Today, I gathered a random sampling of items from around my home to check out where they were manufactured. This is what I learned.
CD Case: Made in Philippines
Cocktail Dress: Made in China
Laptop Computer: Made in Japan
Pen: Made in Japan
Steam Iron: Made in Germany
None of these products was manufactured in the United States. Hold your horses; this is not another post about the loss of the U.S. manufacturing base. However, it is a post about a new documentary showcasing something just as important: the lives of long-haul truck drivers. That’s right. I’m encouraging you to check out a new documentary about truck drivers, one of the most under-appreciated professions around. Think about it. I have never visited China or Japan (although I would certainly like to). I did not have to save thousands of dollars to pay for an “around the world in 30 days” trip to gather all these items. Instead, I drove approximately 5 miles up the highway to my local discount retailer and shopping mall where I spent a mere $6 to buy a ball point pen produced thousands of miles away.
Long-haul truck drivers, these unsung heroes, did all the heavy lifting for me (and for you). Their efforts are detailed in a new documentary, Drive and Deliver, filmed by Academy Award-nominated director, Brett Morgen. Get a behind the scenes look at the men and women who spend hours at a time on the open road so that you don’t have to. Drive and Deliver premiers Friday, August 22nd at the Angelika Film Center (5321 East Mockingbird Lane, Ste. 230) at 6pm. The premier coincides with the Great American Trucking Show taking place in Dallas, TX at the Convention Center.
Update: I just got some bad news. The premier is a private screening for participants of the Great American Trucking Show only. But never fear, eventually the documentary will be released on DVD for us all to enjoy and to help us appreciate our friends driving the huge trucks that we can’t see around and never take off quite as fast as we would like. For more information visit: http://standalone.internationaltrucks.com/default.aspx .
Are you into documentaries? Leave your recommendations in the comments section.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Mmm Mmm Good
Christian Louboutin Shoes: $790
Gucci Dress: $1595
Gucci Clutch: $685
Dinner and drinks at the hottest, hippest newest restaurant in town: $200
Living Like a Celebrity:
A heck of a lot more than I can afford when gas is $4.20/gallon, milk is $4/gallon, and I live in a constant state of fear that I am going to be downsized on the job.
What’s a hot, hip, fashionable chic (of any age) to do? Maybe the Christian Louboutin shoes become Steve Madden. Maybe the Gucci dress and clutch become BeBe and Nine West respectively; BUT thanks to KRLD Restaurant Week, women (and men for that matter) can still dine at the hottest, hippest restaurants in Dallas like Nobu, N9NE Steakhouse, NOVE Italiano, and Cru for just $35/person from August 11-17, 2008.
$35 gets you a 3-course meal at participating restaurants (sorry, drinks not included so get liquored up before you leave home); and because every hot, hip, and fashionable chic needs a charitable cause du jour, you’ll be happy to know that proceeds from KRLD’s Restaurant Week benefit North Texas Food Bank in Dallas and the Lena Pope Home in Ft. Worth.
Reservations are an absolute must and they are going fast so don’t delay.
Visit http://www.krld.com/pages/2566177.php for a complete list of restaurants and to make your reservations.
Bon Appetit!
Have a favorite restaurant? Let me know about it in the comments section.
Gucci Dress: $1595
Gucci Clutch: $685
Dinner and drinks at the hottest, hippest newest restaurant in town: $200
Living Like a Celebrity:
A heck of a lot more than I can afford when gas is $4.20/gallon, milk is $4/gallon, and I live in a constant state of fear that I am going to be downsized on the job.
What’s a hot, hip, fashionable chic (of any age) to do? Maybe the Christian Louboutin shoes become Steve Madden. Maybe the Gucci dress and clutch become BeBe and Nine West respectively; BUT thanks to KRLD Restaurant Week, women (and men for that matter) can still dine at the hottest, hippest restaurants in Dallas like Nobu, N9NE Steakhouse, NOVE Italiano, and Cru for just $35/person from August 11-17, 2008.
$35 gets you a 3-course meal at participating restaurants (sorry, drinks not included so get liquored up before you leave home); and because every hot, hip, and fashionable chic needs a charitable cause du jour, you’ll be happy to know that proceeds from KRLD’s Restaurant Week benefit North Texas Food Bank in Dallas and the Lena Pope Home in Ft. Worth.
Reservations are an absolute must and they are going fast so don’t delay.
Visit http://www.krld.com/pages/2566177.php for a complete list of restaurants and to make your reservations.
Bon Appetit!
Have a favorite restaurant? Let me know about it in the comments section.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Have you heard about the Texas Conference for Women?
http://www.txconferenceforwomen.org/
Sponsored by Governor Rick Perry and his wife, the Texas Conference for Women is a full day of motivation and empowerment for women of all ages. The Conference is a wonderful opportunity for three reasons:
1) Registration fee is only $100 ($50 if you're a student, and there are discounts for group tickets and early registration).
2) Its Houston location is easily accessible for women all across the great state of Texas.
3) A phenomenal lineup of speakers and panelists that includes:
Cherie Blair: mother, human rights lawyer, and wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair
Sarah Jones: Tony Award Winning playwright
Meg Whitman: former president and CEO of eBay from 1998 - 2008
Join me in Houston to meet new friends and create new opportunities!
I hope to see you there.
Have you attended the Texas Conference for Women in previous years? Leave a comment telling me how you liked it.
Sponsored by Governor Rick Perry and his wife, the Texas Conference for Women is a full day of motivation and empowerment for women of all ages. The Conference is a wonderful opportunity for three reasons:
1) Registration fee is only $100 ($50 if you're a student, and there are discounts for group tickets and early registration).
2) Its Houston location is easily accessible for women all across the great state of Texas.
3) A phenomenal lineup of speakers and panelists that includes:
Cherie Blair: mother, human rights lawyer, and wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair
Sarah Jones: Tony Award Winning playwright
Meg Whitman: former president and CEO of eBay from 1998 - 2008
Join me in Houston to meet new friends and create new opportunities!
I hope to see you there.
Have you attended the Texas Conference for Women in previous years? Leave a comment telling me how you liked it.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Looking For a Good Time? Maybe You Should Go Back To School.
Local colleges and universities don’t exist solely to advance their students. Colleges and universities offer a number of (low-cost) intellectual, artistic, and scientific pursuits for the general public as well. Dallas-Ft. Worth is fortunate in that it has a number of robust colleges and universities at its disposal: University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), Southern Methodist University (SMU), Dallas County Community College District, and Texas Christian University (TCU) to name a few.
Here is a quick glance at some of the goings on this week alone:
SMU – February 5, Tate Lecture Series presents actor and humanitarian, Martin Sheen, star of the TV series “The West Wing”
UTD – Every Tuesday in February, The Brain: An Owner’s Guide – 2008 Lecture Series
DCCCD – Eastfield Campus – February 7, Gallery 210 Exhibit 'Beau Comeaux: Recent Images' Reception and Gallery talk
TCU – February 7, TCU Symphony Orchestra Concert
UTA – February 9, Maverick Speaker Series presents a lecture and Q&A session with actor/director, Spike Lee
For more information about these specific events or to learn about other events on your local campus, see the websites below. Look for the section on each page devoted to “Upcoming Events.”
http://www.smu.edu/
http://www.utd.edu/
http://www.dcccd.edu/About+DCCCD/News+and+Events/Events/
http://www.uta.edu/
http://www.tcu.edu/
Here is a quick glance at some of the goings on this week alone:
SMU – February 5, Tate Lecture Series presents actor and humanitarian, Martin Sheen, star of the TV series “The West Wing”
UTD – Every Tuesday in February, The Brain: An Owner’s Guide – 2008 Lecture Series
DCCCD – Eastfield Campus – February 7, Gallery 210 Exhibit 'Beau Comeaux: Recent Images' Reception and Gallery talk
TCU – February 7, TCU Symphony Orchestra Concert
UTA – February 9, Maverick Speaker Series presents a lecture and Q&A session with actor/director, Spike Lee
For more information about these specific events or to learn about other events on your local campus, see the websites below. Look for the section on each page devoted to “Upcoming Events.”
http://www.smu.edu/
http://www.utd.edu/
http://www.dcccd.edu/About+DCCCD/News+and+Events/Events/
http://www.uta.edu/
http://www.tcu.edu/
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Something for the Kids
What: African-American Read-In
When: Saturday, February 2, 2-4pm
Where: Majestic Theatre, 1925 Elm Street, Dallas, TX 75201
Cost: FREE
I have had a lifelong love affair with books and reading. I read for entertainment. I read to learn. I read for information. I read to relax and I read to escape, but mostly, I read for the sheer pleasure of it.
My parents read me bedtime stories as I was growing up and my mother took me to the library often; but the one thing that had the greatest impact on my love of reading was the book mobile that visited my elementary school. Each year the book mobile would come to my school with a treasure trove of age-appropriate books, bookmarks, pens, pencils, stickers, and notepads for sale. I wish you could have seen the excitement that it caused! We all raced to the cafeteria during our lunch breaks, money in hand, ready for the hunt to begin. My money was always limited so I had to be careful to choose wisely. I must select just the right book, the right bookmark, the right stickers, and the right pen.
The book mobile taught me that books are something to be valued, something to get excited about. Take your kids to the African-American Read-In and share that excitement with them.
From DallasNews.com:
"Read, Believe, Achieve!" is the theme of the Dallas County Community College District's 2008 African American Read-In, a celebration of children's literature by African-American authors. After a welcome from Lyndale the Literary Lion, families attending the free event can check out staged readings, performances, art and poetry. This year's special guest is author and artist Ashley Bryan, who just won a 2008 Coretta Scott King Book Award for his illustrations in Let It Shine. Mr. Bryan will read from his books and talk about the fun of reading. Also scheduled during the day is the unveiling of the 2008 Black Heritage postage stamp honoring writer Charles W. Chesnutt. Free T-shirts, canvas bags and books will be handed out to audience members.
For more info: http://www.readin.dcccd.edu/
When: Saturday, February 2, 2-4pm
Where: Majestic Theatre, 1925 Elm Street, Dallas, TX 75201
Cost: FREE
I have had a lifelong love affair with books and reading. I read for entertainment. I read to learn. I read for information. I read to relax and I read to escape, but mostly, I read for the sheer pleasure of it.
My parents read me bedtime stories as I was growing up and my mother took me to the library often; but the one thing that had the greatest impact on my love of reading was the book mobile that visited my elementary school. Each year the book mobile would come to my school with a treasure trove of age-appropriate books, bookmarks, pens, pencils, stickers, and notepads for sale. I wish you could have seen the excitement that it caused! We all raced to the cafeteria during our lunch breaks, money in hand, ready for the hunt to begin. My money was always limited so I had to be careful to choose wisely. I must select just the right book, the right bookmark, the right stickers, and the right pen.
The book mobile taught me that books are something to be valued, something to get excited about. Take your kids to the African-American Read-In and share that excitement with them.
From DallasNews.com:
"Read, Believe, Achieve!" is the theme of the Dallas County Community College District's 2008 African American Read-In, a celebration of children's literature by African-American authors. After a welcome from Lyndale the Literary Lion, families attending the free event can check out staged readings, performances, art and poetry. This year's special guest is author and artist Ashley Bryan, who just won a 2008 Coretta Scott King Book Award for his illustrations in Let It Shine. Mr. Bryan will read from his books and talk about the fun of reading. Also scheduled during the day is the unveiling of the 2008 Black Heritage postage stamp honoring writer Charles W. Chesnutt. Free T-shirts, canvas bags and books will be handed out to audience members.
For more info: http://www.readin.dcccd.edu/
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Jazzy's Place
1701 S. Lamar Street, Dallas, TX 75215
As you know, I have a love-hate relationship with Brooklyn Jazz Café; however, I refuse to let this schizophrenic association keep me from embracing (and now reviewing) its new addition, “Jazzy’s Place.” Jazzy’s Place is not a free-standing building at a second location, but rather an extension of the existing Brooklyn Jazz Café venue. Jazzy’s Place is sort of like Brooklyn Jazz “Lite.” It advertises itself as a place to watch sporting events, play chess/checkers, and to play shuffleboard (I’m not making this up). The point is this: Jazzy’s Place is a place to relax and hang out without all of the pomp and circumstance that you sometimes see at Brooklyn Jazz Cafe. I also suspect that the more casual atmosphere is meant to attract a slightly younger demographic than the 40-ish patrons of Brooklyn Jazz Café.
I had the opportunity to watch one of the NFL Playoff games there a couple of weeks ago. Admittedly, the crowd was sparse, but that had much more to do with a lack of awareness than a lack of hospitable surroundings. Jazzy’s Place has plush red and black booths and traditional chair seating, several, wall-mounted flat screen TVs, a private banquet room, a private patio, and the same full bar and food menus as Brooklyn Jazz Cafe. Though Jazzy’s Place is more casual than Brooklyn Jazz Cafe, it maintains its ties to its older sibling with jazz-inspired artwork on the walls, and jazz music piped into the surround sound. The jazz music was somewhat offensive to patrons at Jazzy’s Place the day of the playoffs as it made it difficult to hear the commentary on the game. Yet management had no problem lowering the music upon request.
I never spotted the chess/checker tables or shuffleboard, but all in all, I would recommend Jazzy’s Place. The addition of Jazzy’s Place shows that
1) Brooklyn Jazz Café is doing well (always good to hear), and
2) they are listening to customer feedback and maybe even reading my blog.
Why do I say this? I say this because the single greatest selling point of Jazzy’s Place is that finally there is enough room for those on the hunt (and those hoping to be hunted) to truly go on the prowl.
Heads Up: Brooklyn Jazz Café is hosting a Superbowl viewing party on Superbowl Sunday sponsored by radio station KRNB. Doors open at 3pm. It’s a ticket-only event so listen to KRNB 105.7 for your chance to win (or you can keep calling obsessively).
As you know, I have a love-hate relationship with Brooklyn Jazz Café; however, I refuse to let this schizophrenic association keep me from embracing (and now reviewing) its new addition, “Jazzy’s Place.” Jazzy’s Place is not a free-standing building at a second location, but rather an extension of the existing Brooklyn Jazz Café venue. Jazzy’s Place is sort of like Brooklyn Jazz “Lite.” It advertises itself as a place to watch sporting events, play chess/checkers, and to play shuffleboard (I’m not making this up). The point is this: Jazzy’s Place is a place to relax and hang out without all of the pomp and circumstance that you sometimes see at Brooklyn Jazz Cafe. I also suspect that the more casual atmosphere is meant to attract a slightly younger demographic than the 40-ish patrons of Brooklyn Jazz Café.
I had the opportunity to watch one of the NFL Playoff games there a couple of weeks ago. Admittedly, the crowd was sparse, but that had much more to do with a lack of awareness than a lack of hospitable surroundings. Jazzy’s Place has plush red and black booths and traditional chair seating, several, wall-mounted flat screen TVs, a private banquet room, a private patio, and the same full bar and food menus as Brooklyn Jazz Cafe. Though Jazzy’s Place is more casual than Brooklyn Jazz Cafe, it maintains its ties to its older sibling with jazz-inspired artwork on the walls, and jazz music piped into the surround sound. The jazz music was somewhat offensive to patrons at Jazzy’s Place the day of the playoffs as it made it difficult to hear the commentary on the game. Yet management had no problem lowering the music upon request.
I never spotted the chess/checker tables or shuffleboard, but all in all, I would recommend Jazzy’s Place. The addition of Jazzy’s Place shows that
1) Brooklyn Jazz Café is doing well (always good to hear), and
2) they are listening to customer feedback and maybe even reading my blog.
Why do I say this? I say this because the single greatest selling point of Jazzy’s Place is that finally there is enough room for those on the hunt (and those hoping to be hunted) to truly go on the prowl.
Heads Up: Brooklyn Jazz Café is hosting a Superbowl viewing party on Superbowl Sunday sponsored by radio station KRNB. Doors open at 3pm. It’s a ticket-only event so listen to KRNB 105.7 for your chance to win (or you can keep calling obsessively).
Monday, January 28, 2008
Texas Black Film Festival 2008
What: Texas Black Film Festival
When: January 31 - February 2; 10am - Midnight
Where: Studio Movie Grill - Addison (5405 Beltline Road, Dallas, TX 75248)
It's not Sundance, Toronto, or the National Black Film Festival; it is something better - a film festival that showcases not just national talent, but homegrown Texas talent as well. In addition to documentaries, feature films, and film shorts, there are educational workshops and networking opportunities for actors and filmmakers.
I think we can all agree that small film festivals like this one are a vital platform for fledgling filmmakers to let their artistic voices be heard and to receive invaluable feedback from audience members and experts in the industry, but the only way to ensure that these festivals remain financially viable is to support them with our dollars. At the Texas Black Film Festival your $8 ticket will do more than just line the pockets of a big-budget studio in LA. It will open doors and possibilities for an entire generation of African-American filmmakers.
For more information about film schedule, ticket prices, and the history of the festival, check out
http://www.texasblackfilmfestival.com/.
When: January 31 - February 2; 10am - Midnight
Where: Studio Movie Grill - Addison (5405 Beltline Road, Dallas, TX 75248)
It's not Sundance, Toronto, or the National Black Film Festival; it is something better - a film festival that showcases not just national talent, but homegrown Texas talent as well. In addition to documentaries, feature films, and film shorts, there are educational workshops and networking opportunities for actors and filmmakers.
I think we can all agree that small film festivals like this one are a vital platform for fledgling filmmakers to let their artistic voices be heard and to receive invaluable feedback from audience members and experts in the industry, but the only way to ensure that these festivals remain financially viable is to support them with our dollars. At the Texas Black Film Festival your $8 ticket will do more than just line the pockets of a big-budget studio in LA. It will open doors and possibilities for an entire generation of African-American filmmakers.
For more information about film schedule, ticket prices, and the history of the festival, check out
http://www.texasblackfilmfestival.com/.
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