December 1986 Issue

Advice From the Experts

We gave a bunch of smart Texans $50,000. (Okay, we didn’t really, we just said we did.) The money comes with these strings attached: it has to be invested in Texas now, and the investments have to pay off by 1996.

Against the Grain

One school of thought holds that when the economy is in a nosedive, that’s the time to go into business. At least that’s what a farmer, an oilman, a developer, and a banker believe.

Lessons From the Golden Apple

Empty office buildings . . . bankrupt developers . . . budget deficits. It’s Manhattan, 1975. Things sure have changed, and by learning from some Yankee real estate barons, maybe we can find a way out of our troubles.

Famous Fixers

They have done it all: saved New York City and Massachusetts, written economic classics, created new companies, and turned old ones around. Now, at our request, they’re fixing Texas.

Making It in the Bust

At a time when Texas seems to have lost its gift for creating fortunes, there has emerged a group of entrepreneurs who are making money by catering to the needs of people who are going broke.

The Wright House

For the first time since Sam Rayburn’s day, the Speaker of the House will be a Texan. And if Jim Wright of Fort Worth is to be successful, he’ll have to remember what Rayburn taught him.

The Last Resort

Texans are always looking for a new frontier, a place where business people can do business without worrying about a lot of bureaucrats. Want to make it in Texas today? Come to Belize.

Touch Me, Feel Me, Heal Me!

I was curious when I found that three of my friends had delved into the mysteries of psychic surgery. After three “bloody operations” of my own, I knew what it was all about. About $30 a minute.

And a Piñata in a Pear Tree

In eight square blocks of Nuevo Laredo you can sample a cactus taco, hone your bargaining skills, and buy the best Christmas gifts on the border.

No Dancin’ In Anson

It doesn’t matter whether you want to two-step or tango. In this church-run town, one commandment rules supreme: Thou Shalt Not Boogie.

Short and Sweet

Festive Mexican pastries give a new perspective on snacking. Here’s where to find them.

Wide-open Blues

From James Clay to John Park, Texas tenor sax masters prove their mettle on new LPs.

Scratch Shot

The Color of Money veers off into technique; Police goes flaccid; Menage succumbs to mystification; Round Midnight reduces jazz to a dirge; Something Wild has a lurid kick.

Texas Monthly Reporter

Screaming headlines and shameless photos make Laredo’s El Arma! the largest-selling Spanish weekly in the U.S.; Norbert Lyssy has mile to go before he sleeps (soundly); within our midst lies an alien and insurgent clan, the New England of Texas.

Southern Biscuit Muffins

Recipe from Castle Hill Cafe, Austin10 cups flour 1 cup sugar 6 tablespoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/4 pound margarine cubed 4 cups cold milkThese are bite-size muffins; use a small-muffin pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix

On the Menu: Castle Hill Cafe

ONE OF THE FEW COMPLAINTS we have ever heard about Castle Hill Cafe is that it is too loud—which is true. But the acoustics in this former grocery store built in 1896 are only partly at fault. Blame instead the multitude of loyal customers who flock to this low-key and

How Sheik Yamani’s departure will affect the price of oil; what the new immigration law will do to Texas; analyzing the election returns.

Keeping up with the Perots; pomp-adoring Charlie Sexton; sewing up the ses-quilt-centennial.