Category Archives: Business
American Airlines Says Goodbye To Flying Eagles, Shiny Fuselages, and Helvetica
American Airlines is held in pretty high esteem around here, and rightfully so. They have had their share of bankruptcy (and customer service) issues, but they’re still one of DFW’s undisputed corporate darlings. We even name our stadiums in their honor. So when they killed off a look that had been around for a looonnng time, the headlines practically wrote themselves.
Dallas House Hunters on the Lookout
In light of past and current economic hardships, there are few U.S. real estate markets that haven’t felt a crunch; however, Dallas — just as in the great depression — has remained strong. Not only is real estate thriving in DFW, the market benefits both buyers and sellers equally well.
House hunters of all budgets can find something to call home in Dallas, Texas. Many of its neighborhoods — with pleasant enjoyments, rich amenities, great cuisine, and outstanding properties — lend truth to the term, “Texan-comfortable” lifestyle.
Texas is an area that has received recognition worldwide, and Dallas, the ninth largest city in the nation, holds special interest to those within the state and around the world. There is something for every lifestyle type, including entertainment, culture, recreation, and sports. The schools are outstanding — many having received the National Exemplary Blue Ribbon School award for excellence. Many of the neighborhoods are below the average crime index, and some have received honors such as the “Best Place in the US to Live” or the “Best Place to Raise a Family”.
What one can expect from Dallas is great opportunity, both in the business sector and in the real estate market. Many areas are highly educated, with higher than average household incomes. Newer neighborhoods tend to include outstanding amenities, such as greenbelts and parks, pools and sports courts, club houses, children’s splash parks, hike and bike trails, and more. It is enticing to young professionals, young families, and retirees alike because of its many urban conveniences and peaceful park escapes. Many desirable neighborhood (with remarkable homes for sale) are available from which to choose. Home buyers can expect to pay anywhere from $100K into the millions for a fine piece of Dallas, Texas real estate.
Dallas real estate offers all types of dwellings. For those who enjoy the luxury comforts of resort-like living, there are exceptional condominiums offering the amenities and services of a five star luxury hotel. Loft-style living — where one can work, shop and dine out close to home — is available for those looking for the faster pace of the city. The peaceful serenity of nature is also available to those who would gladly trade city life for ranch homes, lakefront properties, hill country houses, and other quiet settings. Dallas is an area that features the best and most attractive of both city living and peaceful retreats.
The Dallas Twin Towers That Never Were
Without a doubt, Bank of America Plaza is one of downtown Dallas’s most recognizable buildings. The 72-story architectural giant has been the city’s tallest building since 1985 and is the 22nd tallest building the country. It’s green neon outline, which is said to have been chosen to resemble the color of money, is unmistakeable on the night skyline.
Fountain Place Tower 1 & 2
However, the three towers we see today would’ve had slightly different names if things had gone according to plan. In place of their current titles, we would have been referring to them as “Bank of America Plaza Tower 1″, “Fountain Place Tower 1″, and “Cityplace Center East”. These three buildings would have been six buildings, all complemented by a near-identical twin.
Bank of America Plaza’s original plans not only included a twin tower, but called for Tower 2 to have gold-tinted windows — and a purple argon outline at night. Without a doubt, minds would have been blown after seeing 900 vertical feet of green argon and purple argon, in addition to Reunion Tower’s “dancing” lights and the new LED systems on the Omni hotel and Hunt Oil Tower. Original plans also called for two-story pyramid caps on each tower, but those were nixed by the FAA because of downtown’s proximity to Love Field.
The original Cityplace complex, along US-75
Cityplace Center would have been much more of a “center” had it been completed, with three smaller buildings surrounding each of the twin towers. Cityplace East (the current tower) would have been complemented by an identical Cityplace West, standing directly across Central Expressway and connected by a skywalk across the freeway.
The Savings and Loan Crisis, the real estate crash, and the downturn of the Texas oil industry all had a hand in the fate of 1980s downtown Dallas architecture. The Lone Star Project (also twin towers), Pacific Place, and a handful of other building proposals never even had the pleasure of seeing the light of day. But for the time being, we have plenty of new Dallas buildings in the mix — besides, not having two Fountain Places across the street from each other may not be such a bad thing.
What the view from south downtown may have looked like
Black Friday 2011: The Deals Worth Fighting People For
So much for that 50-cent toaster.
Be forewarned: due to eternal, undying department store “blowout sales” and “1-day events” — yeah, the ones that happen every day, 365 days a year — I’ve decided to slice most of the clothing “sales” from this article.
Also be forewarned: this list is pretty lengthy.
[AR] = After Mail-In Rebate
[CR] = Coupon Required (usually available when you walk in)
Stores are sorted in descending order of deal “hotness”. The store name is followed by its opening time — many are now dangerously close to becoming “Black Thursday”:
Target (12 a.m. midnight)
- $298.00 — Westinghouse 46″ 1080p LCD HDTV
- $139.99 — Microsoft Xbox 360 4GB system
- $265.00 — Element 40″ 1080p LCD HDTV (for when the 46″ TVs run out)
- $89.00 — TomTom Via 1505M 5″ widescreen GPS
- $39.99 — Farberware 18 pc. non-stick cooking set
- $15.00 — Epic Mickey (Wii)
- $27.00 — Forza Motorsport 4 (Xbox 360)
- $3.99 — Pulp Fiction on Blu-Ray
- $3.99 — The Hangover, The Blind Side, Twilight: New Moon on DVD
- $3.99 — Pre-school games including Cootie, Yahtzee Jr., Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, and more
- $29.99 — Target Home folding fire bowls
Best Buy (12 a.m. midnight)
- $199.99 — Sharp 42″ 1080p LCD HDTV
- $39.99 — Toshiba Smart Blu-Ray player
- $249.99 — Asus 10.1″ Transformer tablet with Android 3.2 OS
- $4.99 — Select Blu-Rays including Inception, The Dark Knight, Pulp Fiction, Ronin, Office Space, and more
- $2.99 — Select “Hits” CDs including The Temptations, Lynard Skynard, Bob Dylan, Aerosmith, Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson, and more
- $7.99 — Gears of War Triple Pack (Xbox 360)
- $29.99 — Cabela’s Survival Top Shot Elite Bundle (Wii), NBA 2K12, Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360), Battlefield 3, Uncharted 3 (PS3)
Walmart (12 a.m. midnight)
- $248.00 — Emerson 40″ 1080p HDTV
- $188.00 — Emerson 32″ 720p HDTV
- $2.84 — Rival mini-chopper or 2-slice waffler
- $199.96 — Microsoft Xbox 360 4GB console with Kinect and free $50 Walmart gift card
- $248.00 — HP AMD dual-core laptop (3GB RAM, 320GB HDD)
- $49.00 — LG Blu-Ray Player
- $20.00 — 8′ inflatable Santa/snowman or 5′ Harrison pre-lit Christmas tree
- $28.00 — Battlefield 3 (Xbox 360/PS3)
- $5.00 — Blu-Rays: Inception, 300, I Am Legend, Quantum of Solace, The Matrix, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Gran Torino
- $29.00 — Jeep 6 pc. luggage set
- $67.00 — Sportcraft 4 pc. table tennis table
- $158.00 — BouncePro 14′ trampoline and enclosure
JCPenney (4 a.m.)
- $39.99 — Protocol 4 pc. luggage set
- $9.88 [AR] — coffeemaker, slow cooker, griddle, or waffler (brand not mentioned, but who cares for $10)
- $14.88 [AR] — Oster wine opener
- $9.88 [AR] — Sunbran 4-slice toaster
- $29.88 [AR] — Phillipe Richard 26 pc. stainless steel cutlery set
- $24.88 [AR] — JCP Home 12 pc. stainless steel cookware set
Sears (4 a.m.)
- $499.99 — Zenith 50″ 1080p plasma HDTV
- $199.99 — Seiki 32″ 720p LCD HDTV
- $499.99 — NordicTrack T5.7 treadmill
- $1698.99 — Sony 55″ 1080p 3D 120Hz LED HDTV with free Sony 5.1 1000-watt 3D Blu-Ray home theater system
- $79.99 — Medal 4 pc. table tennis table
- Free toolbag with $20 tool purchase
Macy’s (12 a.m. midnight)
- $9.99 [AR] — Bella Panini Maker, Bella 5-qt. slow cooker, Black & Decker waffler, Bella 20″ griddle
- $34.99 [AR] — Theater-style popcorn maker
- $9.99 [AR] — Bella quesadilla maker, donut maker, circus waffler maker, or cake pop maker
Kohl’s (12 a.m. midnight)
- $12.99 [AR] — Food Network 3-cup food processor, Black & Decker Crush Master 10-speed, George Foreman Lean Mean 60 sq. in. grill
- $47.99 — Oneida 82 pc. flatware set
- $79.99 — 7-ft pre-lit Christmas tree
Staples (6 a.m.)
- $19.99 — Memorex iPod/iPhone shelf speaker system
- $4.99 [AR] — Staples brand 100-pack blank CD-Rs
- $4.99 [AR] — Samsung WEP490 Bluetooth headset
Office Max (6 a.m.)
- $349.99 — Epson EX3210 Projector with free 80″ pull-down screen
Toys R Us (9 p.m. Thanksgiving Day)
- $3.99 — All Sony DVDs
- Free $50 Toys R Us gift card with purchase of iPod Touch for $199.99
Bass Pro Shops (6 a.m.)
- $59.99 — BPS Enigma fishing reel combo
- $9.97 — 27″x36″ dog pillow bed
Cabela’s (5 a.m.)
- $39.99 — Simmons 20-60×60 Prosport spotting scope
- $9.99 — X-Tek base layer crew or pants
ACE Hardware (hours vary)
- $99.99 — Craftsman 190 pc. SAE & metric mechanic’s tool set
- [CR] 50% off a single regular-priced item
Sports Authority (5 a.m.)
- 50% off every type of ball in the store (with a few exceptions)
Half Price Books (7 a.m.)
- [CR] 40% off your highest-priced item
Sam’s Club (5 a.m.)
- $498.00 — Samsung 51″ 720p plasma HDTV
Stores that I didn’t find “waitable” deals at: Costco, Lowe’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, GameStop, Guitar Center, Academy Sporting Goods, and Michael’s. That’s not to say they didn’t have good deals, but they just weren’t wait-in-line-at-midnight-worthy. To view Black Friday ads in their entirety, check out BFAds.net.
Did I miss any of your favorite Black Friday deals? Leave a comment below!
Unnecessary/incessant rambling: you may or may not have noticed that Office Depot hasn’t been mentioned. That’s because they’re in time-out right now. On the front page of their ad, they advertise a 32GB HP Touchpad for $149.99…when you buy any HP laptop. They claim that the Touchpad retails for $499.99 and that you’re getting on heck of a deal. Anybody who follows consumer electronics can tell you that HP announced a fire sale on these things in August and permanently reduced the 16GB model to $99.99 and the aforementioned 32GB model to $149.99. That’s right, if you purchase an HP laptop at Office Depot on Black Friday, you can snag a discontinued HP Touchpad for…well, the going price. It’s a dirty little trick to move HP laptops while ridding themselves of their Touchpad stockpiles. Oh well, business is business…does this count as investigative journalism?
Dallas meets Dave Ramsey, right on time for Debit Fee Scare
As a student of Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, I was elated to hear of Dave’s tour to Dallas, TX. On Saturday October 1, 2011 over 7000 people attended the Potter’s House in Dallas to gain knowledge on financial freedom.
In my eyes, his visit was right on time! After the announcement last week on possible banking debit card fees, I saw an uproar in our community. I often wondered if people were aware of all of the current “fees” that the banks charges, and now the debit card seems to be just another one added onto the list. If you were one who attended the event on Saturday or one who lives by the basic financial principles Dave teaches then I’m sure the debit card fee announcement didn’t scare you one bit. Whether you listen to Dave’s talk show or read any of his books, you’ll hear him say over and over again “Cash is King”. Such a principal allows us to manage our finances and not let our finances manage us.
Right when the banking industry caused concern, Dave’s visit to Dallas was right on time to bring back proper focus and financial perspective to our community.
