Category Archives: Uncategorized

(Community Matters) Saw Zach Scott’s The Clean House this afternoon with Steven, Michael, Tana & Joe. Loved it. Barbara Chisholm especially knocked it out of the park as Virginia. The entire cast did a super job. Well written, directed and staged. I see it’s been extended until August 31. More information here.

Steven and I had a St. James Connection dinner after, at the home of Elizabeth and Jerele Neeld. Exquisite hosts and super connecting with the rest of this group too – old friends Rev Ed & Karen Hartwell as well as new friends: Sam Hudson & Ed, Susan Fullilove and Pam Hurt & Vickie Samuelson. We missed our two members who couldn’t be there: Marylou Adams and James Williams. (fyi for mutual friends of Marylou, she’s doing well and was at church yesterday).

I made a peach cobbler for the dinner. Hmm, loved the stock but not enthralled with the crust Southern Cuisine recipe. I have not been able to find a favorite peach cobbler recipe. Anyone?

The roasted fresh chicken I prepared earlier for lunch was outstanding. I know I’m a broken record on this but nothing like Countryside Farms fresh chickens – well maybe Boggie Creek & Alexander Family Farms. This time I brined* the chicken for 2 hours prior to roasting. Starting out at 500F for 5 minutes (then 425F for 35 mins) ensured a perfectly browned & crispy skin with meat so juicy, sweet & wonderfully salted I was speechless.

(Community Matters) Why aren’t corporations and shareholders suing former managers who cashed out on billions in compensation based on distorted performance measures, now proven to have lost many more billions in shareholder value?

(Community Matters) Wait just a cotton-pickin’ minute. Let’s discuss whether or not we want to be a repository for carbon dioxide here before our privatize-at-all-costs, fuck-it-up and get-the-hell-out-of-dodge before-the-chickens-come-home-to-roost, all while making a shit-load-of-money GOP leadership team makes this decision for the rest of us. Wow, just realizing George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Rick Perry et al are uniquely qualified to run Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or any number of national financial institutions.

(Community Matters) Today at Downtown Farmer’s Market

Sebastien Bonneu of Countryside Farms

Good gosh it was hot & bright out there. Nevertheless, enjoyed touring both South Austin & Downtown Farmer’s Markets with Steven and Barbara. Purchased a gorgeous fresh chicken from Sebastien as well as a frozen duck breast. Introduced Barbara to Katie of Tecolote Farms too. We each bought what might be the last of Fredericksburg peaches – they’ve been perfection this season. I’m making a pie out of as many as I can rescue from the peach monster known as Steven Tomlinson.

(Community Matters) Just received this jpeg of my great grandparents (Leonides & Teodosa Valdez Sepulveda, aka Mama Tita, 1893) from Dad. Love that he’s getting more and more comfortable on the computer.

Mama Tita (1877 – 1954) & Leonides (1872 – 1944)

(Community Matters) I recommend Katherine’s Austin Chronicle story here

At long last, real systems planning for a Central Austin streetcar has arrived at the City Hall station. At the July 24 City Council meeting, consultants ROMA Austin and LTK Engineering unveiled the highlights of a detailed proposal for circulator rail transit.

The Phase I analysis includes essential data on: 1) projected ridership and benefits for mobility, environmental, and other regional goals and 2) a route alignment and estimated cost. The broad outlines: Recommended is a 15.3-mile system projected to serve more than 32,000 riders daily by 2030, at an estimated capital cost of $36 million to $40 million per mile, or $550 million to $614 million overall.

The estimated capital cost per mile steadily drops (from as much as $53 million down to $29 million per mile) with each successive increment. Brewster McCracken later noted: “Toll roads were coming in with per-mile costs of $70 million-plus back in 2004. The price tag needs to be viewed in a context compared to roads – this is cheaper than roads to construct.”

(Community Matters) Kathy Griffin, Britney Spears, Adnan Ghalib and John McCain here

Who’ll do almost anything to get a little attention and loving?

(Community Matters) Have to admit, I’m underwhelmed, though intrigued by the fund to help states and municipalities meet existing obligations for infrastructure, health & human services. I’m even less enthusiastic about (read: against) a windfall profits tax.

Much prefer we talk about rolling back unnecessarily generous depletion allowances and tax credits enacted when the price of oil was so low and oil companies argued both were necessary to prevent abandoning of all domestic exploration. Also, overheard someone using the argument that we should be happy oil companies are making $12B per quarter since they pay 50% of it in taxes. First, I’m not unhappy that they are making $12B per quarter, and I definitely would be thrilled if they were paying even 32% in taxes. Have these folks been looking at the deferred tax liability (i.e., the delta between what public financial statements show as federal tax on earnings and their actual tax liability under the separate set of tax financials)?

(Community Matters) This (NYT editorial) is what I meant by why we shouldn’t rely on federal safety inspections here.

(Community Matters) Looks as if the Austin American Statesman deleted this blog posting off their site here. Is dildo an unacceptable term? Seriously? Or is it simply the use of dildo and Texas GOP in the same sentence?

(Community Matters) Deciding how much I like PublicSchoolIntelligentsia blog, formerly HeyBeUs

(Community Matters) Towleroad includes a photo expose on country boys.

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