(Community Matters) Brewster McCracken announced his race for mayor last night at the home of Laura & Steve Beuerlein. Impressive group of folks attending including Martha Smiley (campaign treasurer), Anne Wynne, Jack McDonald, Council member Sheryl Cole, BJ Stanberry, August Harris, Peggy Pickle, Anita Benevidez Mennucci, Rick Triplett, JJ Baskin, Paul Bury, Celia Israel, Tom Terkel, Elyse Yates and Albert Black.

BJ Stanberry runs Helio Volt and has been collaborating with Brewster and Isaac Barchas from UT’s Austin Technology Incubator on their Pecan Street Project. This project imagines the reinvention of the electric service delivery system, the creation of a new grid which provides for the efficient transmission of locally produced clean energy – especially solar, and also wind. To date Austin Energy, the City of Austin, UT (ATI & Advanced Computing Center) and the Environmental Defense Fund are partners. They are currently recruiting corporate partners and hope to include Google, GE, Dell, Cisco and others.

Brewster appropriately framed our challenge the next two decades, how to ensure the forward economic development momentum needed to make necessary quality of life infrastructure investments (rail, affordable housing, other transportation, education, the arts . . . ) and providing upwardly mobile economic opportunities for Austinites. I like that he’s researched and learned from our economic development initiatives in the 80’s and 90’s which created Austin’s high tech growth and wants to channel the best of that toward growth in clean energy and bio tech industries.

(Community Matters) She claims to realize Barack Obama has been elected, even acknowledging the mandate for change, but she actually advocates no change, same old broken GOP ways. here

Democrats need to find our own, real agent of change to run for governor, someone as committed to a new way of doing business and who will excite new and Democratic voters as electrically as president-elect Obama. If we’re to keep making progress turning Texas blue, our gubernatorial candidate must also be a post baby-boomer who excites 20-somethings as much as triple Ds and who signals inclusion in government.

(Community Matters) Frankly, I’d like none of that. Nunn heading Obama’s defense transition. disappointing

(Community Matters) . . . . is making less and less sense. Odds of survival without bankruptcy are so small. Why would we bailout existing shareholders? We need to offer post-bankruptcy loan guarantees instead.

(Community Matters) Honoring all who have served

Moreno Valley Veterans Memorial

(Community Matters) Patagonia downtown? Rats, can I sneak in just under the wire of our new, frugal lifestyle?

(Community Matters) Will.i.am’s newest video.