Category Archives: Uncategorized

(Community Matters) NYTimes article reports the Commodities Futures Trading Commission may limit energy futures contracts for financial (aka not commercial users) investors. Added context to Rolling Stone’s article on Goldman Sachs – though if I remember correctly, they have an operating entity which may allow commercial trading privileges.

(Community Matters) Mashable has posted demographic stats on Facebook users

the overall number of users between 18 and 24 years of age has grown only 4.8% between the fourth of January and the fourth of July of 2009. In comparison, the number of users aged 25 – 34 has grown 60.8%; the number of users aged 35 to 54 has grown 190.2%, while the number of users older than 55 years has grown a tremendous 513.7%.

(Community Matters) Dinner last night with the Rudys and their dear friend Mindy Fauntleroy (plus two of her also gorgeous daughters) at Michillinda Lodge, overlooking Lake Michigan.

Love hearing folks’ history with White Lake/Lake Michigan. Mindy’s husband, Bill, has been summering here since a kid – as have been so many I’ve met.

Mindy & Bill lived in Sydney for a couple of years and are planning an extended stay there again soon – AW, I’ll be connecting you guys; you’ll love ’em.

(Community Matters) Finally had a chance to read the article referred to in my earlier post, Rolling Stone’s How Goldman Sachs Runs Washington.

I’m biased in favor of Goldman Sachs. Some of my favorite former students are employed there. The firm has helped me immensely in my role as an investment committee chair/board member of more than one foundation. And, Taibbi’s writing is unprofessionally inciderary, selectively cites information, and states opinions/conjecture as facts. And, the story is still thought-provoking, more so on the chumminess of Wall Street, the Capitol, the White House & the Treasury – the appropriateness thereof – and deregulation.

(Community Matters) Fast Magazine’s article on

Why small-scale, local power – the microgrid – could be the answer to our engergy crisis. And why the big utilities are fighting it with all they’ve got.

In June 2007, Governor Rick Perry signed into law House Bill 3693, a big efficiency and conservation bill. Though the new law called for net metering to be deployed “as rapidly as possible,” the report explained, utilities took a “hard line” against it at the regulatory level, and ultimately state regulations allow no such thing. “There was the feeling that some of the people who were interested in not having net metering had a lot of say in how net metering was defined,” says Rose, choosing his words quite carefully.

Makes me wonder – shouldn’t environmentalists organize to elect our railroad commissioners. The Texas Railroad Commission regulates these important issues. Currently, their donors are from the industries they regulate.

(Community Matters) Signs the GOP is losing control of teabaggers.

(Community Matters) Speaking of Ford Motor Company, its former President and the former Defense Secretary during the Vietnam War just died at 93yo – an extraordinarily brilliant & complicated man.

(Community Matters) Ross Douthat in the NYTimes – Palin & Her Enemies

(Community Matters) Dave’s a 4th grade teacher from Troy


His grandparents first vacationed at the Lakeside Inn Resort

His parents honeymooned here

Grew up running all over the place with the founders’ grandson during the summers

That grandson is now the owner

Dave’s just waiting for his kids to wake up to go out fishing

(Community Matters)

(Community Matters) in The Nation

(Community Matters) A few more pics. Can’t believe I forgot to take my camera with us on the boat last night. We parked on the water, down the lake near Whitehall/Montague for the July 4th fireworks.

boat dock/fishing pier at Lakeside Inn

he’s peddling awfully hard to make it up the incline from boat launch
maybe Steven and I should have adopted kids. my heart sings just seeing ’em

Steven on our balcony

path from Inn to Rudy’s

also called turtle alley, shards of turtle eggs after a fox or skunk has dug ’em up

looking down path from Rudy’s

Last night, received a Facebook note from our cousin, Dave Tomlinson that the family was in St. Joseph’s, MI visiting Mike, Tracy & the girls. So . . . . of course we had to drive down and see them this morning

Mike, Tracy & the girls

David & Steven

Uncle Bob

the girls

After our visit, I dropped Steven in Grand Rapids where he’s attending the Poets, Prophets and Preachers Conference,