Monthly Archives: January 2010

(Community Matters) Joe Cutbirth is a former reporter for the Ft. Worth Star Telegram, a disciple of Molly Ivins and a profesor of journalism in Vancouver.  His letter from Sam Houston to President Barack Obama

(Community Matters) TOL production meeting today with Shelley Zausmer, Steve Adler, Amanda Chiampi, Michael Feferman, Dave Shaw, Marcia Levy, Amy & Kirk Rudy, Martin Cominsky and Stacey Fields.  We have the best production team.  Can’t wait for the event on Jan 28 at the Four Seasons – even if we have oversold and some of us will be sitting in the foyer.  Hey, my table will be out there with you!

Austin is No Place for Hate

http://bit.ly/7iXxa9

(Community Matters) What gay man doesn’t want to be Tana Christie in his next life?  She’s one of my dearest friends and an extraordinary member of our community.  Michael Mitchell makes her laugh.  Her grandchildren make her smile.  Her children make her proud.  Joe Christie makes her happy.

and, she’s made Austin a better place to be

(and, I know, I kinda make her crazy.  She hates being on here – too bad!)

(Community Matters) Very well attended launch to FuseBox Festival 2010 where Ron annonced 80% of the season’s participants

Ron and UT’s Texas Performing Arts Center Director, Kathy Panoff

exciting to have the Texas PAC as a community sponsor this year – they are investing real money and intellectual capital into the Festival

w/ artist Pete Duggins

Lots in attendance including Amy Bryant & Palo Chalupka (with Ruby), Shobie Partos, Hank Cathey, Sam Webber, Dana Friis-Hansen & Mark Holzbach.

(Community Matters) I’m probably the last to know.  Is this even real?

Wow, evidently so

Hey, I’m not piling on the guy.  In fact, I’m kinda pleasantly surprised the Right got over it – good gosh 20 years ago.

(Community Matters) Toxic Assets – Steven Tomlinson’s newest play.  It’ll be performed as a one-man, one-act as a benefit for FuseBox Festival on March 11, 12 & 13 at the Rude Mech’s Off Center Stage (apprx 100 seats each evening).  March 11 will be a preview performance.  The opening will be Friday, March 12 – because of such limited seating, only open to Friends of Fusebox (ie., 1,000 watt level & above).  Saturday’s performance will be open to the general public.

While this will be a full performance, it’s also a workshop for what Steven currently thinks will be a multi-character, multi-act play.

More information forthcoming

(Community Matters) HP says White House shift away from Gheitner & Sumners toward Volcker and Goolsbee – this is long overdue.

Even if only a perception of conflict of interest between Secr of Treas Gheitner and Goldman Sach, plus his navigating of AIG bailout and his inability to see beyond the Street suggest we should celebrate his contributions and restaff.  Out with Gheitner; in with Glass – Steagall.

(Community Matters) No doubt about it, independent voters are angry and disappointed, certainly most crossover Rs – even some Ds.  We all need some sleep and reflection.  Competition makes us stronger, and presidents have done quite well with even fewer Senate votes.  Sometimes early wake up votes save us from ourselves.

(Community Matters)  The Beast: 75 worst commutes: I-35 Austin (northbound) is #4 (behind #1 Hollywood Freeway, #2 H1 in Honolulu and #3 the Beltway in DC)

Weekly hours of bottleneck congestion: 460
Worst bottleneck: Northbound, Riverside Dr
Length of worst bottleneck: .92 mi
Weekly hours of congestion on worst bottleneck: 47
Speed of worst bottleneck when congested: 16.2 mph

The expert opinion: “It’s the most traveled stretch of roadway of Austin and in the state,” says Joe Taylor, traffic reporter for News 8 Austin. “It’s quirky. It was designed for a small town, and we’ve grown into a very large city.”

Hat Tip: Rob Oppegard

(Community Matters) ReadWriteWeb: Never Mind the Valley: Here’s Austin

This blending of unique industries in Austin is just a small part of what makes the city unique from other entrepreneurial communities like Silicon Valley.

(Community Matters) quick aggregated update from HelpHaiti partners:

@PiH_org: Outside of Port-au-Prince, PIH’s hospitals continue to see overwhelming volume of patients, especially for surgery.  PIH emergency surgical and medical teams are currently located in  St Marc, Cange, Hinche, and Belladere.  These sites are being supported by medical teams and supplies coming in via the Dominican Republic.  PIH Medical Director happy to report additional field hospital site open in PAP – a total of 13 operating rooms up and running, and they now have electricity so can operate over night.  Three more plane loads of surgical teams and supplies arrived on Monday.

@Concern (changed from @ConcernWorld): Water distributions (for 50,000 people), clean-up campaign (a cash-for-work program), soap distribution (15,000 people), temporary latrines (15,000 people), and shelter (tents and plastic sheeting for around 25,000 people)

We are continuing to look at aid in three stages: 1) save the living, bury the dead, 2) short term and intermediate humanitarian aid & relief,  and 3) reconstruction, rebuilding and growth.

double your Haiti donation here- HelpHaiti

(Community Matters) Just now, driving the four blocks to pick up a Starbucks, I remembered one of last night’s dreams. Kevin Tuerff and I were in a car.  We had a relatively minor accident, though because I wasn’t wearing my seatbelt, it was quite major.  I remember thinking, okay, this is bad for me (I was the one badly hurt), and it’s really bad for others because of me.  Just now, driving the four blocks to pick up a Starbucks, I buckled up.  I’d been developing a bad habit of not doing so for such a short ride – usually at 5:30 in the morning.