Trinity River Vision Fall 2015 Update Propaganda

I found this in my mailbox this morning. The FALL 2015 TRINITY RIVER VISION UPDATE.

I think every quarter I blog about getting these quarterly UPDATES from The Boondoggle.

How much does The Boondoggle spend on these slick, full color, multi-page propaganda pieces?

Much of the propaganda is regurgitated from previous UPDATES. Items such as "The Trinity River Vision will enhance the river corridor with over 90 user-requested projects along the Trinity Trails."

I've asked before, who are these users who made these requests? And how were the requests made? Anyone know?

The Boondoggle's propaganda is still referring to the three bridges it is building in slow motion as being signature bridges.

The UPDATE had very little to actually update about due to the slow motion nature of this public works project that public has never voted for.

So, with little actually accomplished since the last UPDATE, two pages are devoted to the roundabout that is under construction and the odd piece of artwork in the center of that roundabout, which has already been installed, with the propaganda claiming this "NEW ART IS TURNING HEADS ON PANTHER ISLAND."

More accurately it might be said heads are shaking in bum puzzlement at the sticks of bent metal rising inexplicably in the center of a construction mess. I know that was my reaction when I saw it a month or so ago.

There is no mention made in the UPDATE as to when this vitally needed flood control  and economic development project is scheduled to be completed.

Oh, and the UPDATE, as expected, devotes a lot of space to all the concerts, runs, festivals, inner tube floats and beer parties which take place at Panther Island Pavilion, where there is no island or pavilion.

Mention is also made of the ice skating rink which will show up in a couple months for a few weeks at The Boondoggle's drive-in movie theater.

Now, you living in parts of America where there are public works projects underway, do you get quarterly updates full of puffery and propaganda about those projects?

Does the Los Angeles River Vision Project send out quarterly updates? That project is a few billion dollars bigger than Fort Worth's little project. And has already reaped an economic bonanza for downtown Los Angeles.

The Seattle area has several big public works projects underway. Link light rail extensions, the world's biggest tunnel, currently stalled awaiting the reassembly of the Bertha boring machine, tunneling under downtown Seattle, along with the rebuilding of the Seattle Waterfront, plus a new floating bridge, which will soon open to traffic. Each of these projects cost billions of dollars more than Fort Worth's little project.

And each of these projects have project timelines, with the Bertha woes pushing back the day the new tunnel opens to traffic.

Does the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel project, costing around $4 billion, mail out quarterly updates? Does the 520 Floating Bridge replacement project, also costing around $4 billion, mail out quarterly updates? Do the Link Light Rail projects, also costing billions, mail out quarterly updates?

I suspect not. I think the public would not appreciate seeing their money spent on foolish propaganda of the sort the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle mails out quarterly. Why does the Fort Worth public put up with this nonsense?

Very perplexing....

Does The FBI Have Me Under Surveillance Again?

I totally forgot about this, til now. On Wednesday I was in Euless at the Dr Pepper Star Center location where I found I was able to connect my phone to the City of Euless open wi-fi.

When I got back to my home wi-fi zone the phone did not do its usual automatic connect to the wi-fi thing. The phone opened up all the wi-fi hotspots available. I was surprised at how long the list was.

And more than surprised to see that which you see here, that being among the wi-fi connections available was one to a FBI Surveillance Van.

Huh?

I used my digital camera in macro mode to take the photo you see  here. I've not figured out how one makes a screen cap of what one sees on the phone.

I digress.

If the FBI were in my vicinity, in a Surveillance Van, would they be so dumb as to announce their presence in this manner?

Does the FBI have me under surveillance? I strongly suspect not.

Years ago a "special" woman in Tacoma, prone to what those who deal with her refer to as "episodes", claimed, on Facebook, that she'd contacted the FBI about some imaginary thing about me that her delusional mind had conjured. It was pretty funny. One of the comments from one of her "Friends" suggested she save all the emails. I don't know where the reference to emails came from. Emails were not part of the episode's rant. So, to the email suggestion the delusional "special" woman then posted that that email suggestion worked. That the FBI was coming to her house to read those emails and check out her computer.

Anyway, I mentioned the FBI Surveillance Van to one of my neighbors. That neighbor had seen this on his list of possible wi-fi connections too.

The only van in my local vicinity is my own van. I am almost 100% certain my van is not being used as an FBI Surveillance Van......

In Arlington's Veterans Park Checking Out The Incoming Vietnam War Memorial

No, that is not a selfie photo of my new hiking boots you are looking at here.

The boots you see here were not made for walking. These boots are being worn by the tall statue of an armed soldier who stands guard over the memorial in Veterans Park in Arlington.

I was in the neighborhood so I decided to take myself on a relaxing walk in one of the best parks in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

That sign you see between the soldier's legs is telling you that a Vietnam War Memorial is being built. Construction appeared to be well underway, as you can see below.

The soldier whose boots we were previously looking at is surrounded by those white pillars you see in the background.

The Vietnam War Memorial looks as if it will be quite large. No clue as to what it will look like.

In Dallas, in Fair Park, where the State Fair of Texas is currently underway, there is a Vietnam War Memorial of the same sort as the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. A wall with the names of all the Texans killed in that unfortunate war. It is a bit shocking to see that wall with all those names, representing only a fraction of all those killed in that awful war.

The thing about Arlington's Veterans Park that makes it such a great park is the variety of attractions. There is a paved trail for walking, biking and blading. There is a disc golf course. A Wildscape Xeriscape deal with all natural landscaping of the low water needs, grows well in Texas type. The trails through the Wildscape are like a walk in a woods. There is also a more formal type garden adjacent to the Wildscape. The park has a couple covered picnic pavilions. There is a big playground for kids.

And then there is the undeveloped part of Veterans Park. A hilly, heavily wooded maze of trails that one can get  lost in the first couple visits. In the hilly, heavily wooded part of Veterans Park it does  not seem one is at the heart of a metro zone with over 6 million people in residence.

The big dead tree, atop a cliff, is in the aforementioned hilly, heavily wooded part of the park. At this location there used to be a rope hanging from a tree that is behind me. Thrill seekers would hold on to that rope and jump off the cliff for a long swing back and forth.

The rope still dangles, but years ago vandals lit a big fire under the rope, burning it into uselessness. I don't know why no one has  replaced the rope. Well, except for the fact it would be a scary operation, climbing up the host tree and going way out on a limb. I always wondered how that rope got there in the first place.

No regularly scheduled Saturday Tandy Hill hiking for me today, with no Town Talk visit. I am trying real hard to get out of my predictable rut. That and I have not been liking Town Talk all that much of late.

On A Tandy Hill Gazing Enviously At Downtown Fort Worth

In the picture you are standing with me on one of the Tandy Hills, looking west at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, about which, we learned yesterday, the entire nation of America is envious.

We have yet to learn why the entire nation of America is envious of downtown Fort Worth.

Are other towns in America envious because their downtowns do not have a boarded up, cyclone fence surrounded park at the heart of their downtown, celebrating their town's heritage?

Are other towns in America envious of Fort Worth's downtown because their towns have a lot of noisy construction going on, with way too many shoppers shopping in way too many stores, while downtown Fort Worth is so peaceful, with few stores and zero construction.

Well, zero construction unless one expands what one considers downtown Fort Worth to include where America's Biggest  Boondoggle is building three simple little bridges in a slow motion four year construction timeline.

Anyway, I had myself a mighty fine time doing some high speed hill hiking today, with a good breeze blowing air that was chilled to the mid 80s.

America Is Shocked To Learn Downtown Fort Worth Is The Envy Of The Nation

Over the years, a time or two, maybe three, someone will ask me what I have against Fort Worth. This question is usually asked after I have pointed out something as being, well, wrong.

Like some Fort Worth entity claiming this, that or some other thing in Fort Worth is causing the rest of Texas, the nation or the world to experience spasms of extreme envy.

Soon upon arrival in Texas I noticed the Fort Worth Star-Telegram had a chronic problem with this type nonsense, saying someone somewhere else was green with envy over some perfectly ordinary thing in Fort Worth.

I long ago made a webpage titled Green With Envy with a lot of examples of the Star-Telegram's envy verbiage.

Sometimes I will feel compelled to point out other odd propaganda nonsense. Two examples, also from the Star-Telegram.

Years ago a banner headline in the Sunday Edition proclaimed "TRINITY UPTOWN TO TURN FORT WORTH INTO VANCOUVER OF THE SOUTH".  Years after this proclamation, what was then known as Trinity Uptown, is now known as America's Biggest Boondoggle.

Another example was the Star-Telegram's chamber of commerce type propaganda claiming that a lame little food court type enterprise called the Santa Fe Rail Market was modeled after Seattle's Pike Place Market and public markets in Europe and would be the first public market in Texas.

The Santa Fe Rail Market propaganda was so bone-headedly stupid I was actually embarrassed for the Star-Telegram. Not only was this not the first public market in Texas, it was not even the first  public market in Fort Worth.  And how could the Star-Telegram not know about the Dallas Farmers Market, which actually does resemble Seattle's Pike Place? I documented the Santa Fe Rail Market lunacy on several webpages.

Needless to say, but I will anyway, the Santa Fe Rail Market long ago failed and no one in 2015 is thinking America's Biggest Boondoggle is turning Fort Worth into the Vancouver of the South.

Which brings us to the present. Yesterday I blogged about a new skyscraper in Seattle, along with opining about the moribund state of development in downtown Fort Worth. Someone calling him or herself Anonymous made an amusing comment to that blogging which led me to something even more amusing....

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "A New 101 Story Seattle Skyscraper Is Not America's Biggest Boondoggle":

Meanwhile back at the Cowtown ranch:

The high life: Fort Worth downtown penthouse for sale

The first sentence of the FW Business Press article that I'm posting has to be a joke. Doesn't it?

________________________________________

Oh my. Did the Star-Telegram take over the Fort Worth Business Press? The sentence to which Anonymous refers is...

How would you like to gaze down upon the downtown that has become the envy of the nation? Fort Worth’s downtown is tops in the country, according to livability.com, and with a penthouse view you can check it out anytime you want.

The last paragraph of the article is a doozy too....

“We are seeing more people attracted to everything that downtown Fort Worth has to offer, from shopping and dining to museums and culture,” Bentsen said. “The Omni Penthouse provides a beautiful home base for exploring and enjoying this great city.

________________________________________

Now, Fort Worth's downtown is a totally fine place, but the pretending it is something it is not is real annoying.

Fort Worth's downtown is not the envy of the nation. Downtown Fort Worth is not on the nation's radar screen. Most of America knows zero about Fort Worth. Nothing in downtown Fort Worth is of the iconic recognized around the world, or America, sort of thing.

Shopping? Downtown Fort Worth does not have a single department store. No Neiman Marcus, no Nordstrom, no Macys, not even a Penneys or a Sears. Downtown Fort Worth has zero grocery stores. Fort Worth is the only town in America with a population over a half million with zero department or grocery stores in its downtown. For a town closer to a million in population than a half million, Fort Worth's downtown is very small.

Fort Worth's downtown is tops in the nation according to livability.com? Is Livability one of those entities that the downtown Fort Worth association sent a totally exaggerated description of the wonders of downtown Fort Worth, resulting in the prestigious accolade no one has ever heard of?

On the day after Thanksgiving, the busiest shopping day of the year, downtown Fort Worth is a ghost town. The downtown that is the envy of the nation is a ghost town. I think it was either last year's day after Thanksgiving, or the year before, I blogged about this phenomenon in a blogging titled something like Having Fun Looking For Black Friday In Downtown Fort Worth.

Anyway, enough of that, except to say, do you think a city which actually had an enviable downtown would promote that their downtown has become the envy of the nation? Even if it were true it's an embarrassing braggart, blowhard type thing to say. And for someone to say such about a downtown like Fort Worth's, which definitely has not become the envy of the nation, well, it is beyond embarrassing. Don't those who write this type nonsense realize American's outside of Fort Worth read this type thing and laugh?

Running Ghost-Free At Village Creek Unable To Find Fort Worth Weekly

Yesterday I got myself no heavy duty aerobicizing of the inducing endorphins sort due to a Euless doctor visit wreaking havoc with my regular schedule.

A cool pool bout just does not do it for me, endorphin-wise. This morning's cool pool bout started before the sun arrived.

Today in the noon time frame I was in Arlington, near where the Indian Ghosts haunt the Village Creek Natural Historical Area. So, I decided to go jogging.

Well, actually running. Today was run as fast as I can as long as I can and then walk day. Breathe hard. And repeat.

And sweat like a fat pig in a sauna.

Above you are looking at the Village Creek selfie stick which I have shown you before. This is a wider view of the mirror ball. I detected no Indian Ghosts hovering about me when I got the picture off the phone today. Maybe the Indian Ghosts have taken a quick trip to Washington, D.C. to see the Pope. The Indian Ghosts were probably pleased to hear the Pope speak of their ancestors.

Changing the subject to something else.

This week's Fort Worth Weekly is not be found, by me, at any of the usual locations. This is the annual Best of Fort Worth issue.

I have been told by a fairly reliable source, who included photo documentation, that Fort Worth Weekly has given one of its coveted Critic's Choice awards to a popular Fort Worth centric blog, with Fort Worth Weekly saying that that blog is a reminder that watchdogging still has a place.

I did not know we needed a reminder to know watchdogging still has a place.

The online version of Fort Worth Weekly was messed up when I tried to glean the Critic's Choice thing about that watchdogging blog. I'll go check and see if it is still messed up. Be right back.

Still messed up.

Ever since the esteemed, highly regarded Gayle Reaves decided to find a better job than being the editor in chief of FW Weekly, the Weekly has gone downhill like a sled out of control. The website being messed up and the Weekly not being delivered are a couple examples.

A New 101 Story Seattle Skyscraper Is Not America's Biggest Boondoggle

Continuing on with our popular series of items I read in west coast online newspapers, usually the Seattle Times, which is not something I have ever read, or expect to read, in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about a similar thing happening in the Fort Worth zone.

This morning it was once again the Seattle Times where I read of yet one more building project in downtown Seattle, of the sort one does not read about happening in downtown Fort Worth.

This time it is a 101 story skyscraper, a mixed use building with 1,200 residential units, 150 hotel rooms and a lot of office and retail space.

This skyscraper will once again have Seattle having the tallest building on the west coast. Currently the 73 story U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angles, at 1,018 feet, is the tallest, taller than second tallest on the west coast, Seattle's Columbia Center at 76 stories, but reaching only 933 feet high.

The article about the new 101 story Seattle skyscraper did not say how tall it was expected to grow.

Since I've been in the Fort Worth zone I have only seen one semi-tall building built. The Omni Convention Center Hotel.

A month or so ago the extremely erudite, Mr. Spiffy, opined as to why downtown Fort Worth is a moribund ghost town with little new construction.

America's Biggest Boondoggle, also known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision Boondoggle, is stifling new development because developers do not know if America's Biggest Boondoggle will ever come to fruition. And if it miraculously does come to fruition, will what The Boondoggle has, at times, referred to as Uptown, be where one would want to put ones development dollars, instead of the current downtown Fort Worth zone, south of The Boondoggle's Uptown, currently bizarrely known as Panther Island?

Recently I was sent an email from which I learned a reporter for the Star-Telegram, for some reason, thinks The Boondoggle has a projected project completion timeline of 2023. I have read this nowhere else.

How this relatively simple project can take far longer than far more complicated engineering projects, be it the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Panama Canal and many other feats of engineering, documented on this very blog, to have been completed in a shorter time period than America's Biggest Boondoggle has been boondoggling along, is a perplexing mystery.

Even more mysterious is why is it the locals, or the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, don't insist in getting some answers as to why this project has turned into America's Biggest Boondoggle?

Currently, the only construction project that I am aware of, anywhere near the downtown Fort Worth zone, is those three simple little bridges The Boondoggle is building over dry land, with a four year construction timeline, to connect Fort Worth's mainland to an imaginary island.

Why are other big American cities currently experiencing a construction boom in their downtown's, such as what is taking place in Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle, and others, while Fort Worth is moribund?

If America's Biggest Boondoggle is not the cause, what is?

A Long Wait In Euless At The Dr Pepper Star Center With Fuzzy Fish Tacos

Today I decided I would photo document what I look like when I have grown tired of waiting for someone to return.

Elsie Hotpepper has been giving me selfie taking lessons.

I don't see that the lessons have brought much improvement. I always look the same. Apparently tiring of waiting causes no alteration in my demeanor. Basically it seems I always look grumpy.

Anyway, I was doing the waiting at the Dr Pepper Star Center in Euless. I don't know if that is what the entire huge sports complex is called, or just the ice hockey arena.

I swiped the phone awake and sent a couple text messages, then checked Facebook. Then the phone made a noise which caused me to look at the part of the phone that points out things, like if you are wi-fi connected. The phone told me I was wi-fi connected. How could that be, I wondered? I tapped on the wi-fi connected part of the screen to see a long list of active wi-fi spots, with my phone connected to the "open" City of Euless wi-fi.

So, does the city of Euless have city-wide wi-fi? Or was this just a Starcenter thing?

Whatever the answer, discovering I was connected to wi-fi made the phone much more useful for time passing. I watched a YouTube video or two. Listened to the part of the Nixon/Dean Cancer on the Presidency tape that I had not yet completed. Watched a few Facebook videos.

I was engrossed in video watching when the party I had been waiting for showed up. The time was coming up on an hour past noon. I was hungry. A Fuzzy's Tacos was nearby. Fish tacos sounded like a good lunch plan.

Fuzzy's Tacos fish tacos not being as good as Taco del Mar fish tacos is the most important thing I have learned today.

A Visit To Miss Puerto Rico's Babies With Belly Baby Belly Up & Hissing

This morning Miss Puerto Rico told me that the Babies were missing me because I had not visited in well over a week.

So, this afternoon I made the long trek to the home Miss Puerto Rico has made for her Babies.

When I got past the security check I hurried down the hall so as to shut off access to the hiding place under Miss Puerto Rico's slumber pad, due to the fact that when I last visited the Babies, Bella, also known as Belly Baby, hid under the bed and could not be coaxed out.

Today I could not find Belly Baby, at first, so I visited her sister, Coco.

After about 10 minutes Belly Baby made her presence known.

With a little effort I was able to pick up Belly Baby, who, I must say, has grown a bit bigger since I last picked her up. If she gets much bigger I fear I will risk putting my back out lifting her.

Belly Baby was very cooperative taking selfie photos, about a dozen, the best of which you see above.

I think Belly Baby was intrigued by the noise the phone made when a picture was taken. That and she seemed to really like looking at herself on the phone.

After we finished the photo session I continued my ongoing, so far futile, attempt to get Belly Baby to purr. Her sister I can get to make noises of contentment, but no such noise from Belly Baby.

And then I flipped Belly Baby belly up. Previously she liked this, wrapping her front legs around my arm, then blissfully, I thought, closing her eyes. But not purring.

But, today when Belly Baby went belly up, about two seconds later, she hissed at me like a lioness about to swallow its prey. I quickly disengaged from close contact with Miss Hissy Fit. I thought when she was back grounded Belly Baby would run away to one of her hiding places. Instead she slowly walked a few feet away and sat herself down under her favorite chair, staring at me, as if saying, you aren't done with me yet, are you?

Well, I was. Done with her for today. For the most part.

When Coco left me she hopped up on Miss Puerto Rico's Lazy Boy. Soon after Belly Baby hissed and hopped off me, Belly Baby left her under the chair refuge spot to hop up and join her sister on the Lazy Boy.

Now that both Babies were on one chair I got hold of their mouse on string toy and got them fighting over that. Then we had a bout of chase the laser light and then it was time for me to leave.

All in all it was a good visit with the Babies, but I really don't think they miss me all that much, well, I'm sure Belly Baby does not miss me, maybe Coco does, a little.....

Jogging Around Fosdick Lake Before Fall & Yom Kippur Arrive

The first day of Fall falls upon us tomorrow, along with Yom Kippur.

I will be celebrating the Autumnal Equinox by driving to Euless for my regularly scheduled monthly doctor appointment.

I have not decided how I will be celebrating Yom Kippur tomorrow.

Today I celebrated the day before Yom Kippur and the start of Fall by driving to Oakland Lake Park for a HOT jog around Fosdick Lake.

92 degrees when I arrived at the lake, according to my vehicular temperature monitoring device. My phone argued with the vehicle, with the phone claiming the air was cooler, at 91.

Dead calm, no wind chill factor.

I was not the only one jogging around the lake. One of the fellow joggers was a rather large lady in some sort of head to toe sweat suit.

Literally.

I asked her how she could stand the long pants and long sleeves. Her  reply told me it was her sweat suit, you know, to help her sweat.

I forgot to mention the tree above, rising next to the white egret, looking out at the sputtering Fosdick Fountain. That tree must not have received the notification that Fall begins tomorrow, because that tree has already turned on its Fall leaf color.

I think I will go Google Yom Kippur now, since I don't actually remember what this particular Jewish holiday is for. All I remember of Yom Kippur is one of the Israeli/Arab wars is called the Yom Kippur War, due to that war starting on Yom Kippur.