POTD: Bananas for Sale in Lombok

"Five million souls live
with Ranjani's constant threat.
Lombok's restless heart."
—h/t ChatGPT

From 2023 04 05 Lombok

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken on the island of Lombok, Indonesia, about the same size as Bali, which is just to its west. Lombok is home to over 5 million Indonesians, one of whom is shown here. If Lombok makes the news in America, it's most likely because of a volcanic eruption. The island's geography is dominated by the 12,224 ft stratovolcano Mount Ranjani, an active volcano that had a large eruption as recently as 2010. One of the largest volcanic eruptions in world history occurred on Lombok in 1257.

POTD: Dragons are Real

"Volcanic islands,
Dragons roam in wild splendor.
Evolution's gift."
—h/t ChatGPT

From 2023 04 04 Rinca

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken on Rinca Island, home of Indonesia's Komodo National Park, populated by an estimated 5,700 giant lizards, or Komodo Dragons. We saw a dozen or so, from a safe distance. At least they told us we were safe.

Magnet Schools and RISD's Budget Hole

The Richardson ISD Board of Trustees has a regular meeting Thursday, February 22, 2024. One of the (many) items on the agenda is this:

TOPIC Recommended Budget Reductions: Project Rightsize

In December, the Community Budget Steering Committee presented a series of recommendations to effectively “right-size” the budget...

The Administration Team will provide an update on the budget planning and recommendations for the Board’s consideration and feedback.

Source: Richardson ISD.

TIL: US is Choosing to be Poorer

Donald Trump might be the Xenophobe-in-Chief, but both political parties are moving to the right on immigration. This will have a negative impact on GDP, posing threats to everything from Social Security to housing.

Boy Swallows Universe (TV 2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Boy Swallows Universe (TV 2024): Australian boy grows up in a broken home surrounded by deadbeat dad, drug-dealing stepdad, hardluck mom, and assorted bullies and crims. Somehow the kid manages not just to survive, but to thrive. Part fantasy, part crime story, altogether captivating. B+