POTD: Dürnstein Abbey and Castle

From 2022 07 15 Melk and Gottweig

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Dürnstein Abbey and Castle on the Danube River in Austria's Wachau region. There are many castles to see on this stretch of the Danube, but Dürnstein is a highlight of any tour. The castle ruins have a history almost anyone can relate to. I'll let Wikipedia tell the story of the castle.

Dürnstein was first mentioned in 1192 when, in the castle above the town, King Richard I of England [Richard the Lionheart] was held captive by Leopold V, Duke of Austria, after their dispute during the Third Crusade. Richard the Lionheart had offended Leopold the Virtuous by casting down his standard from the walls at the Battle of Acre, and the duke suspected that King Richard ordered the murder of his cousin Conrad of Montferrat in Jerusalem. In consequence Pope Celestine III excommunicated Leopold for capturing a fellow crusader. The duke finally gave custody of the king to Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor, who imprisoned Richard at Trifels Castle.

Dürnstein Castle was almost completely destroyed by the troops of the Swedish Empire under Field Marshal Lennart Torstenson in 1645.

Source: Wikipedia.

After the jump, a photo of the abbey, with the castle ruins above.

Random Thoughts: "Lab leak" is the only logical explanation

2023-03-01: Headline: "'Havana syndrome' not caused by energy weapon or foreign adversary, intelligence review finds."
That leaves "lab leak" as the only logical explanation, say conspiracy theorists.

2023-03-03: Pet peeve time: When people are awarded something, they should be "grateful and honored," not "grateful and humbled." You'd think a school board trustee would know the difference.
OK, time to get back to our normal business of arguing whether it's crazy for a husband and wife to order the same entree in a restaurant.

The Mayor Pro Tem vs. The Coach

The City of Richardson has two candidates for mayor. They have different backgrounds. Their online campaigns emphasize those, illustrating the difficulty of reinventing yourself for electoral reasons. Instead, you try to put the best spin on the resume you have to work with.

Richardson Cares More about Celebrating History than Preserving It

Four years ago, I wrote a blog post ("The Ice House Goeth") giving the history of a little, neglected, unused commercial building on Richardson's Main Street in old downtown. I didn't stop at the history. I also advocated for the City of Richardson to do something to preserve this little bit of its history. I didn't hear from the City at the time. I still haven't, but this week the City of Richardson's Facebook page dedicated to posting history for the City's sesquicentennial celebration lifted my blog post without attribution. They included the history I had researched, but left out all of my advocacy for the City to preserve that history. I conclude the City is interested in celebrating its history, at least every 150 years, but is less interested in preserving the history they extol.

Shrinking (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Shrinking (TV 2023): Jason Segal plays a grieving therapist who has increasing trouble staying detached from his patients' issues. Harrison Ford plays the therapist mentor with his own problem with aging. Nice ensemble cast. A sitcom/drama with heart. B+

POTD: Melk Abbey View

From 2022 07 15 Melk and Gottweig

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Melk Abbey in Austria. It doesn't show the historic abbey (dating to 1089) sitting high above the Danube River town of Melk, Austria. Instead it shows the magnificent view from the abbey.

After the jump, a bonus photo of Melk from the abbey.

POTD: Schärding

From 2022 07 14 Passau and Scharding

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Scharding, Germany on the river Inn, which forms the border between Germany and Austria here. The photo was taken from the German shore. The building across the river is in Austria. The building dates to 1320, when it was built by Duke Heinrich of Bavaria as a castle to protect the bridge leading to Schärding. The castle was converted to a baroque palace in 1752. Today it's a school.

Book Review: Their Eyes Were Watching God

From Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale-Hurston:

Amazon

  Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men."

Book Review: Their Eyes Were Watching God: 1937 novel by a too-long forgotten author who was a pioneer of Black, feminist, American stories. Here, she tells the growing maturity of a Black woman, using Black vernacular dialect that recalls Twain's Huck Finn. A-

After the jump, my full review.

Causeway (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Causeway (2022): That faraway look in Jennifer Lawrence's eyes is what this movie is all about. She plays a vet recovering from PTSD. Her plight is touching, but dead. The life in this movie comes from Brian Tyree Henry, who plays a man dealing with his own tragedy. Opposites in every other way, they bond. B+

The Company They Keep

"You shall know the person by the company he keeps." — Proverb

The City of Richardson has two candidates for mayor. If that proverb has any truth to it, it's sending a clear message to us today in those two candidates and the company they keep. It may not be everything, but it's not nothing either.