TIL: The "Migrant Crisis" is Self-Inflicted

Source: Carlos Barria / Reuters.

I learned more about the so-called "migrant crisis" from an article in "The Atlantic" from almost a year ago than I've learned from anything else since.

A Gentleman in Moscow (TV 2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

A Gentleman in Moscow (TV 2024): The story of the Soviet Union from revolution to Stalin's death as seen through the life of one man and one hotel. A Russian count is sentenced by Bolshviks to a lifetime of house arrest in the elegant Metropol Hotel. Ewan McGregor is charming. B+

Paramount+

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Compare with the original novel: "A Gentleman in Moscow".

Drones are Ready. Red Tape Is Also

Source: City of Richardson.

On January 7, 2025, the Richardson City Plan Commission (CPC) approved, but only with a special permit, ZF 24-33, "a City-initiated PD Amendment to the Collins/Arapaho TOD and Innovation District Form Based Code Planned Development to allow a 'Drone Operations and Maintenance Center' as a permitted use in the Employment Sub-District."

Do you even know what a Drone Operations and Maintenance Center is? I didn't. And, judging by the discussion by the CPC members, neither did they. I have three comments.

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024): Joker on trial for murders committed in earlier movie. Is he criminally insane or just evil? Critics hated it. Audiences avoided it. But I liked it. It was a powerful depiction of how our criminal justice system fails the mentally ill. And...it's a musical! B+

Max

Charter Review: Sneak Preview of Changes

Source: Arefin Shamsul Facebook.

On December 2, 2024, the Richardson City Council appointed eleven members to a Charter Review Commission to review and suggest changes to Richardson's City Charter. I've been presenting my own suggestions (see links at bottom). The Commission held their first meeting Thursday, January 16, 2025. It was an orientation meeting. Nothing much was supposed to happen, and nothing was made of it when it did, but guessing how things will go tells me we got a sneak peek at some big changes that will be coming to Richardson's Charter. I'll get to those eventually, but first some scene setting.