I Love You, Bono!

Costly Red Campaign Reaps Meager $18 Million ~Ad Age

Gap's Red campaign isn't doing so (red) hot. $100 million in marketing costs only led to $18 million actually going to the Global Fund. The Ad Age article uses a sharply negative headline on what is otherwise a balanced presentation to show that some are concerned about the cost to benefit ratio.

As a nonprofit professional, I tend to agree with the guys at buylesscrap who think we should encourage direct giving rather than consumption. However, that "meager" $18 million is a whole heck of a lot more than the $13 million they received from the private sector last year. With a budget of around $1 billion, Global Fund receives 99% of its funds from governmental organizations. Any addition to that tiny 1% from corporations and everyday folk is good, right?

The guys at buylesscrap.org don't think so. They promote charitable giving rather than buying crap we don't need. Of course, they're right in so many ways. In theory, all people should give directly. In theory, communism is a great idea. But we've seen how that works in practice. The fact is that many of the people who bought red items would not have dropped $10 into a jar at the counter. Sadly, so many people need motivation to give that consumerism is the only way to draw them out.

So perhaps throwing Bono out there to motivate goodness isn't such a horrible thing. If someone is going to go buy a shirt anyway, they are more likely to pay extra for a charitable shirt than they are to forgo the shirt altogether and make a direct donation. Sad, but true. Yes, we should give up the junk we buy, but most people aren't ready for that. So let's take some baby steps and get a corporation to donate a portion of the products we buy for them. Not a horrible idea.

It could work, and I think it would have worked a lot better if the public really understood the problem. The marketing campaign has really focused on tying the project in with Bono and creating a buzz around the "everybody is doing it-even so and so celebrity" idea. It might have been nice if a portion of that $100 million marketing campaign actually demonstrated the good work of the Global Fund and the need for support. This might be one area where corporations could have used the nonprofit field to come in and show them how to pull those heart strings.

As for that cost to benefit ratio, the Ad Age article is doing a little propaganda of their own.

The $100 million was funded by Gap, Apple, Motorola, and others. This result in some amount of income for each of these companies, PLUS $18 million to the Global Fund. Ad Age is assuming some standard to compare this against, but this is a fairly new idea in the large corporate world and thus doesn't really have a standard to meet. Even if the income for the companies is lower than $100 million, that loss is on the part of the companies and could really be considered an in-kind donation to the Global Fund.

So give it a rest, naysayers. We can't really judge how well it's doing yet. This could be the start of a great movement. Paired with the absurdly large philanthropic gifts from major CEOs as of late, this could be the beginning of something bigger than we ever thought.

Maybe, just maybe, consumerism could save the world.

Crossing my fingers, but not holding my breath.

Overwhelmed by Sweetness

These little guys are best friends. I don't think I can handle the cuteness. Look at the way that orangutan is hugging that little fuzzy kitty.

Too bad in a couple of months the tigers will prefer the primate's meat to its love.

Read about this odd couple (and the other two animals involved) on CNN.

You think the orangutan will feel heartbroken when it's friend tries to eat him?

Are People Essentially Good?

Ervin Peretz thinks so. He got so hot and bothered during an argument over the concept, that he decided to try a little experiment to prove his point. That little experiment meant dropping six figures on start up costs for a new coffee shop in Kirkland, Washington called Terra Bite.

How does opening a coffee shop prove that people are inherently good? It doesn't. But not charging people anything and asking them to pay what they feel when they feel they should goes a long way toward providing the necessary evidence. So far, Ervin says, it seems that the people who pay more than enough or making up for those who don't.

You can read the article for yourself at AZ Central.

Big Invisible Creatures

This afternoon while I was sitting at work, something happened that made me feel like I was in an episode of Lost. It felt like a large invisible monster ran across/through me from my left side to my right side, and taht it made the building sway a bit. I was confused.

Then my boss says from the other room, "that was a nice little earthquake."

An earthquake? Really? That's the coolest thing ever.

I wasn't quite sure she was correct until Pete sent me this confirmation:

2/23/07 Earthquake in the Bay

It was my FIRST earthquake!!!! Pete thinks I'm a dork because I'm all excited about a 3.4, but it's my FIRST ONE!!!

As long as they stay small like that, that's pretty darn cool. No big ones, though, please.

The Real Time View

TV Squad has a great article about Tivo today. Basically, the point is that because Tivo allows you to watch your favorite shows without commercials, it actually becomes a drag to watch live tv with commercials. Pete and I have experienced this phenomenon in our house, as well. We will often note that a show we're recording is starting, but then watch something else that is already recorded instead so that we don't have to sit through commercials. The author of this article speaks directly to me, and I'm guessing many of you, when he says that when we do sit through commercials we are paying a show the highest compliment.

All this has got me to thinking that the best compliment a TiVo owner can give a show is to give it The Real Time View. Quickly defined, The Real Time View is when you love a show so much that you're willing to sit through commercials (like a commoner) because you can't even wait ten minutes to build up a TiVo buffer.

yeah...very few shows make it into that realm. Lost definitely does for us. We can't wait to watch it...especially now that it's on at 10 and waiting might mean a whole day. Everything else, though, is pretty subject to tivoification.

You can read the author's take at TV Squad.

In Need of a Vacation

We returned from Vegas at about 4am today. We were aiming for 8 or 9pm last night. What held us up? I wish I could say we decided to gamble more, but we left Vegas at 1pm yesterday. We were held up by the massive amount of traffic leaving Vegas on President's Day morning after Chinese New Year and NBA All-Stars Weekend. Traffic was 0-10 mph for the first 200 miles or so, and then we hit another patch that was 0-2 mph for another 20. We drove 18 hours. I'll say that again. 18. hours. driving. in a car together. tired as hell.

It wasn't as horrible as it sounds, though. I enjoy driving and Pete and I had fun hanging out. After five days completely with each other 24/7 I was pretty happy with us just getting along. :) That's a lot of time to be in close quarters with one person--even if you love them dearly. We did quite well.

The trip was amazing. We stayed at Binions downtown instead of on the strip and hit a lot of the outer-lying casinos. Definitely took the opportunity to shop around while we had the car. Here are a few highs and lows from the trip:

hi: staying in a downtown quirky hotel with lots of character on fremont street

lo: plastic mattress covers (eeewww--although I fixed them by adding the covers from one bed under the sheets of the bed on which we were sleeping).

hi: winning my first Vegas hold-em tourney ($35 buy-in for a $300 1st place payout at Excalibur, along with another 4th place $75 payout in the second tourney)

lo: losing it all in video poker

hi: The Price is Right live show!!!

lo: paying extra for a specific type of massage that didn't end up being all that great anyway

hi: the spa facilities at Caesar's Palace - the coolest thing was the arctic ice room (pun totally intended). The room is 55 degrees (and remember you're naked) with heated benches and snow. Very very interesting experience.

lo: crazy amounts of people there for the all-star game

hi: celebrity run-ins: Lots of big tall basketball players and wannabes walking around with skanky girls. Busta Rhymes tour bus passed us on the drive home.

lo: Pete's phone went missing in the Venetian (the very same casino where Pete tore his quad last year). We had walked away and Pete realized it was gone, and when I called it someone answered but wouldn't talk. After they turned the phone off, we reported it stolen. A while later I thought I'd try calling it again and the guy finally answered and actually gave it back to us. I'm not sure that was his original intention, but at least the phone wasn't gone.

hi: FABULOUS food. Dinner at Alize was incredible (Thank you, Pete!!!)--probably one of the best dining experiences I've ever had. Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill was amazing as always. And Red Rock's buffet was one of the best we've seen. Yummy yummy food.

hi: finding THE ring I want!

lo: finding THE ring I want only at Harry Winston.

hi: the tigers and Sigfried and Roy's Secret Garden (always my favorite thing)

It really was such a fun trip. I'm so happy to be home, though---and ready to go curl up with our kitty!

Viva Las Vegas

Pete and I will be in Vegas for the next few days. No fun posts from me until we return!

Happy Weekend!

Happy V-Day

I'm not really that into Valentine's Day, but really, any day that gets my man out of bed to make me breakfast is invaluable. So happy Valentine's Day from a full-tummied Me.

More, importantly, February 14th is also V-Day.



Started by Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues, "V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery."


Although it operates all year, many of the events cluster around Feb 14. Find an event (such as a performance of The Vagina Monologues) near you.

Not That the Grammys Matter

Let's not pretend the Grammys mean anything more than they do, but I sure am awfully happy for the Dixie Chicks. They let rip an album that came back with a vengeance against their deserters and the politicos that led them down that road. They were shunned by the CMAs back in November, but last night they were greatly rewarded. They got all five awards for which they were nominated! Yay Chicks!

Semi-Homemade Cooking?

Anthony Bourdain, although a bit pompous, recognizes Sandra Lee for what she is.

SANDRA LEE: Pure evil. This frightening Hell Spawn of Kathie Lee and Betty Crocker seems on a mission to kill her fans, one meal at a time. She Must Be Stopped. Her death-dealing can-opening ways will cut a swath of destruction through the world if not contained. I would likely be arrested if I suggested on television that any children watching should promptly go to a wooded area with a gun and harm themselves. What’s the difference between that and Sandra suggesting we fill our mouths with Ritz Crackers, jam a can of Cheez Wiz in after and press hard? None that I can see. This is simply irresponsible programming. Its only possible use might be as a psychological warfare strategy against the resurgent Taliban--or dangerous insurgent groups. A large-racked blonde repeatedly urging Afghans and angry Iraqis to stuff themseles with fatty, processed American foods might be just the weapon we need to win the war on terror.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of half-scratch cooking on weeknights. But the woman is a sorority girl who hasn't grown up and who entertains her sorority sisters by making pink tables full of processed crap--and she's making more money off it than I may ever see in my lifetime. I do think she has a WIDE audience and should be on tv. But I'd expect to see her just before Oprah or after Rachel Ray's new show--not on Food Network. Not that Food Network is what Anthony says it should be anyway. Read his whole rant.

Katrina Lives On

Since I went to New Orleans in October, I've been hyper aware of the lack of progress in the bayou. I usually try not to simply quote an article, but this is the best description of what's going on that I've read in quite a while.

Just KNOW that this is not over. Read this and realize that the Gulf still needs help. That's all I ask. Every person who knows what's going on helps spread the awareness.

New Orleans Residents are Bailing Out

NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans is a city on a knife's edge. A year and a half after Hurricane Katrina, an alarming number of residents are leaving or seriously thinking of getting out for good.

They have become fed up with the violence, the bureaucracy, the political finger-pointing, the sluggish rebuilding and the doubts about the safety of the levees.

"The mayor says, `Come back home. Every area should come back.' For what?" said Genevieve Bellow, who rebuilt her home in heavily damaged eastern New Orleans but has been unable to get anything done about the trash and abandoned apartment buildings in her neighborhood and may leave town. "I have no confidence in anything or anybody."

A survey released in November found that 32 percent of city residents polled may leave within two years. University of New Orleans political scientist Susan Howell, who did the survey, said more will give up if the recovery does not pick up speed.

In fact, figures from the nation's top three moving companies suggest more people left the area than moved into it last year.

"People are in a state of limbo. They're asking, `Is it worth it for me to stay? Is it worth it to invest?' If you don't feel safe, from crime or the levees, and you see destruction every day when you drive, it becomes discouraging," Howell said.

If there is an exodus, it could mean more than just a shrunken New Orleans. It could mean a poorer city, financially and culturally, and a more desperate one, too, since the people likely to leave are the most highly educated and younger.

Mayor Ray Nagin and Gov. Kathleen Blanco have urged residents to return under rebuilding plans with names like Bring New Orleans Back and Road Home. The mayor has warned that the recovery will take a decade and has urged people not to give up hope.

But New Orleans' population appears to have plateaued at about half the pre-storm level of 455,000, well short of Nagin's prediction of 300,000 by the end of 2006. And in many ways, it is a meaner city than it was before the hurricane.

New Orleans ended 2006 with 161 homicides, for a murder rate higher than it was before Katrina and more than 4 1/2 times the national average for cities its size. After starting 2007 with practically one killing a day, the city has at least 19 slayings so far this year.

The criminal justice system is in disarray, with public defenders so overworked and witnesses so reluctant to testify that the courts are revolving doors, putting criminals back on the street. Mistrust between police and the public is running high, in part because seven officers were arrested in a deadly shooting during the chaotic aftermath of Katrina.

Nagin and Police Chief Warren Riley announced a plan last month to crack down on crime with checkpoints and the putting of more police on the beat.

For Jennifer Johansen, it is too little, too late. Johansen's neat yellow house in New Orleans Irish Channel is for sale, and the nurse, who returned to the city after Katrina, hopes to be in Seattle before spring.

The gunfire she used to hear until about a month ago made her uneasy about watching TV in her living room, and she yearns to live in a vibrant, safe city.

"I kept thinking, things would get better. But it just took too long for a response from the city, the mayor, the police chief, to address the increased crime," she said.

Louisiana demographer Elliott Stonecipher said: "You get the sense talking to people on the ground in New Orleans that a lot of people are right on the edge. They're just about to the point where they believe they have to decide."

Blanco's Road Home program, born 10 months after the storm, has been vilified by politicians and civic leaders as too slow to distribute $7.5 billion in federal aid to buy out homeowners or help them rebuild. As of Feb. 5, Road Home had taken 105,739 applications and resolved only 532 cases, granting $33.8 million. At the current rate, Road Home would take more than 13 years to complete.

Sen. David Vitter (news, bio, voting record), R-La., called Road Home a debacle. In hopes of jump-starting the neighborhood rebuildings, the mayor has put in place a gap-loan program to let homeowners borrow on their promised Road Home grants.

City, state and federal officials have traded the blame over the slow distribution of relief aid.

So far, the federal government has earmarked about $750 million for infrastructure projects. The state homeland security department, charged with distributing the money, has given out only about half that. The governor said the city has been slow to complete the paperwork.

It was that kind of back-and-forth that prompted Ken White and his wife, Kathy, to give up and move to New York last year.

"We came back a month after the flood and thought about what we could do to stay and rebuild, but it became apparent to us it would take a long time and be very difficult," said White, who was director of emergency psychiatry at Charity Hospital when Katrina hit. "We were appalled by the ineptitude of government on all levels."

Gregory Hamilton, a longtime resident of eastern New Orleans, said he plans to stay, but is frustrated, too. "Everybody wants to follow the recovery. Nobody wants to lead the recovery," he said.

Some frustrations are rooted in the persistent widespread damage as well as the lack of a comprehensive rebuilding plan.

On many streets, newly rebuilt houses stand amid empty, decaying ones. In many neighborhoods, there are still heaps of smelly debris and FEMA trailers in front yards.

"Literally, if you want an aspirin in those neighborhoods, you have to go across the parish line or to an unflooded area," said Al Palumbo, a real estate agent.

A $14 billion rebuilding proposal is making its way through city government, and Nagin has appointed a recovery czar, Ed Blakely. But there is no timetable for implementation of a master plan, and no assurances the money will be there for it.

Blakely said he believes it will cost at least three times the $14 billion estimate to restore the city.

Brian Nolan, a photographer who moved to South Carolina after the city's failed levees left his home in Lakeview under 11 feet of water, said he did not believe the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' assurances that floodwalls have been improved.

"After the storm, we were all pumped up to build a new house, but we lost that dream," he said.

Blanco, on a lobbying trip to Washington, said Thursday that she has received commitments from Democratic leaders that the recovery of the Gulf Coast will be a "front-burner" issue. Blanco also said that she, the mayor and several parish leaders have agreed to work together to break the "bureaucratic nightmare."

Demographer Greg Rigamer said that pressure on Road Home and the appointment of a recovery czar are positive steps, but that city must do more to rebuild schools, its health care system and housing to keep people here and bring others back.

"With every passing month," said UNO sociologist Rachel E. Luft, "it's less likely people will come back."

My Boy is Gone :(

It's a tragedy. Truly. This is a momentously sad occasion.

Concussions End Matheny's Career

SAN FRANCISCO -- Catchers are no ordinary men -- they're legitimate tough guys -- and to get an insight into what made Giants backstop Mike Matheny tick, let's go back nine months ago when a foul tip came off the bat like a ricocheting bullet, slamming into his mask at 100 miles per hour.

Matheny, stunned and dizzy, had already taken maybe a half-dozen shots to the head during the week, but even after head trainer Stan Conte pulled him out and X-rays were taken, Matheny was already planning on flying to New York for the next series against the Mets.

Fat chance. He couldn't remember what day it was.

"We're competitive -- we're wired that way," said the 13-year Major League veteran.

Matheny would, however, never play again, and the four-time Gold Glove catcher reluctantly but advisedly retired from baseball Thursday because of lingering post-concussion symptoms.

And even worse...he's moved back to St. Louis to spend more time with his wife and FIVE children. Okay, so not worse...obviously he's a great guy, but we'll miss him here.

With Pujols in St. Louis and Matheny retired, how am I supposed to enjoy my baseball games this season?

Well, we do still have Matt Morris. Time to get more Cards to come over to the Giants.

Seven Deadly Sins Matrix

Daily Nugget linked Indexed and I just had to pass along the post:

Cleanliness and Cuddles

If cleanliness is next to godliness, my kitty is going to hell.

We had to take Sebastien to Pets Unlimited's emergency vet tonight. I noticed that one of his claws wouldn't protrude, and it looks like there was an infection around it. Once at the hospital, the vet found ickiness on FOUR toes! Our sweet little kitty--who usually hangs out on our shoulders and purrs the whole time--was hissing and scratching as best he could. It took four hands to hold him down while the assistant used Qtips and a special cleaning solution to clean out his wounds. So now kitty is on antibiotics. We have to deliver milky white liquid--that is for some reason less appealling to Sebastien than whatever liquid I'm drinking at any given moment--through a syringe into his mouth without squirting it down his throat and filling his lungs. AND, we have to continue the cleaning process daily that the assistant started. We actually have to soak his paws in liquid. Yeah.

And why do we have to do this? Because for some reason, Sebastien doesn't like to clean his own paws.

Perhaps we should have named him Lucifer.

WUSTL Rankings

This article gave me justification for the fact that I've got $26k to go on my student loans:

UNIVERSITY HITS THE TOP TEN AGAIN: In three national ratings - faculty
scholarly productivity, black student college graduation rates, and number
of National Merit Scholars in the freshman class - Washington University
ranks in the top 10. The University is ranked in the top 10 in five broad
areas and 19 specific disciplines, according to Academic Analytics' Faculty
Scholarly Productivity Index, a new quantitative method for ranking
research universities' doctoral programs.

The full story is in the Wash U faculty paper, The Record.

Even better is the fact that the Psychology department is listed as 4th in the nation! Now only if I was in a psychology field.

Why I'm Not Ready to Have Kids

Boy's Screaming Kills Chickens

BEIJING, Jan 24 (Reuters Life!) - Hundreds of chickens have been found dead in east China -- and a court has ruled that the cause of death was the screaming of a four-year-old boy who in turn had been scared by a barking dog, state media reported on Wednesday.

The bizarre sequence events began when the boy arrived at a village home in the eastern province of Jiangsu in the summer with his father who was delivering bottles of gas, the Nanjing Morning Post reported.

A villager was quoted as saying the little boy bent over the henhouse window, screaming for a long time, after being scared by the dog.

"One neighbor told police that he had heard the boy's crying that afternoon and another villager confirmed the boy screaming by the henhouse window," the newspaper said.

A court ruled the boy's screaming was "the only unexpected abnormal sound" and that 443 chickens trampled each other to death in fear.

The boy's father was ordered to pay 1,800 yuan ($230) in compensation to the owner of the chickens.

Save the John Barleycorn!

John Barleycorn is Closing!

The John Barleycorn, one of San Francisco's hidden gems for nearly 40 years, is being forced to leave. Luisa Hanson, the new owner of the property at 1500 California Street, the building which houses the Barleycorn, refuses to discuss any renewal of the lease, which expires in June.

Read the whole story and do something about it: www.savethebarleycorn.com

Make sure to read about the history of this place. We can't let it go!!!

And where will I go to have random drunk regulars hit on me in front of a wood-burning fire while eating a Front Room pizza?

We All Need a Drink

So it doesn't belong on the Soundtrack to my Soul, but it does need to be listened to by all--I just heard Terri Clark's new song for the first time:

Turn on the TV
More crime in the streets
More trouble in the middle east
And fires out west

Politicians slingin dirt
Got descension in the church
Another law suit in the works
Man you talk about a mess
Too much tension between miss liberty and the eiffel tower
Its about time we all made up at some big happy hour

I think the world needs a drink
I think enoughs enough
Shes been spinnin around so long i think she's pretty wound up
Calm down, sit back, relax
Tear up the contracts and save the ink
Yeah I think the world needs a drink
I bet we'd get somethin done
Over 2 for ones
Rubbin elbows with the big guns
Wouldn't that be cool?

Call all the rich and the poor
The peace keepers and the warlords
We'll cut some deals over nothing more
Than a shot of 90 proof

There ain't nothin wrong a few cold beers can't iron out
In fact you tell me just when and where and I'll buy the first round
I think the world needs a drink
I think enoughs enough
Shes been spinnin around so long I'd say she's pretty wound up
Let's all calm down sit back relax
Tear up the contracts and save the ink
Yeah I think the world needs a drink
Whoo!
(Instrumental)
Hey let's all calm down sit back relax
Tear up the contracts and save the ink
Yeah I think the world needs,
Dont you think the world needs a couple drinks
I know I do
Yeah thats right

People Who Suck at Their Jobs

Dude, I would so be a better choice than this chick mentioned on wnbc:

NEW YORK -- A grants administrator for the Rockefeller Foundation was convicted Wednesday of stealing $421,000 from her employer by looting a matching gift program that triples donations made by employees to nonprofit charities.

Cheryl McEwan was found guilty of two counts of second-degree grand larceny and six counts of filing false business records after her second trial on those charges. Her first ended in a hung jury in November. McEwan, who earned $80,000 a year at the foundation, faces up to 15 years in prison on each second-degree grand larceny charge, the top counts, when Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Marcy Kahn sentences her Feb. 28.

From 1998 through 2004, McEwan, 51, falsely reported that she had written personal checks for donations to Green Sphere, an environmental charity. She then submitted the receipts for her donations to the foundation. A Green Sphere founder, Frank Melli, would cash McEwan's checks, apply to the foundation for the triple matching gift and kick back McEwan's donation and more, prosecutors said. The defendants stole $188,500, prosecutors said.

Does she know how lucky she is to work at the Rockefeller Foundation? Seriously? And she didn't think they'd find out? Blah.

Hire me. I'll take $80k to help give money away. And, I'll actually give it away.

Real Estate

I constantly complain to outsiders about the cost of living here in San Francisco. I believe, though, that my mouth has just been shut for me:

A 77 square foot (and no, I'm not forgetting a third digit) former storage room is for sale as a $335,000 apartment in London.

For comparison sake, in San Francisco, $335,000 will get you a 700-800 square foot 1br condo. In southern Missouri, that much will buy you a two story 5 bedroom house with a large yard.

Dude...if it's longer than 11 feet, I wouldn't even be able to lay width-wise in it.

So no more complaining about costs from me. For awhile. :)

Six Degrees of Usefulness

USA Today Reports:

Kevin Bacon has a confession.

That silly Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game? The truth is, he's no good at it. "It's confusing," he admits. "I can't remember all the movies I've been in, so I surely can't recall someone else's films." The object of the game is to connect any famous person to Bacon within six steps.

Finally, after a decade of living with the Six Degrees curse ("I always thought it would just go away, along with the Pet Rock"), Bacon has discovered a way to make the phenomenon rise above being an annoying gimmick.

A year ago, he bought the domain name SixDegrees.org. And on Friday, the actor will be at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, to launch SixDegrees.org, an online charitable-giving site that is inspired by his namesake game and driven by today's obsession with celebrities.

Read more!

With the success of MySpace, Friendster, Facebook, and the like, I can only imagine good things for this. My Six Degrees badge will follow soon!

Another View on Gates

The Economist reported on the leader of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Patty Stonesifer in article yesterday:

BEING called “incredibly disingenuous” by the Huffington Post, an influential blog, cannot have been how Patty Stonesifer expected to mark her tenth anniversary in charge of Bill Gates's efforts to make the world a better place. But these are strange times for the chief executive of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a charitable institution accustomed to being showered with praise. Two recent articles in the Los Angeles Times accused the foundation—the world's wealthiest, with assets of $32 billion—of profiting from investments in companies whose activities contribute to the very problems the foundation is trying to solve (poverty, debt, disease and so on). This prompted an avalanche of media comment along the lines of “giving with one hand, taking with the other”.

Meeting the straight-talking Ms Stonesifer, it is hard to imagine anyone less disingenuous. This is easily the most hostile press coverage of the foundation in the decade since Mr Gates asked her to take over the day-to-day running of his foundation, shortly after her departure from a senior post at Microsoft, his giant software firm. But, she says, this is the price—a “small price”—that the foundation has to pay for having come so far during that time. “We have become the reference point for all the interesting questions in philanthropy,” she says. And whether a charitable foundation should use its portfolio of assets to reinforce the thrust of its giving—or “mission-related investing”—is, she says, “certainly an interesting debate”.

Many American foundations are jumping on this particular bandwagon, either by screening nasty firms out of their share portfolios, trying to improve bad firms through shareholder activism, or accepting lower financial returns in pursuit of a double or triple bottom line that takes non-financial results into account.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of this plays out.

New Orleans Transplants

I will always be bitter that my hometown boy left his wife for another woman, but I have to admit that Brad Pitt is doing great things now that he's with Angelina Jolie. The couple just bought a house in the French Quarter. (The article announcing this used the term "mansion", but since I've moved to San Francisco, it seems silly to call anything that costs only $3 million more than a simple house.) This really could be one of the greatest advances for the Katrina Recovery effort. As a couple that's so active in helping those in need, Pitt and Jolie have already invested in reconstruction efforts in the Lower 9th Ward. If they're faced with it every day, they just might do all they can to fix it.

You can read the whole AP article at myway.

And maybe New Orleans will knock a bit of the LA out of the Missouri boy turned cheating ass and get him back on the right track.

Investments: Good or Profit?

In Life of Pi, a character states that "...the Greater Good and the Greater Profit are not compatible aims...". Bill Gates has seemingly found a compromise by achieving greater profit for his company and working toward greater good with his personal foundation. The recent issues regarding the foundation's investment choices, however, call into question this compromise.

An article in the Financial Times last week went so far as to say that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation "snubbed" the whole movement of socially responsible investing in their philosophical statement posted on their website.

Bill Gates, the world’s richest man, on Friday delivered a snub to the ethical investment movement by saying his foundation should concentrate on grant giving, rather than judging the social impact of businesses in which it invests.

In a statement on its website, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest philanthropic body with $35bn in assets, ruled out screening companies in which it invested based on factors such as their environmental record or lending policies.

I believe the FT article goes a bit far in its interpretation of the statement, but it does raise a major question: Can ethical investing lead to good returns, or does it intrinsically lead to lower returns than investing without consideration of ethical factors? Can the greater good and the greater profit coexist?

This is a question Pete and I have addressed several times. He owns stock in Mobil. Should we at some point get married, I would then own stock in Mobil. This is a question for me. The first part of the question is whether Mobil is even actually an ethically questionable investment. It may very well not be for me, and I would need to do a great deal of more research before determining that for myself. For the sake of argument, however, let's assume that this stock is bad. When it then becomes shared stock, do I ask Pete to sell and invest in something that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy? This stock put him through college. This stock might just sustain him (or us) in retirement. Do we give up that return to be better people? Do we have to give up a return at all? Investment experts are all over the place on this issue. The Financial Times quotes two with very different opinions:

The official [of the Gates Foundation] said: “We focus our energies on the investments we can make through our programmatic work, because that is how we can have a direct and dramatic impact that will improve people’s lives.”

Penny Shepherd, chief executive of the UK Social Investment Forum, said: “This is a rather out-dated perspective. The evidence is that you can invest responsibly without damaging your financial returns.”

However, Danny Truell, chief investment officer at the Wellcome Trust, the UK’s largest medical charity with a £14bn endowment, endorsed the Gates’ approach, arguing that focusing on ethical investment would sharply limit returns.

And even if ethical investments do limit returns, shouldn't we do it anyway? I'm not sure how I feel about the average joe's investments, but Bill Gates is THE leading examble of charitable giving in our time. I feel very strongly that Gates, as this role model to the rest of the world, SHOULD be making socially responsible investments. I think people in his position have to make a compromise. Perhaps the returns are somewhat lower, but is that really going to hurt the charities? In my January 8th post, I quoted an LA Times article that stated that Gate's giving in the Niger Delta was less than half of his investments in companies that contribute to the pollution and other problems that affect the people in the same region. So how do we solve this dilemma?

This time around, it seems we're not getting the answer from Gates.

Gates Addresses the Issue

In response to the criticisms made of the Gates Foundation investments, Many papers reported that the foundation is reassessing its investment policies. The LA Times reported:

In a significant change, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced Wednesday that it would review its investments to determine whether its holdings were socially responsible.

In addition to what it called a continuing review of "our approach to investments," the foundation said on its website, "we will review other strategies that can fulfill a social responsibility role, both in terms of their aspirations and in understanding the impact that they may have."

...In its website statement, the foundation said it would establish a procedure in which the founder and his wife would personally assess its holdings and matters of social responsibility. "We will … formalize the process," it said, "by which Bill and Melinda Gates analyze and review these issues."

Experts in socially conscious investing said the development would probably cause other foundations to rethink their endowment policies. The David & Lucille Packard Foundation and the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, both among the nation's 10 largest, said Wednesday that they too were reevaluating their investments to assess social and environmental effects.

..."They have become the face of philanthropy for the country, if not the world," Gunderson said. "The move you saw today is the kind of socially responsible reaction that the Gates Foundation will consistently engage in … because they recognize their impact on all of philanthropy."

But just a few days later, the chief executive said the foundation is NOT planning this change. Again, from the LA Times:

Despite recent statements that it planned several changes, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will keep its current approach to investing its endowment, Patty Stonesifer, its chief executive, says.

It would be naive, Stonesifer said in a letter published today on the editorial page of the Los Angeles Times, to think that changing the foundation's investment policy could stop the human suffering blamed on the practices of companies in which it invests billions of dollars.

Stonesifer wrote in response to an investigative series published by The Times last Sunday and Monday that showed that the Gates Foundation, founded by the chairman of Microsoft Corp., reaps vast financial gains from investments in companies that contribute to the human suffering in health, housing and social welfare that the foundation is trying to alleviate.

In a more personal article, the Gates Foundation Chief Executive speaks out:

In the recent coverage of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's investments, The Times implies that we have made secret investments. We have always been open about the investments we make. Every corporate stock and bond we invest in is listed on our public tax forms, which are posted on our website going back to 2002.

The stories you told of people who are suffering touched us all. But it is naive to suggest that an individual stockholder can stop that suffering. Changes in our investment practices would have little or no impact on these issues. While shareholder activism has worthwhile goals, we believe a much more direct way to help people is by making grants and working with other donors to improve health, reduce poverty and strengthen education.

Bill and Melinda Gates have always reviewed investments and will continue to do so. To explain our philosophy and clarify how we make decisions, we have posted a statement on our website, gatesfoundation.org.

Hrrrrrmmmmmmm. What's next?

Life of Pi

I don't like castaway novels. (Ironic coming from someone who LOVES Lost.) I hated Robinson Crusoe. I have yet to read Moby Dick and no intentions of doing so. I never liked that Sole Survivor book. I'm just not a fan of reading about someone lost at sea and trying to make it back to civilization. Somehow, I find it boring.

Life of Pi is a castaway novel. The main character spends most of the book on a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Life of Pi is different, though. Life of Pi is an amazing tribute to the beauty of life--stretching across science, religion, and art. This is an incredible story, not only of the will to survive, but of the minutae that represent the very basics of life.

I, as the avid reader who hates these kinds of books, LOVE this book. I couldn't put it down. No dullness, no waiting, no terrible desparation. This novel, full of suspense, operates under a veil of hope that shines through every page.

Please read this book.

Some of my favorite quotes:

"If we, citizens, do not support our artists, then we sacrifice our imagination on the altar of crude reality and we end up believing in nothing and having worthless dreams."

"All living things contain a measure of madness that moves them in strange, sometimes inexplicable ways. This madness can be saving; it is part and parcel of the ability to adapt. Without it, no species would survive."

"...the Greater Good and the Greater Profit are not compatible aims..."

"Which is the better story?"

Silly Murders

Parking really is a hot commodity in the Bay Area!

An article in the Chronicle:

33-year-old Oakland man was gunned down in a "silly" argument over a parking space at his apartment complex, police said today.
...
"It's just silly that this resulted in a homicide," said homicide Sgt. Tony Jones. "A guy parks in the wrong parking space. They argue. A gun comes out, and a man is dead."

Did he really just use silly and homicide in the same sentence?

Rules of English

The question came up today at work as to whether we are offering a grant toward the cost of a project or towards the cost of a project.

The ever handy google answered quickly, of course.

While we individually vary in how we use this, many of us tend to say add the s due to pluralization in the sentence.

For example, we say "grant monies toward the cost" or "a grant towards the cost". Apparently, this change is totally unnecessary. Both forms of the word are correct, with the s not creating a plural or singular form because the word is used as a preposition.

EnglishRules.com does point out, however, that Americans tend to use "toward" while Brits tend to use "towards". Just another example of their fancy schmancy English adding extra letters and such (e.g. colour, dialogue, cheque).

You learn something new every day.

Socially Responsible Investing

I give Pete crap about having stock in Mobil, but I have to say i don't think that's nearly as bad as huge public figures investing in hypocritical ways--like Bill Gates. Sadness.

Dark Cloud Over Good Works of Gates Foundation

An excerpt:

The Gates Foundation has poured $218 million into polio and measles immunization and research worldwide, including in the Niger Delta. At the same time that the foundation is funding inoculations to protect health, The Times found, it has invested $423 million in Eni, Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and Total of France — the companies responsible for most of the flares blanketing the delta with pollution, beyond anything permitted in the United States or Europe.

How Capitalism WILL Save the World

Bloomberg offers one example:

The Office of Economic Opportunity -- a $150 million plan to offer innovative solutions utilizing private resources to help New York's poor.

Bloomberg for President?

The Cost of a Human Life - The Philanthropic View

Peter Singer (I've always thought of him as "the ethics guy") wrote a fabulous article on the value of human life versus the way we give to charity. He makes two strong assumptions that should then lead to a pattern of giving:

1. If we were to place a number on the value of a human life, it would surely be in the millions.

2. All people are created equal.

Singer attempts to determine an appropriate amount of giving that would even out the discrepancies between intrinsic worth (which should be equal) and actual net worth in dollars (bill gates vs. you or me). He points out that Gates has given away nearly 35% of his total worth, while former partner Paul Allen, the 5th richest man in America, has given only 5% (although that 5% reaches over $800 million). Should we all strive to be like Gates? or is 5% enough? Who would tell Paul Allen that $800 million is not good enough?

Singer then goes through various income brackets and argues what they could reasonably give, pointing out that the richest of the rich (the top .01% of taxpayers) could reasonably give 1/3 of their income and still be super wealthy. The rest of the top .1% could give 1/4. The top .5% could give 1/5, and the rest of the top 1% could give 15%. If the then remaining top 10% of taxpayers paid a traditional tithe of 10%, a total of $404 billion could be given to those in need. Singer admits the scale could be steeper, so that the rich pay more and the comfortable pay less, but regardless of the scale, this is only asking the top 10% to pay a relatively small amount. But it adds up to so much!!! And this is only from America. If the rich in other countries did the same, think of what could happen to global poverty!

He says so much more, but the point is made.

I personally believe very strongly in a capitalist society, but have always felt that includes the generosity of the rich to the poor. If only the richest of the rich took heed and followed Singer's plan to share brotherly love, capitalism could still lead to the greatest cure for social problems in our times, too.

The challenge is on, rich folk.

A Christmas Wish For Y'all

Mraw Humbug!

Cure for Diabetes?

So the article in the National Post is tentative, and the news is coming from Canada :), but a basic paradigm shift in the etymology of diabetes could lead to something HUGE.

Apparently, in mice with Type 1 diabetes, the cause seems to be malfunctioning pain neurons in the pancreas. When researchers eliminated the pain neuron issue, the mice were cured of their diabetes overnight.

They still have to do tests on humans, and it probably won't work on all types of diabetes, but still...this is massive.

Read the whole thing here.

Celebrity Friends

Oh, Meeshy Meesh!

I bow to you and your expertise on international travel trends!

"We have seen a noticeable decline in traveller numbers in the past five years," says Michelle Grant, a research manager for Euromonitor International, a business research group that monitors trends in domestic and international travel.

Read the whole article here.

Soundtrack of my Soul Track #3

Polyester Bride
Liz Phair


I was talking, not two days ago
To a certain bartender I'm lucky to know
And I asked Henry, my bartending friend
If I should bother dating unfamous men

And Henry said,
"You're lucky to even know me,
You're lucky to be alive.
You're lucky to be drinking here for free,
'cause I'm a sucker for your lucky, pretty eyes."

And then he said,
"Do you wanna be a polyester bride?
Or do you want to hang your head and die?
Do you want to find alligator cowboy boots they just put on sale?
Do you want to flap your wings and fly away from here?"

And I was sitting, not two days ago
Feeling lonely, 'cause I'm just feeling low
And I asked Henry, my bartending friend
Why it is that there are those kind of men

And Henry said,
"You're lucky to even know me,
You're lucky to be alive.
You're lucky to be drinking here for free,
'cause I'm a sucker for your lucky, pretty eyes."

And then he said,
"Do you wanna be a polyester bride?
Or do you want to hang your head and die?
Do you want to find alligator cowboy boots they just put on sale?
Do you want to flap your wings and fly away from here?"

"Princess, do you really want to flap your wings and fly?
Because you've got time."
He keeps telling me, "You've got time."
But I don't believe him
"You've got time."

I keep on pushing harder
I keep on pushing farther away
But he keeps telling me, "Baby",
He says, "Baby, yeah

Do you want to be a polyester bride?
Or do you want to hang your head and die?
Do you want to find alligator cowboy boots they just put on sale?
Do you want to flap your wings and fly away from here?"

"Do you want to be a polyester bride?"
Away from here
"Do you want to be a polyester bride?"
Away from here
"Do you want to be a polyester bride?"
"Princess, do you really want to flap your wings and fly away from here?"

Soundtrack of my Soul Track #2

This one came out when I was 8th grade, and it still resonates:


Dog's Eye View - Everything Falls Apart


Don't look now,
things just got worse
I'm drunk again,
I swear this crescent--is just a curse

I got here by killing all my friends
I think I figured it out - my life begins when the fun ends

I've got my wings,
I'm free to go as I please
Yeah, I got my wings,
now nothing really pleases me 'til

Everything falls apart,
then I get to try to put it back together
Everything falls apart,
and you can count on that like you can count on bad,
bad weather again

Was it good?
I don't remember much about it
When things start to feel right,
you can count on me to start to doubt it

The devil's not in the details,
the devil is in my hands
It's shoot first, apologize later,
another quick end to a short shod romance

I got what I wanted,
now I don't want anything
I got what I wanted,
now my life is just boring 'til

Everything falls apart,
then I get to put it back together
Everything falls apart
and you can count on that like you can count on bad,
bad weather this year

I met God this afternoon
Riding on an uptown train
I said "Don't you have better things to do?"
He said, "If I do my job, what would you complain about?"
So I let it go to Hell,
now I'll have something to do
I let it go to Hell,
does that sound familiar to you?

Everything falls apart,
then I get to try to put it back together
Everything falls apart
and you can count on that like you can count on bad,
bad weather

Everything that falls apart,
sooner or later gonna come back together
Everything that comes together,
sooner or later falls apart

Sountrack of My Soul -- Track #1

dSo I like to make soundtracks in my head, and I decided this morning to make one that pertained to me--as in, who I am, not a situation I'm going through at any given time. This is not the soundtrack of my life, it is the soundtrack of ME--of my soul. It will come in bits and pieces.

The order of the tracks is subject to change. The opening track, though, is pretty certain. Enjoy.

The Long Way Around (Dixie Chicks)

My friends from high school
Married their high school boyfriends
Moved into houses in the same ZIP codes
Where their parents live

But I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow

I hit the highway in a pink RV with stars on the ceiling
Lived like a gypsy
Six strong hands on the steering wheel

I've been a long time gone now
Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down
But I've always found my way somehow

By taking the long way
Taking the long way around
Taking the long way
Taking the long way around

I met the queen of whatever
Drank with the Irish and smoked with the hippies
Moved with the shakers
Wouldn't kiss all the asses that they told me to

No I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow

It's been two long years now
Since the top of the world came crashing down
And I'm getting' it back on the road now

But I'm taking the long way
Taking the long way around
I'm taking the long way
Taking the long way around
The long
The long way around

Well, I fought with a stranger and I met myself
I opened my mouth and I heard myself
It can get pretty lonely when you show yourself
Guess I could have made it easier on myself

But I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow

Well, I never seem to do it like anybody else
Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down
If you ever want to find me I can still be found

Taking the long way
Taking the long way around
Taking the long way
Taking the long way around

Sliding Scale of Virginity

But local groom Plamen Baldescu, 27, said: 'The priest heard that sometimes I was allowed to stay over at my girlfriend's parents' house and suddenly he is demanding large amounts of money from us as my fiancee supposedly “does not deserve to wear white”. Weddings are so expensive already - this is just too much.'

What on earth could he be talking about? Check out this article about fines for women who are not virgins on their wedding day at Metro UK.

C'mon, Priesty-Priest...if you're going to uphold Christian values with ridiculous fines, shouldn't you make the men pay, too?

Men Watching Women

What a shock.

Two Swedish border control officers risk disciplinary action for keeping a photo collection of "exceptionally beautiful" women that passed through their checkpoint, police officials said Tuesday.

The binder contained instructions on how to compile the collection, and orders to make backup copies in case the binder would go missing or be confiscated by "evil-minded bores," police said.

Is this really news? Back in college we had a list of boys. Hat boy. Skater Boy. BSchool Boy. Over the years we added points based on interactions, looks, and personality. Should we be charged with "sketchiness"?

Hmmm...if only sketchiness had been a crime when were in school. All the boys would have been arrested.

A Christmas Blessing

F****R Frist has decided to do something valuable with his time. He plans now to go back to doing medical missionary trips instead of screwing up America.

According to today's Reuter's Article:

He said he would take a sabbatical from private life and "return to my professional roots as a healer."

"In the short term, I will resume my regular medical mission trips as a doctor around the world to serve those in poverty, in famine, and in civil war," he said. "I will continue to be a strong voice to fix what is broken in our health care system and to address the issues of clean water and public health globally."

Joy Abounds!

Why I am Tired, Irritable, and Frustrated

Sun 11/19
We wake up to find a large bulge in our bedroom ceiling. Paint is falling and my nightstand is damp. I go to the office and talk to Leasing Agent, who tells me that this is considered a big deal and I should call the emergency number if it gets worse. Nothing is addressed at the time.

That evening the bulge has gotten bigger, producing a small hole. The floor is moist. We call the emergency number. Leasing Agent comes over to take a look. He tells us that it is condensation from the steam from the boiler and there is nothing to worry about. He assures us there is no asbestos, and they will take all measures to fight mold and mildew. He tells me a plumber will look at it, but offers no details. He tells me this is "not really an emergency."

Mon 11/20
Mr. Fix It takes a look. To do so he opens up a cookie sheet sized portion of the

At 4pm, Mr. Fix It arrives with Boiler Man #1 to finish. They are in the apartment for no more than 30 minutes. They leave a board over the hole. They tell me the leak is fixed.

At 6pm, we notice the carpet is soaked and we can see the water coming out of the hole. The paint on the wall is so wet that it is moving down the wall. We call the emergency number. At 8:30pm, Boiler Man #2 comes over and verbalizes his frustration with the people who worked on the leak previously. He tells us the caulking that was used makes it impossible for him to repair it correctly. Leasing Agent and Mr. Fix It both show up to discuss. Boiler Man #2 says he will not be able to fix it without going into the apartment above us, and all agree that is not possible given the holiday. They put foil over the hole to collect the water and let it drip down a rope into a large trash can. They place a pump into the trash can and put a hose out our window, which must remain open. Boiler Man #2 tells me they can fix it on Friday. We are now unable to sleep in the bedroom and move our mattress to the living room.

Friday 11/24
Mr. Fix It comes in to check the hole. Nothing is done.

Saturday-Sunday - no word
I email Apartment Manager to assure she is apprised of the situation.

Monday 11/27
Manager comes back from vacation. She calls me in the morning to tell me she will do what she can to get everything fixed. She assures me that my apartment and cat are safe with the maintenance people and that I need not worry. She tells me that this is an old building and these problems are to be expected to happen sometimes.

She calls me in the afternoon to tell me the leak has been fixed by Boiler Man #3, but the room needs to be dried out now before the hole is closed.

I arrive home to find the lights in my apartment on again. I speak with her in person to express my frustration. I tell her I am willing to be patient but I would appreciate that all get completed soon and efficiently. She tells me there were differing opinions on how to fix the leak and that she went with Boiler Man #3's opinion that the repairs did not need to extend into the upstairs apartment. I express concerns over my electric bill, as well as the fact that nothing was completed over the weekend. She tells me the Boiler Co. was closed on Friday.

Wednesday, 11/29
I walk into the bedroom this morning to find a large wet spot on the floor. I can visibly see the leak and feel the water dripping through the board. I tell Apartment Manager, who calls me to say that Boiler Co will be back today to fix it.

Side Note: We do not even use the radiator/boiler system. We are a new apartment in an old building with an electric heating system.

We have now been sleeping in our living room for 7 nights. We have been without heat (because the window has to remain open) and with an open window letting cold air in for 7 days.

I gave her opportunity to offer some sort of compensation, and the push back I got was that these things happen and she will fix it.

I am frustrated, tired, and cold. I want to demand that we pay lessened rent and they pay our electric bill (fan, lights left on, and water pump), but I don't want to cause a bad relationship. I love this place and don't want to move.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Philanthropy = Economy

This is soooo a longer post I need to write eventually detailing my move from socialist leanings to fiscal conservatism, but for now I'll offer up the current trends. Not that I'm a big fan of the Christian Science point of view, but the Christian Science Monitor had a great article recently:

The Christian Science Monitor
By Mark Trumbull

11/27/2006

Everybody knows Americans are big givers. But their charitable impulses keep generating surprises.

Consider just a few conclusions from recent research:

* Charitable giving plays an even larger role in the economy than is suggested by some $260 billion in annual contributions. Each dollar of giving appears to create $19 of extra national income, according to a book released this past weekend.

* Demand for nonprofit services gets proportionately bigger, not smaller, as a locality's income rises, a Federal Reserve economist finds.

* The philanthropy of the wealthy may not hinge on tax incentives to the degree many believe. In one new survey, a majority of wealthy givers say they would contribute the same amount if the estate tax were abolished. Ditto, they said, if they could no longer deduct the value of gifts from their taxable income.

These disparate studies are shedding light not just on who gives but also on why they give and what their actions mean to society. Often, the conclusions run counter to expectations.

"This is supposed to be the start of a conversation. It's the first word, not the last word," says Arthur Brooks, referring to his new book on charity, called "Who Really Cares." "We need more people thinking about [the study of charitable giving] in a serious way."

See Full Text and Diagrams Here

San Francisco Values

Over the course of the past month there has been a great deal of talk about what it means to have San Francisco Values. The midterm elections brought up a lot of issues that demonstrate just how liberal San Francisco as a city is. The biggest impact to me, though, didn't happen during the election. It just happened in the public schools. They are getting rid of JROTC programs across the city because they want to promote a culture of peace.

Having grown up in an area where the military is the only option for many, and this program keeps many kids out of trouble, I'm a bit baffled. Let's trade in our organized actions of protection for what...kids who don't have anything better to do and act out against the schools?

Ridic.

Microloans

Mohammed Yunus is my hero!

SuperCoolMan

He even LOOKS like a good guy!



What do I have to do to work for you, oh Mr. Yunus!

Christening

We brought home our adorable new kitty today!

We waited forever for the cleaning people to finish in the kitten room, and in the process Pete spied an orange one. He's the youngest smallest cutest kitten in the room. He curled up in my lap and passed out. His name was Target, but we've dubbed him Sebastien (french spelling). So, without further delay, meet Sebastien Target Dirksen.

A map of all the states through which I've travelled:





And if I break that down to places in which I've spent at least a day:



create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.


Outside of the US, though, I'm a big homebody, apparently:



create your own visited countries map

I'm ashamed.

Mondays

I am sitting at my desk at work feeling like there is no point in even being here. The micromanaging from my board has gotten to the point where I can't accept a phone call into the office without receiving instruction from trustees first. Even my ED hesitates to make mundane daily decisions. This is not contributing to me being more motivated to accomplish great things at work. At this point, it's so difficult to actually complete a project (because I have to wait for input/approval from so many other people) that I feel proud for simply getting the paperclips cleaned up off my desk.

And it's Monday.

I can't wait for Germany. 11 days.

I Think I'm Spoiled

I watched the fireworks over San Francisco bay last night.

But all I could think was, "this is it?"

In comparison, this is what I grew up attending on 4th of July:

I Love America Celebration

another post...can't resist the tigers

Snopes posted an article about a .http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif



The best part of this is that the piglets are dressed in tiger costumes! Ha!



The tiger pictures were taken at a zoo in Thailand, known for their great breeding programs. The problem is that they are also known for shady behavior involving the use of animals to entertain humans without consideration for the animals' natural tendencies.

art as social commentary

I recognize that it has been exactly forever.2 days since I last wrote, and that I'm going to get a lot of shit for just posting a link to another website, but this was too cool not to share.

So this kid makes art that comments on things like bioengineering and sweatshops, but it does it in a way that is really cool and fun.

To start, check out the Urban Legends about his stuff.

Then check out the store front that's causing such a ruckus.

And keep in mind he has other pretty dern cool stuff, too!

Quarterlife Turning Point

I realized today that I have just reached a new period of my life.

From this point forward, when I admire an actress on a show, or find an actor attractive, it will not be unusual for me to find out they are my age or *gasp* younger than me. This happened in music long ago, but it seemed at the time to be more about the the youngin's like Britney and Christina, who were my age at the time anyway, and less about me getting older.

The fact that a big chunk of the cast on any given show I watch is younger than me, is a bit hard to swallow.

Part of me looks at how accomplished they are this age already. The other part just doesn't want to be older than the "young pretty girl" on the show.

Also, the men and women who seem to be about the same ages on shows, are more likely portrayals of older men and younger women. On Lost, for example, while Kate is just 27, Sawyer and Sayid are both 37, and Jack is 40. Libby's only 38.

40?!?!?!?!?

Dude.

My disheartening list:

From Lost:
Claire - 9 mos younger than me
Kate - only 2 yrs older
Ana Lucia - just 3 yrs older
Shannon - 2.5 yrs YOUNGER

From House:
Cameron - only 2 years older, and she's supposed to have gone to med school and become this super specialized doctor genius

I'm getting old :(

My New SF Discovery

So today I was walking down Pine Street to class and I noticed these adorable old ladies walking arm in arm. They were identical twins, dressed identically in leopard print coats and yellow hats, purses, and accessories. Little girls coming out of their elementary school were excited to get to say hi to them. It was quite amusing.

So I mention this to Pete and he tells me they're pretty popular. Apparently so. I googled "san francisco twins" and got it immediately. In fact, they are so popiular that they are in Wikipedia!

I love this city.

Things That Are Hard To Do #1

Back in high school one of the people closest to me in my life was diagnosed with ALS. My basketball coach/hero/perfect family man role model started experiencing some problems controlling his arms and later found out he had Lou Gehrig's disease. In the years since, he has been confined to a bed and lost all but blinking motions and sharpness of mind. This amazing man gave everything to everyone in his community, and for awhile, everyone gave back. The school sponsored a trip to Disney, others helped him go hang out with his kids at a ranch in Texas, he got to meet his baseball heroes and Micheal Jordan. The last time I saw him I had a very difficult time sitting on the bed next to him talking and watching him not be able to respond or ask me questions. I tried really hard to forget, I think, and waited uneasily for the phone call that would tell me that the 5 year life sentence he'd been handed had finally expired. Well, it's been at least 2 years now since I last visited him, and 8 since he was diagnosed, and I read somewhere on the internet that his full time nursing staff would accept phone calls and relay a message to him. So today I called.

I was completely unprepared to talk to him. I updated him on everything I could before I got stupid and awkward and he signaled to the nurse I was finished. It was ridiculous. I couldn't even be strong for 10 minutes. The biggest part of me was just fighting my anger at his wife for moving out of his home and taking her children with her. Part of me understands, but another part of me is irate that she could give up on him. Perhaps she made the best choice for her children. I won't understand unless I'm in that situation, but it kills me that anyone could abandon this incredible person. Maybe that's not the case at all. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions...but all I wanted to do during that conversation was cry and hug him as hard as I could.

I feel that I'm a horrible person for allowing myself to feel any pain in this. Like, what's actually affecting me life? I feel guilty for not talking longer. I feel guilty for not being there. Back in college I wrote papers on ALS and thought maybe I'd even go into research on it. Now it rarely crosses my mind.

So perhaps this is my little bit of outreach. Please, please, please take a moment to read a little about ALS. Take a moment to think about how lucky you are to be able to move around and get out of bed. Take a moment to imagine what it would be like to be trapped in a dying body you couldn't use, but still be able to think as clearly as you do today. And take a moment to spread a little bit of love...with a smile, a touch, a nice word....

Be thankful.

Tonight's Crappy Drama

So today is a beautiful day, and Pete and I decide to go out for a nice relaxing dinner after what has been an incredibly difficult and stressful past three weeks. Dealing with issues—including my compensation, my job altogether, Pete’s work, my finances, our apartment hunt, friends going through big bad breakups, and my boss’ family dynamics (of which I get thrown into the middle)—has really taken it’s toll on us.

We’re sitting at dinner when I get a call from my boss saying the car I used is parked in front of a driveway. I’m shocked because neither of us noticed that last night when we parked it, and I can’t imagine that I would have missed it. She hangs up to go move the car (the cops are there telling her to move it), and calls me back a few minutes later. This time, though, she’s screaming at me that the ticket was $75, the car’s a pig sty, and the driveway was obvious. I immediately apologize and offer to go speak to the neighbor, pay the ticket, and clean out the car. She continues to yell at me and revokes my car priviledge.

So, obviously upset, we finish our “relaxing” dinner quickly and silently so that we can hurry home to fix it. We stop to buy an orchid for the neighbor whose driveway we blocked, and I add one of my nice flowerpots to make it look nice. I ask Pete to stay home and I go to my boss to get the info of the neighbor and to find out where the car is. She’s had time to calm down, and her fiancé is present, so she’s a bit calmer. She even tells me she isn’t mad at me. She shows me the note from the neighbor which says that the woman missed work because of this, and tells me how bad it was walking with the cops and having the woman stare her down while she moved the car. She keeps telling me how horrible it was and goes back and forth on what she wants from me. First she tells me that she just wants me to own up to it. When I remind her that I did right away, she says I should have explained it. When I tell her I offered an apology and a solution rather than an excuse, she says I have been using the car too casually. When I point out that she’s the one who told me to stop asking her every time I wanted to use it and that I could use it when I needed, she says that was probably her error. She keeps going on and on about how irresponsible this was, how messy the car was (“it’s a pig sty!) and that she can’t believe I couldn’t see it. I point out that most of the mess in the car is the stuff she had in the car, and she goes off about tons of papers and coke cans. Apparently I’m being irresponsible by only throwing my trash away once a week or so when I’m close enough to the house to use our recycling bin (when it’s not already full). I tell her that I do clean it out regularly and that it has never been messy when the kids are in the car. She finds something else to pick at. She makes it very clear that she assumes I was drinking, and that’s why I didn’t notice the driveway. I am livid at this point because I’ve been working for her and using the car for ten months…does she really think I’d do this now? I get really upset and basically finish trying to talk with her. I tell her I’m going to fix this and walk out.

First, I walk to the residence where we were parked. I meet the husband of the woman who was so upset. The guy is extremely nice and not mad at all. He was actually happy that we got the car and it didn’t get towed, and stated that while it was a big inconvenience, his wife overreacted. He appreciated my apology and the orchid, and said he would pass it on to his wife. She had actually gotten another ride to work and hadn’t come home yet. (So it wasn’t her staring my boss down.) The guy was totally sympathetic because it was quite obvious I was stressed, and said that he appreciated the gesture. Very nice man.

A bit about the garage: It’s a dark grey house with a dark grey garage. The door has no windows, no handles, and no easily defined lines that make it look like a garage door. It does, in fact, look like the side of a house. Next to the NARROW driveway, there is a big tree that makes it seem like it would be impossible to have a driveway there. I can totally see how I would have missed that at night. It was definitely not an obvious driveway. YES, I should have seen it. YES, I made a big bad mistake. I’m paying $75 for that mistake. Maybe that’s not enough…but still, it is just an honest mistake.

Next I go to clean out the car. I would like to make it very clear exactly what I pulled out of the car. First, I moved all of her shit into the back of the car. By that I mean half the mess that was in bags and snacks and whatnot that are hanging out back there. Then, I pull 2 cans of Fresca, 3 Diet Coke bottles, and 1 juice drink bottle (all empty and closed tight) out of the car. I throw away one napkin, take a plastic bowl out, and remove a small pile of about 5 sheets of paper (all documents I actually use). THIS was what was causing her anger. It took me about 2 seconds to clean up. Yes, this means I should have done it before…but honestly, was it worth that anger? Was it worth all of this?

I move out next month. That’s what I keep telling myself. The problem is, she’s my landlord, my boss here, and my boss in my full time job. This is gonna kill me. Moving out next month will help.

In the meantime, though, am I to be responsible for moving a car every few days for street cleaning when I’m not allowed to drive it? How do I approach that issue with her without fucking myself over? Any suggestions?

Long Time No Blog

And so much happened in that long long time.

Compensation is settled, apartment search is going well, blah blah...

Crappy stuff is going on tonight, so I'm just gonna share a bit of fun....

Wikipedia actually has a listing for Marina Girl! Rock on.

My New Roommate

Just also happens to be the most amazing boyfriend ever. Ack, we did it :)

almost...now we just have to get our OWN apartment that's big enough for all our stuff (or his stuff, I should say...I don't have nearly that much :))

Natural Disasters

Most of you have probably heard about the storms that ripped through the midwest this past weekend. The Chronicle even covered it in yesterday's paper.

Hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged in Missouri alone by the tornadoes, high wind and hail as big as softballs. There were no immediate damage estimates across the Midwest.

These are a couple of the hailstones my nephew grabbed out of the bed of his truck when he got home Sunday.



And they all asked if I was scared of getting hit by earthquakes out here.

The Nobby Trees of San Francisco

Lining many of the residential streets of San Francisco, particularly in the Richmond and Pac Heights, are these cool looking trees that all look the same. Some of them have branches and leaves, but most of them are cut back in the winter to reveal nothing but a trunk and a bunch of nobs. A few weeks after I moved here I started asking what kind of trees those were, thinkin they MUST be the city tree or something. Nobody knew. I've told myself countless times that I'd google the nobby trees and finally did so.

They are...

the London Plane Tree (Platanus x acerifolia)



My quest is over.

Still a Bibiliophile

My favorite quote from Candy Freak:

Every now and again, I'll run into someone who claims not to liek chocolate or other sweets, and while we live in a country where everyone has the right to eat what they want, I want to say for the record that I don't trust these people, that I think something is wrong with them, and that they're probably--this must be said--total duds in bed.

This book also taught me that yankees don't know about Valomilks, Goo Goo Clusters, or Cherry Mash. How sad for you.

Now I'm on a mission to find Five Star candy bars, because we sure as heck don't have those in southern Missouri.

I Love Books

I've read a lot of great books recently. I really should dedicate an entire blog to each one, but it's just not going to happen. Devil in the White City was a suspenseful account of the rise of Chicago with the World's Fair (which included the invention of the ferris wheel), and one of the most prolific serial killers in the world. Them was a fascinating look into extreme groups from Ruby Ridge militia men to Ku Klux Klan members to radical muslims. Candy Freak was a yummy read about the candy bars that are being pushed out by Hersheys and Mars. You'll notice a trend here in that I haven't been reading fiction lately. I've been a bit bored by the novels I've begun, and decided to stick to more educational pieces. One book, though, recently changed my mind.

Kite Runner is by far one of the best novels I've ever read. It is the story of an Afghan boy/man and his values juxtapositioned against American values and those of the fundamentalists around him in his home country. READ IT! This book should be required reading for our time.

One of the smaller themes of the book, but one I found particularly beautiful, is summed up by something the father of the boy tells him early in the story:

Now, no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft.

When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness.

There is no act more wrteched than stealing. A man who takes what's not his to take, be it a life or a loaf of bread...I spit on such a man.

If there's a God out there, then I would hope he has more important things to attend to than my drinking scotch or eating pork.

One of the larger themes is forgiveness, especially that of one's self:

I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.

And I'm not the only one who thinks this is the best book I've read in a long while:

Amazon says:

In his debut novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini accomplishes what very few contemporary novelists are able to do. He manages to provide an educational and eye-opening account of a country's political turmoil--in this case, Afghanistan--while also developing characters whose heartbreaking struggles and emotional triumphs resonate with readers long after the last page has been turned over. And he does this on his first try.

...Hosseini has created characters that seem so real that one almost forgets that The Kite Runner is a novel and not a memoir. At a time when Afghanistan has been thrust into the forefront of America's collective consciousness ("people sipping lattes at Starbucks were talking about the battle for Kunduz"), Hosseini offers an honest, sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, but always heartfelt view of a fascinating land. Perhaps the only true flaw in this extraordinary novel is that it ends all too soon. --Gisele Toueg

Publishers Weekly offers the following review:

Hosseini's stunning debut novel starts as an eloquent Afghan version of the American immigrant experience in the late 20th century, but betrayal and redemption come to the forefront when the narrator, a writer, returns to his ravaged homeland.... The price Amir must pay...is just one of several brilliant, startling plot twists that make this book memorable both as a political chronicle and a deeply personal tale about how childhood choices affect our adult lives. The character studies alone would make this a noteworthy debut.... Add an incisive, perceptive examination of recent Afghan history and its ramifications in both America and the Middle East, and the result is a complete work of literature that succeeds in exploring the culture of a previously obscure nation that has become a pivot point in the global politics of the new millennium.

READ THIS BOOK!

I am a rockstar

I just came in 4th on a freeroll.

Granted, the payouts only went to the 3rd, but there were 403 people in the tournament and that means I hit 99th percentile.

Rockstar.

Improvements

So in my second big poker tournament, I placed 17th out of 575. That's 97th percentile, whereas the last one was 95th percentile. I'm pretty darn proud of my 2% improvement.

Although I can only dream of being as good as Pete.