Community Matters

(Community Matters) My friends know I’m an unapologetic enthusiast: I believe a great deal has been accomplished legislatively and perhaps even more through the regulatory system.  I’ve told the story how on election night 2008 after then Senator Obama was declared President-elect, after jumping up and down so damn happy, crying, and hugging each other, most of us had a few minutes of pause, recognizing that it wasn’t gonna be pretty given the economic crisis and after 8 years of gross mismanagement.  We knew there would be hell to pay in just two years and there has been – we can’t bemoan now what we agreed to then.

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(Community Matters) what a courageous 14yo – “a silent Holocaust”

Towleroad: We all have teachers that make a lasting impression on us. It appears as if young Ann Arbor student Graeme Taylor has already found his.

The 14-year-old, who is openly gay, bravely stood up for his teacher, Jay McDowell at a recent school board meeting. McDowell was disciplined on October 20 for removing two students who had made anti-gay remarks in class. During his speech in support of his teacher, Taylor revealed his problems with bullying and a suicide attempt at the age of 9.

Watch young Taylor’s very mature and highly inspiring speech

then, of course, there’s this jerk

(Community Matters) very cool

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(Community Matters) Sigma Phi Beta a gay fraternity – shouldn’t there be a chapter at UT-Austin?

(Community Matters)

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(Community Matters) I don’t do iPhone or I’d play @Path

(Community Matters) Really, just 90 days?

(Community Matters) It is really embarrassing if the administration is seriously considering caving this easily to the House GOP. Get some spine guys – at least force their leadership to propose the specific spending cuts offsetting the billions in tax cut extensions (a wise friend’s idea).

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/opinion/14rich.xml

I’m not so sure this is as much about super rich individuals as it is about the private conglomerates and the fossil fuel, insurance and financial industries

(Community Matters) Traveling by train is so civilized.

(Community Matters) NY Times article on Haiti microfinance http://mobile.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/business/global/14haiti.xml includes Fonkoze which HelpHaiti donors have supported substantially and will likely support even more. Our friend Anne Hastings mentioned as is her success in securing Red Cross funding to forgive and relaunch loans to those devastated by the earthquake. HelpHaiti donors have funded continued training & launching of savings programs for Haitian women as well as medical & nutritional programs for their children. Posted from my Blackberry

(Community Matters) Dinner last night at Max & Moritz with our friend Alexer Taganas, a UT architecture grad student interning in Berlin since February. He arrived during the economic downturn and is seeing improvement as evidenced by more work and hiring at the firm.

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(Community Matters) in the spirit of bipartisanship being offered around earmarks, Pres Obama announced today from Japan that his administration and the DNC hope to continue the ban against contributions from PACs and lobbyists assuming the GOP will adopt these standards. Or, “we can negotiate a common policy acceptable to the Republican caucus. Now that they are assuming Congressional leadership of the House, we know Republicans will step up in helping set funding standards that improve credibility of the American political system. We know GOP constituents also care about standards that ensure public trust and priorities, so expect Republican leadership to adopt the same bans; however, we’re prepared to negotiate if that’s what they insist better serves our country. After they’ve assumed the House leadership for 60 days, we’ll adopt their standards as a show of good faith.”