"Perched on cliff's edge high,
Ronda's beauty spans the sky,
River far below."
—h/t ChatGPT
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| From 2023 09 11 Ronda |
Today's photo-of-the-day is from Ronda, Spain. "Ronda is known for its cliffside location and a deep canyon that carries the Guadalevín River."
"Osborne's black bull reigns
On Spanish roads, silent guard,
Cultural icon."
—h/t ChatGPT
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| From 2023 09 10 Cordoba |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of a highway billboard, the Osborne bull, "a black silhouetted image of a bull in semi-profile...As of July 2022 there are 92 of them installed on hilltops and along roadways throughout much of Spain", as tall as 46 ft. Their history is a fascinating example of bureaucracy at work. Created in 1955 for an advertising campaign, the bulls grew on people and became the symbol of the company, and eventually, the nation. When a 1962 roadside beautification law outlawed billboards within 20 meters of the roadway, the bulls were moved back and enlarged. When a 1974 law banned billboards within 50 meters of roadways, the bulls moved again. A 1994 law targeted the bulls yet again, threatening their removal altogether. This time, the Spanish Supreme Court ruled that the bulls could remain, as they had "aesthetic or cultural significance."
We made a mini road trip to see the 2024 total eclipse of the Sun. This despite our backyard being smack dab in the path of totality. For a week leading up to the eclipse, we anxiously checked the weather forecasts. They were stubbornly pessimistic, predicting rain for the day of the eclipse. But...the National Weather Service said the odds of seeing the eclipse were better the farther northeast of Dallas you were. So, to improve our chances, we planned to drive 100 miles to Paris, Texas, on the morning of the eclipse, then check the forecast and local conditions and decide what to do from there. And so we did.
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Disney+
The City of Richardson is due for a Charter Review this year. It's a once-in-a-decade process. Likely, a Charter Review Commission will be formed, including members of the public. It's not too soon for members of the public to start doing homework to ensure the public interest is served. A good place to start looking is at the city to our south. A Dallas Charter Review Commission is in process of gathering and winnowing recommendations for charter amendments for that city. The Dallas Morning News has an update on its progress.