Thomas Jefferson

The Times' Jill Abramson is Coming to Town. Be Sure to Follow Her Speech on Twitter.

Jill Abramson, executive editor of my favorite daily newspaper, The New York Times, will speak in town a week from tomorrow, 10 days later than originally planned. Her announced topic will be the same thing that delayed her: "The Boston Marathon Tragedy: 'Quality Journalism's Role in the Hyper Speed ... More >>

Get Off Jefferson's Lawn: On Election Day, an Ode to the Free, Diverse, Annoying Press

Op-ed piece by Princeton professor Kevin M. Kruse in this morning's New York Times argues the real loser in this election cycle was the truth. Kruse marshals instances on both sides of the line but comes down clearly in the camp that sees Mitt Romney as the biggest fattest pants-on-fire liar ever. ... More >>

Lyric Stage's 1776 is a Star-Spangled Treat

The Revisionaries Explores the Texas Board of Education's Fight Against Science, History

How to Cut the Price of Higher Ed: Don't Pay It

So Teresa Sullivan, the president who didn't cut costs at the University of Virginia, got her job back anyway. Meanwhile making the rounds of newspaper op-ed pages is an essay by Jeff Selingo, editorial director of The Chronicle of Higher Education, saying the way to get college costs down is more ... More >>

Why Does Dallas Keep Forgetting About its Cheese-Heroin Problem?

On Friday, Dallas police reported that they were investigating the apparent overdose deaths of two students from Thomas Jefferson High School in March and April: 14-year-old Jaime Morales, who was found dead at his home in Northwest Dallas, and an unnamed 17-year-old, found dead in an apartment on F ... More >>

The Favorite Foods of All 44 Presidents

​After an exhaustive search of public records and historical documents at the Library of Congress (read: drunken Google search), we are ready to honor President's Day with a comprehensive list of the foods enjoyed by our fearless leaders of the past. Throughout this process one question continued ... More >>

And Now a Look at a Former Board of Ed "Expert's" Revisionist History Textbook

​David Barton -- founder of Wallbuilders, former State Board of Education "social studies expert" and member of the Religious Right coalition that prodded Gov. Rick Perry to join the insufficiently Christian Republican field -- isn't exactly what you'd call a rigorous academic. What you might ... More >>

Two Years Ago She Was DISD's Top Principal. Now, Cynthia Goodsell's Job Is Gone.

Cynthia Goodsell​Yesterday, in the comments below, we discovered that the Dallas ISD had summoned some of its principals and executive directors to 3700 Ross for what was described as an "emergency meeting." Last night, I found out why from a Friend of Unfair Park doing some volunteer work for the ... More >>

Say What You Will About Occupy Dallas. But I Find It Inspiring. That's Right. You Heard Me.

​I walked for a while yesterday with those Occupy Dallas people. I don't care what anybody says. They're cool. You know why? Because they're awake. People were all over the map about their specific issues. Some of them talked to me about Timothy Geithner and President Obama's failure to put banker ... More >>

Dallas County GOP Will Have to Soldier On Without Georgatos on Leadership Team

Jason Villalba, a Haynes & Boone attorney, is the new Dallas County GOP vice-chair​Anderson Cooper, for one, will be disappointed, but Debbie Georgatos is no longer part of the Republican Party's local leadership team. The avant-garde filmmaker and would-be Beat poet has resigned her post "as ... More >>

Anchía Takes TJ Yearbook to House Floor When Arguing Against "Sanctuary Cities" Bill

Many good Friends of Unfair Park have forwarded me the clip you see above, which District 103's state rep, Rafael Anchía, posted to YouTube last night. In it, the Haynes and Boone attorney and former Dallas ISD school board trustee argues against the passage of Carrollton state Rep. Burt Solomons's ... More >>

Chinese Love Lazy Susan, but I Can't Stand that Worthless Broad

​I'm going to lose some Asian points for this blog, so I'm just going to put it out there: I am not a fan of the lazy Susan. Why this rotating serving contraption was ever considered a good idea is beyond me. What is supposed to bring people together during a meal is actually quite an intimida ... More >>

And Why Do You Want to Be Dallas Mayor?

Sam MertenNo, you're not having a flashback: Ex-Mayor Tom spoke before his would-be replacements took their turns at Thomas Jefferson.​Who says the four Dallas mayoral candidates haven't distinguished themselves from one another? Last night at that forum at Thomas Jefferson High School, the first ... More >>

Homecoming Dance: Erykah Badu Returns to Arts Magnet to Raise Money (and, the Roof)

Dylan HollingsworthErykah Badu does know how to make the dramatic entrance, performing a capella before cracking the curtain to reveal the full band behind​State Sen. Royce West was there; so too Cindy and Howard Rachofsky, former mayoral candidate and "homeless czar" Tom Dunning, Arts District ex ... More >>

The Eaters in Chief

Thomas Jefferson: great taste in food -- plus he helped give us that whole separation of church/state thing.​The federal holiday Americans observe next Monday was originally designed to honor George Washington. But when the government standardized its celebrations in 1968, they stuck the annua ... More >>

So Filled With T.J. Patriot Pride Right Now. Also: Dallas ISD Releases Make-Up Day Plans.

​Here's something else that got lost in the snowdrift: Earlier today, the Dallas Independent School District send word that come Sunday ...Drill teams from Thomas Jefferson and W.T. White high schools will perform during the Super Bowl XLV halftime show, which will feature the Black Eyed Peas as t ... More >>

It's Time To Go Nuts

Explore Some Art

So, Texas-Style Learnin' isn't Good Enough for Californee? We're So Proud.

Before It's Official, DISD Releases Preliminary List of Exemplary, Recognized Schools

​We said it just last week: The Texas Education Agency won't release its 2010 Accountability Ratings till the end of July, which hasn't stopped the Dallas Independent School District from spreading the good news concerning a fifth straight year of improved TAKS scores and additional schools being ... More >>

It's A Long Way From The Top, If You Used To Rock 'N' Roll...

Why, yes, that is the Dallas-born, Thomas Jefferson High School-educated Marvin Lee Aday (aka Meat Loaf) in the above clip, singing out his love for A1 steak sauce. It's part of a new ad campaign where, no joke, A1 is asking people sing their favorite love songs to their, uh, beef. There's about a ... More >>

Handle The Proof: The Spirit Of '76

Ben Franklin and John Adams, possibly discussing where to go for booze, in 1776.In the musical 1776, Stephen "Old Grape and Guts" Hopkins bursts into the Continental Congress' meeting room each morning demanding rum before getting down to the day's business. Of course, there may have been some licen ... More >>

And Now, For Some Good DISD News ...

Thomas Jefferson High School, which, ahem, some of us have always recognized as one of DISD's finest learning establishmentsBased on preliminary calculations and TAKS results, a record number of Dallas Independent School District campuses are poised to be classified as "recognized" or "exemplary" b ... More >>

10 Questions: Jim Schutze

Our own investigative curmudgeon, legendary political writer and sometime author of crime narratives sure likes to stir the pot.He's been called a liar by targets of his reporting, touched off verbal feuds amongst elected, drawn the wrath of...well, a lot of people. Along the way, he's won national ... More >>

United Way of Dallas to Put $1 Million Toward Keeping Kids in the Dallas ISD

I was glancing at the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees' meeting agenda for Thursday when I espied this intriguing item: Acceptance of Donation from United Way of Metropolitan Dallas in the Amount of $1,005,000 to Support Destination: Graduation. Seems awfully generous, which is w ... More >>

Sing And Sign

1776 celebrates that important Declaration

Early Voting Can Be Fun! And Crowded! And Confusing! Also, Troubling!

Bill Clinton Stops By Thomas Jefferson for Democratic Party Pep Rally

I Too Was "Academically Acceptable"

Proud of My Fellow T.J. Patriots

Dallas' Top-Ranked High Schools Not as High on U.S. News' New List

A Broad Gap for DISD to Clear

Fate's Fanboy

God Wants You to Win!

Allowance Don't Cover This, Boys

Jefferson Scholarship

Today belongs to TJ at TCU

Cameron Crowing

This Week's Day-By-Day Picks

What's Up, Doc?

Ken Burns’ Ken Burns

Letters

Letters for the issue of May 8

Bump in the Road

You'll be drinking faster than you eat at Wahoo Grill & Cantina

Master of Disguise

Wanted: Zackery Crain

Costly Corks

When the cork pops out, the value of wine plummets. So why do restaurants carry expensive bottles?

Letters

Eyes wide shut; Vigilante justice; Long live the queen; And more

Presidential suite

American History why?

Or: Learning about pot-smoking, gas-passing presidents can be fun!

Free throwing up

Locked out and fed up, some NBA, uh, all-stars hoop it way down

Out Here

Lover men

Three new films offer different takes on the myth of the romantic hero