Dumplin' (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

Dumplin' (2018): Plus-sized daughter tries to please former beauty queen mom. Plays out pretty much as expected but, spoiler, I was surprised that a small Texas town could have five drag queen Dolly Partons. Cardboard characters, script, acting, but some great new Dolly songs. C+

POTD: Bike Share in Jakarta

From 2018 03 31 Jakarta

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Fatahillah Square in Jakarta, Indonesia. The building in the background is the original Stadhuis (city hall) of Batavia, built in 1710 by the Dutch. Today it's a museum. But it was the bike-share program that caught my eye. The bright pink and blue bicycles can be rented by the hour for touring this historic district.

Mowgli (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

Mowgli (2018): Live/CGI adaptation of "The Jungle Book." Darker and more violent than Disney; no cute animals, no songs. Beautiful imagery. 1st half is predictable boy-raised-by-wolves story. 2nd half is a serious coming-of-age story. Adults, don't be ashamed to watch alone. C+

POTD: Jakarta Skyline

From 2018 03 31 Jakarta

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the skyline of Jakarta, Indonesia, from the Gran Meliá Hotel. Jakarta is a monstrously big, modern city. It has equally big growing pains. Jakarta could learn a lot from American cities. On the other hand, American cities could learn a lot from Jakarta. All cities have the same basic needs and face the same pressures. No one has it all figured out.

Observe. Ask. Do. Repeat.

After the Richardson ISD tax ratification election (TRE), I listed five recommendations for areas RISD to focus on now that the divisive election was behind us. One of the suggestions was to focus on improving community outreach. I recommended making permanent those strategic planning teams that were put together for the "Strategic Plan 2017." I also recommended holding more town hall meetings and reforming the "open mic" portions of board meetings to get more back-and-forth dialog going. What else?

Today, I'm recommending considering the advice of Charles Marohn of "Strong Towns" in an article titled "Most Public Engagement is Worthless". I think that's hyperbolic, but Marohn is still on to something.

POTD: Breakfast at the Gran Meliá Hotel

From 2018 03 31 Jakarta

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Gran Meliá Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia. The drink in my hand is a dragon fruit smoothie. Delicious. In front of me is a cuppa Java. Appropriate for a breakfast in Java, right?

The Kominsky Method (TV 2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Kominsky Method (TV 2018): Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin in a buddy comedy about aging. Think "Grace and Frankie" but with prostate jokes. Later episodes get better as they deal with grief. Really not as grim as that sounds. I'd watch a season 2. B-

POTD: Staredown

From 2018 03 27 Sydney

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Featherdale Wildlife Park in Sydney, Australia. Although this sulphur-crested cockatoo was in captivity, it is possible to see flocks of cockatoos in the wild in Australia. With this, we bid farewell to the land Down Under.

From 2018 03 27 Sydney

The Favourite (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Favourite (2018): Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz vie for favor of Queen Anne in era when ambitious women had to be tougher than men. Here, cruder, too. Acting by all is tightly balanced between villain and victim. Too serious for farce. Too over-the-top for straight drama. B-

Trolling: Thanksgiving is my Favorite Holiday

Trolling from November, 2018:

• Nov 2 2018: Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Porous as it is, it's the last bulwark against Christmas advancing even farther forward in the calendar.
• Nov 2 2018: RT @BisforBerkshire: "On eve of vote to expand Arizona school voucher program, audit finds fraud aplenty *Parents spent $700K in school voucher money on beauty supplies, apparel; attempted cash withdrawals*" azcentral.com
This experience in Arizona is what Huffines, Rinaldi, Stickland, and RISD's own Chris McNutt are working for in Texas: state vouchers for private schools.
• Nov 3 2018: Spoiler alert: Richardson is not getting Amazon HQ2. Neither is any other north Texas city.
• Nov 3 2018: RT @moak_barry: "Honestly people - in what world at what time in history other than red GOP Texas in the 21st century does an Attorney General under indictment not resign? And now he’s running for re-election with the full backing of the GOP and evangelicals."
  It's indicted Texas Atty Gen. Ken Paxton who he is talking about here. I'm afraid I don't know what other world this would happen on. It's not like Putin stuffing the ballot box. Texans are voting for Paxton willingly.
• Nov 3 2018: How in the world can decent Republicans vote for Ken Paxton? Try explaining your vote to your kids.

After the jump, more trolling.

Review: Killers of the Flower Moon

Amazon

From Killers of the Flower Moon, by David Grann:

Pawhuska, the Osage capital, with a population of more than six thousand—seemed like fevered visions. The streets clamored with cowboys, fortune seekers, bootleggers, soothsayers, medicine men, outlaws, U.S. marshals, New York financiers, and oil magnates."

---

There's a story in Oklahoma that has been mostly forgotten, that is if it was ever widely known at all. Actually, this book combines several such stories: a story of the white man's injustice to native Americans, a story of oil and its impact on America, a biography of an early lawman and the founding of the FBI, but most of all a murder mystery that we may never get to the bottom of.

Outlaw King (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

Outlaw King (2018): I didn't expect to like it, but I did. History is compressed. The hero is remade as a sensitive leader. Muddy and bloody battle scenes, but the climactic battle is won by strategy. Movie has the feel of a Tolkien battle with orcs and dwarves. Is that good? B-

POTD: Leura

From 2018 03 27 Sydney

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Leura, New South Wales. Nestled in the scenic Blue Mountains, Leura has a large number of cafes, restaurants, boutique and antique shops in a walkable village center. According to Wikipedia, "In 2016, Leura was included in a list of top 50 'most irresistible, exotic, historic and postcard-worthy small towns in Australia.'" We enjoyed a lunch of lasagne, which was served on a bed of french fries ("chips" I should say). Never had that before. Expect never to again.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018): Collection of six stories of Old West staples like the gunslinger, gold prospector, and wagon train, each given the signature Coen Bros. twist of dark humor. Great characters, epic scenery, winning music. A fresh take on an old genre. B+

Guns in RISD and the City of Richardson

Time magazine recently had a cover story titled "Guns in America" that features 245 people across America who share with Time readers their views on guns. Two of those people live in Richardson, Texas. Both are opposed to gun reform.

Chris McNutt is in the far right (of the photo, I mean, not on the political spectrum, although that wouldn't be wrong). He's standing by the TXGR (Texas Gun Rights) sign that features, oh I don't know, I'll call it a machine gun until an expert correctly identifies it in the comments.

Mabel Simpson is just below the "M" in the center. She's also holding a machine gun (again, a placeholder until some defender of liberty enlightens me in the comments).

Chris McNutt and Mabel Simpson are related but I don't know that plays into this story.

Green Book (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

Green Book (2018): Unlikely friendship blossoms between Italian-American driver and black pianist on tour of Jim Crow South, an inhumane era treated with kid gloves. Watch it for its characters, its history, or as a feel-good Christmas movie. Combination makes it Oscar bait. A-