Recently I posted about the November 8th Festival of Ideas hosted by The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture. It wasn’t long after that post I was contacted by DIHC and invited to a recent event with Au Courant, Dallas Institute’s newest membership group. Originally inspired by The Insitute’s vision, Au Courant heightened my inspiration & enthusiasm for the non-profit by bringing together Dallas’ young creative up-and-coming leaders with Dallas’ prominent and established leaders.

The event was a private screening of Manny Mendoza and Mark Birnbaum’s “Stop The Presses: The American Newspaper in Peril” at Angelika Film Center (stay tuned for a later post about this film.) The screening was followed by an open discussion with the two Filmmakers and members of the audience. It was a personal setting and a fascinating topic to discuss; one that I hadn’t yet seen discussed amongst my peers and one that will not go unrecognized in future conversations, thanks to the documentary and that evening.

Photograph by Jessica Young

The event was open to members and non-members and admission was more than reasonably priced at $15. This was the last event of the year for the Au Courant, however there are events going on with Dallas Institute through the remainder of this year. Now that I’ve signed up for their newsletter I’ll be sure to post the Au Courant events before they happen!

If you’re interested in membership with The Dallas Institute or Au Courant, contact Lauren E. Loggins or register online. Au Courant is offered to DIHC members at no additional cost.

The Dallas Institute Mission:

The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture is a nonprofit educational organization whose purpose is to enrich and deepen the practical life of the city with the wisdom and imagination of the humanities.

The Dallas Institute accomplishes its purpose through programs for school teachers and principals, general courses of study, public and professional seminars, publications, conferences, and civic involvement.

The Smart Women in Business Forum is designed to help aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners learn the skills and identify the resources needed to become successful. The Forum will include a panel discussion, networking lunch and an opportunity for women to become empowered.

The Women’s Museum will be hosting The Smart Women in Business Forum on November 11th, 2008 from 10:00am-2:30pm. Tickets are $10 (tax-deductible) and lunch is provided. Sign up online and your receipt will serve as your ticket in … although I assume they will have your name somewhere should you forget. I’ve already reserved my ticket, and I hope to see you there!

The Dallas Women’s Foundation has spent the last 20+ years funding community programs that support women and girls. DWF raises money and provides grants to small, grassroots organizations committed to “create long-term, positive change.” The Foundation has funded research studies and found that women and girls in Dallas were in need of programs and funding in literacy, poverty, education, employment, health, crime, and violence.

There are many ways you can get involved with the Foundation - serve on a committee, enlist the support of your company, donate to DWF, and support by attending DWF events!

Tomorrow (9/21/08) The Women’s Museum will be hosting “A Conversation With Dr. Sally Wagner: Women in Politics” from 3pm to 5pm. Following the lecture will be a discussion about the role of women.

Dr. Sally Wagner will be talking about the women who have ran for political office. She will talk more broadly about what all women need to do to achieve equity. She will also talk to teachers about how they can help their students learn about women’s achievements.

Dr. Wagner is a nationally known speaker and scholar in women’s history. She was one of the first women in the US to receive a doctorate for her work in women’s studies at CSU Sacramento. Today she is the Executive Director of the Gage Foundation in Fayetteville, New York and has been interviewed on several shows such as All Things Considered and Democracy Now. Wagner also has appeared on Ken Burns’ “Not For Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony” and as a historian on the PBS special “One Woman, One Vote.”

To register for this event, contact Courtney Williams at courtney@simplesciencesolutions.com.

Time: 3:00pm - 5:00pm at The Women’s Museum

The Women’s Museum
3800 Parry Avenue
Dallas, TX 75226
214.915.0860

Technorati Profile

Two places in Chicago that you should know about if you ever visit (or are lucky enough to live there).

Meli Cafe & Juice Bar, 301-305 S. Halsted, Chicago, IL 60661, tel: 312/454-0748
www.melicafe.com

Meli’s is located in the Greek district, a little off the beaten path, about a 5 minute cab ride from downtown. This place is small (quaint) with people packed on the inside and busy with people waiting on the outside. Worth the trip, worth the wait.I could have ordered anything on that menu and probably not have been disappointed. How good does this sound?

Brie Omelete, Ham, Asparagus & Mozzarella Frittatas, Stuffed Strawberry French Toast (held together by a layer of marscarpone), Banana & Cocoa-hazelnut Crepe

… this goes on, I’m just listing what I think sounds good.

Of course here’s a picture of what I ate - Feta Scrambler (made with Eggland’s Best organic eggs).

All their marmalade is freshly made from natural ingredients and for sale.

If you don’t order anything with marscarpone, ask for a sample of it. Not too sweet, creamy and mixed with honey.

Meli Cafe & Juice Bar is open daily from 6am to 4pm. Breakfast is served all day and lunch is served after 11am. Kitchen closes at 3pm.

Moving on.

Into the 2nd best bookstore I have ever been in. The first was an American bookstore in Prague, inside a coffee shop and through a narrow hallway back into a tiny room; it was like a hidden treasure of books only the locals knew about about.

Quimby’s had art magazines, books, comics (most of them drawn by hand, some were copied pages stapled together), political materials, poetry books. It’s all the stuff you don’t talk about on the pop-culture mix.

An opinion is not manufactured in a store like this. You’re free to roam.

I could have spent hours in there. Instead I had 20 minutes to browse art magazines and pick out the ones I could possibly use later. And by use, I mean be inspired by… maybe. We’ll see.

Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave., Chicago, IL 60622, tel. 773/342-0910
www.quimbys.com

Tonight (7/23/2008) is the Dinner Lecture Series sponsored by the Dallas Peace Center.

The speaker is Col. Ann Wright who spent 20 years with the State Department and publicly resigned in protest of the Iraq War.

The event starts at 6:00pm and dinner will be served at 7:00pm at FunAsia in Richardson (1210 E. Beltline Rd). Tickets are $75 and there are still some left.

If you cannot make it, I will post about the lecture tomorrow.

Last night the Company sponsored our monthly event at Mozzarella Company in Deep Ellum. The event was a tour of the Mozzarella factory followed by a wine and cheese tasting. Paula Lambert is the founder and was also our host for the evening. The wine aficionado was John Bratcher who is one of The Two Wine Guys.  The factory is very small (maybe 2500 sqft) and the group last night had been her largest yet. After the short tour we sat down Italian style at a long 25-person table, set with our first glass of wine and a plate with 8 different cheeses. My favorite pairing was the Malbec wine with the Black Pepper Garlic Caciotta. However, the Mascarpone Pecan Praline Torta was like a sweet whip cream aired out in heaven! The Marcarpone was paired with a Sparkling Red wine from Italy that also goes great with chocolate. Here is a picture and list of all the wines and cheeses we tasted. The cheeses are numbered on the list.

Firestone Vineywards Riesling (Santa Barbara, CA) — (1) Queso Blanco with Chiles and Epazote

Abbey of Saint-Hilaire Chardonnay (Burgandy, France) — (2) Mozzarella Roll with Green Olives

McPherson Trey Colore (Texas) — (3) Montasio Festivo

Casa Marguery Malbec (Argentina) — (4) Black Pepper Garlic Caciotta

Brachetto d’ Acqui Red Sparkling (Italy) — (5) Mascarpone Pecane Praline Torta

Crossings Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand) — (6) Rosemary Montasio, (7) Goat Log, (8) Blanca Bianca

Coolbusinessideas.com always has great finds like this one (and this one). Paint or wallpaper can be boring - this is a great way to be creative, without having to be creative.The French Company, Domestic, launched “Vinyl, an alternative to wallpaper” in September of 2005. Their website (in French & English) features a collection of wall art designed by creative, graphic designers, and artists. All their artwork is showcased on a wall (see below) and on their site. Therefore, giving you a good idea (or a little inspiration) to how it will look in your place. The price for wall stickers are ranging 77€ ($122).