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Monday, November 20, 2006

Charity 

As we approach the 'giving' season, it's smart to choose wisely in who you donate to.
There are several sites on the internet that help in rating charities.
Charity Navigator does a pretty good job.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm

The president of CharNav has an interesting blog that gives some background to "the inspiring, intriguing, and sometimes idiotic inner workings of the world of non-profits and charities."

http://trentstamp.blogspot.com/

The CharNav site has some interesting 10 ten lists.

* 10 of the Best Charities Everyone's Heard Of
* 10 Highly Rated Charities Relying on Private Contributions
* 10 Charities Routinely in the Red
* 10 Charities Stockpiling Your Money
* 10 Charities Expanding in a Hurry
* 10 Charities in Deep Financial Trouble

Take a look and see where the money goes then get out that check book.
And as Trent Stamp says, NEVER DONATE TO ANYONE OVER THE PHONE.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Myanmar Is Left in Dark, an Energy-Rich Orphan - New York Times 

Myanmar Is Left in Dark, an Energy-Rich Orphan - New York Times

Here is a story in NY TIMES about Burma/Myanmar: Still oppressive after all of these years. It has been 16 years since Myanmar's democratically elected leader was arrested and put under house arrest.

"The (Myanmar) government’s budget for its AIDS program in 2004 was $22,000, according to a recent health survey by John Hopkins University Medical School."

"In contrast to the deepening poverty — Myanmar’s per capita income is calculated at $175 a year, far below neighboring Bangladesh — the military leaders were amassing fortunes, people said.

The latest evidence was a video leaked to a Web site, www.irrawaddy.org, based in Thailand, of the recent opulent wedding of General Than Shwe’s daughter, Thandar Shwe. The video showed the bride, with her father alongside her, decked out in a necklace of six ropes of large diamonds, her hair looped with diamonds as well."

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Ab is at work, training.

I am Just sitting here studying, listening to Michael Shelley, on WFMU.
http://www.wfmu.org/
I believe the show is self described as "Freeform favorites with less boring chatter and more number one hits! Country classics, scratchy soul, groovy jazz, Jamaican jukebox, gospel goodies, and assorted rocktastic/popstastic hits! It's just plain good!"

Good Saturday Morning music. It replaced the local favorite Greasy Kid Stuff, a sort of Sat. Morn Cartoon Show on the radio.
http://www.wfmu.org/gks/
Sad. But Shelley's show is fun.

I promise to add a link section to night to my favorite online radio shows.
I tend to favor shows with live deejays.


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The election is over. Wooo. Finally. And such good results. Tuesday Americans voted out just a whole bunch of duds.

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Veteran's Day is here. What have you done? I put up the flag. Woowoo. But maybe I should donate some to a veteran's organization (and not just old clothes and broken hardware). Here is to my late Grandpa Boyles, a Seabee. Here is to a coworker's son who is in Iraq today. And here is to the high school girl who will sign up to defend our country tomorrow.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Election 2006 

Gee, how do things go? I was not for us going to Iraq.
I voted for Kerry.
I didn't vote for Bush either of the last two elections.
Along with all of the other problems in the world, I realize that there is a major problem where fundamentalists are using terror and whatever tactics that they have available to push their agenda.

Now that we are in Iraq deep, I don't believe our nation can just walk away from
the mess. I have felt this way since we 'celebrated' our victory over Saddam.

Two years ago I thought some people would see, then, that things were going the wrong way. Two years go by and the President and many in his party have finally made a decision: "Let's stop using that 'stay the course' phrase".

Whoopee. This is an administration that listens to itself say over and over again, "We're doing a fine job. Keep up the good work."

The only way to get a message home to the President that he has been on the wrong course for some time, is to take some control away from him. Vote Democrat for Congress this Tuesday. Senate, House. Let's send a message home.

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