Random Thoughts: A Smidgen of Hope for the Planet

2024-10-01: "The UK Has No Coal-Fired Power Plants for the First Time in 142 Years" | WIRED.
Most of the time, I think our efforts to address climate change amount to too-little, too-late. But every once in a while there's a headline like this that gives me a smidgen of hope.
wired.com/story/uk-no-coal-fir...

2024-10-03: "11 damning details in Jack Smith’s new brief in the Trump election case" | POLITICO.
Damning? These Trump scandals have reached the point of having no effect on public opinion. Maybe they are even counter-productive. With every story, more voters might be moved to support Trump just to get these cases settled than moved to want him to lose to see the cases pursued for another four years. Depressing, but I think that's where we are.
politico.com/news/2024/10/02/j...

2024-10-04: "US economy added a whopping 254,000 jobs last month" | CNN Business.
Those are new jobs, in addition to all the jobs Americans had last month. Even if immigrants are taking some Americans' jobs, there are a "whopping" number of new ones to pick from.
cnn.com/business/live-news/us-...

Nobody Wants This (TV 2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Nobody Wants This (TV 2024): Sitcom about a sex podcaster and a rabbi...and their families who meddle in their unlikely relationship. Stereotypes abound. The chemistry is winning. The dialog is witty. And it has something serious to say about mixed-religion relationships. B+

Netflix

The Pale Blue Eye (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Pale Blue Eye (2022): Macabre murder mystery set in the cold, gray winter at West Point in 1830. A cadet is found dead, with his heart removed. Christian Bale is the detective who recruits a cadet named Edgar Allan Poe (yes, that one) to assist him. Everyone is quirky, creepy, and suspicious. B-

Netflix

#VeryTardyReview

Conclave (2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Conclave (2024): The cardinal running the conclave picking the next pope uncovers one deep secret after another. An intelligent plot that sheds light on the ancient practice of Vatican polit ics. Informative if maybe implausible at times. It keeps you guessing who it's going to be. A-

In theaters

Council Recap: Review of Almost Final Comp Plan

On October 21, 2024, the Richardson City Council and City Plan Commission (CPC) reviewed a close-to-final draft of a new Comprehensive Plan.

My own feedback can be found here:

• Point North...Park?
• Grading Richardson's Comprehensive Plan
• Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker

I'll add that the best thing about this draft Comp Plan isn't the plan. It's the list of 77 action items. It's a better list than the list the Council came up with during their own goal-setting retreat at the beginning of their term. But there's too much latitude in it. They shouldn't leave it to City Manager Don Magner to prioritize and schedule, not if they care about what gets done and what gets kicked down the road.