POTD: Jodhpur, the Blue City

From 2016 02 11 Jodhpur

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Jodhpur, India, known as the "Blue City" for its many houses painted blue. No one knows why they are painted blue, but it's been this way for hundreds of years. Many theories abound. Today houses are painted blue because Jodhpur is known as the "Blue City." Funny how that works. Kind of like how no one knows why some people are famous. They remain famous for being famous.

Jaco (2015)

IMDB

Jaco (2015): Jaco Pastorius, world's greatest electric bass guitar. Troubled genius I never heard of. Needs more music, less talking. C+

Lights Out for Red Light Cameras

Richardson's red light camera program hit a roadblock in June when a Dallas County district court judge sided with a plaintiff who sued the city over the program (case DC-15-00289 in the 134th District Court).

According to one account, the judge "shut down the city's renegade photo enforcement system over several flagrant violations of state law." According to another interpretation (see William J. McCalpin's comments), "The City's problem is that it relied on the State passing laws that were constitutional, and the judge evidently believes that Texas' statutes ( Chapter 707 of the Texas Transportation Code and provisions contained therein, and Section 29.003(g) of the Texas Government Code ) were not constitutional."

I'm not going to try to settle this difference of legal opinion myself. I'm more interested in another aspect of all this.

OTBR: A Split-Log Boardwalk in Finland

Latitude: N 61° 53.826
Longitude: E 023° 12.408

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".

Review: American Sphinx

Amazon

From American Sphinx, by Joseph J. Ellis:

Soon after his death in 1826 Jefferson became a touchstone for wildly divergent political movements that continued to compete for his name and the claim on his legacy. Southern secessionists cited him on behalf of states' rights; northern abolitionists quoted his words in the Declaration of Independence against slavery."

Thomas Jefferson has always been my favorite of the Founding Fathers. But after reading this twenty year old biography by Joseph J. Ellis, I have to concede, no more.

After the jump, my review.

A Family Celebration

We visited family in Appleton the week before the Fourth of July. A good time was had by all.

More photos after the jump.

Repeat Tweets: Karma is a Bitch

Repeat tweets from June, 2016:

• Jun 1 2016: Headline: "Ken Starr has resigned." Made name investigating sex in Oval Office. Failed to investigate rapes at Baylor. Karma is a bitch.
• Jun 3 2016: RT @SenTedCruz: "@CFPB's proposed rule will put added strain on low-income families and workers struggling to access loans." @SenTedCruz defends payday lenders and their predatory lending practices.
• Jun 3 2016: RT @roddreher: "The Left has played its part in the rise of Trump and his identity politics." Passive Trump supporter @roddreher edges closer to a public endorsement.
• Jun 6 2016: Headline: "NFL player Aqib Talib reportedly shot at Dallas strip club." Berkner grad. It's a sad time to be a Ram.

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

POTD: Mehrangarh Fort

From 2016 02 11 Jodhpur

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Jodhpur, India. Rajasthan has more forts, palaces, mosques, temples, tombs, and cenotaphs than a tourist can keep track of, but to me the one with the most imposing presence is Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur. Built beginning about 1460, its stout walls sit about 125 meters above the city.

I Am Love (2009)

IMDB

I Am Love (2009): Wealthy Milan family and their complex relationships, more than one movie can do justice. Money can't buy happiness. B-

POTD: Blow Horn

From 2016 02 11 Jodhpur

Today's photo-of-the-day is a random street scene from Rajasthan, India, where honking your car horn is not only considered to be acceptable, it's asked for by the vehicles getting honked at. Near as I can tell, it's an excuse for slow-moving drivers to ignore traffic behind them until you get close enough to let the slow drivers know you are there and want to pass. After which, the slow drivers still won't get out of your way, but at least they'll know you're passing them anyway.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Falling STAAR - cont.

Recently, I asked, "Can standardized testing in schools fall any lower?" That was a rhetorical question. It appears that standardized testing is in retreat in Texas and across the nation. Some argue we don't need testing. Some argue the tests don't test the right things.

POTD: Street Bounty

From 2016 02 09 Jaipur

Today's photo-of-the-day is a random street scene from Jaipur, India. Food vendors of all kinds are a common sight in India. It's like a farmer's market on every corner.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

IMDB

Star Wars VII (2015): Felt like a scene-by-scene remake of original. Like a greatest hits collection covered by a new band. No freshness. C+

POTD: Stairway to Heaven

From 2016 02 09 Jaipur

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Jantar Mantar monument of Jaipur, India, which is a collection of architectural astronomical instruments built almost 300 years ago.

Really, today's photo-of-the-day is just an excuse for me to talk about Led Zeppelin's 1971 song Stairway to Heaven, the subject of a 2016 plagiarism lawsuit. It's sad how one of the greatest rock songs of all time has been reduced to an ugly spat over money.

Two Days, One Night (2014)

IMDB

Two Days, One Night (2014): Depressed woman fights (kind of) to save her job. Drama with no drama. Marion Cotillard is sadly underused. C-

Falling STAAR

"Messy STAAR season causes education commissioner to scrap 5th-, 8th-grade results." Can standardized testing in Texas schools fall any lower? That's a rhetorical question.

Standardized testing in Texas has a long history. It predates even the George W. Bush governorship in the 1990s. Standardized testing and accountability was given credit for narrowing the achievement gap between whites and minorities. The New York Times had good things to say about Texas in 1999 when Governor Bush was leveraging Texas's reputation in his own bid for the White House.

This has stemmed partly from a unique accountability system that predates Mr. Bush's tenure and requires all Texas schools to give an array of standardized tests and record the results for each subgroup -- white, black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged. The schools are judged on the performance of each group separately. Other states give tests but no other uses the performance of subgroups separately to determine success.

Source: New York Times, May 28, 1999.

Late Spring in the Steger Garden (2016)

From Flowers

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

IMDB

Sunset Blvd. (1950): Billy Wilder classic. As out of date today as silent movies were when this was made. But dead-on casting and cameos. C+

POTD: Biff Henderson

From 2016 02 09 Jaipur

Today's photo-of-the-day is from City Palace in Jaipur, India. In case you ever wondered whatever happened to Biff Henderson, stage manager for "The Late Show with David Letterman," ever since Dave retired, well he's working as a security guard at the City Palace. Or maybe the guard only looks like Biff Henderson. In any case, here's another example of the nice, bright colors that make India so photogenic.

Bonus photo after the jump.

RISD Shell Game

Last week, I brought up my fear that magnet schools in the Richardson ISD were leading to an increase in segregation along socio-economic lines. I didn't have data to test whether my fear is warranted (and I still don't) because as far as I know, the RISD doesn't make such data easily accessible to the public. As long as that's the case, my fear, grounded or not, persists.

The feedback to my article suggests that magnet schools may only be a small component of a larger problem with transfers.

POTD: Beckoning Doorways

From 2016 02 09 Jaipur

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Amber Fort in Jaipur, India. This sprawling complex has more courtyards, halls, chambers, and passageways than you can count. There's always another treat through each beckoning doorway.

Bonus photo after the jump.