Two miracles in Texas

Because of its size, Texas exerts a lot of influence on school textbooks, and this often has detrimental effects on the science content of textbooks, but things have been improving.

A reviewer (a chemical engineer by training) predictably complained about the evolution content in Pearson's (dba Prentice Hall) Biology.

Miracle #1: Rather than mushifying or deleting the 'offending' passages, Pearson stood up to the criticism. And produced a lovely (if rather technical (because actual biologists)) document rebutting all of the points.

I say it's a miracle, because this was something of a risk, since the text now faced further scrutiny by the Board of Education, which appointed a panel of experts.

Miracle #2: the Texas BOE appointed a panel of actual experts in biology.

And the book was approved.

Social climbing

Probably it's because I have played the course a number of times in GTA V, but Dr. Pookie and I were invited to the LA Country Club. Another possible explanation is that Tartan Hall had its Christmas party there. I wore Grandpa's 65 years as a Mason pin, and got a free vodka martini.