POTD: Sunset over the City Fjord

"Fløyfjellet stands still,
Bergen nestled far below,
Fjord gleams like silver."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 10 Bergen

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Fløyen, or Fløyfjellet, "one of the 'seven city mountains' in Bergen, Norway. Its highest point is 400 m (1,300 ft) above sea level. The view of the Bergen peninsula makes Fløyfjellet a popular attraction among tourists and locals alike. The Fløibanen funicular transports passengers from the centre of Bergen to a height of 320 m (1,050 ft) in roughly eight minutes."

As the sun sets over Bergen and the Byfjorden (the City Fjord), we say farewell to Norway.

Our next stop? Greece.

A bonus photo is after the jump.

POTD: King Haakon's Hall

"Windows of thick light,
Gazing down on the bright fjord.
Sea and crown aligned."
— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 10 Bergen

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Haakon's Hall in Bergen, Norway. "It is a medieval stone hall located inside a fortress. The hall was constructed in the middle of the 13th century, during the reign of King Håkon Håkonsson (1217—1263). In medieval times, it was the largest building of the royal palace in Bergen. It is the largest secular medieval building in Norway."

Not My First Rodeo

Source: h/t DALL-E.

Project Rodeo. Project Nova. Project Journey. Project Connect. Do you know what any of these are? Even in general terms? I don't. Is that a problem? The Richardson City Council has discussed each of these...subjects, I guess I'll call them, in executive session during council meetings this year. That's all I know about them, the code names used the way code names are used in the military — to keep the enemy from knowing what's going on. In this case, the "enemy" is the public.

Your Friends & Neighbors (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Your Friends & Neighbors (TV 2025): John Hamm is a lovable rogue, a hedge fund manager who is fired and burglarizes neighborhood homes to maintain his lifestyle. Easy pickings, right? But things spiral out of control. Not quite satire or comedy, call it drama but never serious. B+

AppleTV+

The Studio (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Studio (TV 2025): Seth Rogen's satire of the head of a Hollywood movie studio. He skewers producers, directors, actors, marketers, distributors, but none too cruelly, which takes the bite out of it. Rogen himself is the sad sack butt of most jokes. C+

AppleTV+

Charter Review: The Commission Rests

Artist: John Trumbull.

The once-every-ten-years Charter Review Commission concluded their service with their submission to the City Council of a report of their recommendations. I've blogged about the commission meetings. Justin Neth has reported them as well. Dustin Butler of Community Impact (the closest thing Richardson has to a local newspaper) reported on the commission submitting its report to the City Council.

POTD: Bergen

"A meadow once stood,
Now a pulse of modern days.
Sea and city blend."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 10 Bergen

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Bergen, Norway. "As of 2022, its population was roughly 289,330. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway after the national capital Oslo. The municipality covers 465 square kilometres (180 sq mi) and is on the peninsula of Bergenshalvøyen. The city centre and northern neighbourhoods are on Byfjorden, 'the city fjord'. The city is surrounded by mountains, causing Bergen to be called the 'city of seven mountains'...According to tradition, the city was founded in 1070 by King Olav Kyrre and was named Bjørgvin, 'the green meadow among the mountains'."

A bonus photo is after the jump.

POTD: Kjosfossen

"Falls sing to the gorge.
Huldra dances in the spray.
White thunder pours down."
— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 09 Flam

Today's photo-of-the-day shows Kjosfossen, "a waterfall located in Aurland Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The waterfall is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Norway. Its total fall is around 225 metres (738 ft)...The Flåm Line passes directly in front of and over the upper part of the waterfall, which is one of the main attractions for tourists who take the Flåm Line...During the main tourist season in the summer an actress dressed as a legendary Huldra (a seductive forest creature in Scandinavian folklore) dances and sings in front of the waterfall as the trains enter the station for the amusement of the tourists."

The Four Seasons (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Four Seasons (TV 2025): Remake of 1981 original movie. Follows the same formula: Three couples go on vacations together throughout the year, gradually exposing personal flaws and rifts in friendship. Light, fun entertainment in eight, easy-to-swallow bites. B-

Netflix

The Four Seasons (1981)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Four Seasons (1981): Original movie by Alan Alda with an ensemble cast. Story of three couples who take vacations together. Spring starts with fun and games, but as the year wears on, things get less fun as everyone gets on each other's nerves. More like a light TV movie than a serious drama. B-

Netfli

#VeryTardyReview

Mickey 17 (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Mickey 17 (2025): Satire by Bong Joon Ho. A man volunteers for dangerous missions on a long space voyage. He's expendable because his body can be 3D printed anew each time he dies. As much broad comedy as satire, the movie works on multiple levels. Maybe the satire targets a bit too much, making it a bit too long. B+

Max

The Worst Places to Eat in Richardson Last Month

Graphic by City of Richardson.

The City of Richardson is rightly regarded as having some of the best, most diverse, dining options in north Texas ("Eat & Drink"). But that doesn't mean every restaurant in Richardson exceeds in every measure. Here is a list of the ten worst places to eat in Richardson last month, based on the City of Richardson's Health Department Restaurant Scores for last month. Not all Richardson restaurants are included in this ranking. Each month, different restaurants are visited by the Health Department. Only those visited last month are ranked here. Only the bottom ten are shown^*.

^* This month, only nine restaurants are listed. Four restaurants tied for tenth place with a score of 87, which is objectively very good. So rather than including all four, I left all four out of this report.

Random Thoughts: Lessons for Richardson, Texas?

2025-05-06: Lessons for Richardson, Texas?
"In the early 2020s, the economic model that had sustained Chinese economic growth since 2008 basically collapsed. This model was based on massive real estate investment — the biggest development boom in the history of the world. Real estate sales funded local governments, so local governments basically approved and supported any and all development that would increase the value of land."
Thoughts on Sinofuturism - by Noah Smith
noahpinion.blog/p/thoughts-on-...

POTD: Nærøyfjord

"Steep walls touch the clouds,
Mountains cradle mirrored skies.
Nature's breath is cold."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 09 Flam

Today's photo-of-the-day shows the Nærøyfjord in Norway. "The narrow fjord is a branch of the large Sognefjord. The 11 mile long fjord is only 500 metres wide in some parts." "The Nærøyfjord has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has also been rated by the National Geographic Society as the world's number one natural heritage site along with the Geirangerfjord."

A bonus photo is after the jump.

POTD: Undredal

"Fjord hugs quiet town,
Goats outnumber village folk.
Brown cheese slowly cures."
— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 09 Flam

Today's photo-of-the-day shows Undredal, Norway. "Undredal is a small village in Aurland Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The popular tourist destination of Undredal is located along the Aurlandsfjorden which is a branch off the massive Sognefjorden in Norway's 'fjord-country.' It sits along the Aurlandsfjorden, about 5 kilometres south of the mouth to the Nærøyfjord."

Book Review: The Vegetarian

From The Vegetarian, by Han Kang:

Amazon

"As far as I was concerned, the only reasonable grounds for altering one’s eating habits were the desire to lose weight, an attempt to alleviate certain physical ailments, being possessed by an evil spirit, or having your sleep disturbed by indigestion. In any other case, it was nothing but sheer obstinacy for a wife to go against her husband’s wishes as mine had done."

TIL: Manufacturing in America is Going Strong

The appeal of MAGA is an imagined past where America used to make things, before globalization took all the manufacturing overseas. Today I learned that the basis for that belief is just wrong. The graph above shows why. America is still making stuff — about ten times more today than we made in 1947, in inflation-adjusted dollars. That's stuff made right her in the USA, not in China. What gives? Why don't we have ten times more Americans working to produce those goods? That's because of a growth in productivity. While we're making ten times more, the number of Americans working in manufacturing has stayed pretty much flat from 1947 to 2025. Productivity growth through technology, not globalization, is the more important story here.

Nosferatu (2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Nosferatu (2024): Remake of the 1929 Gothic horror classic. Faithful to the original, meaning it won't be scary enough for modern audiences. A dark, soulless story that marches relentlessly to its inevitable conclusion. Beautiful noir cinematography. C+

Peacock

Fountain of Youth (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Fountain of Youth (2025): Big budget, treasure hunt, adventure movie in the tradition of Indiana Jones, but with only a fraction of the wit and charm. Ignore the plot details stretched beyond plausibility and just go along for the ride and it can be fun. B-

AppleTV+

Saturday Night (2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Saturday Night (2024): Dramatization of the chaos before air time of the first episode of SNL. Somehow, the show made it to air. Some actors nail their original cast roles. Lorne Michaels is portrayed as having no control. Probably best for big fans. So-so or worse for the rest. C+

Netflix

POTD: Fortun

"High above the world,
Norway carves its winding road
through the mountain pass."
— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 08 Sogndal

Today's photo-of-the-day shows Fortun, Norway, a village on the Sognefjellsvegen, the highest mountain pass road in northern Europe.

POTD: Sognefjellshytta

"Through cabin windows,
a frozen lake lies silent;
white upon more white."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 08 Sogndal

Today's photo-of-the-day shows the view out the windows of the Sognefjellshytta, "a serviced private tourist cabin in Lom municipality in Innlandet county, completed in 1947." The cabin is located in Norway, near the highest point of the highest mountain pass road in northern Europe.

A bonus photo showing the highway is after the jump.

The Coming Disorder of Robert's Rules

The Richardson City Council, adding to its long history of misjudgment, has just elected Ken Hutchenrider as Mayor Pro Tem. One of the main duties of Mayor Pro Tem is to chair council meetings in the Mayor's absence. What can go wrong? Richardson City Council meetings have never been a shining example of parliamentary procedure. Often things are confused, and sometimes just plain wrong.

Transparency: "The Room Where It Happens"

Part 3 of 3.

Source: Hamilton: An American Musical.

No one really knows how the game is played
The art of the trade
How the sausage gets made
We just assume that it happens
But no one else is in the room where it happens.

Source: Hamilton.

In the first two parts of this (too long) blog post (Part 1, Part 2), I congratulated Mayor Amir Omar on trying to add transparency to the council's decisions. And I applauded Jennifer Justice and Joe Corcoran for joining him in voting against moving the decision-making process into secret. And I didn't applaud Hutchenrider, Barrios, Dorian, and Arefin who all voted to continue excluding the public from witnessing the council conduct this important business.

Today, I'll examine the result of the council's closed-door session, their pick for Mayor Pro Tem for 2025-2027. I could have led with that two days ago, but I seriously think the process used (closed instead of open) was the more important story. Mayor Pro Tems come and go. The principle of transparency is forever. My mission is to rescue "transparency" from the lip service that politicians pay it, and give gravity back to the word, so people take it seriously again.

Transparency: "The Room Where It Happens"

Part 2 of 3.

Source: Hamilton: An American Musical.

No one really knows how the game is played
The art of the trade
How the sausage gets made
We just assume that it happens
But no one else is in the room where it happens.

Source: Hamilton.

Yesterday, in Part 1, I congratulated Mayor Amir Omar on trying to add transparency to the council's decisions. And I applauded Jennifer Justice and Joe Corcoran for joining him in voting against moving the decision-making process into secret. And I didn't applaud Hutchenrider, Barrios, Dorian, and Arefin who all voted to continue excluding the public from witnessing the council conduct this important business.

Today, I'll examine the council's reasoning behind their decision to keep their deliberation secret.

Transparency: "The Room Where It Happens"

Source: Hamilton: An American Musical.

No one really knows how the game is played
The art of the trade
How the sausage gets made
We just assume that it happens
But no one else is in the room where it happens.

Source: Hamilton.

Amir Omar, when campaigning to become mayor of Richardson, wrote, "As Mayor, I envision propelling our city to regional leadership in transparency." Well, Amir Omar became mayor and on Monday night, while presiding over his first City Council meeting, Mayor Amir Omar began delivering on his promise. It came during the selection of the Mayor Pro Tem.

Wilding (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Wilding (2023): Dramatization of a real story of an English couple who decide to rewild their failing 3,500 acre estate. It's always a work in progress, but they seem to be making progress, although the movie fails to address the economics of the plan. Inspiring if not compelling moviemaking. B-

#VeryTardyReview

Korean Airlines

Charter Review: "We the People"

Artist: John Trumbull.

On May 15, 2025, the Richardson Charter Review Commission completed their review of the Richardson City Charter. Well, almost completed. They still need to come back and review the final drafts of the amendments and formally vote on what they'll submit to the City Council.

After 10 meetings and I don't know how many suggested amendments (we won't know for sure what the number is until the City Attorney packages them up in way to submit to the City Council), the commission finally added one substantive amendment that I consider to be primarily in the public interest, not the commissioners' own interest, not the city council's interest, but in the people's interest. Read all the way to the end to see what it is.

POTD: Garmo Stave Church

"Timbers soaked with time,
Withstand a thousand winters.
Strong the stave and stone."
— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 07 Lillehammer

Today's photo-of-the-day shows the Garmo Stave Church in the Maihaugen outdoor museum in Lillehammer, Norway. It "originally came from the village of Garmo in Lom. It was built circa 1150 on the site of a previous church believed to have been built in 1021 by a Viking chieftain. In 1730, it was expanded into a timber cruciform church...It was dissembled and brought to Lillehammer in sections. It was re-erected at Maihaugen in 1920—1921."

POTD: Turf Roof Above Lillehammer

"Perched where flight begins,
Watching skiers pierce the sky,
Wood and sod stand still."
— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 07 Lillehammer

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Lillehammer, Norway, site of the 1994 Winter Olympics. At the top of the ski jump stands this turf-roofed house, its firm grounding to the solid earth offering a counterpoint to the soaring skiers nearby.

My Coffee with Alan C. North

Source: RichardsonMayor.com.

It turns out that newly-elected Mayor Amir Omar is not the only candidate who has coffee with voters. This week, mayoral candidate Alan C. North had coffee with me. And now, with his permission, I'm here to answer all your questions.

The Sandlot (1993)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Sandlot (1993): Family-friendly nostalgia from the '90s about growing up playing baseball in a neighborhood sandlot — in 1962, just like I did. A Christmas Story did the nostalgia better. So did TV's The Wonder Years. But this movie comes in a close third. I don't know why it's not better known. B-

Disney+

h/t to Leo for this #VeryTardyReview

An Open Letter to Our New Mayor

Dear Mayor Amir Omar,

Congratulations on winning election to become Richardson's Mayor. You worked long and hard for this. You deserve it. Before you decided to run this year, you individually met with 200 Richardson residents for coffee. Friends, foes, and strangers. You tried to understand what the community cared about. Then, after you decided that you had something to offer, you kept on meeting with Richardson residents. Your latest count of coffee meetings is over 400. You had your finger on the pulse of Richardson. And the voters rewarded that. You were the clear choice of a majority of voters to lead our City.

Aftersun (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Aftersun (2022): Divorced dad and 11 yr-old daughter vacation at a beach resort in Turkey. Mostly seen from the girl's point of view as she's coming of age and trying to figure out what's going in her father's life. Requires patience and empathy from audience, as there is little action. B-

Max

#VeryTardyReview

Industry - S01 (TV 2020)

Rotten Tomatoes

Industry - S01 (TV 2020): A steaming, uh, streaming soap opera. New grads hired at an investment bank get six months to prove their worth to the firm. Instead, they spend their time on sex, drugs, and in abusive working relationships. I won't be watching seasons 2 and 3. C-

Max

#VeryTardyReview

POTD: Soaring Over Lillehammer

"From launch she rises,
Skier flies like summer bird.
Olympic dreams."
— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 07 Lillehammer

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Lillehammer, Norway, site of the 1994 Winter Olympics. With the ski jump behind her, "L" soars over Lillehammer, demonstrating mastery of the sport in her first jump.

POTD: Walkable Lillehammer

"Olympic glory
Fades into bright flowerbeds—
Peace outlives the flame."
— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 07 Lillehammer

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Lillehammer, Norway, site of the 1994 Winter Olympics. The city has a population of 28,560. As you can imagine, a small city that caters to tourists, even in the summer, would be very walkable. And so it is.

A Change Election

Source: BBC.

Habēmus Maiōrem Urbis! We Have a Mayor! Richardson elected a new mayor on May 3. Mayor Bob Dubey will be succeeded by Mayor Amir Omar. It might not make headlines the world over like the selection of Pope Leo XIV did in Rome, but it's significant news here in Richardson, Texas.

Richardson hasn't had a mayor lose re-election since 1987. That was undeniably a change election. Three council members lost, two more retired. We didn't have that kind of turnover on the council May 3. But any election that results in an incumbent mayor being sent packing is a change election. It's up to the rest of us to understand just what change the voters are looking for.

The Acolyte (TV 2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Acolyte (TV 2024): Young girl wants to become an apprentice Jedi. Her twin sister thinks Jedi are evil, perhaps with good reason. Plot centers on how connected these two sisters are, to each other and to the Force. Series lacks the sense of fun that made the original Star Wars such a hit. C+

AppleTV+

The Electric State (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Electric State (2025): An alternate reality 1990s universe where robots lose an uprising against humans. Evil humans run the world by tapping into the brain of a genius boy. Plot is messy but it's the robots who are the stars of this child-friendly, sci-fi, dystopia. Critics hate it. C+

Netflix

Final Look at COR Money Race

It's often said that history doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes. In some ways, that was true in 2025. To see why, we have to go back to what I wrote in this space in 2013:

Money *did* make the Richardson mayoral election go around, but like a carnival ride that goes around and around and never gets anywhere. And here's the irony: for the backers of direct election who thought this would increase democracy, know that the cost of entry into electoral politics in Richardson just went up big time. Electoral politics in Richardson are likely to get less democratic in future, not more. Who has the deep pockets who can pay that cost of entry? Land developers, for one.

That brings me to the one money angle to this election that, had I noticed in time, I just might have made something of. Laura Maczka collected $5,000 from a developer who has come before the City Council seeking zoning approval for development projects in Richardson, and may do so again in future. That's sketchy, especially when it's this guy. It may not be illegal, but it just looks bad. Really bad.

Source: The Wheel, May 16, 2013.

Charter Review: Article 3

Artist: John Trumbull.

On May 1, 2025, the Richardson Charter Review Commission continued their review of the Richardson Charter, covering Article 3 (City Council) and returning to Article 4 (Nomination and Election of City Council Members), as these two articles are interdependent. I anticipated big changes to Richardson's way of electing City Council, but in the end, not much was changed. Read on for details.

Still no video by the City to link you to, something that this commission isn't about to change. To paraphrase City policy: "Move along. There's nothing to see here."

The Worst Places to Eat in Richardson Last Month

Graphic by City of Richardson.

The City of Richardson is rightly regarded as having some of the best, most diverse, dining options in north Texas ("Eat & Drink"). But that doesn't mean every restaurant in Richardson exceeds in every measure. Here is a list of the ten worst places to eat in Richardson last month, based on the City of Richardson's Health Department Restaurant Scores for last month. Not all Richardson restaurants are included in this ranking. Each month, different restaurants are visited by the Health Department. Only those visited last month are ranked here. Only the bottom ten are shown.

Random Thoughts: New Bruce Springsteen Boxed Set

2025-04-03: "Bruce Springsteen will release a boxed set of seven albums of songs never before released."
Boxed set. Tell me you are from a bygone era without telling me your name or what years your biggest hits were released.

2025-04-03: In reaction to Trump's announcement of the imposition of broad tariffs on almost all of America's trading partners, the Dollar Tree announced an immediate name change to "$1.10 Tree."

2025-04-03: The Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act was a 1930 law that implemented protectionist trade policies in the United States. The Constitution says, "The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises." What I don't understand is why did Congress cede this power to the President?

People are Asking: "What Else is Dubey Hiding?"

Thomas More: "I have one question to ask the witness. That's a chain of office you are wearing. May I see it? The red dragon. What's this?"

Cromwell: "Sir Richard is appointed Attorney-General for Wales."

Thomas More: (Looking into Rich's face, with pain and amusement) "For Wales? Why, Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world . . . But for Wales!"

Source: A Man for All Seasons.

Election Day is near. This campaign season has had more people selling their souls with smears in text messages, robocalls, and mailers than any election since the 2013 election for mayor. I sometimes felt like I needed a shower after rebutting some of the attacks. The largest number and most hurtful of the smears came from the Dubey camp. They are spending thousands of dollars trashing a man's reputation in an effort to prevent him from becoming mayor for Richardson. Not the world, but for Richardson! It reminds me of that fateful scene in "A Man for All Seasons" where Thomas More confronts his false accuser, Richard Rich, in court. "But for Wales!"

As this is (probably) the last blog article I'll write before the election, I feel like I should document some of the questions I've never gotten to the bottom of. It wasn't for lack of trying.

Council Recap: A Crony for NTMWD

Source: h/t DALL-E.

On April 28, 2025, the City Council made appointments to boards and commissions. Maybe the most significant one, given how important water is to everyone in North Texas, is Richardson's representative to the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD).

Council Recap: A Lone Vote for Good Urban Design

Source: h/t DALL-E.

April 28, 2025, was the night that the Richardson City Council, led by Mayor Bob Dubey, officially abandoned our century-old downtown compact street grid in favor of a 580-ft superblock on which to build a 279-unit apartment building on property controlled by Manasseh Durkin, who just so happens to be a repeat donor to Mayor Dubey's election campaign. Also the same Manasseh Durkin whose limited partnership is being sued by the City of Richardson for breach of contract on another downtown project. These guys are getting brazen.

2073 (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

2073 (2025): Mostly clips of various kinds of catastrophes strung together for 90 minutes with brief breaks to see a woman living in apocalyptic end times of 2073. No plot. No characters. Mind-numbing and pessimistic. D-

Max

Dubey Gets Cash. Durkin Gets EDA. City Gets Screwed.

Source: Happy Hippie Brewing Co..

We've been getting down in the muck examining the hypocrisy hidden in plain sight in Mayor Bob Dubey's campaign finance reports. Manasseh Durkin, a big property owner in Richardson, gave money to Dubey's campaign for mayor, then sent out a mailer to voters smearing Dubey's opponent for having some lawsuits in his past, with neither mentioning the serious lawsuit Durkin himself is facing.

Diving into Dubey's Campaign Finance Report

Source: Adobe Firefly.

You know how, when you turn the light on in the kitchen, cockroaches scatter? Well, maybe not in my kitchen or yours, but let's say in the break room at City Hall. And let's say it's not cockroaches feeding in the public pantry, it's developers...and the Mayor is opening the food packages for the roaches, er, developers. Enough with the strained metaphor, let's get to the story.

Dubey Faces Ethics and Transparency Questions

Mayor Bob Dubey has close ties with a major developer with questionable ethics. Their cozy relationship raises ethical questions about Dubey himself. You won't find this developer listed among Dubey's endorsements. That raises transparency questions about Dubey as well. The supporter I'm referring to is Manasseh Durkin, whose self-named Durkin Properties says they are the "largest land holder in CORE District" in Richardson, according to The Dallas Morning News.