How Non-Profit Entities can keep themselves from getting Ripped-Off

I spent 90 days working for a for-profit fund raising company which was a major division of one of America's premier magazine publishing companies. The parent company has since gone bankrupt, but before they did, as a sales rep for one the fund raising divisions, we were lectured to keep informing our prospective education market fund raising targets, just how ethical our home office company was. This was in spite of also being told how our real mission was to get as much profit as possible from every school fund raising program, we could sell, with our real goal of selling the schools any fund-raising program so that they made as little profit as possible.

This is not an anti-cookie selling sales message its actually a message to all non-profits ( schools, churches, bands etc. ) to never do business with any for profit fund raising companies. And, by the way, I also found the worst offenders in short-changing the non-profits on fund-raising profits, were ex-educators ( ex-local school board members, ex-local principals, and ex local teachers.) All of whom used there supposed empathy with their ex-colleagues to further their own un-ethical goals.

My New Kindle

Hi,
So my children bought me a kindle and even though I have only just begun to use it I can see I will love to pieces. Which leads me to believe I must buy a cover for it, its not hat it seems flimsy it just seems that it would need a protective skin, since I will be dragging it around all the time. My friends back in PA who were the first kindlium ( plural of kindle?) that I knew, have given me three kindle user tips:
1. read all of the manual
2. buy sample books before I buy a full edition.
3. get a cover
So, we are now getting closer and closer to being full time Oregonians, we just got our first local newspaper subscription, and filled out forms to vote in OR.
We also received our new Seally mattress, amazing what a new mattress will do for a person's outlook on life.

Municipal Unions

Municipal unions serve no function other than to protect their members & union officials from economic reality. When municipal unions collectively bargain with our elected or appointed state county, or local officials they are bargaining with themselves. Municipal unions have fostered the idea that municipal workers (policeman, fireman, teachers, etc. ) work for the state, they don't, municipal workers work for the taxpayers, and the taxpayers have no-one to represent them in any collective bargaining between any current municipal unions. As some one once said " if you want to control someone first appear to serve them."

The Guitar Show

So today I went to a guitar show in Kent WA a suburb of Seattle WA, which is suburb of Western Canada. Its not really a suburb of Western Canada but it could be. Anyhow I saw lots and lots of guitars and some amps some aging wanna be Rock & Rollers. One of the agers about 60ish was wearing leopard skin leather pants and didn't seem to realize just how ridiculous he looked. I thought about telling him but then I realized he wouldn't understand one word of what I was saying and he might start crying. And believe me a an aging Rock & Roller in leopard skin pants who is crying is not a pretty sight.
I did see some really neat guitars ( do people still use the word neat?). They would have been even neater if I could play anyone of them. Or all of them simultaneously. I realized I need to learn to play guitar so that I too can wear leather leopard pants, or maybe zebra skinned leather pants since I don't want to be labeled a follower.

OUR NEW LIFE IN PORTLAND OREGON

We did close at 10: 30 am but because of local OR rules regarding the recording of the transfer in the county seat we could not get our keys until 4:00 yesterday afternoon, and by that time we were too tired to do anything but take a few things to the apt. So we spent one more night in the hostel and Keith will help us move in today.

Interestingly one of the first things Judy wants to buy for the apt are mums for the patio.

We still need a few things for the apt, like a new kitchen and all new appliances., all new floors, a new bedroom set, a new living room set and a new dining room set. We are planning to have that all done no later than the end of this week.

Armageddon

With all due respect to Pennsylvania’s municipal workers, why is the possible laying off 20,000 or more of them due to PA budget problems Armageddon ? Why isn’t a national unemployment rate of almost 10% Armageddon ?
Why isn’t the almost daily announcement of private company layoffs Armageddon? When the taxpayers of the state of PA are being laid off, and their employees, PA state workers jobs are sacrosanct, that is Armageddon.

ANOTHER CELEBRITY SEEKING FAMILY

Maybe I have lived too long, but sending your 16 year old daughter out to sail around the world is nothing but a stunt. If her parents really are interested in her doing this stunt send her out with a chase boat and rescue team following her, all of which her family should fund.

One way or anther the taxpayers of the world have to pay for finding and rescuing people who go around doing stunts. The least that can happen is the royalties from their books and TV shows and movies are sent to a fund to educate people to not do stupid publicity seeking stunts.