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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Jazz Snaps
We thoroughly enjoyed “Jazz Jumps Back onto the Cowtown Scene” by Caroline Collier (Feb. 27, 2008). Having recently had the pleasure of performing at the Scat Jazz Lounge — a beautifully and thoughtfully designed venue — it was a joy to come across this overview of the region’s rich jazz history in the Weekly.
Saxophonist Gary Bartz once said that great jazz musicians can be found in every city, and Collier gave us a beautifully framed snapshot of the vibrant personalities who make up the Fort Worth scene. Bravo!
Bett Butler
San Antonio
Proving His Age
Just read with a smile the blurb (“Take That, Dallas,” Feb. 27, 2008) about the protested dismissal of Jeff Prince’s Dallas traffic ticket. It reminded me of something that happened to me twice in one day — on Feb. 11, 1958.
Last month I celebrated the golden anniversary of my coming of legal drinking age. Back then, the first thing I did was go to what was then the Lone Star Drive Inn on West 7th Street and order my first legal beer; I asked if they wanted to see my identification, and they said no. But I refused to be served until the waitress relented and looked at my documentation. Next I went to a liquor store for a bottle of Canadian Club whiskey. Same scenario: I refused the bottle until I was permitted to prove my age. To add to the humor, I had been buying whiskey at this store for some time.
I also enjoyed Jeff’s Jan. 16 cover story. “Magical Misery Tour” brought back memories. I spent most of 1957 and ’58 at the Penguin listening to Ray Sharpe and then moved out to the Skyliner where my friend Delbert McClinton was playing.
Delbert got me my first real job, working the door. Soon I was managing that club, then The Stork Club on Camp Bowie Boulevard, and I went on from there to manage several other clubs. I managed the Rondels and several small bands and in the early ’70s owned part of two different clubs.
Now the only time I go out is to a benefit or occasionally to see Delbert — although he starts too late at night for a 70-something-year-old guy like me.
Bob Watkins
Haltom City
They Need Your Help
Regarding the economic stimulus payments discussed in your recent guest column (“Monopoly Money,” March 5, 2008): The IRS needs your help.
Starting in May, the stimulus payments of up to $600 for individuals and $1,200 for married couples will be issued based on 2007 tax returns. Parents also get $300 for each eligible child.
To be eligible, people must file a 2007 tax return. That’s it. But here’s where the IRS needs help: Millions of people are eligible but may not know it. These include certain retirees, disabled vets, and low-wage workers who normally don’t file a tax return. This year, they must file to receive the payments.
People can help not just the IRS but perhaps themselves, friends, or family. Help us spread the word. People who have at least $3,000 from wages or certain benefits from Social Security, Railroad Retirement, and Veterans Affairs may be eligible.
They need to file a return. We’ll do the rest. Please visit www.irs.gov for details.
Clay Sanford
Internal Revenue Service
North Texas Region
Where The World’s Going
It is unwise (Spanish Stand-Off,” Feb. 27, 2008) to contrast the eagerness of the Chinese people to learn English with the unwillingness of some Texans to study. Since there is no eagerness in Europe (and perhaps in China) to learn Spanish, why should a mother in the Grapevine-Colleyville school district be expected to see any benefit from her daughter to be subjected to Spanish (even it is only twice a week)?
This mother has perhaps no interest in seeing a Spanish “takeover” in this country during her lifetime and therefore prefers for her daughter to immerse herself in what European school systems have done for centuries.
The suggestion that taking a child out of Spanish class would make more Mexican immigrants learn English is rather ridiculous.
There is good evidence that earlier legal immigrants knew that they had to learn English to succeed, but for today’s immigrants this does not appear to be the case.
I like to believe that a requirement for two days a week of Mandarin/Chinese would not get those parents upset at all since they probably know where the world is going.
Reinhold Hinz
Weatherford
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