The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023): 39m short. Adaptation by Wes Anderson of a Roald Dahl short story about a man who learns a yoga's skill at seeing through playing cards to make a fortune at blackjack. More narration than dialog. Whether this works for you depends on liking the Wes Anderson style. B-

Council Recap: Comp Plan Update

At the September 25, 2023, Richardson City Council meeting, the Council received an update on progress to update the City's 2009 Comprehensive Plan. I was disappointed to see that there was little progress, unless the progress has been to plan Community Summit 2. In October, the consultants on the Envision Richardson team will be conducting a Community Summit 2 to gather more public input. Open Houses will be held October 10 and 28. I was disappointed to see little engagement with the Council or by the Council in shaping the Comp Plan.

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.