Monday, April 18, 2016

RISD's Horrible Clock Management

Football combines the two worst things about America: it is violence punctuated by committee meetings.
Source: George Will.
You know how you hate it when your favorite football team trails by two touchdowns late in the game and the team huddles with the clock running and then calls a running play that gains few yards and uses up even more precious time? The Richardson ISD is that team.

Friday, April 15, 2016

POTD: All the World's a Sunny Day

From 2016 02 05 Agra

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. But instead of showing the classic photo of the main tomb building, which probably made Kodak shareholders rich in the day of film cameras, this photo shows one of the buildings that line the forecourt. India is a nation of colors. Even the architecture — white marble against blue sky framed by red sandstone — demands Kodachrome's "nice bright colors."

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Spotlight (2015)

IMDB
Spotlight (2015): Based on true story. Principled. Important. Suspenseful. Maybe too tailored for Oscar notice, but it still delivers. A-











Wednesday, April 13, 2016

POTD: Bucket List

From 2016 02 05 Agra

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Agra, India, where someone checked off a high-value item on her lifelong bucket list. The visit was every bit as delightful as she had hoped.

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Straight Outta Compton (2015)

IMDB
Straight Outta Compton (2015): I still don't like gangster rap, but I love this movie. Back story of the music and of modern America. A-











Monday, April 11, 2016

Finally, Cracking Down on Payday Lending

Cash America
Not the official campaign HQ of Rep. Pete Sessions

Payday lenders like CashAmerica and ACE Cash Express often make loans with annual percentage rates of 350 percent or more. They prey on the poor, trapping borrowers in debt they can never pay off. Sixty percent of borrowers are repeat borrowers who string together loan after loan, using the proceeds of the next loan to pay off the last.

But help is on the way. Finally.

Friday, April 8, 2016

POTD: Every Which Way

From 2016 02 05 Agra

Today's photo-of-the-day is from a street in Agra, India. The automobile hasn't taken over the streets in that country — yet. There's still room for auto-rickshaws, motorbikes, bicycles, pedestrians, even cows. I wouldn't recommend it as an urban planning ideal, but neither do I recommend, say, Central Expressway as an urban planning ideal.