Trolling: Dictators

Trolling from October, 2018:

• Oct 3 2018: RT @iyad_elbaghdadi: "Dictators only truly 'reform' under severe existential pressure. You can't appease them, give them space, give them money, give them world class PR, and *also* expect them to reform. That doesn't happen. That only makes them more dictatorial."
  I read this and honestly thought it was a comment on @realDonaldTrump, not Saudi Arabia.
• Oct 3 2018: "Expect a 'Presidential Alert' test message at 1:18pm Wednesday."
  If Obama were still president, I'd expect a flurry of crazy theories from the Right. Has anyone on the Left warned that Trump is, e.g., secretly installing listening apps on your phone?
• Oct 3 2018: Not quite synonyms. When you mean to say "duplication" but instead say "Questions will be screened for duplicity."
• Oct 4 2018: Trump has brought the country together.
  In Dec 2017, Trump said, The FBI's "reputation is in Tatters - worst in History!"
  In Oct 2018, with the FBI's sham Kavanaugh investigation, Dems agree.
  Win-win for Trump. He has to be pleased. (Putin, too.)

After the jump, more trolling.

POTD: Table for Three

From 2018 03 27 Sydney

Today's photo-of-the-day is from The Rocks district in Sydney, Australia. It's one of the oldest neighborhoods in Sydney. In the 1970s, it seemed doomed for demolition, to be redeveloped with high rise offices and condos. But a neighborhood group organized and saved it. Renovations have since turned it into a popular, walkable commercial and tourist district.

mid90s (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

mid90s (2018): Hard-to-love teens slowly show they aren't as tough as they first appear in this slice-of-life look at a dysfunctional environment. The plot never really goes anywhere, but it may still be an important movie for teens and parents to both watch. C+

Cleaning Paint Brushes

The Dallas Museum of Art is currently showing an exhibition, Günther Förg: A Fragile Beauty. It's co-organized with the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, which says, "A Fragile Beauty explores the work of a rebellious artist whose oeuvre embodies a critical, witty, yet rigorous and penetrating critique of the canon of modern art."

Young Frankenstein (RCT)

Repertory Company Theatre

Young Frankenstein (RCT): Mel Brooks's musical comedy on stage in Richardson. Large cast, great singing, dancing, and comic timing. Support local musical theater.

Ozark - Season 2 (TV 2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

Ozark - Season 2 (TV 2018): Quiet accountant in the Ozarks launders money for a Mexican drug cartel. It's all about family. If that sounds like "Breaking Bad," well, Ozark lives up to the comparison. Season 2 is darker, more violent, but still all about family (or families). B+

The Old Man & the Gun (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Old Man & The Gun (2018): Robert Redford as aging gentleman bandit who robs banks. Again and again. No dramatic arc here. Think of it as "The Sundance Kid in his Sunset." I see Casey Affleck is working again. No arc there, either, in movie or real life. B-

POTD: Over the Moon Down Under

From 2018 03 27 Sydney

"Glory to Australia,
down under they say we are,
over the moon am I
with you in the southern land."

— John Williamson

Today's photo-of-the-day is of course from Sydney, Australia. The Opera House is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world. And the Moon is, always, out of this world. Sydney Harbor was a wonderful place for "L" and me to end our own stay Down Under.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Forever (TV 2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

Forever (TV:2018): Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph in a light drama that explores a mundane marriage and the prospect of it lasting forever. Afterlife without religion. Quiet desperation on her part. Cluelessness on his. Original, quiet, quirky, mildly thought-provoking. B-

The Company He Keeps

The Richardson ISD is asking voters to approve a tax increase. I am voting YES for many reasons that I've been spelling out in previous blog posts. This post is not going to add to the reasons to "Vote YES." Instead, this post takes a look at the organized "Vote NO" side, specifically its political action committee (PAC) treasurer, Chris McNutt, and the company he keeps.