POTD: Hurricane Dorian and Grand Bahama

From 2020 02 04 Bahamas

Today's photo-of-the-day is from February, 2020. It shows a nature conservancy in Grand Bahama, five months after Hurricane Dorian devastated the island. According to ReliefWeb, "Dorian hit The Bahamas on September 1, 2019 as a Category 5 hurricane, causing flooding and mass destruction on the northwest islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama...Hurricane Dorian was one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record -- and the strongest hurricane to have ever hit The Bahamas." We visited Grand Bahama five months after the hurricane. The hurricane stripped almost all the leaves from the trees in the nature conservancy, but life was slowing coming back. Like nature, Bahamians are resilient. Don't hesitate to visit.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Get On Board...A Streetcar Conductor Replies

This week, I had a few things to say about the City of Richardson's process of appointing people to boards and commissions. City Council member Joe Corcoran graciously took the time to reply.

The Bear (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Bear (TV 2022): A sitcom, but there's no comedy. A rising chef inherits struggling family restaurant when his brother commits suicide. Kitchen is pure chaos, with everyone shouting at each other simultaneously. An intense study in grief, anger, and heart. Not for everyone. A-

WAIW: Where Richardson Springs From

Where Am I Wednesday?

Fifty points to the first person to identify where this photo was taken.

Answer is after the jump.

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022): One of Marvel's better efforts. A sober start quickly turns into an over-the-top non-stop self-parody of action-adventure films. Never takes itself seriously. Best thing about it was how the film treats kids. Manipulative but kids will love it. B-

Get On Board...If They'll Have You

The Richardson City Council is holding a come-and-go event for persons interested in serving on a City board or commission. Go. Apply. I can't say you'll be accepted but I've never seen even this small attempt at outreach by the City before.

POTD: Day Care in Nassau

From 2020 02 04 Bahamas

Today's photo-of-the-day is from a children's day-care facility in Nassau, Bahamas. I'm a sucker for murals and this is a nice one. It appears to have been commissioned by the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas for a series called "Beach Murals." The City of Richardson ought to do more along this line. The City's "Traffic Signal Box Art Contest" is a good start. More like this, please.

POTD: One Last Cruise Before the Pandemic

From 2020 02 04 Bahamas

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Western Esplande Beach in Nassau, Bahamas. In the background, you can see cruise ships docked side by side, filled with tourists like us. It was the occasion of one last cruise before COVID, although we didn't know it at the time. In Nassau, COVID was a far off news story. In a few short weeks, it would be the major news story all across the world. It would also shut the door on vacation travel for us for two years. But for now, in the Bahamas, it was the good times.

Book Review: On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder

From On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, by Timothy Snyder:

Amazon

  Since the American colonies declared their independence from a British monarchy that the Founders deemed “tyrannical,” European history has seen three major democratic moments: after the First World War in 1918, after the Second World War in 1945, and after the end of communism in 1989. Many of the democracies founded at these junctures failed, in circumstances that in some important respects resemble our own."

Book Review: On Tyranny: Short book drawing parallels between modern America and Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin. Timothy Snyder lays out 20 simple ways each of us can fight the creep of fascism here in America. It's a how-to, a timely call to action.

After the jump, my full review.

Net Zero Roads for Richardson

Source: Aurecon.

Cities everywhere are trying to reduce their impact on global warming. The goals set are all variants of "Net Zero Carbon." Many of the actions needed to achieve that are outside the control of city government. They require advances in car battery technology, electric power generation (solar and wind), construction materials (steel and concrete). The City of Richardson should promote all such advances and take advantage when possible, but I'd like to see it adopt an idea that is not dependent on technological advances. It can be done today. It's under the control of the City. It offers benefits beyond its impact on global warming. It's a road diet for Richardson.

Surface (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Surface (TV 2022): Woman almost drowns, gets amnesia, tries to piece her past life together. Did she jump? Was she pushed? Who all is having an affair? What about that embezzling? Everyone lies. She eventualy works it all out, even if she keeps some secrets for Season 2. C+

Tax Increase, Tax Decrease, Who Can Say Anymore?

Here's how the City of Richardson's weekly PR email "Week in Review" put it:

The budget also includes a $0.05421 tax rate reduction, rolling the City’s tax rate back to levels last seen in 2006.

Source: City of Richardson.

That's a "tax rate reduction", right? The City says so, right there. Not so fast.

Julia (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Julia (TV 2022): Yet another Julia Child show, this one maybe the best of the lot. It focuses on the first season of her cooking show, featuring the drama behind-the-scenes even getting the show on the air. Sarah Lancashire captures what made Julia a unique star. B+

SBOE Waits for Right-Wing Reinforcements

It looks like the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) is going to kick the can down the road, deciding to wait until next term to rewrite the Texas social studies curriculum (what we know as the TEKS). Why? It appears that the SBOE caved to pressure from right-wing Republican lawmakers who objected to the standards coming out of the curriculum committee. When the SBOE decided to delay, Republican lawmakers celebrated on Twitter, "The board voted to scrap the wokeified proposed changes to the TEKS." The likely explanation for delay is that right-wing Republicans hope that they can increase their majority on the SBOE next term and get proposals more in line with their politics.

Random Thoughts: "Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining."

Tweets from August, 2022:

• 2022-08-01: Richardson moved forward with the taking of park land for construction of a 5 million gallon water tank. The City Manager describes this loss of park land as a "win-win" situation. As the old saying goes, "Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining."
• 2022-08-01: The applicant, anticipating another rejection, withdrew the application for student housing near UT-Dallas. I hate telling UT-Dallas students to hang on a little longer. It's obvious that housing for students is not a priority of this City Council.
• 2022-08-01: Irony. Kentucky Noah's Ark sues insurance company over damage caused by heavy rains - CBS News.

After the jump, more random thoughts.

POTD: Sunset on the Mississippi River Delta

From 2020 01 31 New Orleans

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Mississippi River south of New Orleans. It's just wetlands and occasional oil equipment all the way from New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Anatomy of a Scandal (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Anatomy of a Scandal (TV 2022): British parliamentary leader is caught in a sex scandal whose stakes ratchet upwards until his wife, the PM, even the government prosecutor all get drawn in. Decent acting and compelling story even if the biggest reveal is highly implausible. B-

(New) School Board Comments on EDI

Richardson ISD is the fifth most diverse school district in Texas, and the largest in north Texas. RISD has recognized that fact for years and, in response, in 2019 adopted an "Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Policy" (EDI).

"June 10, 2019, is a big day," Superintendent Jeannie Stone said. "It's a big, big day." It was the day that the Richardson ISD Board of Trustees adopted the RISD Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) Policy in a unanimous 7-0 vote. "Once approved, trustees and members of the public delivered a standing ovation."

Source: Community Impact.

That was then. This is now. We all know what's happened in between, to Superintendent Stone and to RISD's unity. The three most contentious issues in 2021 were COVID-19 mitigation policies, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), and, of course, EDI. It's time to check in on the (new) Board of Trustees and see where they stand on EDI.

Peer City Tax Rates

This slide was in the City of Richardson's slide show regarding the 2022-2023 budget. The good news is that the City is proposing to lower the tax rate, to the maximum rate allowed by law without voter approval. The not so good news is that the new rate leaves Richardson with a significantly higher tax rate than Plano, Frisco, Allen, and McKinney have now, some of which haven't even yet set their own 2022-2023 tax rates, so things might get worse for Richardson, relative to these other cities.

Of course, what you pay in property taxes depends on two factors: the tax rate and your home's appraised value. Even with a lower tax rate, your tax bill is, more than likely, going up. But alert homeowners know all this already. Really alert homeowners might also know something else that I just noticed about this table.

POTD: Mardi Gras During the Good Times

From 2020 01 31 New Orleans

Today's photo-of-the-day is from New Orleans. It was the last day of January, 2020. Mardi Gras was just getting warmed up. We were in town for only a couple of days before boarding a cruise ship for the Bahamas. The novel coronavirus was, at most, a minor story about events from far away. Little did we know what was in store. Our vacation was the last we would be taking for two long years.

Bonus photo after the jump.

WAIW: A Rock Garden

Where Am I Wednesday?

Fifty points to the first person to identify where this photo was taken.

Answer will be given on Thursday.

God's Favorite Idiot (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

God's Favorite Idiot (TV 2022): Workplace sitcom. Clark is struck by lightning and begins to glow as God's messenger. Cast is diverse and talented, but not even Melissa McCarthy can save this. Show gets credit for treating believers favorably while gently mocking religion. C-

Uncharted (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Uncharted (2022): Serviceable adventure movie. A series of set pieces to solve puzzles and fight bad guys in search of lost treasure. Dialog uses wisecracks to indicate no one should take this too seriously. If there's any doubt, the climactic scene is completely over the top. C+

Review: Uncontrolled Spread

From Uncontrolled Spread by Scott Gottlieb, MD:

Watching the scenes unfold—of Elmhurst Hospital being overrun with COVID patients, of refrigerator trucks parked outside, and of doctors and nurses describing their harrowing experiences—was hard to bear. It was stunning, and it was shocking. But above all, it was terrifying."
	Amazon

Book Review: Uncontrolled Spread: Why COVID-19 Crushed Us and How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic. A former FDA Commissioner and Trump White House advisor gives us his view of COVID-19. A balanced, neutral look at the things we did right and the things we got wrong. A-

POTD: Saying Goodbye to Egypt

From 2019 11 23 Luxor

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Egypt. It's a look at the sun setting behind the Valley of the Kings across the Nile River from Luxor, Egypt. It's also my last photo-of-the-day from Egypt. Egypt was such a treat that photos from there kept the blog's pages full all during the pandemic, when travel to new places was on hold. The world is open for business again.

POTD: A Museum That's Fit for a Museum

From 2019 11 24 Egyptian Museum

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. It's where antiquities have been on display for a hundred years. It's not the new "Grand Egyptian Museum" where all the antiquities have been moved since our visit to Cairo in 2019. That wasn't open yet when we visited. I'm glad. The old museum has the look and feel, even the musty smell of what a history museum should have. It's a museum that belongs in a museum. It's full of treasures like this, cabinets with stacks of mummies, more than even the British Museum, which looted the ancient world in the 1800s and has never returned the stolen treasures. So, sure, visit the British Museum, but don't let it keep you from visiting Cairo, too. There are still enough treasures there to keep you occupied strolling through the museum's galleries for hours. But unfortunately, you will have to see the treasures in Cairo's new museum, not this treasure in itself.

Bonus photos after the jump.

The Monuments Men (2014)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Monuments Men (2014): Dramatization of real-life frantic effort to recover stolen artwork during the last days of WWII. Watched this on a vacation in Europe, which added some interest to this otherwise predictable march to a known end. Cast of stars distracts from story. C+

#VeryTardyReview