Playing Us Off The Stage

As an aging Baby Boomer, I'm acutely aware of both my generation's outsized influence on American culture over the last fifty years and on its inevitable passing. It strikes home at events like the Oscar ceremonies where I found myself familiar with more faces in the "In Memoriam" tribute than with faces of the young presenters of the awards. Symbolically, I pictured the whole Baby Boom generation, standing on the stage, giving its acceptance speech for the "lifetime achievement" award, when the first faint notes of the orchestra begin to be heard, signifying our time is up, it's time to leave the stage.

After the jump, other signs of approaching obsolescence.

Wings Under Water

Jessica Cox is a normal, adventure-loving 27 year old woman with a bachelor's degree, a black belt in tae kwon do, a pilot's license, and scuba diving certification. But there's something she doesn't have -- arms. Born that way, she has demonstrated that determination and a positive attitude can result in great achievements. She carries that message around the world as a motivational speaker.

One group that she has motivated is a team of engineering students at Northwestern University who have used Jessica Cox's life as inspiration for their senior design project -- to design scuba controls that can be operated by armless divers like Jessica using their feet alone. Another group of Northwestern students, from the school of journalism, documented the engineering students' project:

If I Were On the Texas SBOE

By now, you are likely well aware of the brouhaha triggered by the Texas State Board of Education's proposed standards for the teaching of history and social studies to Texas schoolchildren. Everyone has weighed in on the subject. Today, The Dallas Morning News' Jacquielynn Floyd calls the SBOE a "whacked-out troop of underqualified ideologues ... [who] make us look like a bunch o' goobers in the eyes of the whole nation." Speaking of whacked-out ideologues, conservative talk radio host Mark Davis, in the guise of the "Textbook Ref", tells us how he personally would referee the disputes.

So, at risk of belaboring a point, after the jump I weigh in on how I would have behaved if I were on the SBOE.

Transit-Oriented Development in Richardson

Has DART been a boon to development in Richardson? Rodger Jones, in The Dallas Morning News Transportation blog, says no, or at least not yet:

"My observation, from my daily commutes on the Red Line, is that TOD [Transit-Oriented Development] has been slow to develop near DART stations. ... Because DART rail moves along former railroad right of way, it goes largely through warehouse, commercial and light industrial corridors where attractive development won't happen."

After the jump, my analysis.

Level 6 of the High 5: Cottonwood Trail

High Five

From 2010 03 High Five

No matter how many times I drive through the intersection of Interstate 635 and US 75, the engineering marvel never fails to impress. This modern Stonehenge is called the High Five, but few people know that there's actually a sixth level winding through that labyrinth of highways.

After the jump, more about the sixth level.

And They're Off: RISD School Board Races

They are out of the gate. Monday was the deadline for filing to run for the Richardson ISD (RISD) school board in the May 8 election. Eight candidates filed for three positions.

After the jump, what the candidates have told us about themselves.

Cooperate With The Census

In the next week or so, every household will receive a census form in the mail. You can take the anti-government Tea Party position that the census asks too many questions and intrudes on our privacy and refuse to fill it out. Or you can take the practical approach and cooperate because it's in your self interest to do so. The census is used to determine everything from who represents you in Congress to how much federal money your state and county receive. Besides, not completing the census is against the law.

After the jump, my own argument for cooperating with the census.

Sex Education Could Get Interesting in RISD

Jennifer Najera Hague

Monday was the last day to file to run for any of the three seats on the Richardson ISD (RISD) school board up for election May 8. And all three seats drew multiple candidates. Three of the candidates look like they could make the election one to watch.

After the jump, a first look at our potential new trustees.

OTBR: Underneath a Prickly Pear Cactus

Latitude: 32.826301° N
Longitude: 111.248299° 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".

David Smith Gives A Tea Party And Nobody Comes

David Smith

Pete Sessions easily won re-nomination for his Texas Congressional District 32 seat in Tuesday's GOP primary with over 83% of the vote. Fifty points if you can name the opponent he defeated. ... Time's up. It was David Smith.

David Smith is a blogger for the Dallas County Republican Examiner. He's up with a post-mortem of his campaign. He calls it a wrap-up but he can't quite bring himself to admit it's really over: "Well, it began here, it ends here--or perhaps I should say, it continues here!"

After the jump, what Smith has to say about his loss.