Late Spring in the Steger Garden (2012)

From Flowers

Another photo after the jump.

Repeat Tweets: Don't Believe Conventional Wisdom

Repeat tweets from May, 2012:

• 2012 05 01 - Forum for candidates for State Board of Education, District 12, Tuesday night. Be there to support our public schools. http://t.co/yBtrC8hB
  
• 2012 05 01 - Maybe I'm not following enough Twitter users, but the *only* candidate I see hyped for "One Man Dallas" is @amiromar. He must be a shoo-in.
  
• 2012 05 01 - Osama bin Laden is still dead. President Obama killed him. Just thought I'd say it. There seems to be some confusion about it.
  
• 2012 05 02 - China removes some highway tollgates. Traffic increases 20%. Some suggest leaving tolls in place to control traffic. http://t.co/iXsouGbO
  
• 2012 05 02 - Headline: "Coroner: UK spy found in sports bag likely killed." Have they ruled out suicide?
  
• 2012 05 02 - Don't believe conventional wisdom. US oil production is up; China trade surplus is down; Mexican immigration to US has reversed.
  
• 2012 05 03 - Headline: "Study finds dramatic drops in L.A. beach pollution since 1970s." Score: Gov't Regulation 1, Free Market 0. http://t.co/tQPLQdSi
  
• 2012 05 03 - Advice to new C-USA schools. Use Velcro to attach your new conference patches to your uniforms. If you're still in C-USA when they arrive.
  
• 2012 05 04 - RT Kevin: "MOVIE FANS, GEEKS REJOICE!! THE DFW ALAMO DROUGHT IS OVER !! SOO excited. Richardson is LUCKY!!!" http://t.co/IHuCc2nq
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

November 22, 2013: Still Not Classy

From 2012 05 Dallas

As usual, Unfair Park's Jim Schutze pretty much nails it. He reports how Dallas has created a committee to plan events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination in Dealey Plaza. In Schutze's telling, the committee is made up of "rich, fancy-pantsy, old people determined to keep a lid on it." Schutze objects to the "money bags" trying to control the conversation.

I have a slightly different angle on the same objection. Schutze quotes Mayor Mike Rawlings as saying, "The objective is to send the simple message to all that are outside the city, throughout the world, that the citizens of Dallas honor the life and legacy of JFK."

After the jump, what's wrong with Rawlings's phrasing.

"Unavailable" Does Not Mean "Easy Access"

On March 5, 2012, the City of Richardson launched a new design for the city's website. It's been almost three months since then? What's your verdict?

Personally, I find that whereas the redesign might look a little more modern (maybe), I can't find information any more easily than before. One of the goals of the redesign was to make the website friendlier to mobile devices. That's good, but I can't comment on it as I don't access the website except on full-sized screen connected to a desktop computer.

After the jump, what is a killer issue for me.

Mariners 21, Rangers 8

From 2012 00 Miscellaneous

21-8. That's not a football score. That's the score the Seattle Mariners ran up on the Texas Rangers Wednesday night. The game was a disappointment, but I do have to say we had good seats. Or a good view. Or something.

Another photo after the jump, to prove we were there.

Twelve Not So Angry Men (and Women)

From 2012 05 Dallas

Yesterday, I reported what I was up to all last week. Called to jury duty on Monday in Dallas County civil court, I was selected and served until Friday before the jury reached a verdict and was discharged by the judge.

For those interested in the case (DC-10-02003), I'll summarize after the jump.

Jury Duty No-Shows

From 2012 05 Dallas

Editorial writer Jim Mitchell of The Dallas Morning News says that jury duty no-shows are a problem with no solution. He says less than 20% of the residents of Dallas County who are summoned for jury duty actually show up. Based on my recent experience, that sounds about right. Assuming the juror numbers are sequentially assigned based on summonses, 277 people had to be summoned to create a 42 person jury pool for the trial I was called for last week.

After the jump, why it's a problem.

DeGolyer Welcomes Chihuly

From 2012 05 Chihuly

An exhibition of glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly is on display at the Dallas Arboretum May 5 - November 5.

More photos from our Memorial Day visit after the jump.

Service Interruption

From 2012 05 Dallas

The Wheel is on a short hiatus, due to circumstances beyond my control that I am not allowed to talk about, under penalty of law, or something like that.

Richardson Citizens For A More Democratic Government

According to the Form 8871 filed with the IRS, there's a new 527 organization as of May 15, 2012. It's the "Richardson Citizens For A More Democratic Government."

What's a 527 organization?

A 527 organization or 527 group is a type of American tax-exempt organization named after Section 527 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 527). A 527 group is created primarily to influence the selection, nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates to federal, state or local public office.

Technically, almost all political committees, including state, local, and federal candidate committees, traditional political action committees, "Super PACs", and political parties are "527s." However, in common practice the term is usually applied only to such organizations that are not regulated under state or federal campaign finance laws because they do not "expressly advocate" for the election or defeat of a candidate or party. When operated within the law, there are no upper limits on contributions to 527s and no restrictions on who may contribute. There are no spending limits imposed on these organizations; however, they must register with the IRS, publicly disclose their donors and file periodic reports of contributions and expenditures.

Source: Wikipedia.

After the jump, what this filing can tell us about this new organization that wants to change Richardson's city charter.