| 8:51 am |
 ruderod Here I go complaining. I don't understand why they do this. I just got a letter from the farmworkers rights group. Guess who they got my address from? Another non profit that I had donated some money. Has anyone been in the decision making process where a non profit decides to market with others mailing lists? For the most part I think these organizations could more effectively spend their money in a different approach on marketing. From an outsider, it just seems like they are being plain lazy. Really, they can't get together and figure out a marketing plan. So instead, they pay donors money to send thousands of letters to people who don't care about the cause.Any thoughts? (comment on this) |
| Friday, November 2nd, 2007 |
| 7:21 pm - Animal Abuse in Ukraine |
 help_animal www.LuckyLovers.net friends and romance network, the site which is constantly involved in Animal Welfare programs, joins forces with Kiev City Society for the Protection of Animals in protest to the inhumane treatment of animals, abuse and cruelty in Ukraine.About 156,000 stray cats and dogs are annually hurt, abused and killed in Ukrainian cities and towns. When caught by the dog catchers, some stray animals are used for painful experiments.Stray dogs are often bludgeoned or put to death by electricity or caught using an inhumane poison and sometimes die slow, painful deaths. Instead of putting an animal to sleep with the use of euthanasia (i.e. the act of killing an animal painlessly), the animal service uses dithylinum (suxamethonium chloride), a poison which paralyzes the animal and causes it to die of suffocation in a few hours of agony. There is ample evidence that the poor creatures are still conscious and feel all the pain before they die. It is often the case that animals are beaten with legs and metal sticks, whereupon they are buried or burned alive.Lots of people witnessed animals being tortured and murdered - little kittens tied up in plastic bags and thrown in the river, people intentionally run stray pets over with their cars, newly born puppies dumped on vacant land without their mother and left them to die.Stories are endless and make hearts of every Human Being bleed.Authorities of small Ukrainian communities for ever used and are still using different kind of poison - rat poison and recently they "discovered" a new method of killing stray animals - Isoniazidum (Tubazidum) anti-tuberculosis drug causing cheap, but very slow and painful deathmore information is available here: www.LuckyLovers.net/petrescue.htmlTo sign a petition to Ukrainian government, please, go tohttp://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-slaughtering-stray-animals-in-ukraine (1 comment | comment on this) |
| Friday, October 19th, 2007 |
| 4:22 pm - Writer's Block: I'm The Boss |
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| Sunday, August 12th, 2007 |
| 10:30 pm |
| ruderod Altered Oceans. A well done yet depressing look at the problems with Earths oceans. Videos and photography done by the LA times tells a sobering tale of a ocean in crisis. I knew the problem with plastics was bad back in 94, when I noticed that while crossing the pacific. On our ship moving at 18 knots towards Hawaii, I'd stare into the ocean as we moved over the Pacific blue. I can't remember exactly, but I think it was like every five minutes I'd see a plastic chunk of something floating by. If you could see plastic trash every few minutes, I knew their must be a huge amount of plastic in such a vast ocean. The problem seems to have gotten much worse today in 2007. A sad tale that makes you want to get up and do something to help:http://www.latimes.com/news/local/oceans/la-oceans-series,0,7842752.specialIf you haven't used google earth I'd say you are a little behind the times. Download it, install google earth then look here for a list of great places to look at our planet. This forum covers environmental issues that you can view with google earth.http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/postlist.php?Cat=0&Board=modEarthEnviro&page=3 (comment on this) |
| Saturday, June 30th, 2007 |
| 8:20 pm |
| ruderod Rubberneck fatigue“How’s it going?” I said.Ragged and shirtless, his red sunburned belly made it obvious he was part of the homeless camp here. He tilted his head and gave me a slightly crazed stare. Was it just the summer heat? Or was he drunk, or maybe just pissed? I wasn’t sure.“I’m ok. I’m wondering are you ok? What you doing here? I see your taking pictures?”The man had broken yellow teeth and only shorts on. He began to fiddle with a small cellular phone in his hand. I was surprised he noticed my digital camera. I had been deleting old photos so I could take a few pictures of the tents and cardboard shacks.“I haven’t taken any pictures.” I said in defense. I looked in my car, trying to think if I had change or a dollar. Just in case he asked for money.“I got a camera right here you know? What if I took some pictures of you? Wouldn’t that be a bitch?” he said.I was surprised, this guy was good.“Go ahead.” I laughed, trying to smile. He aimed his camera phone and took a few pictures of me sitting in the car. I was trying to be nice and not offend .“How many people live here?”“Not enough people.” “Why is that? Are they going to move you out?” I asked.“Don’t know. Lotta stuff going on. Why you care? Why you taking pictures?”“What is your name?” I asked.“I’m John. I’m going to take another picture of you.” He showed me the camera phone pic. He had taken a good picture of my smile.“Fine with me. I know you guys don’t have much privacy living here. That is like no privacy, living next to a freeway and this street. I suppose that I’d be pissed if someone was in my yard taking photos of me.”“Damn right.” He said.I was trying to show some compassion and side with the man’s cause, but it didn’t seem to be working.“You know I don’t work for the government, I don’t work for anyone. I try to help homeless people.” I said, getting a little fatigued now with his picture taking, but at the same time I wanted to know more about the people who lived here.John walked away from my car. I told him to have a good day and he did the same. This took place on the 15 freeway, near moreno valley in glorious southern california. google earth link: http://www.gulfwarrior.org/homeless.zip 33°54'51.60"N117°16'59.22"WI suppose the homeless strays who live there get a lot of rubberneck people like me, people wanting to look and see what is going on. There must be at least ten people living there. Do people wonder what is going to happen to them, staring but yet not knowing what to do? I know that I sat there, rationalizing the situation, trying to invent a way for them to live better. Yet also I have the thought that they are low emission, they have a carbon footprint smaller than I could ever hope to achieve. Why worry?So my questions:What can I do? Does anyone know what will happen to these people? Will they be moved out, just like anyone else who trespasses nowadays? The 2 acre lot they sit on, it is for sale. The people, they aren’t included in the price. That’s a free bonus for the buyer.Any ideas how they could be helped? I know homeless shelters are usually for women and children. No money for the men. Is that always the case? Do these people have water and food? Its summer here and the temperature is 95 degrees. I will try to stop by and have another conversation with one of them, see what I can do. (comment on this) |
| Saturday, November 18th, 2006 |
| 12:44 am - The new guy |
 ultimate_sanxn Well thank you for the add to this community (although you get in just by saying you want to join? Either way).I'm currently trying to get on with a volunteer fire department right now. I missed the fall recruitment training for the department I want to get with, however I'll be doing the spring recruitment training starting in January.So that's where my volunteering is going towards. I plan on making this a career someday.current mood:  tired (comment on this) |
| Monday, November 6th, 2006 |
| 12:06 pm - Know of any volunteer opportunities in the NYC area? Please share. |
 niftyspiffy Hi, I'm Joanie. I currently co-compile the learning section of Nonsense NYC, and starting this week I'll be compiling the help section, too. **( For more information...Collapse )**In short, if you know of someone or something needing short-term volunteers, send me an e-mail @ joanie at joanieandbill dot com.Thanks!x-posted to various groups; I apologize if you see this more than once. (comment on this) |
| Wednesday, October 18th, 2006 |
| 12:10 pm - Please help support SAVE!! It is a good cause! |
 save_usa If you volunteer for any non-profit organization, or simply believe in the important work they do to make our communities the best they can be, please vote for SAVE, Support American Volunteer Efforts, at www.saveusa.info. SAVE is a bill in Congress that would give a tax credit up to $2,000 per year to any American who volunteers for a non-profit organization, earned at the rate of the number of hours volunteered multiplied by minimum wage. As you may know, many people who regularly volunteer are being forced take a second job instead to make ends meet. As a result, non-profit organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to find and keep volunteers. SAVE not only rewards volunteers for their contributions and thus increases volunteerism, but also helps provide sustainable funding to non-profits since volunteers are 2.5 times more likely to donate to the non-profit organizations they support. SAVE also provides a great contrast to the tax benefits that are currently being pushed through Congress. For example, as few as 8,200 families would reap the majority of the benefits from the repeal of the Estate Tax currently being considered by Congress. The cost of the repeal of the Estate Tax in 2007 alone is greater than any other budget items in President Bush’s 2007 budget, including his stated priorities of Homeland Security, the War in Iraq and Education. As a contrast, for less money, SAVE would benefit the 89 million Americans who volunteer their time, hearts, energy and resources each week to fight our fires, care for our elderly, teach our children, preserve our environment and help out at our hospitals, schools, churches, animal shelters and much more! Please vote for SAVE at www.saveusa.info to show Congress that America supports volunteer efforts! (comment on this) |
| Wednesday, September 13th, 2006 |
| 10:57 am - Ever thought you could make a difference in 30 seconds? |
| save_usa Thank you very much to everyone who has supported SAVE, you have no idea how much it means to us! Recently, we have had a lot of success with having people going onto our website http://www.saveusa.info which is AWESOME!!! But we still need your help! All it takes is 30 seconds to go to the website and show your support for this amazing cause!In case you don't know, SAVE (Support American Volunteer Efforts) is a grassroots effort that supports a bill in Congress (HR 4387) that would allow for up to a $2,000 tax credit for anyone who volunteers for any non-profit organization!Why would volunteers be interested in getting money for VOLUNTEERING? Because volunteers are 2.5 times more likely to donate the money to organizations they know need it the most, like the places the volunteer for! Soup kitchens, churches, environmental organizations, fire houses, Volunteer EMT organizations, Hurricane Relief funds, and so much more!There are over 90 million Americans who volunteer an average of 3.6 hours a week to fight our fires, care for our children and elderly, help improve our schools, take care of our sick and dying, help improve our environment and much, much more!!All we are asking for is 30 seconds of your time to go to our website at http://www.saveusa.info! and then help spread the word to your family, friends, neighbors, teachers, and strangers who you meet on the street! :)Thank you all for your support and keep up the amazing work!Thank you very much,The SAVE Volunteers!! (comment on this) |
| Wednesday, August 16th, 2006 |
| 2:17 am - KBAF needs volunteers |
 electro_soul Hi I am new to this community and have been volunteering a lot in the last few months I have even opened my home to 9 cats and 2 dogs so far.. of course they get adopted out pretty quickly and I am not obligated to take that many I just choose to. I wish I could take them all but I can't so thats why I am here posting this.Katy Bishop's Animal Friends is looking for volunteers.. We are based in Michigan and are looking for: Dog walkersDog and cat foster homesPeople to make crafts ( crafts we will need will depend on what we will need them for some examples are displays, donation boxes for pet supplies, cat nip toys, bizarre/craft sale items etc.)People to inquire at pet supply stores about letting us set up pet food/supply donation boxes for about a month in their stores. (You will be in charge of set up and take down and checking for current donations.) Help locating on the internet, resources for animal welfare organizations. (ie: grants, items to sell, any help for animal welfare non-profit groups, and many more things we may need some help doing via the itnernet) If you are interested in this, please ask for more details.Event help (ie: rummage sales, flea markets, plant sales, bizarre/craft shows) This is not a complete listing of events.If you are interested in helping us please send me an E-mail at: Somavsmara@yahoo.com Thanks!*xposted* (comment on this) |
| Monday, August 14th, 2006 |
| 8:01 am |
| ruderod I found this quote while doing research for CDBG grants. "The Bush Administration has a goal of ending chronic homelessness in 10 years."Does anyone know how that is going to happen? Let me point out a few indicators I see around my neighborhood.1. Food prices are going up. Prices for certain items like orange juice, have been stable for several years, have now gone up 25%.2. Gasoline prices are spiraling into the stratosphere. Many can't afford gas.So with things being more expensive, minimum wage NOT being increased, how can we keep homeless off the streets and busy working? Here is an example of the problem. Normally there are a few homeless people sitting around the main library in SanBdo. Well, Friday I went to the San Bernadino library and there where many more homeless than normal, at least 30 homeless people sitting on the grass. Probably seven families with kids! There was a community of homeless people standing around talking, trading wares and discussing life. And these are people with four children, homeless! Things are not getting easier on anyone. What is the direction of the Bush Administration to solve the homeless problem? The quote I found about the bush administration was from a CDBG document about how the funding is being cut. http://www.usmayors.org/uscm/news/press_releases/documents/CDBGCoalitionSurveyReport_0306.pdfIf CDBG funding is going away, how can non-profits like the one I am setting up afford to rebuild a office building? If I cant get it to code, then I cant have training classes there or I will end up spending our money on getting it to code INSTEAD of training people.Any thoughts?. (3 comments | comment on this) |
| Wednesday, August 9th, 2006 |
| 1:40 pm - Calling all college students! |
| save_usa Did you know that 89 million Americans volunteer?Better yet, did you know that 46% of 18-24 year olds volunteer 3 or 4 hours a week?It's true! This shows a dedication to volunteerism and political action beyond what students are generally known for.This age group is the incoming generation of voters, policy makers and future leaders of America, and absolutely vital to the continuing success of volunteer service in their communities.S.A.V.E. (Support American Volunteer Efforts) currently has a bill before Congress that if passed would grant up to $2,000 in a tax rebate to people who volunteer for nonprofit organizations. **The only way to pass this bill is to let Congress know that Americans support it!**Go to the S.A.V.E. website and vote for the S.A.V.E. bill! You could win a case of Annie's Macaroni and Cheese and also help make the S.A.V.E. bill a reality. (3 comments | comment on this) |
| Wednesday, August 2nd, 2006 |
| 2:00 pm - Win a case of Annies Mac and Cheese! |
| save_usa Win a case of Annie’s Mac and Cheese The person or organization that sends the most voters to S.A.V.E. each week wins a free case of Annies Macaroni and Cheese!Andrew Martin, founding chairman and former president and CEO of Annies Macaroni and Cheese, is the author of the S.A.V.E. bill. This is his way of thanking you for supporting S.A.V.E!Send your family and friends to vote at the S.A.V.E. website now! (comment on this) |
| Thursday, July 27th, 2006 |
| 10:45 pm |
 minnie_llama Hi there,I'm a student in Edinburgh, Scotland, and I do a lot of volunteering so I thought I'd join your community and meet some fellow do-gooders from all over the world! I'm a Red Cross first aider, which is one of the most challenging and rewarding things I've ever done in my life, and I've also done voluntary work with Orang Utans in Malaysia in the past, something I'd love to do again when I have the time and money! If only all of life was made up of gap years...:)current mood:  calm (1 comment | comment on this) |
| Wednesday, July 12th, 2006 |
| 3:31 pm - S.A.V.E |
| save_usa S.A.V.E (Support American Volunteer Efforts) is a nonprofit organization campaigning to pass bill HR4387, which is currently under review in the Ways & Means Committee of Congress. If the bill were to be passed it would offer up to $2,000 per year in a tax rebate to every volunteer. Volunteers are two a half times more likely to donate back to non-profits where they volunteer, and their communities. Rather than giving tax breaks to the wealthiest 1% of society this would help to put money back where it is sorely needed. SAVE is a grass-roots organization. Our office has a staff of three full time employees and several volunteers. We're in the midst of a nation wide press release, selling the idea of SAVE to the media, non-profit and volunteer agencies around the country. The only way to pass this bill is to let congress know that Americans support it! The easiest way to do this is to vote for SAVE at our website. Please check out our website: SAVE - Support American Volunteer Efforts (comment on this) |
| Sunday, May 28th, 2006 |
| 3:14 am - for anyone in the "new england" area |
| seatouch any volunteer drivers and carpoolers?hey everybody,this message might be off topic but it can help a lot of people, so i'm asking that it's kept on the journal. understandable if it needs to be edited out and all, but i urge you to give a quick read before making a decision.i'm going to build homes with habitat for humanity in the new orleans area. there are groups of activists going down in june for 5-day blocks. (i was thinking about staying 5-15 days). if anyone is interested in going please let me know - the bigger the group, the lesser the expenses, the better job done. collaboration would be awesome, especially if someone has a car - gas would be much less expensive than a flight+rental/cabs. this is an independent volunteering/activism project available for anyone able to come help out, but time and space is limited so please get back to me asap if it sounds like something you'd be interested in. habitat for humanity asks for a $20/night donations, which aren't necessary but encouraged (I won't be paying the maximum .. poor college student). So anyway, if you want to come on the flight, or have a car, and want to come down with a group to do something progressive for our {sick} society - get back to me! or e-mail me at nbose@ic.sunysb.edu.(additional benefits are a great tan, good workout, new friends, and a new orleans vacation ;) the u.s. government wanted to cut grants to organizers building for katrina recovery - programs for which are difficult and time-consuming to get into.. so independent volunteering is really needed.)i do run an activist organization called the social justice alliance at stony brook university.. just so you don't think i'm a weirdo looking to scam a hot date..bubye-nicole (comment on this) |
| Wednesday, April 26th, 2006 |
| 12:17 am |
 twisted888 Hey everyone! It's really nice to see a whole community devoted to volunteering.I just got accepted into Global Volunteer Network's program in Kenya! I'll either be teaching in a primary school or caring for children in an orphanage (it depends on what a committee thinks of my pseudo-teaching experience). This will be near Nairobi, Kenya, with the people of the Maasai tribe. I'll be living with a host family in the village. You can see the Kenya program's website here.My program starts September 1st and will be either 8 or 10 weeks.As of my last estimate, I'll need to raise about $5000. I know I'm going to write letters to local businesses asking for donations, and have a bring-and-buy sale (friends and family donate garage-sale-like items for you to sell, and then buy other people's stuff and you get the profits). Does anyone here have any other good fundraising ideas? I have family in the area, but I don't really know my neighbors. I also thought about calling the local newspapers and asking them to run a story on me - I know I've seen a few of those types of things before. I could include information about how to donate to my fund if I got an article. Oh also, any tips for what to include or leave out of letters to businesses are very welcome.Also, does anyone know of an online payment service that doesn't charge you fees up the butt (like paypal)? I know there are some people I know online who would probably donate, but I know I don't like the idea of sending a check in the mail, so I don't want to ask other people to do it either.If it's not obvious by now, this is my first big volunteer project! A friend of mine has volunteered in Sri Lanka and is on his way to Malawi tomorrow. He's given me some tips and advice about stuff, but ANY other advice you have to offer is definitely greatly appreciated. Any questions are also welcome.Thanks, guys! I look forward to reading this community.current mood: excited (comment on this) |
| Tuesday, April 18th, 2006 |
| 10:20 am - Thanks for your consideration!! |
 tofearandloathe My name is Melissa. I am participating in WalkNow, which is a 5k walk to raise funds to find a cure and effective treatments for autism. I am the team captain for my team in Atlanta, Georgia. My brother has Asperger's Syndrome. Also, if you have a cause you need funds for, let me know and I may help you out!This is from their website:"WALK NOW is a 5K (3.1 mile) family walk and autism community resource fair heightening public awareness and raising money to fund autism research. The resource fair includes educational resources, therapists, schools, recreational organizations and creative child-friendly activities. Proceeds from WALK NOW support Cure Autism Now’s mission to find the causes, effective treatments, prevention and a cure for autism. Over the course of 2005, nationwide WALK NOW events will raise approximately 5million."AnyandalldonationsareGREATLYappreciated!Even5 million."Any and all donations are GREATLY appreciated! Even 5million."AnyandalldonationsareGREATLYappreciated!Even1.00 can make a difference. We have 4 team members so far and are working on forming our team.To see more about WalkNow or to make a donation go here: http://www.walknow.org/06atwk/theatlantacleanupI am also a member of the Atlanta Cleanup which is a volunteer organization a friend and I started which works to improve the city. Participating in WalkNow is our first event. Our second even is in July and we are going downtown to pickup trash. I'm not asking for donations for this group, I'm just trying to spread the word. You can see our page here:www.myspace.com/theatlantacleanup/Again, those links are:For the Atlanta Cleanup group: www.myspace.com/theatlantacleanupFor WalkNow: http://www.walknow.org/06atwk/theatlantacleanupcurrent mood: hopeful (comment on this) |
| Saturday, April 15th, 2006 |
| 9:45 am |
| ruderod I got my issue of sea shepherd journal today. http://www.seashepherd.orgIf you like marine mammals and don't want them eaten and used for products, stop buying Canadian seafood. At first you may think, like, why screw the Canadians? Well the seal hunt is only worth $16 million in income to the Canadians. If we boycott Canadian seafood, which is a 2.8 billion income, we make Canadians understand that killing marine mammals is not a good thing. The seal hunt income is nothing compared to the international market for their fish. They will stop the mammal hunt if we take action and stop buying canadian fish. For more of the plight of all the sea creatures, check out the seashepherd website. For other ocean issues, check below. Plastic and other wastes entering the ocean are a major problem, especially as our natural filters (marshes, rivers) are being turned into parking lots. And yes I have seen plastics in the middle of the pacific ocean, it's a big ocean but believe it or not we have actually started contaminating even the farthest reaches of the ocean. One the ship I was on I would see some type of plastic floating every five minutes as we moved across certain parts of the pacific. Sad sight to see I tell you among the wonders and beauty of the ocean.http://www.salaam.co.uk/themeofthemonth/november01_index.php?l=6 (1 comment | comment on this) |
| Tuesday, April 11th, 2006 |
| 9:55 am - RIP Wayne Johnston - "Wheelchair Wayne" |
 fire_babe In our lives we are sometimes blessed to meet some extraordinary and truely inspirational people who really touch our lives. I am fortunate to say that not only did I meet one such person but also that I was counted amongst his friends. Last night Wayne Johnston passed away peacefully in his sleep with his mother Shirley by his bedside in the Pallative Care Unit of the Heidelburg Hospital. Shirley said he was in little pain at the end and even had a smile on his face. For those people who did not know Wayne personally, he was without doubt the biggest fire-nut and buff (he wouldn't mind me calling him those) that I had ever met! Wayne was unfortunately born with Spina Bifida which saw him in a wheelchair for most of his 33 years. He grew up with a passion for the emergency services, in particular, firefighting, and attended as many functions, displays and rallies as possible to be near firefighters and their equipment, whilst also trolling the net for current news, information, forums and techniques. He was a member of many international firefighting forums and email lists and was able to pass on relevant and interesting information from his research and also his numerous, and very extensive, contacts from not only within fire services in Australia but also from around the world. He was also a passionate supporter of IFFD and frequently promoted it.Wayne was not only a fire-buff but he was also a very good friend and he was always in communication with his friends from all over the world. It is to his credit that he managed to bring fireys together from all around Victoria (and even some International fireys) and work with us to plan his own a funeral with strong a fire theme! Wayne's service will be truely a celebration of his life, friendship and passion.The IFFD ribbon is worn in memory of lost firefighters and as a mark of thanks for their commitment and dedication. Wayne may not have been able to physically be a firefighter but he had a firefighter's spirit, passion and compassion which made him a truely wonderful human being who will be sorely missed by not only his family and friends but also his firefighter friends from all over the world who he touched with friendship through the internet. I am wearing the IFFD ribbon in his memory and honour and I encourage you to do so also. Condolences for Wayne can be posted on the IFFD forum ( http://iffd.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&topic_id=17&forum=8 ) to be passed on to his family and displayed at his service. (comment on this) |