Back in 2009, SMU runner Monika Korra had a bold message for the world: She’d been kidnapped and brutally raped, but the experience wasn’t going to define her.

This spring, ESPN plans to run a TV feature about the Norway native’s story, which was reported last April in The Dallas Morning News. (This DMN post links to a trailer and the original writeup.) And rest assured, Korra’s still running her heart out.

Just … wow.

A tired trope, but one that was bound to land here anyway.

I did a pretty cursory search for “Sh*t Park Cities Residents Say,” but didn’t find any hits. Isn’t there some engineering HPHS junior with an iPhone that’s willing to make this happen? A few quick suggestions:

- “Ugh, the parking’s always so bad at Snider Plaza.”
- “I saw Troy Aikman on the Katy Trail.”
- “Why is there ALWAYS so much construction on Preston Road?”

This is a test to determine whether Highland Park High School students read this blog. I will be serving burgers and fries today in the high school cafeteria. In my pocket will be three $25 gift certificates to Sonny Bryan’s. I will give away one of these gift certificates in each lunch period. The winners will be the first students in each period who greet me with the phrase that pays: “Bradford Pearson.”

I am not a technophile. My iPod is from my senior year of college (2006), my laptop is from the summer of that year. I appreciate technology, but usually wait until the kinks (read: cost) are worked out.

That said, I was impressed by the display at University Park City Hall on Tuesday night. Five councilmen, plus the city secretary and manager, flicking through city documents, agreements, and contracts on new “UP” emblazoned iPads.

The journalist in me immediately screamed “Fiscal irresponsibility!”, but city spokesman Steve Mace set me straight.

“As with other cities far and wide, we are trying to go paperless where possible,” he said in an email. “The move also saves on printer costs and repairs, staff time, duplication of effort, etc.  All good things.”

Still, if you see Mayor Davis or any other officials fiddling with an iPad at Starbucks on a Saturday, maybe look over their shoulder to make sure it’s city work. Angry Birds can be a devil.

This may have been on my mind because of the Craig James meme, or it may have been due to a recent Ticket segment in which the hosts typed their names into a Google window to see which terms the search engine automatically filled in. Either way, I wondered what would automatically get filled in if I typed “Park Cities.” The top 10 options are after the jump. How many can you guess before you see the list?

Read More…

Ironically one of my favorite assignments came at the end of the year. It wasn’t even actually assigned. My editor called me late that morning to see if I could rush over Methodist Medical Center in Oak Cliff to an Oak Cliff Lions Club meeting. I said ok? Then I learned the Lions Club was getting a visit from two men in drag. This, I thought, I had to see. Luckily I was able to spend more time than usual at this event. In fact I was there for the whole thing. I even snapped a few shots of Charlie Tupper, aka Charlene Cravezit, and Durhl Caussey, aka Durlene Cravezit getting ready to strut their stuff. But this post is about more than that. Instead of trying to put my thoughts into words I thought Chicago Tribune photographer Alex Garcia said it best in a recent blog post on Assignment Chicago.

“In photojournalism, quality time is always the challenge. Most photographers and subjects would love more time with each other, but the essential constraints of daily news makes that impractical. I have a colleague in the industry, for example, who can receive anywhere from 6 to 12 assignments a day in part because his news operation is barely keeping itself afloat. But when we do spend more time with a subject, we feel less that we are taking pictures and more as if we are making them with the help of our subjects.”

Charlie Tupper, aka Chralene Cravezit, struts her stuff in front of the Oak Cliff Lions Club. Read More…

Apparently, there are still people out there who haven’t figured out that the Internet is not a place for your private thoughts, no matter how obscure the site. One of those people is Dallas Morning News photographer G.J. McCarthy, who posted a gallery of his worst published photos of 2011 at a site called SportShooter.com. One of those pictures is of a group of Highland Park football players, of whom McCarthy writes, “I hope they don’t get the paper. They look ridiculous.”

The staff of Park Cities People is back at work this morning, even though you may not be, given the plethora of college football games that can be enjoyed from your couch today. What did we miss while we were away?

As you may have deduced from the lack of posts this week, the staff of Park Cities People is on vacation. We’re not publishing a Dec. 30 edition. Our next paper will be published Jan. 6.

Here’s a little Christmas present to all of the businesses looking to make an impression on our lovely readers in 2012. For the next 24 hours, we’re discounting our advertising rates for the Jan. 6 edition by 50 percent. To take advantage of this offer, you must call me at 214-523-5242 by noon on Friday. Don’t miss out on this chance to take advantage of our holiday spirit!