Monthly Archives: November 2010

(Community Matters) very cool

Vodpod videos no longer available.

(Community Matters) Sigma Phi Beta a gay fraternity – shouldn’t there be a chapter at UT-Austin?

(Community Matters)

Vodpod videos no longer available.

(Community Matters) I don’t do iPhone or I’d play @Path

(Community Matters) Really, just 90 days?

(Community Matters) It is really embarrassing if the administration is seriously considering caving this easily to the House GOP. Get some spine guys – at least force their leadership to propose the specific spending cuts offsetting the billions in tax cut extensions (a wise friend’s idea).

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/opinion/14rich.xml

I’m not so sure this is as much about super rich individuals as it is about the private conglomerates and the fossil fuel, insurance and financial industries

(Community Matters) Traveling by train is so civilized.

(Community Matters) NY Times article on Haiti microfinance http://mobile.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/business/global/14haiti.xml includes Fonkoze which HelpHaiti donors have supported substantially and will likely support even more. Our friend Anne Hastings mentioned as is her success in securing Red Cross funding to forgive and relaunch loans to those devastated by the earthquake. HelpHaiti donors have funded continued training & launching of savings programs for Haitian women as well as medical & nutritional programs for their children. Posted from my Blackberry

(Community Matters) Dinner last night at Max & Moritz with our friend Alexer Taganas, a UT architecture grad student interning in Berlin since February. He arrived during the economic downturn and is seeing improvement as evidenced by more work and hiring at the firm.

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(Community Matters) in the spirit of bipartisanship being offered around earmarks, Pres Obama announced today from Japan that his administration and the DNC hope to continue the ban against contributions from PACs and lobbyists assuming the GOP will adopt these standards. Or, “we can negotiate a common policy acceptable to the Republican caucus. Now that they are assuming Congressional leadership of the House, we know Republicans will step up in helping set funding standards that improve credibility of the American political system. We know GOP constituents also care about standards that ensure public trust and priorities, so expect Republican leadership to adopt the same bans; however, we’re prepared to negotiate if that’s what they insist better serves our country. After they’ve assumed the House leadership for 60 days, we’ll adopt their standards as a show of good faith.”

(Community Matters) This is increasingly heard in the US.  Prejudice against Muslims is rising around the world. Many of my Jewish friends worry and speak about Anti-semitism (especially in Europe), and yes, this is a concern. Perhaps why I find the anti-Muslim sentiment in emails sometimes forwarded to me especially disturbing. I don’t mean to promote political correctness. Broad national & racial biases can handicap us in many ways (& perhaps build self-fulfilling prophesies). Not to mention, that jingoism, even racism both have highly predictable outcomes, historically.

Saturday’s NYT profile of Berliner, Thilo Sarrazin

(Community Matters) The view from our hotel room doesn’t suck

my husband is sleeping really late and long.  guess it’s his catch up time