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| From 2024 12 22 Rome |
Today's photo-of-the-day was taken through a window of the Capitoline Museums in Rome. The window is old, which I think is why it is textured, rippled, and uneven. Or maybe the antique glass blower wanted it that way. I don't know.
In any case, after the jump is the same scene through a modern glass window.
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| From 2024 12 22 Rome |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of Bigfoot, or rather a big foot because we're not in the forests of North America. We're in the Capitoline Museums in Rome.
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| From 2024 12 22 Rome |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of the Vatican Museums. It's plural because there is a seemingly endless number of interconnected galleries, each more marvelous than the last. They all lead to the Sistine Chapel, the most extraordinary of all. But they don't allow photographs to be taken inside the Sistine Chapel, so you'll have to be satisfied with my photo of a different gallery.
A panoramic photo is after the jump.
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Source: City of Richardson.
carousel (kar-uh-sel) noun.
1. An amusement ride where you go around and around and end up where you started
2. An hour's deliberation by the City Council about public art
The Richardson City Council spent almost an hour talking about a single proposed public art piece for the new City Hall plaza. They pitched to each other various alternative designs and placements, but ended up with six of the seven agreeing to support what the selection panel of experts recommended in the first place, a design called Carousel placed between the new City Hall and the existing fountain.
It reminded me of the quote attributed to Winston Churchill, "Americans can always be trusted to do the right thing, once all other possibilities have been exhausted."
Source: North Texas Municipal Water District.
On August 28, 2025, the Richardson City Council reviewed the proposed 2025-2026 budget. One subject frequently came up: our ever-rising water bills.
Source: City of Richardson.
On August 18, 2025, the Richardson City Council reviewed the proposed 2025-2026 budget. You can watch the whole thing on the city's website. Or you can read a comprehensive account of it or watch an AI video summary on Justin Neth's Substack. Here I'm only going to focus on a few quotes that stood out for me.
Bottom line: The total proposed FY 2025-2026 budget is $418,498,270, an increase of $12,419,51 or 3.1% from FY 2024-2025. The typical taxpayer impact will be an increase of $237/year in taxes and fees paid to the city.
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| From 2024 12 22 Rome |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of tourists posing in front of the most photographed ruin the world — the Colosseum in Rome. I don't usually fill these pages with snapshots of tourists posing in front of tourist attractions, but it's important to me this time. You never know when it might be your last such photo.
Two bonus photos are after the jump.
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| From 2024 12 22 Rome |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of the Colosseum in Rome. According to Wikipedia, "It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world, despite its age. Construction began under the Emperor Vespasian (r. 69-79 AD) in AD 72 and was completed in AD 80 under his successor and heir, Titus (r. 79-81)." The Arch of Titus is near the Colosseum. So, two of the most memorable buildings in ancient Rome today are connected to the emperor Titus, whose reign lasted only two years.
Two bonus photos are after the jump.
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| From 2024 12 22 Rome |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of the Arch of Titus in Rome. I've seen photos of this arch in travel books and history books my whole life, but I've never learned its own history. It's a history that reverberates down to today's headlines.
More text and a bonus photo are after the jump.
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From South of the Border, West of the Sun, by Haruki Murakami:
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#VeryTardyReview
Source: Nay Café by Google Street View.
The Richardson City Council voted unanimously on August 11, 2025, to deny a request for a special use permit for a smoking establishment for an outdoor patio in conjunction with a restaurant.
"Forum far below,
Empire sprawls in ruined grace
'neath Palatine Hill."
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| From 2024 12 22 Rome |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of the Roman Forum from the Palatine Hill. The Palatine Hill, "relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, one of the most ancient parts of the city; it has been called 'the first nucleus of the Roman Empire.' Imperial palaces were built there, starting with Augustus."
A bonus photo (by Dessy) of Ellen and me on the Palatine Hill is after the jump.
"Past and present meet,
Where love was once deified,
Another two stand."
— h/t ChatGPT
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| From 2024 12 22 Rome |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of John and Dessy posing in front of the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina in the Roman Forum. "The temple was constructed by the Emperor Antoninus Pius, beginning in 141 AD. It was initially dedicated to his deceased and deified wife, Faustina the Elder. Because of this, Faustina was the first Roman empress with a permanent presence in the Forum Romanum. When Antoninus Pius was deified after his death in 161 AD, the temple was re-dedicated to both Antoninus and Faustina by his successor, Marcus Aurelius."
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Source: Ramsee Consulting Group.
In my fourth installment of what happened during the Richardson City Council's 5-hour goal-setting worksession, I reported this about the tactics the council came up with:
After a lunch break, the council broke into two groups of four (with the City Manager added to the seven council members). They were tasked with coming up with their top ten or so tactics. I was confused. There are 13 strategies, but only 10 tactics? Rick Robinson explained that council will decide the top ten tactics, but staff will come back with a long, full list of tactics. When the council came back together they had eight unique tactics, which I wasn't able to capture. Rick Robinson will take the list and do some combining and type them up. The council as a whole then talked about other tactics they wanted to add. Individual council members offered individual tactics. There was little attempt at voting to accept or reject the ideas offered, only some wordsmithing, as always, so I don't know how this discussion will move forward. It seemed to me they ran out of time to produce what I most wanted, a SMART set of short-term action items for the next two years.Source: Ramsee Consulting Group.
At the August 11, 2025, Richardson City Council meeting, we got to see more. Not the final version, but more.
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Source: Mark Steger.
Mayor Amir Omar and Councilmember Dan Barrios held a town hall meeting at the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation. About 100 persons attended. I grade the exercise an "A" for turnout, participation, and openness of the mayor and council member in their answers to questions raised by the audience. The two hour time allotted to this seemed right to me, but there wasn't enough time to get to all the questions.
"First night together,
Rome glows with celebration.
Chestnuts crack and steam."
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| From 2024 12 22 Rome |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of Piazza Navona in Rome. It was the first night of our whole family being together to celebrate Christmas in Rome. A holiday tradition all over Italy (and in plenty of other places in the world) is roasting chestnuts (castagne arrosto) over open charcoal braziers. They are served piping hot in paper cones. Here, a stranger enjoys the tradition.
A bonus photo is after the jump.
"Now the square holds us,
not in flesh, but in recall.
Rome keeps what we lost."
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| From 2024 12 22 Rome |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of Piazza Navona in Rome. It was the first night of our whole family being together to celebrate Christmas in Rome. Little did we know it was to be the last such family vacation. We ate at an outdoor restaurant in the piazza. The piazza "is built on the site of the 1st century AD Stadium of Domitian and follows the form of the open space of the stadium in an elongated oval. The ancient Romans went there to watch the agones ('games'), and hence it was known as 'Circus Agonalis' ('competition arena')."
Bonus photos are after the jump.
Source: City of Richardson.
The Richardson City Council held a two day budget workshop to set the 2025-2026 budget.
On the first day, they reviewed the General Fund. on this, the second day, they focused on the five other largest funds: water/sewer, drainage, solid waste, golf, and hotel/motel.
The City summary of budget recommendations from Day 1:
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Source: City of Richardson.
The Richardson City Council is holding a two day budget workshop to set the 2025-2026 budget. The City summarizes the global economic environment as: "Conflicts, trade restrictions, and geopolitical rivalries are disrupting global supply chains. Political instability and shifting international policies contribute to an unpredictable policy environment, making businesses more hesitant to invest in expansion, new hiring, or infrastructure upgrades. Wars, sanctions, and diplomatic tensions may cause energy price spikes and commodity shortages, possibly leading to inflationary pressures."
The City had three more slides calling out risks and threats to Richardson's economic situation. "Tariffs and Tariff Driven Inflation." "Labor Market Challenges." "Slowing Revenue Amid Rising Costs."
I am pleased that City government, if not the State or Federal governments, knows the answer to the question, how is MAGA working out for us?
And that's before the City gets to what our Texas legislature is up to. "SB 924 reduces FY2026 franchise fees by ~($260,000)." "HB9 will reduce FY2027 property tax revenues by ~($1,500,000)." "SB9 would reduce FY2027 property tax revenue by ~($1,500,000)." We can be sure the impact of that will be cuts to city services. How much of those cuts will show up as more money in in your wallets is much less certain.
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"Framed through palace glass,
marble rising from the sea.
Bells ring over waves."
— h/t ChatGPT
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| From 2024 09 11 Venice |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, Italy. The photo was taken through the windows at the Doge's Palace. The island of "San Giorgio is now best known for the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, designed by Palladio and begun in 1566. The belltower has a ring of 9 bells in C#."
This view makes a good bookend to the opening POTD of Venice (Venice by Sea). With that, we say ciao to Venice. Next stop, Rome.
"Gold mosaics shine,
stories looted from the East,
Faith wrapped in conquest."
— h/t ChatGPT
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| From 2024 09 11 Venice |
Today's photo-of-the-day is from St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy. "It is dedicated to and holds the relics of Saint Mark the Evangelist, the patron saint of the city...The present structure is the third church, begun probably in 1063 to express Venice's growing civic consciousness and pride. Like the two earlier churches, its model was the sixth-century Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople...Middle-Byzantine, Romanesque, and Islamic influences are also evident, and Gothic elements were later incorporated. To convey the republic's wealth and power, the original brick façades and interior walls were embellished over time with precious stones and rare marbles, primarily in the thirteenth century. Many of the columns, reliefs, and sculptures were spoils stripped from the churches, palaces, and public monuments of Constantinople as a result of the Venetian participation in the Fourth Crusade. Among the plundered artefacts brought back to Venice were the four ancient bronze horses that were placed prominently over the entry."
2025-07-14: Random NextDoor post: "Want to know how many times I get pulled over for nothing. There about to break there previous record."
There's a sentence there with two uses of the word "there", both spelled wrong. Impressive.
