Who Needs the NSA to Erode Privacy?

Ernestine: What's that Mr. Veedle? Privileged information?... that's so cute. You're dealing with the phone company, Mr. Veedle. We are not bound by city, state, or federal regulations. We are omnipotent.

Source: Lily Tomlin as Ernestine.

A lot of people are apoplectic over the NSA's surveillance program that captures metadata from phone calls (which numbers are calling which numbers). In the past, courts have ruled that persons have no expectation of privacy about this data, which seems to be a surprise to many. Look folks, this isn't news.

After the jump, privacy from the days of Ernestine to Twitter.

Indie Game (2012)

IMDB

Indie Game (2012): Nerds hope to get rich writing video games. Maybe if you're into Super Meat Boy or Fez. Even then, play, don't watch. D+

Who Is Encroaching on Nature Now?

In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World.

Source: Henry David Thoreau.

"My dream of a greater Spring Creek Nature Area may be over. My dream of a greater Richardson isn't." That's what I wrote back in April, 2011, when I saw bulldozers and construction cranes encroaching on the biggest, best chunk of natural area left in Richardson. Blue Cross plunked down a huge office building to the south. The City of Richardson accommodated it by cutting a wide gash through the forest for the Routh Creek Parkway. That big empty lot north of Renner Rd was rezoned for development (and now, two years later, major development is finally underway). The Spring Creek Nature Area was getting sliced up and hemmed in on all sides. Didn't anyone see what Richardson was losing?

In that blog post from two years ago, I conceded that my dream of preserving wildness was just another quixotic dream of mine. Sigh. But I challenged the city to think long and carefully before they allowed more development of the land surrounding the Spring Creek Nature Area. It has to be done right, I said, in a way that organically transitions between nature and neighborhood, in a way that enhances both park and commerce.

After the jump, so who's encroaching on Spring Creek Nature Area now?

Richardson: Suburb or City?

Off and on for a long time, I've blogged about what I call my quixotic dream to rip up Central Expressway through Richardson and replace it with a people-scaled grand boulevard or central park. I call it quixotic because I know it will never come true. Dallas and Plano and Allen and McKinney would never, ever, allow it. So, my calls to tear out Central in Richardson are mainly aimed at provoking thought. I'm playing devil's advocate in an attempt to get people not to reflexively think that adding lanes is the solution to all traffic problems. And when they do add lanes anyway, I want to get them to do it in a way that's least disruptive to the street networks and community the freeway passes through.

Last week, Rodger Jones, editorial writer of The Dallas Morning News, wrote about my quixotic dream on the News' transportation blog. He paired my attention to Central Expressway in Richardson with the attention that is being given to tearing out IH-345 in downtown Dallas. Patrick Kennedy, the CarFreeInBigD guy behind the calls for the IH-345 tear-out, ripped Rodger Jones but left me alone (I think -- Kennedy rambles a lot).

I'm going to overlook most of what Kennedy said because he focused on IH-345, but I do want to respond to one thing he said about suburban freeways. After the jump.

Listen Up, RISD

June 15, 2013, Joint Run-off Election
Richardson ISD Place 4 Board of Trustees:
Lanet Greenhaw - 76% (3,463)
Rachel Chumney - 24% (1,100)

You just had a close escape, RISD. Now, listen up. After the jump.

Managing RISD's $250 Million Budget

Question: What qualifications and experience do you have to oversee the RISD's $250 million budget?

Rachel Chumney: The best thing that I can do in this role is the fact that I'm a good researcher, I'm wise, and I'm fiscally conservative, and I'll research the dickens out of something.

Source: RichardsonISDVideo
(starting 51:00).

A runoff election for Place 4 on the Richardson ISD Board of Trustees will happen on June 15 (early voting June 3-11 at Richardson Civic Center). The runoff is between incumbent Lanet Greenhaw and Rachel Chumney. I endorsed Lanet Greenhaw in the joint election on May 11. I endorse her again in the runoff. The question above is one reason why.

If you think that someone whose qualification for managing a $250 million budget is that she will "research the dickens out of something" might not be ready to be put in charge of the RISD budget, then you might want to look beyond Rachel Chumney for a better candidate.

Look, Rachel Chumney is a nice enough person. She's just not qualified for school board. Don't rely just on the quote I found telling. Listen to Chumney's whole answer (starting 51:00). Then, compare with Lanet Greenhaw's answer (starting 49:45). No contest. Vote for Greenhaw.

• The Dallas Morning News VOTER GUIDE
  
• League of Women Voters of Richardson VOTERS GUIDE
  

---

See also:

• The Other Election: RISD Place 4
  
• Preparation for School Board
  
• Experience with Racial or Religious Minorities
  
• Technology in our Schools
  
• Attendance at School Board Meetings
  
• 6th Grade: Elementary School or Middle School?
  
• Advocacy for Public Schools
  

Advocacy for Public Schools

Question: An important role for a board member is legislative advocacy on behalf of all of the children of RISD. Give an example of your efforts over the past year or two.

Rachel Chumney: The first thing I do is I vote. I have voted since I was eighteen years old. I stay on top of things. I am committed to using my vote.

Source: RichardsonISDVideo
(starting 40:43).

A runoff election for Place 4 on the Richardson ISD Board of Trustees will happen on June 15 (early voting June 3-11 at Richardson Civic Center). The runoff is between incumbent Lanet Greenhaw and Rachel Chumney. I endorsed Lanet Greenhaw in the joint election on May 11. I endorse her again in the runoff. The question above is one reason why.

If you think that someone whose resume of legislative advocacy highlights the filler "I vote" might not be ready to be school board trustee, then you might want to look beyond Rachel Chumney for a better candidate.

Look, Rachel Chumney is a nice enough person. She's just not qualified for school board. Don't rely just on the quote I found telling. Listen to Chumney's whole answer (starting 40:43). Then, compare with Lanet Greenhaw's answer (starting 39:33). No contest. Vote for Greenhaw.

• The Dallas Morning News VOTER GUIDE
  
• League of Women Voters of Richardson VOTERS GUIDE
  

---

See also:

• The Other Election: RISD Place 4
  
• Preparation for School Board
  
• Experience with Racial or Religious Minorities
  
• Technology in our Schools
  
• Attendance at School Board Meetings
  
• 6th Grade: Elementary School or Middle School?
  
• Managing RISD's $250 Million Budget
  

6th Grade: Elementary School or Middle School?

Question: Do you support or oppose moving sixth grade out of the elementary schools and into a more traditional middle school environment?

Rachel Chumney: I oppose it. Middle school is awful and children need to be in middle school as little as possible.

Source: RichardsonISDVideo
(starting 35:12).

A runoff election for Place 4 on the Richardson ISD Board of Trustees will happen on June 15 (early voting June 3-11 at Richardson Civic Center). The runoff is between incumbent Lanet Greenhaw and Rachel Chumney. I endorsed Lanet Greenhaw in the joint election on May 11. I endorse her again in the runoff. The question above is one reason why.

If you think that someone who thinks middle schools are "awful," whatever that means, might not be a good fit for school board trustee, then you might want to look beyond Rachel Chumney for a better candidate.

Look, Rachel Chumney is a nice enough person. She's just not qualified for school board. Don't rely just on the quote I found telling. Listen to Chumney's whole answer (starting 35:12). Then, compare with Lanet Greenhaw's answer explaining why she opposes moving sixth graders into junior high (starting 37:06). No contest. Vote for Greenhaw.

• The Dallas Morning News VOTER GUIDE
  
• League of Women Voters of Richardson VOTERS GUIDE
  

---

See also:

• The Other Election: RISD Place 4
  
• Preparation for School Board
  
• Experience with Racial or Religious Minorities
  
• Technology in our Schools
  
• Attendance at School Board Meetings
  
• Advocacy for Public Schools
  
• Managing RISD's $250 Million Budget
  

Review: 86: A Collection of Poetry

Amazon

From 86: A Collection of Poetry, by William Gordon:

Hart  
I've much too much to ever tell --
My feet have chilled on steps from hell,
My lips are blue and frozen shut --
I now carefully skate when I used to strut,
Working my way out of a very dark place --
Step by step with the wind to my face,
I walk on ice in fear but soundly --
A deep cold frost on those around me,
Trudging onward in spite of my doubt --
A relentless search for the one way out,
In pursuit of the warmth of the setting sun --
Lost on a journey I should have never begun"

Poetry by Richardson's own William Gordon. My review, after the jump.

5 Broken Cameras (2012)

IMDB

5 Broken Cameras (2012): Documentary of Palestinian village resisting Israeli settlements. Important history. Not compelling filmmaking. C+