Tiger And The Press: Made For Each Other

Michael Landauer says Tiger Woods "doesn't get to dictate how his return to the spotlight will go." Sure he does. He can do as he wants and the press can decide whether or not to cover him. The only thing Woods can't insist on is that the press should leave him alone. Little chance of either side wanting that, though.

Government of the People, by the People, for the Corporation

"Corporations pay for half of what we're going to do here ... We have to think about them as well as the people who go in and vote."
-- Richardson Mayor Gary Slagel

After the jump, what was Slagel thinking?

Should Public Schools Promote Godly Character?

How Christian Were the Founders?

Was Jesus one of America's Founding Fathers? If you care about what your children are taught about science and history in Texas public schools, then you'll want to pay attention this election year not only to the governor's race but to some obscure races down the ballot for the State Board of Education (SBOE). According to Unfair Park:

"This could be the election that decides exactly how much power religious ideologues hold over the board that shapes the education for 5 million public school students in Texas."

Last year, the seven members of the religious-right faction on the SBOE successfully steered the science standards to include wording that undermines evolution. This year, the SBOE is tackling social studies, seeking to include language that revises American history to promote Christianity. For the fundamentalists, takeover of education is but a step towards a larger goal, takeover of government. In an article this week, The New York Times explains the fundamentalists' strategy:

"As Cynthia Dunbar, another Christian activist on the Texas board, put it, 'The philosophy of the classroom in one generation will be the philosophy of the government in the next.'"

After the jump, what the SBOE candidates themselves had to say at a League of Women Voters forum in Richardson Wednesday evening.

Spending Millions on "Sprinkled, Iced-Turds"

It's Monday night and you know what that means: open mike night at the Richardson City Council meeting. This week's meeting had only one visitor taking the opportunity to address the council. Andrew Laska, president of the Richardson Heights neighborhood association, voiced his support for the list of projects in the proposed 2010 bond package, projects that will benefit his neighborhood, including a new Heights recreation center and aquatics center. (By the way, why don't people call swimming pools swimming pools anymore?)

After the jump, a losing council candidate's opinion of rec centers and swimming pools.

I'd Cancel My Season Ticket, If I Had One

Remember the old joke: I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out? It was never funny, but it was useful in highlighting how commonly accepted fighting is in professional hockey in America. Wikipedia even has an entry for "Fighting in ice hockey" that starts with a clarification: "This article is about condoned fighting in ice hockey. For disallowed violent acts, see 'Violence in ice hockey.'"

After the jump, a north Texas hockey player opens up about fighting.