Nov 29
David Beckham and his 16 year-old son Brooklyn were involved in a car crash Saturday in England … and luckily, they both avoided serious injury.
Nov 29
An Ovation for Jefferson County
Posted in: Today's ChiliYou know the moment when you ready yourself to leap to your feet at the end of a symphony, only to hear that glimmer of a violin note that keeps you glued to your seat and safe from mortification? That was me a few weeks ago at the College Board Forum.
You may or may not love classical music, but some things should not be a matter of taste. That’s why I’m not afraid to offend 3/5s of a certain suburban school board: anyone who doesn’t appreciate the irony of discouraging protest in the name of promoting American values has, at the very least, a tragically stunted sense of irony.
(Exhibit A: the Boston Tea Party.)
Every educator in the country should applaud the protests in Jefferson County, Colorado, that took place this September and October in response to the school board’s attempted sanitization of the Advanced Placement U.S. History curriculum. As you know, the majority of the board proposed that the district’s teachers of U.S. history emphasize “benefits of the free enterprise system, respect for authority and respect for individual rights,” while glossing over the nation’s episodes of “civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law.”
The students of Jefferson County responded, not unpredictably, by exercising their rights to show disrespect for authority. They eventually compelled the board – by a still pathetic 3-2 majority – to reconsider its position on AP U.S. History.
I didn’t get to witness the protests firsthand, but I felt no small measure of excitement when David Coleman and Michael Sorrell, the president and a trustee, respectively, of the College Board proclaimed their support and admiration for the student protestors of Jefferson County at October’s College Board Forum. In front of the entire College Board membership and thousands of other attendees, Coleman narrated a video celebrating the students’ exercise of civil disobedience. The College Board had earlier issued a statement along the same lines.
As a habit, Coleman speaks with a nearly unsettling level of earnestness, regardless of the topic of his remarks. It was never put to such good use as it was when he spoke of the Jefferson County students’ pursuit of academic freedom.
Of course, Coleman has self-serving reasons for defending AP U.S. History. It’s a College Board product, after all (the SAT exam being its most famous offering). And, like all other AP courses, it’s imperfect and worthy of its own scrutiny. But just because Coleman is biased doesn’t mean he’s wrong. He and the rest of the College Board leadership deserved credit for putting Jefferson County front and center.
That’s when I almost knocked over my coffee, pulling back my elbows before my lone pair of hands could break the silence, overwhelmed by an ovation that never came. Coleman himself seemed momentarily bewildered. Then he went with other remarks, implicitly chastened by his constituents.
I tell myself that my fellow audience members, numbering several thousand, were just a shy bunch. I suppose the field of education includes its share of professionals who prefer to keep a low profile. But a battle for the soul of democratic society does not call for abidance or quietude. That world must include the freedoms of thought, speech, and conscience – in and out of the classroom.
Why didn’t I applaud on my own? Or try to stir the audience to life? I wish I had a forgivable response. For one thing, it wasn’t my conference; I was a newcomer, representing my company and not myself. For another, I simply didn’t expect to be the first and only one. Surely if I waited another millisecond someone else would take the lead–maybe some College Board veteran or even one of the trustees who approved the Jefferson County campaign–and I could have gleefully, anonymously joined in. And then the moment passed.
This, then, is my mea culpa. I didn’t express my convictions when I had the chance. I suppose I owe David Coleman an apology. The best part of all of this is that, regardless of what happened in the stale confines of a conference hall, the students in Jefferson County are the ones who truly gave the command performance. Forcing their ignorant, anti-American elders to rescind their decision is their masterpiece.
It is one that will, I fear, be played many more times in this country in the years to come. May the members of the College Board, and all other educators, join the chorus next time.
Nov 29
A lot of women are familiar with that empty nest feeling. Author Lesley Kagen used that feeling to start a whole new career as a writer. Her first book, New York Times bestseller, Whistling in the Dark (NAL/Penguin) was published when she was 57. That book, now in its 13th printing, sparked six more novels including The Resurrection of Tess Blessing, the second book in her Finley Sisters series with Spark Press.
When did you know you were a writer? What are some of your earliest writing memories?
When I was in fourth grade, St. Sebastian’s held an all school poetry contest. I wrote a little ditty entitled I Am the Sun, I’m in the Sky. As a somewhat cagey, blue-collar kid, I figured that if I mentioned God in every sentence, I’d be in like Flynn. Sure enough…I won! A silver dollar! In 1958, that was a lot of money. My parents laminated the poem and it hangs near my writing desk. The silver dollar? I blew it on red licorice.
What is your publishing story? How did you get to where you are?
After my daughter went off to college, I suffered the usual empty nest angst. Did I do a good job? Does she know what she needs to know to make her way? Then I started thinking about how much easier it was for my mother to raise kids (self-esteem hadn’t been invented yet) than it is nowadays. That led me to musing about my own childhood. All the writing I had done up to that point was in advertising, but I thought, what do I have to lose? I’ll start slow and see where it takes me. A year and a half later…Whistling in the Dark was finished.
I guess for women, when their children leave home, it frees up the time that you’ve been spending on the day to day raising of them. I used that time to write.
How do you write? What is your writing process or ritual?
I wake up with the sun, put on my incredibly unattractive lucky writing jacket, head downstairs, brew many cups of Earl Grey tea, light candles, proceed to my desk, and let it rip. I give very little thought to my writing until the editing process. During the first draft, my goal is to tap into my subconscious, which is where the stories appear to live.
What roadblocks or obstacles did you face along the way? How did you get past them?
After I finished my debut novel, I had no idea how to get it published, so I headed to my local indie book store to educate myself. The first step was to find a literary agent. I thought that’d be a breeze. I’ve been an actress for over forty years, have had many agents, and I’d never had a problem attracting one before. (Ignorance is not bliss, by the way). Whistling in the Dark was rejected for literary representation 146 times before it landed with a kind gentleman who fell in love with the story.
What are you most proud of in terms of writing? In terms of the rest of your life?
My willingness to to reach out. To connect. To put down on the paper feelings that I hope in some small way will bring something to readers’ lives. Be it a laugh, or the recognition that they’re not alone. In my life…I’m proud of my children. It’s always been about my children.
Name three pieces of advice for new writers
1. Read…read…read.
2.To thine own self be true.
3. Don’t ever give up.
If you want to learn more about Lesley Kagen, connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and her website.
Nov 29
'Walking Dead' Season 5 Im-posters: We Retrofit Classic Promo Art Style To Each Episode
Posted in: Today's ChiliBefore the midseason hiatus after Sunday’s episode, we frame what we’ve seen so far the old-school way.
Nov 29
Iggy Azalea cheers on her boyfriend Nick Young during the Lakers game at Staples Center on Friday (November 28) in Los Angeles.
Nov 29
Find a picture of something similar in a room. Honestly, Houzz is the best place. Designers and architects takes the guess work out of what goes with what. It’s like paint by numbers. If you’re looking for a blue and white chair type just that into the search and then bookmark the link, add it to your favourites etc. When you’re not standing in a store physically the fastest and simplest thing to do is say I’ll send you a picture of exactly what I mean to anyone who is helping you. As the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words, and will greatly expedite the time you would otherwise waste trying to describe what you want.
Get help. Figuring out what you want exactly is half the battle. And by help I don’t mean a conversation with a customer service agent sitting in a call center, who hasn’t a clue what to tell you beyond the same twenty five words you just read in the description! Honing in or narrowing the choices is extremely helpful when you have a product expert at your disposal and many online sites realize the important of this and are adding them to the mix. They likely come with years logged in sales showrooms or buying roles and will be able to tell you in a split second the difference between this thread count and that one, for example. We call these product experts Stylists at remotestylist.com and they are always free and on standby waiting to jump into your next project.
Ask for samples. See, touch and feel. Just because you’re shopping online doesn’t mean you can’t do do this. Sitting, sure, is a little more difficult but those who make the product realize you need sales aids and are increasingly becoming more willing to send them to you. Fabric swatches, stains, drawings for custom pieces, etc. If there is anything you are hesitant about, or questioning, regarding a product ask ask and keep on asking.
Test the waters. Buying without trying …. who isn’t afraid of this? But do you really have time to sit, touch and feel every item – probably not. Building relationships with online sites and the team behind them only gives you more confidence in your own purchasing decisions. As you get to know them, and they you, you can both start filtering out what you don’t want and get to what you do a heck of a lot faster. That being said you have to start somewhere so test the waters with less expensive items, generally accessories, lights, maybe a mirror to familiarize yourself with the overall process. Sure you may want to do your whole room, and yesterday, but the two weeks it might take to get your first purchase delivered goes miles to building confidence and trust in building a good relationship. With shipping features like $1 everyday, duties included, you really don’t have anything to loose by splitting your order!
Nov 29
Image Credit: Craig Newmark’s Crowdfunding Infographic
This morning (November 26th, 2014) I participated in the DotComplicated show hosted by Randi Zuckerberg with fellow guests Leila Janah from Samasource, Rachel Sklar from theli.st, David Hewitt from Heed Your Call and Danae Ringlemann from Indiegogo to talk about crowdfunding for charities. It made me reflect on how philanthropy and fundraising have evolved over the last few years.
Once upon a time, fundraising was a pastime of the wealthy. Buttoned-up men and women in pearls hosted elaborate galas, aimed at honoring just the right person in order to boost attendance and support for their cause. Anyone who was anyone was invited, expected to attend, and donate generously — because they could afford to.
The elite served the elite, for the sake of worthy causes that needed the help, sitting on boards, and organizing parties and private dinners to drum up donations. I have been around long enough to remember some of these techniques – like the old “spray and pray” approach of sending out a mass mailing, and fervently hoping the money would come flooding in.
How times have changed.
Go Social or Go Home
Sure, the traditional techniques above are still used, but the dawn of social fundraising has democratized fundraising so that deep pockets are no longer required. Anyone with five dollars and a smartphone can be a philanthropist. Welcome, to the age of social media — the great equalizer.
Nonprofits that are used to relying on super donors writing hefty checks need to learn to embrace a better way: The idea of crowd-funding, where numerous smaller donations add up, powered by social media marketing.
Think about the Obama campaign – -which is a perfect example of crowd-funding. There wasn’t any one major contributor that put our current president in office. It was a flood of small donations. I didn’t know anyone who hadn’t donated by the time he was elected.
Or consider the #IceBucketChallenge – the results of which argue the merits of social media as a fundraising platform far better than I ever could. Social fundraising is a real thing, capable of raising millions.
Savvy nonprofits are leveraging this trend born of technology, recognizing that social fundraising has already changed the sector forever (and for the better). Applying social efforts will give you greater return on every form of fundraising your organization uses.
Though fundraising through old school methods still reigns, but layering social media on top of them is what makes a campaign or message explode and go viral.
So if you’re one of the hold-outs, it’s time to shake off your doubts and add social fundraising to your toolbox.
Mo’ Message, Mo’ Money
To the uninitiated, a foray into social media can feel like being lost in a foreign land. You don’t know where you are, where you should be, and everyone is speaking with a strange dialect you don’t quite understand. Some suggest (and perhaps hope) that it’s all just a flash in the pan, so no point in wasting time assimilating in case it all just goes away.
But it’s not going to. If anything, it’s going to get bigger, and by opting out you’re missing important learning moments along its evolution. Not to mention serious donations.
Online donations continue to increase year after year, bolstered by the now common practice of texting donations after major natural disasters, and the growing awareness and popularity of #GivingTuesday. Giving is easier than ever before, and social media is making it trendy -literally, thanks to smart use of hashtags. Social fundraising can increase your fundraising totals by up to 40%. How can you say no to that?
Image Credit: Craig Newmark’s Crowdfunding Infographic
Social media has also provided an outlet for organizations to raise awareness like never before, allowing people who aren’t wealthy an opportunity to help simply by sharing information with friends who can afford to donate. It also enables people to make micro-donations, knowing that even a single dollar (something they’d not write a check for), when pooled with the donations of hundreds of thousands or millions of others, will make a difference.
And all of this without paying for postage. See the average money raised by individual and campaigns via crowdfunding below.
Image Credit: Craig Newmark’s Crowdfunding Infographic
Let the Experts Be the Experts
Have I convinced you that social fundraising is an important element to your overall fundraising strategies? If so, your first inclination might be to go full tilt with the idea and look into developing a $10,000 proprietary online fundraising platform of your own. Don’t.
You don’t need it, and it would be a complete waste of resources. Because on top of the fact that it will eat up a lot of time in creation and maintenance, it will eat up money not just in the initial development, but in the overhaul you’ll need to do when it becomes obsolete in a few short years.
And it’s not part of your mission. A fundraising platform is simply another tool to help you with your actual mission, raising funds for your amazing cause. And there are many platforms out there, ready to do the work for you, without any of the headaches you’d incur making your own.
There are numerous platforms to choose from, and all have their merits. My favorites are Network For Good, Razoo, Crowdrise and Indiegogo.
The Future is Now
Social fundraising has grown, and will continue to as tech-savvy generations like Millennials make it even more common-place to live the digital life. Even older generations will become increasingly comfortable with social media and online giving as more and more of them transition to smartphones.
Adding social fundraising to your organization’s arsenal will be beneficial, even if it feels like a big change right now. Take it in steps, adding a fundraising platform, and integrating social media into your overall marketing, if you haven’t already.
Keep using any traditional methods that are working for you, but use social media to supplement your promotional efforts and see how much farther you’re able to reach with social fundraising.
Soon enough you’ll be wondering how your organization ever lived without it . . . if you aren’t already. Let’s discuss how you feel about it!
Nov 29
Ferguson: The Torch Has Been Passed
Posted in: Today's ChiliEyewitness video of one group of protesters in New York City from “WeAreChange”
Amidst all the talking heads offering CNN their expert analysis of the second night of protests in Ferguson and beyond, one young voice spoke with a passion and clarity the politicians and pundits could not match.
It was the voice of a young black man from Staten Island who joined the New York protests. He vowed to walk the entire route, not knowing or caring how far he would have to walk or how he’d get back home when it ended.
I don’t know his name and I don’t have a clip to prove how articulate and astute that young man was. I can say that he was a sterling symbol of both the young lives we’ve lost and those we may continue to lose if we don’t find a way to address America’s racial issues once and for all.
He bore witness to the frightening encounters he had already faced with a level self-composure that made my heart glad. I was even prouder to see the “multiracial” procession passing behind him with their hands up in solidarity.
I was sorry when CNN went back to all the usual analysts we’ve come to know so well. Not because they were wrong or any less articulate. But because those of us who are old enough to have marched with MLK, or who were born not too long after that era, may not know what that young man knows about the world we live in now. Or the future he faces.
Yes, I have had my own scary experiences with the police, as a black woman. Yes, my ancestors in the South had experiences far more terrifying than any young person today will ever face — I hope.
But this week, the torch was passed, grudgingly perhaps, to a new generation whose experiences and voices are new to many of us. For those who wondered if this moment would ever come…it’s here.
And though the old guard should be respected, it may be time for us to stand back and let our youth take center stage as often as possible. The embarrassing commentary offered by so many of our veteran TV news anchors and other journalists is proof that many of us older folks just don’t “get it.”
I’m not saying that the old freedom songs and chants — and ideas — aren’t relevant today. But but when we consider that the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965 was triggered by the shooting of a Black man by a white policeman, it’s clear we still haven’t “overcome,” black president notwithstanding.
There are new songs and chants yet to be heard. And a new way of spreading those words, as well. I sat mesmerized long past midnight by the Twitter feeds like #BlackLivesMatter, #Ferguson and #MichaelBrown racing by so fast I couldn’t keep up. Most of the messages were from young participants or in support of their protesting peers.
This may not be the “American Winter” to compare with the recent “Arab Spring.” But it’s the start of something significant. And I believe it’s time it’s time for us to let our young people share the daunting task of cleaning up the mess they stand to inherit.
Photo credit: YouTube, WeAreChange
Nov 29
As news of your divorce spreads — and it will spread quickly and perhaps not-so-quietly throughout your workplace, community, church, friends, and family — you will be asked invasive, intrusive, offensive, meddlinghuff and upsetting questions. And not just by well-meaning friends and family… even in a strictly-business meeting, you can share you’re in the process of divorcing and the person across the table will ask nosy questions… just because they feel they can.
People love juicy gossip, so you will be quizzed by by folks who have no business asking, and not the least need to know. Because you are not your normal, tight-lipped, level-headed and discreet self right now, you may find it tempting to spill your guts and tell every scandalous tidbit. (Don’t do it! Resist!) O, you might be completely offended by the inquiries but not entirely sure you’re not supposed to answer, as the person asking may have a concerned look on their face.
You have a right to privacy, and a responsibility to protect your privacy (and reputation). There’s no reason to tell everyone all about the ways your ex has done you wrong. There’s no reason to discuss what horrible thing they did just yesterday, how they are involving the kids, withholding money, or manipulating the situation. That’s your business and your business alone.
Crafting a stock answer will stop the conversation in it’s tracks, while helping you maintain your sanity and keeping your stress levels in check. Try something like this:
“It’s been challenge, but every day I’m getting better and better. Thank you for asking.”
Then, turn the tables and ask, “How are you?” followed by, “What have you been up to?” “How are you spending the holidays?” etc.
Keep it simple. Practice ahead of time. Be ready! That way, when anyone asks you “How’s it going?” or “What’s the latest?” you’ll be prepared to answer and then change the subject back to them.
Honorée Corder is the author of If Divorce is a Game, These are the Rules, and creator of the Divorce Transformation Coaching Program. You can learn more at HonoreeCorder.com.
Nov 29
While U.S. currency does change a little on occasional, the basic design of the notes has stayed fairly constant: green/black background, a portrait on one side, and a pretty picture on the other. These concepts take that classic design, and turn it on its head.
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.