Tag Archives: New Orleans

Happy Birthday Barbara Jean Austin!

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I can’t resist. Today is the birthday of one of my favorite people. Some of you in the DFW Metroplex media market know her as Barbara Austin. Some of you in the New Orleans media market know her as BJ Austin. Some of you just know her as the eternally optimistic child-like small person with the red hair and maniacal laugh who asks very tough interview questions of her prey. Whoever that happens to be at the time.

BJ, who is currently working at KERA, after a long association with KRLD in Dallas, and I have known each other for 30 years. Ugh. That’s almost embarrassing to admit.

She is not only one of the most delightful people on the planet, she is one hell of a good reporter.

And she is a fantastic waitress on roller skates. Which is no doubt a side result of having been a professional dancer for many years in New York.

Another lifetime. New Orleans. My second entrepreneurial adventure. Restaurant in the Quarter. BJ was working at WGSO, the all-news station in New Orleans, reporting on the antics of the Mayor Morial administration while serving up food and drink at night to hungry tourists. And yes, one night she wore roller skates.

Then there was the night she and another employee of mine, Larry Hart, put on a performance of “The Gin Game” for our regular customers.

You get the picture. She’s one of my most creative and intelligent friends. And she is one of the best reporters anywhere. Not only that, but somehow in the midst of all this — she and husband Jack raised a most creative and intelligent son, who I was honored to hear play at the Meyerson a few years back with his award-winning high school band.

Happy Birthday Ms. Austin. The world would be a much better place if more adults were like you.

Take a Hike Ike

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Houston, we have a problem.

Here is the latest satellite image of Mr. Ike. A couple of observations. One, while he is not that high in the “category level,” (he will probably come ashore as a Cat 2 storm), he is a huge storm in terms of physical size. This does make a difference. This will mean higher waves and more flooding as the storm throws much more water to the northwest and north. Many parts of Louisiana have already experienced higher water levels and more flooding than from Hurricane Gustav.

Second, for those people who decided not to evacuate Galveston — I have one thing to say. I hope you wrote your social security number on your arm in indelible marker.

(Just one of the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina.)

As for why Ike did not get as strong as many had predicted — my guess is water temperatures. When Katrina rolled across the Gulf of Mexico, temperatures in the Gulf were as high as the low 90s. Ike, on the other hand has had an average of only 82 degree temps to feast upon. Lower temperatures means less fuel for the machine.

But, like I say, while he may not be as intense as some storms, he makes up for it in sheer size.

Those of you in the Dallas Ft. Worth Metroplex may have a rough day tomorrow as well — depending upon how sharply Ike turns to the Northeast after hitting the coast. The good thing is that the Dallas area, for now, would be on the weaker side of the storm.

But — we’ll all know more tomorrow.

In the meantime — I’m back at the PlaneBusiness Worldwide Headquarters today, after a three-week stay in the Lone Star State. We’ve had intermittent heavy bands of rain and wind come rolling through all day as we continue to experience the “outer bands” of the storm on the Northeast side.

For all you folks who call the Houston area home, we’re thinking about you. May a pine tree not slice your house in two or crush your car, and may water not come within 6 inches of your back door. Much less inside the door.

jus sayin’.