Daily Archives: 07/17/2009

(Community Matters)

photo J.R.Laughlin

Plenty written about and already said. I nearly let it pass me by but feeling compelled to note how proud of our president I continue to be/even am just a little bit more after his speech last night.

(Community Matters) Signs of hope and a resurgence of the West Bank economy, hopefully a sign of optimism for what’s possible in Middle East peace. nytimes article

(Community Matters) I’m historically such a fan of the Wall Street behemoth and especially many of its employees – inarguably among the best and the brightest. And, I’m a huge follower of Nobel-winning economist Paul Krugman, thus I’ve got to really consider my position when he makes his case.

Goldman, famously, made a lot of money selling securities backed by subprime mortgages — then made a lot more money by selling mortgage-backed securities short, just before their value crashed. All of this was perfectly legal, but the net effect was that Goldman made profits by playing the rest of us for suckers.

The bottom line is that Goldman’s blowout quarter is good news for Goldman and the people who work there. It’s good news for financial superstars in general, whose paychecks are rapidly climbing back to precrisis levels. But it’s bad news for almost everyone else.

# # # #

David Brooks on community colleges

Community college enrollment has been increasing at more than three times the rate of four-year colleges.

. . . . And the investment seems to pay off. According to one study, students who earn a certificate experience a 15 percent increase in earnings. Students earning an associate degree registered an 11 percent gain.

. . . . It’s a blind spot in their [our] consciousness. As a result, four-year colleges receive three times as much federal money per student as community colleges.

(Community Matters) MD Anderson ranked best cancer hospital in the country.

(Community Matters) What is it about models and crime sprees?

Keyontyli and Taleon Goffney arrested for burglary

Joshua Walter arrested for robbery

(Community Matters)

(Community Matters) I’m withholding judgement on this. While I too find the term “wetbacks” offensive, two weeks suspension and public apologies – at least initially – seemed like a fair response and there’s a whole lot more on the air that I’d like to see addressed. Nevertheless, I’m appreciative that so many have rallied to address the problem proactively.

(Community Matters) Effective tax rate of top earners – point being, there is room for slightly increased taxes at the top to contribute to solutions for healthcare, deficit and other safety net issues.

chart from Daily Dish

While what Steven and I earn seems relatively modest, it is among top earners and we’re thrilled to contribute to viable solutions. It isn’t just the right thing to do, it contributes to sustainability and health of the middle class – which drives & grows our economy, effectively a sound investment in our & others’ future earnings.

(Community Matters) hmm, I don’t think I’d get away with it. No risk of being perfect – rats.

(Community Matters) I just noticed on Thom’s website that he’s taking on two more clients for coaching. If I had a professional services business or consulting practice dependent on rainmaking, I’d certainly look into this.

(Community Matters) I shared emails with an enlightened friend this morning on the topic of Zen. She shared with me this from a Sufi poet

Before you speak, ask yourself 3 questions: are my words true? Are they necessary? Are they kind?

(Community Matters) “Earlier in the week, the church voted to open the door to ordaining openly gay bishops. And on Thursday the bishops voted to start the process of developing rites for blessing same-sex marriages, and to give the green light to bishops who are already doing so. “

NYTimes interviews Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson