CityArts Festival at Fair Park (2011)

From 2011 05 Fair Park

For photos of all the fun at the CityArts Festival at Fair Park in Dallas, look here.

What's The Matter With Politics?

You don't have to be an Einstein to know something is the matter with politics. Politics is frustrating to anyone with any training in, say, business or science or engineering. British economist Tim Harford, in an interview with The Washington Post's Ezra Klein, pinpoints a key difference between politics and these other human endeavors.

After the jump, risk analysis.

Cottonwood, Cotton Belt, Cotton Fields

From 2010 03 High Five

Texas is on pace to have the first road building project to feature a road wider than it is long. OK, maybe that's exaggerated, but it has the ring of truthiness.

After the jump, the evil genius scheme behind Texas's road building plans.

Cheers and Jeers: Tornado Edition

"Jeers: To CBS 11's chief weather guy, Larry Mowry, for being the new 'Chicken Little.' He keeps interrupting the TV programs to bring us a weather update every time a clap of thunder occurs."
-- Harlan Wood, Grapevine, in Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 14, 2011

Just ten days ago, Fort Worth Star-Telegram panned Channel 11 for taking thunderstorms in Tornado Alley seriously, worthy of informing its viewers about. Since then, at least 120 people were killed in a tornado in Joplin, Missouri. Just Tuesday night, 8 more people were killed in a tornado in Oklahoma City and several more in Kansas and Arkansas. Let's never get blasé about them, OK?

After the jump, north Texas's turn to duck and cover!

Build the Wall. Not that Wall.

From 2011 03 16 Xian

Let's build a wall. Not at the Mexican border. Around Dallas. At Loop 12. Or maybe at IH635. I dunno. Ask Jim Schutze.

First, it was Patrick Kennedy lobbying to tear out the downtown freeways in Dallas. He still tolerates freeways between cities and mass transit solutions like DART inside cities. Just not freeways inside cities. A daring suggestion, but not without precedent.

After the jump, The Dallas Observer's Jim Schutze raises the bet.