Marley (2012)

IMDB

Marley (2012): Life of reggae superstar and promoter of peace. Behind the scenes look at so much more than a musician. Died too young. B-

Review: Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

Amazon

From Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, by Walter Isaacson

'Mankind divides into two classes,' the Nation magazine declared in 1868: the 'natural-born lovers' and the 'natural-born haters' of Benjamin Franklin."

After the jump, my review.

Enough Said (2013)

IMDB

Enough Said (2013): Divorced middle-agers try dating scene again and suck at it. Like the relationship, movie lacks energy. Enough said. C+

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)

IMDB

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011): Master sushi chef. Tradition, dedication, honor, pride. See it if you like sushi. Even if you don't. B-

August: Osage County (2013)

IMDB

August: Osage County (2013): Dysfunctional family is an understatement. Like a Godzilla movie, but a family gets shattered, not a city. B-

The Grandmaster (2013)

IMDB

The Grandmaster (2013): Kung-fu biopic. Chinese history, romance and stylized martial arts. Lush cinematography. Disjointed story. B-

TxDOT to Collin County: STFU

According to Brandon Formby of The Dallas Morning News, "The Texas Department of Transportation and the Regional Transportation Council have answered complaints from Collin County officials about plans to turn Central Expressway's carpool lanes into managed toll lanes." TxDOT's response? STFU. (Not their exact words.)

After the jump, a few thoughts on what this says about the state of government in Texas in general and north Texas in particular.

Richardson Community Band Portraits

From 2014 08 03 Richardson Community Band

The outdoor summer season finale for the Richardson Community Band is Sunday, August 17, 2014, at 7:00 pm at the Richardson Civic Center.

More photos after the jump.

Fairbanks, Alaska's Golden Heart

From 2014 07 10 Fairbanks

Fairbanks is farther north than Hudson Bay in Canada. It's farther north than the northern tip of Scotland. It's north of Reykjavik, Oslo, Stockholm, or Helsinki. There's no larger city farther north anywhere in the world. Fairbanks residents know this. That's why when you drive north out of Fairbanks up Alaska Highway 2, the tour guide informs you on the outskirts of town that you just passed the northernmost traffic signal in the United States. That's why Big Daddy's restaurant bills itself as the "Northernmost Southern BBQ" in the world (passably authentic, by the way).

More about Fairbanks after the jump.

Pina (2011)

IMDB

Pina (2011): Recreated dances in tribute to choreographer. Visually stunning. For modern dance fans, a must-see. So naturally I give it a C-

Richardson's Budget - Black or Red?

It's August and that means it's time for Richardson budget roulette. Will the proposed city budget be balanced? You'd think that would be a simple question. Isn't the city required by law to have a balanced budget? Well, yes, but it all depends on the meaning of "balanced".

Last year when I looked at this question, I concluded that the city's 2013-2014 budget was indeed balanced and didn't require use of that sneaky asterisk ("plus reserved fund balance and other financing sources").

After the jump, reviewing that conclusion and looking ahead at 2014-2015.

Induction into the Denali 30% Club

From 2014 07 09 Denali

During our second week in Alaska, we joined a secret, elite club. The 30% club. It's intense. They do crazy Athabaskan rituals - stuff you only find in those Dan Brown books. We all have tattoos now. Wild.

Well most of that first paragraph was a lie. Yes, we have now been [inducted] into the 30% Club. However, it's not as exciting and wild as I made it out to be but it's still pretty awesome. The 30% refers to those people who have visited Alaska and have seen Mt. McKinley.

Source: Kate Aras, Beyond Borders.

Denali National Park is home to North America's tallest peak, Mt. McKinley (aka Denali). The mountain is usually completely hidden by a shroud of clouds, so much so that tour guides can only point in the direction of the mountain and assure tourists that there really is a mountain there. Count us as members of the exclusive club of visitors who have actually seen Denali itself, the "30% Club."

More about Denali National Park after the jump.

Exploring Alaska on the McKinley Explorer

From 2014 07 08 McKinley Explorer

One way to travel the 230 miles from Anchorage to Denali National Park is on the McKinley Explorer dome railcars. Large curved glass domes give you a panoramic view of the unfolding scenery, mostly forests and lakes and mountains in the distance, but also a glimpse at ex-half-term Gov. Sarah Palin's privacy fence in Wassila. If you are lucky, you'll be able to see Mt. McKinley (aka Denali), if it's not wrapped in clouds (which it was for us).

More about our trip on the McKinley Explorer after the jump.

Politics Has Been Making Us Stupid For Centuries

It can be depressing to think how politics makes us stupid. Whether it's evolution, climate science, or macroeconomics, politics drives many to hold fast to unscientific positions.

Has it always been this way? It's natural to think the answer is no. That people weren't always this stupid. That today's problems are worse. Then, you accidentally come across a passage in a history book that unintentionally reveals that human nature has a long history of ignoring science when it conflicts with ideology.

After the jump, what the life of Benjamin Franklin tells us about today's politics.

Anchorage, Hanging Basket Capital of the World

From 2014 07 07 Anchorage

Anchorage doesn't call itself the "Hanging Basket Capital of the World," at least not officially. But some say that garden writers call it that. Who am I to argue? If you come to Alaska expecting only snow-capped mountains and glaciers, you might be surprised to see all the flowers in Anchorage. Pleasantly surprised. It's the best thing going for this, the largest city in Alaska. Reason enough to feature the claim on a web page about the city.

More photos after the jump.

OTBR: A Drainage Ditch in Las Vegas

Latitude: N 36° 13.638
Longitude: W 115° 19.560

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".

Lesser of Two Evils, Drive-Thru Edition

My mom wanted to buy a pack of cigarettes but I didn't want her to. It was either:
1.) I let her drive drunk to get them herself.
2.) I get her the pack of cigarettes.
I chose to get her a pack of cigarettes because it was the lesser of two evils.

Source: Urban Dictionary.

Cigarettes or drunk driving? Gas station or drive-through Starbucks? Are there no better options?

The Richardson City Council will consider a request for a permit to build a drive-through Starbucks (no inside seating) at the corner of Belt Line and Central Expressway, replacing a gas station that's there now.

After the jump, how to choose between two evils.

Repeat Tweets: Being 27 and Not a Real Person Yet

Repeat tweets from July, 2014:

• Jul 6 2014: Frances Ha (2012): Young dancer in NY struggles with career, rent, friends. Compelling look at being 27 and "not a real person yet." B+
  
• Jul 8 2014: The Time That Remains (2009): Palestinian family's life from 1948-present. Visually lush. Story is absurd, surreal, numbing all at once. C+
  
• Jul 10 2014: Nebraska (2013): Aging, confused father travels with hapless son to Nebraska to claim $1 million prize. Poignant. Small town black humor. A-
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

City of God (2002)

IMDB

City of God (2002): Stories from the slums of Rio. Poverty. Drugs. Crime. One boy wants out. Unfamiliar setting for a timeless story. A-

Kenai Fjords Fjor the Win!

From 2014 07 06 Kenai Fjords

There's a tradition in our family where every family member picks their favorite thing about each vacation - a place, an activity, whatever. For our recent vacation in Alaska, Kenai Fjords National Park gets the nod. I knew nothing about the park before the trip, now it's my favorite place in Alaska. It has mountains, glaciers, the sea, and wildlife. We saw harbor seals, Steller sea lions, sea otters, Dall's porpoises, humpback whales, tufted puffins, horned puffins, black oystercatchers, mew gulls, common murres, bald eagles, starfish, even a smack of jellyfish.

More photos after the jump.

Philomena (2013)

IMDB

Philomena (2013): Woman seeks child she gave up for adoption 50 years ago. No one changes. I didn't see that coming in a million years. C+

A Moody Day in Glacier Bay

From 2014 07 04 Glacier Bay

We had the worst weather of our vacation on the day we cruised Alaska's Glacier Bay. Cold, rain, clouds and fog. Big disappointment, right? I'd be lying if I didn't say yes, but it turned out OK. Being on a cruise ship all day, we were largely protected from the rain. We took a lot of moody photos. And our views of the glaciers weren't spoiled at all. In fact, our National Park tour guide said that rain actually increases calving activity of glaciers. The rain water seeps into cracks in the glaciers, then freezes, expanding and cracking the glacier. We floated in front of Margerie Glacier for over a half hour. It must have calved six or eight times. All in all, a very satisfying day.

More photos after the jump.

Skagway, Gateway to the Gold Rush

From 2014 07 03 Skagway

It was a hard day's run, up the Canon, through Sheep Camp, past the Scales and the timber line, across glaciers and snowdrifts hundreds of feet deep, and over the great Chilcoot Divide, which stands between the salt water and the fresh and guards forbiddingly the sad and lonely North. They made good time down the chain of lakes which fills the craters of extinct volcanoes, and late that night pulled into the huge camp at the head of Lake Bennett, where thousands of goldseekers were building boats against the break-up of the ice in the spring. Buck made his hole in the snow and slept the sleep of the exhausted just, but all too early was routed out in the cold darkness and harnessed with his mates to the sled.

Source: Call of the Wild, by Jack London.

After the jump, more about Skagway and the White Pass and Yukon Route. And photos. Lots of photos.

We're Number 37!

D Magazine published its ranking of 63 Dallas suburbs. Richardson came in 37th. Meh.

Is Richardson really the 37th best suburb? Who knows? I don't. And D Magazine doesn't either. The magazine's methodology looks at safety, education, housing, and something called ambience. After the jump, why I don't ascribe too much importance to D Magazine's scores.

Juneau, A Small City in a Big State

From 2014 07 02 Juneau

Tour guides in Alaska ask if there are any Texans in the tour group before telling the group that Alaska is so big that if you cut the state in two and make each half its own state, Texas would be the third largest state in the Union. (They sometimes describe squirrels as "Texas Grizzlies," too, but less often.) Those tour guides don't brag about the population of the state, which could fit comfortably in, say, the City of Dallas, or the population of the capital city, Juneau, which could fit in the City of Richardson with room left over for... two more Juneaus.

More about Juneau after the jump.

My Nominations for Charter Review Commission

The City of Richardson is finally making good on a long-overdue need to review its creaky city charter. This doesn't erase the charge of reneging on a campaign promise, but better late than never.

I learned some things the last time Richardson's city charter was debated. And when I say "debated," I'm actually understating how it went down. In the end in that case, Richardson voters did approve a charter change calling for direct election of the mayor, but that change created a dozen or so ambiguities in the charter that make a charter review even more necessary after that change than before. And there were plenty of things needing review before (hat tip to Bill McCalpin).

Anyway, we're now, finally, at long last, getting that long overdue charter review commission. After the jump, my nominees for who should serve on that commission.

Ketchikan, Salmon Capital of the World

From 2014 07 01 Ketchikan

Not that we saw any salmon. We were a few weeks early. But we were told that salmon by the hundreds of thousands will be swimming up Ketchikan Creek right through town by the end of July. That's what made Ketchikan a summer fishing camp for the Tlingit natives for thousands of years. Fishing is still a big industry in Ketchikan.

The modern history of Alaska is more a story of boom and bust. The fur and timber industry came and went. The wood pulp industry died out in Ketchikan when the big pulp mill closed in 1999. Tourism is the latest boom, with several cruise ships at a time docking in Ketchikan, doubling the town's population of 8,050 on a busy day.

Old Ketchikan is what the tourists come to see. The souvenir stores along Creek Street, actually a boardwalk built on pilings over Ketchikan Creek, occupy what was once the red light district during the gold rush of 1898. At several sites around town, Ketchikan has the world's largest collection of totem poles. During the 1930s Great Depression, with funding from the Civilian Conservation Corps, decaying totem poles were preserved and new ones carved -- a good example of a worthwhile outcome resulting from fighting recessions by creating jobs through government stimulus spending. That investment is still paying dividends today by way of tourist dollars and can be seen at Totem Bight State Historical Park.

More photos after the jump.

Her (2013)

IMDB

Her (2013): Divorced loser dates his computer OS. Sad...and not in a good way. The gimmick is only thing going here. Disappointed. D+

Mixed-Use Developments Don't Have "Shopping Centers"

The Dallas Morning News has a story by Steve Brown that illustrates how Richardson is missing the mark on transit-oriented, mixed-use development. (That's not Steve Brown's point. That's my takeaway.) The headline reads, "Plans approved for CityLine Market shopping center in Richardson.

After the jump, the details.

Cruising the Inside Passage

From 2014 06 30 Inside Passage

The Inside Passage of British Columbia and Alaska is stunning. That is, if you can see it. It all depends on the weather and time of day. Cruise ships time their departure from Vancouver based on when the tides will be favorable to transit the Seymour Narrows, where the passage squeezes to less than a half mile. Unfortunately for us, that meant much of our own trip through the Inside Passage of British Columbia occurred in the middle of the night, depriving us of the best scenery. In the morning, safely out of the passage and into open water, we were able to see the pilot transfer boat arrive to take off the pilot who guided us through the night. Then it was a day at sea before reaching the Inside Passage of Alaska and our first port of call.

Oh well, there are other things to do on a cruise ship than watch the scenery go by. I learned that cruise ships have a language all their own. For example, on land "brunch" is the meal that combines breakfast and lunch. On cruise ships "brunch" is the meal *between* breakfast and lunch.

More photos after the jump.

When Do Economic Development Incentives Become Corporate Welfare?

When do economic development incentives become corporate welfare? I don't know, but I hope someone on the Richardson City Council is at least asking the question. It's prompted by two recent news stories, one in Plano, the other in Richardson.

After the jump, how much do we have to pay to attract business?

Vancouver, Lotusland

From 2014 06 28 Vancouver

Our cruise to Alaska departed from Vancouver, British Columbia. Vancouver seems to be doing everything right. There's a commuter rail stop right at the airport that leads you right downtown quickly and affordably. (Dallas is just getting around to that at DFW Airport and doesn't even plan to do it at Love Field.) Downtown, Vancouver redeveloped an old industrial area along the waterfront with high-rise apartments and condominiums. The result provides the population density to support the shops and restaurants and entertainment that make walking in downtown Vancouver a joy. (For those who fear that higher density development leads to lower property values, Vancouver's problem is just the opposite -- real estate is getting priced out of middle class reach.) Stanley Park is a 1,000 acre city park that feels like a national park. This was my first visit to Vancouver. I hope it won't be my last.

More photos after the jump.

Separated by 5,258 Miles

Award yourself 100 points if you can correctly identify the countries in which these two photos were taken.

Summer in the Steger Garden (2014)

From Flowers

More photos after the jump.

Nebraska (2013)

IMDB

Nebraska (2013): Aging, confused father travels with hapless son to Nebraska to claim $1 million prize. Poignant. Small town black humor. A-

Touring Pasadena's Tournament House

From 2016 06 16 Tournament of Roses House

While visiting southern California for the Caltech commencement ceremony, Ellen and I took the opportunity to tour Pasadena's Tournament House. The house is not open to the public but the grounds and rose garden are. It's a quick stop, worthy of a stop if you are ever in Pasadena.

More photos after the jump.

The Time That Remains (2009)

IMDB

The Time That Remains (2009): Palestinian family's life from 1948-present. Visually lush. Story is absurd, surreal, numbing all at once. C+

Touring Arlington Garden in Pasadena

From 2014 06 16 Arlington Garden

While visiting southern California for the Caltech commencement ceremony, Ellen and I took the opportunity to tour Arlington Garden in Pasadena. It's a hidden gem, tucked away in a residential neighborhood, no signs, no parking lot, just a small neighborhood park. But what a park. If you find yourself in Pasadena with an hour to spare and wonder what to do, do yourself a favor and visit.

More after the jump.

Frances Ha (2012)

IMDB

Frances Ha (2012): Young dancer in NY struggles with career, rent, friends. Compelling look at being 27 and "not a real person yet." B+

OTBR: A Cycle Path in England

Latitude: N 52° 54.558
Longitude: W 001° 50.070

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".

Touring the Pasadena Police Classic Car Show

From 2014 06 15 Classic Car Show

While visiting southern California for the Caltech commencement ceremony, Ellen and I took the opportunity to tour the Pasadena Police Classic Car Show.

If Detroit is the birthplace of the American automobile industry, then southern California surely has to be where the American love affair with the car reached its teenage years.

More after the jump.

Repeat Tweets: Blaming Clinton

Repeat tweets from June, 2014:

• Jun 1 2014: MT @SenTedCruz: "Clinton more focused on blaming vast right-wing conspiracy than terrorists." And Cruz is more focused on blaming Clinton.
  
• Jun 2 2014: MT @SenTedCruz: "For two centuries there has been bipartisan agreement that democracy depends on free speech." Pretty sure still true.
  
• Jun 2 2014: MT @SenTedCruz: "The First Amendment has served America well for 223 years." It even protects you when you lie that some want to repeal it.
  
• Jun 3 2014: MT @SenTedCruz: "Senators who sign up to repeal First Amendment free speech protections should be embarrassed." So should senators who lie.
  
• Jun 3 2014: Berkner's Jacob Patterson makes the North Texas High School Baseball Coaches All-Star team. Game set for June 9. d-news.co
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

Touring the Pasadena Chalk Festival

From 2014 06 15 Pasadena Chalk Festival

While visiting southern California for the Caltech commencement ceremony, Ellen and I took the opportunity to tour the Pasadena Chalk Festival.

It is so amazing what these artists can do with a square of sidewalk and box of chalk that I'll just let the art speak for itself.

More photos after the jump.

Touring the Mount Wilson Observatory

From 2014 06 14 Mt Wilson

While visiting southern California for the Caltech commencement ceremony, Ellen and I took the opportunity to tour the Mount Wilson Observatory in the San Gabriel Mountains.

The mountains are a welcome change from the crowds of the Los Angeles basin. Mostly in the Angeles National Forest, the scenery is magnificent. Even without the observatories as a destination, the ride alone would be worth it. But the observatories are a treasure all by themselves.

More after the jump.

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

IMDB

Dallas Buyers Club (2013): Cad turned hero in struggle against 1980s AIDS epidemic. One-sided movie. Dubious history. Powerful acting. B-

Richardson Lacks Fight Against TxDOT

At the June 23, 2014, Richardson City Council meeting, city staff presented TxDOT's plans for a tolled express lane on US 75 between IH 635 and Allen. Both the staff presentation and the city council reaction were impotent.

After the jump, why.

Touring the Reagan Library

From 2014 06 12 Reagan Library

While visiting southern California for the Caltech commencement ceremony, Ellen and I took the opportunity to tour the Reagan Presidential Library. This added to our growing list of libraries, having previously visited the libraries of Hoover, Truman, LBJ, Bush 41 and Clinton (we'll soon add Bush 43's library too as it's just down the road in Dallas).

The Reagan library's setting is stunning, high in the hills above Simi Valley. The main exhibits are humdrum -- windowless rooms burnishing the achievements of the Reagan presidency and overlooking the not-so-laudatory events. But it's the Air Force One Pavilion that people identify with the Reagan library. Think of the GOP presidential primary debates, with the candidates lined up under the wing of Air Force One. It's a spectacular exhibit, with the plane facing one glass wall, beyond which the California hills form just as spectacular a backdrop.

More after the jump.

Arsenic and Old Lace

Mesquite Community Theatre

Arsenic and Old Lace at MCT: Classic farce still works 70 years later. Laugh out loud at the same show your grandparents did. "Charge!!!"

Unsafe Routes to School

For the last several months, signs have been up all around the Yale Elementary neighborhood advertising street and sidewalk improvements being made as part of a Safe Routes to School program to enable and encourage children to walk and bike to school. Good intention.

I thought the city would be repairing sidewalks and perhaps installing curb-free sidewalk ramps at intersections. That some intersections that already had curb-free ramps were also being torn up was puzzling, but I thought that maybe they were adding those little round bumps to warn you of the approaching intersection. Still, why would they be tearing up the intersection for ten to fifteen feet? Dunno, but that turned out to be the least of the problems.

Houston Richardson, we have a problem. Someone from the city needs to come out quickly and look at the work being done (Mark Solomon, I'm looking at you). Someone needs to stop this before more work is done that will need to be redone. The program advertised as Safe Routes to School is taking already safe routes and turning them into accidents waiting to happen.

After the jump, one example of Unsafe Routes to School.

120th Caltech Commencement

From 2014 06 13 Caltech Commencement

In his introductory remarks at the 120th annual commencement for the California Institute of Technology, David L. Lee, Chair of the Board of Trustees, told guests some of the things that members of the Caltech community have been up to in the past year. He highlighted three things: the collaboration on BICEP2, which claims to have found the first observational evidence of cosmic inflation during the first trillionth of a second after the Big Bang; the first determination of the age of an extraterrestrial rock performed extraterrestrially -- on Mars by the Mars rover Curiosity; and the fabrication of a new silicon laser with unparalleled spectral purity that has the potential to speed up the Internet by orders of magnitude.

This last highlight was the result of research by a Caltech Ph.D. candidate in Electrical Engineering, a graduate of the Richardson ISD, whose parents just happened to be in the audience. We couldn't have been prouder of our son's achievement or more appreciative of the educational foundation laid in Richardson schools.

More photos from Caltech commencement after the jump.