POTD: Three Views of La Joconde

From 2022 12 25 Paris

"La Joconde's gaze,
Whispers secrets through the ages,
Mona Lisa's charm."

—h/t ChatGPT

Today's photo-of-the-day features three views of the Mona Lisa in the Louvre in Paris. The first is from the gallery next door, showing the crowd trying to get into the packed gallery where the Mona Lisa is on display. The second photo shows the Mona Lisa from inside that gallery. And the third photo shows a closeup of the painting that awaits those with the patience to wait their turn to get up to the front. My photo was aided by a telephoto lens.

POTD: River Seine at Night

From 2022 12 25 Paris

"Eiffel's steel soars high,
Institut's dome kisses the sky,
Seine's waters sigh."

—h/t ChatGPT

Today's photo-of-the-day is from a bridge over the River Seine in Paris. In the distance is the Eiffel Tower. In the midground is the dome of the Institut de France, a French learned society, grouping five académies, including the Académie Française, established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. In the foreground, on the river, are tour boats.

Closeup photos of the Institut de France and the Eiffel Tower are after the jump.

Remembering Jeffrey Weiss

"Every religion is crazy, by definition, to a nonbeliever." — Jeffrey Weiss

I miss Jeffrey Weiss. He wore multiple hats at The Dallas Morning News. For a while, he covered the Richardson ISD. Remember the days when The Dallas Morning News assigned reporters to Richardson? I do. For a while, he wrote for the Religion section of the newspaper. Remember when The Dallas Morning News even had a Religion section? I do. Writing for "Politics Daily" way back in 2010 (see, I told you Weiss wore many hats), Weiss called for a movement against “political nastiness,” coining the term "civilogue" for more civil speech in the public square. I do miss Jeffrey Weiss.

The Creator (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Creator (2023): It's 2065. Humans are at war with robots and simulants. A mashup of Blade Runner, Apocalypse Now, 2001, and too many others. Morphs from an anti-AI film to something more complex, with an undercurrent of anti-imperialism. Looks great. Events sometime strain credulity. B-

Elemental (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Elemental (2023): In Element City, fire, water, earth, and air characters co-exist. Lessons about the immigrant experience and metaphoric ethnic tolerance abound. It's also a romcom (opposites attract), but with friendship more than romance and not much comedy. Still, it's Pixar and family-friendly. C+

Council Recap: Library and Campus Plan

At the September 18, 2023, Richardson City Council meeting, the Council heard an update on the Public Library design and the Civic Center Campus site plan. I'm a big fan of what I saw for the Library. (I say "saw" because of the recorded video, a neat feature the City Council should consider for all City Council meetings.) Still, I think the preferred campus site plan (Option A2) has a problem with traffic flow that could be easily and significantly improved, as I'll diagram later.

Random Thoughts: Dan Patrick and Appearances

2023-09-01: "Dan Patrick says he won't accept donations during impeachment trial." He wants to remove the appearance of "the trial being wide open to outside political influence."
Logically, doesn't this mean he should quit accepting campaign contributions during regular sessions, too, to remove the appearance of legislation being wide open to outside political influence? Which it is, of course.

POTD: Moulin Rouge on Christmas Night

From 2022 12 25 Paris

"Outside, lights ignite,
Moulin Rouge on Christmas night,
Snapshot's sweet delight."
—h/t ChatGPT

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Paris. No trip to Paris is complete without a visit to the Moulin Rouge cabaret. Unfortunately, tickets for Christmas Day are not only very expensive, but sold out far in advance. So a snapshot of the outside will have to do. Ah, the memories of an imagined visit!

Blackberry (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Blackberry (2023): Meteoric rise and fall of the world's first smartphone. There's the introverted tech genius, the undisciplined techies around him, and a brash marketing genius who knows how to turn it into gold...until the crash comes. Better than most such stories. B+

Council Recap: Goals

At a special Saturday meeting of the Richardson City Council on September 16, 2023, the Council deliberated its goals for the 2023-2025 term. I can't provide a link to the video because there is no video. The Council decided not to televise this meeting. But in attendance was Justin Neth. If you haven't been reading his reports from City Council meetings, you are missing the best way to follow what's going on. He usually keeps his opinions to a minimum (unlike yours truly) and covers the whole meeting (unlike yours truly). I couldn't attend in person, so my opinions on this goal-setting meeting are entirely drawn from Justin Neth's own report (in which he offers his own cogent opinions).