OTBR: A Farm on Galveston Bay

Latitude: N 29° 29.724
Longitude: W 094° 57.708

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".

Tolling Central: Where Does Richardson Stand?

NCTCOG and TxDOT want to convert the HOV lane on Central Expressway (US 75) into a tolled express lane between IH 635 and Allen. Do you know where the City of Richardson stands on this? Seriously. Do you?

Different possible answers after the jump.

A Drive Through Ferguson, Missouri

From 2014 08 22 Ferguson Missouri

When a white policeman, Darren Wilson, shot and killed an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri, he set off a chain of events that put Ferguson, Missouri, in the headlines for days. The community protested against police violence and the militarized police responded with tear gas and armored vehicles. Naturally, we just had to see things for ourselves.

After the jump, my impressions of Ferguson.

Repeat Tweets: Extrapolating US Politics to Middle East

Repeat tweets from August, 2014:

• Aug 3 2014: Extrapolating US politics to the Middle East: Tea party/Hamas (fighting on at any cost) vs Dems/Israel (refusing to dismantle the state).
  
• Aug 4 2014: MT @DaveLieber: "How a school board broke a zillion rules in five minutes. thescoopblog.dallasnews.com.html" Which reminds me, when will RISD tape?
  
• Aug 4 2014: Headline: "Rick Perry forms political action committee." Or as it might be called, a roll call for Rick, or you know: youtube.com
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

Marley (2012)

IMDB

Marley (2012): Life of reggae superstar and promoter of peace. Behind the scenes look at so much more than a musician. Died too young. B-

Review: Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

Amazon

From Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, by Walter Isaacson

'Mankind divides into two classes,' the Nation magazine declared in 1868: the 'natural-born lovers' and the 'natural-born haters' of Benjamin Franklin."

After the jump, my review.

Enough Said (2013)

IMDB

Enough Said (2013): Divorced middle-agers try dating scene again and suck at it. Like the relationship, movie lacks energy. Enough said. C+

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)

IMDB

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011): Master sushi chef. Tradition, dedication, honor, pride. See it if you like sushi. Even if you don't. B-

August: Osage County (2013)

IMDB

August: Osage County (2013): Dysfunctional family is an understatement. Like a Godzilla movie, but a family gets shattered, not a city. B-

The Grandmaster (2013)

IMDB

The Grandmaster (2013): Kung-fu biopic. Chinese history, romance and stylized martial arts. Lush cinematography. Disjointed story. B-