Point and Shoot (2014)

IMDB

Point and Shoot (2014): Thrill-seeker films motorcycle ride across North Africa. Returns to fight Gaddafi. Like watching a car wreck. B-

Debt is Good

The Richardson City Council voted to hold an election in November to issue new bonds totaling $115 million. The four propositions residents will vote on:

• Public Buildings - $67,000,000
• Streets - $38,570,000
• Parks - $7,230,000
• Sidewalks - $2,200,000

I haven't studied the details, but the numbers seem to be in the right ballpark for my support. Should the total be a little more...or less? Perhaps. The total seems to be of a size that doesn't require a tax increase. That's important to many. Should buildings get less money and streets get more? Perhaps, if the money for streets goes not to building more streets but goes instead to filling potholes and reconfiguring existing streets to improve walkability. That's important to me. I'll have my ears open for discussions along these lines, but I expect that I'll support all four bond propositions regardless whether the numbers are exactly what I would have come up with myself.

There are some people who don't just want to fiddle with the numbers. They want to cut the numbers to zero. For them, debt is evil, or at least bad. This attitude provides us with another opportunity to challenge conventional wisdom. Public debt isn't evil. It's not even bad. In fact, debt is good.

POTD: Ben Thành Market

From 2015 03 21 Saigon

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Ben Thành Market, Saigon. It's a large, old marketplace popular with tourists and locals alike. Souvenirs, handicrafts, clothing, food (cooked and uncooked), all are available in this thriving market. The photo was taken in the street just outside the market building itself. Good times.

POTD: Opéra de Saigon

From 2015 03 21 Saigon

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Saigon. Sure, you're in southeast Asia. Sure, you're where a national tragedy for America played out, where so many lost their lives in a bitter war. But before that, Saigon was at heart a French city, perhaps nowhere more reminiscent of that than the Saigon Opera House, built in 1897 by a French architect in the style of Opéra Garnier in Paris. Today, here is a beautiful Vietnamese bride having her wedding photo taken in front of the theatre. Jarring images and thoughts.

Gone Girl (2014)

IMDB

Gone Girl (2014): Troubled marriage. Dickish husband. Signs of violence. Missing wife. But where's the body? Top-notch mystery/thriller. B+

POTD: Louis Vuitton in Ho Chi Minh City

From 2015 03 21 Saigon

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Saigon. It's another one of the jarring images that are everywhere in today's Saigon, as free market reforms spread throughout this still communist country. Marxism-Leninism is making room for French fashion (and Burger King, Dunkin' Donuts and Popeyes fried chicken) on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City.

Antarctica: A Year on Ice (2014)

IMDB

Antarctica: A Year on Ice (2014): Portrait of ordinary workers in world's coldest land. Stunning scenery. Endless night. Cabin Fever. T3. B+

Review: The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Amazon

From The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid:

Come, tell me, what were you looking for? Surely, at this time of day, only one thing could have brought you to the district of Old Anarkali -- named, as you may be aware, after a courtesan immured for loving a prince -- and that is the quest for the perfect cup of tea. Have I guessed correctly?"

So begins a conversation between a young, bearded Pakistani and an unidentified, nervous American at a cafe in Lahore. After the jump, my review.

POTD: Check out the Rolls

From 2015 03 21 Saigon

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Saigon. See that woman selling some kind of rolls from a pan perched on the back of her bicycle? That's not the Rolls mentioned in the headline. Do you see what is? Behind the bike? That's a Rolls Royce parked in the street in Saigon. Luxury Rolls and bread rolls side by side. Such jarring images are everywhere in today's Saigon.

This isn't your father's Vietnam. It's hard to tell that the US didn't win the war. South Vietnam may have fallen, but the dominoes didn't. Look around Saigon today. Western culture is pervasive, not Russian or Chinese. Free market reforms are everywhere.

What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)

IMDB

What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015): Moving portrait of a singer who not only reflected her times, but shaped them. Tragic personal life. A-