A Bad Reason to Vote YES

Regarding Richardson's charter amendment election for direct election of the mayor, there are arguments to be made both for and against. Some are good and some are ... not so good. The following is a particularly bad reason to vote YES:

Tammany Hall was the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in controlling New York City and New York State politics for decades. Sound familiar Their infamous leader was "Boss" Tweed---perfect name. Interesting that those who want the City Council to select the Mayor from their inner circle are so desperate to confine the decision making and bypass the voters. What harm could possibly come from the citizens having a voice in selecting the chief executive of their city?

Source: Allan Garonzik.

The first sentence describing Tammany Hall is historically accurate. But in trying to connect this to direct election of the mayor in Richardson, Allan Garonzik gets the facts wrong and stands history on its head. After the jump, correcting bad history.

Review: The Information

Amazon

From The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood, by James Gleick:

Where, then, is any particular gene -- say, the gene for long legs in humans? This is a little like asking where is Beethoven's Piano Sonata in E minor. Is it in the original handwritten score? The printed sheet music? Any one performance -- or perhaps the sum of all performances, historical and potential, real and imagined?"

After the jump, my review.

S2L77: Jurong Bird Park

When you think of the tropics, you think of tropical birds, right? If so, then Singapore's Jurong Bird Park is just the place to start a visit to southeast Asia. I can't say how many bird parks there are in the world, but this park bills itself as the world's largest, in number of birds. Even if you aren't into birds, the park makes for a relaxing break from the crowded, bustling city of Singapore.

From 1977 01 29 Singapore

After the jump, more photos.

Floyd Branch, RIP

What do you call it when a creek is buried? A loss? A shame? A crime against nature? None of those, at least from the City of Richardson's viewpoint. How about a drainage improvement? A possibility of future development? That's what the City of Richardson is calling it as they bury the Floyd Branch Creek in exchange for a new right turn lane.

Construction is set to begin in November on drainage improvements within the Floyd Branch Watershed, which collects drainage from 2.6 square miles in south central Richardson and eventually flows to White Rock Lake.

The improvements include the installation of a new right turn lane along westbound Main Street from Interurban Street to the US-75 northbound frontage road and construction of a new bridge over Floyd Branch Creek at West Phillips Street. The bulk of the work will be to install an underground concrete drainage system through portions of downtown Richardson north and south of Main Street between US 75 and the DART rail line.
...
In addition to improving the decades-old drainage system, improving drainage system deficiencies will also allow for the possibility of future development since current conditions have been a costly deterrent to redevelopment along the City's Main Street and Central Expressway corridors.

Source: City of Richardson.

After the jump, why this is all so damned depressing.

Berkner 50, Pearce 37

From

Richardson Berkner High School celebrated Junior High Band Night with a big win over J J Pearce, 50-37, Friday night at Ram-Wildcat Stadium. It was a wild game, with over 1,000 total yards of offense by the two teams combined. Berkner's multiple threat Calvin Jones (pictured) had 331 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns. Pearce's Geoffrey Nwarie (pictured after the jump) had 209 yards rushing.

More photos after the jump.

Mayoral Referendum: VIPs Speak Out

With my recent blog article collecting all my previous thoughts on the Richardson city charter amendment election calling for direct election of the mayor, I thought I was done with blogging on the subject until after the election.

After the jump, two events that draw me back to the keyboard.

Meet Tincy Miller and Lois Parrott

There was another debate Tuesday night: the League of Women Voters (LWV) sponsored a forum for the candidates for the District 12 seat on the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE), Geraldine "Tincy" Miller and Lois Parrott.

What's the SBOE? Knowing you'd ask, the LWV selected as the very first topic the audience question, "What is the mission of the SBOE?" Miller answered first: to manage and protect the Permanent School Fund (PSF), to define curriculum, and to review and select textbooks. Parrott agreed.

After the jump, what the candidates promised to do to achieve that mission.