Review - Favorite Yogurt in DFW Chinatown

Dear Wife and I checked in at Favorite Yogurt there in the 400 N Greenville strip. Modern space, clean, machines in good order, and all but one or two flavors frozen and ready to serve. The fellow working there was genteel and accomodating. Recommended, although it'd be pretty easy to go over $5 for each person.

I had:
original tart (why am I so late to this game? Awesome!)
vanilla - the most 'usual' flavor there
taro
green tea
lychee
blueberry

Wife had:
green apple
strawberry
orange

All the flavors were well done, which is not to say I think all those flavors belong in yogurt. Green tea was spot-on perfect flavor but not something I'd do again, though I like that same flavor in soy "ice cream".

Joe Bob Briggs would say "check it out".

Those weather radios

I found one of those $40 automatic weather radios at a garage sale for $4 and snapped it up. I don't think it had been used.

The basic idea is that you can turn it on to hear the NOAA weather forecast, or let it automagically come on with an alert if a warning/watch is issued.

This works because in addition to transmitting audio that humans hear, NOAA transmits data that consumer (and emergency services) radio gear listens for. This data includes a few things:

1. the type of hazard (tornado, freeze, volcano, nuclear, chemical, etc)
2. expiration time
3. the county affected by the alert, identified by a SAME code.

If you opt for the alerts you can either say "trigger the radio when it receives any alert" or "trigger the radio when it receives any alert in the counties I have defined." I plugged in the Dallas and Collin county codes and, as designed, it was triggered by the severe thunderstorm watch this afternoon. Good stuff, Maynard.

If you haven't picked up one of these I'd say it works well and is worth the time/money. If you are frugal or economically challenged you can grab one used off craigslist, eBay, or (like me) a garage sale. If you have one and haven't programmed in the SAME codes, I'd encourage you to do it: it's only painful once, as long as you have a battery backup in there.

$3.63 is the cheapest in town

Here's the current listing.

I don't remember what gasoline got up to a few years back, but I think it was around this territory. It spiked to ~$3.65 at the station near where I worked in Dallas but the most I'd paid during a fillup was ~$3.45.

I suspect the freak-out point will occur when we start seeing $4.00 for regular around town.

Dear Shouty McRedshirt

Please don't yell and curse in our candidate forums.

We wouldn't shout and curse when you're playing on the golf course (or at the Eisemann with cronies), so extend us the same courtesy.

Thanks.

Endorsement: WIlliam Gordon for Place 1

I have reviewed Mr. Gordon's platform on his website and I think it's good. I endorse him for Place 1.

I am pleased that his approach appears that of a pragmatic and economic nature rather than that of a culture warrior. I believe this is the way forward for a successful, responsible/transparent, civil city where all residents get along and contribute to the common good.

I should say that this is an endorsement for Mr. Gordon rather than one against Mr. Townshend personally. I have met Mr. Townshend a couple of times in civic situations and he seems to be a decent fellow. He has treated me fairly and appropriately when we interacted. I appreciate his willingness to serve on the Council.

I have not met Mr. Gordon (that I am aware of) and am endorsing him based on his platform. I also believe his activism in the past has been the irritating sand that began the growth of the pearl -- greater transparency in city governance. Last, and probably least, I've been increasingly willing to "throw the bums out" as they say; inject fresh blood. Try something different. I've heard it said that the definition of crazy is "doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results."

My concern from a governance point of view is that service on the council in the last few years is nearly indistinguishable from dancing to the Mayor's and City Manager's tune. Not talking about Mr. Townshend specifically, but I want councilfolk up there, not marionettes. I want discussion, not rubberstamping. I want people who actively fight for the minimal, appropriate, informed, and transparent use of taxpayer funds. I'm talking about stewardship of taxpayer resources.



Note: I do not know that an endorsement from a blog like this has any positive value for Mr. Gordon. Since I want his campaign to succeed I would pull this post if he found it to be counterproductive.

more spin/waste at $0.335 per household

As I said before, Mr. Mayor, stop sending us spin on our own dime.

Is there ANYTHING in this letter you couldn't have posted online or sent in your weekly email instead?


Note: only a rough scan of the front side uploaded. I assume we'll all have a copy soon enough, anyhow.

Salaam

I thought I had written a comment Friday AM on the anti-Muslim email emailed to DC's blog, but I don't see it there.

The main points that were on my mind:

* I moved to Richardson, in part, because of the rich mix of cultures and the ease with which Richardson seemed to absorb them. The not-always-subtle anti-Islam whispering I've heard in the last year is troubling in the extreme. It is beneath us and it is counterproductive. It's not acceptable.

* I have been warmly received by our Muslim brethren when exploring restaurants and markets. I especially recommend World Food Market, Andre Food, and Sara Bakery. For sit-down eating: Afrah, Tovi (the place next to Asel), Ali Baba. Food is a wonderful starting point to learn about and understand another culture. Hey, ya gotta eat anyway.

* My Muslim neighbors are good neighbors; I would rather have them next door than the author of that email.

* Muslim kids are doing just fine academically and behaviorally in RISD. Kids seem to get along with each other fine. (There are many such instances of kids getting along with people their parents shun, but that's the subject of a different post).

* Should I also be alert for Christian outreach in my neighborhood? Of the doorknocking religionmongers on my doorstep (ignoring my No Solicitors sign), 100% have been Protestant. 0% have been Muslim.

* It is fair to ding Amir's politics if you don't like his approach to the Council (or Twitter :-). It is not fair to ding his faith. Off limits.

My challenge to myself and to the community
If you are already accepting of our Muslim brethren, speak out against prejudice and bigotry when you see it. Continue to embrace people of all faiths. Extremists (of all flavors) can flourish only when the moderate population remains silent.

Special thanks to Mark Steger for speaking out so strongly in his comment.

If you are on the fence, spend some time with Muslim folk, eat some Middle Eastern food, shop at the local markets. Your decision will be made from the basis of experience and not of fear or rumors.

If you are anti-Islam, please consider being more Christlike when expressing your concerns.