The Serpent Queen (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Serpent Queen (TV 2022): Historical drama based on life of Catherine de' Medici, cunning queen of France in the 1500s. Scheming over religion and succession fill the series with intrigue that builds to an exciting climax that is suspenseful even if you know the history. A-

Prime

#VeryTardyReview

The Instigators (2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Instigators (2024): Two losers (Matt Damon and Ben Affleck) pull off a heist that goes wrong each step of the way, but somehow there's always a fallback plan to keep going. A caper comedy that's easy to follow and fun to watch, with more than a few good laughs. B+

AppleTV+

TIL: A Parallel Between Hezbollah and the GOP

The current issue of The New Yorker has a story by Dexter Filkins on the growing risk of war between Hezbollah and Israel in Lebanon ("Will Hezbollah and Israel Go to War?"). It delves deeply into not just the current crisis, but the entire history of Hezbollah, which was founded in 1985. Hezbollah has had the military aim of destroying Israel ever since. It has adopted a political strategy inside Lebanon as well, preventing the existence of a functioning government in that nation. American politics aren't explicitly addressed in Filkins's article, but I recognized a similarity between Hezbollah's tactics and the GOP's.

POTD: Swaziland's Hottest Tourist Attraction

"Animal spirits,
Trapped within the shining glass,
Recycled, reborn."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2023 10 23 South Africa - Part 2

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the glass-blowing factory Ngwenya Glass in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). Tourists can watch being made, and later buy, drinking glasses, vases, and ornamental African animals, all handmade from recycled glass.

A bonus photo is after the jump.

POTD: Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park

"A table stands still.
Warning sign keeps it open.
White rhinos nearby."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2023 10 23 South Africa - Part 2

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park in eastern South Africa. It was the first of many national parks we toured in southern Africa. It's the oldest nature reserve in Africa. "Thanks to conservation efforts, the park now has one of the largest populations of white rhinoceros in the world, although this population remains severely threatened by the poaching of hundreds of rhinos every year in the park."

The photo was taken at a picnic area in the park. The warning sign is probably what keeps the picnic table open. Click for a bonus photo closeup of another warning sign.