Thursday, November 12, 2009

PND - News - Poor Americans Are Country's Most Charitable Demographic

PND - News - Poor Americans Are Country's Most Charitable Demographic

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I want your money...

Asking for monetary contributions may be one of the most difficult tasks to undertake....especially when it's your job to do so. Fundraising, not only does the word resonate nobility and excitement (hell, the word "fun" makes up the first three letters) it can create profound change.

Everyday I come to work and take part in a fundraising team that raises millions of dollars to support children and families. Over the last few years my line of work has seen a major downturn in donations (individual, corporate and foundational) most likely due to the recession. As I was searching around for articles, I came across this one:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/giving/12CIVIC.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

I think it's easy to get discouraged when you are used to raising large dollar donations and aren't coming by those so easily. It's important to remember that those small dollar amounts make a difference and by focusing on that notion can make all the difference. A $5 donation can someday turn into a $500 donation.

According to the Philanthropy News Digest, low-income Americans are the most charitable...even during economic down-turns, so doesn't it make sense to concentrate your efforts toward that demographic?

With that being said, maybe our most successful fundraising efforts will come from getting back to the grassroots level. If an organization can be created from the individual efforts of small and continuous donations shouldn't that be a building block on which the nonprofit stands over time? In the end it's all money...small or large amounts...it all makes a difference.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

a little somethin'

Each year, around this time, I always get this overwhelming feeling to write down a memory of of my Nana. With each passing year it becomes more difficult to do so. So, in order to hold onto as much of her memory as I can, I share a simple story:

There was a tattered cardboard box of toys that took refuge behind her cadet blue love sofa. Filled with clip on pearl earrings, strings of plastic beads that became makeshift necklaces, plastic jelly bracelets and other odd ends. I can remember taking the box from behind the sofa and carrying it to the middle of her living room floor, dumping it out into a nice colorful mound and putting on every piece of fake jewelry. It didn't matter that I was already wearing two pairs of clip on earrings...another two pairs would make it that much classier. It also didn't matter that once I had completely adorned myself in this jeweled mess, I would quickly shake it all off from the massive amounts of sugar intake from the Lemonheads that I had popped into my mouth over the course of the day. Within an hour, the once beautifully colored mound of plastic junk jewelry would become a scattered mess upon the floor of my 90 year old Nana's living room. She never scolded or frowned but simply smiled and said: "time to pick up".

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

owl moons and lupines...

Over the last few months there has been an overwhelming response to Spike Jonze's adaptation of Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are". I remember when I saw the preview for this movie (and yes, it was at Harry Potter - I have zero shame) and I remember how the trailer brought me to tears. It was insane how moved I was.

It got me thinking about other books I loved as a child. During the time in which my mother and father were trying to mold my young literary brain, books like "Owl Moon" and "Miss Rumphius" were must-haves in my bookcase. I think I read "Owl Moon" at least a hundred times...and when i say 'read', I mean 'stare' at the pictures and get lost in the poetic verses like snow being "whiter than milk in a cereal bowl" and descriptors such as "ink-blue shadows". Between this book and "The Snowman", I became quite obsessed with snow and taking late night walks in the winter. It's amazing to me that I still hold onto these stories as I grow older and they somehow continue to shape my imagination.


"Miss Rumphius" was another example of literary influence that depicted the life of a girl from childhood into adulthood. Her journey was one that gave me an insight into the possibilities of another lifestyle. Her story showed many children that you can still have happiness and create beauty without living the stereotypical lifestyle of a woman. She lives a life without marrying or having children and instead gains other experiences of travel, culture, new environments, etc. and finally settles at the end of the story in a house on the beach scattering lupine seeds wherever she goes -making the places she walks and encounters more beautiful and full of life. That's a pretty rad idea and extremely influential for a young child to hear and carry with them throughout the course of their own life.


I can't help but plug the support of literacy and education programs - possibly because it's part of my job and the importance and influence stories and learning can have on a person of any age is something that can't be taken away.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

"women hold up half the sky"

this may be one of the best articles i've read in quite some time.

check it: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/magazine/23Women-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1#

“Our interviews and perusal of the data available suggest that the poorest families in the world spend approximately 10 times as much (20 percent of their incomes on average) on a combination of alcohol, prostitution, candy, sugary drinks and lavish feasts as they do on educating their children (2 percent). If poor families spent only as much on educating their children as they do on beer and prostitutes, there would be a breakthrough in the prospects of poor countries. Girls, since they are the ones kept home from school now, would be the biggest beneficiaries. Moreover, one way to reallocate family expenditures in this way is to put more money in the hands of women. A series of studies has found that when women hold assets or gain incomes, family money is more likely to be spent on nutrition, medicine and housing, and consequently children are healthier.”

Thursday, August 13, 2009

fewer bells and whistles.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/12/business/12event.html?_r=2&em=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1250168409-9X9uUiS9R1hwhFDrDZ706w

Monday, July 27, 2009

some things are just wrong.

i'm not sure if i've made mention of how much i dislike the hype about MJ's death. overall, i'm not really one to drool over tabloids or gossip blogs or get overly emotional about celebrity happenins and such.

it's true that MJ's death is sad and his music was influential. there's no denying that. did i looove the black and white video with macaulay culkin? you know i did. do i own the jackson five christmas album? you better believe it. with this being said, i still don't understand why weeks after his death people are still trying rekindle the hysteria.

for instance, i was toolin' around on salon.com and i saw the title: "Michael Jackson's hair to be made into diamonds" my first reaction was to regurgitate my breakfast. the second and conclusive reaction was to click on the link.

i won't ruin the article for you. i'll let you see it for yourself:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jul/27/michael-jackson-hair-diamonds

basically, the next time you think about buying a diamond (which i'm not totally against as long as they are from canada) let this be your driving force to NOT purchase one that are related to such circumstances. perhaps Blood Diamond didn't sway you but maybe this will.

Friday, July 24, 2009

WrItInG tHe wRoNgS.

So, I came across an article in the NYT today: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/opinion/20hotchner.html

The title caught my eye: "A Moveable Feast" - quite possibly one of my favorite literary treats. As I got to reading this treatise, I was a bit floored. Who in their right mind would allow someone to re-write another man's memoir? For reals?


Sure, at times we find ourselves borrowing from those who inspire us - but we surely don't mutilate their work. So, at what point should a line be drawn between borrowing and defacing? Sure, renditions of famous paintings cause no real harm - in fact one pays a sort of homage by doing so. In any art form you can borrow to adhere to your own, but in no way should it be appropriate to amend an individual's praised and completed work...simply because you do not agree with what that individual has written.


In the case of literature, it's completely acceptable to form your style around the works of another author. However, it is not appropriate to take one's book, re-write sections of the story (that you feel are the correct set of occurrences)and then keep the title, with the author's name, and adding your own. I'm completely fine with someone taking the work and responding to it in a matter that they feel rights the wrong - but in their own words, on their own pages with their own title. Honestly, when this sort of thing happens I feel there is only one to blame - the publishers. As keepers of the books that authors entrust to them, they have no right to allow such blatent disgrace.


I seriously hope people do not buy this book if Scribner does decide to publish the piece. Srsly, now.

Monday, June 29, 2009

one man's trash...

...is another man's treasure. Some people may frown on the idea of dumpster diving/picking up random treasures off the side of the road, but for several years I've seen this as a way of acquiring new and eclectic pieces for my humble abodes.

Since I'm not ready to completely settle, I have found it easiest to decorate my apartment with Craigslist findings or the occasional trashed treasure then forking over buko (sp?) bucks for a bookshelf or a side table. Each piece has a story and character--every dent, scratch and loose table leg has a tale to tell.

It's incredible how much junk we accumulate. I consider myself a minimalist and like clean lines with less clutter (although I have been known to have a pile here or there) so when I moved about a month or so ago, I was surprised by the amount of junk I had accumulated in one short year. This got me thinking about how many of us base so much of our successes on what we can buy/afford. I'm a culprit. As I was packing I found things that I had never even opened - lotions, shampoo, clothes. It's ridiculous. It was the two for one sale that got me...it got me good...on several occasions.

Well, it's not going to happen anymore. In fact, as I was perusing the internet, looking at various furniture websites for items I didn't even need, and I across junktion: http://www.junktion.co.il/about.html. Although the idea isn't completely foreign or new for that matter, it refreshed my thinking and brought about this creative and inventive thought process that's been lacking for quite some time. It becomes so easy to fall into the trap of: "I must buy this and have it, even though I don't need it" - especially when those around you are constantly trying to outdo the other. I hate it. But I don't have to keep up with any Jones'. I feel encouraged. Instead of throwing out the broken picture frame and old soup spoons, I'm gonna get crafty.




Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Now I'm a fat house cat

Iron & Wine "Flightless Bird, American Mouth"










I was a quick wet boy, diving too deep for coins
All of your street light eyes wide on my plastic toys
Then when the cops closed the fair, I cut my long baby hair
Stole me a dog-eared map and called for you everywhere
Have I found you
Flightless bird, jealous, weeping or lost you, american mouth
Big pill looming
Now I'm a fat house cat
Nursing my sore blunt tongue
Watching the warm poison rats curl through the wide fence cracks
Pissing on magazine photos
Those fishing lures thrown in the cold
And clean blood of Christ mountain stream

Have I found you Flightless bird, grounded, bleeding or lost you, american mouth
Big pill stuck going down

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

making whoopie.


A few months back I was on the hunt for a dessert recipe for the company "bake-off" and I found several takes on the "whoopie pie." As a child, I had a few of these tasty cookie-pie treats but lost touch with them...until now.



The whoopie pie is making its comeback!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/dining/18whoop.html?_r=1&ref=style



Apparently, only a few "El" stops away, is Kim's Kitchen http://www.kimsevanston.com/index.html that's been bakin' up these tasty pies for seven years now. Not only do I intend to nosh my way through this "Edible Nostaligia" via local bakeries, but I plan on making my own variation of this whoopie pie, cake, err cookie. Pumpkin, raspberry or chocolate--whatever tantalizes the taste-buds, really.



Once I have perfected my own take on "whoopie"-making...I'll share :)


Friday, March 13, 2009

"whatcha talkin 'bout willis?"











This morning I was reading about the upcoming name change of the Sears Tower. At first I was confused and thought it was a stupid joke but as I was perusing the Trib, I found this article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri-willis-tower-0313-mar13,0,1361480.story

I usually don't care too much about things like this but as I kept reading on about the company and why they are changing the name to Willis Towers...I kind of wanted to puke. It's true, I'm not the most loyal Chicagoan--I grew up in the burbs and went to college out-of-state. As I live here longer I appreciate it this city much more. This became obvious to me when I acknowledged my reaction to this whole situation.

One takeout from the article read:
"Would you rather have an iconic building with nobody in it, which doesn't say a lot about Chicago, or someone with enough faith to take the space?" he asked. "The headline should be: A company has decided to invest money in Chicago, and if you miss that headline, you've missed the side of the building by a mile and a half."

This guy, Joseph Pulmeri, Willis' CEO is a grade-A D-bag. Gawd. Why is it such a big freaking deal for them to even change the name in the first place? It's my belief that they'd get alot more business if they stayed with the name Sears Tower than Willis Towers. WTF? Why spend unnecessary money to change everything just so you can brand your stupid holding company.

"...in Chicago, say consumers and branding experts, it's just not that simple, because the city's attachment to the building is far more complex than recognizing its economic contribution. This is a city with a deep appreciation of tradition and a healthy ego, where some Chicagoans still mourn the switch from Marshall Fields's to Macy's."

Keep on trying Willis, but I think time will show that you can't change loyalty--no matter how hard you try.





Thursday, March 12, 2009

magpie to the morning.


Magpie comes a calling
Drops a marble from the sky
Tin roof sounds alarm
And wake up child
Let this be a warning says the magpie to the morning
Don't let this fading summer pass you by
Don't let this fading summer pass you by

Black hands held so high
The vulture wheels and dives
Something on the thermals
Yanked his chain
Smelled your boring apex
Rotting on the train tracks
He laughed under his breath
Because you thought that you could outrun sorrow
Take your own advice
Thunder and lightening gets you rain
Run an airtight mission, a Clouseau expedition
To find a diamond at the bottom of the drain
A diamond at the bottom of the drain


Hear the mocking bird sing
In the middle of the night
All of his songs are stolen so he hides
Stole them out from whiporwills
Screaming common lies
He sings them for you special
He knows you're afraid of the dark
Come on sorrow
Take your own advice
Hide under the bed
Turn out the light
Stars this night in the sky are ringing out
You can almost hear them saying
"Close your eyes now kid"
"Close your eyes now kid"


Morning is too far lit
They are waiting
Waiting
They are waiting



~neko case~

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

the pic.



So, many of us are guilty of taking pictures of ourselves and posting them on Facebook or MySpace. You know...the one you actually took of yourself but cleverly disguised it as another's doing. The up-close shot of you looking away into the abyss, acting unaware of this photograph being taken by your own hand. I'm guilty of this and not ashamed. In fact, I find these photos to be hilarious...and flattering as hell.


What isn't flattering are those pictures that you suddenly get a notification of on your newsfeed. You know the line: "So-and-so has tagged you in a picture". My instant reaction is to click on the link and investigate this photo. Most of the time these pictures aren't so bad and can actually become the "profile picture" but there are always a few that come back to bite you in the ass. It is at these times that I "detag" myself and hope they will just go away or noone else will notice it is me.


So what do you do when someone "tags" you in a photo and continues this process even after you've "un-tagged" yourself? Well, no matter how you try to shake it, there is a simple lesson to be learned (which I found from reading: http://www.slate.com/id/2212301/): "You can never be too cool for your past." This may be sad and true, but I will continue to "detag" myself from any unflattering pictures...even if it means receiving snarky, yet true, comments or the possible loss of a Facebook friend.








Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The McNuggetini.

Sometimes people take things too far.


The McNuggetini.


A McDonald’s chocolate milkshake with vanilla vodka, rimmed with BBQ sauce and garnished with a chicken McNugget.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

blood bank.

Well I met you at the blood bank
We were looking at the bags
Wondering if any of the colors
Matched any of the names we knew on the tags

You said "see look thats yours!
Stacked on top with your brother's
See how the resemble one another
Even in their plastic little covers"

And I said I know it well

That secret that you knew
But don't know how to tell
It fucks with your honor
And it teases your head
But you know that its good girl
Cos its running you with red

Then the snow started falling
We were stuck out in your car
You were rubbing both of my hands
Chewing on a candy bar

You said "'aint this just like the present
To be showing up like this"
AS a moon waned to crescent
We started to kiss

And I said I know it well

That secret that we know
That we don't know how to tell
I'm in love with your honor
I'm in love with your cheeks
What's that noise up the stairs babe?
Is that Christmas morning creaks?

And I said I know it well
I know it well ...



bon iver. blood bank.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

shake it.


I have always been a fan of avocados. Always. So, I was not surprised that I found myself enjoying avocado slices adorning my tuna sandwich. Not only was it a delightful enhancement to the sandwich, it was also aesthetically pleasing. A little pop of green to add to the almagamate of tuna and mayonaise. I'm a big fan.


So, I was perusing the Trib today and found myself salvating at the sound of an avocado shake. http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/chi-0204-avocado-shakefeb04,0,3636899.story . There are many ways to eat the mild-mannered avocado. I've found myself cutting it in half and sprinkling it with some tasty seasoning, whipping up a batch of guacamole or adding to salads, sandwiches, etc. Needless to say, I am quite excited to try it as a drink.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Celebrating the Semicolon.

Welcome! Being that this is my first post, I should probably note my intentions. Like many, I am at a loss as to what I will be "blogging" about. Basically, this space will be a place where I share interesting issues or finds. From linguistics to statistics, this blog will be a semi-heterogeneous mixture.

So, here we go.

The title of this entry was influenced by an article I found on the NYT:



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/nyregion/18semicolon.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink


I should give a little background info on why I would have such a fondness/interest in the semicolon. Basically, my 8hr-long work day consistents of editing media pieces, grantwriting, etc. For many years I have always been intrigued by the use and misuse of this beauty and charmer. So, naturally, when the a semi-colon is used correctly, and with good taste, I find myself quite pleased.