Fort Worth's Forward Thrust Making Fish Safe To Eat

We had ourselves a stormy morning here in North Texas. The stormy morning has moved east to Louisiana, so we are back semi-sunny, with cool temps in the 70s.

When the rain let up around noon I had had enough of going stir crazy, so I escaped stir and drove to Oakland Lake Park. Any other nearby walking option would have been too wet.

The powers that be have lessened Oakland Lake's previously, more dire, "Don't Eat the Fish" warning signs. Now the warning signs just say, "A Fish Consumption Advisory Exist for this Water Body."

I saw a couple guys fishing today. What if they couldn't read English? And ate the fish they caught, not knowing there was a Consumption Advisory in place? There are also signs forbidding boating or swimming in this lake. I would not want to swim in that water, but what would be so bad about floating my boat in it?

If this water is so bad, why are there so many turtles and birds happily using the lake? Not to mention fish happily swimming about.

If the water is so bad, why is there no effort to clean it up? Way back in the 1960s, Lake Washington, by Seattle, had gotten badly polluted. I think fishing and swimming were banned. Several Washington lakes were in bad shape. Then there was this bond election called Forward Thrust that included new water treatment plants, among a lot of other things, like building the Kingdome, re-doing Woodland Park Zoo, fixing up Pike Place Market, I forget what else was voted on in the Forward Thrust election.

As a result of decisions made way back then, Lake Washington and other bodies of water in the Puget Sound zone have been clean and safe now for decades.

Fort Worth could use a Forward Thrust type election. But that's not the Fort Worth Way. First off, to have a Forward Thrust you'd have to have people willing to vote and able to see the vision involved in the Forward Thrust.

I really don't think Fort Worth needs to be building a little fake lake and some canals that the people of Fort Worth have not voted to build. I think Fort Worth needs a Forward Thrust that does things like bringing Fort Worth up to modern city mode by building sidewalks. I have never been in any other city where I've seen so many people walking on dirt paths, where in other towns sidewalks exist. Where there are sidewalks they are often so narrow that two average plus-sized Texans couldn't meet without one having to step off the sidewalk.

Before building a fake lake I think Fort Worth should clean up the lakes that already exist.

And as part of Fort Worth Forward Thrust, how about fixing the eyesores in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historical District. Start with the New Isis Theater.

As part of Fort Worth Forward Thrust how about landscaping the freeway exits in town, like most towns on the west coast do? Or at least landscape and keep litter free the two exits to Fort Worth's main tourist attraction, that being the Stockyards. Here, go to my Eyes on Texas website and the webpage about the Stockyards, scroll down til you see the part about the Stockyard's freeway exits. There is a picture of one of the freeway exits at my old hometown of Mount Vernon, a little town of less than 30,000 that manages to keep its freeway exits landscaped and litter free.

I walked all over Tacoma last summer. Everywhere I walked there was a nice wide sidewalk.

Now I know the climate in Western Washington is more conducive to colorful landscaping, but how is it that many towns on the West Coast manage to hang huge flower baskets from lamp poles all over their downtowns? Leavenworth, in Eastern Washington, has a much more Texas type climate than the west side of the Cascades. Yet, little Bavarian-themed, tourist town, Leavenworth, has huge hanging baskets of flowers all over town and on the ground? How is it Leavenworth can do that, but a town like Fort Worth can not?

Go here and get a look at Leavenworth. Ask yourself if that little town can make itself into such a hugely popular tourist attraction, with no eyesores, why can't Fort Worth, with its 3/4 of a million people population, do a makeover of the Stockyards, that turns it into all it could and should be?

I know, it's not the Fort Worth Way. I know there is no way for the Fort Worth Way to change, when only 6% of the people bother to vote. That's sad. It could be so much nicer here with a little citizen backed Forward Thrusting replacing Ruling Junta Boondoggles that get undertaken with little public input or debate. I think the people of Fort Worth might learn to like it if they got together to Thrust Fort Worth Forward instead of letting the Ruling Junta take the town places the people don't really want to go.

Okay, I'm done venting over Saturday's debacle election. For now.

President John Tyler & Texas

There is a town in Texas called Tyler. I've got some blog stalkers that come from Tyler. I'm almost 100% certain Tyler, Texas is named after President John Tyler, due to a special connection between this particular president and Texas, which I'll get to below.

Some time back I was appalled to read about a survey that found that over 60% of Americans did not know when the American Civil War took place. I don't understand people who have no interest in history. I don't see how you can understand today if you don't know what happened in the past.

When Israel was having its recent problem with the Gaza Strip I was in the presence of a person who thought this was just the worst thing ever. I mentioned the Yom Kippur War and the Six Day War. She had no clue about either. This is a person who did now know why she grew up speaking Spanish on an island that was part of the United States.

Anyway, back to John Tyler. He was our first unelected president. Tyler had been vice-president for about a month when William Henry Harrison became the first president to die in office.

Do you know what one of the few things was that Tyler accomplished while president? Three days before James Polk took over as the next president the Republic of Texas was annexed to the United States. This was the accomplishment about which Tyler was most proud.

John Tyler had more kids than any other president. Fifteen. 8 by first wife Letitia, 7 by second wife Julia. Letitia died in 1842, a year after Tyler became president. It did not take John Tyler long to find a new wife. His son, John Jr. had fallen for a young beauty named Julia Gardiner. When John Jr.'s dad met Julia, he was smitten too.

The president began actively pitching woo to his son's girl friend. Julia became enamored of the president, but kept saying no to the let's get married question.

And then tragedy struck. On February 28, 1844 the president and an entourage of Washington elite were on board the new frigate Princeton taking a cruise on the Potomac for a demo of a new cannon, the world's biggest, called the Peacemaker. The crew did one test blast. Then another. Everyone loved the big boom so much that when they passed George Washington's Mount Vernon home someone suggested firing the cannon off one more time.

But that time the cannon exploded, turning the boat into a killing ground. Among the instantly killed were Secretary of State Abel Upshur, Secretary of the Navy, Thomas Gilmer and Julia's father. When Julia learned her dad was dead she collapsed in the president's arms. Tyler carried Julia off the burning ship.

Soon thereafter, 23 year old Julia had a change of heart and married the president in New York City on June 26, 1844. When they got married Julia was 5 years younger than Tyler's oldest daughter. Yes, the step-mom was younger than the step-daughter.

Some wag asked Tyler if he weren't a tad old to be marrying such a young woman. Tyler replied, "Pooh. Why, my dear sir, I am just full in my prime." Tyler was 54 when he married Julia.

Now here is an interesting factoid. John Tyler was born while George Washington was president (March 29, 1790). Tyler's youngest daughter, Mary, born when Tyler was 70 years old, died during the Truman administration, a span of 32 Presidents and more than 150 years.

Now that's your history lesson for today. When next I'm in the mood to give a history lesson it'll likely be about Tyler's successor, James Polk and how he was an inspiration for the dirty deeds of a psychotic maniac named Adolf Hitler.

An Invitation from the Arlington Conservation Council

Air Emissions from
Oil and Gas
Development in the
Barnett Shale & the Rest of Texas

Dr. Al Armendariz

Wednesday, May 13, 2009
7 pm
West Police Station
2060 W. Green Oaks Blvd.
Arlington, Texas

Everyone is invited to attend this free lecture. Dr. Armendariz is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and has written extensively on air quality issues related to industrial activity and gas drilling.

Presented by the Arlington Conservation Council and Green Arlington Foundation

What Is Wrong With Fort Worth?????

I tell you, it is now almost a decade old project trying to figure out why it is so different here, in Fort Worth, and Texas, than where I came from, that being the ultra fertile Skagit Valley of Washington state and the relatively small town of Mount Vernon. A town with a population of less than 30 thousand, where the population turns out when there is an election. A town that was picked, by a legit picking entity, as the Best Small Town in America, while Fort Worth went into an embarrassing ecstasy of celebration when an obscure Washington, D.C. lobbying group put Fort Worth on a silly list of what they claimed to be America's Most Livable Communities.

I tell you, I am just feeling a bit sorry for Fort Worth and the embarrassment that was Saturday's election. How can only 6% of you manage to vote? Do you not have any inkling of how badly your city is run? Apparently not.

I agree with FW Weekly, someone needs to go all Pancho Villa on Fort Worth and get this town to wake up. I'm thinking Don Young is just the man to kick some sense into this town. I come to that conclusion due to the email I just got from Don Young.

I'll copy it below..........

Dear Clyde & All-

The clarion call is still sounding, it just needs to blown louder because 94% of the people are still sleeping. After today, all this talk of resignation, disappointment and blame is counterproductive. Everyone gave it their best shot - good - but some ass still needs kicking. The "game" is not over, it's just waiting for some new players and a new strategy.

There is always Non-Violent Direct Action, that is, Civil Disobedience, something that hasn't been tried much in FW. Does that sound radical? Compared to Moncrief's actions and the gas drilling cartel's deeds, I think not. Even Al Gore is amazed that people are not exercising their right to clean air more directly. Here's what he told the New York Times last year:

“We are now treating the Earth’s atmosphere as an open sewer,” he said, ...."

"I can’t understand why there aren’t rings of young people blocking bulldozers,” Mr. Gore said, “and preventing them from constructing coal-fired power plants.”

If we believe in Dr. Aremendariz' study and all the others that prove the ill effects of natural gas production, delivery and generation, how can we not act in a more direct way? If voting doesn't do the job there are other methods of getting smog peddlers like Moncrief & Co. to pay attention.

If we believe they are guilty of environmental crimes that are hurting our children and us, how can we not do something more, something new. But that takes a certain kind of commitment that is lacking in Dirty Ol' Town - one that Moncrief keeps betting won't happen and, so far, he keeps winning.

I believe there is a direct connection between that lack of commitment, that un-willingness to act outside the norm, and the situation we find ourselves in today, the day after the election.

DY

Various Mother's Day Malfunctions at River Legacy Park

I made my Mother's Day call to my mommy on the drive to River Legacy Park to ride my bike. I didn't know if it'd be dried out enough for the mountain bike trail, but I was optimistic, because the Tandy Hills were dried out yesterday.

Well, I got to the mountain bike trail parking lot, saw the trail closed cable was not up. But I saw a lot of clumps of mud in the parking lot. Not a good sign.

I got my bike out, got it ready to ride, loaded it up and hopped on. When I went to switch sprockets the chain went all limp, stuck trying to make the switch. I didn't know what was wrong. I got all greasy getting the chain on the sprocket. I don't like getting greasy.

Got back pedaling again. Going up the first steep part, as I put pressure on the crank, the chain messed up again, going limp. This causes me to pretty much have to jump off the bike. The same thing happened again. Then a third time on a very steep uphill, I came very close to a bad wreck.

So, this was not being fun. In addition to the malfunction, the trail was very muddy, in way too many places. The mud began to build up on my tires. The trail should not have been open. Between the mud and the malfunction I decided to shortcut it out of there and head back to my van to see if I could figure out what was wrong with the chain.

I figured maybe the chain, gear shifting thing was malfunctioning due to needing to be lubricated. Lubrication seems to have become my go to fix-it solution. So, I sprayed some White Lightning on anything that moved and set off to pedal the paved trail for a few miles.

The first picture above is looking across the bridge that the paved trail crosses to get to the north side of the Trinity River. It was on this bridge that I had my best bobcat encounter, with the bobcat coming on to the bridge from the south side and me from the north, with us meeting in the middle. It was a friendly meeting.

The second picture is looking east from the middle of the bridge. There were a couple guys fishing on the left bank, well, the bank on the left in the picture.

There were a lot of people picnicking, barbecuing, walking, roller blading, skateboarding, biking and scootering today.

I'm thinking I may need to take my bike to a bike doctor. Does anyone know a good one? I've taken bikes to Bicycles, Inc. in Hurst a couple times with bad results. The first bad result was the gears sprockets needed to be replaced. And so Bicycles, Inc. did so. I get the bike back with the new gears, go to ride it and the chain has all sorts of problems.

So, I take the bike back to Bicycles, Inc. and am told that due to it being a new gear set, or whatever it's called, I needed a new chain, because the old chain had been worn in to match the old gearset. Why was this not taken care of in the first place? They had no good answer.

And then about a year ago my new bike was missing a couple spokes and the wheel had gotten out of round. So, I took it to Bicycles, Inc. I was told it'd be ready to pick up the following Tuesday. I go to pick it up. Ooops. They hadn't got it done. I was told they could get it done within a half hour. I said fine, I'll go to Wal-Mart.

When I got back to Bicycles, Inc. the wheel had been trued, as good as it could be, I was told.

I got out of there, put my bike back together, and found that the wheel was way wobblier than when I brought it in to Bicycles, Inc. This was to be my last time taking any business to Bicycles, Inc. in Bedford.

And then I kept getting one flat tire after another. After the fifth flat, or maybe the sixth, I figured out that the Bicycles, Inc. bike fixer guy had not put back the liner that keeps the spokes from causing flats.

I had a good place to get my bike worked on when I lived in Washington. There must be a good place somewhere in Texas.

Wal-Mart's Institutionalized Thievery

A guy named Stephan made the best comment ever, well the longest, if not the best, to one of my numerous bloggings where I whined about Wal-Mart's milk ringing up at $2 when, on the shelves and in big letters above, it says $1.98. This went on for well over a month. Then the signs went down to $1.97 and actually rang up at $1.97. Now it is back to $1.98 and ringing up at $1.98.

So, when I got the comment about Wal-Mart's pricing practices I hit the publish button and then decided I turned the comment into a blogging. Below is Stephan's comment...

Regarding Wal-Mart scanning different prices at the check out vs the advertised or shelf price.

You may be old enough to remember when items had the price marked on them, and the checker would call out the price of each item rung at the check stand. Checkers actually used to memorize the prices because they were so stable. Price tags on select items changed maybe once weekly for an advertised sale, or even more infrequently when the item went up in price.

Those were the good old days.

Price accuracy was a concern raised by unions when grocery and general merchandise chains first decided to go with the UPC bar code and eliminate marking the price on individual shelf items back in the late 1970’s. The stores saved a bundle eliminating the labor required to mark and change prices, and promised to pass these savings on to the consumer.

But the result of the technology is that it allows the changing of prices so quickly that price stability has gone by the wayside. With some chains there seems to be little coordination between the person who changes the shelf tag and the person who programs the price in the computer.

Some stores used to back up their claims of price accuracy by allowing any item in which the scanned price differed with the shelf tag to be either sold at the lesser price if the scanned price was less than the shelf tag, or the item was free or at the very least a discount was provided if it scanned at more than the shelf price. These policies created good will with the consumer who was compensated for the error and time it took for the price to be checked and the manager to make the override. After all, honest mistakes can and do happen. And when the store or company has to reach into their pocket to pay for an error, it is financial incentive for them to make sure that such errors occur less often.

However, it appears that dishonest “mistakes” occur far more frequently these days.

And such chains as Wal-Mart rank very high on the side of consumers being charged more at the check-out than they should be.

The Associated Press, among others, has reported several studies where shoppers have been overcharged by Wal-Mart stores at a rate that exceeds the federal guidelines of what is an “acceptable” norm for error. This is not just a particular store, mind you; the problem appears to be pandemic within the entire Wal-Mart chain. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal called the problem “a culture of inaccuracy.”

To personally avoid being a victim, I try to always shop with a pen in hand. I make very sure that what I pick up matches the shelf tag description and then I mark the shelf tag or advertised price somewhere on the label of the item. On produce with out a UPC code tag, I either mark the item itself or the bag that I place the item in. At check out, I request that the scanned price display be facing me and experience has taught me to not leave the store until I have analyzed the receipt for accuracy. All this takes time, but it saves me an expensive and even more time consuming return trip, by finding an “error” after I’ve already reached home.

What annoys me with chains like Wal-Mart, and Wal-Mart in particular, is that when an “error” has been discovered at the check out, that it is not immediately corrected throughout the store. Yes, I will get the item for the shelf price, but unless another shopper is as savvy as I have learned to become, they will not.

I have been told this by both the check out clerks and even a few “assistant” floor managers, interestingly, after they have told me that the cashier “shouldn’t have told me.”

The Wal-Mart “system is set up where only a few select individuals within the store are “qualified” to make the computerized correction, and more often than not, they are not around to “fix” the error at that time. I’m always apologetically told that the problem will be corrected, but when I’ve performed my own informal surveys, I’ve discovered that these “errors” may continue for literally a month or more on an item, without being corrected, even though each time I bring the issue up to a cashier or floor manager. So there is seldom any follow up to the lip service.

When traveling in different states at different Wal-Marts the story is unfortunately the same.

I have come to the conclusion that Wal-Mart literally banks upon these “errors” and has made the inefficiency of correction a model of corporate policy. As an individual I have not conducted a price check of every item Wal-Mart sells, but I can practically guarantee on a diverse purchase of 20 or more items there will be at least one or more pricing “errors.”

A not infrequent annoyance is when there is not even be a descriptive price tag for an item on the shelf and one must either locate assistance or find out what the price is at the check-out stand. .

Wal-Mart has the purchasing clout to dictate to manufacturers the packaging specs of what they sell. For example, if one shops exclusively at Wal-Mart, one may think that the Iams dog food company now only produces a 17 ½ pound bag of dry dog food, when it used to be packaged in 20 pound bags.

Not so. A call to Procter & Gamble (the corporate parent of Iams) will inform the consumer that Wal-Mart corporate headquarters specifically requested the lesser weight packaging, and because chains such as Wal-Mart are such large purchasers, they comply. You can still find the 20 pound bags at competing stores at competitive prices. This practice was not done to save shelf space as the two bags are the same size, only the weight is less.

A number 303 size can used to hold 16 oz, but today on Wal-Mart shelves you will find this to be 14 ½ oz or even less weight in a can that looks very close to the same size as it used to be. The shelving space is still the same so that is obviously not the rationale. So why is this occurring?

I may be wrong, but I strongly believe that this is corporate strategy where the consumer thinks he or she may be paying the same or less for an equivalent item at Wal-Mart when in reality the consumer is receiving less for the same price or paying more for less.

American Airlines reportedly saved $40,000 in 1987 by merely eliminating 1 olive from each salad it served its patrons. So how much money does Wal-Mart shareholders and CEO’s gain by shaving off 2 ½ pounds from a bag of dog food, or a couple of ounces off a can?

If Wal-Mart really wants to give consumers more for their money they could do so by charging less for the same 20 pound package or offer a 22 pound bag for the same price, but instead they’ve opted to charge the same or more for less.

Is shopping at Wal-Mart really a good deal for consumers?

Wal-Mart has made it corporate practice to deceive us into believing so, but my sound advice is to do your own comparative shopping.

Read the labels, compare weights along with prices. And make sure you write those prices on the item when you shop.

Unfortunately Wal-Mart is not the Lone Ranger when it comes to these kinds of practices, but it is the largest trend setter.

You may find that the local store is more competitive than you thought it was and you won’t be rewarding unethical practices by feeding the giant international import Wal-Mart machine with your hard earned American dollars just to “save” a little money.

Be a wise consumer and remember the wisdom of the old adage “buyer beware.”

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there. I must remember to call my mom today. I don't think I need gas. Usually I only call my mom when I get gas. I guess I can make an exception to that rule.

When I call, my mom will ask me when I'm coming to Arizona for a visit. She always asks me that. It seems impossible that it has already been 5 months since mom and dad put on their cowboy hats and rode into town.

At that point in time I thought it fairly certain that I'd be visiting the Phoenix zone sometime in late March or April. But, those plans have gone awry.

Nephew Joey is heading to Phoenix on June 20. That's my new target date. I never have any luck hitting any sort of target. It always ends up being wishful thinking.

Gar the Texan's Italian Adventures & Amtrak

Gar the Texan has been blogging amusingly about his recent nightmarish trip to Italy. The latest installment tells the chilling details of a 5 hour train ride from Lamezia to Rome.

A blogging previous to the train ride told the chilling details of the 30 hour ordeal of getting to Italy, including lost luggage, plane problems and Italians rioting.

Another blogging tells the chilling details of a night of going from one bar to another, drinking way too many adult beverages, to the point memory loss set in, with Gar the Texan waking up in the morning to find a strange note pinned to his forehead.

Reading Gar the Texan's details of his train ride to Rome reminded me of my one and only train trip. Taking Amtrak from Tacoma to Portland. I think it was sometime in the late 1980s or early 90s. The tracks were in terrible shape, causing the train to rock back and forth like a boat in rough water.

By the time I got to Portland I had a splitting headache that stayed with me the entire trip. Departing two days later, the Portland train station was pure anarchy. It was every man for himself to try and find an empty seat. The train was way bigger than the one we'd taken south. Going from car to car to car to car looking for a seat had me nauseous before we started to move.

By the time we made it back to Tacoma I was feeling sick. I was barely back in my car when I had to pull over to throw up. I'd never ever been seasick, having been many a time on boats in very rough water. But Amtrak made me seasick.

Since my train ride to Portland the tracks have been improved, along with a new high speed Talgo train.

The Amtrak website almost make me want to hit the rails again, with how they describe what they now call the Amtrak Cascades...

"From Eugene, Oregon to Vancouver, British Columbia, the Amtrak Cascades offers an unparalleled experience of the great Pacific Northwest. Through Seattle and Portland, past Mount St. Helens and across the Columbia River Gorge, you'll witness some of our continent's most distinctive cities and most spectacular natural attractions.

Onboard these sleek, European-style trains, you'll enjoy wide, reclining seats, laptop outlets and bike racks. Relax in the Bistro Car, which features fresh, regional cuisine, wine, microbrews, and the coffees Seattle made famous."

94% of Fort Worth Stays Home Election Day

Fort Worth's Ruling Junta won a stunning victory Saturday, with all incumbents winning, including Mayor Mike Moncrief who won with over 70% of the vote. Clyde Picht got 22%, while Louis McBee almost got 8%.

The Ruling Junta remains in power thanks to the whopping 6% of the eligible voters who bothered to vote.

Which means Moncrief remains mayor by getting 70% of the votes of the 6% who bothered to vote.

I can't help but wonder why only 6% of Fort Worth's voters bother to vote. Do they think it doesn't matter? Does the majority simply shrug off all the corruption charges levied at Moncrief? Is this just the way it's always been here? It's perplexing to me.

I guess Fort Worth must wait for another day to have a revolution to establish a real democracy in this town.

Tandy Hills Hiking, Wildflowers & Overthrowing a Ruling Junta

If it is Saturday and not raining, my one reader may make the guess that I went hiking the Tandy Hills today. My one reader would be right.

I am working on trying to not be such a predictable creature of habit, but it's hard to change when one gets old.

Speaking of getting old. When I purchased an adult beverage today at Wal-Mart the young thing checking me out asked to see my I.D.

I felt quite complimented. I was in cargo shorts and had a baseball cap on backwards, so maybe I was dressed in a youthful way. Or maybe the young thing checking me out has really bad eyesight. Or maybe I don't look like I'm over 21. Yeah, I'm sure that's it.

The wildflowers at the Tandy Hills Natural Area were the wildest yet. I saw several I'd not seen before.

I saw a snake for the first time in all my time of hiking the Tandy Hills. I have an aversion to snakes. Early on in my Texas Exile there was no way I would hike in a place as wild as the Tandy Hills. The snake today was a non-bad snake, just a little brown colored thing. And I didn't squeal like a school girl when I saw it.

I did see something disturbing whilst hiking about today. When you hike the Tandy Hills you come across signs of civilization from long ago, things like pipelines and manhole covers. The manhole covers are part of an old long abandoned sanitation system. Or so I thought. But today I saw one of the manhole covers had been blown open from the pressure of liquid material.

You could see the remnants of whatever came out of the manhole fanned out on the ground. When I went to take a picture of this I was told my camera battery needed re-charging. Maybe I'll make it back to the Tandy Hills tomorrow, if the weather holds, and get a picture.

Speaking of the weather, so far it's nice out there, only 72, almost felt chilly hiking today. Thunderstorms are expected to roll in later, possibly severe. We'll see.

No word yet on whether Fort Worth's Ruling Junta has been overthrown by today's election. I saw no signs of a coup d'etat while driving to hike today. I went by a polling place. There was not a single vehicle there. The polling place workers must have been within walking distance.