MesaZona > Table of Contents : Here's The Menu. Enjoy: May 2016

31 May 2016

City of Mesa Fiscal Year 2016/17 Budget Wrap-up ]updated June 1]

Blogger's Note: Nothing is "wrapped-up" about the FY2016/17 Budget.
Nice pretty packaging with tricky out-of-scale and over-blown spatial renderings over-hype for sure, with the City Manager "scrubbing the numbers" to sell millions of dollars in spending to taxpayers. Better un-pack it AND ASK QUESTIONS NOW
FOR YOUR INFORMATION > get informed + engaged.
Here's the way it's supposed to work: "the city's budget is developed in conjunction with residents, the Mayor and City Council, City Manager and City Employees.
The result is a budget that closely matches the community's highest priorities each fiscal year." Huh???
Presented by the Office of Management and Budget
May 5, 2016
The Status
• FY 16/17 was intended as the second year of a two-year process to better align on-going expenditures with on-going revenues
• Realized operational savings in FY 14/15 has allowed for a temporary reprieve
• Annual budgets are reliant on savings to sustain services
• Departments are asked to review operations in pursuit of innovations that result in savings. Operational savings of 2% is targeted
• Expense pressure continues regarding current services in the public safety areas while demand for services also continues to grow

Changes to the Proposed Budget

1. Light Rail Bike Patrol
Increased security in the light rail corridor through the expansion of the current light rail bike patrol $799,000
Addition of a park ranger to assist in Pioneer Park $102,000
2. The proposed budget included two additional Code Compliance Officers.
The revised budget converts two existing CDBG funded code compliance officers to the general fund (allowing use of the CDBG funding for a pilot outreach program)
Enforcement/Outreach and Education
FY 15/16: 7 general fund officers, 3 CDBG officers (2 positions + 1 temp)
FY 16/17 : 10 general fund officers (9 positions +1 temp), reallocation of CDBG funding to community outreach [revised proposal]
3. Increase funding available for Historic Preservation Services $50,000
Proposed budget included $15,000 of the $50,000

4. Increase in Human Services Funding $50,000
• Additional funding brings total to $876,000 for services and administration and $50,000 for utility assistance

THE ADOPTION TIMELINE

May 16: Capital Improvement Program, Public Hearing and Adoption,
Utility Rate Adjustments, Public Hearing and Adoption

June 6: Annual Budget, Tentative Adoption

June 20: Annual Budget and Secondary Property Tax Levy, Public Hearing
Annual Budget, Final Adoption

July 5: Secondary Property Tax Levy Adoption

City Hall » Office of Management & Budget
Presentations & ReportsEach year, the city's budget is developed in conjunction with residents, the Mayor and City Council, City Manager and City Employees.
The result is a budget that closely matches the community's highest priorities each fiscal year.
Here you'll find the information on the city's budget, financial reports and other city reports.
http://www.mesaaz.gov/city-hall/office-of-management-budget/presentations-reports

30 May 2016

Time-Stamp Tonight: NEMESIS/Hidden in Asteroid Belt? Mars Close Approach

Cosmically Cozy?. . . Major events on this planet. It's out there - the visuals are stunning

Published on May 30, 2016

Is there a Binary Dwarf Star now within a 4 year orbital intersection with Earth? http://www.BPEarthWatch.Com
The Video of the Magnetopause Reversals .http://www.solarsystemscope.com/

Sebastian Junger: Why Veterans Miss War + Its Consequences

News reporter and best-selling author Sebastian Junger has seen war up close, and he knows the impact that battlefield trauma has on soldiers. 50% of veterans have filed for disability claims,; 40% are dealing with PTSD and 10% are on active combat duty.

But he suggests there's another major cause of pain for veterans when they come home: American society is in chaos with the experience of leaving the tribal closeness of the military and returning to an alienating and bitterly divided modern society. "Sometimes, we ask ourselves if we can save the vets," Junger says. "I think the real question is if we can save ourselves." (This talk comes from the PBS special "TED Talks: War & Peace," which premieres Monday, May 30 at 9 p.m. EST.)

Published on May 23, 2014

Civilians don't miss war. But soldiers often do. Journalist Sebastian Junger shares his experience embedded with American soldiers at Restrepo, an outpost in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley that saw heavy combat. Giving a look at the "altered state of mind" that comes with war, he shows how combat gives soldiers an intense experience of connection. In the end, could it actually be "the opposite of war" that soldiers miss?

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.
Find closed captions and translated subtitles in many languages at http://www.ted.com/translate

Follow TED news on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tednews
Like TED on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TED

Link to the entire transcript >> https://www.ted.com/talks/sebastian_junger_why_veterans_miss_war/transcript?language=en

Trump Pie!

DOUBLE WHAMMY FOR MEMORIAL DAY - 2 Servings of Jonathan Pie

Published on May 8, 2016

British News reporter, Jonathan Pie can't stop throwing insults at Donald Trump between takes

A Slice of GAY PIE

Published on May 29, 2016

Reporter gets his divorce papers through and discusses gay marriage.

Creative Place Making Here in The New Urban DTMesa > Music To Open Your Ears

So ya think our sweet city is way too conservative? ..... think again and listen up . . .
There are a lot of creative people of all generations, stars and stripes of all kinds, aerosol artists, photographers, fine artists and some not so fine going onto the edge of breaking boundaries, street performers ["Batman" is one] but these guys from Mesa are rockin' the world - hard to stick a label on them: alt-rock, emo, power pop, pop punk.

Here goes:

Jimmy Eat World is an American rock band from Mesa, Arizona, that formed in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jim Adkins, guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch and drummer Zach Lind. As of June 2013, Jimmy Eat World have released eight studio albums, the last seven featuring the current lineup.
The four piece's commercial breakthrough came with the successful release of several singles from the album Bleed American (2001). Four singles from the album charted within the top twenty positions of the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, with "The Middle" reaching the number one position. Jimmy Eat World's follow-up album Futures (2004) featured another Modern Rock Tracks number one song, "Pain". The RIAA certified Bleed American platinum and Futures gold, rewarding the two albums for selling over one and a half million records between them. The band's sixth album Chase This Light (2007) became the band's highest charting album, peaking at number five on the Billboard 200.
Since the completion of the "Futures 10 Year Anniversary Tour" that was held in the second half of 2014, the band is writing material for their ninth studio album.

Background information
Origin	Mesa, Arizona, United States
Genres	Alternative rock^[1] emo^[2] power pop^[3] pop punk^[4]
Years active	1993–present
Labels	RCA Dine Alone Records Interscope DreamWorks Capitol Wooden Blue Fueled by Ramen Better Looking Geffen Big Wheel Recreation DGC Western Tread Recordings
Website	jimmyeatworld.com

Out of 100 Cities Nationwide Mesa Parks Ranked In The Bottom 10

So, how’s our city’s park system, if it’s one of the 100 to appear in the index, rank? Better or worse than you expected? Where was there room for improvement?
Just released is a report for urban park systems in the country per the Trust for Public Land (TPL)’s annual ParkScore rankings, an index that ranks urban recreational spaces belonging to the 100 most populous American cities.
Residents of Mesa will have to scroll way down - to the bottom ten - to see how the city gets ranked.
The ParkScore® index measures how well the 100 largest U.S. cities are meeting the need for parks
http://parkscore.tpl.org/

The ParkScore methodology is based on three key criteria. Park Access uses advanced GIS mapping technology to determine how far a city’s residents must walk to access the nearest public green space. Park Size takes into consideration both the median size of a unit within an individual park system and the total amount of land within a city that’s dedicated to parks.

Finally, the Facilities and Investment category combines both a city's park spending per resident and the availability of a quartet of aforementioned park amenities: dog parks, playgrounds, basketball hoops and recreation/senior centers
.
Take a look at around 7 o'clock - for Mesa it's $28.6 Millions of dollars.

Mesa = 91 out of 100

While it’s true that a low ParkScore may yield a fair amount of hand-wringing for park officials in the cities that place close to the bottom of the list, the TPL sees the rankings — described as “the most comprehensive rating system ever developed to measure how well the 100 most populous U.S. cities are meeting their residents’ need for parks” — as a tool that poorly-ranked cities can use to help better themselves in key areas and, in turn, move up the list.
Link for Mesa >> http://parkscore.tpl.org/city.php?city=Mesa

Explore an interactive map from this link

Park Facts:
Park acreage: 2,521 acres
People served per park acre: 183
Oldest municipal park: Pioneer Park, est. 1947
Largest municipal park: Red Mountain Park, 582 acres
Most-visited municipal park: Riverview Park

City Stats

City area: 83,578 acres
Median park size: 2.6 acres
Park land as % of city area: 3.0 %
Spending per resident: $69.96
Basketball Hoops per 10,000: 2.6
Dog Parks per 100,000 Residents: 0.4
Playgrounds per 10,000: 1.4
Recreation / Senior Centers
per 20,000 Residents: 0.2
Population density: 5.5 per acre

You can download Maps and tables here >> Access to Parks by Age and Income http://parkscore.tpl.org/ReportImages/Mesa_AZ.pdf

VIEW FULL RANKING ANALYSIS HERE
Using mapping technology and demographic data, we determined how well each city is meeting the need for parks.
You can learn more with in-depth city profiles …
… or compare multiple cities.
We scored cities in three categories. Learn more about the ParkScore^® methodology.

OTHER RESOURCES AND LINKS

New tool: http://gis.mesaaz.gov/ParkFinder/

http://www.mesaaz.gov/things-to-do/parks-recreation-commercial-facilities/parks

http://www.mesaaz.gov/city-hall/office-of-management-budget/major-funds

Dress Codes for The Cubs + On The Bat Here In Mesa > T Shirts, Anyone?

Gotta admit your MesaZona blogger got stumped recently scanning through feeds about Mesa "news" - write about swarms of bees attacking a hiker? Dogs getting killed by Mesa police in someone's backyard [and they accept responsibility] ? A cancer-stricken student denied appearing at his own graduation? An ambulance crash tying up traffic for hours? Someone 'up-skirting" a woman in Walmart not once but twice? . . . no, TY U very much.
It's summertime! Two stories up on this blog - one about Mesa pride featuring "a mascot", another from Chicago Cubs
Let's take a shallow dive into an item of basic clothing: the T-shirt and have some fun.

This may seem like a stretch, but let's start off from Main Street. With not just one but two silk-screening businesses here on Main Street in The New Urban DTMesa [both examples of "adaptive re-use" located in historic buildings harking back to the city's mercantile origins], T-shirts = big business > everyone needs more than a few to wear whether for promotions for one thing or another.
Cross-marketing and Cause-related fund-raising have created demands for creative expression.

Out of Milwaukee, Chicago and here in Mesa we get two stories:
Cubs manager Joe Maddon shows off a new pink fundraising T-shirt

Posted 12:02 AM, May 19, 2016, by Larry Hawley, Updated at 02:32pm, May 19, 2016

"Put it on a T-Shirt and raise some money for a good cause.
This philosophy worked well for Joe Maddon when his "Try Not To Suck" slogan was put on a T-Shirt by Korked Baseball. The local business partnered with the Cubs manager to donate a portion of the proceeds to Cubs Charities, Maddon's "Respect 90" foundation and other organizations of his choice. . .
On Wednesday, Maddon surprised reporters in the Cubs' dugout at Miller Park by showing off his latest offering in fundraising apparel-this time it was quite eye-catching.
Maddon sported a pink T-Shirt with his slogan "If You Look Hot, Wear It." The shirt features that phrase in blue with a flamingo on one side of the shirt.
"It's just coming out today," said Maddon, who was eager to show off his newest fashion item . . .
This "Maddonism" was used in Spring Training in Mesa, Arizona by the manager when discussing the team's dress code. It's been reference a couple of times since, especially when the team departed for a road trip in early May by wearing zany suits to Pittsburgh . . . Maddon says each Cubs player will get one of the pink shirts and they'll try to where them when the Cubs travel to San Francisco to play the Giants on Sunday night, a game broadcast nationally by ESPN.

As far at the design of his most visible fundraising efforts, he said is a collaborative effort between Korked Baseball co-founders Jacob Chandler and Joe Ferro . . .

"The thoughts are mine, they design," said Maddon of coming up with the T-Shirts.
[Bigger's Note: with slogans like "Try Not To Suck" and "If You Look Hot, Wear It" ya gotta wonder what's on Maddon's mad mind]

. . . and here in Mesa

A project to sell T-Shirts and raise money by Creative Catalysts who are starting a series of downtown Mesa t-shirts designed by our amazing local artists.

HUGE Props to Mark Matlock for this awesome t-shirt design for Downtown Mesa!

For those of you who haven't heard, we are working on a whole series of Downtown Mesa t-shirts to sell and raise money for public art like murals and installations etc. If you are an artist and you'd like to design one, contact Jen Gastelum or Erica Snyder
Please comment here if you would be interested in a pre-sale order of this shirt. We haven't gotten to cost yet, but they will be somewhere in the range of $22-25 with all proceeds going towards public art.
*Also, for those of you not super familiar with downtown yet, this art depicts our downtown mascot, Batman aka Caitlyn who always is a part of our day to day downtown activities

We are starting a series of downtown Mesa t-shirts designed by our amazing local artists.

This is the first, and holy crap did it surpass expectations, thanks to the amazing Matlock the Artist!
Erica is taking pre-orders, who's interested!? Also, if you're interested in designing one and showing a lil' Mesa pride, let us know!

29 May 2016

Crazy Weather? Earhquakes, Floods + Lightning > There's A Reason For This

Published on May 28, 2016

A look at CERN, Sprites, Earthquakes,Extreme Weather and Ionospheric compression, http://www.BPEarthWatch.Com
Amazing Sprite Video. https://vimeo.com/168060384

Views: 35, 893

More information here >> https://gps.fedgeno.com/links/cern-cranks-up-earthquakes-begin-7-2-6-6-389828

Keeping You Informed > IMSI Catchers -- Maria Pikusova

Published on Feb 28, 2016

Have you ever wondered if your phone calls and text messages are being subjected to man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks? How old is this bug and why is it still alive? White Hat alum Maria Pikusova tells us about International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) Catchers, tools that take advantage of the Global System for Mobile Communcations' (GSM) authentication bug to intercept your cell phone communications, for better or for worse.

Whether or not this worries you, you should watch this video! Pikusova also shows us an open sourced app that is written to detect IMSI Catchers. Check out the app, investigate the laws about IMSI Catchers in your county, and share what you find in a comment.

Category
- Education

Missile Defense & Space Surveillance = Growth Industries

Harris Awarded $106 M in USAF Space Programs Follow-on Contracts
Highlights:
Supports the U.S. missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance missions
Sustains systems alerting U.S. and allies to ballistic missile attacks
Ensures mission effectiveness

Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS) has been awarded $106 million in follow-on contract options to sustain ground-based systems that support the U.S. missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance missions.
Harris will continue to sustain ground-based systems that support six unique weapon systems in 12 locations under the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s System Engineering and Sustainment Integrator (SENSOR) contract. SENSOR was awarded in 2002 as a five-year base contract with up to 13 earned option years. This award represents the tenth option year.
Under the agreement, Harris provides all the support required – including depot-level maintenance, repairs and upgrades, contractor logistics support and more – to ensure the weapon systems are continually available and capable.
“These systems are critical to helping keep the U.S. and its allies safe,” said Bill Gattle, president, Harris Space and Intelligence Systems. “We are privileged to be entrusted to sustain these resources that protect our nation and aid our customer’s mission.”
About Harris Corporation

Harris Corporation is a leading technology innovator, solving our customers’ toughest mission-critical challenges by providing solutions that connect, inform and protect. Harris supports customers in more than 125 countries, has approximately $8 billion in annual revenue and 22,000 employees worldwide. The company is organized into four business segments: Communication Systems, Space and Intelligence Systems, Electronic Systems, and Critical Networks. Learn more at harris.com.

Source : Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS) http://harris.com/press/article.asp?id=4541
http://harris.com/
Published on ASDNews: May 25, 2016

Harris Corporation

Software Company
Address: 7500 N Dobson Rd # 200, Scottsdale, AZ 85256 Phone:(480) 833-5010

Harris Products and Services for National Intelligence

Harris provides integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) solutions that improve situational awareness, data collection accuracy and product analysis. These solutions serve a broad array of U.S. government intelligence customers, including the National Security Agency, National Reconnaissance Office and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Harris has acquired Exelis, enabling us to provide an even broader array of advanced products and services within government markets. Learn more about these additional solutions at http://www.exelisinc.com/solutions/Pages/default.aspx.

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Border Security Systems

The best defense against border intrusion is technology that turns raw sensory information into knowledge. Harris customers can be sure that mission-critical borders and perimeters are monitored effectively using our complete suite of proven… read more

Command and Control Products

Harris delivers world-class command and control solutions through advanced map-based situational awareness, real-time collaboration for planning and mission execution, blue force tracking and… read more

Cyber Security Systems

Harris is the premier provider of cyber security systems and enterprise analytics. It offers an array of solutions in the areas of digital forensics/malware, full-spectrum operations support, defense security, cyber security products, and enterprise… read more

End-to-End Satellite Communications

Harris is a world leader in the architecture, design and development of highly specialized satellite antennas, structures, phased arrays and on-board processors that enable next-generation satellite systems to provide the U.S. military and… read more

Field Services Support

Harris IT Services is a leader in the design, deployment, operation and maintenance of highly reliable, secure communications systems and information networks for voice, data and video—your assured IT platform for integrated network solutions. Our… read more

Full Motion Video

Harris, a leader in managing the digital assets of broadcast and media networks, has leveraged these skills to create the Full-Motion Video Asset Management Engine (FAME™) for intelligence applications. FAME organizes, annotates and makes sense of… read more

Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT)

Harris Provides Motion Imagery, GEOINT & Multi-Int Fused, and Delivered On-Demand in Support of National Security and NGA Strategic Initiatives. Harris provides civil users with complete, accurate and timely knowledge about a situation using… read more

Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance

Our mission at Harris is to produce innovative and cost-effective solutions which provide our customers with information dominance for battle-space superiority. Harris provides comprehensive system solutions which leverage the latest technologies.… read more

IT Services

Mapping and Visualization

Harris’ innovative mapping and visualization capabilities are designed to meet the mission requirements of national, tactical and civil government users. Harris provides civil users with complete, accurate and timely knowledge about a situation… read more

Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Intelligence Acquisition

Unmanned systems are playing an increasingly vital role in mission success on the battlefield. Harris designs, develops and supports ultra-reliable, secure, networked communications for unmanned air, ground and sea systems. The company provides… read more

Harris Products and Services for Defense

Harris is a leading provider of innovative, highly reliable communications and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) solutions and services for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and for international defense markets. In 2012, Harris was ranked 11th on the Washington Technology list of top 100 U.S. government contractors. Harris has acquired Exelis, enabling us to provide an even broader array of advanced products and services within government markets. Learn more about these additional solutions at http://www.exelisinc.com/solutions/Pages/default.aspx.

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Avionics

Harris is a world leader in advanced avionics equipment and systems, providing the cutting-edge electronics, software, systems integration and support that military aircraft manufacturers seek when designing, developing and building fighter jets,… read more

Battlespace Networks

Harris provides transformational solutions for mobile, network-centric warfighter communications that greatly enhance the military’s ability to gain actionable information superiority and decision dominance over adversaries. State-of-the-art Harris… read more

C4ISR

Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems enable military forces to gather, analyze and quickly disseminate intelligence information. Harris delivers solutions for C4ISR missions by… read more

Communications Security & Encryption Products

Harris is an industry leader in communications security, networking and encryption, providing advanced solutions that range from single integrated circuits to secure, wireless communications systems. Harris products meet or exceed the highest… read more

Data Links

Harris is a premier supplier of network-enabled, high-performance data link solutions for military applications, including in-flight weapon control, GIG connectivity in a low SWAP tactical terminal, airborne communications and beyond-line-of-sight… read more