POTD: Amazing Acoustics of Pisa Baptistery

From 2022 10 26 Pisa

This photo-of-the-day is from Pisa, Italy. It was taken in the Baptistry, one of the three magnificent buildings in the Square of Miracles. Everyone is instantly familiar with one: The Leaning Tower of Pisa. But if you're lucky enough to visit Pisa, be sure to go into a different architectural gem — the Baptistry — and do it at one of the times a volunteer gives a demonstration of the building's acoustics. With the echos, one voice can sound like a choir.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Mrs. Davis (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Mrs. Davis (TV 2023): Sci-fi action mystery parody. Godlike AI brings happiness to all; sends Sister Simone, wife of restaurant-owning Jesus, on quest for the Holy Grail (winkingly called “the most overused MacGuffin ever”). Bonkers, but it all makes sense by the end. B+

Random Thoughts: Time for a New General Manager

2023-05-02: Headline: "2023 NFL Draft team-by-team grades: Eagles, Steelers and Lions clean up; Cowboys, Patriots among worst marks."
Time for a new general manager. Amiright???

2023-05-03: UT-Dallas is an asset for Richardson that the City should leverage.
"Allegro officials cited the number of other technology companies in the area and the talent pipeline created by The University of Texas at Dallas as reasons for expanding to the city."

2023-05-03: The cost of Brexit to Great Britain:
"By 2024, the average British household will likely have a lower living standard than the average household in Slovenia. On present trends, the average British household will be poorer than the average in Poland by 2030."

The Costs of Brexit Are Undeniable Now - The Atlantic

2023-05-08: You know, back in my day, someone who seemed to be obsessed with guns was looked at suspiciously and often reported to police. Today, such a person is considered by many to be just another patriotic American.

One Argument Against Electric Vehicles

I'm feeling optimistic today. I know, my style here usually leans towards the negative, so regular readers who did a spit-take with their morning coffee just now are forgiven. But, this morning I'm believing in American ingenuity, in American can-do spirit, in an expression attributed to Winston Churchill, "Americans will always do the right thing, after they have tried everything else." What am I optimistic about today? Electric vehicles.

Team Parking or Team Health Care

The City of Richardson will be taking up the City's outdated Comprehensive Plan in this next City Council term. It will be a heavy lift. Not everyone even agrees on what the action item encompasses. Will it just be an exercise of refreshing the map that shows where in Richardson single family homes are allowed, and offices, and shops, and parks? Or does it include related things like whether homeowners are allowed to add an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) to their property? Or whether the minimum number of parking spaces buildings are required to have should be relaxed or eliminated altogether?

City government resists change. It's in their nature. I'm expecting Mayor Dubey to align with the institutional interests and narrowly draw the boundary of what's open for review. I'm hoping that there will be pushback from the new City Council to get the boundary drawn expansively. Updating the Comprehensive Plan to allow a broader mix of uses is useless if they leave in place other regulations and building codes that deter such uses. A push for broad change is bound to meet resistance. Some people are passionate about the status quo.

Air (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Air (2023): Starts as pure 1980s nostalgia, becomes a standard sports movie, where the sport is brand marketing, finishes as a movie championing economic justice for athletes. The audience manipulation is visible throughout, but I couldn't help but be won over regardless. B+

POTD: Papal Arches

From 2022 10 24 Avignon

This photo-of-the-day is from Palais des Papes in Avignon, France. The photo shows a curious architectural detail of the palace, a brick wall viewed through three arches. Two of the arches are back-to-back in front of the wall, but off-center from each other. Why? Dunno. The 14th century architect was not around to ask.

POTD: Palace of the Popes in Avignon

From 2022 10 24 Avignon

This photo-of-the-day is from Palais des Papes in Avignon, France. I'll let Wikipedia tell the story:

"It is one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. Once a fortress and palace, the papal residence was a seat of Western Christianity during the 14th century. Six papal conclaves were held in the Palais, leading to the elections of Benedict XII in 1334, Clement VI in 1342, Innocent VI in 1352, Urban V in 1362, Gregory XI in 1370 and Benedict XIII in 1394. Since 1995, the Palais des Papes has been classified, along with the historic center of Avignon, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for its outstanding architecture and historical importance for the Papacy."

BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022): Mexican. Iñárritua's surreal epic about a fictional film director's family and career (even this movie is in the movie). BARDO sometimes soars with beautiful imagery and dream scenes, but the story is pedestrian. C+

Meet the New Boss Same as the Old Boss

The Dallas Morning News reported that mayoral candidate "[Bob] Dubey said [Mayor Paul] Voelker’s “micromanagement from the top down” has deterred some council members and residents from speaking at council meetings."

Candidate Dubey won. It's Mayor Dubey now. Monday night the public got its first chance to see how the new regime is changing how council meetings are run, presumably opening them up, encouraging more open deliberations by council members. I'm here to report that from my perch in the cheap seats at the back of the house, the new boss looks a lot like the old boss.

WAIW: R2-D3 and R2-D4?

Where Am I Wednesday!

Fifty points to the first person to identify where this photo was taken.

Answer is after the jump.

The Traitors (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Traitors (TV 2023): Reality show. Goal is to out the "traitors" before they "murder" the rest. With meaningless contests earning money for the prize pot to pad time. Stupid rules, even stupider players. It's a game of chance, but they play it like a game of trust. C-

The Law According to Lidia Poët (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Law According to Lidia Poët (TV 2023): Italian. In 1883 Turin, a feminist fights for the right to practice law while defending people falsely accused of murder. Based on a real woman. The murder mysteries aren't original, but the subplots are. Matilda De Angelis is a star. B-

POTD: Sète Street Art

From 2022 10 23 Sète

This photo-of-the-day is from Sète, France. It shows one of the many street murals that adorn this city.

A bonus photo is after the jump.

POTD: Sète, Venice of the Languedoc

From 2022 10 23 Sète

This photo-of-the-day is from Sète, France, known as the "Venice of the Languedoc" for its network of canals. "It is a port and a seaside resort on the Mediterranean with its own very strong cultural identity, traditions, cuisine and dialect." It's overshadowed by Marseilles, Saint Tropez, Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo, but it's worth visiting anyway. We happened to be there because Viking cruises thought so, too (and it's a convenient stop for a cruise between Barcelona and Marseilles).

A bonus photo is after the jump.

Betting Line on Mayor Pro Tem

The 2023-2025 Richardson City Council was sworn in Monday, May 17, 2023. Other than canvassing the election results and swearing in the new Mayor and Council, no business was conducted. The first order of business next week at the May 24 meeting will be selecting a new Mayor Pro Tem from among their ranks. The following is The Wheel's highly unscientific, subjective-as-heck, just-mostly-guesswork betting line on who that will be.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023): Latest superhero movie has action, humor, and heart, but not much of a plot. What's the end goal here, to save the galaxy or save a raccoon? Lots of CGI fighting. I kept asking myself, is this character GGI? is anything real? C+

Beef (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Beef (TV 2023): Two broken strangers have a road rage incident that spirals out of control in tit-for-tat revenge. Works when the two leads share the screen, but doesn't when the story enlarges to involve family and friends. Strong final episode doesn't quite save it. C+

Woke Bureaucrats Invade Kentucky Schools

The photo above shows "woke bureaucrats" parachuting into public schools in Kentucky to "hijack our children's future" and teach CRT. Or at least that's what one imaginative candidate for the GOP nomination for governor, Kelly Craft, Donald Trump's own former U.N. ambassador, claims is happening. Watch her television ad yourself. Then watch Tuesday's election results from Kentucky to see if voters are persuaded.

POTD: Street Scenes in Barcelona

From 2022 10 21 Barcelona

This photo-of-the-day is from Barcelona, Spain. It shows a selection of souvenirs at a shop on a city street. Is the chimp embarrassed?

After the jump, a bonus photo of my favorite street sign.

Correction: Party Politics in Richardson Elections

In relaying my thoughts on the 2023 Richardson City Council election, I said something that is both factually incorrect and personally embarrassing. I said:

Despite the backing of the Richardson Coalition PAC, [Stephen] Springs couldn't overcome [Dan] Barrios's support of his own from the Richardson Area Democrats PAC. Even though the RC spent money on a mailer endorsing Springs and the RAD only used its Facebook presence and word-of-mouth to promote Barrios, it wasn't enough to get Springs across the line.

Source: The Wheel.

I should have said, "the RAD also spent money on a mailer endorsing Barrios." Then I should have expressed my displeasure with their action.

I regret the error.

H/T to Andrew Laska for catching my mistake.

Dewey Defeats Truman, Richardson Edition

Source: DFW NBC5.

There are good reasons not to get your news from local television stations, not least of which is reporting this bad. It's not "Dewey Defeats Truman" bad, but it's still pretty bad. And here it is a week after the election and DFW's NBC5 television still has this up on its website of election news.

Looking at NBC5's vote totals, you can see where NBC5 went wrong. The votes are exactly the totals reported by Collin County. The problem for DFW NBC5 is that the City of Richardson is spread over two counties. Adding in the Dallas County votes, you'd get the true totals: Dubey 4,909; DePuy 4,609.

Remember, if you want the best in local news, news you can trust, look no farther than The Wheel.

POTD: Basilica de la Sagrada Familia

From 2022 10 21 Barcelona

This photo-of-the-day is from Barcelona, Spain. It shows the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia. According to Wikipedia, "it is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. Designed by architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), his work on Sagrada Família is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On 7 November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and proclaimed it a minor basilica." We exposed more film here than anywhere. Of course, we shoot digitally. We haven't shot film in two decades. But this basilica would have been worth the film if we had.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Loose Ends from City Council Election

The City Council election is over. Congratulations to all the elected council members. Congratulations to Bob Dubey, our new mayor. But before we close the books on the election, I need to mention some loose ends that really should be tied up, before we move on and they are lost to memory.

WAIW: Traffic Stopper

Where Am I Wednesday!

Fifty points to the first person to identify where this photo was taken.

America's "Third Places"

It's odd how something that you notice for the first time suddenly seems to be everywhere. How did I ever miss it? One example is the word "chocolaty". I noticed the package for Girl Scout Tagalongs® cookies (by the way, the best Girl Scout cookie) describes them as "Crispy cookies layered with peanut butter and covered with a chocolaty coating." I wondered why they didn't say "chocolate coating". Looking at the ingredients, I realized the answer is because the cookies don't contain any chocolate. They use various chemicals that taste "chocolaty." Once I was aware of this, I now see "chocolaty" on lots of products that I previously would have called "chocolate."

Likewise, I had never heard the term "third place" until a week ago. (Actually I had, but it had a different meaning. I'll get to that in a postscript). Then I heard "third place" three times in a week.

My Thoughts on the Recent Election

The Wheel followed seven contests in the local elections this year. All were settled on election night with no runoffs. Of the seven, voters' choices matched my recommendations in four of the races. I take no satisfaction in that's a majority. I think it's more an indication that voters and I are on slightly different wavelengths. Oh well. On to my first impressions of the results.

CoR and RISD Election Results

Final unofficial election results for the contests The Wheel was following this year for City of Richardson and Richardson ISD.

I'll have thoughts about this in the blog tomorrow.

POTD: Madrid's Plaza Mayor

From 2022 10 19 Madrid

This photo-of-the-day is from Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain. According to Google, "Cafes & restaurants line the arches of this stately square with Philip III's statue in the center." It's a great place to start exploring Madrid in any direction.

A bonus photo is after the jump.

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Looking out from Plaza Mayor through one of the square's arched entrances towards the streets of old Madrid.

From 2022 10 19 Madrid

POTD: The Land of Flamenco

From 2022 10 19 Madrid

The first photo-of-the-day from another odyssey is from Madrid, Spain, the home of flamenco. According to Smithsonian Magazine, "the world outside Spain often stereotypes the nation as inhabited by flamenco dancers, singers, and guitar players...Inside Spain, however, the relationship between the flamenco art form and Spanish national identity has been fraught for more than a century." But forget that for an evening, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the music.

Bonus video after the jump.

Morris Ice House Gets Respect from Google

In May of 2019, when I first wrote about the Morris Ice House in old downtown Richardson, now called the "CORE" (you know, like New York has the "Big Apple", Richardson has the "Core"), I noticed that on Google Maps, the Morris Ice House was labeled "Rinky Dinky Building." Offended, I immediately submitted a correction to Google Maps. Of course, I was ignored. (Remember, our motto here is "Not Being Listened to Since 2006.") Or so I thought.

8-Day Campaign Finance Reports for RISD

Candidates for Richardson ISD Board of Trustees have filed 8-Day Campaign Finance Reports. Here are the totals for the 30-Day Reports and the 8-Day Reports, ranked by the combined totals.

Total Political Contributions

Eric Eager	Place 6	$2,484.14	$1,886.09
Debbie Renteria	District 3	$2,226.43	$1,943.40
Blake Sawyer	Place 6	$1,967.37	$573.00
Bonnie Abadie	District 3	$1,205.00	$650.00

8-Day Campaign Finance Reports for City Council

Candidates for Richardson City Council have filed 8-Day Campaign Finance Reports. Here are the totals for the 30-Day Reports and the 8-Day Reports, ranked by the combined totals.

Political Contributions

		30-Day	8-Day
Bob Dubey	Mayor	$21,697.55	$3,387.10
Dan Barrios	Place 3	$14,629.56	$8,481.69
Janet DePuy	Mayor	$11,350.00	$7,515.00
Ken Hutchenrider	Place 5	$3,915.00	$11,515.00
Curtis Dorian	Place 1	$10,401.00	$2,050.00
Stephen Springs	Place 3	$6,875.00	$5,260.00
Todd Hunter	Place 5	$1,961.70	$3,386.15
G. Scott Waddell	Place 1	$3,755.00	$700.00

Random Thoughts: Jeff Leach Had It Coming

2023-04-02: Jeff Leach had it coming:
"Texas GOP lawmaker is tricked into reading dirty names during committee meeting."

2023-04-07: "On a vote of 86-52 the Texas House adopts amendment to ban school vouchers."
Richardson's representative, Angie Chen Button, who campaigns on a message of supporting public schools, votes to support vouchers.

POTD: Goodbye to the Danube

From 2022 07 18 Budapest

Our last photo-of-the-day from the Danube River is a scene of Budapest at night. It shows the Hotel Gellért, which sits on the site of the Gellért Spa, a famous thermal spa that has been used for centuries. In the midground is the Szabadság Bridge, built in 1896 and reconstructed after it suffered heavy damage in World War II (like so much of Europe did). And in the foreground is one of the pleasure ships that offer rides on the beautiful Danube River through Budapest. This was our last night in Europe, having traveled over 700 miles on the Rhine, Main, and Danube Rivers from Amsterdam to Budapest.

POTD: Bálna Budapest

From 2022 07 18 Budapest

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Budapest, Hungary. It shows two of my favorite things. Public transport (a Budapest streetcar), and iconic architecture (Bálna Budapest). Bálna is Hungarian for Whale, which the architecture resembles. It's right on the banks of the Danube. It redevelops and extends an old industrial building on the Danube, repurposing it into a modern mix of shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Everything old is new again in Budapest.

Shrinking a Neighborhood Park

There's a new page in town. The Richardson Independent Facebook Page. It's run by "Lauren Decker; a local, independent journalist residing right here in Richardson." In her first series of articles, she's publishing interviews with the eight contested candidates for Richardson Mayor and City Council. I highly recommend that you, first, read her interviews and, second, follow her page so you don't miss her future work.

One of Decker's questions was, "What is the responsibility of the city council when it comes to ensuring Richardson residents continue to have enough water?" Answers were very revealing about the candidates' attitude towards our neighborhood parks. Let's look at part of mayoral candidate Bob Dubey's answer.

TIL: Gun Violence in the Deep South

Source: Nationhood Lab.

Today I learned something about gun violence. I didn't expect there to be such a marked difference in the rates of gun violence between New York City and the Deep South. And I didn't expect the difference to be in New York City's favor.

What I learned: The death rate from gun violence "varies wildly between regions. Of the larger regions, the Deep South is the most deadly with a smoothed rate of 15.6 per 100,000 residents, followed by Greater Appalachia at 13.5. On the other end of the spectrum, New Netherland – the Dutch-founded area around New York City – has a smoothed rate of just 3.8 per 100,000, a rate less than a quarter that of the Deep South."

The Last of Us (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Last of Us (TV 2023): Joel and Ellie trek across country in quest to save dying world from pandemic. Story predates COVID-19, but exaggerated parallels are timely. Martial law, freedom-fighters, and zombies. Best part of the show isn't any of that, but the maturing of Ellie. B+

Springs and Dubey File Corrected Finance Reports

Stephen Springs and Bob Dubey filed corrected 30-day campaign finance reports. Spoiler alert: Stephen Springs's update eliminated my question about his. Bob Dubey's correction...didn't.

POTD: Sunset on the Danube

From 2022 07 16 Vienna

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the river Danube as it winds through Slovakia. Downstream from Bratislava, the Danube is dammed, creating a large reservoir. That's where this sunset was photographed. Say goodbye to the Danube. This was our last night sailing on the river. Tomorrow our cruise ends in Budapest.

Recap of City of Richardson Candidate Forum

Thursday evening, the League of Women Voters of Richardson, in conjunction with the Richardson Chamber of Commerce, hosted a forum for candidates for the City of Richardson Mayor and City Council at the Charles W Eisemann Center in Richardson. This is a recap of what was said and editorial opinion of what I think were good answers (and bad).

POTD: Bratislava, Slovakia

From 2022 07 16 Vienna

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Bratislava, Slovakia. It's nothing special as far as photographs go, but it's proof we were in Slovakia. We keep track of countries we have visited together, and Slovakia is one more we can now check off, even if our cruise on the Danube didn't stop here. We didn't even get up from the table in the ship's dining room for a photo. (A curtain on the ship's window can be seen on the right.) Slovakia is on both sides of the river in Bratislava. So it counts. That's our story and we're sticking to it. Oh, by the way, that castle on the hilltop is Bratislava Castle. It dates to the 9th Century and was largely rebuilt between 1956 and 1964.

The Wheel's 2023 Voters Guide

Early voting for the 2023 local elections in Texas starts Monday, April 24. On the ballot will be Richardson ISD Board of Trustees, City of Richardson City Council and the City of Richardson Bond Proposition. Use Vote411.org to see your personalized ballot and to read how the candidates answered a questionnaire by the League of Women Voters of Richardson.

Here's the executive summary of The Wheel's recommendations:

For City of Richardson mayor, I recommend Janet DePuy.
For City of Richardson Place 1, I recommend Curtis Dorian.
For City of Richardson Place 3, I recommend Stephen Springs.
For City of Richardson Place 5, I recommend Todd Hunter.
City of Richardson Places 2, 4, and 6 are uncontested.

For City of Richardson Bond Proposition, I recommend a Yes.

For RISD District 3, I recommend Debbie Renteria.
For RISD Place 6, I recommend Eric Eager.
The other RISD Districts and Places are not up for election this year.

Read on for the reasons I make these recommendations.

Political Advertising — Rookie Mistake?

Is some person or persons violating Texas law pertaining to a mailer that some Richardson voters received this week? The answer might hinge on just how many people this advertising was sent to. Even if it turns out this advertising is legal, it can be considered a rookie mistake because it was so, so easy to prevent the question in the first place. But here we are...again.

Quick Recap of RISD Candidate Forum

The LWV of Richardson hosted a forum for the candidates for Richardson ISD school board Monday evening at the RISD Administration Building. All four candidates participated. For District 3, Bonnie Abadie and Debbie Renteria. For Place 6, Blake Sawyer and Eric Eager. Former Richardson mayor Steve Mitchell moderated. Nine questions were asked. Here's a quick recap.

The Money Race for Richardson ISD

Candidates file campaign finance reports 30 days before elections. For the Richardson ISD, that means all candidates for Board of Trustees have filed reports. In recent posts, I looked at the money races for Richardson mayor and the Richardson City Council. In this post, I'll focus on the two races in Richardson ISD.

Empire of Light (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Empire of Light (2022): Olivia Colman plays a quietly desperate manager of a cinema in 1980s Britain. Movie tackles racism, sexism, ageism, and mental illness, all too shallowly. In this "love letter to cinema," even the cinema gets lost. But Colman is always worth watching. B-

POTD: Schönbrunn Palace

From 2022 07 16 Vienna

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Schönbrunn Palace the summer residence of the Habsburg rulers, just outside Vienna, Austria. The photo was deliberately chosen to pass on an important tourist tip: give yourself plenty of time to tour the palace. It's huge. You might tire out just walking across the courtyard at the entrance.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Looking for Leadership in a Mayor

Source: Dubey for Richardson.

The mayor's race is heating up. The Dallas Morning News endorsed Janet DePuy. In its interview with her opponent, "[Bob] Dubey said Voelker’s 'micromanagement from the top down' has deterred some council members and residents from speaking at council meetings." Then, in a Facebook post, Dubey said, "I vow to show each city council person and city staff member respect and let their voices be heard." It all sounds good (if you ignore the disrespectful subtext Dubey himself shows towards Mayor Voelker), but what's really behind it?

POTD: Sacher Torte

From 2022 07 16 Vienna

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Hotel Sacher in Vienna, Austria. I'll let Wikipedia explain what makes this place special.

Hotel Sacher is a five-star luxury hotel in Vienna, Austria, facing the Vienna State Opera in the city's central Innere Stadt district. It is famous for the specialty of the house, the Sachertorte, a chocolate cake with apricot filling.

Source: Wikipedia.

Bonus photos after the jump.

The Money Race for City Council

Candidates file campaign finance reports 30 days before elections. For the City of Richardson, that means all candidates in contested races for City Council, including mayor, have filed reports. In a recent post, I looked at the money race for mayor. In this post, I'll focus on the other City Council races. We'll look at the Richardson ISD later.

Following the Money 30 Days Out

Candidates file campaign finance reports 30 days before elections. For the City of Richardson, that means candidates for City Council, including mayor, should have filed reports by now. In this post, I'll focus on the main draw on the card, the mayor's race between Bob Dubey and Janet DePuy. We'll look at the other races (and the Richardson ISD) later.