POTD: Goodbye to the Danube

From 2022 07 18 Budapest

Our last photo-of-the-day from the Danube River is a scene of Budapest at night. It shows the Hotel Gellért, which sits on the site of the Gellért Spa, a famous thermal spa that has been used for centuries. In the midground is the Szabadság Bridge, built in 1896 and reconstructed after it suffered heavy damage in World War II (like so much of Europe did). And in the foreground is one of the pleasure ships that offer rides on the beautiful Danube River through Budapest. This was our last night in Europe, having traveled over 700 miles on the Rhine, Main, and Danube Rivers from Amsterdam to Budapest.

POTD: Bálna Budapest

From 2022 07 18 Budapest

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Budapest, Hungary. It shows two of my favorite things. Public transport (a Budapest streetcar), and iconic architecture (Bálna Budapest). Bálna is Hungarian for Whale, which the architecture resembles. It's right on the banks of the Danube. It redevelops and extends an old industrial building on the Danube, repurposing it into a modern mix of shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Everything old is new again in Budapest.

Shrinking a Neighborhood Park

There's a new page in town. The Richardson Independent Facebook Page. It's run by "Lauren Decker; a local, independent journalist residing right here in Richardson." In her first series of articles, she's publishing interviews with the eight contested candidates for Richardson Mayor and City Council. I highly recommend that you, first, read her interviews and, second, follow her page so you don't miss her future work.

One of Decker's questions was, "What is the responsibility of the city council when it comes to ensuring Richardson residents continue to have enough water?" Answers were very revealing about the candidates' attitude towards our neighborhood parks. Let's look at part of mayoral candidate Bob Dubey's answer.

TIL: Gun Violence in the Deep South

Source: Nationhood Lab.

Today I learned something about gun violence. I didn't expect there to be such a marked difference in the rates of gun violence between New York City and the Deep South. And I didn't expect the difference to be in New York City's favor.

What I learned: The death rate from gun violence "varies wildly between regions. Of the larger regions, the Deep South is the most deadly with a smoothed rate of 15.6 per 100,000 residents, followed by Greater Appalachia at 13.5. On the other end of the spectrum, New Netherland – the Dutch-founded area around New York City – has a smoothed rate of just 3.8 per 100,000, a rate less than a quarter that of the Deep South."

The Last of Us (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Last of Us (TV 2023): Joel and Ellie trek across country in quest to save dying world from pandemic. Story predates COVID-19, but exaggerated parallels are timely. Martial law, freedom-fighters, and zombies. Best part of the show isn't any of that, but the maturing of Ellie. B+

Springs and Dubey File Corrected Finance Reports

Stephen Springs and Bob Dubey filed corrected 30-day campaign finance reports. Spoiler alert: Stephen Springs's update eliminated my question about his. Bob Dubey's correction...didn't.

POTD: Sunset on the Danube

From 2022 07 16 Vienna

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the river Danube as it winds through Slovakia. Downstream from Bratislava, the Danube is dammed, creating a large reservoir. That's where this sunset was photographed. Say goodbye to the Danube. This was our last night sailing on the river. Tomorrow our cruise ends in Budapest.

Recap of City of Richardson Candidate Forum

Thursday evening, the League of Women Voters of Richardson, in conjunction with the Richardson Chamber of Commerce, hosted a forum for candidates for the City of Richardson Mayor and City Council at the Charles W Eisemann Center in Richardson. This is a recap of what was said and editorial opinion of what I think were good answers (and bad).

POTD: Bratislava, Slovakia

From 2022 07 16 Vienna

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Bratislava, Slovakia. It's nothing special as far as photographs go, but it's proof we were in Slovakia. We keep track of countries we have visited together, and Slovakia is one more we can now check off, even if our cruise on the Danube didn't stop here. We didn't even get up from the table in the ship's dining room for a photo. (A curtain on the ship's window can be seen on the right.) Slovakia is on both sides of the river in Bratislava. So it counts. That's our story and we're sticking to it. Oh, by the way, that castle on the hilltop is Bratislava Castle. It dates to the 9th Century and was largely rebuilt between 1956 and 1964.

The Wheel's 2023 Voters Guide

Early voting for the 2023 local elections in Texas starts Monday, April 24. On the ballot will be Richardson ISD Board of Trustees, City of Richardson City Council and the City of Richardson Bond Proposition. Use Vote411.org to see your personalized ballot and to read how the candidates answered a questionnaire by the League of Women Voters of Richardson.

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

For City of Richardson mayor, I recommend Janet DePuy.
For City of Richardson Place 1, I recommend Curtis Dorian.
For City of Richardson Place 3, I recommend Stephen Springs.
For City of Richardson Place 5, I recommend Todd Hunter.
City of Richardson Places 2, 4, and 6 are uncontested.

For City of Richardson Bond Proposition, I recommend a Yes.

For RISD District 3, I recommend Debbie Renteria.
For RISD Place 6, I recommend Eric Eager.
The other RISD Districts and Places are not up for election this year.

Read on for the reasons I make these recommendations.