2019 Charities

I have a small house and simple tastes, except when it comes to technology (where stuff is exacting and expensive.)  As such, it's been said that I'm difficult to shop for... that just getting me another Starbucks gift certificate isn't very fulfilling for the giver.

For several years now, I've included charities on my Amazon Wish List - for the gift-givers in my life, it gives you a way to honor me and do good at the same time.  In 2018, I decided that I wanted to be thoughtful about the charities I focused and also give some more context about why I chose them and with my birthday fast approaching, I thought I'd make it an annual way to highlight a few charities I care about.  I'm keeping the spotlight on the two I mentioned last year while adding a third.  All are tax-deductible organization with 503(c) status.

Autism Society (autism-society.org)
The Autism Society works with local, state and federal lawmakers to make sure people on the Autism Spectrum and their families (and the challenges they face) are understood, represented and where necessary, protected, particularly in the areas of fair hiring practices.  As the parent of a child on the Spectrum, I love to know there are people who have devoted their lives to fighting for my son in ways I can't.

Burbank Arts for All (burbankartsforall.org)
I believe arts are an important part of educational formation amongst children, but it is sadly something that gets cut when budgets get tight because it's harder to show the impacts, compared to subjects like reading or math.  Beyond just the beauty and creativity we get to be immersed in, there are many studies that suggest arts education has benefits to those other subjects.  BAFA supplements art education in our local school district. (I learned last week that our son's class was a beneficiary of a BAFA grant - parents at his school pay for a local dance studio to teach dance to all the students, a BAFA grant doubled the amount of time the studio spent working with my son and his classmates.)

Women of Email (womenofemail.org)
It's often said that Email Marketing isn't a field that anyone sets out to enter, but that it's a calling that one falls into, often accidentally. There are few (if any) formal education opportunities in the field.  Often, we're left to our own defenses to figure out what we're doing and then keep up with what's changing.  There are some great companies that help with ongoing education, but there are some companies that actively work against us (looking at you, Google and Microsoft) and it's often overshadowed by web development and not well-understood by companies, leading to challenges when it comes to recruiting or applying for positions.  A few years ago, someone observed that while conference attendees seemed to be pretty evenly split, a majority of speakers at Email Marketing conferences were men.  This profit was formed to raise the collective of profile of women in our industry and assist with everything from career growth to salary negotiations as well as making sure women are equipped and encouraged to "take to the stage."

Feed Sift

Some interesting stuff I've come across recently on the internet...

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Activating Streets: The makeover of Pioneer Square - great comments as well

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'Transit' Might Not Be Essential to Transit-Oriented Development - interesting - the notion that you need light rail or something to create demand might not be true

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In Lieu of Money, Toyota Donates Efficiency to New York Charity - boy, that's gonna be tough to write off

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Photos That Captured the Best Moments in People’s Lives - a feel good read/view

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Escher + Inception: Tour a Digital World that Defies Physics - someone please hook this guy up with Robyn and Rand Miller. This messes with my brain but I'd sure like to be able to virtually walk around in the space and take it all in.

Worth Repeating: Ernesto Sirolli

Want to help someone? Shut up and listen! When most well-intentioned aid workers hear of a problem they think they can fix, they go to work. This, Ernesto Sirolli suggests, is naïve. In this funny and impassioned talk, he proposes that the first step is to listen to the people you're trying to help, and tap into their own entrepreneurial spirit. His advice on what works will help any entrepreneur. More at TED.com

Odds and Ends 90

1. LAST PERSON BLOGGING -- Tardiness

2. THE PUGET SOUND TRAIL -- PLU Sets Example with Composting Program

3. FIREFOX LIVE -- Firefoxes (aka Red Pandas) -- adopted by Mozilla (makers of Firefox) - live streaming cameras

4. RAZOO -- We Take Water for Granted

5. SEATTLE TRANSIT BLOG -- Beyond Unbrellas

6. SETH GODIN -- Living With Doubt

7. ANDY SERNOVITZ -- Career Advice: Learn to Edit

8-10 - Videos after the break -

The Nine Days of Vacation Challenge

I like to take the second week in December off. I did it last year and possibly the year before. It's a great chance for me to get some stuff done around the house, get my Christmas shopping done*, relas a little bit, read some books and magazines, get into the Christmas spirit, etc.

(*full disclosure: this year, it's also when I'm starting my Christmas shopping. Which is sad since I only have to shop for one person. Or ten if I buy my staff gifts. Either way, gifts for my lovely wife who buys for everyone else in our family and then nine identical gift certificates, right? Anyhow, I do this by going to Tukwilla with a long list in hand and then deciding which items off the list make good presents and if anything else strikes me as I travel the mall. It's a day of a lot of walking, snacking, and me-time and the crowds aren't bad mid-week. Very nice.)

This year, I'm going to try to do something more. I am going to try to convince my friends to help me raise $1,000 (or more) to help bring provide clean drinking water for children and families who don't have access to clean water. This is, literally a drop in the bucket when it comes to need, but every little bit helps.

To do this, I've set-up a fundraising page on a site called Razoo. They let you raise funds for any charity registered with the IRS. I've chosen World Vision, of course. The cool thing is that you can set a goal, make a specific plea, they collect the money and pass it on to the charity on a monthly basis. It even allows you to remain anonymous to the end charity if you're worried about ending up on their mailing list.

So you can learn more here or contribute here:

But head's up... day 1, with little effort, I'm at $40. I need to up the average if I want to reach $1,000 by the end of the week. So if you've got a better use for all of your ten dollars and can't spare even one of them, you might want to hide me for a week. But I hope you won't. I hope you'll consider donating $10 and even telling your friends about this opportunity.

Odds and Ends 88

1. LAST PERSON BLOGGING -- Spinach (and Allrecipes) to the Rescue!

2. USA TODAY -- Hotel managers find room at the inn for needy families - via Kevin

3. ENGADGET -- Racing Green Endurance team completes its 16,000 mile, electric Pan-American trip

4. SETH GODIN -- Where Do Ideas Come From? - awesome

5. SEATTLE TRANSIT BLOG -- Redundancy - trains did great in the snow, but the argument is that that's not enough.

6. FRANK CHIMERO -- Content - via Amy

7. UNCLUTTER -- Identifying Bad Processes

8. LIFEHACKER -- Start a Meal Exchange to Save Money and Enjoy More Homemade Meals - Lori does this. It's very cool.

9. INHABIT -- Coca-Cola Working On Solar AC System for Truck Fleet

10. VIDEO -- Bouncing Ben

Odds and Ends 74

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LAST PERSON BLOGGING -- Potpourri

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CROSSCUT -- Piling on: City Council set to vote on new electricity rate increase

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ENGADGET -- Mercedes-Benz SLK gets Magic Sky Control roof, turns transparent at the touch of a button

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FUTURE DISPATCHES -- No Matter What Toys I Buy…

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INHABIT -- Gold Nanoparticles Could Transform Trees Into Street Lights

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LIFEHACKER -- Nutrition Professor Loses Weight on Twinkies; Cutting Calories Still Gold Standard of Weight Loss

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MASHABLE -- Will “Daily Beast” Merger Save “Newsweek”?

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MSNBC -- Companies yank cord on residential phone books

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NEW YORK TIMES -- The Special Pain of a Slow Disaster

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SETH GODIN -- I Spread Your Idea Because...

Odds and Ends 73

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LAST PERSON BLOGGING -- Don't Let It Snow, Don't Let It Snow, Don't Let It Snow!

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LIFEHACKER -- Web2PDF Lets You Browse the Web from Your Email

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MASHABLE -- Ask.com: The End of an Era for Search

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NEW YORK TIMES -- In Case of Disaster, Carriers Stand Ready to Airlift Aid

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SETH GODIN -- Organizing for Joy

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ABOUT FOURSQUARE -- KLM surprises travelers to see ‘how happiness spreads’

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CROSSCUT -- How Seattle is exporting its poor people

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ENGADGET -- MacBook Air battery shown to last two hours longer when browsing the web sans Flash

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INHABIT -- BMW Unveils Brand New Plug-In Hybrid Sports Car

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Infectious fun. Ah, the power of a good song to change a baby's mood. (We could get Rachel to go to sleep by turning on "Phantom of the Opera" really loud. When Ben came along, his screaming could often put her to sleep. Nothing puts Ben to sleep, though.)

Odds and Ends 72

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LAST PERSON BLOGGING -- Lose It!

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CROSSCUT -- The Unbearable Lightness of Dino Rossi

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ENGADGET -- iPod foils potential kidnapping attempt in the hands of quick-thinking child

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MASHABLE -- 10 Inspiring "Buy One Give One" Projects

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SETH GODIN -- Problems and Constraints

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LIFEHACKER -- Start Chest Compressions Immediately, Don't Worry About Breaths in Performing CPR

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INHABIT -- Transparent Solar Material Could Lead to Photovoltaic Windows

-8-10- Videos after the break... Baby sea otter, virtual rock band and a guy with a real jet pack...

A Charity I Can No Longer Recommend: National Braille Press

I'd probably heard of National Braille Press before, but they came to the forefront of my awareness just before Harry Potter 6 came out when it was announced that in partnership with J.K. Rowling and with the financial assistance of Lumber Liquidators, they had worked really hard and the braille version of Harry Potter 6 would come out the same day as the normal print and audio book versions, no small feat. Something that really impressed me and convinced me that they were doing something great. So when we sold our house and made all that crazy money, we picked some charities... PLU and PLNU to be sure, and then some smaller one like King County Humane Society (who sold or rented our information) and the aforementioned National Braille Press.

My sole complaint with National Braille Press is that they keep sending me stuff in the mail. When we made the donation, and numerous times since, we've indicated that this was a small, one-time gift. And requested to be removed from the mailing list. Despite assurances that it'd been handled, the mail continues. I understand the need for cultivation, but this becomes a broken donor promise and bad stewardship when you say one thing and do something else.

So, as long as the printed mail continues, National Braille Press is breaking its promise to me and throwing away the money we sent them.

Update; I attempted to originally post this on Thursday but it didn't go through. Over the weekend I checked an old email address, the one I used when I made the contribution to NBP. They continue to email me as well.

The Assignment Of A Lifetime

GOLFDIGEST.COM -- When I called Golf World Editor-in-Chief Geoff Russell and told him Betsy King, a Hall-of-Famer and one of the tour's all-time greats, was going to take some LPGA players to Africa his reply was simple. "See if you can go with them," he said. I threw the idea out to Betsy and then waited an agonizingly long five weeks before I found out I would be allowed to accompany them, no doubt while Betsy received the permission needed from World Vision, the Christian relief organization through which Golf Fore Africa donates its money. More...

Major League Baseball and World Vision provide postseason apparel to children and families in need

MLB.COM -- Major League Baseball today announced it is expanding its longstanding relationship with international relief organization World Vision by donating unsalable 2007 postseason MLB-licensed apparel to children and families in developing countries around the world.

Major League Baseball has previously worked with World Vision to donate counterfeit goods that have been confiscated by law enforcement. These efforts will continue during the 2007 postseason. Read more...

Teenage Affluenza Spreading Fast

(from World Vision Australia)

Thieves Make Friends with Charities

SYMANTEC.COM -- Thieves are using charity websites to test if stolen credit cards still work. They know that charity contributions are infrequent and random and doesn't trigger any alarms with with the credit card companies. More...

Famine? Again?

CHRISTIANITYTODAY.COM -- To my eye Nairobi, Kenya's capital, looks good, leafed out in tropical vegetation. After three years of drought, rains came in May 2006. And the government shows signs of doing its job. The streets are cleaner than they have been in years. Shops and supermarkets are full of food. It's hard to believe that the drought has pushed Kenya into a food emergency. Yet 3.5 million people survive on emergency food aid in Kenya, part of the 6 million people who suffer likewise in the Horn of Africa, a vast region sweeping north from Kenya into Ethiopia and Somalia. You have probably heard about this crisis. And you have probably forgotten. It is easy to forget when this emergency feels like just one more in a never-ending series of African crises. Will we be feeding these people forever? More...

Leap of Faith

CHRISTIANITYTODAY.COM -- Non-profits aren't developing enough of their own future leaders and are going to have to draw more and more from the for-profit sector for its leadership. The article looks at the pitfalls they face, the sacrifices they make and the skills they bring leaders bring when they make the leap to the non-profit world. More...

Links and Quacks

Paul Pressler's Fall at the Gap -- aka What was GAP thinking?

Too Many Periods - L.A.M.B.. clothing line... 1 and 2

I Wanted to Like Them... Lamb, the band

Old but still entertaining... Chili Cook-Off and 8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter

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Quack

Part 1: When is a duck not a duck?

Part 2: Water Buffalo: Worst Possible Christmas present?

Part 3: What if you actually gave someone a water buffalo?

Superbowl losers will be winners overseas

This is pretty cool... in order to capitalize on the game, ahead of time all kinds of memorabilia has been created heralding the Colts -- and Da Bearssss -- as the winners of Superbowl XLI.

Wasteful, no?

Well, not exactly, but you'll soon learn why it costs so much for that winning jersey or cap. In reality, you're paying for two... one with the Bears logo and one with the Colt logo.

In the past, the losing team's merchandise was destroyed. But for a number of years now, the NFL has donated the merchandise to World Vision where it's shipped overseas to provide clothing to those who otherwise don't have.

Also, apparently when the U.S. Customs seizes counterfeit products (sports memorabilia or other), if it can be reused, it's given to World Vision. In the past, the Customs agency was responsible for the cost of disposing of the seized goods. Now, it, too, is turned over to World Vision. For counterfeit goods the first order of business is to remove the labels and then tag all the merchandise with the World Vision logo so it's identifiable later that it wasn't legitimate goods in the first place.

So, saving the U.S. Government money (aka us taxpayers), keeping stuff out of landfills (or incinerator smoke out of the air) and helping to clothe the rest of the world. That's pretty cool.