AWESOME! Two iguanas, two people, and a cast of billions. Who could ask for anything more?

Last, night I went to a party by/with/for NYC’s Awesome Foundation. They gave a thousand bucks to a pair of iguanas. Well, not to the iguanas themselves, but their two handlers from the Brooklyn Zoo, who’ll use the money to build a new cage for the iguanas so the public can see them. Photo of iguanas here.

They do this every month, Awesome I mean, not the handlers. A thousand bucks to a worthy project. In a paper bag. But only if the idea is AWESOME! Details here.

The two people?

Steve Rosenbaum. I met him in Saratoga Springs in upstate New York. He was DJing at the Metro and I played trumpet in the Out of Control Rhythm and Blues Band, which gigged at the Metro. Steve then started OurTown, a video production company that did a cable TV magazine show. OurTown did a little piece on Out of Control. That was Steve’s first company. He’s now on his fourth, magnify.net. He’s also a trustee of the Awesome Foundation.

Reihan Salam. I’ve been quite impressed with his commentary on bloggingheads.tv, but I’ve not read any of his prose. He’s identified as a conservative and, who knows, he probably is. I’m not. But we both fear that the West is out of innovation. Will India emerge as the leading nation on the New Savanna?

The cast of billions? You figure it out. Remember, this party was held at hip (anyone use that word these days?) bar on NYC’s lower East Side, a few blocks away from the 2nd Ave. stop on the 7 train: d.b.a.