Monthly Archives: August 2012

(Community Matters) Taking a look at the geographical range of Community Matters readers. Yesterday’s traffic:

Country	Views
United States	680
United Kingdom	94
Canada	46
Germany	37
France	18
Netherlands	17
Australia	16
Italy	10
Norway	10
Denmark	7
Ireland	7
New Zealand	7
Belgium	6

It’s fun to imagine I know who many of the people are from some of the foreign countries. Though, admittedly after nearly 6 years (4,773 posts) of blogging at this site (on top of 2 previously on the AAS site), I realize lots of hits are google searches for specific topics. Using various approaches to estimating unique visitors, appears CM gets receives 3k to 7k unique visitors per week – including periodic private notes from readers in many parts of the country and globe.

Continue reading →

(Community Matters) One shouldn’t underestimate the power of role models, nor the dearth of dreams from the lack thereof.

from Playbook: OLYMPIC RING – Chicago Tribune p. 1, “Gift of Gabby: Gold may net gymnast millions,” by Diane Pucin in London : “Douglas, a 16-year-old from Virginia Beach, Va., who did not come from a life of privilege but from a background in which her single mother has struggled to pay the mortgage on a condominium, will leave London not only with her medals, but also with the opportunity to become a millionaire. … She didn’t win her first major competition until last month … Sheryl Shade, an agent who helped [gymnast] Shawn Johnson parlay her 2008 Olympic performance of three silver medals and a gold on the balance beam into a post-Olympic career, … scooped up Douglas when she became an Olympian. … ‘She appeals to everyone – to the moms who take their little girls to the gym, to the little girls who want to be like her, to the African-American community’. …

“Douglas already has scored a spot on boxes of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, a deal worth about $50,000 … Bela Karolyi, who was head of the 1996 U.S. team that won Olympic gold and who also coached Mary Lou Retton to all-around gold in 1984, said Douglas might have even more impact on the sport. ‘Thousands and thousands of African-American kids are going to go into gymnastics because of her, because they will want to be the new Gabby Douglas,’ Karolyi said. ‘With Mary Lou in 1984, her popularity doubled the number of gymnastics participants in this country.'” http://trib.in/MwIBeX

(Community Matters) provocative article forwarded by a friend – Romney Needs More Than Money—A Lot More

(Community Matters) I’m behind on my book reviews. Just reading about Gail Collins latest, As Texas Goes.

In “As Texas Goes . . . ,” Collins, an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times, describes a benighted place that is less one of the United States than a state of mind. It’s the mind-set that inspired bellicose slogans like “Don’t Mess With Texas” and oleaginous epics like “Giant” and “Dallas.” With its zest for guns, military adventures, right-wing dogma, regressive taxes, deregulation and privatization, Collins’s Texas is an ideological oil slick. And, as surely as those expanding red splotches in 1950s newsreels warning against the spread of Communism, it will pollute the entire body politic if left uncontained.

(Community Matters) Matthew Hinsley has created the new IT performing arts organization. I’m not sure what we expected but I had no idea of two things. I had no idea the Austin Classical Guitar Society now commanded audiences the size to fill the Long Center’s Dell Hall, and I had no idea they now commanded the attention of Austin’s most important supporters of musical arts.  I knew the evening would be extraordinary – we’ve been to a few of Matthew’s events since becoming friends over 10 years ago, and he only produces exceptional performances. Of course, the Miro Quartet needs no introduction; that Matthew persuaded them to play under ACGS speaks volumes.

It’s hard for me to hear fine sounds – my ears (or maybe it’s my attention) just don’t usually distinguish nuances. Though, by the second act, I was following the layering of strings, comparing the music to a wine. There are good varietals, perfectly good wines, but far fewer high-quality blends which spectacularly and memorably showoff a vintner’s skills.

so many of Austin’s leading performing arts patrons & friends were there Saturday night including Tana & Joe Christie, Terry & Joe Long, Gail & Jeff Kodosky, Jo Ann Christian, Gary Cooper & Richard Hartgrove, Bill Dickson, Carolyn, Marc & Dan Seriff, Forrest Preece, Cameron Lockley & Trey Alford, Sarah & Ernie Butler . . .

We’re signed up for Flamenco Austin – Spanish wines, tapas and “Explosive Flamenco” on the Great Terrace.

(Community Matters) A provocative & important piece in the NY Times

“A long-overdue constitution could create a state that belongs to all her citizens and in which the government behaves with fairness and equality toward all persons without prejudice based on religion, race or gender. Those are the principles on which Israel was founded and the values that bound Israel and America together in the past. ” – Avraham Burg, a former speaker of the Knesset and the chairman of Molad, the Center for Renewal of Democracy

AP photo:  A section of Israel’s barrier between the Shuafat refugee camp and the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Pisgat Zeev.

(Community Matters) Woody Allen vs William Buckley – too funny

(Community Matters)bummed can’t make show tonight at Dive Bar but there’s every Monday this month. Tonight’s guests: Adam Sultan- guitar and Alexis Buffum- violin. 8/13: Adrian Quesada, Grammy winning producer and guitarist from Grupo Fantasmo.

8/20: John Mills. We play my film/tv music and covers of classic film/tv music.

8/27: COUNTRY BLOW-OUT FINALE WITH REDD VOLKAERT on guitar, plus Ricky Davis on pedal steel.

(Community Matters)

(Community Matter) I’d never heard of them. Evidently they are a big deal – a boy band from the Ukraine. NYTimes review

Hat Tip: Towleroad

(Community Matters) “As you go through life, you should pass through different phases in thinking about how much credit you deserve.”

I’m folding David Brook’s article into my story of who one is by decade – currently a mix up of stories from Will Spong, Lee Walker, me & Steven Tomlinson (& now David Brooks too)

(Community Matters) CMI’s 6th Annual LGBT Community Survey. Over 45,000 total respondents living in 148 countries.  Summary focuses on US respondents.

• “LGBT”  is the preferred moniker by LGBT consumers
• 73-88% of gay men and lesbians say that whether or not a company sponsors LGBT charities influences their purchasing decisions
• 37% of gay men and 12% of lesbians say that “LGBT outreach” was significantly influential in their purchasing decision of a hotel room.
• About 17% of gay men  and 12-16% of lesbians over 30 have attended a ticketed LGBT fundraising event with a ticket price over $100 in the last 12 months.
• 56 % of gay men and 53% of lesbians say they gave to an LGBT focused non-profit in the last 12 months (graph below)
• 27% of gay men and 22% of lesbians say they gave more than $1000 to LGBT focused non-profits in the last 12 months.
• The top reasons why LGBT didn’t give to LGBT focused non-profits: Nobody asked me or I’m not familiar enough with the nonprofits.
• Gay men drink much less beer and more spirits & cocktails
• 77% of gay men support Pres Obama, 5% Mitt Romney, 18% other or not voting; lesbians, 84%, 2% and 14%, respectively