Monthly Archives: September 2011

(Community Matters) A seed?

Playbook: A NEW POWER CENTER: After a series of panels today “Urging the Super Committee to GO BIG: $4 Trillion and Beyond” (hosted by Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Concord Coalition and the Bipartisan Policy Center), HOUSE AND SENATE MEMBERS OF BOTH PARTIES will adjourn to Sen. Mark Warner’s house in Old Town Alexandria to continue the conversation over dinner and drinks. At last count, 16 Senators, 10 House members and more than a dozen CEOs had RSVPd “yes.”

(Community Matters) Tuesday was a Gov Tim Kaine day – to San Antonio for a luncheon hosted by Ellen & David Lake and Henry Munoz, closing with a late dinner in Austin w/ close friends.  Gov Kaine is running for the US Senate. Steven and I  became friends with him during his tenure as DNC Chair.

Tim’s a common ground guy – his tenure as Virginia’s governor demonstrates an ability to reach across the aisle and get stuff done. VA was #1 for business in the middle of an economic slowdown during his four years, and (as a former civil rights attorney) he doesn’t believe in trading social safety net infrastructure – in fact believing it made his state strong and competitive. Continue reading →

(Community Matters) Brent Huggins, our 21yo cousin who stayed with us this summer, has just arrived for his semester abroad in Istanbul – his blog, Turkey, Hold the Stuffing

(Community Matters)  Unfortunately, our customers also want empathy.  For whatever reason, people need to feel like their doctor knows them.  It takes only two minutes of conversation for an expert clinician to diagnose an illness, but it takes ten times that long for the typical patient to feel understood.

Third of four parts Steven wrote for the People’s Community Clinic luncheon earlier this year. #1 The Doctor, #2 The Nurse.

Continue reading →

(Community Matters) what we’re gonna get if we don’t work off our asses

Vodpod videos no longer available.

(Community Matters) “The key point is that it [sexual orientation] no longer matters,” said Doug Wilson, a top Pentagon spokesman. “Our feeling is that the day will proceed like any other day.”

Vodpod videos no longer available.

(Community Matters) from a 9yo

Sadie’s mom, our dear friend Georgia Thomsen, wrote that she woke up to Sadie having written this letter on her own. Thank you Sadie and kudos to Georgia and Sloan Spaeth for raising such an enlightened and generous daughter.

Dear Governor Rick Perry,

Hi my name is Sadie. I’m 9 years old and me and my friends think that your laws are unfair, really unfair. As a kid even, I think, I mean come on, you won’t let people of the same gender marry or adopt if the parents are both girls or boys? There are kids that need homes in Texas and you don’t care. What, are you blind to reality; you don’t want to be mean do you?

Sadie Spaeth

Austin, Texas

(Community Matters) On President Obama’s plan to cut $3.6 trillion from the deficit

The New York Times Editorial: This time, President Obama did not compromise with himself beforehand, or put out a half measure in hopes of luring nonexistent Republican support. This time, he issued an unabashed call for economic fairness in cutting the federal deficit, asking as much from those on the economy’s upper rungs as from those lower down whose programs may be trimmed. . . . . For once the president did not let that predictable line of argument stop him, and even had a good rejoinder: “This is not class warfare. It’s math. The money is going to have to come from someplace.” It could come from the middle class, from the elderly and the poor, by asking them to give up benefits from programs like Medicare, Medicaid and food stamps — as many Republicans are advocating. It could come by pulling money from road building, schools, food inspection and other vital government services.

I’m not unsympathetic with my friends who’ll be crestfallen by the President’s practical and ideologically driven proposal. But, when the ideology is that the wealthiest Americans & corporations should share in the costs of eliminating our deficit, this is an ideology worth fighting for. Let’s not forget, there will be several dollars of cuts for every dollar of new taxes, and we’re in this mess because we previously cut taxes during a time of two wars and the introduction of the most expensive new entitlement program in decades (the prescription drug program approved in 2003).  David Brooks speaks for those who’ll be disappointed that the President’s plan didn’t assume the Republicans would come to the table in good faith.

earlier posting on contributors to deficit

(Community Matters) I’m by no means unsympathetic to those advocating state recognition. I trust Pres Obama that for whatever reasons, this wouldn’t be in the Palestinian state’s nor the State of Israel’s best interest – most likely because of US Congressional backlash, which at this time could be veto proof. And, it probably signals the US’s weakening position as an ally to both sides. The failure of Bebe Netanyahus’s government to make any progress in negotiations or to curtail additional West Bank settlements is regrettable. As the eminently more powerful of the two parties, the negotiations are more Israel’s to drive.

Placing the US in the position of working against state recognition – which increases security threats against Americans everywhere in the world –  is the sort of ask that taxes friendships. I fear my Israeli friends may have lost the advantage of negotiating with Palestinians from the peak of their power, influence and global friendships.

(Community Matters) AAS quoting liberally from my friends Chad Bockius (CEO Socialware) and Jon Hockeynos:

This is a place where smart people want to be and work, and that has been the case independent of the overall economic environment.

(Community Matters) Steven loved the Richard Bean written farce directed by the Nicholas Hytner.

While the show was a bit too Monty Python-esq for me (which Steven absolutely loved), I’m glad to have seen it since Hytner is the Royal National Theatre’s Exec Director and it provides insight into his artistic direction for the enterprise. Since arriving in 2003, he’s shaken up offerings, transfused energy and edginess into the complex which had become stodgy. The show reminded me of the Rude Mechanical’s I’ve Never Been So Happy – slapstick, lots of double entendre, music, even cartoonish and a wildly laughing audience. I said it wasn’t my kind of show, but it certainly was most of the audiences’.

(Community Matters) The Tate Modern is always one of my favorite visits – though I’ve neglected to stop in recently.

A double treat as they had Cy Twombly’s works hanging. I met his sister this summer. Though I’d heard of him, I’d never known his work until after meeting Ann. The physical power (energy) of his work isn’t captured in a photograph.

First time I’ve ever seen clearly, Matisse beats Picasso. I’ve grappled with that ever since the Matisse Picasso exhibit