DONNA DAROVICH: Getting a man to the movies can be tricky

By: Donna Darovich, ANN columnist

Nothing separates men from women like movies, and the title alone widens the gap.

In example, Tommie Lee Jones and Meryl Steep are two of our favorite actors, but I knew the gentle title of their latest film, “Hope Springs,” meant I would be seeing it by myself or with a girlfriend.

If it were “Hope Mutilates,” different story.

Likewise, if the “The Joy Luck Club” had it been “The Joy Luck Fight Club” we would have enjoyed the story of three Chinese mothers and four daughters sharing stories about their last bout.

 Donna Darovich

Apparently, there are 10 commandments/criteria for this gender chasm.

Any title that suggests the movie’s plot involves planning a wedding, disrupting a wedding or an actual wedding makes it for women-only, sneeringly referred to as a “chick flick.”  So most of us had the popcorn to ourselves for”My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “The Wedding Planner” and “Bridesmaids.”

Of course, movies that involve causing mayhem at a wedding are okay (“The Wedding Crashers”), as are films in which the groom is misplaced before the wedding and  some of the groomsmen and/or  best man are disfigured (missing lost teeth and bad tattoos) or accidentally marry an exotic dancer  (“The Hangover”).

Any title including a reference to women’s clothes gets a “no way” – like “The Devil Wears Prada” (although I did get a “Does the devil kill anyone?” and if I had said “with a chainsaw” he would have been sitting next to me.)

A title with a reference to women buying clothes also gets a nay –like “Confessions of a Shopaholic” although if she were confessing in the back of a cab, naked, it might get a “Yes.”

Worse than a movie with a reference to women’s clothes is one in which the clothes are almost a character or any title that smacks of sorority.  That meant “27 Dresses” and “The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants” earned a double “no way” and “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” got a Facebook YGTBK (You’ve Got to Be Kidding).

The name of a flower is suspect subject matter although “Steel Magnolias” at least got a raised eyebrow rather than “no way” because of the apparently masculine word “steel.”  But one preview of Julia Roberts referring to passion pink as her”signature color” trumped “steel.”

That movie also falls in the “somebody dies and everybody cries” category of films that get a masculine eye roll.  I almost got him to “Beaches” when I hinted there would likely be surfing scenes, which meant a possibility of sharks ripping off limbs.

No, movies about female emotions (“Terms of Endearment” and”Mean Girls”) get an “I’ll take a pass.”  And if those emotions are put in writing, it’s worse.   So “The Notebook,” “Memoirs of a Geisha” and “Bridgette Jones Diary” were all mine – even though I tried to pass off the first one as Tony Romo’s playbook.

Strangely (to me) any title that includes a version of the word/deed “sleep” (“While You Were Sleeping,” and “Sleepless in Seattle”) is off limits – unless characters are sleeping because they are dead or near-dead.  Quentin Tarantino could remake both male-friendly with “While You Were Sleeping I Cut Off Your Fingers” and “Sleepless in Seattle Because Someone Stapled My Eyes Open.”

And there is one last category that gets a “nay” simply out of skittishness about what the film might be about – “Failure to Launch.”

But we won’t go there.

Donna Darovich is a self-pronounced “recovering journalist,” humorist and song parodist.

Arlington Animal Services and Respect a Bull launch unique anti-bullying campaign

Bullying is something no one wants or needs in their life, whether you are an animal or a human.

Turtle the Painting Pit Bull of Respect A Bull, Inc., was the inspiration behind the ingenious anti-bullying campaign launched by Arlington Animal Services Manager Chris Huff and president and founder of Respect A Bull, Inc., Kristie Miller.

The clever approach used to engage youth in this program is to tell the story from a Pit Bull’s perspective…not just any Pit Bull, but from Turtle’s. Turtle was rescued by Miller, and lovingly nurtured to good health, to become a renowned pet therapy dog, talented canine artist, and recovered victim of severe bullying.

The kick-off for the new Anti-Bullying Program from a Pit Bull’s perspective was held at Arlington Animal Services in September with five local Girl Scout troops’ participating.

Huff was assisted by Animal Services Volunteer Sally Amendola, who helped lead this highly anticipated class, with her over 32 years of experience in professional education. Amendola was delighted when Huff solicited her help, expressing “the class is very near and dear to my heart because as a child, I was a victim of bullying”.

The Girl Scouts were very receptive to the class, sharing profound thoughts about bullying. When asked how bullying makes us feel, one scout responded by saying, “It makes you feel like home is the only safe place.”

After a serious class on bullying, and highlights of Turtle’s story regarding her cruel treatment. Turtle concluded the class by showing how she has overcome her struggles and is doing great by painting a purple and yellow colorful picture, while the girls’ watched in astonishment and delight.

Respect A Bull, Inc. distributed bracelet’s that read, “Remember Turtle” in hopes that the girls’ will remember Turtle’s story if they ever feel bullied, or ever have thoughts about bullying someone else.

In a final quote from Amendola: “My hope is that we give the children we talk to a feeling that they are not alone, that others, including Turtle, have felt the pain of injustice, and that we give them techniques for dealing with bullies and bullying.”

View photos

Turtle’s video on behalf of Respect A Bull, Inc.

Books on Bullying

Arlington Students Focus on Ending Cyberbullying

Visit Arlington Police Departments Youth Services site

Interested in learning more about this program? For more information, contact Arlington Animal Services at 817-459-5898. (City release)

Tornado impact savage but six months later most damage seems to be repaired

As the April 3 tornado cut a destructive path down Highway 287, Woody Lynch huddled in his bathroom with his wife, Faye.

Their home rattled and shook. Glass shattered, and the roof caved in. Pressure built in their ears, and Woody and Faye could hear only the train-like roar of the twister.

When the winds finally subsided, Lynch ventured outside to evaluate the damage in their cul-de-sac south of I-20 and Green Oaks Boulevard. The twister uprooted 100-year-old trees, tore roofs off homes and scattered sofas and dining room tables down the street and beyond.

“Everything was uprooted,” Lynch said. “It was devastating.”

Six months after sudden tornadoes tore through Arlington — damaging nearly 500 homes, causing $600 million in damages and injuring eight people — residents have repaired homes and rebuilt neighborhoods, helping each other negotiate with insurance companies, find contractors, clean up debris and plant new trees.

In Woody Lynch’s cul-de-sac, neighbors began working together immediately after the tornado. Some homeowners climbed over broken trees and limbs to check on a wheelchair-bound neighbor, then went door to door taking a head count. Arlington police arrived almost immediately to barricade streets and provide assistance.

“The response of the Arlington police was phenomenal,” Lynch said. “The clean-up effort was extraordinary. The whole neighborhood and whole city worked together.”

In the following days and weeks, workers with heavy machinery cleared trees and limbs, and residents began piecing together their homes.

Art Dennis, who lives in the cul-de-sac, lost nine trees from his yard. Two fell on his backyard patio, one on his garage roof and one on a Jeep Wrangler parked in the driveway.

“Trees were a very big part of our neighborhood. Trees were our neighborhood,” Dennis said. “And they were uprooted and lying everywhere.”

As homeowners began working on repairs, many decided to use the tornado as an opportunity to renovate their homes.

Lynch, whose home sustained $130,000 in damages, updated a sunken living room and vaulted ceiling, replaced exterior wood with brick and landscaped his yard.

Dennis also renovated his home, which received $30,000 in damage, installing insulation in the attic and energy-efficient windows to help compensate for the lack of shade trees.

“Something good can come out of something bad. Our neighborhood has not looked so good since it was first built,” Dennis said. “People are renovating, landscaping, painting, and building new fences. People are taking a lot of pride in their community.”

(By: Sarah Bahari, city release)

Economic impact of UTA on region and state tallies to big $13.6 billion number

By: Kristin Sullivan, UTA

The University of Texas at Arlington has a $13.6 billion total annual impact on the State of Texas and fuels 131,200 jobs a year, according to a new assessment of the University’s operations, research and workforce enhancement effects on business activity by The Perryman Group.

UT Arlington’s impact reflects about 4 percent of the North Central Texas economy, the study found. Economic activity associated with the University also leads to incremental tax receipts of about $310 million a year to local governments and $639 million to the state, the study said.

The prominent consulting firm analyzed data ranging from enrollment and ongoing University operations to expanding research activity and the enhanced workforce productivity of rising numbers of UT Arlington graduates, among other factors.

The study notes that UT Arlington has made “great strides toward becoming a nationally recognized research institution” and said: “Through its ongoing and expanding instructional and research endeavors, UT Arlington serves as an ever-increasing catalyst for individual opportunity and economic and social development.”

President James D. Spaniolo said the Perryman report underscores the significant advantage diverse and active research institutions give their regions and the state overall.

“This report clearly demonstrates the tremendous benefit UT Arlington brings to North Central Texas and the Texas economy overall,” Spaniolo said. “Our students, alumni and faculty provide a highly-educated workforce to our region and are constantly advancing innovation and new technologies. Their work helps make North Texas one of the nation’s best places to live.”

The study also found that UT Arlington generates:

• $1.1 billion in total annual economic benefits to the state of Texas and more than 15,400 permanent jobs stemming from ongoing operations, including educational and research spending and student and visitor outlays.

• $64.5 million in incremental tax receipts to the State of Texas and $34.5 million to local taxing entities each year related to ongoing University operations.

• $502.7 million in output and 5,861 person-years of employment in the North Central Texas region related to recent and ongoing University construction projects.

Ray Perryman, president of the The Perryman Group, said the UT Arlington study reinforces his earlier findings about the potential economic impact additional Tier One institutions can have on Texas.

“When you look at the hard data, institutions like UT Arlington are major centers of employment and spinoff economic benefits,” Perryman said.“They generate business activity and opportunities for their immediate region, and they are one of the state’s most important sources of talent and technology– critical components of a healthy economy.”

He added: “The data makes a compelling case for ongoing investment in public institutions like The University of Texas at Arlington.”

Among the factors fueling UT Arlington’s economic impact:

• Enrollment growth over the past five years to more than 33,200 students, a 33 percent increase. Of the University’s 163,000 alumni, about 112,000 live in North Texas.

• Record numbers of degrees conferred in the 2011-2012 fiscal year. UT Arlington awarded more than 9,000 degrees, an 18 percent increase over the previous year.

• Record levels of research activity, with $66 million in related expenditures last year.

• Record levels of recent construction activity, with the completion of the Engineering Research Complex as well as the 20-acre College Park District (as seen in photo), a residential and retail development anchored by the 7,000-seat College Park Center.

The report concludes that UT Arlington “serves as a source of economic stimulus through its ongoing operations and construction projects. Spinoff companies stemming from funding research provide still more growth, and the benefits of the enhancement of the regional workforce is sizable.”

To read more about the Business Activity Impact Report, visit www.uta.edu/economicimpact.