Sunday, April 27, 2025

Diving into Dubey's Campaign Finance Report

Source: Adobe Firefly.

You know how, when you turn the light on in the kitchen, cockroaches scatter? Well, maybe not in my kitchen or yours, but let's say in the break room at City Hall. And let's say it's not cockroaches feeding in the public pantry, it's developers...and the Mayor is opening the food packages for the roaches, er, developers. Enough with the strained metaphor, let's get to the story.

Saturday, April 26, 2025

Dubey Faces Ethics and Transparency Questions

Mayor Bob Dubey has close ties with a major developer with questionable ethics. Their cozy relationship raises ethical questions about Dubey himself. You won't find this developer listed among Dubey's endorsements. That raises transparency questions about Dubey as well. The supporter I'm referring to is Manasseh Durkin, the "largest land holder in CORE District" in Richardson, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Friday, April 25, 2025

Following the Money behind Dubey's Mudslinging

Source: Pro-Dubey mailer.

Bob Dubey and his supporters have unleashed a barrage of mudslinging against Amir Omar using Dubey's advantage in fundraising, largely from sources outside the City of Richardson. Dubey might portray himself as a good old boy, but he's got big money backing him, including developer money, which is often the biggest money in local elections. Funny how that works. They are not holding back on mudslinging. Because we're already into early voting, it might be too late to properly sort out the truths from the half truths and lies.

The hypocrisy in this is that the attacks carry headlines like "Ethics and Transparency," but the authors of the attack ads don't reveal their names. One is a text message from "Larry with Right 4 Richardson." The other a mailer from "R2MFR, LLC." They force you to hunt down who is behind the attacks, if you can.

"This just got dirty. Disappointed in Mayor Dubey"

Source: Reddit.

After running a generally unobjectionable campaign (read "boring") for the first two months, Mayor Bob Dubey turned negative in a mailer during the first week of open voting. Why? Maybe he always planned to go negative at this point in the election or maybe he has some new polling that suggests Amir Omar's message of positive change is resonating with voters whereas Dubey's status quo message is not.

Still Plenty of Room for More Trees

Amir Omar is running for Mayor of Richardson. His campaign website biography says, "Amir is most closely tied to the creation of Tree the Town, which was the largest tree-planting initiative in North Texas history powered by donations from commercial and residential community members vs the City." That program was discontinued by the City of Richardson soon after Omar left office in 2013. He later resumed his tree-planting efforts, "personally buying and planting trees across Richardson, starting with planting trees for individuals who lost countless mature trees in the tornado that damaged hundreds of homes in southeast Richardson in 2019."

That led me to wonder, just how many more trees are needed, or even possible? A lot, it turns out. Mayor Amir Omar will have plenty to do.

Thursday, April 24, 2025

Charter Review: Article 4

Artist: John Trumbull.

On April 17, 2025, the Richardson Charter Review Commission continued their review of the Richardson Charter, covering Article 4 (Nomination and Election of City Council Members). The Commission had planned to review Article 3 (City Council) as well, but decided to postpone that until the May 1 meeting to give them time to study the material prepared by staff (history of Richardson's City Council turnover, and surveys of other cities and the terms of city councils, compensation, and length of terms). I still expect major changes to Richardson's form of governance to come out of that meeting. Everything from longer terms to staggered terms to, who knows, ranked-choice-voting and other unlikely, but not necessarily crazy, changes. If anyone wants a say, submit your inputs or come speak in person.

Still no video by the City to link you to. To paraphrase City policy: "Move along. There's nothing to see here."

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Paradise - S01 (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

Paradise - S01 (TV 2025): After an apocalyptic event causes the government to evacuate to an underground city in Colorado, the President is murdered. His bodyguard has to solve the murder while trying to rescue his own wife, who was left behind and may be dead. The episode 7 flashback is thrilling and answers so many questions. B+

Hulu

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Trust: Mayor's Race Inspires Charter Change

Source: Richardson Living

I published my Voters Guide yesterday covering the City Council election. I've also been publishing accounts of the ongoing work of the Charter Review Commission. The two topics have kept themselves separate. Today, they collide.

Monday, April 21, 2025

The Wheel's Voter's Guide (May, 2025)

Source: ImgFlip.

Early voting for the 2025 local elections in Texas starts Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Election Day is Saturday, May 3, 2025. On the ballot will be two contested places on the City of Richardson City Council and two contested districts of the Richardson ISD Board of Trustees. Find more election information at the League of Women Voters of Richardson. Find your personalized ballot and the candidates' answers to the LWV-Richardson questionnaire at Vote411.org.

Here's the executive summary of The Wheel's recommendations:

For City of Richardson Mayor, I recommend Amir Omar.
For City of Richardson Place 6, I recommend Lisa Marie Kupfer.
City of Richardson Places 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are uncontested.

For RISD District 2, I recommend Vanessa Pacheco.
For RISD District 5, I recommend Rachel McGowan.
RISD District 4 is uncontested.
The other RISD Districts and Places are not up for election this year. To vote in either of these districts that are on the ballot, you must live within the district.

Read on for the reasons I make these recommendations.

Sunday, April 20, 2025

LWV Forum for Richardson City Council

On April 16, 2025, the League of Women Voters of Richardson hosted a forum of Richardson mayoral candidates at the Eisemann Center, moderated by Lanet Greenhaw. Mayoral candidates Mayor Bob Dubey and former Councilmember Amir Omar participated. Alan C. North was unable to participate because of a scheduling conflict. Mayor Pro-tem Arefin Shamsul and Lisa Marie Kupfer, candidates for Place 6, also participated. About 150 persons were in the audience. The forum was live-streamed by the City and video on demand is available on the LWV website.

I was pleased with the forum, with the questions asked by the LWV and members of the public, by the earnestness shown by the candidates, by the decorum on stage and in the audience. I recap the highlights here, excerpts that I feel best show the distinctions between the candidates. I will be stripping out a lot of words, maybe at the risk of losing important context, but that's what the video is for. If a snippet of an answer here makes you want to hear more, then watch the video on the LWV website.

Saturday, April 19, 2025

Einen Veritablen Shitstorm, Exhumed

Today I exhume a post buried deep in the archives. Why? Because someone is trying to rewrite this disgraceful history from Scott Dunn's time on the Richardson City Council. Why? To invent a false narrative that paints Amir Omar as the bad guy in this episode. Who is doing that? I won't name them here. I will say it's not Scott Dunn. I hope I won't have to name names. I hope that they will see that bringing this back up hurts their own candidate, Bob Dubey. The truth actually helps Amir Omar. What's the disgraceful episode this person wants to relitigate?

Friday, April 18, 2025

The Dubey Way: Breaking the Street Grid

Head shot from City of Richardson. CGI by Adobe Firefly.

February 10, 2025: Despite a City plan to redevelop downtown Richardson in a way that not only preserves the compact street grid, but extends it, Mayor Bob Dubey voted to approve a 580-foot-long apartment building in the heart of downtown that will create a superblock that cuts the downtown street grid, disconnecting business development on Polk Street from that on Kaufman Street.

The Richardson Way: Plan the Work, Work the Plan.

The Dubey Way: Plan the Work, Wreck the Plan.

Thursday, April 17, 2025

The Dubey Way: More Drive-Thrus

Head shot from City of Richardson. CGI by Adobe Firefly.

December 9, 2024: Despite a new City plan to do a reinvestment study for the area around Plano Rd and Belt Line Rd, Mayor Bob Dubey voted to approve a drive-thru only coffee shop there. Luckily for the Richardson residents who have repeatedly said that area has more drive-thru restaurants than they need, especially chicken restaurants, the rest of the Council said no. They denied the request 5-2, with only one other Councilmember joining Mayor Dubey in thinking another drive-thru is a good idea there.

The Richardson Way: Plan the Work, Work the Plan.

The Dubey Way: Plan the Work, Wreck the Plan.

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

The Dubey Way: Salvage Car Lot

Head shot from City of Richardson. CGI by Adobe Firefly.

October 14, 2024: Despite a City plan to redevelop the area it has rebranded as Richardson IQ and claims is "Texas' premier tech hub" (not just North Texas, mind you, but Texas as a whole) and "our living laboratory for big ideas and groundbreaking technology," Mayor Bob Dubey's own big idea is to put a salvage car dealership there. Salvage cars are cars that have been totalled and repaired. With Dubey's approval, that's what will be the first thing companies see when they come to Richardson to explore whether the IQ is a good place to relocate their business.

The Richardson Way: Plan the Work, Work the Plan.

The Dubey Way: Plan the Work, Wreck the Plan.

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

The Dubey Way: More Car Repair Shops

Head shot from City of Richardson. CGI by Adobe Firefly.

September 23, 2024: Despite a City plan to redevelop the Interurban District as an "edgy, mixed-use district", Mayor Bob Dubey voted to give a special permit to a car repair shop, a body shop, and a vehicle storage lot in the heart of the district. The Council vote was split 4-3. The Mayor's vote was decisive.

The Richardson Way: Plan the Work, Work the Plan.

The Dubey Way: Plan the Work, Wreck the Plan.

Monday, April 14, 2025

The Dubey Way: More Signs. Taller Signs

Head shot from City of Richardson. CGI by Adobe Firefly.

August 8, 2024: Despite a City sign control ordinance limiting pole signs to a height of 20 feet, which is the most common limit in neighboring cities as well, Mayor Bob Dubey voted to grant a variance to a car dealer to erect his own 40 foot sign. Of course, other businesses soon followed.

The Richardson Way: Plan the Work, Work the Plan.

The Dubey Way: Plan the Work, Wreck the Plan.

Sunday, April 13, 2025

POTD: World's Tallest Wooden Buildings

"Steel still rules the sky,
But the smell of pine reaches
Up where clouds drift by."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 07 Lillehammer

Who says wooden buildings can't be more than four or five stories tall? Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Brumunddal, Norway. It shows Mjøstårnet, "an 18-storey mixed-use building completed in March 2019. At the time of completion, it was officially the world's tallest wooden building, at 85.4 m (280 ft) tall, before being surpassed by Ascent MKE in August 2022." Who knew there was even a competition?

Saturday, April 12, 2025

POTD: Norway's Odd Roadside Attractions

"Shining against clouds,
A strange shape stands by the road.
Life begins with laughs."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 07 Lillehammer

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Norway at a highway rest stop. The artwork is "Sædspira" by Linda Bakke, and in case you're wondering, yes, the sculpture is exactly what it looks like.

Friday, April 11, 2025

The Dubey Way: Even More "Heads in Beds"

Head shot from City of Richardson. CGI by Adobe Firefly.

July 8, 2024: Despite a City plan for mixed-use development in CityLine, including entertainment uses, Mayor Bob Dubey voted to approve construction of 1,175 more apartments, overriding the City Plan Commission, who rejected the application, saying they wanted to see "more creative retail or entertainment uses," as called for in the plan.

The Richardson Way: Plan the Work, Work the Plan.

The Dubey Way: Plan the Work, Wreck the Plan.

Thursday, April 10, 2025

The Dubey Way: Outdoor Lumber Storage

Head shot from City of Richardson. CGI by Adobe Firefly.

January 21, 2024: Despite a City plan to redevelop the Interurban District as an "edgy, mixed-use district", Mayor Bob Dubey voted to approve a new outdoor storage lot, described as, "It could be lumber, it could be steel, it could be aluminum, it could be, he does a lot of concrete."

The Richardson Way: Plan the Work, Work the Plan.

The Dubey Way: Plan the Work, Wreck the Plan.

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

The Money Race for City Council

Candidates file campaign finance reports 30 days before elections. For the City of Richardson, there are only two contested races: the Mayor's race (Dubey vs Omar vs North) and Place 6 (Arefin vs Kupfer). Five incumbents have drawn no challengers. What will it take to get more Richardson citizens to run for political office? Good question, but not one we'll get into today. Today, it's all about the money. We also won't get into the question of just how close money and candidates can get before the Code of Ethics gets invoked. Apparently, a lot closer than you'd think.

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Charter Review: Articles 11,15,16

Artist: John Trumbull.

On April 3, 2025, the Richardson Charter Review Commission continued their review of the Richardson Charter, covering Articles 11 (Budget and Financial Procedures), 15 (Collection of Taxes), and 16 (Issuance and Sale of Bonds).

Still no video by the City to link you to. To paraphrase City policy: "Move along. There's nothing to see here."

Monday, April 7, 2025

Mayor Dubey: "If anybody asks, that is legal."

Source: City of Richardson.

Richardson Mayor Bob Dubey: "If anybody asks, that is legal." The Mayor said those words during remarks at an election forum at the Chinese Community Center on March 22, 2025. Any time a politician emphasizes that what he's doing is legal, my ears perk up. What the heck was the Mayor talking about? Why would he be doing stuff that people might even question the legality behind it? Many voters care less and less about legality (our current President is a convicted felon, after all). But...since the Mayor himself raised the issue, let's go down this rabbit hole anyway. It all has to do with those "POP Sheets" in the photo.

Sunday, April 6, 2025

POTD: Oslo Opera House

"Sunlight takes the stage,
Dancing on the angled roof
Of smooth white marble."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 06 Oslo

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Oslo, Norway at the Oslo Opera House. "The roof of the building angles to ground level, creating a large plaza that invites pedestrians to walk up and enjoy the panoramic views of Oslo."

Saturday, April 5, 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 bottom ten are shown.

POTD: Vigelandsparken

"Naked forms embrace,
Unashamed beneath the sky—
Flesh reborn in stone."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 06 Oslo

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Oslo, Norway in Frogner Park, site of the Vigeland installation of 212 granite and bronze sculptures, all designed by Gustav Vigeland.

Friday, April 4, 2025

UT-Dallas Students Host Forum for Mayoral Candidates

On April 2, 2025, the UT-Dallas Student Government hosted a debate of Richardson mayoral candidates, moderated by Dr. John Gooch. Mayor Bob Dubey and former Councilmember Amir Omar participated. It was announced that Alan North "did not get back to us in terms of attending this debate." That's something that Alan North has denied. "I RSVP'd yes to their April 2 debate, sent Aidan Boyd three emails, with 2 different e-mail addresses, called, left voicemails—silence."

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Twisters (2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

Twisters (2024): Earnest young woman who studies tornados in order to learn how to calm them has to contend with storm-chasers who do it for the social media likes. Expect people to change. romance to blossom, and you start wondering who the good guys are. B-

Peacock

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Charter Review: Articles 12,13,19

Artist: John Trumbull.

On March 27, 2025, the Richardson Charter Review Commission continued their review of the Richardson Charter, covering Articles 12 (Franchises), 13 (Ordinances), and 19 (Effective Date).

(Still no video by the City to link you to. By now, you know the story. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said, "Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants," but the Richardson City Council is fine with darkness; not only no live video feed, but no official video record of the Charter Review Commission at all. Politicians seem to have an inherent fear of sunlight.)

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Random Thoughts: I Liked Anora, Too

Mastodon

2025-03-03: Anora won the Oscar for Best Picture. I think Brutalist is a timeless film that will age better, but I liked Anora, too.

2025-03-08: "During Starship's ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost," SpaceX said in a post on X.
"Rapid unscheduled disassembly." Kind of like the impact of President Musk's DOGE on the federal government.

2025-03-29: My Bluesky chat address is @marksteger.bsky.social. It's where I discuss all of my war plans. Just out in the open, readable by all. You can join in.

More random thoughts can be found on Mastodon.

Monday, March 31, 2025

Mayoral Candidates Talk to Democrats

On March 25, 2025, the Richardson Area Democrats (RAD) hosted an online forum for Richardson mayoral candidates. The forum also included Place 6 candidates and RISD District 2 trustee candidates, but here I focus only on the mayoral candidates. You can watch it on YouTube yourself (the mayoral portion is short) or you can read my takeaways here. I recommend you do both.

Sunday, March 30, 2025

POTD: Nobel Peace Center

"Close to Oslo's heart,
A tribute to those who strive
For a world at peace."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 06 Oslo

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Oslo, Norway at the Nobel Peace Center, "a showcase for the Nobel Peace Prize and the ideals it represents. The center is also an arena where culture and politics merge to promote involvement, debate and reflection around topics such as war, peace and conflict resolution."

Saturday, March 29, 2025

POTD: Royal Palace of Norway

"Statue guards the door.
Grandeur at Oslo's center.
Crown and tradition."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 06 Oslo

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at the Royal Palace of Norway in Oslo. The Palace "was built in the first half of the 19th century as the Norwegian residence of the French-born Charles XIV John, who reigned as king of Norway and Sweden. The palace is the official residence of the current Norwegian monarch...King Charles John never had the pleasure of residing in his palace before he died in 1844, and its first occupants were his son Oscar I and his queen Josephine."

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

Love Lies Bleeding (2024): A tale of lust, love, quiet desperation and outbursts of violence in a dysfunctional family whose delicate balance is upset when a stranger comes to town, a female bodybuilder with her own dark secrets. Realism is interspersed with moments of surrealism that make you go, "WTF". B-

Max

Sunday, March 23, 2025

POTD: Old Fredrikstad

"Glimpse the fortified
old town preserved in the past.
Fredrikstad stands still."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 05 Fredrikstad

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Fredrikstad, Norway, founded in 1567 by King Fredrick II. "The city centre is on the west bank of the Glomma, while the old town on the east bank is Northern Europe's best preserved fortified town." Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Old Fredrikstad.

Saturday, March 22, 2025

POTD: Walkable Gothenburg

"Flags, pendants above.
Cobblestones beneath your feet.
Gothenburg alive."


— h/t ChatGPT
From 2024 07 04 Gothenburg

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in the city center of Gothenburg, Sweden. Walkable, vibrant, busy. What's not to love?

A bonus photo is after the jump.

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Caddo Lake (2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

Casdo Lake (2024): Texas's only natural lake is the setting for a spooky supernatual, mysterious something. It affects multiple generations of one family over many decades and causes seizures and disappearances and wolves, and maybe...time travel? Just figuring out how everyone is related is challenging enough in this half-baked mystery. C-

Max

Monday, March 17, 2025

Juror #2 (2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

Juror #2 (2024): Courtroom drama directed by Clint Eastwood. Think 12 Angry Men with Nicholas Hoult playing the holdout. The twist comes very early, but then the trial and jury deliberations all go as you expect. The abrupt ending is the only thing that isn't spelled out for the audience. B-

Max

Sunday, March 16, 2025

POTD: Rosenlundsverket

"On water's edge, where
Smoke once darkened sky and stone,
Now blue buildings smile."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 04 Gothenburg

Who says a power plant has to be ugly? Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Gothenburg, Sweden. It shows the Rosenlundsverket, a century-old heat and power plant. Originally fired with coal, it was replaced by an oil-fired plant in the early 1950s. Natural gas firing was put into operation in 1988. Today, Sweden generates only about 2% of its electricity from fossil-based fuel. The vast majority comes from hydropower (around 40%), nuclear power (about 30%), and wind power (about 20%).

Saturday, March 15, 2025

POTD: Fish Church

"Once a bustling trade,
Fishmongers' voices now gone.
Diners take their place."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 04 Gothenburg

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Gothenburg, Sweden. It shows the Feskekörka (Fish Church), "a building that formerly housed an indoor fish market. Its name is based on the building's resemblance to a neo-Gothic church. It opened on 1 November 1874...Feskekörka underwent a renovation for several years, beginning in 2021. There is now a single occupant of the building operating a restaurant business."

Thursday, March 13, 2025

A Look Back at the Mayoral Candidates

For just the seventh time in Richardson's history, voters get to vote for mayor. Three of those races were uncontested. Three offered a choice between two candidates. In 2025, for the first time in Richardson's history, voters will get to choose among three candidates. It's still early in the campaign. We've had no forums. We've had no campaign mailers, robocalls or text messages. Social media campaigns have barely begun.

I thought now would be a good time to research the archives for what I said about these candidates when they ran for City Council before. For Alan North, I chose 2011, the one and only time he filed to run for office. For Amir Omar, I also chose 2011, the first time he ran for re-election. For Bob Dubey, I chose 2019, the first time he ran for re-election. I found it interesting what I wrote in those more innocent times.

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Zero Day (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

Zero Day (TV 2025): A cyber attack takes out the electric grid, comms, and transportation systems, but just for an hour. Robert De Niro plays a respected ex-President tasked with finding who is behind it, before they strike again. The plot gets too complicated for its own good, with too many unresolved plot points for my liking. C+

Netflix

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Disclaimer (TV 2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

Disclaimer (TV 2024): Award-winning journalist (Cate Blanchett) finds herself canceled when a secret from her past is revealed. Classic kind of she-said/she-said story told through narration and time jumps from the present to the past incident. B-

AppleTV+

Monday, March 10, 2025

Charter Review: Articles 6-8

Artist: John Trumbull.

On March 6, 2025, the Richardson Charter Review Commission continued their review of the Richardson Charter, covering Articles 6 (City Manager), 7 (City Attorney), and 8 (Administrative Department).

(Still no video by the City to link you to. One commissioner said, "I know I wasn't here last week, but I watched it on the video, so I'm completely caught up with the discussion." He didn't credit Justin Neth, but I'm guessing it was Neth's personal video he was referring to. It's ironic that the City Council voted 4-3 against video recording of Charter Review Commission meetings, citing an unwillingness of commission members from having their discussions video recorded, only to have the value of a video record demonstrated so quickly and clearly by the commission itself.)

Sunday, March 9, 2025

POTD: Poseidon in Götaplatsen

"Proud, worn, ever strong,
gazing over Gothenburg,
Prompting our judgment."


— h/t ChatGPT
From 2024 07 04 Gothenburg

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Götaplatsen, a public square and the cultural hub of Gothenburg, Sweden. It is "enclosed by the Gothenburg Concert Hall, the Gothenburg Museum of Art, the Gothenburg City Theatre and the City Library."

In its center is a statue of the sea god Poseidon by Carl Milles. The statue was inaugurated in September, 1931. Opinion on it is divided, some saying Poseidon's face is ugly (a subjective judgment), some saying Milles himself was a Nazi sympathizer (fact). Art is never just art.

Saturday, March 8, 2025

POTD: Swedish Meatballs and Lingonberries

"One day in Sweden,
but Gothenburg's tastes remain,
meatballs, berries, joy."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 07 04 Gothenburg

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in a restaurant in Gothenburg, Sweden, the only city we visited in Sweden. When you have only one day in Sweden, you just have to eat Swedish meatballs, right? And so we did. They were served with lingonberries. Sweden on our tongues.

Friday, March 7, 2025

Should the Coach Get a New Contract?

Source: AP Photo.

The season is coming to an end for the team. The coach's contract is expiring. The coach was gifted good enough game plans, but he couldn't deliver on the reason he was hired, which was to bring a championship to the city. When it came time to decide if the team should extend him a new contract for another season, the team decided to go in a different direction. Most fans thought it was the right decision.

That might sound like I'm talking about the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Mike McCarthy, but if you guessed I was really talking about the mayor of Richardson, Bob "Coach" Dubey, I can't say you're wrong. The City of Richardson's "Coach" is in the same boat that McCarthy was. Having a long career on the sidelines can result in enough friendships to win you the job in the first place, but that won't save your job if you don't win championships. Too often, Coach Dubey went with his gut, throwing out good game plans on the fly, and ending up with a string of losses. Sooner or later, a coach trading on his longevity needs to be thanked for his service and replaced. Let's look at the results on the field this term to decide if that time is now.

Thursday, March 6, 2025

The Gorge (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

The Gorge (2025): Two sharpshooters in watchtowers face each other across an isolated gorge. Sci-fi, Cold War, post-apocalyptic thriller zombie movie? Also it's a romance, released on Valentine's Day. WTF? Contrived and incoherent. Bad, but not so bad to be unwatchable. C+

AppleTV+

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Book Review: Linguaphile: A Life of Language Love

From Linguaphile: A Life of Language Love", by Julie Sedivy:

Linguaphile: A Life of Language Love

Amazon


"At that time, Italian was to me a bewitching confusion, boiling and streaming in all directions. Its connection to the actual world was tenuous and constantly shifting. It was only now and then that I caught a word with my mind; words were like fish, solid things making sudden, unexpected appearances, flashes of substance and meaning in the liquidity of language flowing all around me. You had to be quick to snatch them before they were lost in the fast-moving stream."