Archive for May, 2008

That’s me and Cindy Sheehan. Turns out she’s running for Congress.

Cheers,

Sam

“I can change the world /With my own two hands.”

12:00PM – Day One (1) ended in fantastic fashion, and today ain’t bad either. After dinner last night (seafood overlooking the bay), Dana, Candi, and I all headed to AT&T Park to watch the Padres take on the Giants. The game went thirteen innings (13), and included a triple play. I had never witnessed one live before, and it was pretty amazing.

Then this morning, I took my bike (on generous loan from ZPG) and took a ride to the Golden Gate Bridge. I’m liking this city. Just got a call from the front desk – the camera came in. Awesome. Now we’re off to YFEST. I’ll see you from there.

Cheers,

Sam

“I saw the groundball and I was thinking: one, two – wow. I don’t think I’ve seen that before.”

8:35AM Landed in glorious San Fransisco, CA. It’s beautiful weather here. Mostly cloudy and 55 degrees. I’m not that good at math, but I’m pretty sure that’s almost half the high temperture in Phoenix today… Just saying. But don’t worry, fate had its way with me. I left the camera I was so anxious to bring on my desk. It’s being overnighted here, and I’ll be back behind the shutter no time.

Now, off to grab a bike from Jonny over at Zero Per Gallon. I’ll be mobile this weekend. And I might just have some pictures to prove it…

Cheers,

Sam

“The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera.”

1:10 AM – Technically, it’s Day One (1) of my trip. In reality though, I’m still in Phoenix. On the bright side, I’m only five (5) hours away from boarding my flight. Wait, that’s a bright side? I think I might be tired… One more episode of 30 Rock, then bed. I promise.

What I’ll be living out of for the next week or so.

Nothing like a guy with a gas mask on to make a TSA guard feel safe.

I am excited.

Tomorrow morning at precisely 6:30AM, I board a plane to San Fransisco, California. I’ll be spending the weekend there hanging out with some of the brightest high school kids this country’s got to offer. And by brightest, I mean those most likely to come study Nonprofit Leadership & Management with me here at ASU. Saturday is YFest, which is a huge annual event that New Global Citizens puts together to celebrate the accomplishments of their members, and they invited us as the College of Public Programs to come out and share a little bit about what we are all

On Sunday night, I board a plane headed to Washington D.C., and the 2008 Nonprofit Congress National Meeting. There I get to meet a whole bunch of important people in the Nonprofit Sector, and hopefully get smarter by osmosis.

Last fiscal year, over 85,000 new organizations applied for 501(c)(3) status, so I’m hoping the conference will be well attended. I am also hoping to talk to a few people about the responsible use of technology in the Sector – and the possibility of making this news story the status quo. And I’m also looking forward to taking a tour of the NPR studios. Anybody want a Nina Totin’ Bag while I’m there?

I stole my sister’s laptop and camera for the trip – so I will be “live blogging” for the conference and updating the page pretty regularly. Hopefully. Unless I spend too much time at the beach or dining with Congressmen. But enjoy the weather back here, huh?

Cheers,
Sam
“I have two ears and a heart, don’t I?”
Jack Donaghy
(In response to the question, “Do you like Phil Collins?”)

Bicycle Repair Man!

Things are coming together on the PCB front. More on that next week.

Cheers,
Sam
“The Lakers would like to see Kobe go on a tear. He’s been very quite early, not looking for the shot.”
Merv Albert

Today is the National Ride Of Silence.

On May 21, 2008, at 7:00 PM, the Ride of Silence will begin in North America and roll across the globe. Cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, the motoring public often isn’t aware of these rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves.

The Ride Of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph and remain silent during the ride. There is no brochure, no sponsors, no registration fees and no t-shirt. The ride, which is held during Bike Safety month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways. The ride is also a chance to show respect for those who have been killed or injured.

This isn’t just a made-up issue. Just last night, a woman was killed in Tucson on her bicycle. Share the road, friends, and start seeing bicycles!

Cheers,
Sam
“We put our lives in the hands of everyone else on the roads every time we enter them, regardless of our mode of transportation.”
David Veatch

Quinn and I are company men.

Meaning we carry a certain sense of loyalty for the companies we work – and have worked – for. This means that Quinn will always use Dial soap, shop at Home Depot, and buy Lort’s furniture. You think I’m just embellishing for blog’s sake. But next time you’re over at my house, take a peek into Quinn’s bathroom. That smell? Dial.

It’s a little harder for me, though. In the last five (5) years, I’ve probably had close to twenty (20) different jobs. Seriously. However, I did stay one place for a really long time (read: two years).

Yes, I called the Big Green Giant home for a long time. Long enough to be able to see, smell, and taste differences between coffees from different regions of the world. Long enough to order a complicated drink with precision. And long enough to defend its practices. That’s right, Sam the anti-Wal-Mart guy is a fan of Starbucks. We all have our weaknesses.

Anyway, I had a habit of reading the quotes on the back of the cups when I worked there. And along with drinking copious amounts of coffee, the addiction stuck. I still do it just for fun, whenever I am at a store I grab a few cups of each size (the difference in space availability affects the length of the quote) to scan for good ones.

If you are a faithful reader of this blog, you (hopefully) notice my use of quotes. I don’t just make those up. I search relentlessly for them. I’m an addict. I told you that already. Well, I found a golden one. I laughed out loud when I read it. People stared. I stared back. Ok, so I didn’t – but it would have made the story a whole bunch better…

The author of this quote founded a website that is definitely worth checking out. It’s called Grist: Environmental News & Commentary. There are articles on how to make backyard weeds into pesto and other edible items, what the greenest shaving cream is, and even a place to prepare yourself against “unbelievers” (Environmental Apologetics?). They are also looking for Development Director, so if you’re looking for a new job…

Enough build-up, already! I’ll see you guys later.

Cheers,
Sam
“So-called ‘global warming’ is just a secret ploy by wacko tree-huggers to make America energy independent, clean our air and water, improve the fuel efficiency of our vehicles, kick-start 21st-century industries, and make our cities safer and more livable. Don’t let them get away with it!”
Chip Giller

Those of you who know me – and probably even those who don’t – are very aware that I struggle with my ego. By struggle, I mean sometimes it’s hard to fit all my awesomeness in a 1250 word biography… That being said, I feel pretty honored that someone sought my idealogical position on something. Ok, so that’s not really what they did. But it sounds better. And it’s pretty cool, if you ask me. But then again, I might be a little biased…

Anonymous asks:

I think you must frequent the internet quite a bit with all the web links you continuously throw down, but have you ever been to www.africaaid.org? They have shirts for sale (only $20) and if you purchase before June they claim that 100% of the profit will be used to feed a child for an entire school year. That’s a big deal. Perhaps even worth writing about?

First off, I do frequent the Internet. In fact, you can find me any number of (8) ways. So come say hi, somehow.

1) Twitter – @samuelisaac
2) Email – samuelisaacrichard [at] gmail [dot] com
3) Facebook – /profile.php?id=501086509
4) Myspace – /samuelisaac
5) Linked In – /pub/7/b40/625
6) All Voices – /users/487
7) This Blog – You’re here already… Duh!
Our Website – StAR – Student Ambassadors for Recruitment

Ok, let’s move on. Before yesterday, I had never been to Africa Aid, and I’m bummed that I hadn’t stopped by earlier. The site is really put together well. It’s easy to navigate, easy to find out why the organization is in existence, how you can help, why you should help, and where the money goes. All important aspects from a donor’s perspective – which is who the website (and any nonprofit’s website) was created for.

There is a lot of information there, so I’ll let you decide how much you want to learn. But know this: Right now, when you buy an Africa Aid t-shirt all of the profits go into the School Lunch Program they fund in Ghana where forty-two thousand (42,000) Liberian refugees are living. I’ll be sporting mine some time next week when it comes in. So buy a t-shirt, because you will anyway. And Abercrombie & Fitch doesn’t feed children with their profits…

Looks like fashion might just be able to fight poverty after all…

Cheers,
Sam
“Only 1/3 of U.S. foreign aid is spent on health, education, nutrition, agriculture and infrastructure, while the lion’s share goes to consultants and transportation of food.”
Jeffrey Sachs

I say almost, because it’s not really official. Like, we don’t have any of the paperwork turned in, and no board of directors. But hey, we have a video! It’s the twenty-first (21st) century. And that’s as good as official…

I’m pleased announce the formation of Phoenix Copper Bikes. Thanks to Matt (director) and Andrew (actor) for making this happen. Send an email to samuelisaacrichard [at] gmail [dot] com to be put on the PCB mailing list. Enjoy!

Cheers,
Sam
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
Albert Einstein