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If there isn’t just a little populist anger over the bailouts, why are banks that accepted TARP dough running scared from public opinion? Recently, a local charitable organization held its annual big deal and, in the program, broke with tradition by listing a major sponsor simply as “anonymous.” The unnamed sponsor, turns out, was one of those TARP-accepting mega-banks, apparently afraid of appearing too loose with its jing.

If you couldn’t change everything, but you could change one thing, what would it be?

(I’ve got my eye on you Goethe Rous; watch your mouth.)

Kambula, 32, one of the three Western lowland gorillas at the Fort Worth Zoo, was euthanized yesterday after battling abdominal abscesses and heart problems.

Cue it, and pour one out.

This rant by CNBC’s Rick Santelli against big-government spending got things started. Then the outfit called Top Conservatives on Twitter took up the call and, within days, “Tea Parties” were organized in a number of cities protesting federal bailout schemes–including today in Dallas. Here are some of an estimated 250 who gathered at Victory Plaza to dunk the “stimulus bill” in a tank of tea, page by page. Said an organizer: “We’re just people who don’t want our kids and grandchildren shackled with thousands of dollars of debt each.” Oh, hell, folks, why not? It’s only money!

While the poor economy was on everybody’s minds at yesterday’s media bash for the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee in Fort Worth, early signs for the February 2011 game are encouraging. Committee President and CEO Bill Lively says no fewer than nine outfits have ponied up for $1 million “founding” sponsorships so far, including Fluor, Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Hillwood Development. Even so, committee chairman Roger Staubach couldn’t ignore the downturn’s pinch, recalling how he’d recently written a “big check” for his swanky digs at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington. “It was painful,” he joked onstage at the Fort Worth Club. Sitting nearby, ‘Boys owner Jerry Jones said that he would frame the check. “Does that mean,” Roger shot back, “that you won’t cash it?!”

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1. Governor Rick Perry’s peeps have been fishing around Dallas City Hall for negative information on Kay Bailey Hutchison’s husband, Ray, a local bond attorney. Most damaging thing found so far: he’s an attorney.

2. Jacquielynn Floyd reverses her position and is now in favor of banning the sale and breeding of pit bulls. That’s intense, huh? I mean, when’s the last time you heard of a woman not in favor of a sale on anything?

3. A Spanish company, Cintra, has won the right to reconstruct LBJ Freeway … or, as it’s known around their office, El LBJ Freeway. Hi-yo!

Yow. Zah. I am editing some of the vile and vulgar remarks made on SideDish in response to post about chef Casey Thompson’s contoversial reaction to Wednesday night’s Top Chef show. As I was working, I received some disturbing news about the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. Doesn’t anyone sleep anymore?

Apologies to all who’ve been frustrated with our downed site. Our server couldn’t handle all the traffic from across the country generated by Sarah’s post on SideDish about Casey Thompson.

Don’t expect Fox4 to replace Megan Henderson (pictured) as star co-host of the Good Day morning show right away. Station honchos say they’re content to let a series of co-anchor types, including Dan Godwin, sit in beside program stalwart Tim Ryan after tomorrow, Henderson’s last day before departing for L.A.’s KTLA-TV. That will give KDFW time to cast a wide net for someone “with her own unique style”–not a Megan clone.

Last week, in his conference call with analysts, Robert Decherd announced that plans to sell Belo’s real estate were “on hold.”  Now we know why.

Of course, if it doesn’t, you’ll probably forget you read it here anyway. Anyway, executives at a disparate combination of industries that I’ve been watching lately (Colliers International, Fluor and RadioShack) have all expressed varying degrees of optimism that things might turn around by year’s end, or have turned around, as far as they’re concerned. Jump for more.