Review: Anne of Green Gables

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From Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery:

Matthew Cuthbert's father, as shy and silent as his son after him, had got as far away as he possibly could from his fellow men without actually retreating into the woods when he founded his homestead. Green Gables was built at the furthest edge of his cleared land and there it was to this day, barely visible from the main road along which all the other Avonlea houses were so sociably situated. Mrs. Rachel Lynde did not call living in such a place LIVING at all. 'It's just STAYING, that's what,' she said as she stepped along the deep-rutted, grassy lane bordered with wild rose bushes. 'It's no wonder Matthew and Marilla are both a little odd, living away back here by themselves. Trees aren't much company, though dear knows if they were there’d be enough of them. I'd ruther look at people. To be sure, they seem contented enough; but then, I suppose, they're used to it. A body can get used to anything, even to being hanged, as the Irishman said.'"

Did anyone raise his eyebrows when he saw my latest reading selection? Was it unexpected? There's a reason I chose "Anne of Green Gables." Actually, two reasons. And I'm glad I did.

After the jump, my review.

POTD: The Old North Church

From 2016 09 02 Boston

Today's photo-of-the-day is of a window in the Old North Church in Boston, famous for its role in the American Revolution. The church's story is told in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "Paul Revere's Ride." Can you still recite the opening lines?

Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."

Source: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

My Beautiful Broken Brain (2014)

IMDB

My Beautiful Broken Brain (2014): Young woman's recovery from brain damage. She knows the things she lost. Her spirit isn't one of them. C+

POTD: Apples, 9 For $2.00

From 2016 09 02 Boston

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Boston Public Market in late summer, when apples are on sale, 9 for $2.00; organic blueberries, $1.00 a pint; and strawberries, 3 pints for $2.00.

The Danish Girl (2015)

IMDB

The Danish Girl (2015): Transgender artist in 1920s. Movie made 30 years too late. What should be shocking is now routine. Slow moving. B-

POTD: ... and Rowboats

From 2016 09 02 Boston

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in downtown Boston, not far from the Sailboat, Yacht, and Paddlewheeler.

OTBR: London's Langthorne Park

Latitude: N 51° 33.318
Longitude: E 000° 00.198

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".

Who Won the Vice Presidential Debate?

Who won the Vice Presidential debate between Mike Pence and Tim Kaine? It depends on which scorecard you are using.

Repeat Tweets: Drats. I wasn't ready.

Repeat tweets from September, 2016:

• Sep 1 2016: Drats. I wasn't ready. MT @MarkSolomonsr: "September is National Preparedness Month. Don't Wait. Make your emergency plan today."
• Sep 1 2016: Department of Defense Budget: $585,000,000,000. Terrorism funding: $0. Lying Ted's disinformation: Priceless. Twitter.com
• Sep 1 2016: RT @DonHuffines: "Dove season is a great time for Texans to get outdoors & enjoy the vast, unrivaled beauty of our great state!" And kill something.
• Sep 1 2016: RT @GregAbbott_TX: "Texas will ban sanctuary cities & keep our communities safe." You can't have both. Sanctuary cities help keep our cities safe.

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

The Trump Coalition

In a column in the New York Times, conservative columnist Ross Douthat gives the best, most concise explanation for how voters can support Donald Trump despite his "low character, his penchant for inflaming racial tensions, his personal corruptions," his "zest for self-sabotage, his wild swings, his inability to delegate or take advice," his seeming to be "gross and seedy and bigoted," even his "wretchedly stupid conduct since the first debate."

The key to Douthat's explanation is that there are different reasons for different factions supporting Trump. It's this coalition that gives Trump his shot at winning the White House.

Homecoming: Berkner 35, WT White 10

The Berkner Rams defeated the WT White Longhorns 35-10 Friday night in Berkner's Homecoming Game. It's a great time to be a Ram!

Attend a game yourself to see all the action, including the game, cheerleaders, drill team, colorguard, marching band and all the rest that make high school football the best value in sports entertainment. Remember, without the band, it's just a game.

Bonus photos after the jump.

POTD: Sailboat, Yacht, and Paddlewheeler

From 2016 09 02 Boston

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken from Boston's Fan Pier Park looking towards downtown Boston.

Anomalisa (2015)

IMDB

Anomalisa (2015): Motivational speaker has breakdown in Cincinnati hotel. Stop motion puppetry does little for this odd, wooden movie. C+

Indoor Practice Fields...for Swimming

The Richardson ISD asked voters to approve $437 million in bonds in 2016 for a range of capital projects, including $60 million for four indoor practice fields for a variety of activities including athletics. Voters did approve. But the RISD board of trustees took a lot of abuse from voters who thought the district was squandering money.

POTD: Taxi to the Airport

From 2016 02 14 Mumbai

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the streets of Mumbai, India. The taxi to the airport led to a long flight from Mumbai to Dubai to D/FW. This brings to an end the series of photos-of-the-day from India. India is a large and fascinating country — a photographer's delight.

Review: A Brief History of Seven Killings

Amazon

From A Brief History of Seven Killings, by Marlon James:

There's a reason why the story of the ghetto should never come with a photo. The Third World slum is a nightmare that defies beliefs or facts, even the ones staring right at you. A vision of hell that twists and turns on itself and grooves to its own soundtrack. Normal rules do not apply here. Imagination then, dream, fantasy. You visit a ghetto, particularly a ghetto in West Kingston, and it immediately leaves the real to become this sort of grotesque, something out of Dante or the infernal painting of Hieronymus Bosch. It's a rusty red chamber of hell that cannot be described so I will not try to describe it. It cannot be photographed because some parts of West Kingston, such as Rema, are in the grip of such bleak and unremitting repulsiveness that the inherent beauty of the photographic process will lie to you about just how ugly it really is."

Spoiler alert: This novel is not brief and there are way more than seven killings. But the excerpt above is an accurate description of the world depicted in this novel. The novel won a shelf-load of awards, probably deservedly so, but be warned: it's not for everyone.

After the jump, my review.

Fundamentals of Caring (2016)

IMDB

Fundamentals of Caring (2016): Man takes care of handicapped teen. Both have issues. Road trip buddy movie. Sweet, but by the book. C+

POTD: Ellen's Mumbai Peeps

From 2016 02 14 Mumbai

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the waterfront by the Gateway of India in Mumbai. Tourists from all over the world come here to see and be seen. Getting your photo taken with strangers is both easy and fun.

A bonus photo is after the jump.

Diplomacy (2014)

IMDB

Diplomacy (2014): Swedish diplomat and German general debate fate of Paris as Allies advance. Each faces the trolley problem. Gripping. A-

POTD: Mumbai Waterfront

From 2016 02 14 Mumbai

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the waterfront by the Gateway of India in Mumbai. It's right in front of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, target of a terrorist attack in 2008. Ten men in inflatable speedboats came ashore here, split up and attacked multiple sites in south Mumbai. The attacks killed 164 civilians and security officers. It took four days for authorities to regain control.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

Firewall in Old Downtown Richardson

City of Richardson

The rendering above is of the new police and fire department facilities planned for old downtown Richardson. There is little news here. The old facilities were outdated. The 2015 Bond Program funded part of the reconstruction. The 2016-2017 budget funds more. I knew all that, but seeing this rendering triggers the thought that this might turn out to be a huge missed opportunity for Richardson.

POTD: Hare Krishna

From 2016 02 14 Mumbai

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Mandir, a temple in Mumbai, India, of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

A bonus photo is after the jump.

Campbell Road Deterioration Outlined

"Campbell Road Improvements Deterioration Outlined."

There, Richardson, I fixed the headline to your "Week in Review" item. Widening Campbell Rd from US 75 to Collins Blvd is not an "improvement."

Those added lanes will fill up as fast as you can pour the concrete. TxDOT is overhauling Central Expressway (again). Adding lanes to Campbell Rd only encourages the added cars on US 75 to use Campbell Rd. You can't build your way out of traffic congestion. Induced demand is the phenomenon that after supply increases, more of a good is consumed. Road construction is Exhibit A.

Son of Saul (2015)

IMDB

Son of Saul (2015): Holocaust tale of futility. Premise unbelievable without insanity. Characters and acting leave me numb. Passionless. B-

POTD: Dhobi Ghat

From 2016 02 14 Mumbai

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Dhobi Ghat, an open air laundry in Mumbai, India. "The washers, locally known as Dhobis, work in the open to wash the clothes from Mumbai's hotels and hospitals."

A bonus photo is after the jump.

The Frozen Chosen (2014)

Netflix

Frozen Chosen (2014): Spear-fishing on frozen Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin. Will leave you cold, but if you grew up there, must see. C-

POTD: James Bond's Hotel

From 2016 02 12 Udaipur

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the City Palace in Udaipur, India. The palace plays the part of a hotel James Bond stays at in the movie Octopussy.

Embrace of the Serpent (2015)

IMDB

Embrace of the Serpent (2015): Amazonia in 1909, with shaman and scientist, false messiah and rubber barons. Heart of Darkness. B-