Mr. Holmes (2015)

IMDB

Mr. Holmes (2015): Sherlock as a retired 93-year-old. Less mental work, more heart. Purists may object, but I liked the character growth. A-

Know A Neighborhood: Canyon Creek

"Know A Neighborhood" is an occasional series that offers Richardson neighborhood leaders the opportunity to answer questions that might be of general interest to Richardson residents (or at least to me). My thanks to all who agree to participate.

Today: Jeremy Thomason, Canyon Creek HOA President, answers a question posed by The Wheel.

Heroes "R" Us

Notice anything different between the old and the new logos?

Old Logo	New Logo

The "R" is different in the new logo. The "R" in the old "Richardson Real Heroes" logo is the "R" from the City of Richardson's own logo. The "R" in the new "Richardson Real Heroes" logo is some other font (Brush Script?), vaguely similar but different.

POTD: Wooden Ship Abuilding

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, where today re-enactment of life in the 1700s is all a part of the pleasure of visiting.

Bonus photo after the jump.

It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)

IMDB

It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012): Simple animated short about life of Bill, a sad sack who is either mentally ill or imaginative genius. C+

POTD: The Fog of History

From 2016 09 06 Sydney

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the 18th century French Fortress of Louisbourg, and the town it protected, on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Or rather, from a modern reconstruction of the fortress. In the mid-1740s, Louisbourg was a major commercial port and the fortress one of the most extensive European fortifications constructed in North America. The fortress was captured by the English in 1758 and destroyed not long after. Maybe Canadians remember, but to most Americans (and by "most Americans" I mean, of course, me) it's all lost to the fog of history.

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.