Friday Night Update

Well, once again, we've fallen behind in posting updates. I guess that's what you get with an all-volunteer site like this. Life and work sometimes get in the way of our conversation. I've been working on some seriously complicated things at work that have totally drained me to the point where I've not felt much like working on the blog.

I've also got to say that the political climate right now is just depressing to listen to. I'm almost scared to log onto Facebook lately, for fear of what stupid posts I'll see from people with conspiracy theories, hate, and vitriol for our elected leaders and politicians. There are a lot of assertions and very few facts, which apparently is just how America likes it, since that is what works at the ballot box. I'm only 41, but the partisan divide is about as bad as I've ever seen it. I won't fall into the mental laziness of blaming "all politicians" though. It's clear to me that the Republican party and its elected leaders and candidates are so beholden to the Tea Party that they are no longer working on finding any common ground to solve our country's problems. Everything with them has to be hard-right, with no room for compromise. Their opinions are not worthy of respect, because they are not even based on facts anymore. Don't get me wrong, I think there are plenty of good people out there who call themselves Republicans, or are genuinely conservative, and there is room to agree or disagree on their mainstream opinions. But these bunch of radicals who have taken over are just beyond hope. They really make me sad for the state of education and the virtue of critical thinking in this country. Anyhow, that's enough of my rant. Here are some news stories:

Flower Mound Council may be looking to oust the Town Manager, Harlan Jefferson. The Council will hold a special meeting Saturday at 3 p.m. to "Discuss and consider employment status of Town Manager". I'm not sure what that's about, but there's some discussion on the Cross Timbers Gazette article, and on Facebook.

Denton County released the results of the aerial mosquito spraying, saying that it killed 56% of mosquitoes, and 60% of the species most responsible for carrying West Nile virus. It's a good reduction, but falls short of what had been predicted by the vendor. I also have my doubts about the representativeness of the sampling, and whether we have control numbers to compare to so that we can deduce that the spraying decreased numbers more than nature would have. The real number of mosquitoes killed could be quite a bit higher, or quite a bit lower. Anecdotally, I'll say that I've seen a lot more lately around my place. I was out the other night, and was getting eaten up, despite having 2 applications of Off! spray.

A bill has passed the U.S. House to allow water to once again be pumped from Lake Texoma to Wylie for treatment. The law was needed because federal law currently prohibits the transfer of invasive species like zebra mussels across state lines.

The Denton Record Chronicle has an update on the progress of the I-35 expansion project. The final environmental hurdle has been cleared.

An eight-year-old Lewisville girl saved her dad's life by calling 911 when he had a heart attack.

What do you think about having a "maker" space in the Lewisville Library? It looks cool to me. I wonder what it would cost, and whether demand would support it?

Mark Glover says the late Edward Marcus, one of the founders of Flower Mound, was killed by his Flower Mound-New Town project.

Makers vs. Takers - why it's important to understand this common Republican meme.

The website 270towin.com has tools to predict the Presidential election. They've got a neat simulator tool that uses the latest polls from each state to generate probabilities and show scenarios. I've run this simulation numerous times, and out of a dozen times, Obama wins 11, and Romney wins 1.


"Where the West Begins" is a bronze sculpture exhibit showing at the Medical Center of Lewisville Grand Theater, starting September 28th, and going through November 3rd.

How did Lewisville Lake get its name? Bet you were dying to know that.

Crutch words that almost everyone who writes is guilty of using at one point or another. Guilty. But sometimes, there is meaning in those words. For instance, I think it's important not only to say what you want to say, but to convey how confident you are with it, and what you think about it.

A tradition of justice and healing: Denton County Children's Advocacy Center

Uncertainty? Not so certain anymore. I have a hard time wrapping my head around this, but I'll have to adapt, because that's how science rolls. What you accept as fact, and take on faith may change as scientists learn more. It suits nobody to stand on faith or ideology when it comes to nature's laws.

Children of immigrants outperform children with native roots, when their school conditions and socio-economic status is the same, says a study from Johns Hopkins researchers. Hispanics and Asians had comparable results.

If you are allergic to bee stings, oh, I don't know, but maybe beekeeping isn't the best occupation for you.

Don't screw with the frogs either.

Interesting political posters.

The Dog Paradox