Life-Long Learning > Mesa Main Library: Books + Other Media



Hands-on all this good stuff . . . Pardon me for asking, but when was the last time you read a book?
Fast times getting' you down?
Overwhelmed by information overload?
Short Attention Span Disorder?
Can't focus?
Get over it! You're invited to visit your "comfort zone" . . .
The Mesa Main Library is having a big book sale - hundreds of books either donated or withdrawn from circulation - on Friday and Saturday, October 16-17.
50% off beyond already reasonable prices . . . you can't beat that for affordable opportunities to live and learn

News Here September 14 . . . Bruce Nelson's Nile Theater Documentary Gets a Notice Today from Arizona Republic

Mesa History: Documentarian holding fundraiser as means to finish story on Mesa theater

In a contributed article by historian Jay Mark in Throwback: Thursday that's news today - and that's news posted here more than two weeks ago on September 14 - Bruce Nelson gets double-exposure for the same fundraising event at Volstead Public House this Saturday from 7-9 p.m.

If you don't have the thirty bucks to attend, contributions in any amount are more than welcome to be sent to NEB Productions at the information in the post here on September 14.

Since its opening way back in 1924 when the Nile Theater was called "the Valley’s most magnificent movie house", it's always been a prime example of Creative Place Making and continues in that direction to this day over decades in the same location on Main Street through the ups-and-downs in the local economy over 90+ years.

History's interesting and fun to know and connect us to the places and people of the past . . . Bruce will document those stories thanks to an initial Ripple Grant from NEDCO to encourage artists engaging and involving with communities for Creative Place Making.

The Nile Theater is now world famous for its current status as a live music performance venue managed by the Mantooth Group.

We can all bite into that with gusto.

Here's a link to Jay Mark's contributed article >>

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/mesa/contributed/2015/10/01/throwback-thursday-nile-theater-story-told/73006344/

Jay Mark, Special for The Republic | azcentral.com5:02 a.m. MST October 1, 2015

Momentum= Key Word @ Mayor's News Brief: September 30, 2015

City-owned Channel 11 filmed this 33:39-minute YouTube video yesterday at the 2:00 p.m. press briefing and uploaded it about five hours ago ... at the time of this post on your MesaZona blog there were zero views, but in the ongoing efforts of this blog to keep the public informed about issues and actions here in Mesa, and how elected officials have the privilege to serve the interests of their constituents, readers are encouraged to watch John Giles in yesterday's media briefing.
He starts off by saying he inherited "a pretty good situation" and is both consciously and cautiously optimistic - and bullish - in his job working on prosperity for all.
Although your MesaZona was invited to attended this media briefing by the Mayor's office, one particular item caught my attention: plans in the works for development of an urban infill project on a whole one-square block on Main Street directly on the Valley Metro Central Mesa Light Rail Extension - a prime example of the benefits of Transit-Oriented Development

Stay Tuned for Exciting Things > LISC Phoenix's 2015 Annual Breakfast Invitation

MesaZona posted this YouTube video on Facebook yesterday, but things tend to get lost there in all the streams of information, so it's getting up here as part of the one-man mission for this blog - Re/Generating The New Urban Downtown Mesa.
News, opinion, [humor/straight-talk], information and educating the public about issues - with Transit-Oriented Development high in my mind for these online pages.

Murky Data > Watch Out What's Driving Data

There's nothing like an inside track on politics in the State of Arizona or the City of Mesa. Nice work if you can get it.

Auditor claims Commerce Authority’s job creation figures are murky

By: Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services September 24, 2015 , 4:04 pm

"State auditors say the Arizona Commerce Authority needs to report whether information on  jobs, wages, and capital investment is based on commitments companies announce or the actual jobs created and capital investment made . . . but audit manager Dot Reinhard said there’s really no way to tell exactly what the authority has done.

“Its reports generally provide information based on commitments companies announce rather than the actual jobs created or capital investment made,” her report states . . . Overall, the authority claims expansion and relocation projects represent more than $3.3 billion in capital investment.
None of that, however, shows the actual jobs created. . .

Reinhard said Commerce Authority officials told her staffers that it focuses on commitments because they “more promptly and directly measure the authority’s work to add jobs and investment in Arizona.” But she said, though, that’s not an acceptable practice.
“The National State Auditors Association has developed a set of best practices for carrying out state economic development efforts that indicate that an agency should report relevant information to the public summarizing the results of its economic development program,” she wrote. “The authority should clarify in its annual report and other reports it produces whether the information presented on job created, wages, and capital investment represents committed or actual outcomes.”
But the audit report said the lack of accurate numbers is just part of the problem.
What’s also missing, Reinhard said, is a comparison of the financial incentives provided on a company-by-company basis compared to the actual economic outcome produced. She said while some information is available, the reports “lack a consolidated comparison of the incentives given to the benefits received.”
“Without clear information about the state’s return on investment, it may be difficult for decision makers to make informed decisions about Arizona’s economic development activities,” Reinhard said.
A spokeswoman for the authority said Sandra Watson, its president and chief executive, was in meetings on Thursday and could not personally comment. Nor was there a response to a request for data on actual jobs created in the 2014 fiscal year versus the commitments reported.
Watson also said in a statement, “As indicated in the responses provided in the report, the ACA agrees to implement all recommendations made by the Office of the Auditor General, and in many cases has already done so.”
She did not, however, promise to report actual jobs created. Instead she said the authority will make clear whether the figures reported are based on projections or actual activity.
Read more >> http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2015/09/24/auditor-claims-commerce-authoritys-job-creation-figures-are-murky/#ixzz3n9OFm2Iu

What's the Story? Everybody's ReBranding & Why

Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors, competitors, and other stakeholders.

Rebranding - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Why ReBrand? Relevancy . . . Relevancy: When a company realizes its brand is losing relevancy in consumers' minds, it might be time to rebrand.

More Data Ahead > State Personal Income Stats

Second Quarter 2015 State Personal Income Statistics to be Released September 30 [received one hour ago]

 

WASHINGTON – Preliminary statistics on people’s incomes by state in the second quarter of 2015 will be released Wednesday, September 30 by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).
These state personal income statistics will provide BEA’s first look at state economies for the April-June quarter of 2015 and serve as a basis for government and business decision making.
For example:

• Federal government agencies use state personal income statistics to allocate funds and determine matching grants to states. The statistics are also used in forecasting models to project energy and water use.
• State governments use the statistics to project tax revenues and demand for public services.
• Academic regional economists use the statistics for applied research.
• Businesses, trade associations, and labor organization use the statistics for market research.

As part of this release, BEA will release revised quarterly and annual statistics for 1976-2014 and for the first quarter of 2015. They will also include state per capita personal income statistics for the first quarter of 2010 through the second quarter of 2015 for the first time. Previously, per capita personal income statistics were only available on an annual basis.
The statistics, released at 8:30 a.m. eastern time, also will be available on BEA’s website (www.bea.gov).