Old Gold

Dallas’ antiques road show

10/16

My dad may not remember exactly what he was doing in 1957–he was only 5, though he claims to have a mind like a steel trap–but that year has always held significant memories for me. It was the year Dad’s old Chevy was manufactured. It spent its last days in our garage, covered in cobwebs, primer and the fading potential of what it could have been. It could have been the car marking my sweet 16, but I “got too interested in boys,” Dad says, to help fix it up. It belongs to someone else now, probably sitting in his garage collecting new dust. Fortunately, what’s not collecting dust are the houses featured in Preservation Dallas’ Fall Architecture Tour Homes of Lasting Significance. The Haggerty House, created by architect O’Neil Ford in 1957 (must have been a good year), is one of the structures spotlighted on the trip, which also includes Frank Welch’s Bradfield House and Charles Dilbeck’s four corners intersection. The walking and bus tour begins with a symposium at 8:30 a.m. October 16 at the Angelika Film Center, Mockingbird Lane and North Central Expressway, featuring lectures by some of Dallas’ most significant architects. Reservations ($45 to $55) are required. Call 214-821-3290 or visit www.preservationdallas.org. –Jenice Johnson

World View

10/16

The title of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s Saturday-night lecture at the University of North Texas is “Global Perspectives of a Secretary of State,” a sort of catch-all rubric that allows her to talk about whatever happens to be in the news. That’s only fitting. Since she left her post during the Clinton administration as America’s first female secretary of state, Albright, a professor and politician, has spoken out on a variety of issues, and recently quite frequently (she is an adviser to the Kerry campaign). The title of Albright’s speech is purposely a little vague, but an editorial that she and Robin Cook, Britain’s former foreign secretary, co-wrote in the International Herald Tribune on October 4 hints at something that has recently been on her mind: The war in Iraq, she believes, has siphoned crucial resources away from the effort to rebuild Afghanistan in a democratic mold. “Instead of the stability promised three years ago,” they wrote, “Afghanistan continues to stumble along, barely one level above that of a failed state.” Albright will inaugurate UNT’s new Distinguished Lecture Series; her lecture begins at 8 p.m. Call 940-565-3805 for reservations. –Claiborne Smith

Good News

10/14

As his new book Finding God in the Evening News attests, Laredo anchorman Jody Dean knows that “it’s not my job to color a story with my own personal beliefs.” He abstains from religion while on the air, but in print, he discloses the spiritual underpinnings of the stories he has covered. Dean will be at the Barnes & Noble Creekwalk Village, 801 W. 15th St., in Plano on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Call 972-422-3372. –Claiborne Smith

Culture Vulture

10/15

When Queer Eye for the Straight Guy debuted, some feared the Fab Five would act like a rabid pack of Girl Scouts on crack attempting to rid the world of domestic beer and La-Z-Boy recliners. Those fears proved unfounded except in the case of “culture vulture” Jai Rodriguez, who doesn’t do much of anything. If he’s really being helpful, he’ll introduce the makeover victim to somebody who can really help him. Rodriguez appears Sunday at noon and 3 p.m. at the Dallas Home Show, Friday through Sunday, at the Dallas Convention Center. It’s not clear exactly what he’ll be doing there, but if you’re lucky, maybe he’ll introduce you to somebody who can truly help you. Visit www.texashomeandgarden.com. –Jay Webb