The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Shop Around the Corner (1940): Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan in a romcom with the "Lubitsch Touch." Also starring Frank Morgan, who you will recognize as the Wizard of Oz in the 1939 classic. See how many romcom tropes that are still standard today are in this movie, some used for the first time. B+

HBO Max

#VeryTardyReview

Weapons (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Weapons (2025): Less a horror film, more a mystery/thriller. All but one child from the same class flee their homes at 2:17 am one night and disappear. Story is told from different perspectives, each filling in a few more details. Slow build to a satisfactory conclusion. B-

HBO Max

Book Review: On the Calculation of Volume (Book I)

From On the Calculation of Volume (Book I), by Solvej Balle:

Amazon

"My name is Tara Selter. I am sitting in the back room overlooking the garden and a woodpile. It is the eighteenth of November. Every night when I lie down to sleep in the bed in the guest room it is the eighteenth of November and every morning, when I wake up, it is the eighteenth of November. I no longer expect to wake up to the nineteenth of November and I no longer remember the seventeenth of November as if it were yesterday."

POTD: High Protein Refreshment

From 2025 03 23 Chiang Mai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at a food store at the foot of Doi Suthep, the site of a popular temple. As healthful as I imagine the products on sale here to be, we didn't partake.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Wat Phra That Doi Suthe

From 2025 03 23 Chiang Mai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. According to Wikipedia, it "is a Theravada Buddhist temple (wat) in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. The temple is often referred to as "Doi Suthep" although this is actually the name of the mountain where it is located. It is a sacred site to many Thai people...The temple is said to have been founded in 1383 when the first stupa was built."

Bonus photos are after the jump.

Wicked: For Good (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Wicked: For Good (2025): Elphaba is not all bad. Glinda is not all good. Kind of like this movie. The running time of the two movies is twice the length of the entire stage musical. There's just too much. There's a great two hour movie in there. B-

In theatres

F1: The Movie (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

F1: The Movie (2025): Cocky, arrogant Formula 1 racer, played by Brad Pitt (of course), tries to reclaim glory 30 years after a bad accident. It's a sports movie. Enough said. What did I learn about F1 racing? The win goes to the car with the best tires. Or at least the driver who knows how to get the most out of them. B-

AppleTV

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025): A murder mystery where the crime is just an excuse to explore irreconcilable views of religious faith, with Benoit Blanc's lack of faith also on view. As for the murder plot, it has too many elements that lack credibility. B+

Netflix

TIL: More Offensive Words

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer.

I first wrote about the loss of values in American politics in 2011, with "Civility: What's Not To Like?". But "civility" was not the first word to transform from being a value to being offensive. I wrote in 2017: For me, "it started with 'tolerance'. Long ago, I was surprised to learn that tolerance is not universally considered to be a virtue. (Tolerance was imagined to be synonymous with approval - approval of gays, of Muslims, of sin.) Then, I learned that 'compromise' is not universally considered to be a virtue, either. (Compromise was imagined to require a surrender of principle.)" That article was called, "Now Kindness is a Dirty Word, Too".

Now in 2025, I learned a whole bunch of other words that have transformed from being values to being offensive. Also, I learned an explanation of what's behind it.

POTD: Umbrella Factory

From 2025 03 23 Chiang Mai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at an umbrella factory in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Beautiful. That is all.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Among the Elephants

From 2025 03 23 Chiang Mai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at an Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Think of it as a retirement home for elephants who age out of being worked in the logging industry, in circuses, in zoos. Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Camp 6 is an internationally accredited elephant camp with recognized welfare standards. It falls into the category of ethical tourism-funded sanctuaries. Tourists still interact with the elephants, feeding them, petting them, bathing them. It's probably a good middle ground that generates income for animal welfare. Anyway, that's our story and we're sticking with it.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

Book Review: Lost Enlightenment

From "Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane", by S. Frederick Starr:

Amazon

"This was truly an Age of Enlightenment, several centuries of cultural flowering during which Central Asia was the intellectual hub of the world. India, China, the Middle East, and Europe all boasted rich traditions in the realm of ideas, but during the four or five centuries around AD 1000 it was Central Asia, the one world region that touched all these other centers, that surged to the fore. It bridged time as well as geography, in the process becoming the great link between antiquity and the modern world. To a far greater extent than today’s Europeans, Chinese, Indians, or Middle Easterners realize, they are all the heirs of the remarkable cultural and intellectual effervescence in Central Asia that peaked in the era of Ibn Sina and Biruni."

The Roses (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Roses (2025): Remake of the 1989 classic black comedy. Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch star as the couple in a love/hate marriage. Best scenes are when the two trade barbed insults and admire each other for it. Nothing really fresh here. These actors are wasted in these roles. C+

Hulu

Last Samurai Standing (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Last Samurai Standing (TV 2025): Japanese. Part Shōgun. Part Squid Game. Violent action thriller set at the end of the era of samurai. Figuring out who is behind the 100 billion yen contest in which samurai are pitted against each other adds mystery. Bad ending, like they had an eight episode story but filmed only six episodes. C+

Netflix

Whereto Arapaho Station?

Source: Richardson Convention & Visitors Center.

The 1% of CityLine that makes all the brochures

We all know where you can get to from Arapaho Station: wherever DART goes. What I want to know is where the City of Richardson will get to with the redevelopment of Arapaho Station. Is CityLine an exemplar of how it should be done or a cautionary tale?

POTD: Wat Rong Khun (White Temple)

From 2025 03 22 Chiang Rai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at the Wat Rong Khun Temple (White Temple) in Chiang Rai in northern Thailand. According to Wikipedia, "The White Temple was created by master Chalermchai Kositpipat, the national artist who designed, constructed, and opened it to visitors in 1997."

Contrast it with the newer Blue Temple, also in Chiang Rai.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Trinidad meets Thailand

From 2025 03 22 Chiang Rai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in an Akha village near Chiang Rai, Thailand. These two people speak languages without a word in common, yet without a word, both could share a dance game that originated in the Caribbean island of Trinidad. Laughter is a universal language.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

Nouvelle Vague (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Nouvelle Vague (2025): French. Richard Linklater's tribute to Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 classic New Wave movie "Breathless", matching its style perfectly. This movie's subject is Godard making the original movie, all the while explaining to his actors what he is after. Nouvelle Vague is must-see for film students. A-

Netflix

Breathless (1960)

Rotten Tomatoes

Breathless (1960): French. Jean-Luc Godard's classic New Wave cinema. Story of a charming but self-destructive anti-hero and the independent young American woman who falls in with him. Godard makes his small budget work for him—jump cuts, hand-held cameras, shooting on the streets of Paris. A+

HBO Max

#VeryTardyReview

Jay Kelly (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Jay Kelly (2025): Aging movie star George Clooney plays an aging movie star who is beginning to question his life choices. He is estranged from his wife and daughters and agent and everyone in his life. This obvious fact comes as a revelation to him. Clooney is upstaged by Adam Sandler. B-

Netflix

Richardson Needs a Premier Development

Source: Dallas International District.

"At long last, development is coming: six stories/296 luxury apartments of approximately 2600 square feet, ground floor restaurant and retail."
— Candy's Dirt

No, we're not talking about downtown Richardson, where we're going to get the ho-hum, sticks-and-bricks, four-story apartments (Polk Street Residences) with the least amount of "retail ready" space possible that still allows the city to call it mixed-use.

We're also not talking about Richardson's future Arapaho DART Station redevelopment, where we're going to get...who knows what?

POTD: Karen Classroom in Chiang Rai

From 2025 03 22 Chiang Rai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in a classroom in the Karen ("Long Neck") village near Chiang Rai, Thailand. School wasn't in session, but these two girls were in attendance anyway.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Long Neck Karen Village

From 2025 03 22 Chiang Rai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in the Karen ("Long Neck") village near Chiang Rai, Thailand. The Karen people are indigenous to Myanmar, but, according to Wikipedia, "Due to the ongoing insurgency, hundreds of thousands of Karen fled to refugee camps along the Thai-Burmese border...Approximately 400,000 Karen live in Thailand, where they are by far the largest of the hill tribes."

Bonus photos are after the jump.

Council Recap: Board and Commission Appointments

On December 1, 2025, following the regular council meeting ("Council Recap: 2026 Bond Money for Streets"), the Richardson City Council adjourned and moved to a small conference room in the back of city hall and opened a special called meeting out of the camera's reach. There's no official video record of this meeting.

I was present (at least until the special meeting went into executive session to discuss candidates for quasi-judicial boards). Mine might be the only eyewitness account of this meeting by the Richardson City Council. I could have video recorded the public part of the meeting. The public interest would be better served by making all such council meetings accessible to everyone, even those who can't make it to meetings in person.

Council Recap: 2026 Bond Money for Streets

The Richardson City Council met Monday, December 1, 2025. There were two agenda items that I want to discuss. Video of the full meeting is available, as usual, on the City's website.

Just kidding. The second agenda item I want to discuss was part of the council's special called meeting, held in a back room, and not recorded. But I found my way back there and will have a thing or two to say about that meeting in tomorrow's post.

The Worst Places to Eat in Richardson Last Month

Graphic by City of Richardson.

The City of Richardson is rightly regarded as having some of the best and most diverse dining options in north Texas ("Eat & Drink"). But that doesn't mean every restaurant in Richardson exceeds in every measure. Here is a list of the worst places to eat in Richardson last month, based on the City of Richardson's Health Department Restaurant Scores from inspections last month. Not all Richardson restaurants are inspected each and every month. Only those inspected last month are ranked here. Only the lowest scores are shown.

Random Thoughts: Dick Cheney and Dubya

2025-11-04: BREAKING: Dick Cheney, one of the most powerful vice presidents in United States history, has died.
I guess now we'll find out, once and for all, whether George W Bush can speak.

POTD: Rong Suea Ten Temple (Blue Temple)

From 2025 03 22 Chiang Rai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at the Rong Suea Ten Temple (Blue Temple) in Chiang Rai in northern Thailand. According to Wikipedia, "Its final design was realized by Chiang Rai folk artist Mr. Phuttha Kabkaew. He gained skills and learned from Chalermchai Kositpipat while working on his famous Wat Rong Khun, just outside the city. Wat Rong Suea Ten's main building was completed on 22 January 2016. It took 11 years to complete the construction...It follows in the unconventional 'neo-traditional' style of Buddhist art pioneered by Chalermchai, employing lavishly ornamented sculptures and psychedelic visual imagery."

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Lunch in the Golden Triangle

From 2025 03 22 Chiang Rai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken outside our lunch spot in the Golden Triangle of southeast Asia. According to Wikpedia, "The Golden Triangle is a large, mountainous region in northeastern Myanmar, Northern Thailand and northern Laos, centered on the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers. The Golden Triangle has been one of the largest opium-producing areas of the world since the 1950s. Today, the Thai side of the river confluence, Sop Ruak, has become a tourist attraction with no opium cultivation."

Bonus photos are after the jump.

The Paper (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Paper (TV 2025): Spin-off to The Office, with the same mockumentary format. Instead of a Scranton paper company, it's set at a small Toledo newspaper. It's derivative, but just as good as the original. At least it's better than the last 5 or 6 seasons of The Office. B-

Peacock

Train Dreams (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Train Dreams (2025): Story of a logger's life in Idaho circa 1917. The story has love and loss, violence and tragedy, all told in a quiet, poignant way. All these things happen to Robert, but he is not the protaganist. He mostly just waits for a revelation that he'll never receive about what life is all about. B+

Netflix

The American Revolution (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

The American Revolution (TV 2025): Ken Burns has done it again, taking history we all thought we knew from elementary school and going deeper into it to reveal all of its complexity and contradictions. After six episodes and more than 12 hours, we're still the heroes, but our feet of clay are revealed as well. A+

How Plano Appoints a Committee

The Dallas Morning News.

This post isn't about upcoming elections in four cities to withdraw from DART. For that, see "DART Plays Chicken with Plano". No, this post is about how Plano is getting input from Plano's residents. According to The Dallas Morning News, "Plano is also forming a citizen's committee to look at the future of its regional transit. The Collin County Connects Committee will explore alternative transit options and providers, according to Plano's transit site. Each of Plano's eight City Council members will appoint one Plano resident to serve on the committee."

POTD: The Golden Triangle

From 2025 03 22 Chiang Rai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at the Golden Triangle of southeast Asia. According to Wikpedia, "The Golden Triangle is a large, mountainous region in northeastern Myanmar, Northern Thailand and northern Laos, centered on the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers. The name "Golden Triangle" was coined by Marshall Green, a U.S. State Department official, in 1971 in a press conference on the opium trade. The Golden Triangle has been one of the largest opium-producing areas of the world since the 1950s. Most of the world's heroin came from the Golden Triangle until the early 21st century when opium production in Afghanistan increased. Myanmar was the world's second-largest source of opium after Afghanistan up to 2022, producing some 25% of the world's opium, forming part of the Golden Triangle. Today, the Thai side of the river confluence, Sop Ruak, has become a tourist attraction, with the House of Opium Museum, a Hall of Opium, a Golden Triangle Park, and no opium cultivation."

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Choui Fong Tea Plantation

From 2025 03 22 Chiang Rai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at the Choui Fong Tea Plantation in Chiang Rai in northern Thailand. It's a family-owned and operated tea producer founded in 1977.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

Generational Income, Wealth, and Home Ownership

When I read something that changes my mind, I sit up and take notice. In two recent posts on Facebook, I said I learned, contrary to my earlier beliefs, that younger generations in America are doing OK compared to older generations, at least as measured by income and wealth. I used the two graphs above as evidence.

Catch 22 (TV 2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Catch 22 (TV 2019): Another adaptation of the classic 1961 satirical anti-war novel. This one succeeds in getting the tone right, balancing tragedy and comedy, with both highlighting the insanity of war. B+

Hulu

#VeryTardyReview

G20 (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

G20 (2025): Terrorists attack a G20 summit and hold leaders hostage. The US President (Viola Davis) who has a military background, swings into action and kicks ass. Ohhhkay. And her teenage kids get to participate in saving the G20, so bring the family maybe? C-

Prime

The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025): Marvel movie that steals from lots of other superhero/space adventures of the last fifty years. Flat acting. The four just never gel. The core dilemma, whether to sacrifice your child to save the world, could be further developed. Best part of movie is the retro futuristic look. C-

Disney+

Frankenstein (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Frankenstein (2025): Guillermo del Toro's faithful adaptation of the Mary Shelley classic is visually stunning throughout. He emphasizes the father-son story more than the mad scientist story, with the creature being more victim than monster. B+

Netflix

POTD: Architecture Imitates Nature

From 2025 03 20 Sukhothai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at a temple complex in Sukhothai, Thailand, the ancient capital of the first Siamese kingdom in north-central Thailand. The kingdom expanded to its greatest extent during the reign of Ram Khamhaeng the Great (1279—1298).

A bonus photo is after the jump.

POTD: Monkey Mountain

From 2025 03 20 Sukhothai

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at a roadside stop by Khao No (Monkey Mountain) in central Thailand. A roadside stop where hundreds of monkeys gather in hopes of getting a free meal from tourists who stop. For the physically fit (a category in which I no longer include myself), there's a steep trail with stairs and ladders to the top of the 300 meter mountain, which despite its modest height offers impressive views.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

Death by Lightning (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Death by Lightning (TV 2025): A fast-moving true-crime story from 1880, the assassination of President James Garfield. Like looking at our own political times in a cracked mirror. The show gives equal attention to Garfield and his assassin, but history lovers should be interested in a third principal, the accidental president, Chester A. Arthur. A-

Netflix

Based on "Destiny of the Republic", reviewed by The Wheel in 2012.

Sinners (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Sinners (2025): A wildly ambitious and original take on vampire movies that bends the genre over backwards. In 1932, twin brothers come home from Chicago to open a juke joint in Mississippi. Their place plays the blues. The vampires play Irish folk music. See it (even if only for the music). A-

Max

It Starts with Beds

Source: "¡Que Onda! Magazine".

On October 27, 2025, the Richardson City Council reviewed and discussed the city's housing needs assessment and strategy. In two hours and fifteen minutes, the words "homeless" and "unhoused" were spoken exactly zero times.

The City of Houston shows how it should be done. It's an option that the City of Richardson needs to have on the table if it's serious about doing something about homelessness.

DART Plays Chicken with Plano

Plano, and Farmers Branch, Highland Park, and Irving have all called spring elections for their voters to decide whether to withdraw from DART. According to WFAA, Plano "has until 45 days before the election to call off the vote, and Mayor John Muns says he's hopeful they'll do just that after negotiating a better deal with DART. And the Mayor has an offer: Let us pay half a penny of every dollar collected through sales tax instead of the current full penny, and we’ll get rid of the buses, but keep the rail."

POTD: Ratbamrung School Assembly

From 2025 03 17 Central Thailand

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at an assembly at Ratbamrung School north of Bangkok, Thailand. Our tour group stopped here to visit the school, where we were treated to a musical performance and where we donated school supplies. Kids are kids all over the world.

---

"North of Bangkok’s hum,
the schoolyard blooms with rhythm—
every grin a song."
h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Wat Chaiwatthanaram

From 2025 03 17 Central Thailand

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at the Wat Chaiwatthanaram, a Buddhist temple in Ayutthaya north of Bangkok, Thailand. I could bore you with a bunch of photos of the old temple. Or hopefully catch your interest with a photo of a young woman who was visiting the site on the day we were.

Now the boring stuff. According to Wikipedia, "The temple was constructed in 1630 by the king, Prasat Thong, as the first temple of his reign, as a memorial of his mother's residence in that area. The temple's name literally means the Temple of long reign and glorious era. It was designed in Khmer style to gain Buddhist merit and as a memorial to his mother, however Prince Damrong believed it was built to celebrate Ayutthaya Kingdom's victory over Longvek."

A bonus photo of a tourist photobombing the temple is after the jump.

Council Recap: Unhoused Initiatives

"The only solution to homelessness is housing. Start from there and all the other issues of those living on the streets can be addressed."
— Christy Respress, Executive Director of Pathways to Housing DC.

On October 27, 2025, the Richardson City Council reviewed and discussed the city's housing needs assessment and strategy. In two hours and fifteen minutes, the words "homeless" and "unhoused" were spoken exactly zero times.

On November 3, 2025, the City Council reviewed and discussed the city's unhoused initiatives. In just under an hour of discussion, that previous meeting about the city's housing needs assessment was referenced exactly zero times. It was like homelessness and housing needs were two completely different problems. Some of us are living on the same planet but in different worlds.