Life itself (2014)

IMDB

Life itself (2014): Biography of Roger Ebert. Alcoholic. Movie critic. Husband. Cancer victim. Movie touches on all of these, shallowly. C+

POTD: History is Written by the Victors

From 2015 08 09 TX and OK Panhandles

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas panhandle. It's an impressive natural wonder that all Texans should visit, not only for the scenery but for the history. It was here that Comanches finally lost their freedom, when the U.S. Cavalry burned the Comanche encampment of men, women, and children in the canyon and stole 1,400 horses. Facing winter without their stores and horses, the Comanches walked 200 miles back to the Fort Sill Reservation in Oklahoma and surrendered. You can read a great account of the Comanches in S.C. Gwynne's "Empire of the Summer Moon".

RISD 2016 Bond Tour: Three Takeaways

The Richardson school district (RISD) is conducting a "listening tour" to get community feedback on a proposed 2016 bond package. Meetings were held last week at three high schools and a fourth meeting, at Richardson High School, is scheduled for December 8. The Wheel covered the first meeting at Pearce High School in an earlier post. Here are my additional takeaways after the first three meetings.

OTBR: The Little Chapel at Rottman

Latitude: N 48° 14.448
Longitude: E 011° 57.552

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: Something Bad in Chillicothe

From 2015 08 09 TX and OK Panhandles

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Chillicothe, Texas, northwest of Wichita Falls and on the road to the Texas Panhandle. I figure there's a story to be told here, but what it is, I have no idea. Maybe something about hubris.

High School Basketball is Ba-ack

From 2015 12 01 Naaman Forest vs Berkner

High School Basketball is back. The Berkner Rams had their 2015-2016 home opener December 1, 2015, against Naaman Forest. The Rangers won 64-52. The Rams are young, talented, and well coached. Once they work out some of the mental mistakes that hurt them in this game, they will do alright. Come out and support the team.

More photos can be seen on Google Photos.

Repeat Tweets: Being Different, A Freak

Repeat tweets from November, 2015:

• Nov 1 2015: Bat Boy The Musical at RHS: Halloween treat. Age-old story of being different, a freak. Quirky B&W tragedy. Great voices and production.
• Nov 2 2015: I'm thrilled to see Berkner's Torey Everett is in college and still showcasing his considerable basketball skills. mscok.edu
• Nov 2 2015: Same @SenTedCruz who thinks govt targeting Planned Parenthood for perfectly legal actions is not a breach of trust. @SenTedCruz: "The #IRS's targeting of citizens for their political viewpoints represents a significant breach of the public trust"
• Nov 3 2015: Channeling @marcorubio: Wars have always killed people. No need to try to do anything about new threats. @marcorubio: "The climate has always changed. There's never been a time where the climate has not changed."
• Nov 3 2015: All Richardson city charter amendments passing big in Dallas County early voting. Lowest "YES" vote is 63% for Prop 60 about civil service.
• Nov 3 2015: With all Dallas and Collin County precincts in, all Richardson city charter amendments pass by large margins.

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

2016 Bond: Listen Up, RISD

The Richardson school district (RISD) is conducting a "listening tour" to get community feedback on a proposed 2016 bond package. Meetings are being held this week at each of the four high schools. The first was Monday night at JJ Pearce High School. Nothing is finalized yet (hence the listening tour), but here are the wish list numbers and how much debt RISD can carry without a tax rate increase.

Wish List:

• Maintenance: $216 million
• Capacity expansion: $59 million
• Enrichment options:
• Multipurpose facilities: $82 million
• Career and Technical Education, JROTC: $10 million
• Library transformation: $23 million
• Technology enrichment: $23 million
• Total: $417 million

Bond capacity

• No tax rate increase: $235 million
• Raise tax rate by 10 cents: $460 million

First, I'll give my impressions of the feedback of the JJ Pearce community. Then I'll discuss the elephant in the room.

POTD: Quintessential Texas

From 2015 08 09 TX and OK Panhandles

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Quanah, Texas, northwest of Wichita Falls and on the road to the Texas panhandle. Quintessential Texas.

Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)

IMDB

Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015): Too many storylines. Romance at heart not compelling. Star-studded cast but Jaipur is the star. C+

POTD: Love Vietnamese Style

From 2015 03 28 Hanoi

One last photo from Vietnam. Today's photo-of-the-day is from central Hanoi. It shows a wedding couple posing for photos by Hoan Kiem Lake in the historical center of the city. It's a fitting photo to end on, symbolizing the love and joy, friendliness and happiness that we experienced in our tour of this ancient and diverse country. Times change, indeed.

Locke (2014)

IMDB

Locke (2014): Man with a job, home, family and a big problem gets in a car and deals with all in 90 minutes. High concept that works. B+

"Food-Only" is the new "Mixed-Use"

"Food-Only Project". That's what The Dallas Morning News called the construction of a row of up to seven restaurants on Central Expressway just north of Spring Valley Rd. There was no hint whether or not that was meant ironically.

The original vision for this property was a mixed-use environment with ground floor retail and office with residential uses above, perhaps including a boutique hotel. Instead of that, developer Kirk Hermansen told The Dallas Morning News what we're really getting: "We’re all restaurants, no retail by design."

Who deserves the credit/blame for this?

POTD: Ellen and Her Vietnamese Peeps

From 2015 03 28 Hanoi

Today's photo-of-the-day is from central Hanoi. It shows five college women who saw Ellen and me sitting on a park bench by the lake and decided that we looked like a good couple they could practice their English on. We ended up spending an hour chatting with them. A great way to wind up our stay in Vietnam.

Muscle Shoals (2013)

IMDB

Muscle Shoals (2013): Documentary of studio in Alabama that turned out more great music than you can name. There's magic in that water. B+

POTD: Hanoi Street Food

From 2015 03 28 Hanoi

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the old quarter of Hanoi where all kinds of commerce is transacted, including the sale of food from the backs of bicycles.

Manakamana (2013)

IMDB

Manakamana (2013): Documentary. 90 minutes of a camera in a gondola going up and down a mountain in Nepal to a temple. Yes that dull. F+

POTD: Hanoi Street Cafe

From 2015 03 28 Hanoi

Today's photo-of-the-day is from central Hanoi. It shows the lunch crowd at the Cong Caphe, a popular coffee shop across the street from St. Joseph Cathedral. Richardson needs this.

Civics Class in the School of Hard Knocks

I was told to get involved. I did. I and others worked hard to be heard. We weren't. We were told the city didn't agree-I didn't know agreement was part of the deal? My civics classes and theirs vary.

Source: Facebook.

Let's say that this Facebook lament is about the Richardson city council voting to approve a rezoning request for the Palisades development despite vocal opposition from neighbors in Canyon Creek. Otherwise, the rest of this might not make sense.

Three things about this Facebook lament.

Love and Mercy (2014)

IMDB

Love and Mercy (2014): Brian Wilson. Moving biopic about a musical genius battling mental illness. The story behind the Beach Boys. A-

POTD: Hanoi Girls

From 2015 03 28 Hanoi

Today's photo-of-the-day -- two girls, cute, curious, friendly -- could have been taken anywhere, but happens to be from a village west of Hanoi. Children are everywhere in Vietnam, which isn't really newsworthy, but it is hopeful and promising, in Hanoi as everywhere.

POTD: Hanoi Woman

From 2015 03 28 Hanoi

Today's photo-of-the-day is from a village west of Hanoi. It shows a woman sitting in the courtyard of her home. Her posture, her gaze, her patience, were striking. I'm sure there are stories she can tell, but the language barrier limited my side of the conversation to a smile and a nod of the head. She never broke her gaze.

5,171 Texas Poppies

"The Richland College 'Poppy Project' is one major component of the college's 2015 Arts Fest. The 5,171 poppies are symbolic of the 5,171 Texas veterans who died during World War I."
"The Blood of Heroes Never Dies"

POTD: Healthy Black Smile

From 2015 03 28 Hanoi

Today's photo-of-the-day is from a village west of Hanoi. It shows a Vietnamese woman with blackened teeth. The methods used to blacken teeth and the reasons for doing it are varied, so I won't try to explain the practice in general, but at least for this woman, it's both deliberate and a source of pride.

Are Richardson's Goals SMART?

There's a common philosophy in management that goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based. There's even an acronym for it: S.M.A.R.T.

Let's evaluate the "2015-2017 Goals" set by the Richardson City Council according to the S.M.A.R.T. standard. On second thought, let's not. You know, don't you, that they are going to come up short. And they do. Because the goals are pretty much the same as two years ago, let's just review what I wrote then, "The 'Wow Factor' of Richardson's Goals", when the city council of that time published its "2013-2015 Goals". Go ahead. Go off and reread it, then come back. I'll be here.

OTBR: Saguaro with a Helping Hand

Latitude: N 32° 40.848
Longitude: W 111° 11.736

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: Hanoi Elder - II

From 2015 03 28 Hanoi

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Hanoi. It shows another Vietnamese elder at Thay Pagoda, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Vietnam, dating back to the 11th century. He kindly served hot tea to us Western visitors. This temple is also the ancient home of water puppetry, which for centuries has been performed in a pavilion on a lake adjacent to the temple.

POTD: Hanoi Elder

From 2015 03 28 Hanoi

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Hanoi. It shows a Vietnamese elder at Thay Pagoda, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Vietnam, dating back to the 11th century. He kindly served hot tea to us Western visitors. This temple is also the ancient home of water puppetry, which for centuries has been performed in a pavilion on a lake adjacent to the temple.

Seven Takeaways from the Charter Election

Richardson voters approved all 83 city charter amendments by wide margins. Here are seven takeaways from the election.

What's a Non-Traditional High School?

What's a non-traditional high school? Talk to three people and you'll probably get six different answers. One frequent answer is wrong. It's the one thing a non-traditional high school is not. So, before we get into Richardson ISD's decision to build a non-traditional high school, let's start by asking just what a non-traditional high school is and isn't.

Repeat Tweets: World's Top Research University

Repeat tweets from October, 2015:

• Oct 1 2015: "The world's top research university? It's Caltech -- again." That's good but US needs to invest more in research. latimes.com
• Oct 1 2015: What we're doing (following NRA's policy prescriptions) isn't working. It's time for a change.
• Oct 1 2015: "Rules Chairman Running for Whip: 'Process is Broken.'" That's @PeteSessions, hiding a hammer behind his back. myajc.com
• Oct 2 2015: Final. Mesquite 28, Lake Highlands 63. #txhsfb
• Oct 3 2015: @Rangers, I'm not getting back on your bandwagon until you get the third out in the ninth inning of the clinching game of the World Series.

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

Richardson Charter Amendments - How to Vote

There's an election in Texas on Tuesday, November 3, 2015. Among other things, there are 83 propositions for amendments to the Richardson city charter. Some people want you to vote all "YES". Some want you to vote all "NO". I'm here to help you navigate between these all-or-nothing positions. You're welcome.

Bat Boy: The Musical at RHS

From 2015 00 00 Miscellaneous

Bat Boy The Musical at RHS: Halloween treat. Quirky update on age-old story of being different, a freak. B&W. Great voices and production.

GOP Debate: Bad Questions, Bad Answers

There has been a lot of commentary on the recent GOP presidential debate on CNBC. The Wheel doesn't usually do national politics, but we make an exception for this remarkable television show. First, let's look at the questions. Then, the answers. Then, the fallout.

Qualified Voter vs Registered Voter

Qualified voter vs registered voter. Is there a difference? Does it matter? It matters because Proposition No. 50 in the upcoming Richardson city charter amendment election changes the requirements for a person to serve as mayor or council member. The current charter requires a person to be a "registered" voter. The amended charter calls for a person to be a "qualified" voter.

One person in social media complained that the change "waters down" the requirements. Another (and by another I mean me) said the change, if anything, toughens the requirements. Who is right?

POTD: Hanoi Tube Houses

From 2015 03 28 Hanoi

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Hanoi. It shows typical houses in central Hanoi, called tube houses. The explanation is that street frontage is expensive, encouraging homeowners to build deep rather than wide, tall rather than sprawl.

Review: Shifu, You'll Do Anything for a Laugh

Amazon

From Shifu, You'll Do Anything for a Laugh, by Mo Yan

Eggs were such a rare treat that the old women had to show us how to peel them first. Clumsily we peeled away the shells, only to find feathery little chicks inside. They chirped when we bit into them, and they bled. When we stopped eating, the old women took switches to us and demanded that we keep eating. We did."

Yikes! Reading these short stories, the reader quickly realizes that we're not in Kansas anymore. We're in China at the hands of one of China's most acclaimed authors, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Mo Yan.

After the jump, my review.

POTD: Ethnology

From 2015 03 28 Hanoi

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Hanoi. It shows a treasure I found in the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology.

A Strong Mayor for Richardson

Jim Schutze of the Dallas Observer thinks he knows why the City of Dallas can't get big things done. It's the weak mayor.

By tightly husbanding control of the city in the office of city manager -- a person hired, not elected -- the city fathers here have maintained their own access while effectively shutting off access for the larger electorate. It's not that voters can't ever get anything done, but they can only get little things done, on the scale of new stop signs and storm sewer repairs.

To get big things done, like a grand public vision for the river, we would have to have what Houston has -- a strong mayor system. To accomplish a great dream, a city needs someone at the helm who can steer a course but who also can be kicked off the ship if he steers a course the public doesn't want.

Source: Dallas Observer.

Given that Richardson's council-manager form of government (a.k.a. weak mayor) is similar to that in Dallas (originally, our city charter was based on Dallas's of the time), and given that Richardson voters are about to decide whether to amend our city charter, it's probably worth a moment of our time to think about Schutze's thesis.

Leviathan (2014)

IMDB

Leviathan (2014): Things are not good in Russia. Petty corruption, family dysfunction & of course vodka. Book of Job on the Barents Sea. B+

Texas Prop 6: The Right to Hunt

The Wheel hasn't made recommendations for the Texas State Constitutional amendments on the November 3rd ballot. But there is one recommendation we read that is too good not to pass on. Besides telling you how to vote (or not), it explains the time wasted by the Texas legislature pandering to the base.

POTD: Ho Chi Minh?

From 2015 03 28 Hanoi

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Hanoi. It shows Ho Chi Minh. Or Colonel Sanders. Or maybe just some random Vietnamese guy riding his bike. You decide. By the way, it's probably easier to find a photo of Colonel Sanders in Hanoi than a photo of Ho Chi Minh. KFC restaurants are everywhere.

In the background is the Maison Centrale (Central House), also known as Hoa Lo Prison, built by the French in the late 1880s to hold Vietnamese political prisoners agitating for independence. But that's not the name Americans know it by. It was known as the "Hanoi Hilton" by American prisoners-of-war during the Vietnam War. Today, what's left of it is a museum.

Prohibiting Public Input

Ken Hutchenrider, chairman of the Richardson Vote YES Campaign Committee, explains why he thinks it's necessary to amend the city charter to prohibit public input at emergency city council meetings.

Another change grants the City Council the right to prohibit public input when it calls an emergency meeting. An emergency Council meeting has been called only once in recent history, and that was when the City agreed to house and offer services to refugees from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It seems appropriate for the Council to keep its focus on the issue at hand when it is an emergency.

Source: Ken Hutchenrider.

He chose the wrong example. I can't think of an emergency more in need of public input than an offer by the city to house refugees in our community. Where? How many? How long? All questions for which public input could be critical in getting the answers right. Surely, Richardson's reaction to this emergency wouldn't have been negatively impacted due to a short delay to let Richardson residents speak to the council before the council acted.

CitizenTownHall.org

There's a new blog about Richardson politics: CitizenTownHall.org. (Kudos on the domain name. I'm surprised it was still available.) The blog claims to be "created by and for the fine people of Richardson, Texas." (OK, fine. Don't name names.)

What will the blog be about? It says, "Here we discuss issues that affect our quality of life, our pocketbooks, and our rights as citizens. What we have discovered has taken years of research, dogged determination in digging up the facts behind the stories, and collecting documented evidence that can help protect our lifestyle and the city we have come to love." (If that reads a little like someone who writes prolifically on Facebook, well, maybe yes, maybe no. She doesn't say.)

Will the new blog have something to say? Certainly. Will it add anything of value? That remains to be seen.

Aurora: Light, Video & Sound

From 2015 10 16 Dallas Aurora

Aurora, a one-night-every-two-years event in the Dallas Arts District, bills itself as "An Immersive Free Public Art Event of Light, Video & Sound." That really doesn't tell you what Aurora is all about but it's about as accurate a description as any I could give. It was certainly popular. Some people say it was too popular for its own good, which reminds me of the quote from the late, great Yogi Berra: "No one goes there anymore. It's too crowded."

The city had traffic barricades aplenty. Perhaps a big map/sign in each block would have helped orient those who just stumbled upon this without knowing what was what. We had done some homework before going so we sort of knew what to expect and just kind of wandered the Arts District. Serendipity worked well for us.

We had a great time. We ate before we went. We rode DART. We strolled the whole Arts District without worrying too much about trying to see things with long lines. Instead, we found things like the young singers in the Booker T. Washington courtyard theater. Uncrowded, relaxing, beautiful.

Two thumbs up from us.

More photos after the jump.

State Fair of Texas (2015)

From 2015 10 15 State Fair of Texas

More photos after the jump.

City Charter Amendments: Upon Further Review

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.

Source: Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The League of Women Voters of Richardson hosted a panel discussion on October 14 about the upcoming Richardson city charter amendments election. Dr. Robert Lowry of UT-Dallas and Dr Matthew Wilson of SMU discussed the pros and cons of many of the 83 propositions on November's ballot.

And, just to show I was listening, and just to show that old dogs are capable of learning new tricks, I actually changed my mind on a few of the propositions.

Outdoor Lights Don't Deter Crime

There, I said it. Bear with me. I'll walk back that counter-intuitive statement in a bit. But only a little.

Regularly I read on Facebook or Nextdoor or in chain emails a call for everyone to keep their porch lights on overnight. Or for the city to install more street lights. The following is a typical example:

Some people regularly turn porch lights off when going to bed. I'm always amazed driving through neighborhoods and no exterior lights are on. It's one little thing we can do to maybe deter a crime. Having a well lit exterior just sends a signal that we care and are watching.

Source: Facebook.

This is repeated so often that most people just assume it must be good advice. I, on the other hand, have never been convinced of the logic of this. I've suspected that street lighting might even do more harm than good. But I didn't have the facts. Now I do.

Rosewater (2014)

IMDB

Rosewater (2014): Jon Stewart's pet project. Shows Iran is evil and Stewart is the best of his class. Good movie. Important message. A-

POTD: Vietnamese Tombs

From 2015 03 26 Halong Bay

Today's photo-of-the-day is from northern Vietnam. It shows a farmer at work in his field. Behind him are family tombs. I'm no expert on Vietnamese burial practices, but from what I've read, when someone dies, their body is buried in their rice field for three years, after which it is exhumed and moved to a family cemetery. I heard two different reasons for this practice. One is religious. The time in the first tomb is used by the deceased to earn the right to be buried in the family cemetery. The other reason is more practical. The tomb in the family's rice field denotes clear ownership of the field. But the family doesn't want to take up too much of their rice field, so the burials are only temporary. If I've insulted anyone with a mistaken understanding of local culture, I apologize. Personally, I found the practice both moving and visually compelling.