Vanity Fair (TV 2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

Vanity Fair (TV 2018): Modern adaptation of Thackeray's satire of Victorian London. Ambitious social climber Becky Sharp is a charming knave who looks directly at the camera and winks as she schemes and betrays. Makes me want to read the original. B+

It's All Partisan Now

Much has been made in Richardson's City Council election about the presence of party politics in a supposedly non-partisan election. The subject took up way too much space in my own latest blog article. So why am I devoting an entire blog article to it? Because I think what's happening in Plano puts the issue to bed in Richardson once and for all. Like it or not, once the governor of Texas jumps into the fray, the field is open for all.

More Impressions of City Council Candidates

The candidates for Richardson City Council answered questions from the public at a forum sponsored by the JJ Pearce, Canyon Creek, and Reservation neighborhood associations. The forum was held at Mohawk Elementary School. About fifty people attended. Everyone was civil. (That last point should go without saying, but in today's political climate, you never know.)

Rather than provide a question-by-question account of the evening, I am going to present only the highlights that I found provocative.

(As for my first impressions of the candidates, from an earlier forum, they can be read elsewhere.)

POTD: Cossack Dancers

From 2018 08 13 St Petersburg

Today's photo-of-the-day is of Cossack dancers in St. Petersburg, Russia. I could tell you of the military tradition of the Cossacks, of how they allied with the tsars of Russia to conquer and colonize the length of the Volga and beyond the Urals to Siberia. Buy nyah. All anyone really wants to see today are those amazing dancers.

A bonus photo after the jump.

POTD: The Winter Palace

From 2018 08 13 St Petersburg

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the Winter Palace as seen from Palace Square in St. Petersburg, Russia. If I had to pick a single spot that represents Russia to me, it would be right here. Or perhaps some spot in the Kremlin or Red Square in Moscow. Let's say right here for Russian history as a whole and the Moscow Kremlin for Soviet history. How's that for the having it both ways?

Fahrenheit 11/9 (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

Fahrenheit 11/9 (2018). It feels wrong to review this Michael Moore documentary because he's not just making a movie. He's warning of an existential threat to the American Republic. He shows bright spots of good guys fighting back, but he warns that it's not enough. B-

POTD: Soviet Decay

From 2018 08 13 St Petersburg

Today's photo-of-the-day is from St. Petersburg, Russia. It shows an abandoned building from the Soviet era. There are plenty of reminders around St. Petersburg of the failure of that system. Once as we drove through the city, I said something like, "This neighborhood looks prosperous" and Ellen replied, "Do you mean the windows aren't all broken?" Still, we loved St. Petersburg as a whole.

A bonus photo after the jump.

Gun McNutt

The last time these pages had to talk about Chris McNutt was November 26, 2018. Well, he's baaack.

According to The Houston Chronicle,

House Speaker Dennis Bonnen says Texas state troopers had his home in Lake Jackson under surveillance last week amid concerns that an outraged gun rights activist was headed there.

Chris McNutt, executive director of the nonprofit Texas Gun Rights, is advocating for a "constitutional carry" bill that would allow gun owners to carry their pistols, openly or concealed, in public without a license.

Source: Houston Chronicle.

Fyre (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Fyre (2019): Documentary of a music festival on a private island in Bahamas that turned into a clusterf*ck. Behind it? A giant con, where luxury was sold up front w/o ability to deliver. A producer of the doc also produced the Fyre Festival promotional video. The con goes on. B-

Equity in RISD

"In an effort to ensure every student performs at or above grade level, the Equity Action Team developed an action plan to recommend the drafting and potential Board approval of an Equity Policy in RISD. An overview of the committee’s process will be presented as well as a preliminary draft of the current Equity Policy. Next steps will be discussed as well as a timeline for policy recommendation."

That's the agenda item for last week's Richardson ISD board of trustees meeting. OK, I'm in favor of what RISD is attempting here, so don't take what I have to say as criticism of the goal. If you must, take it as a reason why I should never be appointed to one of these committees.