Monthly Archives: March 2012

(Community Matters) here for about 18 hours, great evening with two of my best friends (Charles Santos & Rickie Bond), morning meeting with Marfa Public Radio rock star DJ, Harry Hudson

This weekend is Charles’ big event, La Fete Du Ballet in Dallas at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, performances by international classical ballet stars. Titas

(Community Matters) A food allergy is when our body sees food proteins as foreign and launches an inflammatory response to drive out that foreign invader. Is there something foreign about our food today?

From 1997 until 2002, there’s been a doubling of the peanut allergy. 1 out of 17 kids under 3 now have a food allergy, and there’s been a 265% increase in hospitalization related to food reactions. Beginning in the 1990s, new proteins were engineered into our food supply. No human trials were conducted to confirm safety. Governments around the world didn’t allow until proven safe; the US allows until proven unsafe. USA now has the highest rate of cancer in the world – in breast cancer, only 1 of 10 incidences are genetic.

Presentation from 2011 TEDxAustin

Vodpod videos no longer available.

(Community Matters) Congratulations to the Austin Under 40 Winners – especially the Austinite of the Year, Dan Graham of BuildASign. Matt Kouri (Community Service), Andrea McWilliams (Govt & Public Affairs), Chris Hester (Medicine & Healthcare), Joshua Baer (Technology & Science), Todd Hanna (Youth & Education), Rachel Armbruster (Marketing, PR & Advertising), Andy Roddick (Sports)

(Community Matters) my friend Ginger Reeder (who’s at TED this weekend) recommended this talk by Dr. Brene Brown

(shame & fear unravels connection. the only people who have no shame have no capacity for empathy or human connection. In order for connection, we have to allow ourselves to be seen, really seen – vulnerability) Sense of worthiness, a strong sense of love & belonging. The people who have a strong sense of worthiness, believe they are worthy – wholehearted people) Traits shared by those who see selves as worthy: 1) Courage – the ability to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart (courage to be imperfect). 2) Compassion to be kind to self and others. 3) Connection – the result of authenticity, willing to let go of who think you should be, in order to be who you are. 4) Vulnerability – fully embrace; believe that what makes you vulnerable, makes you beautiful; it’s necessary. One of the ways too many deal with this world is by numbing vulnerability.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

(Community Matters) What an unexpected honor: the PeopleFund board of directors has named me Chairman of the Board Emeritus.

I served on this board approximately fifteen years before retiring last year. Margo Weisz and her staff built a successful and well-endowed organization. Gary Lindner and his staff are taking it to another level. Steven and I remain committed to their mission of economic opportunity through financial security and independence. And, this organization understands channeling intellectual capital to the small & local businesses is as important as the financial capital.

(Community Matters) Friday morning among a packed room of family, friends and colleagues, Jim was sworn-in as Associate Judge State District Court. Last night, we hosted his family and several close friends to celebrate.

in the pic, our dear friend Judge Lora Livingston in the background, presiding over the swearing in.

(Community Matters) I don’t know Chad but I like what I’m reading. Also, I do know one of the co-chairs of the search committee and have great confidence in their decision. San Francisco Chronicle

(Community Matters)

REMEMBERING JAMES Q. WILSON, 1931-2012 – L.A. Times A1, “Pioneer in ‘broken windows’ approach to improve policing,” by Elaine Woo (NYT also fronts obit) : “James Q. Wilson, a social scientist who helped launch a revolution in law enforcement as the co-inventor of the ‘broken windows’ theory – the idea that eradicating graffiti, public drunkenness and other signposts of community decay was crucial to making neighborhoods safer – died Friday in Boston. He was 80 … complications of leukemia … Often called the ‘father of community policing,’ Wilson … was a widely admired public intellectual who wrote more than two dozen books on American government, criminal justice and moral issues. … Daniel Patrick Moynihan … once called him ‘the smartest man in the United States.’ In 2003, Wilson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush. Wilson changed the face of American policing in 1982 when he and colleague George L. Kelling wrote an article for the Atlantic titled ‘Broken Windows: The Police and Neighborhood Safety.’ … [A]s Wilson and Kelling explained in deceptively simple terms: ‘One unrepaired broken window is a signal that no one cares, and so breaking more windows costs nothing.'” http://lat.ms/AvK6dF

Politico Playbook

(Community Matters) Maryland just became the 8th state (plus DC) to approve same sex marriage (commencing 2013). The others states are New York, Washington, Iowa, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont & New Hampshire. Unfortunately, Gov Christie vetoed the legislative passed equality in New Jersey.

Our friend Ken Ulman, Howard County Chief Executive, was an important supporter in Maryland.

(Community Matters) I don’t think the Pres bluffs and the language implicitly promises Israel that we’ll take care of this. It tells me we really could go to war with Iran in the very near future. From Playbook:

BREAKING – The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg interviews President Obama in the Oval for 45 minutes on the Iran crisis – “Obama to Iran and Israel: ‘As President of the United States, I Don’t Bluff'”: “At the White House on Monday, President Obama will seek to persuade the skeptical Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to postpone whatever plans he may have to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities in the coming months. Obama will argue that under his leadership, the United States ‘has Israel’s back,’ and that he will order the U.S. military to destroy Iran’s nuclear program if economic sanctions fail to compel Tehran to shelve its nuclear ambitions. … Obama told me earlier this week that both Iran and Israel should take seriously the possibility of American action against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Continue reading →

(Community Matters) Happy Texas Independence Day

At the Entrepreneurs Foundation, we celebrated a day early and recognized several member companies: Bazaarvoice, Innography, Troux Technologies, Convio, Sailpoint & uShip. Brett Hurt was awarded the 2012 Community Leadership Award, and he announced the current value of BVs equity grant to EF,  $1.9 million. At least 80% of these monies will be granted to other nonprofits. BV employees have expressed an interest in supporting STEM programs in Central Texas and especially the programs at Breakthrough Austin.