Monthly Archives: December 2012

(Community Matters) Today’s Gilded Age.

I’ve long planned to write on this topic and continue to catalog these thoughts. This isn’t the piece; nevertheless, yesterday’s article on Wal-Mart’s bribes in Mexico, especially the desecration of one of the world’s most important archeological sites adds one of the least flattering, most corrosive perspectives on corporate behavior from a company of whom we should be able to expect much better. I’m back off them despite their advances in employee benefits and practices. They’re too big and too unwieldy.

Appears time to bust Wal-Mart apart, Teddy Roosevelt style. There are a few, additional MNC candidates. Probably time to rewrite the 1890s legislation for today’s threats against workers, consumers and even citizen governance

the next Teddy Roosevelt? #ElizabethWarren

(Community Matters) Interview on Creating Shared Value (not values) with Kyle Peterson, managing director of FSG (Harvard Prof Michael Porter and Mark Kramer, co-founders)

Shared Value is the policy and practices that accompany and that are employed to bring about competitive advantage while addressing a social problem. Three forms:

The first form is reconceiving products and markets.

Second is redefining productivity in the value chain.

The third form is what we call ‘enabling local clusters’.

Earlier posting: Creating Shared Value

(Community Matters) following up on topic of breakfast conversation – found this short summary I like

Socrates vs. Plato vs. Aristotle

(Community Matters) Not a whole lot makes Steven happier than time to read plus for us to hang, cook, walk and talk. This morning is quite perfect – a bit overcast and cold outside, fires going in the house, and I made us breakfast. 

This is when the really good conversations take place: Steven giving me a wonderful and thorough history of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Epicurus. Us debating whether or not there are similarly great thinkers today or whether now there is just too much to know, understand and connect.

I flew here directly from Hawaii on Thursday, Steven joined me Friday, and Bill & Amy are joining us Monday evening.

(Community Matters) Steven and I have a new years tradition of selecting one word to guide us through the upcoming year. It’s more sustainable and more comprehensive than new years resolutions, at least for us. We’ve been sharing this practice with Michael Barnes and Kip Keller for many many years. Steven and David Marc Cohen started the tradition in the early 90s.

I failed miserably at my word for 2011 – LESS. Imagine I did better w/ 2010: LET’S PLAY (that’s almost a lay up). Certainly better w/ last year’s – TRANSITION. Have been thinking about this year’s, could be AMPLIFY, or could be RADIO, or could be EXCELLENCE – still thinking

Steven ran across a new book out about this practice – One Word that will Change Your Life

updated for provenance & 2010

updated again for my final word: DEFINE. I work on so many projects with so many team members, I want to do a better job of defining vision, ambitions, objectives and success. Also, Steven decided we didn’t love the book.

(Community Matters) my friend Brian Kelsey of Civic Analytics:

According to the US Census Bureau, 62% of the approximately 6,800 people living downtown (defined here for convenience as 78701) in 2010 were male, compared to 51% for the city of Austin as a whole. In fact, men outnumber women between the ages of 30 and 59 by more than two-to-one. If you go back to 2000, the ratio jumps to more than three-to-one in some cases.

(Community Matters) In honor of 12-12-12, gonna make 3 $12 donations. Join me

mine: SafePlace, OutYouth and Mobile Loaves and Fishes

(Community Matters) Ivy put on a fashion show with 6 changes of outfits and a runway walk with plenty of attitude. Lily joined her as the announcer, surprising and delighting us with her performance of song. Oh yeah, and a surprise was a specially written and illustrated story by Ivy. Much fun for all. hmm, tonight . . .

beautiful dinner after as guests of Lei Lei, old Christie family friends.

(Community Matters) The New York Magazine on Politico and the Beltway elite.

(Community Matters) Arrived yesterday to spend three days w/ the Chrisities, who’ve taken a home on the North Shore. Perfect timing – it’d gotten cold in Austin. Ah, the sun is rising. I said I’d leave the computer when the sun came out.

(Community Matters) “Inspiration is more like catching a wave than going to a well.” – Dessa, aka Margret Wander

(Community Matters) Enlightening? Telling?

“Of all the issues Mrs. Clinton has worked on over the years, the one nearest her heart is improving the status of women and children around the world. … [F]ormer aides say that Mrs. Clinton drew a lesson from her 2008 run: she believes that the country approves of her, and of female candidates in general, when they appear to be serving others rather than seeking power out of personal ambition. By that logic, Mrs. Clinton’s interest in helping poor women around the world would not hurt her politically in 2016 and might add to her current politician-above-politics luster. … [from Politico’s Playbook]