Life, Animated (2016)

IMDB

Life, Animated (2016): Doc. of autistic boy who finds his voice in Disney movies. Matures to independent life. Sad & joyous at same time. B-

Miss Sharon Jones! (2016)

IMDB

Miss Sharon Jones! (2016): Documentary of soul singer (whom I didn't know) and her fight with cancer. Open, revealing, fun, fearless. B-

Tower (2016)

IMDB

Tower (2016): 1st person accounts of UT tower shooting. Victims. Heroes. Witnesses. Gripping. Best part? No time devoted to the killer. B-

POTD: Le Village Gai

From 2016 09 10 Montreal

Today's photo-of-the-day is also of Rue Sainte-Catherine in Montreal, but miles farther to the east than yesterday's POTD. If Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest isn't more than enough riches for one city, the east end of the street is home to "Le Village," the largest gay village in North America in terms of area.

Bonus photos after the jump.

POTD: Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest

From 2016 09 10 Montreal

Today's photo-of-the-day looks down Rue Sainte-Catherine, the main shopping street of downtown Montreal. What you see in this photo is only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. "The street runs parallel to the largest segments of Montreal's underground city. The series of interconnected office tower basements and shopping complexes that make up this main thoroughfare lie immediately north of the street."

OTBR: Woomagarma

Latitude: S 35° 52.830
Longitude: E 147° 15.114

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: Fresh Fruit

From 2016 09 10 Montreal

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Place Jacques-Cartier, a great public square in a great North American city, Montreal. The selection of fresh fruit poses a delicious dilemma for this young girl, much like the opportunities abounding in this walkable city pose a delightful dilemma for every tourist.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Repeat Tweets: Vouchers Arise out of White Resistance

Repeat tweets from February, 2017:

• Feb 3 2017: "Vouchers arise out of white resistance to school desegregation, and these movements thrive in biracial districts." lakehighlands.advocatemag.com
• Feb 8 2017: Fences (2016): Denzel Washington in a Willy Loman role, raising questions about what it means to be a husband, father, man. Oscar-worthy. A+
• Feb 8 2017: MT @RichardsonToday: "A portion of the State of the City Address focused on how Richardson is in a strong financial position." Please link to a YouTube clip showing the portion of State of the City address that focused on Richardson's neighborhoods. If you can.
• Feb 9 2017: Gleason (2016) Documentary of former NFL player with ALS. Raw and relentless as real life, clichéd as movie. Needs more of wife's story. C+

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

POTD: The Pulpit

From 2016 09 10 Montreal

Today is Ash Wednesday. Appropriate for this religious day, today's photo-of-the-day is of the pulpit in the Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Now Kindness is a Dirty Word, Too

The Richardson ISD celebrated "Kindness Day" Friday, February 24. It was the brainchild of the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council. By most accounts, it was a rousing success. Most accounts. According to some, "Kindness Day" is a leftist plot.

My take is that kindness day is clearly a (attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors...strongly tied to SEL) program that indoctrinates kids...that students are to avoid saying anything "intolerant" that might offend the diversity and inclusion snowflake crowd. Kindness day is the subtle way for K-12 to impose the sort of leftist speech codes that we observe on college campuses.

Source: Facebook comment by Bill Ames.

So, add kindness to the list of motherhood and apple pie virtues that I used to think were non-controversial. Virtues like tolerance and compromise and civility all have come under attack from conservatives. What I thought made American democracy great is being surely dismantled, virtuous brick by virtuous brick.