How to Survive a Plague (2012)

IMDB

How to Survive a Plague (2012): History of movement to get govt to accelerate AIDS research as millions died. Forgotten today. Our loss. B+

Public Hearing on Richardson's Budget

Richardson's 2012-2013 budget forecast was balanced in the common usage sense of the word (revenues exceeded expenditures). The currently estimated budget actuals are not balanced in the common usage sense (expenditures exceed revenues), but by drawing down fund balances (by about $3 million!) the budget actuals are "balanced" in some bureaucratic sense that I still don't claim to fully understand.

Anyway, now it's on to 2013-2014. After the jump, another way to measure success.

2013-2015 Near-term Action Items

I expected to write this blog post about the near-term action items decided upon by the Richardson City Council during two meetings held August 14 and August 17, 2013. The meetings (retreats?) were held away from city hall. I couldn't make it (my bad - I was sleeping in at the time the second meeting started at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday). Audio and video from the meetings are not posted on the city's website (yet?). Written minutes are not available (yet?).

So, unless you were physically in the audience (at the Eisemann Center, not city hall) you're probably just as much in the dark about what transpired at these meetings as I am. But maybe I know why they called these meetings a "retreat." They were a retreat from transparency in government.

Skates, Dogs, and Near-term Action Items

This week, the Plano City Council voted to build a new, $1 million outdoor skatepark. McKinney opened one earlier this year. Arlington has plans to build a dozen.

Source: Unfair Park.

Richardson has plans, too. Action items, even. Just don't read the fine print. More, after the jump.

S2L77: Kabul, Afghanistan

Kabul, Afghanistan
March 23-25, 1977
Dust storm and rain greeted us in Kabul,
along with "Harry" the slippery money changer.
Spent the day looking at Afghan crafts on Chicken Street.

Source: Personal travel notes.

From 1977 03 23 Afghanistan

More photos after the jump.

Lemon.

Source: Writing for Designers.

Meet the new Interurban District. Same as the old Interurban District.

You didn't know Richardson even has an "Interurban District?" You're probably not alone. It's the area east of Central Expressway and west of the DART rail line from Greer St north to Rayflex Dr. The current conditions and the future vision for the Interurban District were spelled out in the City of Richardson's "Main Street/Central Expressway Study" of January, 2013.

The Interurban District could become a vibrant, mixed-use district that builds upon the existing block structure and buildings in the area. Today's industrial/commercial district, made up of tilt wall and block masonry buildings dating from the 1960's to the 1980's, could transform into an eclectic live/work neighborhood through reuse of the existing building stock for specialty industrial, commercial, retail/ restaurant and residential uses. Vacant and underutilized parcels could be redeveloped into urban housing in the form of loft apartments and live-work units.

Source: City of Richardson.

Vibrant, mixed-use district. Eclectic live/work neighborhood. Loft apartments. Sounds great, doesn't it? Bring it on. After the jump, the first sign of redevelopment of the Interurban District.

Review: A Hologram for the King

Amazon

From A Hologram for the King, by Dave Eggers:

He had just left his team, three young people tasked with setting up and demonstrating holographic communications for a king. But there was no king, and they were in a tent, alone, and there seemed to be no knowing when any of this would be rectified."

After the jump, my review.