Category Archives: Uncategorized

(Community Matters) Happy to see that in the middle of horrible circumstances they find moments for fun

the all male version:

(Community Matters) All the buzz, is he gonna run? I’ve only ever heard good things about him. We definitely want to encourage the best & the brightest from both sides of the aisle to serve.

(Community Matters) Sometimes, someone just needs to take away our Twitter, Facebook, email, the microphone or the camera . . . for our own good

Angry Old Men

(Community Matters) I’m not on flight path of helicopters so we’re not experiencing, nor are we even participating in F1 this year. I bet we can improve the paths and systems to minimize disruptions next year.

I live near UT’s football stadium – car packed streets, exhuberant (not always sober) fans, loud bands, and an announcer’s booming voice reverberating even inside my house are just part of football weekends – part of what makes Austin weird & loveable. Wondering if one weekend a year helicopters overhead might be just as funky.

I’m flabbergasted by those Austiniites begrudging F1 even being held here. We host SXSW, ACL, Fusebox, RaggaeFest, Republic of Texas Biker Rally, Texas Relays – what’s wrong w/ hosting another world class event that appeals to a significant (if other) segment of Austinites? Feels like reverse snobbery. As for the broad slight of 1%’s, I know it’s just tongue-in-cheek (Jason Sabo’s a friend) but it’s a jab at a group which includes many folks who fund good work and who supported the man just reelected as president, have funded many of Central Texas’ cultural amenities and who fund lots of our private health & human services.

someone wrote a good comment on another posting: F1 is good for Austin and we need to be good hosts. But it’s fair for hosts to expect that our visitors be good guests, not disruptive ones. There are better sites for a helipad than a residential neighborhood. The sites being used were picked for the sake of the riders’ convenience–they’re close to downtown hotels. With a little effort and planning, the City could’ve located sites less intrusive on folks’ homes.

(Community Matters)

here: gay-men-will-marry-your-girlfriends

(Community Matters) A much more accurate representation of the blue-red mix in the USA

these maps demonstrate that there is not such a huge gap between rural and urban America.

Created by Mark Newman—from the Department of Physics and Center for the Study of Complex Systems, University of Michigan—it mixes blue and red based on popular vote percentage instead of showing a binary representation.

There’s no huge area of red. There is a gradient. A lot of purple. That’s the accurate map that reflects the actual result of the election. It also shows that the divide between the cities and the countryside is not that huge. There are differences of opinion everywhere.

Hat Tip: Stephen Walls

(Community Matters) I knew Paul Ryan & Romney lost the vote in Ryan’s state, I didn’t know they lost the vote by 25 points in Paul Ryan’s home town of Janesville – Ryan lost their vote by 10 points in his Congressional race.

(Community Matters) Thomas Friedman warning that the entire Middle East could explode – Obama’s Nightmare. This should frame our perspective on CIA and Military “sex scandals” and how we must keep perspective on priorities, enforce order and preserve our best capabilities. I wish Secretary Clinton could be persuaded to stay until the region settles down; we need the best & the brightest in this country engaged right now.

Perhaps the reality of the financial, political and military challenges we face can inspire a patriotism that’ll extract us from petty domestic politics – sure, probably not the far fringe but the rest of us can grow up.

(Community Matters) Vince Young Steakhouse – yum! I’d never been. Tommie & Lynn hosted a few of us for dinner after the Castro reception. 3rd and San Jacinto – generously spacious, extremely hospitable staff and good food. It’s not fancy but it’s a homey, Texas elegant – comfortable. I’ll be back

pic: Lynn, Diane Land, Steve Adler, Ben Barnes, Tommie, Tony Martinez, (Kent Caperton had just snuck out)

(Community Matters) Joaquin & Julian Castro really do hold a lot of my hopes for the future of Texas politics. The Congressman-elect and San Antonio mayor don’t only represent the fastest growing demographic in Texas and the US, they represent the demographic of 30-somethings who grew up and are growing up in a multi-cultural world, who excel academically through sheer will & ambition, who worry about rising tides and healing the planet, about opportunities for everyone, and who understand we grew an unprecedented middle class by investing in human and physical infrastructure and growing industries that provided better than living wages.

Yesterday, Lynn & Tommie Meredith, Patsy & Jack Martin, Steven and I hosted a reception to further introduce these guys to friends. Most had met Joaquin from his time campaigning in Austin. For many it was their first time to meet the Mayor. Joaquin is off to Congressional orientation today. Julian’s ballot initiative won; San Antonians have just agreed to a tax increase to fund early childhood education – talk about investing in economic development

(Community Matters)

here: 1423638

(Community Matters) “Ms. Warren raised a stunning $39 million, the most of any Senate candidate this year, proving that it was possible to run against the big banks without Wall Street money and still win.”  – holy heck. i had no idea

NYTimes