Back Talk Lakewood/East Dallas

Tolbert's chili resurfaces at Whole Foods and in Grapevine

I'm showing my age here, but a brief in the DMN about X2 Chili being sold at Whole Foods Market made me recall the one-and-only, original Dallas chili-man: Frank X. Tolbert. Tolbert (who died in 1984) was a true bear of a man, tall and lanky and loud and funny and everything I imagined a Texan would be when I was growing up in Minnesota. And in case you didn't know, X2 is Frank's son, as well as an accomplished but eclectic artist, and X2 Chili is a frozen version of what the son cooked up for the father at the downtown Tolbert's Chili Parlor on Main across from El Centro, where those of us who worked at the Morning News back then spent many a lunch and, sometimes, dinner hour.

In fact, the first restaurant I remember eating at when I arrived in Dallas in 1978 was the Tolbert's across from the Melrose Hotel on Cedar Springs at Oak Lawn (there's a Walgreen's there now, and it was a Luby's before). Tolbert's super-serious chili was way too hot for my Yankee tastebuds back then, and that was before I met Frank X. his-own-self at the Morning News, where the guy pretty much had the run of the place. He occasionally wrote a history column, but he seemed to spend most of his time telling stories to youngsters like me when he wasn't holed up with Blackie Sherrod and/or John Anders (also rather elusive but personality-laden columnists at the News back then). Tolbert had a hand in starting up the Original Terlingua International Frank X. Tolbert - Wick Fowler Championship Chili Cookoff, and if you don't want to try the frozen variety, you can get a fresh batch of Tolbert's chili at the remaining Tolbert's in Grapevine, operated by Frank's daughter (and X2's sister) Kathleen.

And I guarantee you that if you click on all of the links in this blog post, you'll have added a mini-history of Dallas and Texas to your party repertoire.

HAZE the movie: aims to warn students against binge drinking

It sounds like a beefed-up Real World episode, only with all-too real and tragic consequences, Haze, a documentary presented by The Gordie Foundation will premiere regionally at SMU Sept. 4. Why am I writing about this so far in advance you might ask ... because there are only 50 tickets available to the public. Tickets are free but will not be available for long.

Delving into the issues surrounding the college drinking culture in America, the feature-length film examines the life and death of college freshman Gordie Bailey, whose deadly fraternity initiation ceremony at the University of Colorado gained national media attention in 2004.

Bailey's parents will be in attendance to address the audience — they say they hope the screening and the documentary "will help prevent further tragedies like Gordie’s death and make college campuses a safer place for youth across the country."

50 tickets are available to the general public and will be given out on a first come, first served basis. To reserve tickets, please call The Gordie Foundation no later than August 29th at 214-823-0235, or email contactus@gordie.org.

Cookie-baking teen not a monster after all

A few days ago Keri wrote a post about this kid who allegedly delivered drug-laced cookies to police stations all over the Metroplex — you know, the teenager whose face was plastered all over every evening newscast and newspaper locally and nationally? Yeah ... well ... oops. There were no drugs in those cookies after all. Just an 18-year-old, by court order, repaying his debt to society (let's see where that part of the story lands in USA Today).

Do I need to pack heat for a trip along Santa Fe Trail

Although I wrote a short article about the Santa Fe Trail and its supporters in the June issue of the Advocate, I'm not too familiar with the day-to-day happenings since I don't really use it — though I'd like to once it's connected to White Rock Lake. Or at least I thought I would. This spot in the "Voices" section in the DMN makes me wonder. Is it that bad? This neighbor says she won't walk the trail without her gun.

Murphy Martin, and a disappearing Dallas

The death of Murphy Martin, the former Channel 8 anchor and Texas Stadium announcer, is one of those events that remind an old-timer like me of how irrevocably Dallas has changed from the city that shaped me as a teen and young adult. When Martin was dispensing the news at 6 and 10 with Bob Gooding, Dale Milford (soon to become a congressman) on weather and sports guy Verne Lundquist (soon to move on to bigger and better things, and to forget that he ever hosted "Bowling for Dollars" from Grand Prairie), Channel 8 was mired in third place in the ratings, and had been forever.

Belo stock sinks ever lower, and we may finally know why

The parent of Dallas' Only Daily Newspaper closed at $5.32 on Monday, hitting yet another all-time low. That's at least the third in the past week.

A.H. Belo, for all its other faults, doesn't have any debt, and its management has traditionally been respected for its business acumen. Even though most newspapers are being flushed down the investor toilet, Belo doesn't seem to have done anything to deserve this particular shellacking. Its market cap is just $109 million, which is so low as to be silly. The News' downtown headquarters is appraised for $43 million, and may be worth much more given the way things work around here. Throw in the other three papers it owns, and the real estate alone is probably worth more than the market cap.

Mockingbird tolls: One final thought

My column in the July magazine looked at the Mockingbird issue through a decidedly local perspective: How our local officials, faced with an easy way to score points with voters, didn't. Hardly anyone spoke out on the issue, which had tremendous ramifications for Dallas. And why didn't they? Because that would have meant paying attention to the voters, something that they're not all that excited about these days.

Two other notes to the story, the first from the cabbie who drove me home from Love Field on Friday (complete with $1.50 fuel surcharge). I'm sure glad they decided not to toll Mockingbird, he said without me even asking. How hard would that have been on me?

And, if you had read the Park Cities newspaper owned by our friends at plastic surgery's favorite local magazine, you would have learned that tolling Mockingbird was never a serious proposal, but rather was sensationalized by the media: "Highland Park town officials are fighting back against 'twisted' reports that they are looking to charge non-resident drivers to use Mockingbird Lane."

Twisted, indeed.

Technorati Tags: Mockingbird Lane tolls,Advocate magazines

New study shows one-third of IT staffers snoop on coworkers

You might want to think twice before you send that next e-mail on company time. A new study shows that one-third of IT staff are doing more than just troubleshooting their coworkers' computers. They're also snooping through things like e-mails and salary information.
The study, which comes courtesy of Cyber-Ark, also found that privileged passwords are hardly ever changed--which means most IT staffers can still access private company information, even after they no longer work for the company. Which brings us to the bottom line: According to this study, seven out of 10 companies are using outdated security methods when it comes to sensitive data.
So a word to the wise, don't send any nasty e-mails badmouthing the IT guy in your office. Chances are he just might read it.

Belo stock hits record low, and Wall Street explains why

Remember last week's post about the stock decline in A.H. Belo, the parent company of Dallas' Only Daily Newspaper? Well, things got worse by the end of the week.

Belo closed at $6.70 on Friday, a 4.42 percent drop from the day before, and it was as low as $6.45. A little perspective: In February, when Belo split into newspaper and TV companies, the stock price was as high as $16.35. In other words, Belo's market capitalization has declined by almost 60 percent, and its market cap is just $137.2 million.

Cliff Dweller magazine merges with Advocate

The Cliff Dweller does in Oak Cliff pretty much what we do in the neighborhoods we cover with our other four magazines. We'll begin publishing the magazine in September, taking over from Bishop Arts Media, which started the magazine several years ago and will continue to collaborate with us on Oak Cliff coverage.

Expect to continue seeing Cliff Dweller favorites in the magazine, as well as all of the usual Advocate features, including a Back Talk blog specifically for Oak Cliff. Most of that will be up and running by the time we do our first issue in September.

If you have any thoughts about story ideas or neighborhood issues we need to address, drop us an email. We're also looking for another editor/reporter, particularly one with Oak Cliff roots or experience, to help us improve upon the neighborhood coverage that Cliff Dweller readers have come to expect. If you have the experience we need or know of someone we should be talking with, let us know.

Technorati Tags: Advocate magazines,Cliff Dweller,Oak Cliff