POTD: Black-Eyed Susan Photo Bombs the Badlands

From 2015 08 15 South Dakota

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The geology here takes center stage. But when a single black-eyed susan sticks its head up how can a photographer resist letting it upstage the multi-colored layers of rocks in the eroded hillsides?

Do I Sound Gay? (2014)

IMDB

Do I Sound Gay? (2014): Is there such a thing? Can it be changed? Does it matter? Surprisingly informative look at a cultural stereotype. B-

POTD: Lincoln's Craggy Face

From 2015 08 15 South Dakota

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It's a close-up of the face of Abraham Lincoln. According to a BBC story ("Abraham Lincoln: The enduring images"), Lincoln was the first president of the photographic era. Lincoln himself credited an iconic Matthew Brady photograph taken in early 1860 with making him president. It shows a clean-shaven, "sober, respectable, powerful intellectual who could become president." Four years later, another photograph tells a different story. "The Civil War was coming to an end and the enormous toll taken by four years of conflict is etched into the lines of Lincoln's craggy face." The granite of Mount Rushmore is the perfect medium to capture that Lincoln.

Yelp Reviews Get a New Useful Feature

You may like a Richardson restaurant for its food, but what do you know about its health inspection rating? Probably nothing. Not because Richardson doesn't conduct health inspections of restaurants, but because the city doesn't do much to make the ratings easily accessible to diners. That may be changing.

It's been a pet peeve of mine for years that Richardson promotes local restaurants with its "Dine Smart Dine Local" program, and Richardson publishes restaurant health inspection scores, but the city made no effort to tie the two together. The Wheel complained about it two years ago, and even pointed to a third party solution that promised to be cheaper and more useful than some in-house development by the city's IT department. That was two years ago. Nothing changed.

POTD: Go Tell It on the Mountain

From 2015 08 13 Mount Evans

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Mt. Evans. At 14,271-feet, it's one of Colorado's 53 "fourteeners." You can drive to the summit on the highest paved road in North America. Well, not actually the summit. To get to the tippy-top, you have to scramble up another boulder field.

Mr. Nobody (2009)

IMDB

Mr. Nobody (2009): 117-yr-old man looks back at his 9-yr-old self's big (in)decision in life. What choice did he make? Quirky sci-fi. B-

The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies (2014)

IMDB

Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies (2014): Over the top telling of a children's story. Jackson does CGI great, but Tolkien's charm is lost. C+

POTD: Bristlecone Pine

From 2015 08 13 Mount Evans

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Mt Goliath Natural Area on Colorado's Mt Evans Scenic Byway. "The bristlecone of Mt Goliath are found in large quantities because of conducive conditions on dry, south-facing slopes over 11,000'. They include some of the oldest trees in Colorado, ranging from 1600 to 2500 years old." They also make some pretty nice abstract art.

Homevoters versus Growth Machine

Ahh, another "there are two types of people in the world" story, this time divided by what people think is wrong with America's housing policy.

There are two big theories about who controls the pace of development in American cities and suburbs.

One is the "growth machine." In this telling, developed by academics like Harvey Molotch in the 1970s, urban elected officials and zoning boards are highly influenced by coalitions of business and civic leaders interested mainly in economic growth and maximizing the price of the land they own.

The other, developed later by the economist William Fischel, is the "homevoter hypothesis." Fischel argues that real power -- at least in the small to moderately-sized municipalities in which the majority of Americans live -- is held by homeowners, who are also interested primarily in maximizing the value of their property: their homes.

Source: City Observatory.

Let's apply this model of the world to our own moderately-sized community, Richardson, Texas.

POTD: King on the Mountain

From 2015 08 11 Manitou Springs

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Pike's Peak. At 14,115 feet, it's one of Colorado's 54 "fourteeners" (or 53, depending on who's counting). Impressively tall, yet you can drive to the summit, where there's a visitor center with a gift shop and a restaurant. But that's not at the absolute summit. To reach the tippy-top, you have to scramble up a boulder field. That's only for sticklers for accuracy (aka anal retentive personalities). Note that this photo was taken with the camera pointed up.

Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)

IMDB

Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002): Whites' inhumanity to blacks, Australian aborigine edition. Girls win out, sort of. More sad than uplifting. C+

POTD: 1952 Hudson Hornet

From 2015 08 11 Manitou Springs

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Garden of the Gods, a public park and National Natural Landmark located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Naturally, the photo includes a car built for the gods, a 1952 Hudson Hornet four-door sedan. The editors of Consumer Guide praise the car, saying, "The Hornet proved near-invincible in stock-car racing." To me, the Hudson seems right at home in the vacation snapshot, given that my only previous visit to the Garden of the Gods was in the late 1950s, when many similar vintage cars filled the park.

More about Enrollment Growth

I had three takeaways from the Richardson ISD's 2016 Bond "listening tour."

• Those multipurpose facilities (MPFs) seemed expensive. Comparisons with similar facilities in other school districts were lacking.
• There wasn't enough in the bond to address anticipated enrollment growth over the next five years.
  
• There appeared to be no way to avoid a tax rate increase, even if only maintenance and construction for enrollment growth were addressed.
  

The RISD school board addressed the first two of my takeaways at their December 7th meeting. Here, I want to cover the board's actions on enrollment growth.

More about those Multipurpose Facilities

I had three takeaways from the Richardson ISD's 2016 Bond "listening tour."

• Those multipurpose facilities (MPFs) seemed expensive. Comparisons with similar facilities in other school districts were lacking.
• There wasn't enough in the bond to address anticipated enrollment growth over the next five years.
  
• There appeared to be no way to avoid a tax rate increase, even if only maintenance and construction for enrollment growth were addressed.
  

The RISD school board addressed the first two of my takeaways at their December 7th meeting. Here, I want to cover the board's actions on those MPFs.

Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge at RHS

From 2015 00 00 Miscellaneous

Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge at RHS: Absurd Christmas Carol with an inept ghost. Don't know what the moral is, but I laughed.

Review: A Thousand Acres

Amazon

From A Thousand Acres, by Jane Smiley

Because the intersection was on this tiny rise, you could see our buildings, a mile distant, at the southern edge of the farm. A mile to the east, you could see three silos that marked the northeastern corner, and if you raked your gaze from the silos to the house and barn, then back again, you would take in the immensity of the piece of land my father owned, six hundred forty acres, a whole section, paid for, no encumbrances, as flat and fertile, black, friable, and exposed as any piece of land on the face of the earth."

Recently I read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, a retelling of Hamlet set in 20th century rural Wisconsin. Coincidentally I just finished reading A Thousand Acres, a retelling of King Lear set in 20th century rural Iowa.

After the jump, my review.

POTD: Ship Wreck Ranch

From 2015 08 09 TX and OK Panhandles

Today's photo-of-the-day is from southeastern Colorado. The natural beauty of the Great Plains as as impressive in its own way as any other natural wonder in America. This area is also ground zero for the Dust Bowl disaster of the 1930s. Driving north through the Texas and Oklahoma pandhandles into southeastern Colorado, try to imagine the black dusters of those years. As you drive, read "The Worst Hard Time" by Adam Johnson, the story of people like Ike Osteen, who recalls how even "the simplest thing in life -- taking a breath -- was a threat."

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.

Decoherence

In his great biography of Benjamin Franklin, Walter Isaacson describes how Franklin fundamentally changed America, bringing Puritanism "into an Enlightenment era that exalted tolerance, individual merit, civic virtue, good deeds, and rationality." I used to think all Americans since Franklin shared those values. Used to. I changed my mind long ago.

I'm a go-along, get-along kind of guy. Cooperate. Compromise. Consensus. Win-win. It's the way I was raised. When I was young, I used to think it was the American way. One nation. E Pluribus Unum. Melting pot. I'm learning not to be so naive, but I'm still caught off guard when I run across people to whom a preference for compromise or tolerance is considered a character flaw.

Source: Mark Steger.

I wrote that in 2012. I'm back today with another realization that rocks my childhood understanding of the values that I just assumed all Americans shared.

Lake Highlands 37, Richardson 22

From 2015 10 09 Lake Highlands vs Richardson

The Lake Highlands Wildcats improved their District 10-6A record to 3-0 with a hard-fought 37-22 win over Richardson Friday night, spoiling Richardson's Homecoming. Richardson drops to 1-2.

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, can be seen on Google Photos. Remember, without the band, it's just a game.