26 August 2011 - The Mad Filkentist (original) (raw)

05:50 am - Alzheimer's receipts

In a comment on yesterday's post, thnidu reported getting a PDF "receipt" for his donation to my Alzheimer's walk, without any information identifying the recipient or purpose. I sent an email to the organizers about this, and got a reply saying I should have received an email acknowledging my donation. I checked this (I don't check the Gmail account I used very often) and found an email which included the following:

The following summarizes your information:
Donation Amount: $xx.xx
Total Received Today: $xx.xx

Reference ID: xxxxx
Username: xxxxx
Password:Do not know your password? Click Here.

Your Supporter ID: xxxxx
The Alzheimer's Association and its chapters are nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations as determined by the IRS. Donations to the Alzheimer's Association are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Check with your financial planner or tax advisor for details about your specific contribution.

thnidu and others: Did you get an email receipt like that?

02:08 pm - Dubious federal raid
This is bizarre: Federal agents have raided guitar manufacturer Gibson, apparently to enforce India's protectionist laws, without any request from the Indian government. I'm wondering if someone responsible in the DoJ has stock in Martin or something.

Update: This article (link courtesy of Teresa Powell) says that musicians carrying instruments across the border may also have to worry.