Review: Twilight of Democracy

From Twilight of Democracy, by Anne Applebaum:

That moment has passed. Nearly two decades later, I would now cross the street to avoid some of the people who were at my New Year’s Eve party. They, in turn, would not only refuse to enter my house, they would be embarrassed to admit they had ever been there. In fact, about half the people who were at that party would no longer speak to the other half. The estrangements are political, not personal. Poland is now one of the most polarized societies in Europe, and we have found ourselves on opposite sides of a profound divide, one that runs through not only what used to be the Polish right but also the old Hungarian right, the Spanish right, the French right, the Italian right, and, with some differences, the British right and the American right, too."

Amazon

This is Anne Applebaum's personal account of the decline of Western liberal democracy and the rise of authoritarianism.

Y: The Last Man (TV 2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

Y: The Last Man (TV 2021): An unexplained disease kills all males on Earth, except one, an escape artist with a monkey. That's the first 15 minutes. The rest of season 1 is devoted to loosely connected subplots of women mostly unrelated to the fact that the species is doomed. C-

King Richard (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

King Richard (2021): Will Smith disappears entirely in the father of Venus and Serena. Unfortunately, the character has only one side, the obsessive and controlling side. It's Venus and Serena who are the heroes here. Or the mother. Without that it's just another sports story. B+

Nuclear Family (TV 2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

Nuclear Family (TV 2021): Mom, mom, and two daughters. Everything is fine; everyone is happy. When the sperm donor wants to be accepted as father to one of the girls, things get messy. Three part documentary made by the daughter creates suspense. Well crafted and fair to all. B+

tick, tick...BOOM! (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

tick, tick...BOOM! (2021): Lin-Manuel Miranda's meta-musical about Jonathan Larson trying to write a musical (before his hit "Rent"). Are all intense artists self-absorbed jerks to their friends? Andrew Garfield can act, but not sing. Full of cameos by Broadway legends. B-

Jungle Cruise (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

Jungle Cruise (2021): True to the Disney theme park ride, down to the corny jokes, with the dated racist elements smoothed over. Emily Blunt seems to be having a ball. Dwayne Johnson's acting isn't half bad. Still, too long and quickly forgettable. C+

Belfast (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

Belfast (2021): Boyhood tale set in 1969 Belfast at the start of The Troubles. Buddy's world is torn apart by the start of a civil war, but this is a 3-generation family movie, not a war movie. Funny, sad, tense moments. Always genuine. Highly recommended for the whole family. B+

Improv at RISD Board Meeting

At the November 15, 2021, Richardson ISD school board meeting, roughly thirty people spoke during the public comment section of the meeting. By my rough estimate, the speakers were evenly divided. Call it what you will. Left vs Right. Liberal vs Conservative. Masked vs Unmasked. Vaxed vs Unvaxed. Pro-DEI vs Anti-CRT. I became increasingly annoyed at something that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Then it struck me. It was like watching improv at a comedy club when the actors don't know the first rule of improv.

Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021): Immigrant to America returns to China, where his father's grief for his dead wife is so great that son resolves to kill him. Huh? Movie has a kid-cuddly creature, kung-fu action every five minutes, dragons, and Awkwafina! C+

RISD: The Night of the Long Knives

"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."

That was 2019. It was the same year that RISD adopted a 5-2 single-member district voting system, putting to rest a lawsuit against the district for violating voting rights of minorities. It was the same year the Texas PTA named Dr. Jeannie Stone "Superintendent of the Year." All of that was just two years ago, but somehow it now seems like so long ago.

Spencer (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

Spencer (2021): Diana's last Christmas with the Windsor family at Sandringham House. More fable than fact. Diana is shown as on the verge of insanity. Despite the big house, big staff, extended family, movie and Kristin Stewart do a great job of portraying Diana's loneliness. B+

Review: Unworthy Republic

From Unworthy Republic, by Claudio Sant:

"Indians," like Jews, Gypsies, slaves, and "free negroes," wrote the Georgia Journal in 1825, were "a kind of citizens of an inferior order." What was to be done with them? By the 1830s, the expression "the Indian question" was circulating widely in the United States."
	Amazon

The answer to the question posed by Georgia whites in 1825, was voluntary self-deportation, forced expulsion, or not necessarily as a last resort, extermination.

Dr. Stone's Talk: The Power of Love

"RISD’s diversity is a community strength, and as educators we have an obligation to curate an inclusive academic and social culture rooted in equitable practices and opportunities."

So states the Richardson ISD. The policy was developed by the RISD community. Apparently not everyone is on board.

"Get this shit out of our Texas schools now!!!!"

Luxor (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes

Luxor (2020): Surgeon from war zone on R&R in Egypt reconnects with her former lover, an archaeologist. He lives in past. She is traumatized by her work in the present. Very slow, meandering movie. Movie is a treat for tourists who have visited Luxor and its temples and tombs. B-

Smooth Sailing for RISD Redistricting

The Richardson ISD is performing its first-ever redistricting exercise, having just adopted single member districts in 2019. Monday night, at the meeting of the RISD Board of Trustees, the three maps that the district is considering were shown to the public for feedback.

POTD: Dress Shop

From 2019 11 21 Kom Ombo and Edfu

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Edfu, Egypt. It shows a dress shop.

Richardson City Council Goals 2021-2023

The City Council of Richardson held three secret meetings to set their Council Goals for the 2021-2023 term. I say secret because there were no videos. There were no minutes. The only way for you to know what was said, and by whom, was if one of the three members of the public who managed to find their way upstairs to the chamber of secrets told you what happened. Your faithful correspondent was one of them. You can read about that part of the story using the links at the bottom of this post.

POTD: Van Gogh and the Olive Groves

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the exhibit "Van Gogh and the Olive Groves" at the Dallas Museum of Art. It includes a series of paintings made between June and December, 1889, while Van Gogh was a patient at the asylum of Saint-Rémy. The man was clearly on a roll in the last year of his life. One Van Gogh painting (not in this exhibit) sold at auction in 2017 for $81 million dollars. Going by that, this one small room in the DMA contains perhaps a billion dollars worth of art. The exhibit has a letter from Van Gogh to his brother on display in which Van Gogh said he was working on a series of of paintings of olive groves with a hope of selling them for "ornamentation for bourgeoisie homes." That's some decoration!

Click for a bonus photo.

The French Dispatch (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

The French Dispatch (2021): Stories from a mid-20th century American journal in Ennui-sur-Blase, France. Quirky look, quirky stories, quirky acting. Packed full of top-tier actors. If you love Wes Anderson, you'll understand. Others will leave theatre scratching their heads. B-

RISD School Board Goes To School

The trustees of the Richardson ISD school board held a three hour training session Tuesday night on team-building. You might think this was well-timed, given recent events, but it's been on the board calendar all year. Texas State law requires team-building training every year. This week was RISD's turn. The trainer was Kay Douglas from the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB). She was excellent. She is knowledgeable, experienced, and generous with sharing her learned wisdom.

Only Murders in the Building (TV 2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

Only Murders in the Building (TV 2021): Three true crime aficionados living in the same building make a podcast to investigate a murder. More silly comedy than serious mystery. Best work by Steve Martin and Martin Short since Three Amigos. Selena Gomez balances the silly. B+

Reservation Dogs (TV 2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

Reservation Dogs (TV 2021): Comedy set in a small town in Oklahoma where four indigenous teens with no prospects dream of escaping to California. At times funny, poignant, irreverent, despairing, and quirky, it always feels authentic. Paradoxically, it made me like Oklahoma. B+

Random Thoughts: A Look at Redistricting

Tweets from October, 2021:

• 2021-10-01: A look at redistricting...102 Ana Marie Ramos is safely D. (Richardson south of Belt Line). 112 Angie Chen Button leans R. (Richardson Dallas Co. north of Belt Line). 33 Justin Holland is safely R. (east Richardson Collin Co).
• 2021-10-02: An overtime thriller, Berkner over Pearce 34-32. Three, four, five overtimes, any way you count it, a thriller.
• 2021-10-02: Technically, I guess it was five overtimes. Whew! Tell the kids that's what all the August conditioning is for.
• 2021-10-02: Headline: "An American tragedy: US COVID death toll tops 700,000." I can't work up any sympathy for anti-vaxers and anti-maskers. I'm all out.
• 2021-10-02: Recent Covid-19 deaths. There's a vaccine that saves lives. Get it.

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Public Health vs Personal Liberty

There's a gaping divide in politics today, and nowhere is it on show more than in schools across the country. Richardson ISD is no exception, where the school board president abruptly resigned, in part no doubt because of public invective hurled at her and in part perhaps because of a split on the school board on how to deal with a pandemic.

Review: Harlem Shuffle

From Harlem Shuffle, by Colson Whitehead:

His cousin Freddie brought him on the heist one hot night in early June. Ray Carney was having one of his run-around days—uptown, downtown, zipping across the city. Keeping the machine humming. First up was Radio Row, to unload the final three consoles, two RCAs and a Magnavox, and pick up the TV he left."
	Amazon

It's a heist novel. It's a character study of a man halfway between legitimate businessman and small-time crook. It's a study of a society that makes it hard to tell the difference.

Redistricting Scatters Richardson - Congress Edition

Congressional Map 2020

Congressional Map 2022

Earlier this week we looked at how redistricting was going to affect Richardson's representation in Austin. I described it as Richardson being scattered to the winds. Today, we look at how redistricting is going to affect Richardson's representation in Washington, DC. It's the same old story.

Dune (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

Dune (2021): I didn't read the book. Movie does a good job of world-building and myth-making. Beautiful look. I was surprised by how much Star Wars borrowed from Dune. Young men of destiny. Tatooine/Arrakis, Force/Voice, Jedi/Bene Gesserit. Was Star Wars the Dune for kids? B+

Redistricting Scatters Richardson to the Winds

Texas House maps

Texas House Map 2020

Texas House Map 2022

What do Richardson and Rockwall have in common? They are both represented by Justin Holland in redrawn Texas House District 33. He, along with Angie Chen Button and Ana-Maria Ramos, will represent Richardson in the new redistricting maps passed by the Texas legislature. (Correction: Plano's Scott Sanford will also represent the tiny northwest corner of Richardson, at least until the 2022 election.) Say goodbye to Jeff Leach, whose Texas House District 67 has been redrawn and shifted far to the northeast in Collin County.

The Last Duel (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Last Duel (2021): Wife of a knight is raped by a squire, which leads to a duel to the death. Movie tells story three times, from each character's perspective. Stories are too consistent to be Rashomon, the times too misogynistic to be #MeToo, the movie messy but riveting. B+

Scenes from a Marriage (TV 2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

Scenes from a Marriage (TV 2021): Intimate look at a troubled marriage. Series lays the kindling, ignites, blazes, finally settles into a steady burn. Couple talk at each other endlessly but seldom connect. Intense acting by Chastain and Isaac. Worthy homage to Ingmar Bergman. A-

"How Terribly Strange to be Seventy"

"Can you imagine us years from today
Sharing a park bench quietly?
How terribly strange to be seventy."

I wasn't yet twenty when Simon and Garfunkel released the album "Bookends" and I first heard those lyrics from "Old Friends" that would haunt me all my life. Fifty years on, I don't find it terribly strange to be seventy. What I find terribly strange is to reflect on the fact that there are no songs about what it feels like to be 120. The milestones in my life are piling up behind me. The road ahead is becoming less congested. The horizon is ever closer. Melancholy fills me. That is what I find to be terribly strange.

POTD: Fresh Air Butcher

From 2019 11 21 Kom Ombo and Edfu

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Edfu, Egypt. It shows a fresh air butcher in a street market.

Bonus photos after the jump.

POTD: Temple of Horus

From 2019 11 21 Kom Ombo and Edfu

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Temple of Horus in Edfu, Egypt. It's a relatively modern shrine, if you can call 2,000 years old modern. it was built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 237 and 57 BC. Greek pharaohs. Greek architecture. Those columns would look at home in ancient Athens (or on a federal building in Washington, DC). It is one of the best preserved shrines in Egypt.

TIL: America is on Track for "Fusion Never"

Source: New Yorker.

Since I was a young boy in the 1950s, I remember hearing the lure of electricity generated by nuclear power. "Too cheap to meter" was the promise. Fission nuclear reactors never delivered on that promise and turned out to have such serious shortcomings — think Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima — that fewer fission power plants are being built today than are being retired.

Fusion power promised to solve all those problems. No meltdowns, no leftover radioactive waste, no need to mine or handle uranium or plutonium. Fusion power always seemed to be right around the corner. Today I learned, it's still right around the corner, but we're not even trying to get there anymore. At least not seriously.

Review: Interior Chinatown

From Interior Chinatown, by Charles Yu:

Ever since you were a boy, you've dreamt of being Kung Fu Guy. You are not Kung Fu Guy. You are currently Background Oriental Male, but you've been practicing. Maybe tomorrow will be the day."
	Amazon

Is it a screenplay? Is it a memoir? Is it a comedy? Is it a satire? Is it an indictment of Hollywood and American racism? Yes to all.

The Long Road to Richardson Restaurant Park

What the Customer Wanted

Source: City of Richardson.

In 2010, the City of Richardson embarked on the long journey of revitalization of the West Spring Valley Corridor. It started with a series of community meetings. The residents were clear on what they wanted to see in southwest Richardson: Urban. Mixed-use. Walkable. Pocket parks. Think Parisian boulevard.

No Time to Die (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

No Time to Die (2021): I won't talk plot to avoid spoilers, but also because there are too many bad guys and intertwined back stories to follow. So, let's just say the car chases, gun fights, and acrobatic stunts don't disappoint. And Bond himself is less a cad. That's a plus. B-

What is a Drive-Thru Menu Board Worth?

Source: Casino Royale.

The poker game at the Horseshoe Saloon was getting interesting. On one side of the table were arrayed seven regulars. Across from them, with all eyes on him, was "Hot Chicken" Kirk. Although not a regular player, "Hot Chicken" played frequently enough that he knew each player's tics and tells. Would this be the game he used that knowledge for his own advantage?

Jersey Boys (2014)

Rotten Tomatoes

Jersey Boys (2014): Biopic of the Four Seasons. Why great artists always have messed up personal lives is an enduring mystery. The teenage lawbreaking, broken family, debt to the Mob, all crowd out the music. Less movie musical than concert footage and not enough of that. C+

#VeryTardyReview

Kajillionaire (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes

Kajillionaire (2020): Three small grifters (husband, wife, daughter) with bizarre schemes (and lifestyle) join up with another young woman (who is grifting who?). Gradually the daughter becomes alienated from parents. More sad than funny. Quirky, but not quirky enough. B-

Free Guy (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

Free Guy (2021): I'm no gamer, but I can see how this would appeal to teen boys who are. A nonplayable character in a video game with hidden AI gains consciousness. The race is on to wrest control from the bad owner before a reboot erases him. Mostly fun, sweet and self-aware. B-

Tactics: Good, Bad, and Delegated

"Good tactics can save even the worst strategy.
Bad tactics will destroy even the best strategy."
— George S. Patton

The Richardson City Council met for three nights to set their goals, strategies, and tactics for the current two-year term. They didn't finish. Their goals were refined enough for the facilitator to polish them and publish them. Their strategies were in rougher shape. The facilitator will be challenged to merge and prune and wordsmith them to capture the intent of the Council.

Transparent, Open, and Accountable Government

Founding Father James Madison once wrote that democracy without information was "but prologue to a farce or a tragedy," and he regarded the diffusion of knowledge as "the only guardian of true liberty." Texas law has long agreed the inherent right of Texans to govern themselves depends on their ability to observe how public officials are conducting the people’s business. That is why the Texas Open Meetings Act was enacted, to ensure that Texas government is transparent, open, and accountable to all Texans.

Source: State of Texas.

I'm not about to accuse the City of Richardson of violating the letter of the law. It's the City's attitude towards the spirit of the law that gives me heartburn.

Squid Game (TV 2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

Squid Game (TV 2021): Korea. Desperate people deep in debt agree to play children's games. Winner will get rich. Losers get killed. Bear with the preposterous and brutal premise. The characters will grow on you. A thought-provoking fable about modern capitalism. Trust me. A-

Random Thoughts: History Has a Way of Creating Coincidences

Tweets from September, 2021:

• 2021-09-02: History has a way of creating coincidences that no fiction writer would dare. On August 31, America abandoned Afghanistan women to the Taliban. The very next day, the US Supreme Court abandoned American women to the Texas Taliban.
• 2021-09-02: President Trump taught us that he could do anything without consequence because no one would stop him. SCOTUS learned it can do anything because no one will stop them. Congress won't, even though Dems have power to. So, blame GOP for all this, but Dems share a bit for letting them.
• 2021-09-03: Starstruck (TV 2021): Romcom. Jessie, a struggling working woman in London, meets Tom, a movie star. Opposites attract. Instant chemistry. But she can't let herself be happy. Jessie is high maintenance. How you react to the series depends on your reaction to Rose Matafeo. B-
• 2021-09-03: Texas GOP used to operate on the theory that too many people were suing for anything and everything. "Texans for Lawsuit Reform" bought themselves a legislature to end that. Now GOP has decided that radically expanding who can sue is actually a good thing.

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Economic Development Negotiations Adjacent to Spring Creek Nature Area

Richardson City Council has this executive session item on their agenda for Monday night:

Deliberation Regarding Economic Development Negotiations
• Commercial Development – E. Lookout Dr./N. Glenville Dr. Area

This vacant land is adjacent to the Spring Creek Nature Area, so my wishful thinking is that the City is considering expanding that parkland. But "Economic Development Negotiations" more likely means a developer is looking for a public handout. Review and reform of financial incentive handouts is one of my wish list items for the Council's goals for 2021-2023.

Also on Monday night's agenda is another secret meeting to discuss goals for 2021-2023. Ironic that.

The Voelker Doctrine in a Nutshell

This week, the Richardson City Council rejected a proposal for a private student housing project north of UT-Dallas. I summarized the move as a message to students: "DROP DEAD." But that was unfair (really, not really). Mayor Paul Voelker expressed the thinking behind the rejection as more of a nod to a greater good. "My vision for the highest and best use are...technology-based, international companies that want to be right next door to a tier one research university." In his telling, it's not that he's against students or student housing, it's that he's for something he considers to be greater. I called that the Voelker Doctrine. Now I've found a six-word slogan that captures the doctrine in a nutshell. Read on.