Back Talk Lakewood/East Dallas

Now what's going to happen to those retail banks on every corner?

Quick quiz: You see construction at a key neighborhood retail corner, and you wonder what's being built.

For the past few years, the answer would have simple: Another bank! But those days are over now, thanks to the multi-billion-dollar bailout of the banking industry, which has been leading to mergers galore the past few weeks.

Dallas ISD after the RIF: Another perspective on what's needed, Part 1

Rick Wamre and I had talked for a while about  point/counterpoint  posts on what we need to do to get DISD on the right track. I guess with this posting of his on October 19, the "point" has been made, so now it's my turn. My thoughts differ from those of Mr. Wamre and Mr. Blow.

Subdividing the DISD is the last thing we should think about doing. That's just a variation on the NIMBY (Not in my back yard) mindset. Under a plan to subdivide the district, we all get to focus on our local schools and not have to worry about the others.  While subdividing the District might allow some of the new smaller districts to more closely mimic the ostensibly more successful suburban districts, it also runs the risk that some of them would instead go down the road of Wilmer-Hutchins. Subdividing the District is tantamount to abandoning the children in the other districts in favor of those in your own new district. I, for one, am not prepared to do that, especially if the starting point is a larger school district that isn't getting the job done. That the District is too big to manage doesn't really stand up to close scrutiny anyway when you consider that there are lots of organization and governmental bodies larger than DISD that do not share the District's problems. Breaking up the DISD is bad for the children and it's bad for Dallas.

Kathleen Kent book signing at Talulah Belle Tuesday

Neighbor Kathleen Kent will be signing books between 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, at Talulah Belle boutique in the Lakewood Shopping Center. 

There has been a lot of buzz lately about Kent and her eerie and insightful novel, "The Heretic’s Daughter", has gained national accolades and attention.

Writes New York Times critic Chelsea Cain in a September review, “Like ‘The Crucible,’ ‘The Heretic’s Daughter’ uses the Salem witch hunt to explore larger themes — most notably, the loss of civil liberties in times of terror — but at its core, it’s a story about a family.” (Kent's novel was the Times' Editor's Choice, 9/14.)

Kent's story is based on a distant relative who was hanged following the 17th century trials — you can read a bit more about her in the September East Dallas/ Lakewood Advocate.

This book signing is a recommended event for getting you in the Halloween spirit with a good spooky tale and a fascinating woman, all at the coolest shop around. 

Why customer loyalty cards stink

To the older gentleman in front of me in the Kroger line earlier, I say "Amen!"

Here's the scenario: The checkout girl says, "Thank you sir, you saved $6 by using your Kroger card. And he says, "No I didn't." And she says, "Yes, you saved ..." And he says, "You guys jack up the prices and then make me use the dang card in order to get the real price. I didn't save a thing."

Thank you, sir. (I was the one who started the slow clap behind you). 

You see, I have a real problem with the "loyalty" card/program thing. Just today, I was charged an extra $8 + at CVS. I was moving swiftly and picked up a few things —shampoo, toilet paper— that were "on sale" at the Mockingbird store. I checked out, paid with a credit card ... it wasn't until I was a couple miles down the road that it occurred to me that my bill was a bit high. I pulled out the receipt and, sure enough, because I forgot to present my CVS card, I was charged an unreasonably high price for my dang toiletries—charged as much as double on a few items.

And before you say anything, I know, I'm a moron. I should have remembered to hand over the card. But the girl at the checkout started small talking with me and next thing you know, my carefully chosen "sale" items cost me close to a ten-spot more than they should have.

I saved the receipt with intentions of returning for a refund, but let's face it —time is money too.

Tom Leppert: 'Doesn't give a darn about the citizens of Dallas'

So, do you think Mayor Tom Leppert cares about the citizens of Dallas or not? Councilman Mitchell Rasansky tells the Observer Leppert doesn't care — "doesn’t give a darn about the citizens of Dallas". Rasansky goes on to mention that Leppert was on the board of directors of Washington Mutual even as that financial institution bit the dust, saying Leppert's comments about WaMu's financial health a few weeks prior to its bailout — “the feeling is that there's sufficient capital and good things ahead" — is indicative of Leppert's go-for-broke actions with the convention center hotel, regardless of a possible pending referendum on the project and a disintegration of the bond market. It's worth clicking on the post, written by Sam Merten, because it has a whole list of interesting information and story links. As for me, I tend to think that it's not that Leppert doesn't care about the rest of us. I think he just believes he knows better than everyone else what's good for us. Come to think of it, that was the prevailing attitude on Wall Street for a few years, too, and look what happened to those guys...

The Briefing: why I don't hate it

I’ve heard over the past couple weeks, a lot of complaining — from neighbors, readers, etc. — about the Dallas Morning News supplement, The Briefing. Yeah, they are littering my street, too. At least one of my neighbors has opted not to pick them up at all — he now has a damp yellow-y black and white mound growing on his home’s otherwise pristine façade. Others have simply tossed the papers curbside, incorporating them into a pre bulk-trash pick up pile. 

I can’t complain. I’ve worked for a couple publications that either launch unsolicited papers into people’s yards, or hang ‘em on their doors ... and I believe those to be, all-in-all, good products that the community enjoys.

That said, I of course I checked out The Briefing, and I think it is actually a pretty good idea. But hey, I once declared Cliff’s Notes “the greatest creation of all time”. And that’s basically what The Briefing is — quick hits and highlights from Dallas’ daily newspaper. It's small, tight and neat with no story jumps — very user friendly. (Hold conversations with friends, colleagues and teachers as if you actually read the real newspaper before work this morning!)

If you see something that piques your interest, you can go online and get more … or, feasibly, pick up a DMN paper and get more.

I have plenty of bones to pick with the DMN, but this isn’t one of them. The DMN is like the current Dallas Cowboys team, in a way — flailing about, trying not do die and taking a beating from the public in the process. They are looking for something, ANYTHING, to breathe life back into their organization, and hoping that something sticks. Only I don’t think they anticipated that so many would be sticking in towering piles to neighborhood driveways. 

By the way, if you hate The Briefing, call 214-977-8333 to cancel delivery to your home.

State Fair wrapup: Just off a record coupon-sales pace

Amid all of the bad economic news, here's something positive: After getting off to what the DMN reported was a horrible economic start, it turns out the State Fair of Texas was selling coupons at a near-record pace ($28.6 million vs. $29 million during the 2007 Fair's record pace). For whatever reason, people found enough money (or enough credit) to down plenty of corny dogs and fried bacon at the Fair; let's hope the rest of the economy follows suit shortly. Click here (download season_wrap.pdf) to read the summary press release yourself.

Victory after 10 years: Iconic but not helping downtown

Not long ago, the DMN published a series of stories titled "Partial Victory", which was a rather ingenious way of highlighting the big, new "Times Square for Dallas" surrounding the American Airlines Center downtown. The good news, according to the story: Ross Perot Jr. says that Victory is farther along, development-wise, than he thought it would be at this time. The bad news: Apparently, if you don't live there (and not many people do), you don't know what's happening at Victory and you aren't participating in terms of spending money.

As it stands now, about 10 years into what Hillwood describes as a 25-year process, there are about 13 restaurants, a dozen retailers, more than 750 residential units and quite a bit of office space, including WFAA-TV's Times Square-like station on a corner near the AAC. But the place has become more upscale, to the exclusion of everything else, than the developers apparently planned, so while it's easy to find a $1,500 hotel room and a $400 dress, you can't find an inexpensive lunch, a drugstore or a grocery store, according to the News.

Interestingly enough, that's the same complaint that the people living and working downtown — and I mean the original downtown — have, too. And it's interesting to remember that one of the sales pitches we were given when the developers floated the $230 million arena bond in 1998 was that Victory was an important step in downtown's revitalization. As we can see now, that hasn't been the case — the distance between Main Street and Victory is too far for the average person to make the walk, and whatever good is happening at Victory isn't trickling over to downtown.

La Calle Doce: Fire trucks visit again

Two fire trucks and two of the fire-chief SUVs just pulled away from La Calle Doce at Skillman and Live Oak, paying a second fire-related visit to the restaurant during the past couple of months. This time, a pot of bubbling tar caught fire while roofers were putting the building back in shape from the last blaze, which caused the Mexican seafood neighborhood favorite to close temporarily. Not to worry, though: The restaurant is still on target to reopen in December.

Far West Club could lose permit

The contentious Far West nightclub is one step closer to losing it's right to operate as is at the Gaston-Garland corner in East Dallas after the Dallas Plan Commission voted yesterday to revoke it's 99-year special use permit.

Thanks to plan-commission member Michael Davis (Dallas Progress) for the update — he says "Lakewood/ Lakewood Heights, C-streets, and the other nearby neighborhoods were there in full force" at yesterday's hearing.

Now the item will move to the City Council's agenda.