A Penny Here, a Penny There

Source: City of Richardson.

There is a quote attributed to former Senator Everett Dirksen (R-Illinois) about overspending by the federal government: "A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money."

In north Texas, we talk about pennies, but it still adds up to real money — $54 million, in the case of the City of Richardson's sales tax revenue that is dedicated each year to DART public transit service. For Plano, it's over twice that. And that has led Plano, and some of the other thirteen member cities of DART, to consider withdrawing from DART, or at least threatening to, and saving that penny of sales tax for any other purpose they want to put it to. This is an outcome that Richardson, which, from its fortuitous location at the intersection of two major DART lines (the Red/Orange line and the brand new Silver line), does not want to see.

"I Go By Arefin."

Source: City of Richardson.

Mayor Amir Omar held a town hall meeting at the Coram Deo Academy on Thursday, October 23, 2025, where he and council member Arefin fielded questions from about 20 members of the public. Let's start our report of what happened with some housekeeping that occurred at the beginning of the meeting.

POTD: Wat Mahathat Buddha

From 2025 03 17 Central Thailand

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at Wat Mahathat, the Temple of the Great Relic, a Buddhist temple in Ayutthaya, Thailand, north of Bangkok. Age and benign neglect resulted in this Buddha statue getting enveloped by tree roots, making me think of the patience of Zen meditation.

A bonus side view of the Buddha is after the jump.

POTD: Wat Mahathat Monks

From 2025 03 17 Central Thailand

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at Wat Mahathat, the Temple of the Great Relic, a Buddhist temple in Ayutthaya, Thailand, north of Bangkok. The young monks, perhaps even without knowing it, recall a detail from the temple's origins.

According to Wikipedia, "The history of Wat Mahathat starts in 1374 when King Borommarachathirat I erected a temple at this place, bearing another name. ... His nephew and successor Ramesuan (1369-1370, 1388-1395) expanded the site in 1384 to build a great temple, while he was here as a monk between his throne offices. During this time the temple got its present name."

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"Young monks in saffron,
walking where kings once knelt down —
Centuries converse."
— h/t ChatGPT

House of Guinness (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

House of Guinness (TV 2025): A dark, fictionalized account of the Guinness family business in the 1860s, as they deal with sibling rivalry, scandal, Irish politics, and expansion of the family business to America. After learning the characters' personalities and flaws, the show grows on you. B+

Netflix

Council Recap: Institutional Jealousy

Institutional jealousy: a situation where one organization competes with another because of perceived threats to its status, authority, resources, or reputation.

The Wheel's November 2025 Voters Guide

Early voting is open. Election Day is Tuesday, November 4. If you live in Richardson, your ballot will have 17 Texas constitutional amendments on it, and if you also live in the Richardson ISD, it will have three RISD bond propositions for you to vote for.

In general, Texas constitutional amendments serve one of two purposes. Either they are giveaways to the rich (ask yourself if Scrooge McDuck would be for them or not), or they are panders to the GOP base. They are placed on the ballot by the legislature, which is in the firm control of business interests and/or the far right of the GOP. (Just last week, the Texas GOP voted to censure five of its own members in the Texas House for being insufficiently conservative. These included north Texas representatives Angie Chen Button, Jeff Leach, Morgan Meyer, and Jared Patterson!) Still, there are some amendments I find to be reasonable. To find out which, read on. Also, at the end, I'll have something to say about those RISD propositions.

POTD: Bang Pa-In Royal Palace

From 2025 03 17 Central Thailand

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at the gardens of the Summer Palace north of Bangkok on the Chao Phraya River. According to Wikipedia, "King Prasat Thong constructed the original complex in 1632, but it fell into disuse and became overgrown in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, until King Mongkut began to restore the site in the mid-19th century. Most of the present buildings were constructed between 1872 and 1889 by King Chulalongkorn."

A bonus photo is after the jump.

POTD: The Death Railway

From 2025 03 17 Central Thailand

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at Hellfire Pass on the so-called Death Railway, a railroad built to connect Thailand with Burma during WWII, using POWs as forced labor. I learned of the railway, as many did, from the 1957 Oscar Best Picture, "The Bridge on the River Kwai." There is still a museum and memorial to the men who were worked to death in service of the Japanese Empire's war effort.

According to Wikipedia, "More than 250,000 Southeast Asian civilians and 12,000 Allied soldiers built the railway line, including Hellfire Pass. The pass is noted for the harsh conditions and heavy loss of life suffered by its labourers during construction. It was called Hellfire Pass because the sight of emaciated prisoners labouring by burning torchlight resembled a scene from Hell."

A bonus photo is after the jump.

POTD: Bangkok Floating Market

From 2025 03 17 Central Thailand

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken on one of the canals of Bangkok, the city once called the Venice of the East. Today, the city is paved with highways and has some of the worst traffic in the world, but there are still a few places where the old way that commerce was conducted in Bangkok can still be seen. The Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is one such place.

A bonus photo is after the jump.