Council Recap: The Fierce Urgency of Now

Credit: Mark Steger

On November 2, 2026, the Richardson City Council discussed conducting a feasibility study for restarting the Richardson Mayor's Summer Internship Program (RMSIP).

POTD: Palácio de Mateus

From 2026 01 03 Pinhão, Mateus, Quintã, Porto

The Palácio de Mateus is a palace located on the Douro River in Portugal. The winery buildings date from the 16th century. The palace dates from the mid-18th century. The palace is owned by the Mateus Foundation and gives its name to the Mateus rosé wine brand, which, in a surprise to me, was only developed at the end of World War II, styled to appeal to the North American and northern European markets.

Bonus photo after the jump.

POTD: Douro Vineyards at Rest

From 2026 01 03 Pinhão, Mateus, Quintã, Porto

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Croft Port's estate, Quinta da Roêda, in Pinhão, Portugal, in the heart of the Douro Valley. It's winter, so the fields are dormant. But a large renovated historic building now serves as a tasting room and restaurant. Our visit in early January was warm and memorable.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Mercy (2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

Mercy (2026): Chris Pratt plays an alcoholic detective who wakes up after a night of drinking unable to remember the previous night, but he's on trial for murder. Oh yeah, he's being tried by an AI and has to prove his innocence in 90 minutes. The premise is silly. It might work as a video game, but not as an action movie. C-

Prime

East of Eden (TV 2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

East of Eden (TV 2026): This adaptation of John Steinbeck's classic 75-year-old novel set around 1900 remains relevant in the 21st century. It's a Cain and Abel story spanning two generations of brothers. Florence Pugh is brilliant as the woman who defies the social and moral expectations imposed on women. A-

Netflix

You Can See Everything (2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

You Can See Everything (2026): Documentary filmmaker is given total access to Liz Holmes, CEO of Theranos, in her home, for 34 days before she reports to prison. Is she really that naive, or is she that good a liar? Or is she just brainwashed by the men in her life? WTAF is really going on here? A-

In theatres

POTD: Flamenco in Salamanca

From 2026 01 02 Salamanca, Spain

Today's photo-of-the-day is from a Flamenco performance in Salamanca, Spain. According to Wikipedia, "Although it is often described as a folk, popular or oral tradition, flamenco is also regarded as a complex and sophisticated musical system. Its forms combine song, guitar, dance, compás, modal and tonal harmony, falsetas, handclaps, footwork, melodic ornamentation and improvisatory variation. The musical identity of a palo may depend on several features at once, including rhythmic cycle, mode, chord progression, stanzaic form, geographic origin and performance convention. This musical sophistication, together with the development of concert flamenco guitar and formal conservatory study, has helped flamenco appeal not only to popular audiences but also to listeners and performers from classical-music backgrounds...On 16 November 2010, UNESCO declared flamenco one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity."

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"Red skirts sweep the air.
Heels thunder like rain; hands clap.
Six strings keep the beat."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Salamanca, a University Town for Centuries

From 2026 01 02 Salamanca, Spain

Today's photo-of-the-day is from University of Salamanca. According to Wikipedia, it's "a public research university in Salamanca, Spain. Founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX, it is the oldest university in the Hispanic world and the fourth oldest in the world in continuous operation. It has over 30,000 students from 50 nationalities."

30,000 students and one famous frog. It's a carving at the entrance of the university. According to legend, new students were challenged to spot the frog without help. If they succeeded they were to be rewarded with academic success as well.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Book Review: Exit Party

From Exit Party, by Emily St. John Mandel

Amazon

"In the first spring after the collapse of the United States, the blossoming of the jacaranda trees felt to Ari like grace. The trees bloomed in the same week that international peacekeeping troops withdrew from Los Angeles, and the convergence of flowers with the absence of foreign soldiers brought a delirious kind of hope. Everyone in the spring of 2031 knew the city was one terrorist attack away from disaster, but that peril made the season more vivid, not less."

Council Recap: Affordable Housing Through HFCs

Source: ChatGPT

On October 19, 2026, the Richardson City Council discussed ways to address housing needs identified in the City's 2025 housing study. The discussion focused on only two closely related methods, HFCs and PFCs. HFC (Housing Finance Corporation) and PFC (Public Facility Corporation) are public instrumentalities in Texas used to partner with private developers for affordable housing through property tax exemptions. Other approaches that are promised to be on future agendas include Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), Opportunity Zones, and zoning changes to foster missing middle housing. But for this meeting, it's all about HFCs and PFCs.