Wings Under Water

Jessica Cox is a normal, adventure-loving 27 year old woman with a bachelor's degree, a black belt in tae kwon do, a pilot's license, and scuba diving certification. But there's something she doesn't have -- arms. Born that way, she has demonstrated that determination and a positive attitude can result in great achievements. She carries that message around the world as a motivational speaker.

One group that she has motivated is a team of engineering students at Northwestern University who have used Jessica Cox's life as inspiration for their senior design project -- to design scuba controls that can be operated by armless divers like Jessica using their feet alone. Another group of Northwestern students, from the school of journalism, documented the engineering students' project:

If I Were On the Texas SBOE

By now, you are likely well aware of the brouhaha triggered by the Texas State Board of Education's proposed standards for the teaching of history and social studies to Texas schoolchildren. Everyone has weighed in on the subject. Today, The Dallas Morning News' Jacquielynn Floyd calls the SBOE a "whacked-out troop of underqualified ideologues ... [who] make us look like a bunch o' goobers in the eyes of the whole nation." Speaking of whacked-out ideologues, conservative talk radio host Mark Davis, in the guise of the "Textbook Ref", tells us how he personally would referee the disputes.

So, at risk of belaboring a point, after the jump I weigh in on how I would have behaved if I were on the SBOE.

Transit-Oriented Development in Richardson

Has DART been a boon to development in Richardson? Rodger Jones, in The Dallas Morning News Transportation blog, says no, or at least not yet:

"My observation, from my daily commutes on the Red Line, is that TOD [Transit-Oriented Development] has been slow to develop near DART stations. ... Because DART rail moves along former railroad right of way, it goes largely through warehouse, commercial and light industrial corridors where attractive development won't happen."

After the jump, my analysis.

Level 6 of the High 5: Cottonwood Trail

High Five

From 2010 03 High Five

No matter how many times I drive through the intersection of Interstate 635 and US 75, the engineering marvel never fails to impress. This modern Stonehenge is called the High Five, but few people know that there's actually a sixth level winding through that labyrinth of highways.

After the jump, more about the sixth level.

And They're Off: RISD School Board Races

They are out of the gate. Monday was the deadline for filing to run for the Richardson ISD (RISD) school board in the May 8 election. Eight candidates filed for three positions.

After the jump, what the candidates have told us about themselves.