Daily Archives: 08/02/2008

(Community Matters) Today at Downtown Farmer’s Market

Sebastien Bonneu of Countryside Farms

Good gosh it was hot & bright out there. Nevertheless, enjoyed touring both South Austin & Downtown Farmer’s Markets with Steven and Barbara. Purchased a gorgeous fresh chicken from Sebastien as well as a frozen duck breast. Introduced Barbara to Katie of Tecolote Farms too. We each bought what might be the last of Fredericksburg peaches – they’ve been perfection this season. I’m making a pie out of as many as I can rescue from the peach monster known as Steven Tomlinson.

(Community Matters) Just received this jpeg of my great grandparents (Leonides & Teodosa Valdez Sepulveda, aka Mama Tita, 1893) from Dad. Love that he’s getting more and more comfortable on the computer.

Mama Tita (1877 – 1954) & Leonides (1872 – 1944)

(Community Matters) I recommend Katherine’s Austin Chronicle story here

At long last, real systems planning for a Central Austin streetcar has arrived at the City Hall station. At the July 24 City Council meeting, consultants ROMA Austin and LTK Engineering unveiled the highlights of a detailed proposal for circulator rail transit.

The Phase I analysis includes essential data on: 1) projected ridership and benefits for mobility, environmental, and other regional goals and 2) a route alignment and estimated cost. The broad outlines: Recommended is a 15.3-mile system projected to serve more than 32,000 riders daily by 2030, at an estimated capital cost of $36 million to $40 million per mile, or $550 million to $614 million overall.

The estimated capital cost per mile steadily drops (from as much as $53 million down to $29 million per mile) with each successive increment. Brewster McCracken later noted: “Toll roads were coming in with per-mile costs of $70 million-plus back in 2004. The price tag needs to be viewed in a context compared to roads – this is cheaper than roads to construct.”

(Community Matters) Kathy Griffin, Britney Spears, Adnan Ghalib and John McCain here

Who’ll do almost anything to get a little attention and loving?

(Community Matters) Have to admit, I’m underwhelmed, though intrigued by the fund to help states and municipalities meet existing obligations for infrastructure, health & human services. I’m even less enthusiastic about (read: against) a windfall profits tax.

Much prefer we talk about rolling back unnecessarily generous depletion allowances and tax credits enacted when the price of oil was so low and oil companies argued both were necessary to prevent abandoning of all domestic exploration. Also, overheard someone using the argument that we should be happy oil companies are making $12B per quarter since they pay 50% of it in taxes. First, I’m not unhappy that they are making $12B per quarter, and I definitely would be thrilled if they were paying even 32% in taxes. Have these folks been looking at the deferred tax liability (i.e., the delta between what public financial statements show as federal tax on earnings and their actual tax liability under the separate set of tax financials)?

(Community Matters) This (NYT editorial) is what I meant by why we shouldn’t rely on federal safety inspections here.

(Community Matters) Looks as if the Austin American Statesman deleted this blog posting off their site here. Is dildo an unacceptable term? Seriously? Or is it simply the use of dildo and Texas GOP in the same sentence?

(Community Matters) Deciding how much I like PublicSchoolIntelligentsia blog, formerly HeyBeUs

(Community Matters) Towleroad includes a photo expose on country boys.

here

(Community Matters) I haven’t seen David Mixner in years. I believe he was Bill Clinton’s Oxford roommate and certainly was the most visible, out gay man in Bill Clinton’s first campaign – a close friend to Bill & Hillary. I met him through Tom & Michael. Recently he was in the Obama headquarters and blogged about what he saw, about how this campaign is very different. here

(Community Matters) My dearest friend Michael Mitchell who’s currently battling cancer had a dream last nights about rioting in the streets because healthcare is available only to the rich, or through gangs who demand loyalty, a la Hamas. here Just a dream, or prophetic?