Monthly Archives: November 2009

(Community Matters) Marjorie Gallece from the Breast Cancer Resource Center shares her perspective on the recommendations

First, please understand that the views I express here are mine and not that of any one organization. I belong to many.

The confusion and emotional spin from that task force report is causing a great deal of anxiety – mostly among survivors. I’m cringing at all the first person interviews and media coverage of breast cancer survivors and hope to explain why.

As survivors, we have a handle on the emotional and physical impact but our views are not always as well informed on the science of breast cancer. Continue reading →

(Community Matters) We’re in Dallas for the night, at Charles & Rick’s.  Garfield Lemonius with us.  Fantastic dinner at Avila’s.

Just learned our dear friend Leslie Jarmon passed away at 8:30 tonight.  May she rest in peace.  The passing of a beautiful woman

(Community Matters)

A UN report suggests that striking progress is being made in the fight against AIDS

Economist – AIDS may not yet be in full retreat, but progress is being made. ALL epidemics run their course. AIDS will be no exception. Seventeen percent – this is the estimated drop in the annual number of new infections compared with 2001, the year that the United Nations Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS was signed.

interestingly, just yesterday at lunch with JoLynn Free was discussing how many friends I sat with as they died or were dieing during AIDS worst days in the early 90s

(Community Matters) The Economist on the value of an MBA

In 2010 the decline of the MBA will cut off the supply of bullshit at source. Pretentious ideas about business will be in retreat.

An overstatement, of course.  Nevertheless, my experience teaching MBAs – about 25% were stellar, intellectually curious, gained a great deal from the program and enhanced their ability to contribute to society.  Half were just fine, studied hard but mostly wanted to check a box. The last quarter, wish I could have just locked ’em up immediately and saved us all expense and agony

my undergraduate business students – the vast majority were the smartest, most capable and hardest working kids I’d ever met

(Community Matters) President Obama’s approval among Democrats and Independents has been and is much more stable than pundits and headlines would led us to believe.  I find it helpful to gain context from those arguing otherwise whether or not they supported the President in the election – usually (almost always) it’s those who argued vehemently against his candidacy who are doing so now.

yes, this does show about a 13pt decline in Independent support since the election (from 62% to 49%), but this is a lot less than the rhetoric suggests, and Independents’ support for Pres Obama has been fairly stable since August.

(Community Matters) We are SO supporting Mayor Bill White for Governor if he’ll run in that race.  

Already supporting him for Senator

(Community Matters) though, I do trust Paul Krugman’s analysis

(Community Matters) No doubt, our level of national debt is troubling.  I am not yet of the opinion that it precludes us from making social infrastructure improvements; however, seems likely that it will require broader and higher than originally established tax increases.   NYTimes article

(Community Matters) – This NYT article about the mammogram recommendation controversy is illuminating. I’m immediately struck by wanting to know, what cancers are best left unfound and why? They call it overdiagnosis and say women “are treated with measures like chemo, radiation & surgery for tumors that do not need treating.”  I get this (ie., understand it) just a wee bit as I help a friend in his decision making about his slow-growth lymphoma.  After aggressive treatment for the combination fast & slow growth lymphoma last year, we’ve decided on a wait & see approach to the resurfacing of slow-growth lymphoma this year – an opinion supported by the best lymphoma specialists at MD Anderson

Women and all involved in breast cancer services should read and understand the science behind the earlier recommendations. It is irresponsible to dismiss the recommendations without understanding the science behind them. And, the recommendations specifically excluded high risk groups.  I am not endorsing the recommendations, simply suggesting those engaged understand the explanations.

(Community Matters) Boy meets lobster

Hat Tip: Daily Dish

(Community Matters) I’ve repeatedly told friends at Goldman that I think their level of tone deafness risks their entire franchise.  This the first time I’ve seen/heard a specific proposal for a targeted tax – a windfalls profit tax on bonuses.  I am in no way implying support, and I see it as potentially the first of many franchise threatening shots from a populist uprising.

Other: means a lot that Senator Sherrod Brown is signaling credit toward Geithner for turning his attention to job creation, small businesses and financial regulation

(Community Matters) I’m flabbergasted by the quick-to-doubt press.  Have we become so expectant of grandstanding and bravado by American political figures that we mistake a failure to do so for weakness?

What if Pres Obama decided on another approach to engaging China as an economic partner, as a partner containing Iran/N. Korea, and on their human rights practices. Golly gee, what if he talked about these things in private with his hosts instead of grandstanding for the media. Any chance this might yield different results? We’ve seen the grandstanding and what it’s yielded over the years. And, since BHO was in China, word is leaking out from there that he did bring up human rights issues.

Forwarded by David Gail, a perspective from the Atlantic Post http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/11/manufactured_failure_2_the_pre.php