Planet of the Humans (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes

Planet of the Humans (2020): Michael Moore's takedown of environmental movement, rejecting solar, wind and biomass because they aren't 100% clean. Also pissed that capitalism finds ways to profit and big environmentalists can be hypocrites. The movie's solution: depopulation. C-

POTD: Don't Touch Your Face

From 2019 11 17 Ancient Cairo

Don't touch your face. But it's OK to touch the Sphinx's face. Or it was in November when foreign travel was still free and easy. Good times. Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Great Sphinx of Giza. "The face of the Sphinx is generally believed to represent the pharaoh Khafre," whose pyramid is nearby.

Bonus photo after the jump.

American Factory (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

American Factory (2019): Former GM plant in Ohio reopens as Chinese-owned auto glass factory. Cinema verité documentary. It's crazy that Chinese owners allowed cameras fly-on-the-wall access. Culture clash in America's heartland is sharp and unsettling. You feel for workers. A-

Contaminated Groundwater in Richardson

This agenda item for the Richardson City Council caught my eye:

City staff will review the process for consideration of a Municipal Settings Designation [MSD] for a commercial property near Coit Road and Arapaho Road. A Municipal Settings Designation is an official state designation within a municipality that certifies that designated groundwater at the property is not used as potable water and is prohibited from future use as potable water.

Source: City of Richardson.

Why wouldn't you want to use groundwater as potable water?

Cold War (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

Cold War (2018): Poland. Three Oscar noms. Arty. Ill-fated love story set in post-war Europe, mostly Poland and Paris. Beautiful B&W cinematography evocative of the times. Characters can find passion but can't find happiness with each other. Why not is a recurring mystery. A-

Random Thoughts: Trump is a Snake Whisperer

Tweets from April, 2020:

• 2020-04-01: "Trump is a snake whisperer." -- Edward Countryman.
  What a great addition to the political dictionary, alongside "dog whistle."
• 2020-04-01: A tradition in American journalism is that the reporter must not become the story. It's impossible to live up to that at a televised Presidential press conference. Trump thrives on his insulting interactions. One solution? Stay away. Don't let Trump make you a part of his shtick.
• 2020-04-02: Yesterday was Census Day. Forgot to fill it out for your household? Not to worry. Do it today. It still counts. You still get credit. And so does your community.
• 2020-04-02: Those toilet paper shortages probably are caused less by panic buying and hoarding than by our economy's fine-tuned supply chains being unable to rapidly adjust to the new normal.

After the jump, more random thoughts.

POTD: Giza Pyramid Complex

From 2019 11 17 Ancient Cairo

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Giza Pyramid Complex in Cairo. Our visit in November, 2019, allowed "L" to check off the seventh and final item on the "bucket list" that she compiled in high school.

Bonus photos after the jump.

Tapping the Paycheck Protection Program for $126M

2013: Braemar Rings Opening Bell on NYSE (Stefani Carter on left)

You may remember Stefani Carter. The former Texas state representative for parts of Richardson, swept into office in the 2010 tea party wave. The ambitious politician who attempted to climb to statewide office (Texas Railroad Commission) in 2014 only to discover that the moneyed interests had other candidates in mind. Who scrambled back to her legislative race in north Texas but lost her seat anyway when even GOP voters abandoned her for Linda Koop. All that was covered by The Wheel back in the day. Well, Stefani Carter is back in the news, or at least her business is.

Horse Girl (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes

Horse Girl (2020): Lonely woman sleep walks, hears voices, and has surreal delusions in a descent into mental illness, but it's all her truth. Part dark comedy, part thriller, but mostly psychological character study. Based on family history of Alison Brie, who shines. C+

POTD: 2560 BC

From 2019 11 17 Ancient Cairo

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Great Pyramid of Giza. It was built as a tomb for the pharaoh Khufu in 2560 BCE. Try to wrap your mind around that. That's 4,580 years ago. Or 54,960 month-long stay-at-home quarantines strung back to back. That's what's called an unhelpful analogy. Not only doesn't it really help you grasp just how old that tomb is, but it doesn't make your current spell of being housebound feel any better either. By the way, pharaoh Khufu himself left his tomb no one knows how long ago. They say grave robbers. I suspect cabin fever.

Bonus photo after the jump.