Monthly Archives: March 2013

(Community Matters) What a treat yesterday, brunch homemade with lots of love. Monica Peraza and Eric Copper invited me, Steven, Michael Barnes & Kip Keller for an intimate Sunday brunch. Perfectly cooked carnitas, the best black beans I’ve ever eaten, spicy guacamole, hand churned salsas . . . and of course champagne or margaritas. Fun, fun, fun . . . didn’t even know those two were such dear friends. . . and of course that makes perfect sense.

Monica’s new venture in Mexico has attracted FedEx, Microsoft and other multinational partners. Eric’s just been named #4 Austin residential realtor – not to mention Monica’s Hispanic Business Alliance and their progress launching national programs encouraging entrepreneurship.

(Community Matters) Super memorial service for Mary Margaret Farabee at the Wildflower Center this morning. Way beyond standing room only – guests overfilled a second auditorium room and sat on benches and chairs in the courtyard. Bishop John McCarthy, Nona Niland, Mary Yancy & H. W. Brands spoke eloquently & lovingly. Beautiful weather, perfect setting and marvelous guests. MM, her son David, Lowell, Molly, Ann . . .I’m sure they were all happily amused watching too.

(Community Matters) It’s starting to feel as if: you can Hit & run, even kill a poor person and stay out of prison, but f#&k with a corporation and your ass is going to jail. The guy didn’t even misuse the hacked email addresses, he simply demonstrated AT&T’s poor security to journalists.

meanwhile, a young woman gets off with probation for driving drunk, hitting and killing an innocent pedestrian and then fleeing the scene

(Community Matters) Jaime Casap is the Senior Education Evangelist at Google, Inc

keynote at SXSW EDU

(Community Matters) baby steps have become big bold steps

 “I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it’s a man and woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man. I think the ship has sailed and I think the church needs — I think this is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are.”

In 2011  Time Magazine named Bell to its list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. He is the author of the NYT  bestsellers Love Wins and Velvet Elvis. Under his leadership Mars Hill Bible Church was one of the fastest-growing churches in America.

(Community Matters) “I am approving an initial $10 million budget toward this work for this year.”

Seems the RNC approved the budget. Way over reading; nevertheless, I note high chances of power struggles between electeds and the party chair.

(Community Matters) Sorry, I don’t buy that this man doesn’t know what he’s doing. Something about his ink prompts me to believe otherwise.

. . . . same with this CPAC attendee who questioned what slave owners had to apologize for, suggesting slavery was “feeding and housing” blacks. Similarly . . . . comments promoting the separation of races and how Republican women shouldn’t correct men in public. Nationalism is alive and well and scary.

I don’t mean to cast a wide net over all Republicans. It’s a fringe. Unfortunately, a fringe Republican candidates must appeal to in order to win Republican primaries.

After watching very closely since 2007, I fear the fringe is nearly 25% of American voters. And, as I’ve written, it’s about power and cultural dominance . . . . within the context that no group would give up 220+ years of power and cultural dominance without a fight. I worry that the fight could be physical.

update: reading the soccer player has now been banned

(Community Matters) In my blog posting, Right-Wing Think Tank Bought University of Texas Research, a blog reader referenced documentation on the matter at Scribd.com.

Appears Prof Regnerus was not honest with UT and other investigators about the involvement of funders in “research design, survey contents, analysis or conclusions” – big surprise. I’m saddened that UT appears less than diligent about protecting & policing the integrity of its research and its academic reputation.

(Community Matters) I’ve long suspect the military’s inability to handle investigations and prosecutions of sexual assaults predates the enlistment of women. Baltimore sailor says he was told not to report rape.

Much appreciation to my friend Senator Gillibrand for chairing the congressional hearing and exploring the move of investigations and prosecutions outside the chain of command. 

(Community Matters) This is concerning to me. Steven and I spend a fair bit of time between the Castro, Noe Valley & the Mission District – plus it’s where we plan to spend the summer. 

(Community Matters) I spent nearly 90 mins with Gina LaMotte, EcoRise’s founder & CEO yesterday. I’d only scheduled 60. Had figured I’d spend 45. More than impressed. We’re talking a potential leap in pedagogy by introducing design thinking to kids at a perfect age, and in a way that fosters critical thinking skills – while offering high school teachers excellent practicums to complement even TAKS- & STAAR-driven lesson plans.

This is an important & cool, relatively new nonprofit. Many thanks to Philip Berber for bringing them to my attention as well as for his seed funding. Ditto to MFI Foundation and Will Meredith for their early funding & for Will’s leadership as an early board member and now advisor. They are also putting together a very cool summer camp.

(Community Matters) Let’s hope the latest information about collusion with a right wing think tank perhaps lights another look. UT conducted an investigation but let the associate professor slide. 

Many earlier posts on the flawed research by UT Assoc Professor Mark Regnerus on gay parenting. The study was so bad, the head of the journal’s academic review panel called it “bullshit.”

Earlier posts:

Gay Families & Affected Kids

Gay Families Studies Under Investigation

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

The Influence of Money on Research

UT Reviewed Regnerus’ Gay Parenting Study

Hat Tip: SM