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| From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of a mural on the wall of the Distileria Espina Mezcal, a traditional, artisanal Oaxacan mezcal brand produced by a family-run operation, known for its authentic, craft methods.
A bonus photo is after the jump.
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| From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of El Árbol del Tule, a Montezuma cypress in the church grounds in the town center of Santa María del Tule in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Its trunk is reputedly the largest in the world, at an estimated diameter of 31 feet. Its age is estimated at 1,500 years.
"Silent giant stands
In the town's quiet center.
Time rooted in bark."
— h/t ChatGPT
Graphic by City of Richardson.
The City of Richardson is rightly regarded as having some of the best and 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 worst places to eat in Richardson last month, based on the City of Richardson's Health Department Restaurant Scores from inspections last month. Not all Richardson restaurants are inspected each and every month. Only those inspected last month are ranked here. Only the lowest scores are shown.
2026-03-18: KERA News: "Dallas GOP kept Republican and Dem primary voters apart — Now it wants county-wide voting again."
GOP Chair: It was a successful election.
People are saying maybe the most successful ever. So successful let's never ever do that again.
keranews.org/news/2026-03-17/t...
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| From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca |
Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in central Oaxaca, Mexico. It shows a mural on the wall of Galeria de Arte Jesús Villafan. If this draws you into the gallery, you won't be disappointed by the artwork for sale inside.
"Bright paint on the wall.
Oaxaca's vibrant spirit.
Magic in the sun."
— h/t ChatGPT
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| From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca |
Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Mercado Benito Juárez, in Oaxaca, Mexico. Google describes it as a "bibrant covered marketplace with vendors selling produce, prepared foods, crafts & textiles." Some of those "prepared foods" are insects.
"Beneath the high roof,
Vendors call to passing crowds,
Life in every stall."
— h/t ChatGPT
Yesterday, we covered the Richardson City Council's draft process for filling a vacancy on the city council ("Council Recap: Filling Vacancies"). I wrote, "I fear that if they come down on the side of taking their own deliberations behind closed doors, they run the risk of violating the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA)." That's so serious that I feel I ought to pull that risk out and give it a blog post of its own, because I believe the council may very well be getting ready to...BREAK THE LAW.
The Richardson City Council met March 23, 2026. The main draw (for me) was the discussion about the process the city council will use to fill mid-term vacancies on the council. But, first, there were a couple of other agenda items that drew my scrutiny as well.
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| From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca |
Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Monte Albán, near Oaxaca, Mexico. According to UNESCO, "Monte Albán is the most important archaeological site of the Valley of Oaxaca. Inhabited over a period of 1,500 years by a succession of peoples — Olmecs, Zapotecs and Mixtecs — the terraces, dams, canals, pyramids and artificial mounds of Monte Albán were literally carved out of the mountain and are the symbols of a sacred topography. The grand Zapotec capital flourished for thirteen centuries, from the year 500 B.C to 850 A.D."
Bonus photos are after the jump.
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| From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of a random street in Oaxaca, Mexico. MULT is an abbreviation of Movimiento de Unificación y Lucha Triqui, an organization working for unification, human rights, and justice for the Triqui people of Oaxaca.
"In Oaxaca streets,
Triqui struggles paint the walls.
Hope marching mutely."
— h/t ChatGPT
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| From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of a random street in Oaxaca, Mexico. It's a colorful city. That is all.
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| From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of a random street in Oaxaca, Mexico. It's a colorful city. That is all.
Source: h/t DALL-E.
The Academy Awards will be given out Sunday, March 15, 2026. I've seen all the nominees for Best Picture. That means my opinion means something. Right? Regardless, I've ranked the movies in order of my preference for "Best Picture."
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science uses ranked choice voting (RCV) to ensure that the winner has broad support throughout the Academy members. I wish US political elections used something similar (see proportional voting). But that's for another post.
My personal ranked choice of the Oscar nominees is based on the grades I gave the movies immediately after seeing them. In case of ties, I ordered them by my judgment today. Note this is not my prediction of which movie will win but how I would vote, if I had a vote. (The bettors are picking "One Battle After Another". I think "Sinners" could win in an upset.)
The envelope please. The winner of "The Wheel Award for Excellence in Motion Pictures" goes to...
The Richardson City Council met March 9, 2026, with a busy agenda. I'll focus on just one topic: drones.
The council reviewed Amazon's drone operations at its STX8 fulfillment center on Research Dr. near Richardson Methodist Hospital (remember that, it'll come up later). Concerns about noise, privacy, and drone safety were addressed, with Amazon committing to ongoing community engagement, but no specific improvements.
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Blue Moon (2025): At the bar in NY's Sardi's, Lorenz Hart watches his former partner Richard Rodgers celebrate the opening of Oklahoma! Ethan Hawke is masterful portraying a musical genius in decline. With just one set, and one night, it feels like a stage play, one with little dramatic arc. B+
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| From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of graffiti in Oaxaca, Mexico. I am not an expert on Mexican political movements, but when I see "8M" alongside phrases like "Fuimos todas," "No es no," and "Oaxaca feminicida," I think it signals that the graffiti is connected to the feminist mobilizations that take place annually in Mexico on International Womens Day, March 8 (shorthand: "8M"). The graffiti says the protests were large ("We all went"), they were against violence against women ("feminicida") and they signaled demands for justice, safety, and equality. I might be male, I might be American, but I'm feeling solidarity as I read this cry for justice in a foreign land.
P.S. Today is March 8 all over the world.
"Read the foreign words.
The meaning crosses borders.
Justice has no flag."
— h/t ChatGPT
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| From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of La Malinche volcano in Mexico, outside Puebla, if you can call any volcano "outside" a city if it presents this view to the neighborhoods at the foot of the mountain. I personally find it scary, but it's probably less likely that a resident of Puebla will die in a volcanic explosion in their lifetime than a resident of, say, Richardson, Texas, will die from a tornado. I wouldn't be reassured by Wikipedia calling it an "inactive" volcano. That plume of smoke suggests to me that could change at any time.
"They say 'inactive,'
yet smoke braids the morning air
as summit exhales."
— h/t ChatGPT
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The Richardson City Council met March 2, 2026, with two business items on the agenda. First, the council reviewed the city's regulations for short-term rentals (STRs).
Second, the council held the 2025 annual review of the police department. Given that courts have at multiple times ruled that ICE actions have been unlawful or unconstitutional, Richardson should be credited for not participating in those unlawful activities. In any case, there were no public speakers on the topic of the RPD annual review. Not anticipating any news, I didn't even attend that portion of the meeting. Consider that a win for the city. ;-) That leaves STRs for me to cover.
Graphic by City of Richardson.
The City of Richardson is rightly regarded as having some of the best and 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 worst places to eat in Richardson last month, based on the City of Richardson's Health Department Restaurant Scores from inspections last month. Not all Richardson restaurants are inspected each and every month. Only those inspected last month are ranked here. Only the lowest scores are shown.
2026-02-04: From NY Times: "Washington Post Begins Laying Off More Than 300 Journalists."
Two things.
1. My decision last year to cancel my Washingtpon Post subscription is aging well.
2. Why is it that bad news about a newspaper is never in the newspaper itself, but in a competitor's newspaper?
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| From 2025 06 01 Puebla |
Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Arena Puebla, a regular venue for Mexican-style wrestling, called Lucha Libre. The sport is known for its colorful masks, high-flying acrobatics, fast pace, and dramatic characters divided into heroes and villains. A packed house, with a mostly local audience, many dressed as their favorite fighters, shower the ring repeatedly with cheers and boos. You can't help but enjoy the spectacle.
Bonus photos are after the jump.
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| From 2025 06 01 Puebla |
Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in the courtyard of Museo Amparo in Puebla, Mexico. "The Amparo Museum is considered one of Mexico's most important cultural and exhibition centers. It features galleries dedicated to its collection of pre-Hispanic art, one of the most significant in Mexico held by a private institution." I was won over by its beautiful courtyard.
"Floor like cobalt sea,
Amber columns holding sky,
Courtyard a retreat."
— h/t ChatGPT
The Richardson City Council met February 23, 2026. Two of the agenda items are worth covering: DART and the Apollo Middle School rezoning. The first was covered in yesterday's blog: "Council Recap: DART". Today we look at Apollo Middle School. In short, the RISD request was approved 7-0.
The Richardson City Council met February 23, 2026. Two of the agenda items are worth covering: DART and the Apollo Middle School rezoning. Both went as expected. The council formally approved the proposed amended governance plan for DART. They also authorized the City Manager to execute an agreement with DART to allow for allocation of DART General Mobility Funds to Richardson. The council also approved the rezoning application by the Richardson ISD to transform Apollo Junior High School into Apollo Middle School.
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| From 2025 06 01 Puebla |
Today's photo-of-the-day was taken on the street on my walk to the Templo de Santa María Tonantzintla in Cholula, Puebla, Mexico. This church was small and nice, but I had seen enough churches. A man shoeing a horse on a small, quiet street on my walk to church caught my eye. Man and horse (and tourist) all seemed satisfied.
"Man and beast are still,
A job well done in the sun,
Church ahead can wait."
— h/t ChatGPT
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| From 2025 06 01 Puebla |
Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies, a Catholic church located atop the Great Pyramid of Cholula, in San Pedro Cholula, Puebla, Mexico. That's the church at the top of the hill. At the base is a partial reconstruction of the Pyramid that used to go all the way to the top of the hill.
Another photo is after the jump.
On February 18, 2026, UT-Dallas Student Government hosted a town hall meeting with Richardson Mayor Amir Omar. At this third town hall, Mayor Omar shared the stage with Council member Joe Corcoran. Anyone who wants to know what's going on in Richardson government really ought to attend these town hall meetings. They are more informative than a year of attending City Council meetings. OK, that might be an exaggeration, but not by much. I thought the questions from UT-Dallas students were as good or better than those asked at many campaign forums.
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The February 16, 2025, Richardson City Council meeting started out like a bureaucratic snooze-fest. There were no public speakers lined up to address the city council. The agenda topics were all "review and discuss," with no decisions to be made, things like FIFA World Cup, senior property tax exemption, Safer Streets Richardson, and Eisemann Center operations. In other words, nothing to ignite fireworks.
I found my mind drifting to imagining watching a TV series pilot. You know, where a standalone episode of a television show is produced to test the show's world, key characters, and storylines, in order to determine if a full run of the series should be ordered. Call the TV series, I don't know, maybe "The Non-Consent Agenda." Should this show be green lit for production?
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It's primary time in Texas. First, a brief look at the US Senate. Incumbent Senator John Cornyn (R) is being challenged by impeached and indicted, but never convicted, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). Maybe not surprisingly, polls show GOP voters prefer Paxton. The Democrats have two candidates who are running against each other (James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett). Crockett found fame attacking Trump. Talarico is attacking Crockett. Dems can be their own worst enemies.
Another race to watch is the US Congressional race for Texas District 32, which includes Richardson, although it's weighted to give heavily Republican east Texas a majority. In the Democratic primary is current Richardson City Council member Dan Barrios ("We recommend Barrios...who is running a campaign centered on kitchen-table issues, such as the rising cost of living, housing affordability and opportunities for small businesses." — The Dallas Morning News). Running against him is Anthony Bridges ("Donald Trump and Chuck Schumer are going to HATE me as much as we hate them and their billionaire buddies." — Bridges's campaign website) All I've said before about that race is the effect of Barrios's candidacy on the City Council of Richardson (not their shining hour).
On the Republican side, I have a lot more to say. The pack is circling the seat that was opened up by redistricting. Julie Johnson, the incumbent, was drawn out of her own district. [Correction: District 32 was redrawn to make it harder for any Democrat to win it, not just Julie Johnson.]
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| From 2025 06 01 Puebla |
Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Puebla, Mexico, at a restaurant we chose to eat at. Food was fine, but we found it odd that the bar was closed, with "LEY SECA" posted over it. The translation is basically: "Yes, we are a bar. No, you cannot drink today." The reason was it was election day. I guess the thinking is that it takes away an excuse the electorate could use for electing bad politicians: "Don't blame us. We were drinking." Texans don't have that excuse for the results of our elections.
"Election Sunday,
the barroom stays out of it.
Beer can wait its turn."
— h/t ChatGPT
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| From 2025 06 01 Puebla |
Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Puebla, Mexico, at Taller Talavera de la Reyna. It shows ceramic plates arrayed on the ground, some broken. I can't explain it (the plates). I can explain Talavera de la Reyna. "Angélica Moreno founded the Talavera de la Reyna workshop in 1990, with the objective of preserving, rescuing, innovating and valuing one of the most important artisanal processes in Mexico." Today, you can watch artisans at work and purchase their products. It's worth a visit.
"Not trash, not display,
just ceramics marking time
through chips and edges."
— h/t ChatGPT
From Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman, by Robert K. Massie:
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The big news February 9, 2026, was that the Richardson City Council ordered a $223.4M bond election for May 2, 2026. So let's talk about something else instead.
Also on February 9, 2026, the council ordered a Charter Amendment election. There was some urgency involved. Ready or not, this week's council meeting was the last chance for the council to call an election for May, either for a bond package or for charter amendments.
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Community Impact.
Community Impact has a straightforward report on the coming challenges for Richardson's finances. The bottom line: "Richardson could see a budget shortfall in the next few years due to the statewide cap on property tax increases."
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| From 2025 06 01 Puebla |
Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Puebla, Mexico. It shows a street lined with colorful shops and restaurants. It's home to a weekend antique and handicraft market. Why it's called Alley of the Frogs, well, I think that's a relic of history long gone. Something about regular flooding or something.
Another photo is after the jump.
