The Wheel's Voters Guide (May, 2024)

Early voting for the 2024 local elections in Texas is underway. Election Day is May 4, 2024. On the ballot for Richardson voters (at least on my ballot) will be two races. Use Vote411.org to see your personalized ballot. Read on to learn how to vote.

Dune: Part Two (2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Dune Part Two (2024): Epic. Outstanding world-building. Spellbinding cinematography. The stakes grow. The allegories get biblical. Paul is a prophesied messiah who drinks from a chalice, falls into a deathlike state, and is revived. Some plot points are still silly (e.g, with "atomics" in use, why is most fighting with swords?). A-

In theaters

POTD: Olive Oil Extra Virgin

"From Seville's palaces
To Ronda's forbidding cliffs,
Extra virgin bliss."
—h/t ChatGPT

From 2023 09 11 Ronda

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the countryside between Seville and Ronda, Spain. It shows some of Spain's countless olive groves. Spain is the world's largest exporter of olive oil. In 2022, 43% of the world's exports came from Spain.

POTD: Ronda's Plaza de Toros

"Plaza de Toros,
Bullfighting's historic ring,
Hemingway's retreat."

—h/t ChatGPT

From 2023 09 11 Ronda

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Ronda, Spain.

"The city of Ronda is home to the Real Maestranza de Caballería, the oldest and most noble order of horsemanship in Spain since 1485."

The Plaza de toros de Ronda is claimed to be the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain.

"American artists Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles spent many summers in Ronda as part-time residents of Ronda's old-town quarter called La Ciudad. Both wrote about Ronda's beauty and famous bullfighting traditions."

A bonus photo is after the jump.

What Has Stefani Carter Been Up To

2013: Ringing Opening Bell on NYSE (Stefani Carter on left)

You may remember Stefani Carter. The former Texas state representative for parts of Richardson, swept into office in the 2010 tea party wave. The ambitious politician who attempted to climb to statewide office (Texas Railroad Commission) in 2014 only to discover that the moneyed interests had other candidates in mind. Who then scrambled back to her legislative race in north Texas but lost her seat when even GOP voters abandoned her in the primary for Linda Koop. The last time we checked in on her was in 2020. What has Stefani Carter been up to since?