Chico, California, is not Richardson, Texas. But recent events there have a lesson for us here. The story is in The Intercept. In 2018 the Camp Fire burned the neighboring town of Paradise to the ground. Residents of Chico welcomed thousands of evacuees, opening their homes and shelters and turning parks and even a Walmart parking lot into campgrounds, with the Chico residents donating tents and sleeping bags. But...there always has to be a but.
Wednesday, May 12, 2021
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Review: Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights
Amazon |
This is the story of a jinnia, a great princess of the jinn, known as the Lightning Princess on account of her mastery over the thunderbolt, who loved a mortal man long ago, in the twelfth century, as we would say, and of her many descendants, and of her return to the world, after a long absence, to fall in love again, at least for a moment, and then to go to war."
Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights. Count 'em up. That's 1001 nights. Consider this Salman Rushdie's attempt at fan fiction for "1001 Arabian Nights." How does it hold up?
After the jump, my review.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Off the Leash
Some say the council supported a dog park all along. Some say that the council was only prevented from building a dog park because of neighborhood objections and because tea partiers (for lack of a better term) oppose funding it with borrowed money.
What some say is false.
After the jump, speculation on what's behind the turnaround.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Who is NPAR?
Tuesday's candidate forum for the Richardson City Council was co-sponsored by the Neighborhood Protection Alliance of Richardson (NPAR). What is that, you ask. Is "neighborhood protection" just a politically correct way of saying Not-In-My-Back-Yard? (Not really. OK, maybe a little. Maybe more than a little.) Who is NPAR, you ask. Do you mean Maitri and her friends? (Maybe, but NPAR sounds grand, doesn't it? And maybe it's bigger than that, but it's hard to say.)
If you need a scorecard to keep straight all the new political organizations sprouting up in Richardson, you are not alone. The Richardson Coalition. The Richardson Citizens Alliance. The Neighborhood Protection Alliance of Richardson. What most of these have in common is more than a little ambiguity over who all are members and how representative they are of Richardson as a whole.
After the jump, parsing the email from the Neighborhood Protection Alliance of Richardson.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Beijing Journal
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Richardson Idol: Week Three
Richardson Idol is growing so much in popularity that this week two episodes aired. Tuesday night's show was jointly sponsored by the Highland Terrace Neighborhood Association and the Neighborhood Protection Alliance of Richardson. Wednesday night's show was sponsored by the Friends of Richardson. Neilsen ratings for each individual night held steady.
Eleven of thirteen contestants vying for the grand prize, a seat on the Richardson City Council, performed on our stage for our judges Tuesday night (absent: Gordon, North). Ten performed Wednesday night (absent: Gordon, North, Mitchell).
As the format requires, it is up to the audience (and by audience, I mean me) to eliminate one contestant each week until we have a council. (The recap of last week's show can be found here.)
But before we hear who will be eliminated this week, let's first hand out superlatives ... after the jump.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Glass-Eyed Politicians in Richardson
"Get thee glass eyes;
And like a scurvy politician, seem
To see the things thou dost not."
-- William Shakespeare, King Lear
I apologize in advance to any of the candidates who, in fact, literally have glass eyes. But as the election campaign for Richardson City Council heats up, it seems to me that more candidates are seeming to see things that just aren't there.
After the jump, a rundown.
Thursday, September 22, 2022
Legalities of Short Term Rental Regulations
The City of Richardson is likely to adopt short-term rental (STR) regulations. Richardson is not the first city to try this. It won't be the last. There is a legal thicket surrounding cities' attempts to adopt STR ordinances. Several key cases are still working their way through the courts and haven't yet reached a final judgment. Courts have looked more favorably on reasonable regulation than outright bans. So, rather than risk having more aggressive regulation tested in court, Richardson's regulations are geared to trying to control the nuisances (noise, parking, trash) that STRs bring to neighborhoods.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Outdoor Lights Don't Deter Crime
Regularly I read on Facebook or Nextdoor or in chain emails a call for everyone to keep their porch lights on overnight. Or for the city to install more street lights. The following is a typical example:
This is repeated so often that most people just assume it must be good advice. I, on the other hand, have never been convinced of the logic of this. I've suspected that street lighting might even do more harm than good. But I didn't have the facts. Now I do.Some people regularly turn porch lights off when going to bed. I'm always amazed driving through neighborhoods and no exterior lights are on. It's one little thing we can do to maybe deter a crime. Having a well lit exterior just sends a signal that we care and are watching.
Source: Facebook.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Chasing Squirrels Again in Richardson
After the jump, chasing squirrels again in Richardson.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Lookout! Farm, Fire, Filth
Lots of news from Lookout Drive recently. First was the announcement that Owens Spring Creek Farm was closing. Then was the ribbon cutting for Richardson's new fire training center. This week, down in Austin, the rebuilding of the Lookout Drive Transfer Station (LOTS) gets one more step closer to reality.
That trash transfer station has been a regular topic here on The Wheel. Most recently was last November, after a public hearing on the project, when the neighborhood learned that the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) had made all the concessions they were going to make to address the concerns of the neighborhood. Next week in Austin the neighborhood makes its last (?) ditch effort to stop the project as the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) holds a review of a request for reconsideration of the TCEQ's decision that the NTMWD project application meets the requirements of applicable law.
After the jump, the TCEQ's response to the neighborhood complaints.
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Richardson's Budget - Black or Red?
When I looked at this question three years ago, I concluded that the city's 2017-2018 budget was indeed balanced and didn't require use of that sneaky asterisk ("plus reserved fund balance and other financing sources"). After watching this over a number of years, I found that the amount the budget is in the red or black each year is always small. Whether it happens in any given year seems to be a matter of chance.
Thursday, November 4, 2021
RISD School Board Goes To School
The trustees of the Richardson ISD school board held a three hour training session Tuesday night on team-building. You might think this was well-timed, given recent events, but it's been on the board calendar all year. Texas State law requires team-building training every year. This week was RISD's turn. The trainer was Kay Douglas from the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB). She was excellent. She is knowledgeable, experienced, and generous with sharing her learned wisdom.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Lookout, TCEQ is Coming to Plano
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has prepared a draft permit which, if approved, would establish the conditions under which the new Lookout Trash Transfer Station (LOTS) must operate. The TCEQ has made a preliminary decision that this permit meets all statutory and regulatory requirements. Naturally, dissatisfaction with this decision is directly proportional to proximity to the site.
After the jump, the next act in this long-running drama.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Defending One's Honor
Remember duels? For centuries, a duel was considered an acceptable way to resolve disputes involving personal honor. Insult me, or insult my family, and by God, sir, I will have satisfaction (even if someone ends up dead).Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing;
'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed.
Source: Othello Act 3, scene 3.
After the jump, whatever became of that reckless, overwrought practice?
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Repeat Tweets: What Cecil the Lion Teaches Us About Health Reform
Repeat tweets from August, 2015:
- Aug 1 2015: Cecil the lion teaches us that "the ruling theory behind conservative notions of health reform is completely wrong." krugman.blogs.nytimes.com
- Aug 2 2015: Ironic, @DonMcLeroy accusing others of throwing gas on the fire. He is the arsonist. He and his revisionist history.
- Aug 2 2015: I don't know if Scott Walker is a sentient human being, but presume he is.
- Aug 3 2015: "GOP doesn't rush to defend Ken Paxton." Of course not. Paxton himself admitted guilt and paid a fine last year. abc13.com
- Aug 3 2015: Cruz: "Satellite data for last 18 years [shows] zero recorded warming." Obama: "2014 was the planet’s warmest year on record." One is right.
- Aug 3 2015: Jefferson Center Apt Homes: High-end, medium-density, single-use development near future Cotton Belt station. Meh. bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com
After the jump, more repeat tweets.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Duck and Cover
Anyway, Phil Robertson's backwards views on sexual orientation are not what I wanted to talk about today. After the jump, his backwards views on race.
Tuesday, February 1, 2022
Random Thoughts: Just a Ploy for More Money
- 2022-01-01: "Dallas recorded a 13% drop in homicides in 2021." Wait, what? Didn't the National Fraternal Order of Police just scream about "SKYROCKETING MURDER RATES." You don't think it was just a ploy for more money, do you?
- 2022-01-02: Guys, ask yourselves, "Have I told my wife even once this year, I love you?"
- 2022-01-03: RT: "Donald Trump releases a statement endorsing Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán for re-election, saying he 'truly loves his Country.'". A good pairing to my blog post about Anne Applebaum's article in The Atlantic: "The Bad Guys are Winning."
- 2022-01-04: Don't Look Up (2021): Two astronomers detect a comet headed towards Earth and can't convince anyone to care. Of course, half of America consider it Fake News. A satire that doesn't quite land because today's reality is satire. If it hits, we'll deserve it. Loaded with stars. B-
- 2022-01-05: The Matrix Resurrections (2021): Tired franchise resurrected with nothing new to add. Lots of dialog about how dead characters are alive again. Token "bullet time" fights. Overstuffed with world-building. No chemistry between Neo and Trinity. Keanu Reeves's hair is still good. C+
After the jump, more random thoughts.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Is Richardson Working on the Right Problems?
I won't print the spoiler here, even for a 50 year old book, but you don't have to be a fan of "Catch 22" to guess that everything is not under control. Everything is not going to be all right. Yossarian, in fact, has been working on the wrong problem all along.Next he began binding the compress in place with a roll of gauze. The second time around Snowden's thigh with the bandage, he spotted the small hole on the inside through which the piece of flak had entered, a round, crinkled wound the size of a quarter with blue edges and a black core where the blood had crusted. Yossarian sprinkled this one with sulfanilimide too and continued unwinding the gauze around Snowden's leg until the compress was secure. Then he snipped off the roll with the scissors and slit the end down the center. It was a good bandage, he knew, and he sat back on his heels with pride, wiping the perspiration from his brow, and grinned at Snowden with spontaneous friendliness.
'I'm cold,' Snowden moaned. 'I'm cold.'
'You're going to be all right, kid,' Yossarian assured him, patting his arm comfortingly. 'Everything's under control.'Source: Catch 22.
After the jump, why the Richardson city council's goal setting exercise reminded me of Yossarian's first aid.