Imagine the world a thousand years from now. Go ahead, I'll wait. What did you come up with? A Jetsons' world with flying cars and moon colonies or a Mad Max post-apocalyptic world of violent gangs looting what's left of civilization? Those are the two most common visions.
After the jump, the outlook by Michael Ruppert, former cop and now an independent writer and the subject of a 2009 documentary titled "Collapse." Hint: the title gives away which vision of the future Ruppert holds. ;-)
I found an email in my spam folder this morning. I don't recommend following its advice on how to deal with a computer virus, but its unintended humor did prompt me to post it here, so that part of the spammer's plan worked, I guess.
After the jump, the spammer's email.
This month, the City of Richardson has started putting the city's check register online. Checks issued by the city, including payee, amount and short description of the goods and services being paid for are now available for public perusal.
This is the third of three major initiatives that the City Council committed to as part of its goals. All three were issues in the council election in 2009, when all the winning candidates expressed support for more open and transparent government. The other two commitments were to televise city council meetings and to adopt a code of ethics. The council previously delivered on both of these promises.
Links to all of Richardson's efforts at improved government transparency can be found on the city's website at www.cor.net/Transparency.aspx. Good job, council.
There is no Farmers Branch school district. But that could change if the mayor of Farmers Branch, Tim O'Hare, has his way. He's exploring whether the city of Farmers Branch can withdraw from both the Carrollton-Farmers Branch and Dallas Independent School Districts and form its own school district. (Read The Dallas Morning News stories here and here.)
After the jump, what triggered the mayor of Farmers Branch to involve himself in the public schools? Hint: it has something to do with "traditional American values." That's code for it has something to do with Hispanics.
Fresh off their victory (?) over the rebuilding and expansion of the Lookout Drive trash transfer station, the Neighborhood Protection Alliance of Richardson (NPAR) has focused its attention on the planned development for the open land southeast of the US 75 and the President George Bush Tollway (PGBT). In an email blast (I can't find it on the group's website to link to), NPAR Chair Maitri Smithhisler rallied the neighbors to attend a City Planning Commission meeting Tuesday Dec 7th, at 7PM at City Hall, at which it will be considering the Parliament planned development for the open land.
Now, I'm all in favor of grassroots involvement in civic matters such as this, even if I fear that a reflexive NIMBY attitude is likely to prevail. Smithhisler's email suggests that risk is real in this case, although I'm encouraged by the appearance of an open mind: "Please note: while the significant traffic increase, the massive apartment presence and the form-based code pose great concern, there are many aspects to this development that preliminarily look positive."
Hey, it's the corner of an 8-lane freeway and an 8-lane tollway, with a DART station in the middle and another rail line, the Cotton Belt, on the drawing boards. If that's not tailor-made for high-density development - offices, apartments, retail -- what is? The increased tax base will help pay for those parks and rec centers and trails that everyone else in Richardson likes so much. This kind of development should come as a surprise only to the most clueless home buyers for about the last 20 years. And form-based code is a plus. It's what enables mixed-use and reduces the need for people to use cars to get from a neighborhood zoned residential to a neighborhood zoned commercial. If you want to free Richardson from its shackles to the automobile, support form-based zoning.
So, let's hope that Smithhisler's open mind is genuine and that she can persuade other homeowners to keep an open mind, too.
P.S. My earlier post with comments on the subject, comparing it to another development in downtown Dallas, can be read here.