The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies (2014)

IMDB

Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies (2014): Over the top telling of a children's story. Jackson does CGI great, but Tolkien's charm is lost. C+

POTD: Bristlecone Pine

From 2015 08 13 Mount Evans

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Mt Goliath Natural Area on Colorado's Mt Evans Scenic Byway. "The bristlecone of Mt Goliath are found in large quantities because of conducive conditions on dry, south-facing slopes over 11,000'. They include some of the oldest trees in Colorado, ranging from 1600 to 2500 years old." They also make some pretty nice abstract art.

Homevoters versus Growth Machine

Ahh, another "there are two types of people in the world" story, this time divided by what people think is wrong with America's housing policy.

There are two big theories about who controls the pace of development in American cities and suburbs.

One is the "growth machine." In this telling, developed by academics like Harvey Molotch in the 1970s, urban elected officials and zoning boards are highly influenced by coalitions of business and civic leaders interested mainly in economic growth and maximizing the price of the land they own.

The other, developed later by the economist William Fischel, is the "homevoter hypothesis." Fischel argues that real power -- at least in the small to moderately-sized municipalities in which the majority of Americans live -- is held by homeowners, who are also interested primarily in maximizing the value of their property: their homes.

Source: City Observatory.

Let's apply this model of the world to our own moderately-sized community, Richardson, Texas.

POTD: King on the Mountain

From 2015 08 11 Manitou Springs

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Pike's Peak. At 14,115 feet, it's one of Colorado's 54 "fourteeners" (or 53, depending on who's counting). Impressively tall, yet you can drive to the summit, where there's a visitor center with a gift shop and a restaurant. But that's not at the absolute summit. To reach the tippy-top, you have to scramble up a boulder field. That's only for sticklers for accuracy (aka anal retentive personalities). Note that this photo was taken with the camera pointed up.

Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)

IMDB

Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002): Whites' inhumanity to blacks, Australian aborigine edition. Girls win out, sort of. More sad than uplifting. C+