Monthly Archives: September 2009

(Community Matters) ok, I’ve officially stayed in a night. MM on his way over and we’re off to Spider House. Hoping ST will join us

(Community Matters) Interesting. Someone between Wichita & Newton, KS (Lat/Long: 38, -97) is asking interesting questions about me through google and is being referred to this blog – hmm, they could be driving north on I-35

(Community Matters) This guy starts out sounding reasonable, then Anderson Cooper quotes from Mark Williams’ blog – the President is a “Indonesian Muslim turned welfare thug.”

(Community Matters) Quiet dinner in with our friend Kevin Keim, director of the Charles Moore Foundation, discussing Place Notes and his on-line plans.

(Community Matters) Sorry to have missed my dear friend, Thom Singer’s, book launch and signing tonight – Batteries Not Included: 66 Tips to Energize Your Career. I have purchased the book, but now I’ll have to grovel to get an autograph.

Amazon

(Community Matters) I am not feeling great. Since June, we’ve been trying to compassionately catch Nangini II. She’s been eating koi, so she had to be relocated. First time to spot her and I didn’t have a choice in how I captured her. sad 😦

(Community Matters) A former speechwriter to GWB unleashing some dirt

(Community Matters)

(Community Matters) In our offices yesterday – which we share with close friends of EF – an employee of our landlord sent a note that she has swine flu and might still be contagious but that she’d sequester herself in her office.

There was a wee protest and the employee decided to go home. raging fever or what?

(Community Matters) There ought to be two versions placed up for a vote.

The first, a bi-partisan bill might compromise on the public option with a trigger or a co-op option and perhaps also restrict public funding for abortion services. If the Republicans join in voting for this option, then wha la.

If Republicans don’t join in voting for the first option, the next version should forget all the conservative compromising and load up on more liberal features including a robust public option and full reproductive services.

(Community Matters) best signs

(Community Matters) Lynn & Tom Meredith and Marc & Suzanne Winkelman invited several friends to dinner to meet Tom & Susanne Schieffer. Tom (a former ambassador to Japan and Australia) is running for governor. Tom’s bio

Tom Meredith, Susanne & Tom Schieffer

I asked Tom about his Democratic credentials – doesn’t bode well for him that he was George W. Bush’s ambassador to Australia and Japan, a former business partner and supporter. Stories of Tom Schieffer’s involvement in 43’s campaigns exaggerated, however. He acknowledged GWB is a friend and that they’d been business partners in the Texas Rangers. However, reports that he’d raised money for Bush’s political races evidently not correct; he did acknowledge he & Susanne max contributing to the races.

Schieffer says he has always voted in Democratic primaries, has always been a Democrat and accepted the ambassador appointments with the understanding that he’d remain a Democrat. He was one of the youngest ever elected Democrats to the Texas House (at 24yo) and served 3 terms. Ambassador Olson (Clinton’s Ambassador to Sweden and a yellow dog Texas Democrat) is Tom’s finance chair.

Rep. Mark Strama, Ambassador Lydon Olson, Rebecca Leal & Lynn Meredith

Tom Schieffer is very attunded to education. He offers that running for governor first occured to him while serving in Tokyo and realizing how badly Texas was losing out in a competitive workforce because of our poor investment in education. He’s a very strong believer in investment of tax dollars in early childhood development and public education.

if it doesn’t touch your heart, it ought to touch your head because it’s going to touch your wallet.

Education is the infrastructure of the modern world. We have to have early childhood education.

A good business climate is not just low taxes. It’s about a well-educated workforce.

Amy Grace Tharp & Suzanne Winkelman

Andy Brown, Doug Ulman, Marc Winkelman & Jack London

You know it’s a great day when you share both breakfast and lunch with Doug Ulman and Marc Winkelman.

Others at dinner included Melanie Barnes, Crystal Cotti, Becky Beaver, Mary Margaret & Ray Farabee, Jean Rather, Amy & Kirk Rudy and just a few others (my mind is going soft – I think I have to stay home tonight).

Lynn, Tommy & Tom