OTBR: First Jaunt on the New Xmas Snowshoes

Latitude: 44.351700° N
Longitude: 71.729896° W

A child on a road trip with his family asks, "Where are we?" and the father answers, "Let's check the map. We're off the blue roads [the Interstate Highways marked in blue on the road atlas]. We're off the red roads [the US and state highways]. We're off the black roads [the county highways]. I think we're off the map altogether." It was always my dream to be off the map altogether.

After the jump, a few of the random places (and I mean random literally) that I visited vicariously last month that are "off the blue roads".

The Latest Stupidest Depression in History

Lord d'Abernon

Ron Paul (R-TX) has a bestseller, "End the Fed," in which he calls for a return to the gold standard as the surest prevention of inflation. Although he hasn't won many converts among economists, he has sold a lot of books. Besides Paul, the Fed has picked up enough critics among politicians that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke recently won confirmation for a new term by the slimmest vote margin in history.

After the jump, a different, more accurate criticism of the Fed.

My Dialog with George Clayton

George Clayton

This week, The Dallas Morning News recommended Geraldine "Tincy" Miller for the GOP nomination for District 12 of the State Board of Education. I unenthusiastically went along. I wasn't enamored of Miller, but saw nothing in her opponent, George Clayton, for me to entrust the post to him. Clayton commented on the DMN's website, which led to a dialog between him and me concerning his position on science education. The upshot is that my doubts about his candidacy only deepened. I had hoped that a qualified, informed candidate who I could trust would put education above ideology would emerge to challenge Miller (like Thomas Ratliff has challenged Don McLeroy in District 9), but George Clayton is *not* that candidate. Miller may not be my ideal candidate, but George Clayton would be much worse.

After the jump, the transcript of my dialog with George Clayton.

Real Heroes or Real Suspicious

"We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by." -- Will Rogers

The Richardson Coalition PAC has announced the creation of what it calls its annual Real Heroes Award. The award will recognize "unsung heroes" whose service to the Richardson community is often overlooked. You know, the volunteers who work with youth groups, social services, health care providers, etc. Why is the Richardson Coalition PAC sponsoring this award? In its words, "The Coalition believes strongly in promoting the positive image of Richardson. This award will be an opportunity for the Richardson community to celebrate our many citizens who give to the community with no expectation of any personal reward."

After the jump, this skeptic's doubts.

State Board of Education Recommendations

The Dallas Morning News has made its recommendations for the State Board of Education (SBOE) District 9 and 12 races in the GOP primary. The SBOE is an elected 15 member board responsible for setting curriculum standards for Texas public schools. The three Rs. 1492 and 1776. Ho hum, right? Not if you care about Texas kids. Unless you've spent the last decade living on Pluto (not a planet anymore, by the way), you know that the SBOE has become the front line in the culture war over evolution, climate change, religion, everything from the Indian Wars to the Indian festival of lights, Diwali. (By the way, the argument over Diwali taught me that there are over 50,000 Hindus in north Texas. I didn't know that. Maybe my education, which didn't include Diwali, was deficient.)

After the jump, why one DMN recommendation is merely OK and the other patently obvious.

Berkner 70, Lake Highlands 53

From 2010 02 Berkner basketball

The Berkner High School boys basketball team returned to their winning ways Tuesday night with a 70-53 win at home over Lake Highlands. Berkner took an early lead and just kept adding to it. Berkner led by three after one quarter, by nine at the half, ten after three quarters and seventeen by the final horn. Berkner's Xavier Thomas led all scorers with 24 points. Teammate Glen Till had 19. Berkner stretched its District 9-5A leading record to 9-1 (24-5 overall) good for a ranking of 9th in the area by the Dallas Morning News. Lake Highlands is 6-4 in district (14-13 overall).

Photos from the game can be found here.

Open Mic Night: Tell it to the Judge

A month ago, Richardson City Attorney Pete Smith briefed the council on the status of a lawsuit brought by William Gordon, a losing candidate in the 2007 council elections. Gordon sued the City over the council's use of executive sessions, claiming they violated the city charter prior to a 2007 charter amendment that authorizes closed sessions.

After the jump, new developments in the story.

"Dissension" on the Richardson School Board

Kay Waggoner

Dissension, if you can call it that. Jeffrey Weiss, in The Dallas Morning News Richardson blog, reports that the Richardson (RISD) school board voted, with no nay votes and only one abstention, to name Kay Waggoner the lone finalist for the RISD's next superintendent. That abstention is what Weiss, perhaps with tongue in cheek, referred to as the "dissension" on the school board.

After the jump, who abstained and why.

"Honor Flight" Veterans Reunion

From 2010 01 Honor Flight

Honor Flight™ is a network of volunteers established for the express purpose of getting as many WWII veterans as possible to Washington, DC to view the World War II Memorial. Honor Flight™ was originally set up in Ohio in 2004 by Earl Morse. Honor Flight™ of Dallas was established in September 2008 to bring this wonderful effort to the Dallas/Ft Worth/North Texas area, honor the service of the WWII Veterans in this region, and to take as many of them as possible to view THEIR memorial in the nation's capital. Veterans travel absolutely free.

After the jump, more about our local veterans.

"Lock, Take, Hide" Reconsidered

One of our east Richardson neighbors parked his car overnight in his rear-facing driveway recently and found it in the morning jacked up with one wheel stolen. The Richardson police officers who responded to the call indicated that three other vehicles in the area were similarly vandalized with all four wheels stolen from each. They assume that the thieves involved may have been interrupted since they took only one of the wheels from our neighbor.

The Richardson Police Department publishes a "Crime Prevention Handbook" with tips to reduce auto theft and auto burglary.

1. Never leave your vehicle running while unattended.
   
2. Always lock your car and completely close your car windows when parking.
   
3. Do not leave your keys inside your car.
   
4. Always park in a well-lighted area.
   
5. Keep all valuables out of sight.
   
6. Use auto theft deterrents.
   
7. Park in your garage.
   
8. Don't leave the registration or title in your car.
   
9. Etch VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) on windows and major parts.
   
10. Drop business cards or other ID inside vehicle doors.

This is all good advice, I'm sure, but curious that I am, I'd like to see more supporting statistics for some of the items.

After the jump, my own thinking on the subject.