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.