Land of Mine (2015)

IMDB

Land of Mine (2015): Young POWs forced to clear land mines in Denmark. WWII Germans get sympathetic treatment! Powerful but predictable. B-

Review: Kafka on the Shore

Amazon

From Kafka on the Shore, by Haruki Murakami:

Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change direction but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts. Over and over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn. Why? Because this storm isn't something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Something inside of you. So all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn't get in, and walk through it, step by step."

After the jump, my review.

City of Gold (2015)

IMDB

City of Gold (2015): Food critic Jonathan Gold explores LA's diverse ethnic food. Gave me a new appreciation for LA as a great city. C+

First Impression of the Candidates

The Richardson Republican Women held a candidate forum Tuesday evening at JJ Pearce High School for both city council (CoR) and school board (RISD) elections. Eight candidates are new to CoR and RISD. Three newcomers are running for city council, five for school board.

In my judgment, all of the candidates in contested races, incumbents and challengers alike, would be positive forces for the community. They all appeared to be driven by a desire to serve. I didn't detect any ideology-driven agendas. The Richardson community (city and school district) should appreciate how unusual and valuable that is in today's political climate.

That said...here are my initial impressions of the new candidates. Incumbents we should already know.

POTD: Rowboats on the Potomac

From 2016 10 09 Alexandria

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Alexandria, Virginia: historic, walkable, beautiful.

Where Went Richardson's Neighborhoods?

Remember the good old days before the Richardson City Council abandoned discussion of neighborhoods in its biennial goals statements and its annual State of the City addresses? You know, like this excerpt from the 2011-2013 Statement of Goals:

• Support neighborhoods in their development of Homeowner and Neighborhood Associations and other community-based organizations such as Crime Watches, Crime Patrols, and Beautification Committees.
• Promote a well-informed network of Homeowner and Neighborhood Associations and encourage constructive dialogue between this network, residents, and the City.
• Develop and maintain community vitality and neighborhood integrity strategies to foster, preserve and promote desirable neighborhoods within the City.

Source: City of Richardson.

Cameraperson (2016)

IMDB

Cameraperson (2016): Decades of outtakes from documentaries all shot by one person. Like watching 10 movies at once. Oddly compelling. C+

Pete Sessions Faces His Constituents

Representative Pete Sessions (TX 32) held a townhall meeting at Richardson High School Saturday afternoon. It was a full house. The mood was decidedly different from his townhall meetings of 2009 and 2010.

In 2009, the mood was decidedly Tea Party. Attendees ranged from the young man with a "John Galt" name tag to an old man marching down the center aisle with a sign reading, "Euthanize Obama 'Care' Not Our Seniors". The earnest woman at the microphone who said, "I don't have health insurance" was met with a shout from the audience, "Get a job."

In 2010, it was Pete Sessions himself who provided most of the Tea Party positions. His take on the Affordable Care Act was that "the legislation was designed to inflict as much damage as needed to kill the free enterprise system," and "America's days as a superpower are over." Sessions's opposition to ACA was greeted with cheers.

In March, 2017, the mood is angry again, but this time angry with Pete Sessions, not Barack Obama. Angry with him for his support for repealing Obamacare, for his neglect in investigating President Trump's ties to Russia, for his support for cutting a range of federal programs, for this and more. Signs were everywhere, almost all in opposition to Pete Sessions.

A Man Called Ove (2015)

IMDB

A Man Called Ove (2015): Local curmudgeon and how he became one. Swedish tale of loneliness and grief. Humor and pathos. Saab or Volvo? B-

POTD: Palais des congrès de Montréal

From 2016 09 10 Montreal

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Palais des congrès de Montréal. And with it we bid a colorful and fond adieu to Canada.

Bonus photos after the jump.