Spring Valley Matrix: Be Afraid Of The Future

Movie franchise sequels tend to disappoint, then peter out altogether. Matrix Reloaded, Matrix Revolutions, anyone? That's the same feeling I got watching the third briefing of the Richardson City Council on the West Spring Valley Corridor Reinvestment Study. I'd seen it all before. It wasn't really answering any of the questions I had from the first movie. And it wasn't going anywhere. My take on the first two briefings can be read here and here. After the jump, my take on the third briefing.

Twitter Tracks: Preserve Richardson, Breckenridge, Organ Donation

Twitter tracks from June, 2010:

• 2010 06 01 - There's a new non-profit dedicated to preserving artifacts and photographs from Richardson history: http://preservationrichardson.org/
• 2010 06 02 - Travel old Route 66 today and see all the towns that died when the Interstate bypassed them. Then you'll know why cities don't cut the cord.
• 2010 06 02 - Remember Breckenridge? When the railroad (the freeway of its day) bypassed the town, it died. Richardson replaced it. http://goo.gl/dFuf
• 2010 06 02 - Headline: "THEFT At The 'Tonight Show.'" Surprised? Don't be, the stolen items were from wardrobe, not Jay's jokes. No one wanted those.
• 2010 06 03 - Baseball doesn't need another asterisk. The call was the call. Sure, it sucked. Deal with it. Move on.
• 2010 06 03 - Pitcher Armando Galarraga to umpire Jim Joyce after the ump's bad call at first base: "Nobody's perfect."
• 2010 06 03 - Headline: "Kagan pays 'courtesy call' on Cornyn." Yep, that's all it was 'cause she knows she can't expect any courtesy in reciprocation.
• 2010 06 04 - Headline: "New Study Shows Arctic Ice at Lowest Point in Thousands of Years." Don't worry, don't listen, they're scientists.
• 2010 06 04 - The Big Short: Story of investors who foresaw the housing collapse and knew how to profit. Great explanation for economic meltdown. Read it.
• 2010 06 05 - Excellent case for organ donation by someone whose family faced the agonizing situation. A must read from Richardson. http://goo.gl/bGcr
• 2010 06 05 - An Education: a girl, smart and clever beyond her years, in a hurry to grow up, gains wisdom as she gets ... an education. See it.
• 2010 06 05 - Women's lacrosse Final Four ref's conflict of interest taints Maryland's championship. NCAA screwed up... again. http://goo.gl/SdtQ
• 2010 06 05 - Arizona school mural whitewashed. When you say, "I am not a racist individual, but..." you confirm that yes, you are. http://goo.gl/KFM7

After the jump, more Twitter tracks.

Summer Road Trip (2010)

Chicago

From 2010 0707 Chicago

We're back. Seven states. Ten cities. Thirteen days. 2,932 miles. Countless good times and memories. Click on the links below to see where we went and what we were up to.

• Photos from Hot Springs, Arkansas
  
• Photos from Little Rock, Arkansas
  
• Photos from Memphis, Tennessee
  
• Photos from St. Louis, Missouri
  
• Photos from Springfield, Illinois
  
• Photos from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  
• Photos from Appleton, Wisconsin
  
• Photos from Suamico, Wisconsin
  
• Photos from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
  

Schmoozing, Walking Forums And Open Meetings

Yesterday we had a pop quiz on civics. The two questions dealt with compensation for public employees. Today's question deals with government transparency. It is prompted by Jim Schutze's report of a Dallas City Council meeting.

"Before the council bit into [a contentious issue], [Mayor Tom] Leppert called a 10-minute recess. This is where the real stuff happens. The microphones are off; they've stepped away from the dais; and all we can see out here in the peanut gallery is who's shmoozing whom."

The Texas Open Meetings Act forbids government bodies from deliberating public business in private serial meetings of less than a quorum (so-called "walking quorums") then ratifying their actions as a quorum in a subsequent public meeting. The question is, why is the schmoozing described by Schutze not an illegal "walking quorum?"

Nice Work If You Can Get It

Pop quiz time. Topic? Compensation of public officials. Get your blue books out. Use as many as you need. Take all the time you want. Open book. Consult with classmates. Whatever it takes to get the right answers.

After the jump, ... begin.

Good Luck, Amie Parsons

You'll need it.

Four months ago, GOP party primary voters denied nominations to two members of the State Board of Education (SBOE) representing north Texas. Don McLeroy in District 9 (northern Collin County and much of east Texas) and Tincy Miller in District 12 (much of north Dallas and Richardson) were rejected by Republican Party voters. McLeroy and Miller continue to hold their seats until the November general election. A month ago, the SBOE approved changes to the social studies standards used in Texas public schools. The lame duck far-right majority on the board dictated far-right changes, seemingly against the primary voters' wishes.

With the damage done, the SBOE has been out of the news lately and is likely to remain that way through the November elections. After the jump, why we should still care.

New Candidate, Same Old Spin

Recently, first-time candidate for Texas House District 102 Stefani Carter was caught plagiarizing lines from Barack Obama for her own stump speech. The wording of Carter's speech was thoroughly covered by many, but today I want to look at her side's defense against the charges of plagiarism and resume padding. It exhibits just as much political spin as her stump speech that got her in trouble.

After the jump, a case of political spin deconstructed.

Early Summer In The Steger Garden (2010)

From Flowers

152nd Northwestern Commencement

There has been no news from Richardson since last week because Ellen and I were in Evanston, Illinois, to attend Northwestern University's 152th commencement ceremony. John received his Bachelor of Science degrees in Industrial Engineering and in Manufacturing and Design Engineering.

The weekend's activities began with sightseeing around the Evanston area. First stop was the Baha'i House of Worship for North America, one of only seven Baha'i temples around the world. Next stop was the Evanston Art Center, the Grosse Point Light House, and the nearby beach. We then strolled Northwestern's beautiful campus, stretched out along the Lake Michigan lakeshore, a gem of a setting.

Commencement day began with a President's reception on the lawn of the Norris Center. The weather, like the day before, was sunny, hot and humid, at least until mid-afternoon when a line of fast-moving thunderstorms moved into the Chicago area. Commencement, an outdoor event scheduled for 6:00 pm at Ryan Field, was threatened when the skies opened up at 4:30 pm with torrential rain and hurricane-force winds. Trees were uprooted in nearby neighborhoods and some windows popped out of the downtown Chicago skyscrapers. But by 6:00 pm, the storm had passed and commencement went on as scheduled.

Convocation of the McCormick School of Engineering was held Saturday morning, at which diplomas were awarded. The weekend's festivities were capped off with John's friend Armand's graduation celebration hosted by his parents, in the Skyline Room of the Trump Tower in downtown Chicago. The spectacular view was outdone only by the hospitality of Armand's family. A fun time was had by all.

For more photos, look here.

Garland's Answer To "Tree The Town"

Richardson might have its "Tree the Town" initiative to plant 50,000 trees in Richardson over the next ten years. Now, Garland ISD is thinking of going one step farther -- growing its own trees. School board member Larry Glick's idea is to to give students training in horticulture and, as a byproduct, provide shade on school playgrounds as well. Garland ISD would start a tree farm, run by students who would both grow the trees and transplant them to playgrounds. Win-win.

After the jump, a look back at an Richardson effort to shade those playgrounds.