S2L77: Partying Among the Taliban

From 1977 03 17 Pakistan

That photo above was taken in Pakistan, in the heart of Taliban country. Obviously, it demands explanation (and probably my apology). After the jump, I take my share of responsibility for the whole bloody mess that whole part of the world has become.

Richardson is "Running with the Big Dogs"

The Dallas Morning News published an editorial in which it described Richardson as "cruising on a massive dose of adrenaline." Specifically it highlighted the superlatives of the real estate development underway at the Bush Turnpike and Central Expressway.

Go ahead and read the editorial, then come back here for my thoughts ... after the jump.

Why I Oppose Stricter Voter ID Laws

I don't believe we as a nation should tolerate voter fraud. Neither should we tolerate voter suppression. But what if pursuing the former increases the latter? I'm convinced that is the case, intentionally or not. The balance is not even close. That's the sticking point for me, leading me to oppose the strict new voter ID laws many states are passing, including Texas.

Details after the jump.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

IMDB

Pulp Fiction (1994): Finally watched, after 19 yrs on to-do list. Classic Tarantino. Over the top violence. Part homage, part invention. A-

Like a Good Neighbor...hood name

What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;

Source: William Shakespeare.

Maybe that's true for roses, but it's not true for real estate. In real estate, names matter. A University of Georgia study says home buyers will pay more when a development has the word "country" in the name. A good neighborhood name can command a higher price than a good neighborhood school can.

So what about no name at all? For the last few years, I've been calling all that vacant land at Bush Turnpike and US 75, well, "all that vacant land at Bush Turnpike and US 75." After the jump, the curious case of the lack of a name for this development.

Spamalot, at RCT

Repertory Company Theater

Spamalot, at RCT: A spoof of a spoof of Camelot. Richardson production. Crams a lot of singing/dancing/laughter on a small stage. Great fun.

Cloud Atlas (2012)

IMDB

Cloud Atlas (2012): Parallel lives in different times, different worlds, all linked and all Tom Hanks and Halle Berry. True-true? Nuh uh. C-

S2L77: Pakistan's Swat Valley

Swat Valley, Pakistan
March 20-21, 1977

Morning hike up the mountain behind the hotel.
Evening dinner and costume party.
Spent the day napping on a blanket in the yard.

Source: Personal travel notes.

From 1977 03 17 Pakistan

More after the jump.

Forget Main Street. Focus on Greenville.

Patrick Kennedy, the CarFreeInBigD guy who wants to tear out IH 345 in downtown Dallas, takes a look at downtown Richardson with an eye towards "mining the poor utilization of land for gold."

The first thing he concludes is that there's not much that can be done to revive Main Street. The street can't be narrowed, sidewalks widened and more cafe space created. Main Street is already "at capacity, if not over, moving more than 30,000 cars per day as the primary firehose delivery system to/fro 75. The only way to increase pedestrian space here would be to knock down buildings."

As much as I hate giving up on my hopes for Main Street, I came to much the same conclusion when I reviewed the City of Richardson's own Main Street study. "The drawing shows wide tree-lined sidewalks, a tree-lined median, a lane for parallel parking and two lanes of traffic in either direction. How they're going to get all that in the narrow space available is unexplained. What is there now are narrow sidewalks and barely enough street to squeeze two overloaded lanes in either direction."

After the jump, Kennedy realigns Richardson's focus north-south, not east-west.

Before Silicon Valley, There Was Paper Valley

From 2013 06 Wisconsin

Long before Richardson's Telecom Corridor or even California's Silicon Valley, the Fox River Valley in northeastern Wisconsin was known as Paper Valley. The combination of Wisconsin's vast timber resources and water and power from the Fox River was ideal for making paper. The resulting paper mills created prosperous communities and wealthy paper barons with names like Kimberly and Clark. A hundred years ago, it was said that there were more millionaires per capita in Neenah, Wisconsin, than in any other city in America.

After the jump, the Fox River today.