Monday, September 8, 2025

Rules of Order and Procedure

The Richardson City Council's "Rules of Order and Procedure", as approved by Resolution No. 24-03 on February 26, 2024, is the single best place to get your questions answered about how things are run at City Hall on Monday nights. I don't have a change history for that document, but rereading it just now, I see that it (finally) answers questions that I first had years ago. I still have some ideas on future changes needed.

Sunday, September 7, 2025

POTD: Victor Emmanuel II Monument

From 2024 12 22 Rome

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Victor Emmanuel II Monument in Rome. It's at the head of the Roman forum, but it looks too modern to be from ancient Rome. That's because it is modern. According to Wikipedia, "The monument would celebrate the legacy of the first king of a united Italy and would become a symbol of national patriotism. The project was realized by Giuseppe Sacconi in 1885, in an eclectic style."

A bonus photo is after the jump.

Saturday, September 6, 2025

POTD: Lady in Red

From 2024 12 22 Rome

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Capitoline Museums in Rome. The "lady in red" is Dessy.


"Ancient hall of Rome.
A single spark of crimson
contrasts with gray stone."

—h/t ChatGPT

Friday, September 5, 2025

POTD: Grotesque

From 2024 12 22 Rome

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Capitoline Museums in Rome. I don't know much about the statue itself, even its age. I neglected to look at the information sign for it — my bad. But, according to EBSCO, an online research service, "Grotesque art is a decorative style characterized by strange, fantastic human and animal forms interwoven with elaborate designs and natural elements, such as plants. Originating in ancient Rome, this style gained renewed interest during the Italian Renaissance after the discovery of the Domus Aurea, Emperor Nero's lavish palace. Artists of the Renaissance, including Raphael and Hieronymus Bosch, embraced grotesque motifs, creating imaginative and playful artworks that contrasted with the era's emphasis on realism. The term "grotesque," derived from the Italian word for cave, evolved to encompass both whimsical and absurd elements, which often included bizarre combinations of figures and intricate patterns. While grotesque art peaked in the sixteenth century, its influence persisted, inspiring later artists like Francisco de Goya."


"Whimsy and terror,
A scream frozen in marble,
Absurdly grotesque."

— h/t ChatGPT

Thursday, September 4, 2025

Ballard (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

Ballard (TV 2025): Whodunnit police action movie. Ballard is on the outs with higher ups and is assigned to work cold cases, where she uncovers things that rattle others in the LAPD. There are multiple overlapping murders/crimes, making the plot hard to follow at times, but it pays off in the end. B+

Prime

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

The Åre Murders (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

The Åre Murders (TV 2025): Swedish. Police procedural. Two murders in the winter snow. Both solved by a visiting detective from Stockholm using her intuition and empathy. Some other shows drag out their seasons to fill 8 or 10 episodes, but this one flies by too soon. Two full stories are told in only five episodes. B-

Netflix

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

The Worst Places to Eat in Richardson Last Month

Restaurant Scores
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"). But that doesn't mean every restaurant in Richardson exceeds in every measure. Here is a list of the ten worst places to eat in Richardson last month, based on the City of Richardson's Health Department Restaurant Scores for last month. Not all Richardson restaurants are included in this ranking. Each month, different restaurants are visited by the Health Department. Only those visited last month are ranked here. Only the lowest scores are shown.

The Worst Places to Eat in Richardson Last Month

Restaurant Scores
Graphic by City of Richardson.

Note: This post is late. July's scores were not published on time. (My Bad).

The City of Richardson is rightly regarded as having some of the best, 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 ten worst places to eat in Richardson last month, based on the City of Richardson's Health Department Restaurant Scores for July. Not all Richardson restaurants are included in this ranking. Each month, different restaurants are visited by the Health Department. Only those visited last month are ranked here. Only the lowest scores are shown.

Monday, September 1, 2025

Random Thoughts: Progressivism has a Conformity Problem

Mastodon

2025-08-05: "Progressivism — forgive me, left-wing readers — has a conformity problem. Even more than on the right, there are incredible social pressures in left-wing circles to not say anything objectionable. (On the right, by contrast, it seems that you get rewarded the more objectionable things you can say.)"
-- David Brooks.
I can't say he's wrong.

2025-08-08: Headline: "Texas GOP sics FBI on absent Democrats as Texas Senate panel advances gerrymandered congressional map."
I'm old enough to remember when the Texas GOP wanted nothing more than the feds to stay out of Texas's business. I guess it was never about states' rights at all.

Sunday, August 31, 2025

POTD: Two Views of the Skyline of Rome

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.