Monthly Archives: June 2011

(Community Matters) The last grant from the Entrepreneurs Foundation/Austin Ventures HelpHaiti fund was a $163k matching grant to Concern Worldwide/Fonkoze to restore livelihoods through income generation activities in the Tabarre camp – a defined community of 500 families.  A study carried out by Concern Worldwide and Fonkoze in the Tabarre Issa Camp and in the surroundings in October 2010, revealed that 90% of residents were  involved in petty trading before the earthquake and around 45% of them lost their entire equipment or inventories required to generate incomes. They have since depended on agency aid and support from relatives. Very few people had restarted income generation activities due to the lack of capital and being unable to undertake appropriate actions.  Today we received a progress report which includes:

320 beneficiaries were initially selected by the team to participate in the entrepreneurship /microfinance program. The community reduced the list to 250 beneficiaries, rejecting 70 beneficiaries who did not meet the criteria as originally presented by the team. Continue reading →

(Community Matters)

For Immediate Release                                                             June 29, 2011

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

AT RECEPTION OBSERVING LGBT PRIDE MONTH

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody!  (Applause.)  Welcome to the White House.  (Applause.)

Nothing ruins a good party like a long speech from a politician.  (Laughter.)  So I’m going to make a short set of remarks here.  I appreciate all of you being here.  I have learned a lesson:  Don’t follow Potomac Fever — (laughter) — because they sounded pretty good.

We’ve got community leaders here.  We’ve got grassroots organizers.  We’ve got some incredible young people who are just doing great work all across the country -– folks who are standing up against discrimination, and for the rights of parents and children and partners and students —

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(Community Matters)

Happy Birthday, Joe

our favorite former Senator & dear friend

(Community Matters) Congratulations to our good friend, Judge Robert Pitman – will be first openly gay US Attorney *

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release: June 28, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama nominated Kenneth Magidson, Sarah Ruth Saldaña, Robert Lee Pitman, and John Malcolm Bales to serve as United States Attorneys.

“These nominees have proven to be tenacious and diligent in their pursuit of justice and I am honored to nominate them to serve their fellow Americans as U.S. Attorneys,” President Obama said. “They will be distinguished public servants.”

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(Community Matters) Quick catch up with my former TA, Josh Keller, now a professor in Singapore. We were talking about his area of research  – the implications of cultural differences within companies – and expanded the conversation to discuss children who grow up with multicultural influences. I was surprised to learn that data clearly supports that these children are more creative (in a problem solving & entrepreneurial sense).  I suspect it has to do with learning to question assumptions.

(Community Matters) full circle . . .

photo: Josh Marshall/TPM

TPM slideshow

(Community Matters) What’s Real – the economy sucks and too many families are suffering.

I’m not placing the blame for this economic recession on any one party or politician and agree it’s our responsibility to fix the problem. And, Pres Obama and his administration must be judged fairly – millions of jobs created and saved. Admitted, this recovery is more slow than anyone would wish – and let’s put it in context – it’s a stronger recovery than the Nov 2001 to Oct 2003 recession under George W Bush and the July 1980 to June 1982 recession under Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. Let’s add to that context that we faced a graver situation in 2008 than we did in either 1980 or 2001 – never before imagining another Great Depression. see politifact Romney

The $787 Billion Economic Stimulus: Rs are completely making up their facts and claiming the economic stimulus didn’t save and create jobs. In fact, estimates range from saving/creating 1.3mm to 3.6mm jobs. See this national politicfact

Additionally, most of those spinning facts into fiction are no longer talking about the auto industry. Pres Obama and his team walked a very fine line and negotiated hard against unions, for workers and for jobs – as a result saving a million+ jobs and a critical manufacturing industry in our country.

What’s Fiction? that Pres Obama hasn’t made real progress in fighting the second worst recession/depression in our country’s history

What’s Opinion: Too many self-professed conservative politicians have stood in the way of economic recovery, preferring instead to see Pres Obama “fail” rather than protecting and working for America’s middle class. Most of these politicians serve special interests, continuing to promote tax cuts for the super rich and corporations

(Community Matters) What a great 5 days

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(Community Matters) The Normal Heart is Larry Kramer’s story about the earliest days of AIDS, organizing, advocating and the world ignoring the epidemic because it was thought to be a “gay disease” and because the gay community initially didn’t step up responsibly.

Brilliant – exceedingly well cast and directed. No wonder it won 3 Tony’s.

Larry Kramer’s story quickly brought back memories of our fight in Austin. I wasn’t on the team until 1990 (eventually chairing the Austin/Travis County HIV Commission) but even then Austin was willing to allocate more to its animal shelter than to services and prevention for AIDS/HIV. Only after our own organization of ACT UP, Dikes on Bikes, Drag Queens and Angry Queens were we able to secure increases in funding necessary to adequately take care of our friends before they died. And, they did die, almost every one of them.

Hilary and I went last night; Steven and Brent going this afternoon (they were at Punchdrunk last night). Adlers, Lands, Wynnes and Ellis’ there last night too

(Community Matters) I was in the Golden Theatre when I heard – sitting between Hilary and Anne Wynne. The cast of The Normal Heart had just received a standing ovation, came back for an encore, house lights were coming up and my friend Paul Boskind came onto the stage. “I just wanted to let you know that while your telephones were off, New York passed marriage.”

Steven and Brent were walking in Greenwich Village, near Sheridan Square when they heard hollering. Steven was following Marty Rouse’s news feed, so knew marriage had just passed. The started walking in the direction of the celebration and came upon Stonewall – the US epicenter of LGBT equality. Somehow they got in; Brett started hugging, taking pictures, then we all met at the Standard to celebrate with the Adlers/Lands.

(Community Matters)

(Community Matters) Big night in NY. 680ish in attendance last night for the President’s LGBT Gala at the Sheraton. Aside from the President, Andy Tobias received the most applause recognition – as he should. He’s been our community’s yeoman in the DNC for more years than anyone should have to.

Pres O, “. . . . and I believed that discrimination because of somebody’s sexual orientation or gender identity ran counter to who we are as a people. It’s a violation of the basic tenets on which this nation was founded. I believe that gay couples deserve the same human rights as every other couple in this country.” And, yet, he didn’t (yet) endorse marriage. I believe he’s with us, and he’s bringing the rest of the country around. Our community should continue to encourage him on marriage, ENDA and ridding us of DOMA;  my co-chair colleagues and I will continue to do so.

Neil Patrick Harris hosted the evening – what  a charming and unpretentious guy, thoroughly enjoyed my brief chat with him. Many friends up from Texas to celebrate with us, including Diane Land & Steve Adler plus Sarah and Catherine Clark. Ray Griffith and Anne Wynne joined us too; I think Fred was somewhere here in the city last night as well. Our friend from Marfa, Suzanne Tick made it (Terry & Gabe were confirmed but didn’t make it in the building before the President arrived and weren’t then able). Hilary & Brent were able to meet the President – Steven took them back stage while I hosted our table. New York City Speaker Christine Quinn joined our table. Lots and lots of friends from around the country and NY. Could only have been topped off by definitive good news from Albany – but we hear that’ll happen today, fingers crossed.