Dish-Houston

By DISH Contributing Writer: Lori Geshay

The Momentum Jaguar -2010 Cardiac Cup Kick-Off Party benefiting Texas Children’s Heart Center event was held at Reef Restaurant and it was THE place to be Tuesday evening! 

The Second Annual Cardiac Cup no doubt sell ou, as it did last year and be more than just polo! There will be an evening reception following the finals. Can you say COCKTAILS??

DISHIES...Did you know that congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect. Thankfully we have Texas Children’s Heart Center  here in Houston where for the past 50 years they have been to improve the diagnosis of children’s heart problems and pioneer new ways to treat them.

For more information CLICK HERE. You can also register there for the event and/or make a donation!

See and be Scene: Event Chairs:Dr. Aashish Shah and Roseann Rogers, Honorary Chairs: Kris and Amy Brown,  Dr. Franklin Rose, Cindi Rose, Jimmy and Susan Olguin, Diane Brown, Michael Caplan, Paige Camus, John Steen, Ed Silliman, Denis Debakey, Lavonne Cox, Ali and Joanne Taghi, Jamie Frederick, Darlene Perau, Lindsey Ingalls, Farnoush Forotan, and Dish’s own Dating Diva columnist, Lori Geshay.

Hey Fort Benders!!! Enjoy your Saturday evening with your neighbors while doing great things for the animals!! Save Our Strays - Fort Bend is throwing a wonderful casino night at the Vanguard Academy Hall and cocktail Hour starts at 6:00 pm!
Gaming Tables open 6:30 pm – 10:30pm with the silent auction and raffles going on throughout the evening

There is even a Texas Hold’em Tournament from 6:30 pm – 10:30 pm *

Tickets: $25.00 Donation (Includes hors d’oeurves,$5.00 in gaming chips and one door prize ticket) – you do not have to be present to win –$ 100.00 Restaurant Gift Cards & basket (door prize).
Call 832-875-7769 for tickets, and you can also buy from www.saveourstraysfortbend.org, or just buy at the door.
Our Silent Auction and Raffle Items are awesome! So far we have an autographed poster given to us by John Travolta, A book written and autographed by Dean Koontz, Garfield picture signed by creator Jim Davis, Barbra Streisand photo signed, thousands of dollars in paintings (of course, signed by the artist), 2 Aero tickets, gift cards, 4 Astros tickets w/ Parking and much - much more coming in everyday!
We will soon be posting photo's of the prizes! Keep checking our page.
All proceeds go to Save Our Strays and saving more animals!!!
SEE YA'ALL THERE!!!!
*Must be 18 yrs. or older to attend

 (*Availability to the first 40 players to sign up)

Houston....THIS IS HOW IT'S DONE!!!! Let's take a lesson from Austin today!

Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez, Council Member Laura Morrison, Representative Eddie Rodriguez, City Manager Marc Ott, Health and Human Services Director David Lurie, Human Resources Director Mark Washington, and Senior Community Relations Coordinator for Texas Organ Sharing Alliance Michelle Segovia joined together in City Hall to celebrate Donate Life month and announce steps to be taken by the City of Austin to educate employees and the community about organ donation.

“This is a critical issue for our community, particularly for our minority population. Out of the 9,951 men, women and children currently awaiting a life saving transplant in Texas, 2,061 are African American and 4,395 are Hispanic,” said Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez. “Transplants have a higher success rate when the donor and recipient share genetic similarities found in similar ethnic groups. Currently, minorities don’t donate at the same rate as Caucasians, but we believe with increased public education we can change that.”

The City of Austin is kicking off an awareness campaign with employees and the community including placing organ donor registration forms and Donate Life Texas brochures in twenty two Austin Public Library Locations across the city and providing materials to city employees. Beginning in July, the city will be staging employee health fairs at several Austin locations that will feature information about the Donate Life campaign. In addition, the Health and Human Services Department will feature this information in clinics and the health mobile van.

"Registering as an organ donor is the ultimate act of charity, and it takes the difficult decision out of the hands of family members during a time of tragedy,” said Representative Eddie Rodriguez. “I applaud Texas Organ Sharing Alliance and the City of Austin for their efforts to increase awareness about organ donation, and I encourage members of the community to consider becoming registered organ donors."

The press conference featured a personal story from Carmen Polhemus, whose son passed away after a car accident five years ago. Carmen and her husband, Paul, miss their son Daniel every day, but take comfort in knowing that Daniel saved several lives through organ donation. Mrs. Carmen Polhemus now educates the Central Texas community about organ donation and transplantation.

“Education is the key to making the organ donation process happen,” states Michelle Segovia, Senior Community Relations Coordinator for Texas Organ Sharing Alliance. “Donor families tell us the decision to donate was made easier because their loved one had taken the time to register their intentions to donate and share their decision with family members.”

Nationally, there are more than 107,000 men, women and children awaiting a transplant with more than nine thousand residing in Texas. Last year an average of 18 people died each day waiting for an organ that never came. Online registration is available at www.donatelifetexas.org.

So just how much is having a "name brand" logo on your person worth to you?? Is it the savings your after or the social climbing? Is there a status that you feel necessary or some how makes you more worthy?? Well wearing fakes can only make you worthy of wearing an orange jumpsuit and a jail sentence!

According to the Houston Police Department, one of the largest counterfeit goods raids in recent history went down this week where tthousands of fake Louis Vuitton, Coach and Jimmy Choo purses were boxed up and confiscated. The HPD Major Offenders Division said it also took in hundreds of fake name-brand shoes.

The allegations are that they were all sold by a small businesses located inside the Armadillo Flea Market on Airtex near Interstate 45 North.

“We had support from ICE and also the Harris County District Attorney’s office. We are such a small squad that, to do something of this magnitude, we do turn to other agencies that enforce it also and they help us. Without them we obviously couldn't do it,” said Sgt. Frank Quinn.

For more than a month, HPD said it sent undercover officers into the stores with cash.

Eight people were arrested and charged with trademark counterfeiting -- a felony in the State of Texas!

Others who weren't targeted by police sure didn't want to hang around.  As soon as investigators moved in Sunday afternoon, they quickly locked up their stores and took off running.

That doesn't mean they are safe from the long arm of the law however,

“I did notice it, and really you have to select a target that you can live with at the time,” Quinn said.

Approximately 281 boxes of counterfeit goods containing 11,000 pieces were gathered up with police saying the manufacturers suggested retail price of the goods was approximately $5 million.

See DISHIES...it doesn't pay to be fake!

P.S....Who in the world would knock of Coach?? It's cheap and ugly enough isn't it??

If you are, join us!

If you aren't we can make you feel that way!! From the 21st to the 25th The Grand Wine and Food Affair will be going on and you are invited to help make this wonderful event...well...grand! =)

There will be an auction along with some of the most amazing wine and food from the area! Specialty dinners with winemakers and chefs all over the two cities, a sip and stroll and of course a Grand Tasting among other fun activities.

CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets and DISH will see you there!!

Have a great week...=)