Aloha, Garland

Geography is something of a lost science. With air transportation a fact of life, however miserable, there's no destination on earth that's not accessible with a day or two of travel. I think that's taken the urgency out of geography: Why bother to become familiar with points on a globe when a click of a mouse or a call to American Airlines can put you right there? Combine those factors with the reality that we live in an insulated country that places little educational emphasis on the countries and cultures outside of our borders and you have a recipe for relative geographic ignorance. Which is my excuse for not knowing where the hell Polynesia was before a quick Wikipedia detour. And I'm sticking with that excuse, despite the fact that Polynesia does in fact extend to American territories. In my geographic haze, I didn't realize that Polynesia refers to nearly 1,000 small islands in the Pacific, including Hawaii, Somoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands and Tahiti. The cultures of these islands are known for their generosity, a welcoming nature and joyful music and dance. Experience this for yourself as the Plaza Theatre, 521 W. State St. in Garland, hosts a night chock full of Polynesian food, dance and possible geographic enlightenment during Journey to Polynesia. The event begins at 6 p.m., and tickets are available at the door for $15. Call 972-351-4463 for more information.
Sat., Aug. 23, 6 p.m., 2008