Have you ever seen one of your favorite restaurants, one that seemed popular and busy, go out of business, with the owner explaining that the landlord raised the rent to an unaffordable level? And then watch the now vacant building sit empty for months or years with a "For Lease" sign out front? What's with that?
An open letter to Coach,
You are probably tired of me heckling from the cheap seats in the grandstand, so I thought I'd take the time to write a fan letter instead. I do more booing than I'm proud of. Once I even called on you to quit coaching. You're not good at it, I said. It's not even your job, I said. I now admit I was wrong. You were right. I'm embarrassed if I ever sound like that fan in the picture above.
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| From 2022 10 27 Florence |
This photo-of-the-day is from the Port of Livorno, Italy. It shows the sun setting behind the lighthouse as we sail away from Livorno at the end of our day in Florence. The lighthouse dates originally to 1303. I'll let Wikipedia tell its more modern history: "The tower was intact until June 20, 1944, when the German troops blew it up as the Allied armies approached." Because of course they did. War is hell. The lighthouse was rebuilt. Because of course it was. The human spirit is indomitable.
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| From 2022 10 27 Florence |
This photo-of-the-day is from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. It shows tourists crowding in front of Primavera by Botticelli. They are taking photos of the painting. I am taking a photo of them taking a photo of the painting. Very meta. I found myself doing that a lot in the Uffizi. It has an abundance of masterpieces. It has an abundance of tourists. All worth it.
A bonus photo is after the jump.
"Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore."Source: June MacDonald.
That's the feeling I had when I read that headline. Head snap. Spit take. WTF? I had the feeling I wasn't in Texas anymore. And indeed I wasn't. The story appeared in Ann Arbor's "The Michigan Daily", a student-run newspaper for the University of Michigan.
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| From PhonlamaiPhoto, iStock by Getty Images |
Recently, I wrote about the coming update to Richardson's Comprehensive Plan. I talked about desirable features like walkability, sustainability, and housing affordability. In this follow-up piece, instead of expanding on my answers by writing long arguments in favor of those things, I decided to ask ChatGPT to do it for me. I asked ChatGPT to "explain why Richardson Texas should do zoning reform." In less than a second, GhatGPT produced an argument that included my own points and more. ChatGPT doesn't appear to know anything about zoning that's specific to Richardson, but its general knowledge is applicable to Richardson. My work here soon may be done.
Source: City of Richardson.
If you haven't been hearing a lot about the City of Richardson's Comprehensive Plan, you haven't been paying attention to this space. But, just in case you aren't aware, the City is just starting a year-long effort to update ours, the first such update since 2009. If you like recent zoning decisions, give more than a little thanks to that 2009 Comprehensive Plan. The City has been following the instructions laid down way back then. If you think recent decisions leave more and more to be desired, well, blame that same Plan. Now is your chance to get your careabouts captured in the next Comprehensive Plan, which will guide development for the next decade.
Democratic institutions rely on institutional jealousies to prevent one branch of government from abusing its power. This is famously woven into the US Constitution through a system of checks and balances. The health of our democracy depends on institutions jealously guarding their powers from encroachment by other branches. All I'm going to say about Washington is that there's a lesson that we can learn about separation of powers that applies to Richardson, Texas.
[Newly elected Mayor Bob] Dubey spoke with Community Impact just after the election about becoming mayor, what he hopes to bring to City Council and some of the projects he’s looking forward to addressing over in the future.Source: Community Impact.
My thanks to Community Impact for its continuous news coverage of Richardson. It helps make informed citizens. Community Impact edited the interview with Mayor Dubey for clarity and brevity. Now, let me try to unpack it.
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| From 2022 10 25 Monte Carlo and Nice |
This photo-of-the-day is from Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Monte Carlo. It's best known as the final resting place of Princess Grace of Monaco. But I found it amusing that inside this holy church, a few steps from Princess Grace's grave, tourists can buy souvenir medals from a vending machine. Unlike Monte Carlo's slot machines, here every coin returns a winner. Since 1996, collectors in France have been able to purchase such souvenirs at over 300 tourist locations, including churches.
