Monthly Archives: August 2012

(Community Matters) #1 Melbourne not really a surprise. Australia way up on our list of places to hang since we returned last year – Adelaide #6, Sydney #7, Perth #9

The annual study ranks 140 cities according to political and social stability, crime rates, health care, education, infrastructure, and standard of cultural events and natural environment. All three of the Australian cities scored a perfect 100 for their healthcare, infrastructure and education. Wall Street Journal

#2 – Vienna, Austria, #3 – Vancouver, Canada, #4 – Toronto, Canada, #5 – Calgary, Canada, #6 – Adelaide, Australia, #7 – Sydney, Australia, #8 – Helsinki, Finland, #9 – Perth, Australia, #10 – Auckland, New Zealand

(Community Matters) –Second presidential debate (town meeting): Candy Crowley, Chief Political Correspondent, CNN and Anchor, CNN’s State of the Union, Tuesday, October 16, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY

. . . looking especially forward to this one. I sat between Candy and David Plouffe at the White House State Dinner for S. Korean President Lee. Ms Crowley is tough charging and doesn’t brook ambiguity. Despite what some say, she’s also decidedly nonpartisan.  Fun too – we shared several laughs over 70s and 80s growing up stories.

(Community Matters) NYT Op-ed: For every soldier killed in war this year, about 25 veterans now take their own lives.

Maybe I do support existing DOD funding levels but for veteran services, not weapons. Eisenhower: “we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.”

(Community Matters) admittedly a conversation w/ a progressive bias – it’s an honorable, enlightened & fair conversation nonetheless.

Chris Hayes, Luke Hayes’ brother, has really come into his own w/ his show – even more authoritative, direct & powerfully articulate.

Saturday’s UP w/ Chris Hayes: 48623493#48623493

Hoping to see Chris in Austin in the fall – we’ve promised to host a book signing

(Community Matters) Just noticed the celebrity dancers for this years – Dancing with the Stars benefiting the Center for Child Protection

  Continue reading →

(Community Matters) A bold move. I’m impressed that Romney finally jettisoned safe for bold. Even more now, the election is a very clear choice between two very different Americas

Some will say Mitt didn’t really have much choice but to go for a Hail Mary. Mitts numbers were trending negative and the gaps widening in almost all battleground states. I think most Americans will welcome the campaigns focusing on the substance of each candidates’ vision for America and the implications of their policy choices.

not to mention, there appears to be real chemistry between the men

(Community Matters) Becky Beaver: “So where exactly would our US Olympic team be without Title IX?  I believe that that would be with approximately as many gold medals as South Korea. I have found the dominance of the women, the intensity of their performances and their sheer joy at competing to be compelling to watch and truly inspiring.”

“Women outnumber men on the U.S. Olympic team for the first time, and they’re coming up big on the international stage. There are three full days of Olympic competition left, and female Olympians from the United States already have 51 medals [of 90 won by USA]

“It’s a celebration for women all over the world, not in just the United States,” Wambach said after her team topped Japan 2-1 in the gold-medal match on Thursday night. “Title IX is obviously a huge thing.”

Sure does seem fitting that this year, the 40th anniversary of Title IX, the 1972 law that increased opportunities for women in sports across America, U.S. women have storylines all over the Olympics.

So far in London, U.S. women have won 26 golds, nearly one in four of every one awarded to women at this point. The total of 26 equals the amount won by the U.S. and British men combined.

Tim Reynolds, Washington Post

photos: 1) gymnast Aly Raisman, 2) gymnast Gabby Douglas, 3) volleyball: Misty-May Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings, 4) women’s soccer team

(Community Matters) AAS on the influence of money on research, in context of UT Assoc Professor Mark Regnerus flawed gay parenting study. 

Previous postings:

Gay Families Study – Academic Review Conclusion: “It’s Bullshit”

Gay Families Studies Under Investigation

Gay Families & Affected Kids

(Community Matters) My friend Marc Stanley to Sheldon Adelson: drop your silly lawsuit — you are going to lose and you are not going to bully us or silence us because of your wealth. Marc is the president of the National Jewish Democratic Council

“Adelson told me personally that he is a Jewish Republican for only two issues: He believes Republicans are better for Israel and he believes Republicans will eliminate the estate tax. I do not believe the vast majority of American Jews will agree with his views, especially when they hear the true facts instead of a one-sided campaign.

So here is my suggestion for Adelson. Let’s put money aside and settle this on the strength of ideas.

Why don’t you and I agree to two debates? You decide the forum and structure of the first and I’ll decide the forum and structure of the second. We can debate Obama’s record on Israel and we can debate the estate tax. And we can debate the differences between Democrats and Republicans on choice, healthcare, education, separation of church and state, marriage equality, poverty, social security, social justice and any other tikkun olam issue you wish.”  full story here

(Community Matters) we’ve got to get away from splitting hairs and calling everything somewhere inbetween. On each ideological side, we’re developing bad habits of exaggerating or making things up and then promoting the idea that we should wind up somewhere in the center. I say bullshit to this.

I’m okay winding up somewhere in the center of the truth but not between the center from the truth and a made up story – whether made up by the ideological right or the left.

(Community Matters)

Data copyright 2012 by STATS LLC.

update: my friends Lynn Meredith & Becky Beaver have a good point: “So what part did title 9 play in our outstanding medal count…..just wondering”

(Community Matters) Steven knew Rob Adams way before I did – from entrepreneurship courses at UT. Rob & I got to know each other when he launched & ran AV Labs. We’d become friends over the years but hadn’t stayed connected the last 6 or so.

Rob’s (professor/dr) now teaching in UT’s MBA program and running their Texas Venture Labs. I caught up with him for EF purposes over lunch a few weeks ago, and Tuesday night Steven and I had dinner with him. He’s doing great work and bringing fantastic experiences to UT graduate students. I like remembering what he said about businesses – their needs always boil down to 3 areas: 1) revenues (either products or services or growth), 2) attracting capital, 3) making sure the right people are in the right jobs