command: Get off the island now or be blown to smithereens. “That night,” writes Robert Tallant, “Lafitte set fire to Campeche (sp). Men aboard the USS Enterprise saw it burst into flames... When they went to shore at dawn they found only ashes and rubble. The ships of Lafitte were gone...”
So, as the story goes, when he was forced to leave Galveston Island as the American border effectively moved from the Sabine to the Rio Grande he headed south to the next border and took up residence on the south bank of that river just inside Mexico and that is how Bagdad, Mexico was born. As was the case with Galveston there were no Indians to fight and fresh water available from the river, and the only threatening authority was across a river and national boundry. Into the mist
It is a this point that Lafitte fades into the mist of history. Where he traveled, where he wound up, where or when he died, is uncertain. There are, of course, many conjectures and some evidence. There is strong evidence he sailed to and settled in, at least for a while in Charleston, South Carolina. Some writers say he fought with Bolivar’s rebels against the South American nationalists. Other suppositions place him at the head of a band of pirates in Santo Domingo or dying of a plague at age 47 on the Isle de Las Mujeres near Yucatan.
Why do we say that?
Gone to Pot
Time eventually wears everything down. For example, once great downtown department stores declined, went to pot and were replaced by suburban malls. If you’ve ever gone to a high school reunion, you know how just a few years, a few pounds, and a few gray hairs can make old classmates look like they’ve gone to pot, too. But why the pot? Is something cooking? Whatever counter-culture references the phrase may bring to mind, it actually is about the kitchen. In the Middle Ages, table scraps ended up in a big pot for stew. Once the centerpiece of a big meal, main courses were demoted to leftovers. Eventually “going to pot”, meaning going downhill, would be applied to anything, even the guy who sat behind you in homeroom years ago. Source: Brewer’s Dictionary Of Phrase And Fable
What is known is that immediately after leaving Galveston Island he travelled to the Yucatan where he met Mexican General Lopez de Santa Anna who was looking for a way to smuggle arms into Mexico in a bid to take over that country. They met again at Magna de Clavo, Santa Ana’s family estate near Veracruz. Over the next several years the struggle for control of Mexico continued with Santa Anna becoming President in 1831. It is during these years that Lafitte most likely created Bagdad. He is said to have married a woman from Baghdad and continued his raiding in the Gulf, visiting the estate of Santa Anna at least six times. The tiny town would have been valuable to the Mexican President and he was in a position to see that it was not bothered by Mexican powers as over the years he faded in and out of the Presidency six times. The first official known appearance of Bagdad is on a map entitled “Map of the Country Adjacent to the Left Bank of the Rio Grande Below Matamoros, 1847. How long before that it was actually established has been lost to history. Only recently discovered in the Spanish records in Seville is the intriguing fact that the Lafitte brothers were in Texas between November 1815 and June 1816, acting as spies for the Spanish government against the Mexican revolutionaries so it is probable that as an accomplished seaman Lafitte had explored the coast around the lower Rio Grande during that time. Stormy Bagdad Strong hurricanes raked the area in 1831, 1834, 1835, and 1837. Fed up with the storms, oral history says that Lafitte left Baghdad in 1839 after three years of storms and disappeared entirely from history. But the town he founded lived on. In 1848 The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo between the U.S. and Mexico provided for free navigation of the river. Article VII of the Treaty read, “The river Gila, and the part of the Rio Bravo del Norte laying below the southern boundary of New Mexico, being, agreeably to the fifth article, divided in the middle between the two republics, the navigation of the Gila and of the Bravo below said boundary shall be free and common to the vessels and citizens of both countries; and neither shall, without the consent of the other, construct any work that may impede or interrupt, in whole or in part, the exercise of this right; not even for the purpose of favoring new methods of navigation.” Bagdad was set to prosper. In 1849 Clarksville was founded on the northern American shore and commerce began in ernest as gold seekers headed for California landed on their way west.
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Jump forward to 1861 when the Civil War broke out. During the early years of the war Confederates used the port of Brazos Santiago to export cotton and import arms. Juarez liberalized the constitution and instituted land-reform, infuriating the wealthy conservative class and a war broke out in Mexico as well as the U.S. Bagdad found itself caught between four armies, two in the U.S. and two in Mexico. Commerce picked up and there were ten stage coaches per day from Bagdad to Matamoros. Cotton was freighted for hundreds of miles with ox-teams to Clarkesville, where it was crossed over the river on ferry boats to Bagdad. Cotton brought $ .40 per pound - $200.00 per bale at that time. During the previous century the price of cotton ranged from $ .40 per pound to $ .05 and back again. In 1862 troops of Napolean III landed in Veracruz to the south and the war was on in Mexico and Bagdad was in the middle. Even as the economy boomed the Mexicans fought for control of the state of Tamauipas. By October millions of dollars in cotton had been exchanged for medical supplies and arms. The Union blockade had yet to touch the booming economies of Clarksville and Bagdad. The Rev. Father P.J.. Parisot, in his Reminiscences of a Texas Missionary wrote that a laborer in Bagdad earned $6 per day, a man with a boat $20-$40 per day hauling cotton to the merchantmen ships waiting three of four miles out.
The town that Lafitte begun as a base for raiding and smuggling found inself at the center of two wars and three economies. It was a frontier town like no other. Editor’s note: Well, this story started out as a simple explanation of the founding of the village of Bagdad. But this portion of our region’s history is so full of action and imagery that it has started to get long. So rather than fail to do it justice we’ll turn it into a two-parter. So our Trivia Question of the Fortnight for next time will be:
What Ever Happened to the Village of Bagdad and What is There Today?
Why do we say that?
John Q. Public
1) a member of the public or the community : person, citizen 2) the public or the community personified. When John Q. Public made his print debut in the late 1930s, he joined a long line of generic “Johns” in English. About 10 years earlier, “John Citizen” had started appearing in British texts as a nickname for the average joe. Messrs. Public and Citizen are linguistic youngsters compared to “John Doe”; that term has been used for an anonymous or average man since the mid-1600s. Initially, such generic terms were predominantly male, but that changed with the arrival of “Jane Doe” in the 1930s. “Joan Citizen” debuted in the 1940s, but “Jane Q. Public” didn’t find her way into English texts until the mid-1980s. By the way, some think the “Q” was inspired by John Quincy Adams.
Beer
14414 Whitecap Blvd. Corpus Christi, TX
Bagdad in the war
Hotels and billiard saloons sprang up. The beach was piled with cotton and camels arrived in Bagdad loaded with 1000 pounds of salt from El Sal Viejo west of the Laguna after dropping off cotton. Beef prices went from $2 to $11 per head in Mexico that year and the beef, like the cotton shipped from the wharfs in Bagdad. Its population jumped to over 10,000.
Wine
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Island Moon
July 29, 2011
A7
PIBA Mixer
On the Rocks
The Padre Island Business Association’s monthly mixer was held at the new Island Family Medicine facility. The new facility is part of The Christus Spohn Medical Group and is located at 14202 S.P.I.D. Dr. Dr. David Foster (pictured above top, left with his parents Ben and Kaye) is the attending physician along with Veronica Lopez, PA-C. The event was catered by Aunt Sissy’s Kitchen. Stop by and welcome Dr. Foster and his staff who invite you to experience personalized attention with patient centered care. Photos by Jan Rankin
By Jay Gardener Where did July go????!! It seems like school just let out a few weeks ago and then the usual fireworks fires were put out by the fire department. (That’s gotta be a record for using the word “fire” three times in one sentence.) But it sure feels like its’ on fire out there with the temperatures lately, and I hope that you all are staying cool and well hydrated. Which reminds me, while Mickey is out of town on his new job I need to be poaching the pool over at the Casa De Berry. Hey, someone has to do it. Captain Mike Speaking of heat, Capt Mike Singleterry has been on a hot trout bite out in the Laguna lately, with a few reds and some flounder mixed in. He’s been posting a lot of great catches on Tyler’s website, Corpusfishing.com Cruise your browser over that direction and check it out. If you’re having difficulty finding the fish or actually want to learn some new techniques, I highly recommend you give Capt Mike a call. I have fished with him twice and learned valuable lessons both times that I use each time I go on the water to help get a few more fish in the boat or learn a new place or way to fish. Visit his site at http://www.texasfishingguides.org/topwater/ and book him for a trip. An upwelling event The beach conditions (well, at least the water conditions) are trying to get better, slowly, every day with the slacking of the sargassum. The winds have been coming down a little bit during the night which helps the sediments and sands settle out, but then they’ll come
that if you head out you’re aware of what your vehicle can do. Be very careful if you attempt the beaches in two wheel drive. The access roads to the beach typically get torn up and have the worst fluffystuff right there. If you do attempt it, make sure to get enough momentum to make it through to the hard-pack. Now, I can’t legally tell you to go fast or speed, but… You get the idea. Be careful. Hats off to the beach crews Speaking of driving and the beach conditions, I want to give out kudos to both the City and the County for keeping beach maintained and trash cans cleaned up. Scott Cross’s crew and Derek Herzog’s crew do a pretty good job despite all the razzing they get from some folks. You really think you could do a better job than these guys? I challenge you to go out and watch all the activity in the mornings and see for yourself. Keep up the good work guys, and the big season is almost over. Reef at Mansfield Speaking of great fishing, I am proud to be a part of creating some great fishing habitat. As I type this, there is a barge unloading concrete culverts donated by Alamo Concrete Products at the Port Mansfield Artificial Reef Site. Thanks to a partnership between TPWD, Alamo, and of course CCA for getting this done. This will create approximately a 160 acre site. This will be a massive section of reef that will support a myriad of nearshore reef fish. I am about to burst, I can’t wait to dive this site and photograph all the fish and report back to you. You can check out more information at the CCA Newsroom at http://www. ccatexas.org/ I will be working over the next year to get something like this going out of Packery. Y’all let me know if you’re interested at jaygardner@scientist.com Snake eater
I received a really great shot of a Kiskadee eating a snake the other day from photographer Stephen Sinclair. He writes that he was capturing the scene Kiskadee eating a snake with his camera and up again. Ozzie posted a report from down the beach got a little too close to the drainage ditch and slipped and that there was an upwelling event and Rob down in fell in. He says the Kiskadee didn’t mind too much and South Padre mentioned the same thing. Come on! Are he was able to get some better shots, although he said it we EVER going to get clear water and long periods of took him a few minutes to crawl out of there. You gotcalm winds??!! Here we are at the end of July, and de- ta watch that first step but sometimes leaping in can get spite the hot temperatures, its like we’re stuck in May or you that one shot. I’m just full of cliches’, I tell you. something. Hopefully the beach will get better before Kiskadees are Bluffin’ the tropical storms start rolling around in the Gulf and Evidently those Kiskadees are expanding their range. muck it up good. Guess I’d be doing better taking up They are nesting all over in the Bluff, and I’ve seen them golf again. in town as well. Kiskadees are really cool birds; they Hardhead upwelling can act like other specialists, such as kingfishers. I have At any rate, Roadkill Will and I just HAD to get out to seen one blast down in the water and catch a fish. In adthe beach the other day and dust off the Pompano gear. dition, around the time the Kiskadees started nesting in My longrod hadn’t been tossed since early December my yard the goldfish that Ronnie put in my pond disapand I needed to make sure it was up to snuff, which it peared. Ooopsie. They will eat grasshoppers, small rowasn’t. I re-spooled on the beach, and to my chagrin, dents, and even snakes (evidently). They are also very I couldn’t cast it any further than I could last year. It aggressive birds. My new favorites for sure. might be time for a gear up-grade. RoadKill tested out Babes on Baffin his UglyStick, which I had just fixed a guide on it for Well Candace tells me it’s time to start plugging Babes him, and it appeared par for the course as well. Phil on Baffin again. They decided to drop the “and Blue” and the HRI team showed up and we got some bait and started trying to get some small sharks on the sand for this year and just stick to bay fishing. Candace tells me tagging. I missed one good hit that avoided the hook, that the website is getting a lot of hits and she expects and then caught two grander hardheads. Uh-oh. An- the tournament to sell out (due to the cap on teams) other bad sign of the upwelling. No whiting to speak of, based on the number of hits they’ve gotten. So hopefully Kendal gets back from Europe in time to sign up at and hardheads to boot. http://www.babesonbaffin.com/ Keep ‘em humming They have some awesome door prizes this year, giveKeep the hummingbird feeders up, if they’re here, that aways, and there will be a cash pot for you gamblingmeans they’re nesting and its important for the little ones types. Its always a great time with great folks, and you to keep a steady supply going. With the heat, make sure should sign up early. The cool thing is that it’s a live your feeders are shaded as much as possible, and you weigh-in, and at the end of it ladies will have the option might have to change it out a little more often. My buff- to donate their fish to the CCA-MDC Fish Hatchery in belly’s hitting the feeder with increasing regularity, so the Bluff for the stock tanks for the kidfish events. Conthey might be going for a second nest. There are a lot of servation gives me a warm fuzzy feeling, can you tell? doves doing the same thing; I’m still hearing them with Well folks, I’m headed out to South Padre for a couple their breeding calls trying to attract a mate, and I’m also days of R&R and a couple days of work in the hot Texas watching those collared doves still making nests! sun on the beaches of Boca Chica. I’m looking forward Bad drving to rock-hopping the south jetty of the Brazos Santiago Driving is very powdery with the drought, make sure pass. I’ll see you on the rocks down south.
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Island Moon
A8
July 29, 2011
Under The Padre Palms
From Salt Air to Salt Lake
When the Magic Went Away
The City Mormons Built
By Arlan Andrews, Sr. The Final Chapter
It was with a touch of sadness that I watched the final episode of an adventure that had gone on for many years. In an epic climax, courageous humans finally overcame unbelievable obstacles in a world far different than ours, coming back to a place of mere mortals to live among those who would never know the scope of their adventures, the depth of that darkness from which they had returned.
In that magical world so close to our own, yet so far away for those of us with mundane lives, these seemingly ordinary people had performed acts of a special kind. Using implements of incredible power, performing feats impossible in our part of the Universe, these intrepid souls had levitated in mid-air, traveled at fantastic speeds, and viewed the whole Earth as a magic carpet beneath their feet.
Borne by a giant white bird named after a civilization lost in the mists of time, braving blasts hotter than a dragon’s breath, they escaped that place of darkness and danger, stepping out into a flowered wonderland of warm and gentle breezes.
I speak of course of the final flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis, and of her crew. What were you thinking of? Metal and Magic and Muggles, Oh My!
That same week, I also watched the final movie of the Harry Potter series, The Deathly Hallows, Part 2. Once again I was transported into the magical world of J. K. Rowling, where specially-trained young people, wielding implements of unbelievable power, overcame incredible obstacles, finally returning to the mundane world of muggles, there to live their lives among others who would never know the darkness and delights of their magical world.
These two great adventures deserve comparison; they have touched the souls of millions. Each carried with it the promise of new experiences and a longing for life beyond the reach of routine reality. The Space Shuttle and Harry Potter both brought pleasure and knowledge to millions, one through scientific fact and engineering achievement, the other solely through imagination. By joining the sense of wonder of these two worlds, we may yet stimulate further fantastic adventures. Back to the Future
Ten years ago I wrote an article for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times about the first Harry Potter books and movies. There I complained that Harry’s pure fantasy and magic could not be achieved in real life. That the hard science fiction of my youth, some 50 years before, showed us youngsters rockets and robots and space trav-
Story by Mary Craft, O.D. el – goals that we teenage dreamers could actually accomplish. And we did! Millions of scientists and engineers followed the visions of Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and others, and built those rockets and robots and space ships. Some of those teens later landed on the Moon, others built probes that have explored all of the planets. Still others built computers and high tech companies and the Internet and gave us the daily cornucopia of electronic marvels. I worried back then that Harry Potter fans would never be able to bring about their favorite futures like we had. But another writer told me that Harry Potter actually represented the fantastic new sciences of the new Millennium. He claimed that imaginations stimulated by the wonders of Hogwarts and Diagon Alley would one day invent 21st century technologies that exceed even the wands and amulets and potions used by Harry and his friends. Even Einstein said that imagination is more important than knowledge! Childhood’s End So in the same week, Harry Potter’s adventures ended and the Space Shuttle flew its final flight. To multitudes of children (and many adults), Harry’s last story marks the end of his childhood -- and of theirs. To those of us who have seen the magnificent spectacle of Space Shuttle launches, watched the International Space Station course the night sky, or appreciated the wonders discovered by the Hubble Telescope, the end of the Shuttle program represents a finality all its own. For millions around the world, both the believers in magic and the practitioners of technology, our shared childhoods are over. Hopefully Harry’s inspiration will carry today’s young into worlds of the future where we all can ride antigravity brooms and play Qidditch, where we can travel instantly to anywhere, where walking through walls is commonplace, and invisibility cloaks hang on Wal Mart racks. And we can hope as well that American entrepreneurs and others will shortly provide access to Space not only for astronauts, but for anyone who can buy a ticket. As the great Russian space pioneer Tsiolkovsky said, “The Earth is the cradle of Mankind. But one cannot stay in the cradle forever.” It is time for us all to grow up, each in our own way. The future waits for no one. Meanwhile, in that very same week, with the arrival of an orbiting NASA probe, the asteroid Vesta saw a new Dawn. Arlan Andrews, Sr., is an environmental engineer and science fiction writer living on Padre Island. Some of his works are available on Amazon.com.
I was thinking I was overdue for a trip when I got the email.
to build, was constructed on that spot. The city grid was then laid out from the Temple and the streets were given numbers not names. For example, 300 South Street is three blocks south of the Temple. the blocks are longer because they were designed to make ten acre lots. This was determined to be enough land to sustain a family with animals and crops.
The annual Optometric convention was being held in Salt Lake City which is a unique town in a part of the country I had never visited. My first glimpse of life there was on the connecting flight from Denver. I have never seen so many children on a flight before. The young families aboard had 3-4 children close in age. The moms for the most part had on no makeup and were plainly dressed. The kids, even teens were demonstrative in their affection to both parents and they portrayed very close knit families.
The streets are quite wide, eight driving lanes to be exact. It is said that Brigham Young wanted to make the streets wide enough to turn around a wagon with oxen without using profanity. The width of the streets makes it necessary to have a system in place for pedestrians. There are the usual stop and go signals but there is a 25 second countdown warning to allow time to cross. Also, there is a realistic chirping sound coming from above on the lamp post while it is safe to cross. When I first heard this I kept trying to find the bird.
I had heard of the Mormon majority and their conservatism so I found it incongruous to have a glass-walled smoking room at the SLC airport. Also, the liquor laws were made more lax in 2009, ironically by the mostly Mormon legislature that has never had a drink. Drinking there is now pretty much like anywhere else. One local brewery named their beer Polygamy Porter, “Why have just one?”
The city that pioneer Mormons built
The city is composed of 62% Mormons. The two non-Mormon natives I met (a taxi driver and bartender) both had their fathers come to work on the Union Pacific Railroad as did many of the Asian community ancestors. It is evident that the city has great pride in the pioneer movement since most citizens have anThere was so much I learned cestors that made the difficult jouron this trip which was easy ney here. Many lost their lives on the since I came in knowing noth- Don is one of the tour guides at way mostly women, children and eldering. There were many surprises, the Temple Square. There are no ly. There are statues and murals depictthe biggest that there is a large tours inside the temple because ing them walking the trail and working gay population there. I thought once it was dedicated, it became the land. This type of artwork is seen in it an unusual destination point “The House of the lord” and only the government buildings, banks and in to go to a conservative town but the old Gateway train station. The state learned that they were most- Mormons are allowed inside. symbol, the beehive, also appears everyly from there. The most recent Marriages performed there are not where on sidewalks, light poles, buildannual Gay Pride Parade there for a lifetime, but an eternity. ings and two four foot high hives are in was the largest with more than front of the Capitol. It represents indus100 entries and Roseanne Barr was the Grand Marshal. triousness and working together to build a community as they did in the beginning. Build it and they will come The city itself is very beautiful and very clean with flowers, trees and greenery everywhere. You need to walk the city streets to really appreciate it. There are unique, ornate buildings from the 1800s amongst the contemporary ones. Many of these old buildings house bars and restaurants with the original interiors. There are plaques outside these buildings that give their history. The city was born in 1847 when Brigham Young and his flock walked there with push carts from Missouri. He declared “This is the Place” and a temple, that took 40 years
The Pioneer Women Museum was especially inspiring to me. There were three stories full of mementos from that era and signs listing the local families that donated them. There were dishes, dolls, parasols, clothing, furniture, hats, jewelry, lace,fans, etc. One display case had items from the last known pioneer who died in 1968 at the age of 108. It had the buckskin mask she made to protect her face from the desert winds. All the walls were covered with hundreds of large framed photographs of pioneers. Next time: Whatever happend to Brigham Young?
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Island Moon
July 29, 2011
A9
@#$%STRESS*&^% Danniece Bobeché, MSN, WHNP Women’s Healthcare Nurse Practitioner www.danniece.com One of the best things about Island living is the low stress. A few hours OTB and we Islanders can feel our stress level moving from green to red. Even writing about stress is stressful. So maybe the best way to write about it is to break it down. Stress Defined
The above drawing shows the location of the proposed roads rent Best Western site. The plan also calls for the road to turn south and connect with Highway 361 near the Packery Bridge, providing a through-fare for traffic heading north on SH 361 without having to go through the SPID/361 intersection. We also hear that the San Antonio company, which owns nine lots fronting SPID plans to ask the city to install a stop light on SPID at its intersectin with Aquarius, which would be paid for by the developers. We hear, not from them, that they are currently talking to McDonalds and a “large coffee company” about locating stores there. New houses A check of building permits shows that there are currently over a dozen houses under construction on The Is-
land. After a couple of years of slow building that is good news. There does not seem to be any geographic pattern to the new builds as they are located everywhere from Lake Padre to Sea Pines. Hotel deal? We also hear that a group is considering a new hotel on the seawall but no deal is done yet. We hear they are waiting to see if the proposed Schlitterbahn park becomes a reality. No word on the size or the franchise but we hear if it goes in it will be a big one. Name change You may have noticed a new sign outside the old Realty World office on SPID. There are also some changes inside. Kim Erwin got a suprise call a while back from Keller Williams which led to her selling her Island and Rockport offices to them. Kim is still there but now she’s not a manager, just a realtor. “Now I can concentate on what I love to do without the hassles of management,” she said. That’s what we heard. If you’ve heard something you want to pass along e-mail us at edtor@islandmoon.com or call at 949-7700.
The Moon in Baghdad
Symphony Guild of Corpus Christi
The Symphony Guild of Corpus Christi is pleased to announce “Melodies in the Moonlight!” Their annual fundraiser will be held in a spacious private residence on Saturday, October one, 2011 from 7 pm to 10:30 pm. Guests will have the pleasure of strolling around the grounds under the stars. Later while listening to the swinging music of Paul Bauman’s Quartet, couples will step out on the dance floor to show off their fancy steps. Sampling enticing items from the buffet is bound to be a draw after which the delightful paintings by a London artist will be available for viewing or for sale. When all of these activities slow down it will be time to be seated beside the pool to watch the auctioneer bring on the fun of the live auction while the guests bid on a superior selection of exciting pieces such as: a high style fur, a magnificent Bronze statue, an elegant statement piece of jewelry or a fishing & hunting trip to name a few. Next on the list will be a sensational poolside highfashion Designer Style Show comprised of magnificent Holiday Attire, Elegant Furs and an extensive collection of Exotic Jewelry presented by Julian Gold. At the conclusion there will be time to dance or walk through the “boutique” set up in the house to make sure you don’t go home without seeing and enjoying every single thing. This is going to be a bodacious high-stepping Texas event not to be missed! Invitations will be in the mail soon.
Stress is sometimes described as an individual’s response to change. This may include positive events such as marriage, retirement or a new job, as well as negative, overwhelming losses, or challenges that crop up in our lives. Some people tend to have daily dilemmas and stress over simple things in life. Like the light taking too long to change or why the lady in line at Stripes doesn’t start writing her check until the clerk already has her three lemons in the plastic bag. Job stresses, economic woes, disturbing world events all take their toll. Some levels of stress are thought to be beneficial for example seeing that crazy driver in your rear view mirror and changing lanes just in the nick of time. However, prolonged and unmanaged stress can have disturbing consequences to our physical, mental and emotional well being. Your stress may be linked to things that can’t be changed or controlled: death of a loved one, taking care of an elderly parent, divorce, job loss, devastating illnesses, major surgery, or just life in itself. There are plenty other stressors that we can control such as: poor diet, lack of exercise, lost car keys, screaming cell phones, family dysfunction, writing for the Moon, trying to be perfect (not something usually associated with writing for the Moon), toxic relationships, and ornery pets.
Sometimes we just gotta roll with it
Stress is hard to quantify. There are no standard tools to measure stress levels. Although, stress does elevate the level of cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. Prolonged cortisol elevation attributes to adrenal fatigue, a very popular diagnosis which has gained lots of attention in recent times (a story for another day). Stress zaps all of our essential hormone levels, as one interesting research study revealed. A group of women in very powerful, executive positions were studied and their hormone levels were monitored daily while actively working and caring for their families. The results showed diminished or depleted levels of circulating hormones. The study continued by sending these “lucky” women to Tahiti for some much needed R&R. Hormonal monitoring continued everyday while vacationing and revealed perfectly normal ranges. Duh, take away the stress triggers of daily living and all is well. I could have told you that without a study!
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, up to 75 percent of office visits to physicians are due to stress-related symptoms.
Life is like a rubber band According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, up to 75 percent of office visits to physicians are due to stress-related symptoms. The American Psychological Association states stress is linked to the six leading causes of death - heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide. Stress can suppress our immune systems rendering us more susceptible to illnesses. Premature aging of the skin is not just an effect of over exposure to our Coastal Bend sunshine but can be directly correlated to major stress. The devastating effect of life’s stressors can put a real damper on our interpersonal relationships as well. Other health related illnesses related to stress include headaches, insomnia, back pain, anorexia, constipation, diarrhea, peptic ulcers, chronic fatigue, weight loss, weight gain, depression, anxiety, and hair loss. Kind of sounds like the disclaimer at the end of one of those television commercials where they tell you all the bad stuff that may happen if you take a pill to enlarge your body parts.
Students in the Private Education Program summer session at Seashore Charter Schools enjoy a story hour in the new Outdoor Classroom. There are still openings for daytime and after school in the fall. Call Jessica at 9491530 for more information.
Everyone reacts to stress differently and what may provoke one to drive straight into the Laguna may not affect the next person at all. Yes, that pint of Ben and Jerry’s or chilled bottle of chardonnay may provide a temporary euphoria but cause more harm than good in the long run. Take some time to identify the things that push your buttons. Make a list and determine which of these factors are changeable and which cannot be altered. Unfortunately we can’t just eliminate the spouse or the outlaws, nor can we swap children. But we can change the way we respond to their erratic, annoying behavior or tune out temporarily in order to regroup. Keep it simple
If you are caring for a loved one or grieving a loss, seek relief from others, find a support group and/or seek counseling, there are many resources available to you. Feel free to contact me if you need assistance in finding appropriate resources. The main thing is to always find time for YOU. On a regular basis, I express to my patients the importance of taking time for themselves each and every day. Even if it is a 15-20 minute break to do something you’re passionate about, this approach can be so effective in restoring your ability to cope. This brings to mind the instructions by flight attendants, if anyone even listens anymore. They instruct you to place the oxygen mask over your mouth and nose before trying to assist others. OK, there you have it - take some time each day to do something special just for YOU without booking the guilt trip. Tell the others in your life not to bother you unless the house is burning down. The world will keep turning while you relax and recharge. Next time we’ll offer strategies to avoid and alleviate stress. So for now, keep it simple, silly.
Twins McKayla and Morgan Long, second grade students at Seashore Learning Center, wait for a wave at Padre Island Surf Camp.
Seashore student Julia Moore learns to surf at the Padre Island Surf Camp. There’s still time for summer enrollment this summer. Check out padreislandsurfcamp.com
Island Moon
A 10
July 29, 2011
Did ya’hear? Business Briefs...
Kendall’s Korner By Mary Craft
By Kendall Ezra Wow, it has been crazy this past month! I have traveled around the world and around the country to finally finish my journey at home only a couple of days ago. I have learned so much through traveling and I have had some experiences of a lifetime. My time spent in Greece was absolutely amazing! Greece holds so much history and I was fortunate enough to relive some Greek traditions. I got to run on the original track at Olympia!
It was so amazing; it will definitely be something that I will never forget. Some other fun times in Greece were the donkey rides, the trip to Delphi, the folk dancing with the locals, and the beach days. Although I had an amazing time in Europe, I could not wait to come home, even if it would only be for a couple of days. As soon as I got home, I had to start preparing for my next adventure in Chicago. After yet another plane ride I was awed at the city of Chicago. It is a city, but it is also very nice. Before I headed off to the Medical Forum I got to see a little bit of the Magnificent Mile and the Navy Pier. The Ferris Wheel on Navy Pier is really cool during the evening. Not only does it light up beautifully, but when you’re on it you can see the entire city. Before I went to the University of Illinois at Chicago for the forum my mother and I went to go see Beauty and the Beast. It was a really cool show and it brought me back to my childhood when I would watch the movie weekly. After some fun in Chicago I finally headed off to UIC to start my adventure at the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine. I met some amazing people there that I will never forget. The forum gave me insights into medicine that help me decide that it really is the right profession for me. We learned how to suture using bananas, we saw a live knee surgery, and I even got to go to the University of Wisconsin to learn about life as a medical student and the education process required to go into the medical field. It was so interesting and so much fun! My favorite part by far though is when I got to see the brain, heart, and other organs. I had a great time in Europe and Chicago, but I am glad to be back home, to start playing sports again, to see friends and family, and to go back to work at Grounded! (By the way Grounded is the best coffee shop on the planet! The owner is awesome, the food and drinks are absolutely amazing, and I couldn’t love the people there more!) P.S. If you have any questions or comments you can email me at kendalskorner@yahoo.com.
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Doc’s Seafood & Steaks has $2 16 ounce Margaritas and $2 well drinks 11am-5pm. Enjoy live music nightly by local artists.
Los Cabos Café & Cantina is now open at the corner of Flour Bluff Drive and SPID. Excellent food with daily lunch and dinner specials. They have a full bar with an outside patio where smoking is allowed. They have live entertainment Thursday – Sunday. Call 939-8300 for more info.
The Spoil Island Clean-up is scheduled for Saturday, August 13th. Boats will pick up volunteers at Gypsy boat ramp and at the Padre Island Yacht Club docks at 8am. Raffle drawings and lunch will be served at the yacht club for all volunteers at 11:30am. Call John White at 549-6347 for more info.
Alpha to Omega Financial specializes in Medicare plans and supplements. Val Chandonia can help you save money. Call him at 949-5290.
The 4th Annual Texas Adopt-A-Beach Bums beach clean up is this Saturday, July 30th. The clean up will start at 8a.m. at Mile Marker 208. Tacos will be served for volunteers for breakfast. Volunteers plan to clean the beach area between Mile Markers 208 and 198. A full line up of bands are scheduled to perform later that evening.
Dodge City Steaks offers sterling silver premium meat They have prime and top tier steaks, hamburgers and pork loin. . Call 673-4153 for free delivery on the Island. 106.5 The Shark has killer hits from the 70s, 80s and 90s. “They are not your mama’s oldies station. They are the first new radio station in Corpus Christi in fifteen years. Program them into your car radio. Island in The Son United Methodist Church is having their Annual Christmas in July Craft Sale this Saturday, July 30th from 9am to 3pm . Stop by and check out their unique items for sale.
Business Briefs
Art Center for the Islands First Friday will be held 5:30pm-7:30pm on August 5th. They will be presenting Merit Show winners. The center is located at 323 N. Alister in Port A. The Island Moon Facebook has news and photos between the fortnights. You can also read the Moon online there.
Upper Padre Island Golf Cart Club will hold a rally Saturday, August 13th. The carts will meet at the POA office then head out to Ellis Beach for a pot luck barbeque. Those with or without a cart are invited to participate and get to know your neighbors. Contact Ellie at 949-7123 or email upigolfcartclub@aol.com.
Kasey James Hendrix Memorial Kingfish Tournament will be held Saturday, August 20th at Marker 37. Entry fees are $120-$200 per boat with four anglers. There will be awards for offshore and bay fishing. Registration can be completed at www.kaseyjameshendrix. com. This tournament is in honor of Kasey who drowned near the north jetty.
The Padre Island Enrichment Club will have a fun bingo luncheon with great prizes. P.I.E. is a social club open to ladies who live or own on the Island. Their monthly luncheons are held at the Padre Isles Country Club.
13th Annual South Texas Wildlife Conference to be Held in Victoria The Texas Wildlife Association, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are once again hosting the South Texas Wildlife Conference. The event, scheduled for September 28-30, 2011, in Victoria, Texas, will focus on energy development and the future of wildlife habitat. The event kicks off Wednesday, September 28th at 6:30 pm with a social gathering sponsored by the Texas Wildlife Association. Seminar registration opens at 7:00am on Thursday, September 29th. The day’s topics are planned to include Projected Growth: Estimates from the Industry, Impacts on Wildlife, Restoration Strategies, and Legal Issues and Surface Use Agreements. Thursday’s lunch will be provided and the day concludes with a reception and hors d’oeuvres. On Friday, September 30th the seminars will last from 8:30 am to noon with the theme of the session being “Habitat Fragmentation:
Fighting Back”.
The South Texas Wildlife Conference will take place at the Spring Creek Place Event Center. Early registration is now open and the fee is $50.00. Registration fees after September 14th will be $65.00. A block of rooms at the rate of $94.99 per night has been reserved at the Fairfield Inn in Victoria, Texas.
This is a rare opportunity to hear from a wide range of professionals including land managers, oil and gas producers, policy makers, and wildlife biologists about the future of energy development in our region and what it means for landowners and the wildlife they manage. To register, sponsor, or for more information please visit the Texas Wildlife Association website atwww.texas-wildlife.org or contact Courtney Brittain at cbrittain@texaswildlife.org or 800-TEX-WILD.
Nueces County Launches New Prescription Drug Savings Program On July 27th, 2011 Nueces County Judge, Loyd Neal, and Nueces County Commissioner’s Court representatives along with Financial Marketing Concepts Inc., (FMC) held a press conference to launch a new prescription drug discount program outside the Nueces County Commissioner’s Court at 901 Leopard Street, Corpus Christi, Texas. The new Coast2Coast Rx card will allow all County residents, regardless of income, age, or health status to participate in the program and save on the cost of their medications. This program saved cardholders throughout the nation an average of 45% in 2010 on the cost of prescription drugs. Even pets and other people living outside the County are able to take part in the program. The Rx card will be distributed free of charge and may be used at all pharmacy chains and most independent pharmacies in Nueces County and includes over 60,000 drugs in its formulary. “With healthcare costs on the rise, prescription drug discounts will help ease some of the financial burdens individuals and families are facing at a time when they need it the most,” said County Judge Lloyd Neal of the Nueces County Commissioner’s Court. “There are no eligibility requirements so the Rx card is expected to have a sizeable impact on uninsured residents or residents facing high insurance deductibles. If a particular drug isn’t covered under a person’s health plan – they can use the
card to save on those prescriptions.” Providing savings for residents through the Rx program will come at no expense to the County. In fact, FMC will pay the County a royalty of $1.25 per prescription and the royalty does not increase cardholder cost. Besides the discount on prescriptions, the card also provides 50% to 80% discounts for lab and imaging tests, further helping residents save even more money on their healthcare costs for these services. Ed Rahn, President of Financial Marketing Concepts, Inc., of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, the issuer of theCoast2Coast Rx free discount card, says “we are pleased to work with the County to help individuals, their families and pets combat the rising cost of healthcare.” Rahn added “we appreciate all that the County and local pharmacies are doing to help those in need.” The Coast2Coast Rx card will be available for residents at most participating pharmacies, governmental offices, libraries and County health facilities. Residents will also be able to print the Rx card, check their prescription prices and view the nearest participating locations at www. coast2coastrx.com. The Coast2Coast Rx card will provide residents with a valuable tool to help maintain their health and wellbeing at an affordable cost.
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Island Moon
July 29, 2011
A 11
Why do we say that?
Stuff I heard on the Island By Dale Rankin I got to say that when it comes to scandals the Brits really know how to put on a show. When’s the last time a billionaire got smacked in the face with a pie while testifying before Congress? - and Three Stooges movies don’t count. Not only did Rupert Murdoch take a pie to the face while testifying before a Parliament committee, his Chinese wife Kim (Crouching Kim Hidden Dragon), 30-plus years his junior, threw a roundhouse right that would have made a drunken sailor proud at the guy who flung the pie. Now that’s how you have a scandal baby! For the unaware Murdoch has been taking heavy fire because private investigators hired by his London paper, the News of the World, hacked into, among others, the private phone messages of a murder victim and in some cases paid off police officers for private information gathered by them in the course of their duty. His two top executives quit and are facing criminal charges, another committed suicide, and half the Tory politicians in England are running for cover. It has put the kibosh on Murdoch’s buying of the state-licensed cable company in England, a multi-billion dollar deal that would have been the crown jewel of his media empire, and it’s probably just a matter of time until it spreads to the U.S. Investigators are now checking to see if his minions at the New York Post or even the Wall Street Journal for that matter, hacked into the phone messages of victims of 911. As scandals go this is one only the English tabloid press could have dialed up. Terror in Death Hole I worked for Mr. Murdoch for almost six years and met him on several occasions and the idea, as he told Parliament, that he knew nothing about the phone hacking produced a belly laugh. Say what you will about his journalism, as a manager he digs his fingers into every detail of his holdings. If he didn’t know exactly what was going on it’s because like the Enron guys he went out of his way not to. Murdoch the citizen has a known fetish for gossip and if he’s paying private detectives to gather it then he’s going to know about it. I first became aware of the Murdochian style in college in San Marcos while writing simultaneously as a stringer for the Austin American-Statesman and the San Antonio Evening News which was owned by Murdoch. It was the first newspaper he bought in America and it was an old school tabloid style paper. The first story I covered for the two papers was about four scuba divers who drown while cave diving in Jacob’s Well near Wimberley. I filed the same story for both papers and ran to the news stand the next day to see my handiwork. It was the lead story in both papers. The Statesman story ran under a headline that said, “Four Divers Dead Near Wimberley.” On the front page of Mr. Murdoch’s News in sixty point type was “Terror in Death Hole! Four Dead Trapped in Watery Grave!” The headline took up most of the front page above the fold. For a young reporter that paper was where the action was. So when I graduated I went to work for the News as the overnight police reporter chasing crime scenes from 11 p.m. until sunup. This was a time when San Antonio had hundreds of murders per year and 1300 drive-by shootings. A guy was actually making a living selling Kevlar siding to bulletproof houses. There was a lot of grist for the Murdoch mill. There were three daily papers in town at that time and the other two were staid morning papers of record thrown on stoops in leafy neighborhoods. The News was an afternoon paper that relied solely on rack sales. We worked out our adjectives. We ran giant rack cards with headlines like: Aliens Fight Over Urine in Desert Battle, Wild Pig Man Terrorizes Southside, Headless Body in Topless Bar, and when one-eyed drifter Henry Lee Lucas who confessed to everything but the Lindbergh kidnapping said he had a crush on convicted killer nurse Genene Jones we let fly with the jewel Mass Killer Confesses Killer Nurse Love.
Roundup Tuesday. Every Tuesday morning at 7 a.m. Central Standard Time, the publisher of every Murdoch paper on the planet had to be in his/her office waiting by the phone. Murdoch would call each of them personally and get an update on the paper’s finances and the best stories of the week. Murdoch was a businessman but first and foremost he was a newspaper man who started with one paper in Adelaide, Australia and built an empire that put William Randolph Hearst in the shade.
Graveyard Shift Since England is so old and small they started running out of places to bury people. So they started digging up some coffins and would take their bones to a house and re-use the grave. They started opening these coffins and found some had scratch marks on the inside. One out of 25 coffins were that way and they realized they had still been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a string on their wrist and lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night to listen for the bell. That is how the saying “graveyard shift” was made. If the bell would ring they would know that someone was “saved by the bell” or he was a “dead ringer”.
Once a year he would come to San Antonio for the Christmas party. He would show up unannounced in the newsroom in mid-afternoon dressed in slacks and white shirt with no tie. In the front pocket he would have a blue line pencil used to mark pages in the composing room and an Exacto knife used to cut copy to paste down on the page. He would make his way downstairs to the composing room where in his mumbling, barely coherent voice, he would hold court showing the copy editors the latest in page design. This was not a guy who didn’t know what was going on in his newsrooms. This was a guy who could lay out a newspaper better than anyone on his staff and who could fill it with the type of copy that would move it out of the racks. Stole it for a cool billion Later, I worked at a CBS affiliate when Murdoch took NFL football away from the CBS network by paying $1 billion for the rights and moved it to his new Fox network. Everyone in the industry said he was crazy and would lose his shirt. By the end of the second season the same people were saying he must have bribed someone to get the rights for only $1 billion. As usual he was ahead of the pack. When he was denied the cable television monopoly by the English government he built a satellite network and simply went around them, eventually running the government-backed monopoly into bankruptcy. Now, thirty years later, he is accused of running the British government from behind the scenes. While most Western democracies practiced middle of the road social democracy models he staked out a conservative road that he made stick. He created a new political landscape from the United States to England, and Australia and even to some extent China where he beamed in a satellite television network literally over the head of the communist Chinese government who didn’t want him there. It would be hard to find a person who has shaped the modern world to the extent Murdoch has and watching his appearance before the Parliament committee it was clear that what is driving this scandal is not an investigation by the government. The MPs were clearly behind the Scandal Curve. What is driving this scandal is not government oversight but sheer Journalistic Aggression. An Aggression that Fleet Street and the entire English press learned from Murdoch. The saying in Murdoch newsrooms is “Sometimes the job of the press is to come down out of the hills after the battle and shoot the wounded.” But now the roles are reversed. The press is doing the digging and the government is finishing off the wounded.
Scoopy’s Veranda Sun - Sat 11am - 10pm Carry-out Available! Snoopy’s (361) 949-8815 Scoopy’s (361) 949-7810 13313 S. Padre Island Drive Corpus Christi, TX 78418
A scandal indeed, and like all good scandals it is eating its young. The man who taught them how to do it.
We had a Page Three Girl. We once ran a four part series on why women at the Bexar County Courthouse had bigger breasts than those at City Hall with lots of pictures. We had two reporters who lived in the breakroom and took turns sleeping on the couch. We had a Medical Reporter named Marjori Clapp who wrote a detailed description of where to hit your husband on the head to do the most damage if you caught him cheating. We lived for the image of saints and saviors on tortillas, tree climbing dogs, and people who fell from high places and lived to tell the tale. In the days before the state lottery we had Lotto where we gave away $35 each day and people lined up around the block to get a free ticket. We sold papers. How many legs did that dog have? While the other reporters would get the basic facts I would stick around until the cops left a crime scene and approach neighbors and relatives of victims. “Excuse me ma’am, I’m sorry to bother you at a time like this but I would like to let people get to know something about your poor brother. Did he play sports in high school, football maybe? What position did he play. Did he have a nickname like Tank, or Bulldozer, or Stinky? Was he ever injured? Was he a veteran, did he fight in any wars? Did he get any medals or suffer any wounds? Did he have a dog? What kind of dog was that? And what was that dog’s name? How many legs did that dog have? Is the dog around, could I get a picture of that dog, or maybe your brother with the dog? I was a shy 22 year-old and I was amazed at what people would tell me and Mr. Murdoch’s editors ate it up. Now thirty years later there is an entire cable television industry making a living off exactly the same thing and Murdoch invented that kind of journalism in the last half of the last century. I’m not saying it is good, or even honorable but through the News and later the Chicago SunTimes and the New York Post Murdoch made it popular because it sold. Terror on Tuesday His success in tabloid papers led him into ownership of great papers like the Wall Street Journal - along with Dow Jones - and the Times of London where the Sunday staff was the best in the world at long, detailed pieces unrivaled anywhere to this day. Murdoch produced what sold without regard to genre, style, or what anybody thought. Each week was what was known among the staff as
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Island Moon
A 12
July 29, 2011
Texas Unemployment Increasing Texas Rate Is One Full Point Below National Average Texas total nonfarm employment increased by 32,000 jobs in June, representing the addition of 220,000 jobs since June 2010. Texas has experienced positive annual job growth in the past 14 months, resulting in annual growth rates above 2.0 percent in six of the past seven months. Texas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.2 percent in June, up from 8.0 percent in May, and remains a full percentage point below the nationwide unemployment rate of 9.2 percent.
Dana Pope runs into some old friends she hadn’t seen in 20 years at the Back Porch
Texas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.2 percent in June, up from 8.0 percent in May, and remains a full percentage point below the nationwide unemployment rate of 9.2 percent.
“Overall, our Goods-Producing industries combined to add 11,200 jobs in June,” said Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Chairman Tom Pauken. “As businesses continue to shift resources into Texas, new opportunities arise for job seekers already here, and for those who come here looking for opportunity.” Among the Goods-Producing industries, Texas added 8,400 Manufacturing jobs in June, for a total of 19,300 since June 2010; Mining and Logging added 3,200 jobs and had the highest industry growth rate for June at 17.2 percent.
“Since January, we’ve added 117,600 jobs in Texas,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Ronny Congleton. “While no state is immune from tough economic times, we’re still putting many Texans back to work.”
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Leisure and Hospitality employers added 10,600 jobs to their payrolls in June, for a total increase of 32,300 positions over the year. Professional and Business Services grew by 700 jobs in June and maintained a strong growth rate of 3.9 percent.
The Financial Activities industry, which includes commercial banks and credit unions, added 700 jobs in June, marking four straight months of employment increases in the industry. The Trade, Transportation, and Utilities industry has expanded in nine of the past 12 months, including the addition of 900 jobs in June.
“The Texas labor force, which now stands at nearly 12.3 million individuals, is evidence of Texas’ growth,” said TWC Commissioner Representing the Public Andres Alcantar. “Our local Workforce Solutions Offices are on the frontlines, committed to helping people find good jobs in Texas.”
The Midland Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had the lowest June unemployment rate in the state at 5.2 percent. The Amarillo MSA came in second in June at 6.4 percent, and the Odessa MSA third at 6.9 percent (not seasonally adjusted).
Audio downloads from TWC Chairman Tom Pauken on the latest labor market data are available at the following link:http://www.twc.state.tx.us/news/press/2011/praudio11.html.
July 29, 2011
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Island Police Blotter
Police have made an arrest in the break in at more than a dozen storage lockers on The Island which occurred on July 7. The thieves looted fourteen lockers over the course of two days by replacing the locks on units they broke into on the first day so they could come back the next day and finished their work.
Pee Wee’s Puppies of the Fortnight
On July 19 members of the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Fugitive Task Force arrested 30 year-old John Wesley Lewis on several counts, one of which was the burglary at the storage facility.
These are Pee Wee’s puppies of The Fortnight. They are in need of good loving homes. Please go by Pee Wee’s at 1307 Saratoga and see if they would be a good fit for your family. Pee Wee’s is a no kill shelter that could always use your help in the form of an adoption or simply a donation.
Beach Marker 252 July 24 5 p.m. Burglary of a vehicle 15800 block SPID 3 p.m. July 16 Theft under $1500 16100 block Cuttysark 7:43 p.m. Burglary of habitation 15600 block Three Fathoms Bank July 21 10 p.m. Assault by contact 15300 block Tortuga Court July 16 1 p.m. Assault by contact 15300 block Yardarm 9 p.m. July 17 Theft from a building 13900 block Windjammer 1 a.m. July 25 Unauthorized use of motor vehicle 15300 SPID 10:25 p.m. July 25 Assault by contact 15300 block Leeward 4 p.m. July 14 Theft from vehicle 15100 block Leeward 4:17 p.m. July 22 Theft from vehicle 15000 block Leeward 2:09 a.m. July 12 Theft from vehicle 14500 block SPID 3 a.m. July 18 Agg. Assault with a Deadly Weapon 13700 block A La Entrada Calle 11 a.m. July 18 Terroristic threat 14000 block SPID 6:14 a.m. July 20 Burglary of a vehicle Beach Marker 203 4:10 p.m. July 15 Indecent exposure 15400 block Gun Cay 3:26 p.m. July 13 Credit Card abuse
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Island Moon
A 14
The Traveling Moon Gets Around Brought to you by
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July 29, 2011
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The Moon Travels
Moon Monkey Ronnie Narmour took The Moon with him on a recent trip to Atlanta. Above: Ronnie Narmour stands in front of the entrance to Underground Atlanta Left: Country Music Legend Augie Meyers poses with The Moon after a show. Below: Carol Elliott stands in front of Kenny Rogers’ house in Atlanta
Terry and Tina Mann, who have lived on the Part-time Padre Islanders Kathleen and Tom Cullinan Island for 10 years took the moon on a visit to took the Island Moon on the water at Lake Viking in Arundel Castle in England. northeastern Missouri.
Sunset on Mustang Island - Photo by Miles Merwin
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Island Moon
July 29, 2011
A 15
If You Took It, Please Bring it Back
Island Realtor Steve Sampson steals a kiss from Marilyn Monroe at the Dining with the Ritz and Famous event at the Ortiz Center
This beautiful 17-foot Rangley redwood boat was taken around 8 a.m. Saturday morning from the deck of a house on Cabana Street. Neighbors reported seeing two teenage boys in the area shortly before it disappeared walking toward the house with paddles in their hands. The two then got into the boat and took off. The boat has not been seen since. It has significant sentimantal value to the owners and they are asking for its return, no questions asked. If you see it please call Randy at 793-0163, or just call us at the Moon and we’ll come get it.
The Trula B on a sunset canal cruise charter
Now has a full bar
Happy Hour Tuesday - Friday 4-6 Featuring a new appetizer menu
Lunch 11:30-2p.m Tuesday through Friday. Closed for Lunch ONLY on Saturday. Dinner 5:00-9:30p.m Tuesday through Thursday 5:00-10.p.m. Friday and Saturday. Remember to call for private parties or catering, we would love to accommodate you!
The old roadbed left over from the JFK Causeway built in the 1960s continues to cause problems for wildlife in the Laguna Madre. As you can see from these photos at low tide the roadway acts as a dam for dead, floating seagrass as Mother Nature tries to purge the Laguna by pushing the grass out into the Bay. Before the roadway was built the King Ranch channel ran along the shoreline and was between eight and ten feet deep. Now the water is less than three feet in most of the area and the floating grass stiffles sealife.
When the new causeway was built a few years ago the first 1300 feet out from the Flour Bluff shoreline was raised to allow for the passage of water but the old roadbed was left behind. Local resident Sid Walsh has been working to get it removed and has made some progress, TxDot has signed off on the project and what is needed now is a cost estimate so the funds can be raised.
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A 16
Island Moon
July 29, 2011