RRR (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

RRR (2022): India. A patriotic historical drama, with Brits as the bad guys. An over-the-top action movie, violent and bloody. Frenzied Bollywood singing and dancing. What's not to like? (Brits excepted, but they can watch James Bond instead.) Best movie of 2022 so far. A-

Dealbreaker #3: She's Aligned with Lauren Davis

In Richardson ISD's June 18th runoff election for its District 2 seat on the Board of Trustees, I'll be voting for Vanessa Pacheco. I won't be voting for Sherry Clemens because of dealbreakers like this: she is aligned with the anti-masker candidate for Dallas County Judge, Lauren Davis.

We Feed People (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

We Feed People (2022): Ron Howard doc about chef José Andrés and his nonprofit World Central Kitchen. His focus? Feeding people, not raising money. It turns out that running a restaurant kitchen is good training for managing natural disasters. Inspiring. Watch, then donate. B+

Dealbreaker #2: She's Turning RISD Into Southlake

In Richardson ISD's June 18th runoff election for its District 2 seat on the Board of Trustees, I'll be voting for Vanessa Pacheco. I won't be voting for Sherry Clemens because of dealbreakers like this: she is aligned with Southlake's anti-diversity, anti-equity, anti-inclusion advocates in Carroll ISD.

Random Thoughts: Holiday Pro-Tip for May Poles

Tweets from May, 2022:

• 2022-05-01: Holiday Pro-Tip: If, like me, you forgot to buy a May Pole again this year, repurpose that Festivus Pole in your attic. Only you will know the difference.
• 2022-05-02: RISD's Eron Linn (who won't see this because he's blocked me) is running a quiet campaign for re-election. He raised little money. Endorsements on his website haven't been updated since 2019. The last time an incumbent lost an election was Jim Herblin in 1995. Deja vu?
• 2022-05-03: The US Supreme Court is intent on returning women to a status of second-class citizens under the US Constitution, despite a hundred years of rulings gradually recognizing women's right to rights given to men. In 2022, they're about to lose the right to control their own bodies.
• 2022-05-04: Latest fundraising email from DJTjr has the subject: "My father does not care what they think. He never has and never will." On the contrary, there's never been a more thin-skinned politician than Donald Trump.
• 2022-05-05: Severance (TV 2022): Sci-fi mystery. Ever wish you could free your mind of work when you leave the office? With Lumon's mind chip you can. Four co-workers grow suspicious. Show is slow to reveal what's going on, even slower why, setting up Season 2. Equally devious and absurd. B-

After the jump, more random thoughts.

The Lincoln Lawyer (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Lincoln Lawyer (TV 2022): A David E. Kelley courtroom drama fit for 1980's network television. The cast of characters has all the usual stereotypes. The plot is full of as many holes as twists. Whodunnit? Everyone. Watch Goliath instead. C+

Dealbreaker #1: She's Extreme, Even for Conservatives

In Richardson ISD's June 18th runoff election for its District 2 seat on the Board of Trustees, I'll be voting for Vanessa Pacheco. I won't be voting for Sherry Clemens because of dealbreakers like this: she promotes extreme propaganda like "The Mind Polluters."

A Very British Scandal (TV 2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

A Very British Scandal (TV 2021): Argyll v. Argyll, the trial of the century, 1963. The marriage and divorce of the Duke and Duchess. Both unsympathetic characters, at first exploiting each other cooperatively, then at each other's throats, literally. Deliciously scandalous. B+

TIL: An Old Saying in Police Precincts

Source: Precinct Saying.

In college, I read Thomas Kuhn's "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions." In it he popularized the term "paradigm shift" for insights that forever change the framework in which we view the world.

An example is Copernicus's upending of the Ptolemaic cosmology with a helio-centric model. Just think: before Copernicus, the term "solar system" didn't even exist. Now it's second nature to all of us. Another example is Einstein's upending of Newtonian gravity with general relativity. Just think: before Einstein, the word spacetime didn't even exist. Now it's...well, still not second nature. Relativity is still impossible to wrap our minds around, even a century after Einstein, but it has fundamentally changed science.

Thomas Kuhn's work had a big impact on my formative thinking. That's maybe too portentous an introduction for what I'm about to say I learned today, but I'll say it anyway. In all the commentary on Uvalde, one comment (actually a Tweetstorm) has the potential of causing a paradigm shift in my worldview of law enforcement and public safety.

Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022): If you're not a fan, you'll be lost in all the characters and subplots. If you are a fan, you'll laugh and cry. You'll love the sets and costumes. There are twists and turns and head fakes to keep you guessing. Is this the last Downton Abbey? B+