The Wheel

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

The Circle (2017)

The Circle (2017): Telegraphed morality tale about loss of privacy to online big data. Nothing novel here. Watch Black Mirror instead. C-

Monday, May 1, 2017

Repeat Tweets: Why Europe Needs the EU

Repeat tweets from April, 2017:

Apr 2 2017: RT @Bencjacobs: "Theresa May would go to war to protect Gibraltar, Michael Howard says." Makes you understand why Europe needs the EU.
Apr 2 2017: Today is International Fact-checking Day. There are 111,214 fact-checking teams in 11,047 countries.
Apr 4 2017: RT @DonMcLeroy: "It's Time for Conservatives to Celebrate This President." Which President? Putin?
Apr 5 2017: "Caltech claims first conference win in 29 years." Hooray for student-athletes. Go Beavers.

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

Review: Sing for Your Life

Amazon

From Sing for Your Life, by Daniel Bergner:

Each time he left the lobby, passing under the hotel’s marquee and facing Lincoln Center, in the middle of New York City, he felt even less at home. He climbed the broad steps to the Lincoln Center plaza and was surrounded by towering white stone columns that made him think of ancient stadiums—Olympians competing for Zeus’s pleasure and gladiators battling one another for survival. At the far side of the square stood the opera hall. This was the home of the Met, the greatest opera company in the country."

Those are the opening lines of the book. It sounds cliché, but this troubled youth's climb from a broken home across from a crack house to become an opera star with the New York Metropolitan Opera is real. It's a non-fiction story you wouldn't believe if you found it in the fiction section.

Silence (2016)

IMDB

Silence (2016): Persecution of Christians in 1600s Japan. Repetitious torture scenes. Where was God? Passionless. Where was Scorsese? C+

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

RISD Voters Guide - Addendum

Yesterday, I recommended a vote for Kristin Kuhne over Lynn Davenport for Richardson ISD Board of Trustees Place 7. The reason I gave was Kuhne's work with education research non-profit Educate Texas versus Davenport's association with conservative activist Alice Linahan. But judging a candidate by the company she keeps is not fair, unless keeping that company reflects shared attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors.

The Wheel's RISD Voters Guide

Election day is Saturday, May 6, 2017. Early voting is underway. I attended multiple candidate forums for Richardson ISD Board of Trustees, so you didn't have to (you're welcome).

I also read the candidates' opinions on a range of topics chosen by The Wheel:

Based on all of that, this is how I decided to fill out my own ballot.

The Wheel's CoR Voters Guide

Election day is Saturday, May 6, 2017. Early voting is underway. I attended multiple candidate forums for Richardson City Council so you didn't have to (you're welcome).

I also read the candidates' S.M.A.R.T. Goals.

Based on all of that, this is how I decided to fill out my own ballot.