Airlift (2016)

IMDB

Airlift (2016): Saddam invades Kuwait. 170,000 Indians need rescue. Akshay Kumar saves the day. Bollywood tells story Hollywood doesn't. B-












More after the jump.

POTD: Fortress of Louisbourg

From 2016 09 06 Sydney

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the 18th century French Fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Or rather, from the reconstructed fort. The English capture of the fort in 1758 was a turning point in the Seven Years War with the French for control of Canada. The English demolished the fort. Only recently, as coal mines on the island shut down, was restoration of the fort begun by the government as a way to provide jobs, to the benefit of tourists.

Bonus photo after the jump.

POTD: Fidheal Mhor a’ Ceilidh

From 2016 09 06 Sydney

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Sydney harbor on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, home to the world's largest fiddle, and North America's only living Celtic culture.

Ghostbusters (2016)

IMDB

Ghostbusters (2016): Maybe if you never saw original. But if you did, absolutely no need to see remake. Nothing fresh, down to the slime. C+

POTD: "No Frills Heaven"

From 2016 09 05 Halifax

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Ryer's Retail Lobsters in Indian Harbor, Nova Scotia. According to a review on TripAdvisor: "These are the freshest and most succulent lobsters I have eaten and they didn't cost an arm and a leg. Fresh from the sea, steamed to order, sit on the benches and tuck in."

Bonus photo after the jump.

Parched (2015)

IMDB

Parched (2015): Four women in rural India deal with a patriarchal culture and asshole men. Strong female characters. Bollywood feminism. B-

POTD: "Got Drunk, Fell Down"

From 2016 09 05 Halifax

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the waterfront boardwalk at Halifax harbor. The three lamp posts are part of an art installation by Chris Hanson and Hendrika Sonnenberg.

POTD: Peggy's Point Light

From 2016 09 05 Halifax

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the Peggy's Cove Lighthouse in Nova Scotia. At least one tour guide goes so far as to say it's the most photographed building in Canada. Wikipedia will only say that it's "one of the most-photographed structures in Atlantic Canada." Russ Rowlett of the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill says: "This is a genuine star: one of the world's most visited and most photographed lighthouses." I'll accept that.

P.S. The tourist photo-bombing the lighthouse is the most photographed tourist in all our travels. Definitely. And picturesque herself.

Why She Lost

There's blame enough to go around. But you have to start with the candidate herself. Hillary Clinton was a historically unpopular candidate. Democrats lulled themselves with a comparison to the even more unpopular Donald Trump. They gambled that her unpopularity wouldn't matter. It did.

POTD: Peggy's Cove

From 2016 09 05 Halifax

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, a picturesque little fishing village. That description doesn't do the place justice. Not even the tour buses and crowds can take the charm away from this place. To give an idea of how popular this village is, it's even been recreated halfway around the world at a resort in Thailand. I know...WTF?

Sky Ladder (2016)

IMDB

Sky Ladder (2016): The fireworks art of Cai Guo-Qiang. Remember 2008 Beijing Olympics fireworks? Same guy. Dedication and results. B-

Rod Dreher, Troll

Tomorrow is election day. So, let's give a little space to national politics. Or rather, to Rod Dreher's view of the election campaign. Or rather, to Dreher's postscript to his analysis. It earns him today's award for unintended irony.

OTBR: A Swamp in Estonia

Latitude: N 59° 06.336
Longitude: E 024° 45.342

A child on a road trip with his family asks, "Where are we?" and the father answers, "Let's check the map. We're off the blue roads [the Interstate Highways marked in blue on the road atlas]. We're off the red roads [the US and state highways]. We're off the black roads [the county highways]. I think we're off the map altogether." It was always my dream to be off the map altogether.

After the jump, a few of the random places (and I mean random literally) that I visited vicariously last month that are "off the blue roads".

POTD: Died April 15, 1912

From 2016 09 05 Halifax

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Fairview Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where 121 victims of the Titanic sinking are buried. It's eerie to see rows of tombstones all etched with the identical death date: April 15, 1912.

Bonus photo after the jump.

45 Years (2015)

IMDB

45 Years (2015): Long-dead girlfriend's body interferes with a couple's 45-year anniversary. Quiet, touching movie. Two strong leads. B-

Repeat Tweets: Cornyn Blames Obama

Repeat tweets from October, 2016:

• Oct 1 2016: TX Senator John Cornyn blames Obama... "For the passage of a bill. That he told Congress not to pass. And vetoed." nola.com
  
• Oct 3 2016: Wells Fargo was engaging in fraud, but Ted Cruz and Pete Sessions were raking in the bank's campaign contributions. chron.com
  
• Oct 7 2016: North Dallas's own Katrina Pierson puts her foot in her mouth again. "So what? They're Muslim." Right Wing Talk
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

By the Bog of Cats at RHS

By the Bog of Cats at RHS: Euripides in an Irish bog. Challenging play for HS theatre: serious, adult, tragic. RHS pulled it off.

Support high school theatre, whether your kids attend or not. It's that good.

Disney's Fantasia Live in Concert

Disney's Fantasia Live in Concert with the Dallas Symphony: Sad to say, the animation shows its 75 years, but the music is classic. (H/T Chuck and Diana)

POTD: Summer Colony for the Rich and Famous

From 2016 09 04 Bar Harbor

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Bar Harbor, Maine.

By 1880, there were 30 hotels. Tourists were arriving by train and ferry to the Gilded Age resort that would rival Newport, Rhode Island. The rich and famous tried to outdo each other with entertaining and estates. A glimpse of their lifestyles was available from the Shore Path, a walkway skirting waterfront lawns. Yachting, garden parties, and carriage rides up Cadillac Mountain were popular diversions. Others enjoyed horse-racing. President William Howard Taft played golf. Bar Harbor become synonymous with elite wealth.

Source: Wikipedia excerpt.

And then there was us.

Dallas to Suburbs: Drop Dead, Still

Recently, we reviewed the attitude by many in the city of Dallas that there should be no cooperation between the city and the suburbs. Here's what we said:

Regionalism is dead. It was killed over DART's desire to build both a downtown Dallas D2 line and a suburban Cotton Belt commuter train line...The sticking point is not D2. It's the Cotton Belt. The suburbs want it...The farther away from north Dallas you go, the greater the opposition to spending money on the Cotton Belt.

Source: The Wheel.

What's changed in the meantime? Nothing.

Marguerite (2015)

IMDB

Marguerite (2015): Rich 1920s socialite thinks she can sing. No one dares tell her no. Movie looks great but is one-note: off-key. C+

POTD: Druids of Eld

From 2016 09 04 Bar Harbor

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Acadia National Park in Maine.

EvangelineThis is the forest primeval.
The murmuring pines and the hemlocks,
Bearded with moss, and in garments green,
indistinct in the twilight,
Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic,
Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms.
Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neighboring ocean
Speaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.

Source: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Prelude

An evening at Prelude, a nighttime outdoor art exhibit in the Dallas Arts District. Beautiful weather. The greatest company. An inspiring message of determination and hope. Serendipity. An encouraging prelude to an uncertain next act.

Chemical Imbalance at BHS

Chemical Imbalance at Berkner HS: Spoof of Jekyll and Hyde. Lots of fun in this farce, just before Halloween. Support your high school theater.

POTD: Cairn

From 2016 09 04 Bar Harbor

Today's photo-of-the-day is of a rock cairn in Acadia National Park in Maine. Look closely for it. Human handiwork is no match for nature's majesty.

Difret (2014)

IMDB

Difret (2014): Lawyer defends Ethiopian girl charged with murder in a society where women have few rights. Maddening story told plainly. B-

POTD: Beach View

From 2016 09 04 Bar Harbor

Today's photo-of-the-day is a distant view of Sand Beach in Acadia National Park in Maine. "Sand Beach, in Acadia National Park, is nestled in a small inlet between the granite mountains and rocky shores of Mount Desert Island. This gorgeous 290 yard long beach is one of the most popular points of interest on the island."

Dallas to Suburbs: Drop Dead

Regionalism is dead. It was killed over DART's desire to build both a downtown Dallas D2 line and a suburban Cotton Belt commuter train line. DART included funding for some preliminary work on a second DART line (D2) line through downtown Dallas in its 2017 budget. It also included funding for some preliminary work on the Cotton Belt.

The latter became the casus belli for the mass transit war between Dallas and its suburbs to the north.