Tuesday, December 16, 2014

The World's End (2013)

IMDB
The World's End (2013): Think a cross between The Hangover and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. But good. Craziest pub crawl ever. B-













Monday, December 15, 2014

No Room at the Inn in Richardson

NIMBYism rears its head again. The latest manifestation of this all too common human weakness is over group homes for people recovering from chemical dependency.

There are 22 such group homes in Richardson. Does the number surprise you? Perhaps that's because nothing much is going on in these homes that affects the rest of the neighborhood, at least not in a bad way. As Richardson Police Chief Jim Spivey told The Dallas Morning News, group homes "generate no more calls than single-family residences." One could argue that supporting recovering alcoholics affects the neighborhood and the whole community in a good way, but that's not how NIMBYism works.

After the jump, why this is an issue now.

Friday, December 12, 2014

Fruitvale Station (2013)

IMDB
Fruitvale Station (2013): Unarmed black man shot by cop. Based on a true story, but politics aside, it's the drama that's compelling. A-













Thursday, December 11, 2014

Dead Man (1995)

IMDB
Dead Man (1995): Early Johnny Depp as William Blake on the run in the Old West. Quirky as all get out. Everyone is stranger than Depp. B+













Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Nonstop Love Surprisingly Unpleasant

Nonstop Love
Source: Dallas Morning News.

The parking garages at Love Field were filled up on Thanksgiving Day. Even the remote overflow lots were full. Why should this be? After the jump, really, why should this be?!?

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Poetry (2010)

IMDB
Poetry (2010): Korean grandmother struggles with poetry as her life falls apart. Quiet desperation with dignity. Moving. With justice. B-













Monday, December 8, 2014

All the Debt We Can Carry

Everyone knows the federal budget deficit is large and getting larger all the time. It's out of control, right? Well, what everyone knows and what's the truth sometimes bear little resemblance to one another. In fact, the federal budget deficit has been plunging in recent years, falling from nearly 10 percent of G.D.P. in 2009 to less than 3 percent in 2014, below the average experienced over the past 40 years. So much for what everyone knows.

Let's bring the discussion closer to home. What about the situation in the City of Richardson? After the jump, a look at what our community owes.