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"). Feeling a bit like "Opposite Man," I thought I'd offer a list of the ten worst places to eat in Richardson last month. It's based on the City of Richardson's Health Department Restaurant Scores for last month. That is, not all restaurants are ranked here. Each month, different restaurants are visited by the Health Department.
2024-11-02: The Lincoln Project asks, "Other than Trump, which Republicans do you REALLY want to lose this November?"
That question drew 3.5K comments.
2024-11-04: This is Texas District 112, represented by Angie Chen Button. To keep her Dallas County district packed with as many reliable GOP voters as the GOP legislature in Austin can find, Angie Chen Button is backed up against the wall (Collin County to the north, Rockwall and Kaufman Counties to the east). She is cornered. This is what they mean by politicians choosing their voters instead of voters choosing their representatives.
2024-11-04: The biggest problem with the US Constitution is due to the Founding Fathers not respecting democratic elections.
2024-11-04: "Moldova's pro-European Union incumbent President Maia Sandu won a tense presidential runoff election Sunday, beating a rival backed by a pro-Russian party in what she called as a 'lesson in democracy.'
'Today, dear Moldovans, you have given a lesson in democracy, worthy of being written in history books.... Freedom, truth, and justice have prevailed," Sandu declared.'"
Let's hope Americans can say the same thing on November 5.
cbsnews.com/news/moldova-elect...
"Ancient market hums.
Treasures in a thousand nooks.
Ottoman splendor."
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| From 2024 05 06 Istanbul |
Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. It is "one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops." It dates back to the 15th century.
Bonus photos after the jump.
"Imperial halls,
Once power's solemn domain,
Now host kids at play."
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| From 2024 05 06 Istanbul |
Today's photo-of-the-day is from Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. From the 1460s to 1856, it served as the main residence of the Turkish sultans. Today it's a museum, with the imperial treasury of jewels and the rooms of the imperial harem being the most popular tourist draws. But the photos here are of young people having fun. Kids are kids the world over.
Bonus photos are after the jump.
"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."
— Proverb.
I always thought this proverb said something about old men knowing they won't live long enough for a newly planted tree to mature. Now I have to think of the possibility it's about men who rip up trees and replant over and over, never giving the trees a chance to grow old.
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Someone informed me of some landscaping changes on Main Street in downtown Richardson. The trees in the median were reportedly ripped out and replaced by shrubs. Someone said it's the second time. That can't be, I thought. The trees were just planted. The Main Street redevelopment project was just celebrated in October, 2021. Sad to say, the news appears to be true, as the photo above shows.
"Mosques stand side by side.
Minarets pierce clouds with grace.
Blue domes kiss the sky."
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| From 2024 05 06 Istanbul |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. The Blue Mosque was completed in 1616. It was designed as an imperial show of strength. If you think the Blue Mosque is old, look next door at the Hagia Sophia, completed over a thousand years earlier in 537 CE. Hagia Sophia was a Christian church until 1453, when it was converted to a mosque. It was the world's largest building for nearly a thousand years.
A photo of Hagia Sophia is after the jump.
"East and West embrace,
bridging time and continents.
Istanbul welcomes."
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| From 2024 05 06 Istanbul |
Today's photo-of-the-day is from Istanbul, Turkey, one of the world's great cities for 2,000 years. It's the gateway between Europe and Asia, between East and West, between modernity and history. Travel there from the West and it feels exotic. Arrive from the East and it feels like you are back in familiar surroundings. It's chaotic and wonderful at once.
A bonus photo is after the jump.
One President with some Girl Scouts, pitching a documentary about our oceans.
One pitching guitars for $1,500 (or, if autographed by the Grifter-in-Chief himself, for $10,000).
I miss one of these guys.
From The Cartographers, by Peng Shepherd:
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"Hooves drum on the plains,
Gauchos race with steady grace,
Horse and man as one."
— h/t ChatGPT
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| From 2024 03 14 Argentina Patagonia |
No trip to Argentina is complete without seeing a gaucho show on a ranch. Horse riding, a folklore show, and of course a cookout. Today's photo-of-the-day is from Estancia Santa Susanna outside Buenos Aires.
And with that, we say adios to Argentina. Next trip: Turkey.
"Velvet curtains part.
Golden age of tango lives.
Dancing fire ignites."
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| From 2024 03 14 Argentina Patagonia |
No trip to Argentina is complete without seeing a live tango performance in Buenos Aires, the birthplace of tango. Today's photo-of-the-day is from Cafe de los Angelitos. "This historic café and haunt of legendary tango singer Carlos Gardel opens its secret backroom drapes every night and transforms into a grand ballroom tanguerÃa. 'Of the many tango shows in Buenos Aires, Cafe de los Angelitos rises above the rest,' TangoNightsBA, a travel agency that specializes in tango shows, explains. 'The refurbished cafe and theater managed to preserve the traditional feel of the tango golden age and their show reflects the same.' "
A bonus photo is after the jump.
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Disney+
Democrats seem to have the advantage on the issues. But Republicans have the advantage on messaging. Let's consider Missouri. Voters there voted like Democrats on the issues. But they voted for Republicans for office. They passed some pretty liberal Constitutional amendments while voting by a 19% margin for Donald Trump for President, and by a 14% margin for Josh Hawley for Senate.
It's now one week since Election Day. Mark Leibovich in "The Atlantic" goes all the way back to Hillary Clinton's close loss to Donald Trump in 2016 to explain the source of the Democrats' defeats in 2024.
Leibovich: "Democrats engaged in no real reckoning after 2016. Essentially they became a party that defined itself in opposition to Trump, just as Republicans have been defined in submission to him."
On November 7, the Richardson ISD Board of Trustees adopted a set of legislative priorities for the upcoming 2025-2026 legislative term.
Jim Jordan: "This election was the greatest political comeback we've ever seen."
Well, maybe not. Nixon's win in 1968 was arguably bigger after Nixon's defeat in 1962 and pledge to the press, "You don't have Nixon to kick around any more, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference." Biggest comeback and, later, biggest eventual collapse. Maybe something still to look forward to.
"Readers in box seats.
Books fill up the former stalls.
Cafe on the stage."
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| From 2024 03 14 Argentina Patagonia |
Today's photo-of-the-day is from The Grand Splendid Athenaeum, a bookstore in Buenos Aires. In 2019, it was named the "world's most beautiful bookstore" by the National Geographic. It gets no argument from me. It's located in a former theater called Teatro Gran Splendid. Customer seating exists in the still-intact theater boxes. A cafe serves food and drinks on the former stage. Over a million people visit annually, including "L" and me. We didn't buy any books (the vast majority are in Spanish), but we did eat lunch. Beautiful.
Another photo after the jump.
"Beneath city lights,
Buenos Aires sports Kelly Green,
For St. Paddy’s cheer."
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| From 2024 03 14 Argentina Patagonia |
Today's photo-of-the-day is the view from our hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saint Patrick's Day in 2024. Across the street is the most famous Irish Pub in Buenos Aires, The Kilkenny.
After the jump, The Kilkenny.
"Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink." — Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
The City of Richardson's Holly Water Tower lost all pressure on Thursday, triggering an alert on the City's website, on social media, and elsewhere (we'll come back to that) to boil water before usage. City staff and volunteers quickly moved into action acquiring truckloads of bottled water for distribution to affected residents. All well and good. Triage before post-mortem, you know. There'll be time enough for questions later. First things first. The City is testing water and hopes to have results back Friday, November 8. When it's deemed safe to drink again, the City will spread the word...somehow.
When that day comes, there are some questions that I'd like the City to publish answers for.
November 5 was disappointing, but not a surprise. It's certainly not like 2016, where the result did catch me by surprise. This time, I took a wait-and-see attitude. Two weeks before the election, I told someone struggling to be optimistic that "the most I can offer is what keeps me from despair. The odds are pretty much 50/50. That's not a reason to be optimistic, but it's equally not a reason to be pessimistic."
Now that the results are in, and Donald Trump's win over Kamala Harris is certain, it's time for despair. Hear me out.
From The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles:
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The City of Richardson is rightly regarded as having some of the best, most diverse, dining options in north Texas ("Eat & Drink"). Feeling a bit like "Opposite Man," I thought I'd offer a list of the ten worst places to eat in Richardson last month. It's based on the City of Richardson's Health Department Restaurant Scores for last month. That is, each month features a different list.
"Floating ice so vast,
A shard of Upsala's might,
Drifting blue and white."
— h/t ChatGPT
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| From 2024 03 14 Argentina Patagonia |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of an iceberg from Upsala Glacier in Argentine Patagonia. Another tourist vessel is present for scale. Imagine the size of the glacier that the iceberg broke off from further up the fjord.
"Wide wall of blue ice,
Holding tourists' awed gaze.
Waiting for loud cracks."
— h/t ChatGPT
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| From 2023 03 14 Argentina Patagonia |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of Perito Moreno Glacier in the Patagonia region of Argentina. It's also my favorite glacier. It's a particularly stable glacier, at least along its leading edge, thanks to the geography of the fjord which forms a bottleneck that the glacier catches on as it advances. At that point is a boardwalk for tourists, making this one of world's most accessible glaciers for viewing. Stand and watch for a while and you'll be treated to occasional calving of large chunks of ice.
2024-10-01: "The UK Has No Coal-Fired Power Plants for the First Time in 142 Years" | WIRED.
Most of the time, I think our efforts to address climate change amount to too-little, too-late. But every once in a while there's a headline like this that gives me a smidgen of hope.
wired.com/story/uk-no-coal-fir...
2024-10-03: "11 damning details in Jack Smith’s new brief in the Trump election case" | POLITICO.
Damning? These Trump scandals have reached the point of having no effect on public opinion. Maybe they are even counter-productive. With every story, more voters might be moved to support Trump just to get these cases settled than moved to want him to lose to see the cases pursued for another four years. Depressing, but I think that's where we are.
politico.com/news/2024/10/02/j...
2024-10-04: "US economy added a whopping 254,000 jobs last month" | CNN Business.
Those are new jobs, in addition to all the jobs Americans had last month. Even if immigrants are taking some Americans' jobs, there are a "whopping" number of new ones to pick from.
cnn.com/business/live-news/us-...
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#VeryTardyReview
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On October 21, 2024, the Richardson City Council and City Plan Commission (CPC) reviewed a close-to-final draft of a new Comprehensive Plan.
My own feedback can be found here:
I'll add that the best thing about this draft Comp Plan isn't the plan. It's the list of 77 action items. It's a better list than the list the Council came up with during their own goal-setting retreat at the beginning of their term. But there's too much latitude in it. They shouldn't leave it to City Manager Don Magner to prioritize and schedule, not if they care about what gets done and what gets kicked down the road.
"After the long day,
Calafate refreshment.
Mountains call me back."
— h/t ChatGPT
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| From 2024 03 11 Chile Patagonia |
After a long day touring the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, we relaxed at the Hotel Las Torres with a calafate smoothie. Calafate is a small, round, purple fruit with a sweet and sour taste. It's the symbol of Patagonia. A legend says if you eat calafate berries you will be sure to return to Patagonia. Sure enough, the next day we returned, this time to Argentinian Patagonia. More glaciers in store.
"Horns of blue in mist,
Clouds hide the towering peaks,
Knee bends against will."
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| From 2024 03 11 Chile Patagonia |
Today's photo-of-the-day is from Chile's Torres del Paine National Park (Towers of Blue). The park "encompasses mountains, glaciers, lakes, and rivers in southern Chilean Patagonia." From a distance of 20 miles we got our first, and least obstructed, view of the Cuernos del Paine (Horns of Blue).
A bonus photo is after the jump.
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AppleTV+
At the Richardson City Council meeting of October 14, 2024, the Council approved yet another car dealer to locate in Richardson. And not just any car dealer. This was a request by AutoSavvy. Does Richardson benefit from yet another auto dealer? Especially AutoSavvy? I say no. No City Councilmember could offer a reason to say yes, except maybe as a placeholder for five years, the length of the special use permit under consideration. But they unanimously voted for it anyway.
At the Richardson City Council meeting of October 14, 2024, the Council approved yet another car dealer and, in a separate action, amended the existing planned development for the Eastside development to allow the applicant to develop a "master sign plan" for the development. A master sign plan is a way of getting approval for signs that are currently prohibited by ordinance. Because of course they did. They know better, just listen to them during deliberations. But when it comes time to vote, they can't help themselves. They vote yes.
"Blue ice, ages old,
chilled hands hold a frozen past,
soon to cool our drinks."
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| From 2024 03 11 Chile Patagonia |
Today's photo-of-the-day is from our first South American glacier, Serrano Glacier in southern Patagonia in Chile. Ellen is holding a piece of ice that calved from the glacier. Soon it will be cooling our drinks.
A bonus photo is after the jump.
"Southward, dreams unfold,
Patagonia's heart revealed,
One step closer now."
— h/t ChatGPT
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| From 2024 03 11 Chile Patagonia |
Today's photo-of-the-day is from Puerto Natales, Chile. It was our first overnight stay way down south in Patagonia. The Andes Mountains stand tall, beckoning us to come closer. That awaits for another day.
The City of Richardson has published a draft of its long-overdue Comprehensive Plan update, the first since 2009. I noticed words like residents, citizens, stakeholders, etc., used in different contexts. Are the distinctions significant? Dunno. The Plan doesn't say. And the closest it comes to a definition for any of the terms is this: "stakeholder—residents, employers and business owners, landowners, brokers and developers, partner agencies and organizations, nonprofits, and public officials." That's pretty comprehensive. It doesn't explicitly include renters, but because renters are residents, I'd argue that it implicitly includes them. But does the City think that? Really?
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Source: City of Richardson.
The City of Richardson has published a draft of its long-overdue Comprehensive Plan update, the first since 2009. The initial grade I'd award? Incomplete. I was interested in, for example, what the recommendations would be for increasing the so-called missing middle housing in Richardson, that is, housing types like duplexes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), bungalow courts, and townhomes. I found some mushy aspirations, but nothing that commits the City to any changes.
The City of Richardson has published a draft of its long-overdue Comprehensive Plan update, the first since 2009. My eyes went immediately to how Point North Park is represented in our new plan. Point North Park is in far northwest Richardson, wedged between Canyon Creek and UT-Dallas.
