Category Archives: Uncategorized

(Community Matters) Steven and I are in Dallas w/ two of our very dearest friends, Charles Santos & Rick Bond – confused about date of Jessica Lang’s performance, which is in fact not until tonight, so we’ll miss. I’m meeting Julian & Joaquin Castro at DFW, then off to Des Moines for Senator Harkin’s annual steak fry. The Mayor and the Congressman are regularly campaigning around the country for D friends; they both excite young and Hispanic voters.

(Community Matters) Vladimir Putin . . .  believe his claims that Russia is for peace and is only enforcing the rule of law? I’m  slightly less trusting of the whole weapons turnover proposition because of the sleaziness of his op-ed. This man has proven himself a thug and a thief.

NYT: A Plea for Caution From Russia. What Putin Has to Say to Americans About Syria

By VLADIMIR V. PUTIN

Published: September 11, 2013

MOSCOW — RECENT events surrounding Syria have prompted me to speak directly to the American people and their political leaders. It is important to do so at a time of insufficient communication between our societies.

Relations between us have passed through different stages. We stood against each other during the cold war. But we were also allies once, and defeated the Nazis together. The universal international organization — the United Nations — was then established to prevent such devastation from ever happening again.

The United Nations’ founders understood that decisions affecting war and peace should happen only by consensus, and with America’s consent the veto by Security Council permanent members was enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The profound wisdom of this has underpinned the stability of international relations for decades.

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(Community Matters) Enjoyed hearing Mark Tereck, CEO Nature Conservancy, and Laura Huffman, CEO Texas Affiliate, at Tommie & Lynn Meredith’s this evening. Also enjoyed chatting with Mark after. We share a common friend in DC-icon, Frank Loy. Frank & Tommie are members of TNC’s international board of directors. Frank’s also the founder of the Environmental Defense Fund.

Mark was discussing his recent book, Nature’s Fortune: How Business and Society Thrive by Investing in Nature, and signing copies. Love that TNC hired a former Goldman Sachs managing partner to find private public partnership solutions to environmental challenges.

(Community Matters) Macklemore & Ryan Lewis will be in Austin (Cedar Park Center) Thanksgiving weekend (Friday 29th). 

(Community Matters) One of my former MBA students, Andy Chen, took these pics at Burning Man. Love ’em. Thought should share.

Andy: We spent a few days in the Nevada Desert in a temporary city of 68,000 people. Here are a few pics (the ones that are safe for work) of the people, art, dancing, celebration, and community that we experienced.

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(Community Matters) Transformation of 12-acre Laguna Gloria lakeside site into a destination sculpture park – huge, huge, huge. Way pleased to hear of the Marcus Foundation’s $9mm grant to make this happen at The Contemporary. For the 15+ years I lived on Mt Bonnell and the three years I served on the AMOA board (several months as co-CEO), bet I walked these trails several hundred times – can’t wait to do so again.  story

(Community Matters) Much fun, especially spending it with my husband, Michael Mitchell, Robert Torian, Beth Broderick & Dennis Bailey

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(Community Matters) My friend Ross Buhrdorf on a renaissance of startups in Austin. And, how Austinites reserve time in their schedules to play music and create art; how their ability to think creatively translates to their jobs. In the AAS

(Community Matters) Hmm, Steven just asked me how does the potential bombing of Syria impact our trip in two weeks to Israel & Jordan – good question. I need to get working on this.

(Community Matters) Greg Honey – Drag queens, two-bit gangsters & interlopers target a West-Austin society party hosted by a character based on Ft. Stockton/Austinite Jane Sibley’s family. The estate described is eerily similar to that of a now local, former Silicon Valley titan. Russ’ second book is fun, suspenseful and Texas-character rich, even if you have to wade through the messiness of a first chapter, bitchy queen cliche explosion. It’s worth the trudge. I loved winding through Central Austin, losing panties on a bronze Bevo, hanging at Zachary Scott Theatre and listening as the matriarch gives it to Governor Rubber Sheets. Couldn’t put my friend Russ Gregory’s book down.

(Community Matters) Our dear friend Allison Orr is a powerful choreographer – probably among the most powerful because it’s all about empowering others through the motion of their work. Her company is Forklift Danceworks. Hopefully you saw her work TRASH Dance. Now see lineman in motion – PowerUP. Sept 21 & 22. Original score by Graham Reynolds, conducted by Peter Bay. It’s free but you need reservations – here.

(Community Matters) Very intrigued by this development. Such great opportunities to tie together so many unique features of Austin and its differentiating cultures. Imagine the development w/ consideration for Jane Jacob’s clock.