Why Have a City Planning Commission?

At its September 10 meeting, besides approving a gas station in the Spring Valley Station District Planned Development, Richardson's city council also considered zoning changes requested by a developer in support of a 56-unit independent living facility in the Shire development at the Bush tollway and Jupiter Rd. The vote to approve was unanimous, 7-0.

After the jump, what caused my eyebrows to rise.

Growth, Debt, and Social Equity

David Brooks, columnist for The New York Times, lays out this to-do list for the next President:

The next president has to do three big things, which are in tension with one another: increase growth, reduce debt and increase social equity.

Source: New York Times.

After the jump, my assessment of the candidates' abilities to accomplish each big thing.

Defending One's Honor

Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing;
'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed.

Source: Othello Act 3, scene 3.

Remember duels? For centuries, a duel was considered an acceptable way to resolve disputes involving personal honor. Insult me, or insult my family, and by God, sir, I will have satisfaction (even if someone ends up dead).

After the jump, whatever became of that reckless, overwrought practice?

Zombie Gas Station at Brick Row

Source: City of Richardson.

Back in December, I blogged about a poorly suited idea for a prime spot for transit-oriented development (and by transit, I don't mean cars).

One request is for rezoning with special use permit for a gas station at the corner of Spring Valley and Centennial. That's right across the street from the new Brick Row development. Brick Row already has plenty of apartments. What it needs is retail, something to boost that whole neighborhood around the DART station. There'll be thousands of pedestrians getting on and off those trains every day. Why do we need a gas station there to greet them? It's 20th century thinking in a 21st century neighborhood.

Source: The Wheel.

That special use permit for a 7-Eleven gas station at Brick Row was rejected by the planning commission. Before consideration by the Richardson city council, it was withdrawn at the applicant's request.

Thought that was the end of it? Hardly. Like in all good zombie movies, the threat from zombies is never really dead and gone. After the jump, the return of the living dead.

What Citizenship Means in Plano

Do you believe that citizenship entails responsibilities as well as rights? That asking only what's in it for me is unworthy of our nation's founding ideals? Or do you believe such a notion of citizenship is irrational, even dangerous? If you live in Plano, you might want to read on. Someone wanting to represent you has pretty strong opinions on the subject.

After the jump, what citizenship means in Plano.

A Word About Public Servants

Unfair Park's Jim Schutze, scourge of Dallas city government, made a confession last week:

like most reporters who cover local government over time, I have developed a totally grudging, unwilling, unexpected and, frankly, awkward admiration for people drawn to public service.

I sure as hell ain't gonna do it. And couldn't. Wouldn't be any good at it. Few of us would. But some people just are, and our system of government and civic politics is very good at recruiting those few among us who do have the gift.

The thing you do not get from media coverage -- sure as hell not from me very often -- is how good the good ones are and how rare is the gift.

Source: Unfair Park.

After the jump, my own confession.

Lake Highlands 34, Plano West 19

From 2012 09 07 Plano West vs LHHS

The Lake Highlands Wildcats defeated the Plano West Wolves 34-19 Friday night in non-district action at Wildcat-Ram Stadium. Both schools are now 1-1 on the season.

More photos after the jump.

The H-Bomb of this Election

From former President Bill Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention:

But it gets worse. They also want to block grant Medicaid and cut it by a third over the coming decade. Of course, that will hurt poor kids, but that's not all. Almost two-thirds of Medicaid is spent on nursing home care for seniors and on people with disabilities, including kids from middle class families, with special needs like, Down syndrome or autism. I don't know how those families are going to deal with it. We can't let it happen.

Source: President Bill Clinton.

David Frum, former economic speechwriter for President George W. Bush, says, "The nursing home argument is the H-bomb of this election."

After the jump, how H-bombs are not precision weapons.

Of Buffaloes and Polar Bears

I'm reading a biography of Teddy Roosevelt. I'll have more to say about that when I write my review (maybe like how it's completely understandable that a political party might deny evolution when it's own history descends from Abraham Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt to George W. Bush). For now, I want to talk about one item of Teddy Roosevelt's biography - his reputation as a big game hunter. One offhand comment by Roosevelt in earning that reputation caused me to question one of my fundamental beliefs about society: "Roosevelt wistfully remarked that he would like to shoot a buffalo 'while there were still buffalo left to shoot.'"

After the jump, why I was so discouraged about this sentence ... and what it has to to with polar bears.

Review: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Amazon

From The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce

Harold felt winded. If he moved so much as a limb, a muscle, he was afraid it would trigger an abundance of feeling he was doing his best to contain. Why had he left twenty years pass without trying to find Queenie Hennessy?"

After the jump, my review.

OTBR: A Wheat Field in the UK

Latitude: N 52° 18.702
Longitude: E 000° 19.710
A child on a road trip with his family asks, "Where are we?" and the father answers, "Let's check the map. We're off the blue roads [the Interstate Highways marked in blue on the road atlas]. We're off the red roads [the US and state highways]. We're off the black roads [the county highways]. I think we're off the map altogether." It was always my dream to be off the map altogether.

After the jump, a few of the random places (and I mean random literally) that I visited vicariously last month that are "off the blue roads".

Repeat Tweets: Lyin' Ryan

Repeat tweets from August, 2012:

• 2012 08 06 - I wish Richardson would spend a tenth of the effort keeping residents informed about redevelopment plans as it does about mosquito spraying.
  
• 2012 08 06 - The Second Amendment was our Founding Fathers' biggest Fail, except for that whole thing about Slavery. #no-one-is-perfect
  
• 2012 08 08 - Life of Super-Earths, by Dimitry Sasselov: Surprising pairing of alien worlds and the origin of life. Easy read on the latest science. C+
  
• 2012 08 09 - "Nancy Brinker’s Komen shakeup too little and way too late" http://t.co/z0UcBcX7
  
• 2012 08 09 - Headline: "July Set Mark as U.S.’s Hottest Month" Weather isn't climate blah, blah, blah. OK, expect lots more weather like this. http://t.co/kI3nmPGv
  
• 2012 08 09 - Breaking: Greenhouse gases lead to global warming leads to extreme weather. ... Breaking news from 1997, that is.
  
• 2012 08 11 - Romney/Rand 2012: Bold VP pick by Romney -- a woman and an atheist for VP. But how is that possible? Isn't Ayn Rand dead? ... oh, nevermind.
  
• 2012 08 11 - McCain/Palin 2008. Romney/Ryan 2012. Why does the GOP keep putting their preferred candidate in the second slot of the ticket?
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

Allen Eagles 24, Southlake Carroll Dragons 0

High school football is back in action. The Allen Eagles inaugurated their new stadium in style Friday night with a 24-0 shutout of the defending state champions Southlake Carroll Dragons. Attendance exceeded the 18,000 seating capacity of the stadium, as several thousand standing-room-only attendees lined the railings along the wide concourses of the new stadium.

What Does $60 Million Buy?

$60 million buys an 18,000 seat high school football stadium. That's the price tag approved by the voters of the Allen school district for a new stadium for the Allen Eagles football team. The Eagles' first game in their new stadium will be Friday night against the defending state champion Southlake Carroll Dragons. Naturally, it's a sellout.

After the jump, what $60 million does not buy.

Continental Inn Opens In Richardson

That's right. A new hotel. In southwest Richardson. And what a nice hotel at that. "Handsome." "Beautifully decorated." "Contemporary design." "Tropical surroundings." I don't know how I missed this news when it happened, but better late than never. Here it is. Enjoy.

October 12, 1960

The Dallas Continental Inn, recently completed in Richardson, opened to the public last weekend, and Texas-Oklahoma football fans quickly filled the handsome new Electronic City motor hotel and gathering place to capacity.

Dallas Continental Inn is located on the west side of Central Expressway off Floyd Rd., only a few minutes from downtown Dallas. There are 60 rooms now, with ground space for an additional 40. The rooms are beautifully decorated in either turquoise or

(continued on Page 2)

Source: The Richardson Echo.

Magnet Schools and Racial Segregation

Last week, I blogged about one person's fear that the Richardson ISD (RISD) is restricting enrollment at one elementary school to students who speak Spanish. (That person was misinformed, but it did prompt some good discussion about the RISD's enrollment policy.) Yesterday, I blogged about the efforts of the RISD to get out from under decades-old federal court supervision regarding racial segregation.

All this talk made me wonder about the effects of magnet schools in Richardson. After the jump, what I always thought the purpose of magnet schools was and what now has me questioning that.

Racial Segregation and Richardson Schools

That sounds like a headline out of the distant past, right? If you consider 1970 ancient history, then yes, it would be. But I'm talking about 2012. The Richardson Independent School District (RISD) is *still* under the watchful eye of the federal courts, as this news item from the RISD explains:

05/31/12
Richardson ISD has been operating under a federal desegregation order since 1970, which imposes federal judicial supervision on various district operations. Many school districts around the state and country have operated under civil rights-era desegregation orders.

Over the years, many of those districts have successfully sought unitary status -- which is the process through which a district asks the court to dismiss the desegregation litigation.

The RISD Board of Trustees authorized the district to begin the process of seeking unitary status in 2009, so that more local control would be returned to the district, which will enhance operational efficiency and flexibility.

To obtain unitary status, a school district must establish that it has eliminated the vestiges of past discrimination and that is has complied with the court's orders.

The federal court has set this matter for trial beginning June 11, 2012. RISD is hopeful that the court will agree that the district has attained unitary status and that federal supervision under the 42 year old court order no longer is necessary.

Source: RISD.

After the jump, what's new in the case and how it ties in with a recent discussion on these pages.

Guess the Park

Which Richardson park is this a photo of?
After the jump, another perspective of the same view.

Late Summer in the Steger Garden (2012)

From Flowers

Another look, after the jump.

Don't Speak Spanish? No School for You.

Overheard in the town square (aka Facebook):

I heard something this past week end that just appalled me if it is true, hope someone can answer it for me. I heard that if Spanish is not your first language you can not enroll in Richardson Heights Elementary, I certainly hope that is not true of any school in the United States of America unless it is a private school. Anyone know if this is true???

Source: Facebook.

Appalling, sure. If it is true. If. There's the Constitution and all that, right? Equal protection of the laws. So, of course it's not true. So, how can anyone believe that blatant discrimination by a government agency could possibly be true? Maybe because it is. Kinda. Sort of. Not really, but close enough for high dudgeon on Facebook, anyway.

After the jump, the possible source of the misunderstanding.

Happiness Is Lubbock, Texas, in my Rear View Mirror

Lubbock County Judge Tom Head and Commissioner Mark Heinrich went into great detail Monday night on FOX 34 News @ Nine about why it is necessary to raise the tax rate by 1.7 cents the next fiscal year.
...
Judge Head said he and the county must be prepared for many contingencies, one that he particularly fears, is if President Obama is reelected.

"He's going to try to hand over the sovereignty of the United States to the UN, and what is going to happen when that happens?," Head asked.

"I'm thinking the worst. Civil unrest, civil disobedience, civil war maybe. And we're not just talking a few riots here and demonstrations, we're talking Lexington, Concord, take up arms and get rid of the guy.

"Now what's going to happen if we do that, if the public decides to do that? He's going to send in U.N. troops. I don't want 'em in Lubbock County. OK. So I'm going to stand in front of their armored personnel carrier and say 'you're not coming in here'.

"And the sheriff, I've already asked him, I said 'you gonna back me' he said, 'yeah, I'll back you'. Well, I don't want a bunch of rookies back there. I want trained, equipped, seasoned veteran officers to back me."

Source: Fox34 News.

What's there to say? I understand what prompted Mac Davis to write the title to that classic song about leaving Lubbock.

A Curious Public Hearing on the Budget

Gregory (Scotland Yard detective): "Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?"
Holmes: "To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time."
Gregory: "The dog did nothing in the night-time."
Holmes: "That was the curious incident."

Source: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

The Richardson City Council held a public hearing on the proposed budget for fiscal year 2012-2013 and the proposed tax rate of $0.63516 per $100 valuation.

Members of the public got their five minutes in the spotlight to come before the council and find fault. You know the drill. Taxes are too high. You're spending too much. You're spending on the wrong things. You're loading up our children with an unbearable burden of debt. You're corrupt. You're stupid. You're not listening to us (that is, to me).

After the jump, the curious turn that Monday's public hearing took.

Review: Absolute Monarchs

Amazon

From Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy, by John Julius Norwich

The next two popes, Stephen V and Formosus, died in their beds, but on the orders of his successor, Stephen VI, the body of Formosus was exhumed in March 896, eight months after his death, clothed in pontifical vestments, propped up on a throne, and subjected to a mock trial on charges of perjury and of coveting the Papacy."

After the jump, my review.

A Bridge. A Trail. A Fail.

Recently, I talked about bridging some divides in Richardson. I focused on West Spring Valley Rd because there are good things beginning to happen in southwest Richardson. I talked about bridges and creeks and parks and pedestrians and cars. There's a place in east Richardson where these careabouts all come together in miniature, at the intersection of Yale Blvd and Apollo Rd, where Duck Creek flows under the streets.

After the jump, catching up at an urban planning fail that's so easy to solve, why hasn't it been fixed?

Chemical Warfare in Richardson

Source: Life Magazine.

If you're reading this, it means you survived last night's aerial bombardment in Richardson's escalation of chemical warfare against the lowly mosquito. Hallelujah!

After the jump, all I'm going to say about that.

Bridging the Divides in Richardson

Source: City of Richardson.

A week or so ago, the City of Richardson announced they had bought the old Continental Inn and had begun demolition of it in anticipation (I presume) of reselling it to a private party for redevelopment. This week, the Richardson City Council reviewed plans for rehabilitation of West Spring Valley Rd, including designs for bridge renovations. This is all good news. After years of talk, this long-neglected part of our city is finally making visible progress towards redevelopment.

A back story to the bridge renovations also contains good news. The city appears to have engaged the neighborhood in the process. The result is a design that's modern and, more important, popular with nearby residents. The process for coming up with that bridge design highlighted a divide between city planners and local residents, a divide that's been bridged (pun fully intended).

After the jump, some of the divides that remain.

Taxation Without Representation in Richardson

In comments to a previous post, a reader charges that Richardson practices taxation without representation. Of course, that's the practice of the English Parliament that led to the American Revolution. It's not democracy. It's tyranny. In other words, it's pretty serious, tri-cornered hat kind of stuff.

After the jump, does our reader have a case?

Repeat Tweets: A Bake Sale for Science

Repeat tweets from July, 2012:

• 2012 07 01 - "Bake sales can't fund the exploration of space" http://t.co/T5cFajnz
  
• 2012 07 03 - My theory why Texas GOP is on record against teaching "critical thinking skills." They mistake critical for faultfinding, not analytical.
  
• 2012 07 04 - Mark's Stylebook: Be careful this year sorting the photos that accompany your stories. Don't confuse Higgs boson tracks with fireworks pics.
  
• 2012 07 05 - Organizers of petition drive to force referendum on direct election of Richardson's mayor claim to have the signatures needed. Submit today.
  
• 2012 07 06 - Texas. Dead last in adults with HS diploma. Now, dead last in health care. You get what you pay for. http://t.co/SfvhoZj7
  
• 2012 07 06 - Richardson Public Library's new long-range plan includes the goal "Continue to dream and plan for the future." Dreaming is good.
  
• 2012 07 06 - Kudos to David Morgan, new City of Richardson Deputy City Manager and winner of the Eddie Munster lookalike contest. http://t.co/J9Lt4zh3
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

Richardson's Budget - Black or Red?

If you've been a regular reader of this blog for more than a year (I'm deeply sorry) then you know of my quest for a "balanced budget." Each year, Richardson claims to have a "balanced budget," yet often expenditures exceed revenues. What gives?

In 2011, when I last explored this subject, I came to two conclusions.

First, that Richardson considers the budget to be balanced if expenditures are less than revenues plus reserved fund balance, and other financing sources.

Second, that over a multi-year cycle that reserved fund balance sometimes has a surplus that can be drawn down, and sometimes it doesn't. So, even with the more common dictionary definition of balanced budget, one that doesn't consider reserved fund balances, Richardson's budget is cyclically balanced, even if year by year it might run slight deficits or surpluses.

Still, my hope each year is this will be a year in which Richardson doesn't rely on reserved fund balances to make up for an excess of expenditures over revenues. I vowed I wouldn't make a big deal of it again this year, but I confessed that I wouldn't be able to resist taking a sneak peek at those bottom line revenue and expenditure numbers.

After the jump, that sneak peek. Revenues vs expenditures. Black or red. Which is it?

Online Clues to Election Politics

It's said that in 2008, the Wikipedia entry for Sarah Palin was modified, presumably by campaign staffers, dozens of times in the day or so before she was named by John McCain as his pick for Vice President.

So, this year, Wikipedia entries for Paul Ryan, Rob Portman, Tim Pawlenty and others have been closely watched. Then, Wikipedia itself put an end to this potential tip-off by locking those entries, supposedly to keep pranksters at bay. Way to mess things up, Stephen Colbert.

So, that set me to thinking. Are there any similar indicators, closer to home, that might be telling us something about the state of Richardson's own city council elections in 2013? After the jump, maybe a clue.

OTBR: A Ladybug by the Baltic Sea

Latitude: N 58° 34.662
Longitude: E 022° 27.960
A child on a road trip with his family asks, "Where are we?" and the father answers, "Let's check the map. We're off the blue roads [the Interstate Highways marked in blue on the road atlas]. We're off the red roads [the US and state highways]. We're off the black roads [the county highways]. I think we're off the map altogether." It was always my dream to be off the map altogether.

After the jump, a few of the random places (and I mean random literally) that I visited vicariously last month that are "off the blue roads".

What Are Roads For?

What are roads for? The Dallas Morning News's Michael Lindenberger prompts that question in a Transportation blog item that should be required reading for every urban planner in Richardson. (Is there such a job?)

Lindenberger's subject is the plan to tear down the S.M. Wright freeway in southern Dallas and build a six-lane parkway in its place. Some local residents want the city to go even further and narrow that road to four lanes. That would enable wonderful things:

Use the left over land to provide incentives to small business, community non-profits, shops and more to be built along the new road.
...
The movement is part of a bigger trend, and one that has taken hold in some corners of Dallas too. The idea challenges the prevailing wisdom in Dallas -- readily apparent in this project -- that traffic relief is the first and best reason for building roads. Slow the traffic down, some argue, and you give the neighborhood a chance to breathe.

Source: Michael Lindenberger.

After the jump, what neighborhood in Richardson needs that "chance to breathe?"

2012 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) refers to the federally mandated accountability system required by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

All public school districts, campuses and the state are evaluated annually for AYP. A Texas AYP Workbook is approved annually by the United States Department of Education (USDE) and meets the requirement to evaluate all districts and campuses for AYP. Please refer to the AYP website for more in-depth information.

Source: TEA.

2012 AYP scores are out. Half of the state's schools did not meet the federal AYP requirement. The Dallas Morning News says that the Plano ISD (PISD) was "hit hard."

After the jump, Richardson ISD's scores.

Review: Life of Super-Earths

Amazon

From The Life of Super-Earths, by Dimitry Sasselov

Today, two efforts have placed us on the verge of completing the Copernican revolution. One is the discovery of a new Earth. The other is the era of synthetic biology. These two milestones are going to teach us about our place in the universe in ways we could never have imagined."

After the jump, my review.

In Southwest Richardson, It's Always Friday

Source: Hermansen Land Development, Inc.

Yesterday, I reported how I became owner of a hotel, namely, the aging Continental Inn in southwest Richardson, which the city bought (for $2.2 million) and has commenced tearing down.

After the jump, what the city plans to do with the property.

I Now Own a Hotel

Perhaps you heard the news: "Richardson Purchases Property On Central Expressway". That property is home to the Continental Inn. That makes you, Richardson resident, a hotel owner. But not for long. The hotel is a drag on redevelopment and is being demolished.

We can hope that the city council has a plan that's unfolding here, maybe a developer waiting in the wings to step forward and buy that property from the city (and maybe others nearby) and announce plans to build a new hotel/shopping/restaurant/residential complex that will spur a renaissance for all of southwest Richardson. We can hope that, because otherwise, Richardson just spent $2.2 million for a vacant lot and a dream.

After the jump, a few questions about the deal.

Summer in the Steger Garden (2012)

From Flowers

She loves me. She loves me not.

Overheard at Chick-fil-A

"Being against gay marriage doesn't mean I'm anti-gay."

Um, yes it does. Just like being against inter-racial marriage means you're racist. It kind of goes with the territory, by definition. Don't deny the obvious. Instead, fall back on your next defense, explain why you're anti-gay.

"I'm just trying to live my life according to the Bible."

No, not really. Or only selectively. There are dozens of outdated rules in the Bible. Why are you so obsessed with the biblical comments about homosexuality when you don't give a flip about prohibitions against eating shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, mussels, etc., or any of the many other behaviors that are supposedly abominations before the Lord? For the answer, see above.

After the jump, more conversations overheard at Chick-fil-A.

What To Do With Main Street

Richardson's Main Street is an unappreciated bit of living history, a sadly neglected town center that time passed by as Richardson grew up all around it. Maybe, just maybe, that's about to change. The city has initiated a Main Street/Central Expressway Corridor study to explore redevelopment opportunities for old downtown. The public's careabouts for the area are being gathered through public meetings and an online survey and questionnaire, available through August 30.

After the jump, my responses to the survey.

Richardson's Next Mayor: Alan North

Artist's rendering

Too soon? Hear me out. The Richardson City Council put a proposition on the November election ballot that asks voters to approve an amendment to the city charter to provide for the direct election of the mayor. Now it's up to the voters. Who's going to vote against a populist notion like letting voters choose their own mayor? So, expect the amendment to pass. That will change the May, 2013, city council elections. Instead of electing seven council members, voters will elect a mayor and six council members. Who has to be an early frontrunner for mayor? None other than the man who organized the petition that forced the council's hand -- Alan North.

After the jump, considering the chances of Richardson having a Mayor Alan North.

A City Election in November This Year

Academic politics is the most vicious and bitter form of politics, because the stakes are so low.

Source: Wallace Stanley Sayre.

Sayre was right ... with one possible exception, the politics surrounding the method of choosing the City of Richardson's mayor.

Richardson will hold a city election in November in conjunction with the presidential election. Normally, city elections are held in May, separate from the partisan bickering that dominates the November elections. But because of a petition organized by Alan North (at unknown cost), the November ballot will also ask Richardson voters to amend the City Charter to replace the current method of selecting the mayor with direct election by the voters.

After the jump, what it means.

Review: Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power

Amazon

From Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power, by Steve Coll:

"I'm not a U.S. company, and I don't make decisions based on what's good for the U.S." -- Lee Raymond, CEO of ExxonMobil"

After the jump, my review.

The Olympics: A Look Back at Beijing

With the 2012 Olympics set to open in London, I couldn't help thinking back to the opening of the 2008 Games in Beijing. John was there, outside the stadium, and even made the briefest appearance on the "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams." That's him, above, at the 1:29 mark of the video. Good times.

Three years later, Ellen and I were lucky enough to make our own visit to the site of those 2008 Games. Things were much quieter in Beijing in the spring of 2011 compared to the excitement in the summer of 2008, but the site is still impressive and worth a visit. After the jump, photos of the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube.

Review: The Year of Magical Thinking

Amazon

From The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion:

I did not yet have the concentration to work but I could straighten my house, I could get on top of things, I could deal with my unopened mail. That I was only now beginning the process of mourning did not occur to me. Until now I had been able only to grieve, not mourn. Grief was passive. Grief happened. Mourning, the act of dealing with grief, required attention."

After the jump, my review.

First Landscape Buffers, Then Signs

Earlier, I riffed on the folly of cities requiring landscape buffers between the sidewalk and business parking lots. Screening eyesores from passersby does nothing to solve the root problem: ugly parking lots. Why not create regulations that lead businesses to make those parking lots more inviting to passersby rather than just try to hide them? Challenge those designers who are designing bridges to rethink the parking lot instead.

Walk with me, after the jump.

DCI at Lake Highlands HS

Every summer Drum Corps International (DCI) makes Lake Highlands High School's Wildcat-Ram Stadium a stop for one of its marching band competitions on its nationwide tour. This year, the performing ensembles included (in order of finish):

• The Cadets - Allentown, PA
  
• Santa Clara Vanguard - Santa Clara, CA
  
• Bluecoats - Canton, OH
  
• Madison Scouts - Madison, WI
  
• Boston Crusaders - Boston, MA
  
• Blue Knights - Denver, CO
  
• Crossmen - San Antonio, TX
  
• The Academy - Tempe, AZ
  
• Glassmen - Toledo, OH
  
• Cascades - Seattle, WA
  
• Forte - Dallas, TX
  

As always, it was a great show for the large crowd that always turns out to appreciate the music, the marching, and the great effort shown by these hundreds and hundreds of young musicians.

More photos after the jump.

Eroding a Landscape Buffer

The Burger King on Campbell Rd west of Central Expressway is going to get torn down and rebuilt. Woot! The requirement for a certain sized landscape buffer along Campbell Rd is going to give way to make room for more parking. Boo! Burger King insists they need more. Ever more. Everything that's wrong with urban design today is caused by the insatiable demand for parking.

After the jump, the real problem with the Burger King parking lot.

Review: Eisenhower: The White House Years

Amazon

From Eisenhower: The White House Years, by Jim Newton:

As word trickled through the crowd, Lloyd Berkner, America's official representative to the international committee hosting the conference, graciously acknowledged the work of the Soviet scientists. 'I wish to make an announcement,' he called out. 'I've just been informed by the New York Times that a Russian satellite is in orbit at an elevation of 900 kilometers. I wish to congratulate our Soviet colleagues on their achievement.'"

The above quote does not have anything to do with Eisenhower, but it does have something to do with Richardson, Texas. Lloyd Berkner is none other than the man for whom that high school in Richardson is named. Berkner the man is nearly forgotten today, but that high school bearing his name is a reminder of how important Sputnik and the Space Race were to all Americans in the late 1950s. It's almost impossible to imagine today just how important. That alone makes the Eisenhower presidency important, too.

After the jump, my review.

"You Didn't Build That"

When we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together.

Source: President Barack Obama.

That doesn't sound controversial, does it? So, why are Republicans making it sound like President Obama issued the Communist Manifesto in his comments this week at a campaign rally in Roanoke, Virginia? Wait, you say that I'm taking the sentence above out of context? That Republicans want to take a different sentence out of context? Republicans are making hay out of another sentence. "If you've got a business -- you didn't build that."

And by Republicans, I have to include Mike Hashimoto, editorial writer for The Dallas Morning News. Hashimoto takes that one sentence and proceeds to tell readers that the words "pull back the curtain on some personal truth, a core belief" of President Obama. For Hashimoto, "I think it's pretty clear that this is a president -- of the United States -- who has little appreciation for the American way and certainly the American Dream. To his mind, if government doesn't provide it, it's not worth having." [Emphasis his.]

That's a lot of mind-reading there. Thankfully, Americans don't have to read President Obama's mind on the subject. They don't have to read paragraph after paragraph of Hashimoto's own explanation of all that President Obama meant by that one sentence, the only one Hashimoto bothers to quote. Americans don't even have to ask President Obama himself to explain what he meant. He already did. Just read the full context -- a context that Republicans invariably strip from the retelling -- and you know exactly what President Obama meant.

After the jump, the full context.

How to Repair Streets the Best Way

Stop worrying about the potholes in the road
and celebrate the journey.

Source: Barbara Hoffman.

This just drives me crazy. The City of Richardson is facing numerous serious challenges. The redevelopment of Main Street/Central Expressway Corridor is just the latest major project kicked off by the city. The redevelopment of the West Spring Valley Corridor and the greenfield development around the PGBT DART station are two others that are still supposedly underway. I say supposedly because they haven't been on the council agenda much lately.

After the jump, what the city council thinks is more deserving of its limited weekly meeting time.