Decoherence

In his great biography of Benjamin Franklin, Walter Isaacson describes how Franklin fundamentally changed America, bringing Puritanism "into an Enlightenment era that exalted tolerance, individual merit, civic virtue, good deeds, and rationality." I used to think all Americans since Franklin shared those values. Used to. I changed my mind long ago.

I'm a go-along, get-along kind of guy. Cooperate. Compromise. Consensus. Win-win. It's the way I was raised. When I was young, I used to think it was the American way. One nation. E Pluribus Unum. Melting pot. I'm learning not to be so naive, but I'm still caught off guard when I run across people to whom a preference for compromise or tolerance is considered a character flaw.

Source: Mark Steger.

I wrote that in 2012. I'm back today with another realization that rocks my childhood understanding of the values that I just assumed all Americans shared.

Lake Highlands 37, Richardson 22

From 2015 10 09 Lake Highlands vs Richardson

The Lake Highlands Wildcats improved their District 10-6A record to 3-0 with a hard-fought 37-22 win over Richardson Friday night, spoiling Richardson's Homecoming. Richardson drops to 1-2.

All the action, including the game, cheerleaders, drill team, colorguard, marching band and all the rest that make high school football the best value in sports entertainment, can be seen on Google Photos. Remember, without the band, it's just a game.

POTD: Tomorrow Never Dies

From 2015 03 26 Halong Bay

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring thousands of large karst islands.

It's also where James Bond tracks down the stealth ship of the villain in 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies", although due to difficulties getting permission to film there, that scene was actually filmed in Thailand. :-(

Review: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

Amazon

From The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski

"My gramma’s like me. Wanna know what my gramma says? ... She says that before you were born, God told you a secret he didn't want anyone else to know."

That's a small girl talking to Edgar, a boy born mute who may carry a heavy secret in his heart, a secret that will lead to tragedy unless he finds a way to deal with his knowledge.

Charter Amendments: Vote Yes AND No

There's an election in Texas on Tuesday, November 3, 2015. Early voting begins Monday, October 19. Among other things, there are 83 propositions for amendments to the Richardson city charter.

There's a "Vote YES" side that argues that the charter updates are long overdue, with some of them needed to clean up unintended consequences from the changes for direct election of the mayor approved in 2012, and others needed to get the city charter in conformance with state and federal law. This side wants you to vote "YES" to every single one of the 83 amendments. This side's spokesman is Bill Sproull, who happens to be president of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce, although he's heading up the "Vote YES" campaign in a private capacity Ken Hutchenrider, chairman of the Richardson Vote YES Campaign Committee.

And there's a "Vote NO" side that doesn't like how the charter review process was conducted, thinks the charter amendments are designed to legalize sketchy business practices, and, well, doesn't like pretty much anything the city does. This side's spokesman is the rebellious biker Johnny played by Marlon Brando in the movie "The Wild One".

Mildred: "Hey Johnny, what are you rebelling against?"
Johnny: "Whadda you got?"

Source: The Wild One.

I'm here to help you navigate between these all-or-nothing positions.

Missing Review. Missing Petition.

Don't get into online arguments. No one ever changes his mind. No one ever wins. Good advice? Yes, as far as it goes. But what if winning isn't the only goal? Sometimes there's value in just understanding the root of a disagreement, even if no one changes his mind. If the discussion leaves you comfortable with the foundation of your argument, then you can feel comfortable with what you build on that foundation. The argument over Richardson's upcoming charter amendment election is a case in point.

POTD: Mausoleum of Khai Dinh

From 2015 03 24 Hue

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Hue, Vietnam. It's the mausoleum of Khai Dinh (1885-1925), the 12th king of the Nguyen Dynasty. There's more to Vietnamese history than the war.

Voters Guide: City Charter Amendments 71-83

Eighth in a series:

• City Charter Amendments Nos. 1-10
• City Charter Amendments Nos. 11-20
• City Charter Amendments Nos. 21-30
• City Charter Amendments Nos. 31-40
• City Charter Amendments Nos. 41-50
• City Charter Amendments Nos. 51-60
• City Charter Amendments Nos. 61-70
• City Charter Amendments Nos. 71-83

There are 83 propositions for amending the Richardson City Charter on the November ballot. I'm here with a voter's guide to tell you how to vote. You're welcome.

OTBR: Piojo Ranch in New Mexico

Latitude: N 35° 48.582
Longitude: W 104° 58.998

A child on a road trip with his family asks, "Where are we?" and the father answers, "Let's check the map. We're off the blue roads [the Interstate Highways marked in blue on the road atlas]. We're off the red roads [the US and state highways]. We're off the black roads [the county highways]. I think we're off the map altogether." It was always my dream to be off the map altogether.

After the jump, a few of the random places (and I mean random literally) that I visited vicariously last month that are "off the blue roads".

POTD: Incense at Thien Mu Pagoda

From 2015 03 24 Hue

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the 400-year-old Thiên Mu Pagoda in Hué, Vietnam. It sits on a hill on a bend of the Huong (Perfume) River. The seven-story pagoda is one of the tallest religious buildings in Vietnam.

"A building near the rear of the complex houses a national relic: the car in which the monk Thich Quang Duc rode from his temple to Saigon on June 11, 1963. He stepped out of the car in an intersection, sat down in the lotus position, and burned himself to death in protest against the regime's violations of religious freedom." -- sacred-destinations.com