Wednesday, September 2, 2026

The Mayor Talks Policing, Public Safety & Governance

Richardson Mayor Amir Omar held a town hall meeting at Communion Coworking & Event Venue on August 5, 2026. He answered a lot of questions in two hours. I'm extracting topics, one at a time. Below is ChatGPT's summary of the mayor's town hall remarks on one topic.

Tuesday, September 1, 2026

The Mayor Talks FIFA, Community Events & Civic Engagement

Richardson Mayor Amir Omar held a town hall meeting at Communion Coworking & Event Venue on August 5, 2026. He answered a lot of questions in two hours. I'm extracting topics, one at a time. Below is ChatGPT's summary of the mayor's town hall remarks on one topic.

Monday, August 31, 2026

The Mayor Talks Code Enforcement & Neighborhood Issues

Richardson Mayor Amir Omar held a town hall meeting at Communion Coworking & Event Venue on August 5, 2026. He answered a lot of questions in two hours. I'm extracting topics, one at a time. Below is ChatGPT's summary of the mayor's town hall remarks on one topic.

Sunday, August 30, 2026

POTD: My Favorite Thing to Eat

From 2025 12 27 Lisbon

Roasted chestnuts. Not really. But that's the judgment of Caterina, "a pround Portuguese blogger." According to her, "they're a delicious treat served roasted in special portable ovens in the streets of Portugal. They’re called castanhas assadas and I'm not exaggerating when I say this is my favorite thing in the whole world to eat."

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Lisbon during Christmas season. It shows one vendor selling chestnuts roasted on an open fire. Sadly, in America, the chestnut blight killed billions of American chestnut trees in the 20th century. In Europe, however, the tradition is still going strong on the streets of Lisbon (and elsewhere), not only just in song.


"Hot coals glow at dusk.
Chestnuts crackle in the cold.
The song comes alive."

— h/t ChatGPT

Saturday, August 29, 2026

POTD: Rossio

From 2025 12 27 Lisbon

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the King Pedro IV Square in Lisbon, Portugal. According to Wikipedia, "The King Pedro IV Square, popularly known as Rossio, is a square in the Pombaline Downtown of Lisbon, Portugal. It has been one of its main squares since the Middle Ages. It has been the setting of popular revolts and celebrations, bullfights and executions, and is now a preferred meeting place of Lisbon natives and tourists alike."

Most buildings date from the reconstruction of the downtown carried out after the great 1755 Lisbon earthquake, which levelled most structures in the area. The earthquake shook European thought and literature, challenging the belief that everything happens for the best and prompting new debates about suffering, God, and the apparent indifference of nature. Voltaire famously responded by writing his satirical novel Candide to expose the gap between philosophical platitudes and real human suffering.

For us, the Rossio was just a big, beautiful plaza with the coolest cobblestone pattern that will always remind me of Lisbon.


"Waves beneath our feet
Where kings, rebels, crowds once gathered,
Crowds fill the old square."

— h/t ChatGPT

Friday, August 28, 2026

The Mayor Talks Parks, Recreation & Community Amenities

Richardson Mayor Amir Omar held a town hall meeting at Communion Coworking & Event Venue on August 5, 2026. He answered a lot of questions in two hours. I'm extracting topics, one at a time. Below is ChatGPT's summary of the mayor's town hall remarks on one topic.

Thursday, August 27, 2026

The Mayor Talks Transportation, Streets & Bike Infrastructure

Richardson Mayor Amir Omar held a town hall meeting at Communion Coworking & Event Venue on August 5, 2026. He answered a lot of questions in two hours. I'm extracting topics, one at a time. Below is ChatGPT's summary of the mayor's town hall remarks on one topic.

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

The Mayor Talks Economic Development

Richardson Mayor Amir Omar held a town hall meeting at Communion Coworking & Event Venue on August 5, 2026. He answered a lot of questions in two hours. I'm extracting topics, one at a time. Below is ChatGPT's summary of the mayor's town hall remarks on one topic.

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

The Mayor Talks Place 3 Appointment Process

Richardson Mayor Amir Omar held a town hall meeting at Communion Coworking & Event Venue on August 5, 2026. He answered a lot of questions in two hours. I'm extracting topics, one at a time. Below is ChatGPT's summary of the mayor's town hall remarks on one topic.

Monday, August 24, 2026

The Mayor Talks Development, Zoning & Housing

Richardson Mayor Amir Omar held a town hall meeting at Communion Coworking & Event Venue on August 5, 2026. He answered a lot of questions in two hours. I'm extracting topics, one at a time. Below is ChatGPT's summary of the mayor's town hall remarks on one topic.