Category Archives: Uncategorized

(Community Matters) Enjoyed meeting HRC’s new Pres & CEO, Chad Griffin, last night at Walter & Sandra Wilkie’s super luxurious abode over dinner for potential major donors. The event was co-hosted by Lynn & Tommie Meredith, Steven & me, Jeff Eller, Heather Luecke, Todd Canon and Meghan Stabler.

Chad & Paul Begala were the main speakers. Super attendance by many major donors and HRC prospects. Steven and I joined Melba & Ted Whatley and Mark Strama at a table for dinner. Compelling (even if elongated & circuitous) stories and pitch. Chad’s an impressive young man. I’ll bet he’s taking HRC to new heights.

(Community Matters) Bishops Reject Contraception Rule Change – rejecting a women’s right to contraceptives – not surprised this is coming from a group of old men w/ no accountability to anyone but other old men

update: I might stay out of the Catholic Church’s politics if it stayed out of my bedroom. They politically lobby, advocate and organize against my constitutional equality. And, even now, I’m not saying impose these rules on the church itself but the hospitals and universities are primarily public and non-Catholic funded.

(Community Matters) So far, 46,098 kids have sold $1,066,331 worth of lemonade and donated $529,665 to charity thru EF’s Lemonade Day Austin. We’re looking forward to an additional 40,000 on May 5, 2013.

#GrowingFutureEntrepreneurs

(Community Matters) I wish this were available for all descendants of Sephardic Jews exiled from Spain. I’d love dual citizenship, assuming I can further document. NYTimes

(Community Matters) Were I part of this base – or a rising Cruz, though maybe okay with Rubio – this certainly wouldn’t please me.

Republicans and Fox News are moving to purge the controversial political creatures they created. Both were damaged badly in 2012 by loud, partisan voices that stoked the base – but that scared the hell out of many voters . . . there is a deliberate effort by party leaders to ‘marginalize the cranks, haters and bigots – there’s a lot of underbrush that has to be cleaned out.’ … So a political colonoscopy is going on before our eyes. Politico

(Community Matters) Steven arranged a great birthday weekend in NY. Dinner at ESCA and Manhattan Theatre Company’s The Other Place with our friends Suzanne Tick, Agapi Stassinopoulos and Alan Weiser. Lunch with our godson Luke Hayes. And, we were to tour MOMA with our goddaughter Lauren Mayes and have dinner with Rob Oppegard at Fonda, but, alas  today’s plans derailed.

Looking forward to the week at home, celebrating quietly with a few friends over the next couple of days. Then, celebrating Mardi Gras German style in Fredericksburg

(Community Matters) Not so bad for Central Texas:

Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin — Appropriations; vice chair, Culture, Recreation and Tourism

Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin — Appropriations; Higher Education; vice chair, House Administration

Rep. Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin — vice chair, Public Health; Human Services

Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin — Business and Industry; Economic and Small Business Development

Rep. Mark Strama, D- Austin — International Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs; Ways and Means

Rep. Jason Isaac, R-Dripping Springs — vice chair, Rules and Resolutions; Environmental Regulation; Economic and Small Business Development

Rep. Paul Workman, R-Austin — Business and Industry; Economic and Small Business Development

(Community Matters) Holy shit; I didn’t realize games killed more than 30,000 American per year.

#GunDeaths

(Community Matters) much fun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KYChtZtXkN4#!c

(Community Matters) “Governing from the hard left sunk Democrats in 2010 and would cost them again in 2014,”  Karl Rove

I disagree and don’t think Karl would be sharing the secret with us if he had it anyhow. 2010 was a perfect storm of Stratospheric 2008 expectations returning to earth; irrational, bigoted hate for a black president by 1/4 of Americans; and a mini American Arab Spring where we “throw the bums out” [sic].

Admittedly, while I cite bigoted hate for a black president, many of these same people hated a white Democrat from Arkansas. Can’t decide if their reasons had anything to do with why Toni Morrison named him the first black president.

(Community Matters) Austin eagerly awaits the opening of Paul Qui’s East Austin restaurant. Rumor has it that the first seatings will be for one of the Austin Food & Wine Alliance’s benefit dinners – expect this to sell out within an hour of the email blast.

(Community Matters) gotta love him for putting his money where his mouth is. And, he exemplifies the best of what I see in many super wealthy friends, capable of speaking the truth and willing to invest time, talent & wealth to make good things happen.

from Politico’s Playbook

TOP TALKER – Mayor Michael “Bloomberg’s Washington footprint explodes,” by Maggie Haberman, Anna Palmer and John Bresnahan : “From guns to gay marriage to immigration to infrastructure – and most recently, in the battle for billions of federal dollars in Hurricane Sandy relief – Bloomberg’s presence in Washington has grown exponentially since 2011. And he has just retained three Republican lobbyists to press Congress on new gun control measures …

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