Monthly Archives: June 2009

(Community Matters)

ok, ok, it was driving a friend crazy – now find here

(Community Matters) Very sorry to hear Walter Cronkite is so ill. Our prayers are with him, his daughter Kate Cronkite and grandson Will Ikard.

(Community Matters) I just saw a side a side of Nagini II I hadn’t seen. She was aggressively chasing my gay fish. hmm, not happy about this. Didn’t think she was interested in fish – thought she survived on frogs

all I had on me was my blackberry so not the best pics

(Community Matters) It occurred to me last night, watching UT Regent James Huffines on the news, there are unwavering differences in philosophies. James and most other high-level Perry appointees believe all returns on investments are measured in dollars, that you must squeeze every available *private* dollar out of public assets – provide money making opportunities wherever possible.

I don’t disagree with maximizing returns, I simply disagree that all are quantifiable in dollars – public good should carry great weight, as intangible as it may be. From the short clip of James’ comments on News 8 or at least from how it was edited, James doesn’t equivocate from this perspective – his explanation of “fiduciary” duties only taking money into account. This, regrettably, it appears will rule with UT’s Brackenridge Tract – ignore the neighbors, the eco laboratory, the intangibles of the public good.

So, would this suggest we sell off or privatize as many public assets as possible? In cases that involve a board of regents completely appointed by one governor – in a state capitol where most acknowledge the governor’s former chief of staff, now lobbyist, probably secret business partner calls all the shots – do we imagine friends and supporters will be chosen to “maximize asset returns,” maybe making a busload of money for themselves in the interim?

So, how did these same regents handle their public responsibilities in the face of Hurricane Ike’s catastrophic destruction of Galveston? Instead of engaging and supporting the community after most families & the entire city suffered the loss of life and property, the regents tried to shut down the island’s main economic engine – UTMB. Even now, I’m told they’ve laid off over one-third of the employees – at a time when government might be expected to help its citizens. Again, Perry appointees only measuring their effectiveness and fiduciary responsibilities in terms of dollars. If we look at the contracts let after the damage; however, we’re likely to find less total attention to competitiveness, to squeezing ever dollar. We’d probably find a list of major donors.

Much privatization could be good. Government doesn’t usually do the most effective or efficient job, though, we often use too short term an analysis to measure and determine. Privatization of state entitlement programs has been disastrous under Perry and his cronies, possibly not because it couldn’t be done – probably because, as under GWB nationally, the men/women appointed to oversee the projects have been either incompetent, inattentive or negligent. AND , sometimes state systems are the most efficient and effective as measured by the long term perspective that includes customer satisfaction and providing for the public good.

If their measure of success has been how much money are Perry’s former chiefs of staffs making, how much are his closet friends making, how much do the firms hired to privatize make (regardless of success), then, they are doing very well.

(Community Matters) Klaus Teuber’s Settlers of Catan is considered one of the all-time, most popular board games. Players build colonies on an island, constructing roads and cities, spending resources (clay, lumber, wool, grain and ore), facing “robbers,” making trades and calculating the tradeoffs between maximizing & sharing.

Unfortunately, we hadn’t yet played our set and discovered the resource cards missing.

Suzanne & Chandler Booth joined us for the evening – despite no board game, we managed to still have fun.

(Community Matters) Diana Holford, of Jones Lang LaSalle, isn’t just a supporter of the Entrepreneurs Foundation, she inspires us and has become our good friend. Her terrific idea to treat the staff to lunch at Ski Shores, via her boat from Walsh’s Landing.

Shobie Partos, Amanda Chiampi, Leigh Christie, Diana Holford & Peter Frey

Leigh (& Marion) ran our Lemonade Day project. Regrettably, Marion Cimbala couldn’t join us.

The staff has done extraordinary work the first half of this year – an out-of-the-park CSR Conference, terrific Texas Independence Day event, our national affiliates conference, nearly 400 people at our Spring Service Day, hitting our numbers for new equity contributions, exceeding objectives for member company engagements and all pitching in and surprising the hell out of everyone with performance on Lemonade Day with only two months to prep.

Peter & Amanda

All the team is extraordinary, Amanda most of all.

What a terrific gesture. Thanks, Diana

(Community Matters) It’s gotta be the coolest publication released in Austin in history, even prehistory! I say this, yet I haven’t yet read it. Though, just feeling it . . . textures, graphics, contributors . . . . Minerva’s Wreck

Created by writer, critic, performer and frequent Austin Chronicle contributor, Wayne Alan Brenner – his blog which, in places, references this work. Short literary pieces, graphic arts and other avant garde writings – a forward by Dan Dietz.

It looks and feels delicious. Artfully laid out with ephemera including photos, negatives, laminated seaweed, art-stamped posted notes and little tracts such as “A Very Brief Guide to Getting Laid in Austin,” by Lance Myers and “Five Simple Steps to Greater Joy in this World of Sorrow,” by Wayne.

The masthead full of local literary allstars, including: Wayne, Marc Savlov & Audra Schroeder; poetry: Brian Barry, Meghan Mullaney; fiction: by Kirk Lynn, Billy Cope & Molly Rice

Even comics including The Lad in the Iron Mask by Robert Faires and Fear Itself by Lowell Bartholomee

its inside back cover

(Community Matters) Wow, all of a sudden I’m understanding the increased popularity of watching tennis!

Rafael Nadal photo Getty Images

(Community Matters) Comment from my friend Prof Michael Brandl about Obama’s DOJ DOMA brief

Now I understand: it’s just too “expensive” to protect civil rights.

Isn’t that the explanation for defending DOMA? From the Administration: “To deny federal recognition to same-sex marriages will thus preserve scarce government resources, surely a legitimate government purpose.”

Now this?

We can find $700billion for the TARP but they can’t find money to extend civil right to gays & lesbians? Okay…

How about this: gay marriage as an economic stimulus? Require all gay marriages to conclude in formal wedding reception. If gay wedding receptions are anything like the Holiday parties thrown by some my gay friends in Houston…oh my! No expense spared. Thus, unemployed home builders could now find jobs creating ice sculptures for gay weddings. Government spending on unemployment benefits falls, federal income tax revenues for the government increase.

See: gay marriage would more than “pays” for itself.

gotta love Michael

(Community Matters) Sorry to read of Tina’s passing. She was an important contributor to Austin’s art scene and an important contributor to the 10 years of the Austin Festival of Dance.

AAS story

(Community Matters) Disturbing reports (unconfirmed) that today’s announcement of federal benefits may not include healthcare for partners of LGBT federal workers. This would be bad – fuel on a fire.

I’d been urging patience, imagining the President was saving as much political capital as possible to pass universal healthcare legislation – even a couple of pissed off Southern Democratic Senators could derail plans – which, of course, benefits our LGBT community as much as anyone. However, the offensive DOMA brief and the White House’s incompetent remarks defending the brief have changed the game. They’ve lost most of the community’s trust and must move substantially forward on LGBT equality in order to regain it. Perhaps this won’t resonate with many advisors in the WH, but I believe it will with BHO and Michelle – at least I’ve believed this all along and hope not to be wrong.

(Community Matters) Nico Pitney @ Huffington Post

3:45 AM ET — Journalist defies the crackdown on foreign media. Via readers John, Pejman, and Colin: the pugnacious British reporter Robert Fisk witnesses a stunning scene in which Iranian soldiers keep a group of plainclothes paramilitaries away from Mousavi supporters:

In fact at one point, Mousavi’s supporters were shouting ‘thank you, thank you’ to the soldiers.

One woman went up to the special forces men, who normally are very brutal with Mr Mousavi’s supporters, and said ‘can you protect us from the Basij?’ He said ‘with God’s help’.

It was quite extraordinary because it looked as if the military authorities in Tehran have either taken a decision not to go on supporting the very brutal militia – which is always associated with the presidency here – or individual soldiers have made up their own mind that they’re tired of being associated with the kind of brutality that left seven dead yesterday – buried, by the way secretly by the police – and indeed the seven or eight students who were killed on the university campus 24 hours earlier.

Quite a lot of policeman are beginning to smile towards the demonstrators of Mr Mousavi, who are insisting there must be a new election because Mr Ahmadinejad wasn’t really elected. Quite an extraordinary scene.

(Community Matters) Andrew Sullivan publishing many real time tweets.

Pardon, I’ve just copied & pasted. No better way to communicate:

many many arrests in tehran 2day. hundreds. – now is dark baseej start to make trouble.

1000′s on balconys – tehran is alive with sound of freedom

on the eastern side of Tehran, Narmak, many people were shouting “Allah o Akbar” at 10-11 PM. That’s was heart-warming

From Iran martial law in Iran! TV just announced that ppl should stay at home after 8pm!

Not allowed to leave the hotel, but I think I can see small# of protesters on Vanak Sq

now i hear news that between Tajrish sq & Vanak sq are full of Moosavi Fans with green dress

continued here

(Community Matters) It’s a good start – and, they still need to retract the DOMA brief

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama plans to extend health care and other benefits to the gay and lesbian partners of federal employees. White House officials say Obama plans to announce decision on Wednesday in the Oval Office. story

(Community Matters) Rats, mine’s on backorder – unexpectedly high demand. They say it’ll arrive with two days to spare prior to travel to Asia – fingers crossed