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Hi, friends.

I’m not dead, just not writing lately. At least here. I wrote a sweet research paper on the demise of nonprofit organizations, wrote another about a program that a group and I planned, implemented, then evaluated – and oh yeah, I’ve been writing here every once in awhile.

Long story short, I’ve neglected the fan base of Deserted After Dark (read: my mom) – but not because I’ve given up. Come summer I’ll be back in full swing. Unlike my sorry excuse for a home team…

Cheers,
Sam
“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.”
Norman Cousins

PS – Thanks to Rosetta Thurman for the great profile on her blog.

The Winter Solstice was observed yesterday (5:04 AM Arizona Time).

Last night at sundown, Hanukkah celebrations began across the world.

It’s Christmas on Thursday, and Friday marks the start of Kwanzaa.

Here’s to family, friends, and whatever it is you do as we inch closer and closer to a New Year. See you in 2009.

Cheers,
Sam
“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.”
Hamilton Wright Mabie

Dear Friends & Family,

Over the last year and a half I have seen first-hand the devastating effects of a horrible disease. My girlfriend, Kim, has a loved one who is living with Alzheimer’s. It has greatly impacted her family and has quickly made passionate advocates out of us all.

Today, over 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, and with almost 80 million Baby Boomers approaching the age of greatest risk for this fatal disease, the need to find a cure is more urgent than ever.

In order to help in the fight, Kim and I will be participating in the Memory Walk to raise funds and awareness for Alzheimer’s disease. The funds we raise will go directly towards supporting the efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association, the nation’s leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care. We set a sizable fundraising goal of $3,000 for Team Reminisce, but we are confident that with your help we can take big steps toward ending Alzheimer’s.

Will you please consider partnering with us by making a donation? A gift of even $25 or $50 would greatly help the Alzheimer’s Association do their work – work that has gained a new relevance for Kim and I. Your gift is very much appreciated, I trust that together we can help to end Alzheimer’s!

The Alzheimer’s Association has made it safe, secure and easy for you to donate online. Just click this link to visit the Team Reminisce Giving Page:

http://tinyurl.com/MemoryWalk-TeamReminisce

Thank you so much, we look forward to sharing the fantastic results of your generosity!

In constant pursuit of betterment, I’m looking into a few new tools to make this blog a little big more fun. One of the first things I’m going to do is realign my focus. I’ve done this before, but this time is a little different. Over the last few weeks and months, my interests have evolved (not flip-flopped). Social Media has emerged as a topic I am really interested in following, but more specifically how it relates to the Nonprofit Sector. Also, I haven’t done a very good job at keeping you up to date on what’s happening in the Sector, and trust me, there’s a lot…

The sidebar needs some heavy work, and I’m also going to look into broadcasting the blog (and the website) in different, and hopefully more efficient ways. So, the next few days might be light on the posting, but it’ll ramp up again soon. Promise.

Cheers,
Sam
“A good retreat is better than a bad stand.”
Irish Proverb

Here’s a great video from Common Craft about the great mystery that is “Social Media.” I feel that there are many misconceptions surrounding the idea of Social Media, and this video does a great job communicating what it really is, and its benefits. Enjoy!

Cheers,
Sam
“Hooked on the Internet? Help is just a click away!”
Anon Cynic

So, it turns out that Chengdu – the city in China nearest the epicenter of the 7.9 magnitude earthquake this week – is a Sister City of Phoenix. Crazy.

The City of Phoenix has set up a fund for relief, and people can make donations at any Wells Fargo branch. You can also call the Sister Cities Office at 602-534-3751.

Article From Phoenix Business Journal

Wells Fargo Branch Locator

Update #1: Philanthropy 2173 just posted updated numbers on Disaster Aid. Check it out.

Update #2: New technology for mobile solar power. Could help with Disaster Relief.

Update #3: Wells Fargo waiving fees for remittance to China.

Thanks for your concern.

Cheers,
Sam
“I endorse Barack Obama.”
Sen. John Edwards

Just about a half an hour ago, I got a text message from KTAR telling me that, “ASU is eliminating 3 men’s sports – wrestling, swimming, and tennis – to save more than $1 million annually.” It’s about 6 weeks too late for an April Fool’s joke, so i was a little caught off guard that the largest university in the country found it necessary to cut three sports programs for financial reasons. I went scouring to find a complete story – and I found one.

These are the first cuts in programming in fifteen (15) years when, back in 1993, men’s gymnastics, archery, and badminton all got the boot. Today’s decision was made by Lisa Love, Vice President of Athletics, and backed up by Dr. Crow. Here is Ms. Love’s official statement:

“The profile or our operations budget and donation base does not lend itself to the sponsorship of 22 athletic teams. While our revenue streams are achieving a positive trajectory, they are simply not keeping pace with the current size and scope of the department.”

Current size and scope of the department? I’m not quite sure that’s the fault of the swimmers, wrestlers, or tennis-ers. Pretty sure that these people shouldn’t take the fall for mismanagement. All three of these teams can be considered “successful,” unlike the department’s handling of a recent incident…

Our wrestling team won the NCAA national championship in 1998. Not to mention two of our wrestlers went on to the Olympics (’92 and ‘96) to win silver medals. And that success wasn’t short-lived, either. Just this season, ASU sent a handful of wrestlers to compete at the national championships. Our men’s tennis team had an amazing season this year, and our swimmers had a record-breaking year.

Sure, I might have a little chip on my shoulder. I played tennis all four years of my high school career, and wrestled for one of them. My dad and his brothers all wrestled during high school, and my dad now coaches the freshmen wrestlers at Ironwood High School. And not be forgotten, both of my sisters, and my girlfriend, are swimmers.

Don’t get me wrong, I like football, baseball and basketball. In fact, I enjoy all three of those sports at the collegiate level way more than at the professional level. But come on people, how about some due diligence?! This is a university with a multi-billion dollar budget, and you can’t find a little room for two sports with rich, thousand-year histories, and one of the most popular sports world-wide? Disappointing. Hey, here’s an idea – get paid less.

I have to get back to work now. But I just couldn’t pass this story up. Thoughts?

Cheers,
Sam
“Who’s that swimmer swimming in last place? It’s Me! It’s Me!”
The Spartan Cheerleaders

I’m taking summer school starting in July, but I’m calling it quits for the next two months. An educational vacation that I’m very much excited about. Looking forward to getting Phoenix Copper Bikes off the ground, and spending some time horizontal and dreaming.

A few posts ago, I posed a question about volunteerism, and what happens when different groups of volunteers are at cross purposes. Well, it turns out that this might be a hot topic. Michael from NoLA Rising (the guy in the video) caught wind of our little discussion, and posted a reply. I’ll repost a portion of it here, but please go check out the other comments. People put a lot of heart and soul into their responses. It’ll be worth it. I promise.

Can’t wait to get back into the [typers'] seat!

Cheers,
Sam
“Just for the record, we never broke up. We just took a fourteen year vacation.”
The Eagles

From Michael:

The video was done by a local news station, wdsu.com, and the buffer mentioned in the story was given the opportunity to respond but refused to do an interview because it included NoLA Rising. It was not out of shyness because he has called this exact news stations for stories to his benefit many times and tightly controls the nature of the interviews when they occur. So, it certainly not that the news was biased or one-sided…amazingly, this news story finally made the story balanced.

Of the more trivial, he has said that I was not a former Marine and that I was someone who moved to New Orleans after hurricane Katrina to do what we New Orleanians are calling disaster-profiteering. To counter, I produced both my Honorable Discharge from the USMC and my birth certificate without another word of it.

Of the more scandalous, he has told members of the press that i was a loser, a degenerate and the biggest pain in the ass he’s ever met. In addition, he said I associate with criminals and likened me to a member of the church of satan. And, on point to some of y’alls inquiries…I have never met this man other than when he arrived at an art festival with a police officer to have me cited for the fines in question presented in the news story.

Even then, he did not stay to meet me. He pointed me out to the police and scurried away. Early on, I called him after finding his number online to try and discuss these issues with him. He has never returned my call. In a news story to print media here in New Orleans, he HAS made the statement that he considers my artwork vertical litter that leads to “other crime”.

Kim teases me for being a little “star-struck,” but I don’t mind. Mainly because I really do get star struck. Something about celebrity has always intrigued me. But also, it’s usually for a really good reason. Like when we get to meet Glen and Marketa…

Go ahead, say it. You’re jealous.

Cheers,
Sam
“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery /None but ourselves can free our minds.”
Bob Marley, Redemption Song