birthday present ever Story

FOXSports.com -MLB-My worst birthday present ever -- HOME NFL MLB NBA NHL NASCAR NCAA FB NCAA BK GOLF SOCCER TENNIS ACTION MORE FANTASY SHOP MLB Home · Scores · Schedules · Standings · Stats · Transactions · Injuries · Teams · Players · Odds · Tickets OTHER EXPERTS: Select an Expert » Troy Aikman » Tom Arnold » Paul Attner -- » Brian Baldinger » Tommy Baldwin » Phil Barber -- » Jillian Barberie » Todd Behrendt » Ben Blake » Michael Bradley -- » Terry Bradshaw » JT The Brick » James Brown » Matt Brown » Steve Byrnes » Paul Cannon » Rich Cirminiello » Brian Cox » Matt Crossman -- » John Czarnecki » Brian Delucia » Mike DeCourcy -- » Dave Despain » Sean Deveney -- » Ben Dougan -- » Ray Dunlap » Jimmy Elledge -- » Bernie Federko » Stan Fischler » Pete Fiutak » Fly -- » Jim Fox » Jay Glazer » Paul Grant -- » Steve Greenberg -- » Jeff Hammond » Matt Hayes -- » Kevin Hench » Bob Hille -- » Oliver Hinz » Hockey's Future -- » Vinnie Iyer -- » Tom Jensen » Jimmy Johnson » Darryl Johnston » Todd Jones -- » Mike Kahn » Clay Kallum » Kasey Kahne » Max Kellerman -- » Dave Kindred -- » Roger Kuznia -- » Michael Lazarus » Howie Long » Steve Lyons -- » Jimmy Makar -- » Mark McCarter -- » Tim McCarver » Ryan McGee » Bobby McMahon » Peter McNab » Stan McNeal -- » Larry McReynolds » Eric Moneypenny » Warren Moon » Chris Myers » Ian O'Connor » Robin Pemberton -- » Ryan Pemberton -- » Dayn Perry » Dan Pompei -- » Shawn P. Roarke » Drew Remenda » Chris Rose » Charley Rosen » Fritz Quindt -- » Michael Rosenberg » Ken Rosenthal » Jeff Ryan -- » John Salley » Lauren Sanchez -- » Adam Schein » Kathy Sheldon -- » Dave Sheinin -- » Peter Schrager » Andrew Siciliano » Lee Spencer -- » Spector -- » Tony Stewart » Benson Taylor -- » Jamie Trecker » Dennis Tuttle -- » Leeann Tweeden -- » Kyle Veltrop -- » Krista Voda » Darrell Waltrip » Nick Webster » Sean Wheelock » Van Earl Wright -- » Kara Yorio -- » Matthew Zemek » Greg Zipadelli -- General » BoxingScene.com » DIME Magazine » FOX NFL Sunday » Funhouse » Funhouse Foxes » Scout.com » War Room -- My worst birthday present ever Story Tools: Print Email XML Kevin Hench / FOXSports.com Posted: 31 days ago -- Mike Remlinger made his first appearance for the Red Sox on Aug. 9, my birthday. He faced four hitters. They all reached base and scored, leaving him with the dreaded indefinable ERA., expressed as ###, or --- depending on your box score. He followed up this wretched Red Sox debut four days later with another empty appearance, facing two batters — retiring neither. After he had faced six batters and not recorded a single out with a lifeless fastball in the mid 80s, like most Sox fans, I'd seen enough. Hey, I get it, reliable lefty setup men are as hard to find in 2005 as cheap gas. Sox GM Theo Epstein took a shot, and it didn't work. Time to move on? Mike Remlinger has allowed four or more runs in three of his five relief appearances for the Sox. (Winslow Townson / Associated Press) Not so fast. Remlinger made his third appearance for the Sox three days later, summoned to protect a 10-3 lead in the bottom of the 10th against the Tigers. He did finally record an out, three in fact. But during his one inning of work, he also yielded a walk, a base hit, another walk and a grand slam. In three appearances, he'd faced 13 batters, and nine of them had scored. Certainly, walking two guys with a seven-run lead had earned him his walking papers? Nope. Remlinger was back out on the hill less than 14 hours later, asked to hold the line in the getaway day game against the Tigers after David Wells was roughed up for six runs in four innings. And lo and behold — as opposed to low and outside as he had been the previous night, Remlinger retired four of the five batters he faced, lowering his ERA with the Sox to 20.25. And, regrettably, buying some more time on the roster. The next night in Anaheim, the 39-year-old lefty was once again summoned for mop-up duty. He again made an unsightly mess, allowing five runs on six hits and a walk. It's hard to raise your ERA when you enter the game with a 20.25 mark, but Remlinger did it, leaving the hill at 21.21. Yes, his ERA looks like a football score at the start of overtime. So, to sum up In five appearances with the Red Sox, Remlinger has faced 31 batters, 18 of them have reached base and 14 of them have scored. These numbers strike me as way worse than when Jose Oquendo, Mark Grace or Robin Ventura took the hill. (Turns out they are: those three infielders had a combined 10.13 ERA in five relief appearances.) This isn't the first time Mike Remlinger has bitterly disappointed me. In 1991, I was a sportswriter for the Valley News in West Lebanon, New Hampshire when I drew the assignment of driving up to Montreal to do a local-boy-makes-good story on Remlinger — who was in his rookie season with the Giants after starring at Dartmouth. A month earlier, Remlinger had lit up the baseball world and electrified the Giants' organization by pitching a complete game shutout against the Barry Bonds-Bobby Bonilla Pirates in his Major League debut on June 15, 1991. Since then, it was Remlinger who'd been lit up, allowing 17 runs in 26 innings. But my story wasn't going to be about his recent struggles. It was going to be a glowing tribute to the Ivy Leaguer turned Major Leaguer. I made the long schlep up I-89, over the Canadian border and across the bridge — the Pont Victoria? — and pulled into the parking lot of the baseball monstrosity known as Olympic Stadium. (Has baseball ever had such a stark contrast between the beauty of a city and the ugliness of a stadium?) I guess the Expos' media relations department wasn't accustomed to processing out-of-town credential requests because they not only didn't have my press pass when I got there, but didn't seem capable of generating one once I was standing at the window. After a very long wait, I was finally admitted to the joyless press box in the dreary stadium. After his spectacular debut, Remlinger had been bumped from the rotation and sent down to the pen, but he didn't pitch in the game. That didn't really matter for my purposes. I was there to profile a conquering hero, a son of New England — Plymouth, Ma., who at the age of 25 had made it to the show. He was that most-sought-after commodity, a hard-throwing lefty, and his future couldn't have been brighter. I made my way down to the clubhouse, where I was none too surprised to learn at the door that the guest pass the media relations people had given me did not allow me access to the locker room. Great. So I'd come all the way to the most Godforsaken outpost in Major League baseball, and I wouldn't even get my interview. A so-so day was getting worse. I saw another Giants rookie, outfielder Mark Leonard, entering the clubhouse and called to him as familiarly as I could, "Hey, Mark." Now Mark Leonard didn't have a lot of media types (or fans) calling out to him — especially in Montreal — so he stopped in his tracks as if a dear friend was saying hi. I asked him if he would be so kind as to ask Mike Remlinger to come out to the hallway so I could get my interview. He said sure. (The near future was actually much brighter for Leonard than Remlinger, but the outfielder would be out of the bigs for good by 1995.) I waited around for quite a while and was just about to give up and start the long haul home when Remlinger emerged from the clubhouse. What a cool dude, I thought, meeting me in the hallway so I could get my story and not have wasted an entire day. I was ready with my questions and Mike was ready with his grunts. It was brutal. I wanted spine-tingling detail on the journey from Red Rolfe Field in Hanover, N.H. to blowing away the NL East champs at Candlestick. What I got was basically, "F off, kid." Now, in fairness to Remlinger, for all I know he had just come from the manager's office where he'd been told he was getting sent down. Because after pitching the next day in the exhibition Hall of Fame game — always a bad sign for a pitcher regarding his importance to the big club — and getting shellacked, Remlinger was indeed sent back to the minors. It would be three years before he would claw his way back to the Majors with the Mets. At the time, however, I wasn't feeling so forgiving. I'd driven more than three hours to do a nice story on a guy whose college career had been chronicled by my newspaper. And he was a jerk. At this point in my young sportswriting career, I'd already been big-timed by Roger Clemens, so I was prepared for how surly and uncooperative a professional athlete can be — even when the media member standing in front of him is doing a rah-rah piece. But Mike Remlinger? (One interesting note on Remlinger and Clemens: Remlinger has allowed four or more runs in three of his five relief appearances for the Sox while Clemens has allowed four or more runs only twice in 25 starts for the Astros.) I drove home wondering how I was going to cobble the grunts and fragments into something that made it look like I had actually interviewed the pitcher. He hadn't pitched and he'd barely talked. I was getting that gnawing feeling in my gut that a reporter gets when he doesn't have the story. I'd gone above and beyond to get into the stadium and actually get a face-to-face — well, face-to-scowl — interview with the subject. But I was still worried that what I'd hoped would be a great profile, rife with insight from the erudite pitcher himself, would read like a flavorless AP wire piece. As I was fighting my way through the story the next day, trying to stretch it into something worth a drive to Montreal, it came across the wire that Remlinger — after giving up three home runs to the Twins in the exhibition in Cooperstown — had been sent down. Well, it was an angle anyway. I ended the profile with the petulant line, "It's better to have a bust in Cooperstown than to be a bust in Cooperstown." Here's hoping that 14 years later, my second snarky piece on Mike Remlinger coincides with his departure from a Major League club. Kevin Hench is supervising producer of The Sports List on Fox Sports Net, as well as the head writer for the Too Late with Adam Carolla show on Comedy Central. -- TOP STORIES • Coles takes courageous stand against abuse • Time to play nice at Presidents Cup | Scoreboard • Astros retain wild-card lead | Phillies keep heat on • Red Sox's Foulke might be done for season • Raffy the rat? Palmeiro reportedly implicates teammate • Jets' Martin probable after participating in practice • Point taken: Payton latest addition to new-look Heat • Free beer if German team loses | World Cup brothel? • Hands down, Braves fans the dirtiest according to study More News | All RSS XML MLB NEWS Recent Articles by Kevin Hench • Baseball's biggest surprises of 2005 • Fast Forward: NFL Week 2 • You don't care, but here's my fantasy team • Fast Forward: NFL Week 1 • Rice was NFL's ultimate gamer Headlines • Handicapping the playoff races • Red Sox's Foulke might be done for season • Astros retain wild-card lead | Phillies keep heat on • Rockies drop Padres back to .500 with 4-2 victory • Maddux blanks Brewers, close to another 15-win year • Raffy the rat? Palmeiro reportedly implicates teammate • Griffey needs surgery on both knee and hamstring • Hands down, Braves fans the dirtiest according to study • Report: Piniella to accept buyout from Rays | What next? More Headlines | All RSS XML | MLB Video • J-Mo comes through • Hafner leads Tribe • Streaking 'Stros • D'Backs down Dodgers Video Home | All RSS XML FOXSports.com: Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Press | Feedback | Jobs | Tickets | News Corp. | controlyourtv.org | All RSS XML FOX.com | FOX News | FX | Fox Soccer Channel | Fuel TV | Fox Reality - © 2005 Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. © 2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use Advertise TRUSTe Approved Privacy Statement GetNetWise Anti-Spam Policy --

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Gift Hub Gift Hub Blogging Philanthropy About Giving Blogs Charity Governance Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy Friends of the Commons PlaNetwork Journal Vermont Nonprofit CommunIT Philanthropy, Weblogs, and Democracy Wired Community Advance Sustainability Julie Evans Ted Ernst Indigo VT Non-Profit Community Lisa Tracy Lucy Berholz Lenore Ealey Chris Corrigan Info-Commons Philip Cubeta The Happy Tutor Mad Monk ACTA The Giving Blog Social Jedi Supporting Advancement The Philanthropic Enterprise Gang Blog Phil Anthropoid Wealth Bondage: Philanthropy Archives Philanthropy Beat Council on Foundations Emerging Issues: Philanthropy Jane King Foster Freiss Resources Acumen Fund Advance Sustainability American Institute of Philanthropy - Charity Watchdog Helping Donors Make Informed Giving Decisions Association of Small Foundations Blog of Social Wave Communities Project Blueprint Research and Design for Philanthropy: What's New Capital Missions Company -- Networking Socially Responsible Investors Catalogue For Philanthropy Center on Wealth and Philanthropy - Boston College Charity Governance Civic Reflection CivicSpace Labs Collect money for group purchasing, fundraising. — Fundable Community Development Venture Capital Association Community-Wealth.org: Wealth-Building Strategies for America's Communities Conceptual Guerilla's Strategy and Tactics Democracy in Action - Software tools for organizers Dialogues on Civic Philanthropy: Perfecting Our Grants Disinfopedia Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy Evolve Foundation FASTEN - Faith and Service Technical Education Network Fetzer Institute Fourth Sector Network Friends of the Commons GivingGlobal Global Giving GovBenefits GreenMoney Journal Groundspring.org Home - GlobalGiving Hudson Institute Idealist.org Independent Media Center Miles V Smith Philanthropic Advising MobileActive | Cell Phones for Civic Engagement Movement Strategy Movement Strategy Center National Center for Family Philanthropy Net Impact Ocean Foundation PACE - PHILANTHROPY FOR ACTIVE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT Participatory Culture Foundation Partnerships Online PlaNetwork Journal Rockwood Leadership Program Social Edge Stanford Social Innovation Review The Future Of Philanthropy The Interra Project The small Change News Network Tides Underdog Ventures Wired Community WorldChanging: Another World Is Here Worth Living civiblog.org - global community The World We Want Community-Wealth.Com Who owns a community's or a nation's wealth? How can the benefits of an ownership society be spread around for the greater good? Community-Wealth provides the web’s most comprehensive and up-to-date information resource on state-of-the-art strategies for democratic, community-based economic development. Community Development Corporations, Community Development Financial Institutions, Employee Stock Option Plans, Community Land Trusts, Co-Ops, Social Enterprise, and Program Related Investments are among the topic areas. A great resource for those, across the political spectrum, who are interested in using market models for producing sustainable and positive social results. September 12, 2005 in Resources | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Foundations and Government: Who is Responsible for Social Progrms? Philanthropoid , " Is it the proper role of foundations to plug the gaps created by retreating public funds?" Assume they do fill the gaps in the safety net, what programs must then be defunded by the tapped out foundations? Advocacy for social change? You can hear Bill Schambra chortling. Let the bleeding hearts fund the losers, while the wealthy bear it away. Continue reading "Foundations and Government: Who is Responsible for Social Progrms?" » September 09, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Mennonite Disaster Service A knowledgeable friend suggests Mennonite Disaster Service as a credible provider of relief to the very poor in disater areas. September 01, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (1) Writerly Do you find yourself collaborating on documents long distance? Grassroots organizations might find this online document collaboration tool worth a look. September 01, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Websites for Coordinating Disaster Relief? A reader writes, I was curious if you have come across any websites that facilitate collaboration for disaster recoveries. For example, are there places that allow local recovery efforts to post their needs (ie: lights, cranes, machinery, tools) that corporations could respond to. The idea is similar to donorschoose.org but is focused more focused on needs that only businesses could meet. Have you come across anything like this in your work? Does any reader have a site that would provide such collaboration between those in need and those providing disaster relief? August 30, 2005 in Resources | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0) Blogger Conference Call on Estate Tax From OMB Watch What: Blogger Conference Call on Estate Tax When: Wednesday, August 31, from 2:00 - 3:00 pm EST Where: By Phone (Dial-in at 1.800.820.4690; passcode: 2022348494) - RSVP to blewis@ombwatch.org August 30, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Informed Giving Great post by Phil Anthropoid on the great wealth transfer boom and how philanthropy might capture a larger piece. How might advisors, donors, and nonprofits collaborate more effectively to that end? My sense, having worked towards it with some wonderful people, including Phil Anthropoid himself, The Philanthropic Initiative , Lenore Ealy , and Tracy Gary , is that we, collectively as a a nation, have many "stereotypes" and old habits to break if we are to meet as allies and fellow citizens to advance philanthropy and our communities. Values-based planning is a step in the right direction, though values are what cultural wars are made of. Raising awareness, as through Leave a Legacy via National Committee on Planned Giving is a piece. Encouraging all people to have a will is a piece. But perhaps the most important is to find the poetry, the pathos, the energy and the vision - what Tracy Gary calls the "inspiration" - that can lift the process of planning beyond the financial to the ethical, aesthetic, civic and spiritual. People are hungry for a life of more than production and consumption. The market feeds us but not our hungry hearts. So many of us feel that, rich or poor, liberally educated, or fundamentalist. It does not matter. We all raise families, live in communities, and hunger for a life and legacy that speaks well of us, invigorates our children, and leaves or passes on what we most love. Beyond the money is huge well spring of volunteer effort and pent up desire to find a means of engaging our world's many challenges. Maybe as we reach out to one another in the blogosphere, and in the real world settings, we can create that hub or web of relationships that enable each of us to give of her or his best. Philanthropoid - thank you for bringing the subject into focus. August 30, 2005 in Advisor's Role | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Philanthropy Blogs Noted at Council on Foundations Natalie Ambrose at Emerging Issues in Philanthropy has just posted a great overview of philanthropy blogs. She has "outed" me as the author of Philanthropoid's blog . Actually, it is an honor I don't deserve. The real Philanthropoid is far better informed than I about giving, and a far better writer. Great to see Council on Foundations , through Emerging Issues, is now following the giving blogs. I am somewhat surprised that Wealth Bondage made the list, but I suppose Dumpster Dwellers can talk among themselves about Philanthropy if they wish. It is a free country. And after all, Candidia's Rooster Foundation, Crowing in the New American Dawn, is a respected member of COF as is Tigg Montague , Senior Wealth Bondage Fellow, representing the Heritage of Wealth Bondage Foundation, a Think Tank devoted to Excellence and Human Flourishing among the Natural Aristocracy. August 27, 2005 in Philanthropy Folks | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (2) Blogging Philanthropy - Why the Masquerade? A year ago I was interviewed by The Chronicle of Philanthropy on the theme of "where are all the philanthropy blogs?" Today the scene is far more interesting, as evidenced by the growing list of giving blogs listed on our left hand side bar. Now, here is a good question for future articles: "Why are so many of the most outspoken and interesting philanthropy blogs (gifthub excepted) posted beneath a mask? Iconoclasm and philanthropy, or even humor and philanthropy, seem not to go together very well. There is something about big money that brings out the Golden Calf worshipper even in Moses. I mean what is one Commandment more or less? Everything is negotiable. What blogs provide is a back channel in which the pomposity and hypocrisy, so much of the hackery and flakery, of so much philanthropy talk can be exposed, satirized, and sent up. Solemn or ingratiating is not the right tone for discussing the role of money, whether in business, government or philanthropy, in setting our country's course . Money is smart and has learned in our time how to filter its agenda through strategic giving for hopelessly partisan ends . Who will discuss or expose this, except an insider under an alias ? Far easier to put ideologues in charge of philanthropic associations, treat them with the respect due their high office, and carry on as usual - as a Fool among Knaves. Rageboy , one the first bloggers and still one of the most vehement used to talk about "ripping the fucking lid off" corporate discourse, which talks to us, not with us, as if we were dunces who admired their flakery and hype. Maybe the time has come to rip the lid off strategic philanthropy ? If so, probably best to do it under an assumed name - since giving is an unforgiving field, and what goes around comes around. Omerta! my friends. We are all one big Family. Thinking of Publius and the masked pamphleteers among our Founding Fathers, what begins with carnival, ends with revolution and democracy. After awhile the mask slips and we appear in the public square, not as consumers or servants of wealth and power, but as citizens speaking freely in our own new found voices. Blogging will revolutionize philanthropy in that way, by restoring its accountability to ordinary citizens - the public in public good. The public philanthropy serves. August 27, 2005 in Philanthropy Folks | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (2) Ads and Acknowledgements I have added ads to see how they work. The revenue will offset the cost of the site. Any net revenue will go to charity. I have also acknowledged my debt to Candidia Cruikshanks and the good people at Wealth Bondage for their tireless efforts on behalf of a better world according to money. Links to the most recent 10 posts are now displayed on the right hand sidebar. My hope is to improve communication between those in Wealth Bondage and the world of philanthropy. We have The Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal at Hudson leading the way for humankind. And we have the Philanthropy Round Table facilitating giving within the enlightened worldview of wealthy business people. But, in my estimation, the best role model for Stragegic Philanthropy on behalf of the interests of wealthy people (and therefore the world at large) remains Candidia Cruikshanks. Her social venture, Wealth Bondage, is both self sustaining and self serving in a major way. I may be biased, though, since Candidia sometimes throws me a bone from her table. So, when Candidia asked for a little recognition on Gifthub, I was happy to sit up and beg, rollover, fetch, and lick her boots. You would do the same in my position. Who are we kidding. Giving is all about getting ahead. It is what makes the world go round. August 20, 2005 in Geeting ahead in giving | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (1) Allianz Study of "Legacies" Fascinating fact sheets on what the Boomers mean by "legacy," via the Council on Foundations Blog . August 19, 2005 in Values and Planning | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Phil Anthropoid on "Pewgate" Philanthropoid patiently dissects Bill Schambra's ebullient polemic against Pew for its work on campaign finance reform. At issue is Wealth Bondage , whether the rich can purchase democracy, and whether their hired hands in the Think Tanks will be able to intimidate those funders like Pew who stand up for ordinary voters. Schambra himself is all in favor of grassroots giving , as long as the poor give to each other, and the tax cuts keep on coming for the rich so they have the extra cash to buy the next election. so they can get the next tax break, to buy the next election with propaganda made to order by hired hacks. The culture wars are now being fought on the ground of philanthropy . The right sure does stay on message . Who put the hit out on Pew? And what does it pay ? Bradley Foundation's name sure keeps popping up . And why not? Shouldn't both sides be able to fund their views, and encourage their allies and proxies? Throwing money around to influence politics is free speech after all. And on that basis, the rich, not just Pew and Bradley Foundations, are certainly being heard. I hope through blogs those like Phil Anthropoid who think without being paid to follow a party line will finally be heard. We need real free speech, not just the boughten, think tank, kind. Continue reading "Phil Anthropoid on "Pewgate"" » August 17, 2005 in Philanthropy Folks | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Phil Anthropoid Excellent news for all who are interested in philanthropy. We now have a knowlegeable, witty, and good humored insider who is putting his thoughts on line. Mr. Phil Anthropoid is one I will be reading carefully to see just how much he is willing to share. He is the first philanthropy blogger, other than the scurrilous crew at W*eatlh B*ondage who is willing to take an irreverent but kindly poke that the dignified world of upscale giving. Two places you don't laugh: During religious observances and in conversation about philanthropy. Money, or the chance of extracting some from the wealthy, makes us all as pious as heirs around a deathbed. Mr. Anthropoid has a jaunty way about him that spells trouble for the established decorum. August 10, 2005 in Philanthropy Folks | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0) Philanthropic Enterprise Blog Congrats to Lenore Ealy on her new Philanthropic Enterprise Gang Blog . She shows great courage taking on the Happy Tutor in one of her initial posts . As a mild mannered honest broker, I can see merit on both sides, and will move out of the way as quickly as possible. This is not your Dick Minim style philanthropic conversation any more. It is all about wealth, power, and politics - one person promoting the ideology of Wealth Bondage , the other, subverting it. (But which is which you ask? Take AP English and report back.) August 06, 2005 in Tooterisms | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0) Mobile Active Org Via email from Marty Kearns, of Green Media Toolshed , Oh did you see 26 million people use cell phones to engage in Live8? www.mobileactive.org is going to be huge! July 08, 2005 in Resources | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Changemakers, Troublemakers, Courtiers and Clowns (Below is an open letter to Tracy Gary , who asked how, beyond my dismal professional bio , she should introducing me to her progressive funder friends.) Dear Tracy, Yup, been thinking because you asked, about how I see myself beyond my corporate self. The answer is not "financial advisor," nor "trusted advisor," but teacher in a certain very specific tradition. Education comes from "educere" to lead out. Socrates saying that he was (incongruously) the "midwife" to his interlocutors, helping them (male though all were) give birth to what is already within them, latent. Also, as model (in humility) I follow the Trickster Jesus of the Gospels. And also, Diogenes, the naked man in the barrel who accosted the wealthy of his day, including Alexander the Great, and helped them, as would a Zen monk, to awaken, often by setting them paradoxes, or rousing them to fury just short of violence. I do not believe any more than you do that philanthropy will save democracy. It cannot, obviously. The rich are blessed in their own way, but the truly gifted/accursed are the artists, the poets, the prophets, the holy fools. That is the role to which I most deeply aspire, or better yet, am most deeply stuck with. So, I play the fool and the courtier both. But the fool is for keeps. The courtier "financial services professional" is an IQ Test for the client, my various bosses, and colleagues. Most flunk. Diogenes naked in the streets with his lantern in broad daylight, seeking the honest wealth holder, the honest power broker, a "trusted advisor." That is me. The Trickster who teaches by getting the other off balance. Beware. Of course, I do know sprezzatura , the style you suggested some well bred donors expect. (You know it is from Castiglione's Book of the Courtier ? A handbook on how to prosper at Court among the knaves?) I will be as gracious and deferential with your friends as would any courtier to Queen or King. But you asked for an account of who I am. That is it: Troublemaker, as Peter Karoff once said to me. Troublemaker for democracy, maybe not unlike you and your cousin George Pillsbury when you were then as I am now, just a beginner. Haymarket - wasn't that a labor riot ? As an ex-college professor, let alone a financial services trainer, I am reconciled to misreading. Even at Yale many a future ruler of the universe could not follow an agile writer. So, instead of being hard to read, I am very easy. As easy as a billboard or a children's sock puppet. Unless you understand me. At which point I am nothing but trouble. In me as in a raven is the grapeseed. Shat out, it grows to the intransigent vine of Dionysus and democracy. The red wine of the grape, spilled from the Cross, drunk as blood from a chalice - believe me, I meditate on that, as a good lapsed Catholic with a humane education. I have about as much choice in this as does a man or woman in being gay. I can be in or out as one called to foolishness in the public square, but I can't change, only be broken. With you, and through your example, I am finding the courage to be my strange self, Harlequin in patches, "a Socrates gone mad," as Diogenes said. Philanthropy is teaching, but the payoff is activism. For me that means the liberal arts, the arts of freedom, not a passive thing to watch and admire, but to imitate, among the Pharisees, in the public square. What stands a chance of saving us is someone like Martin Luther Kind or Vaclav Havel. And people like that are not waiting around for permission or a grant. Some of us aren't even waiting for real artists. We just shit out what we can and pray that it contains here and there a fertile seed amidst the dung. You know all this. Or are the carrier of it. It is not a blessing, but a calling. And the call is not to peace of mind. The reason you can't shake my support is that I was going where you are going long before we met. You are an optimist by temperament; I consider that wisdom and caritas come with "brokenness and surrender." You and your cousin George have learned moderation in maturity. I have been driven half mad. We inherit a tradition, and we pass it on. It no more cares whether we live or die than do our genes. We are the carriers, the dead husk; the living germ courses through us. We pass it on as we received it, as a gift, the dangerous gift of knowledge, the apple Eve gave Adam. We spit the seed from our mouth. Hence the orchard. The garden run always to weeds. We live among snakes. And the fool should be as wise as the serpent. Extinct? Not yet. Nor Born Again, but Rapture Ready. Be well! Phil July 06, 2005 in Tooterisms | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (2) Omidyar on Carpe Diem Philanthropy Just ran across this very interesting article, from BusinessWeek Online, in 2004, by Pierre Omidyar on philanthropy in the internet age. Not only does he want to give now, rather than "leave a legacy" at death - 50 or so years from now - but he also sees giving as happening within a community of self-actualizing individuals, in which each and every person is a giver. He also sees giving as a kind of investment in a social capital network (as was EBay) that grows in value as it scales (as did EBay, or the telephone, or the English language), and that pays back in real dollars (as did EBay). The role of big givers, or social investors, is to raise up and equip the smaller givers, so they too can discover their own power to do good in the world. This is a profoundly American democractic vision, fusing freedom of speech and assembly, with entrepreneurial zeal, and Emersonian optimism. You can join the Omidyar community, or call it a renewal of the great American experiment, at http://www.Omidyar.net/home. Many of the people who attended the Open Space Giving Conference a year ago in Chicago are members. And many of them are getting together again in Chicago (as I am) with new friends from Omidyar July 29-31 . I have been a member of Omidyar.net since, virtually, the inception and have been staggered to see Pierre and Pam joining in the day to day conversations, not as conveners or owners of the site, but as fellow seekers and citizens. They are the least patronizing of patrons, the least selfish of owners. You could call them hosts, maybe, or cordial role models. They also learn fast and don't mind principled disagreement, in fact they seem to thrive on it. July 06, 2005 in Case Studies in Giving | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Dialogues On Civic Philanthropy Great papers from diverse and distinguished sources on the legitimacy, effectiveness, regulation, and accountability of foundation philanthropy. Comes with an open discussion board. What makes the relatively unregulated exercise of economic, intellectual and political power through "philanthropy" legitimate in a market/democratic culture? Can givers (and the stingy) choose their own moral framework, as they might an automobile, nose job, or Halloween Costume? What are the obligations of wealth in a just society? The papers here raise those issues, in the bland style of successful, well-socialized, intellectuals and functionaries. The same questions raised from the scaffold upon which sits a pillory would be far more interesting to me, as having an outside chance of breaking the polite smile that seems always to accompany discussions of philanthropy. What is human speech for, if not satire? The rich can choose their own ethical systems, as can we who toss the tomato from the crowd. Hudson's site is open to riffraff (the demos) at least for now. Mind your manners! You are in the company of your betters. Do not be surprised if the discussion of legitimacy and accountability remains inconclusive. July 02, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Gifthub as More than Conversation The original hope behind Gifthub is still alive and I would welcome comments, if this note finds interested parties. Assume estate tax is repealed or greatly reduced. Imagine a world where the rich get vastly richer and pass their wealth on unhindered in a new (at best) aristocracy. Imagine government programs cut back, and chances for advancement for working people and poor people reduced except for those who have an aptitude for going along to get along with the ideology of those who have "made it." Imagine philanthropy as both the offset to such a world, and also its adornment or ornament. I would like to imagine a "hub" where wealthy people of good will, advisors to wealth, and talented people from all walks of life can meet as in some ways equals - as citizens. We would meet to advance shared ideals, including the ideals of open society, pluralism, caritas, justice, and passionate disagreement within an atmosphere of mutual respect. I believe there is a "business plan" or social venture plan that might support or undergird such a hub. Advisors want clients. Donors need advisors. All require education, tools, and processes that enable them to work together more effectively for shared ends. All today hide out talking mostly to others in the same professional or sociological silo. Major donors do not attend the conferences of professionals. Professionals are conspicuously uninvited to donor forums. Either group talks about the other in stereotypes. That is vastly dysfunctional for the givers, advisors, and the talented people who might volunteer. With my friend and hero, Tracy Gary , I am mooting about ways we could make this hub come into being as a nonprofit enterprise or association. She has uptake from donor friends. I have some from advisors. If anyone has thoughts, I would welcome comments or emails. Beyond that, onwards! By the way, I recognize the "liberal" slant of my remarks, and acknolwedge a rooting interest in progressive causes. But liberalism to me means risking my views in open contest with those to disagree. Therefore, the hub has, or should have, spokes into conservative, libertarian, and religious networks. The point of open society is precisely that it is inclusive. Someone like Lenore Ealy , for example, or Bill Schambra , or Amy Kass , who are associated with conservative viewpoints would be considered valued colleagues if their networks were enlisted. The point is not to agree on ideology but to second one another's practical efforts for a common good. I have known many compassionate conservatives, as well as many Evangelicals, whose passionate and self-sacrificing efforts for others set a high example. A true Gifthub would network the best together, and welcome the war of ideas, within a shared regard for one another and for those who are less fortunate. July 02, 2005 in About Gifthub | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0) Supporting Advancement Supporting Advancement weblog. Slowly, slowly the fundraising community seems to be getting online to share ideas and best practices. I hope over time that the conversation of philanthropy draws us together across our many specializations, professional affiliations, and "silos" so that we see ourselves, along with donors and volunteers, as fellow citizens engaged in a great wave of giving of which our specialized efforts, and institutional affiliations are just one tiny part. Can we begin to see ourselves as making common cause, across our institutions and - for want of a better term - jobs? June 29, 2005 in Planned Giving | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Recent Comments Phil on Websites for Coordinating Disaster Relief? Lucy Bernholz on Websites for Coordinating Disaster Relief? Reyna Feighner on Websites for Coordinating Disaster Relief? phil cubeta on Websites for Coordinating Disaster Relief? Rusty Stahl on Websites for Coordinating Disaster Relief? Phil on Websites for Coordinating Disaster Relief? Chris Corrigan on Websites for Coordinating Disaster Relief? Phil on Blogging Philanthropy - Why the Masquerade? Phil Anthropoid on Blogging Philanthropy - Why the Masquerade? Phil on Philanthropy Blogs Noted at Council on Foundations Recent Posts Community-Wealth.Com Foundations and Government: Who is Responsible for Social Progrms? Mennonite Disaster Service Writerly Websites for Coordinating Disaster Relief? Blogger Conference Call on Estate Tax Informed Giving Philanthropy Blogs Noted at Council on Foundations Blogging Philanthropy - Why the Masquerade? Ads and Acknowledgements Categories About Gifthub Advisor's Role Case Studies in Giving Charitable Tools Funding for? Geeting ahead in giving Philanthropy Folks Planned Giving Readings Resources Tooterisms Values and Planning Wise Philanthropy A Public Service of Wealth Bondage Archives September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 Subscribe to this blog's feed

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Unique Wedding Party Favors, Wedding Favors, Gifts & ideas for Wedding, Bridal & Baby Showers, Friendship, Anniversaries & Memorials Help | Home | Contact Us Customer Comments | View Cart Enter Keywords Wedding Favors Gifts Attendants Gifts Engagement Parties Anniversary Ideas Bridal Shower Favors Gifts Decorations & Supplies Games Baby Shower Favors Gifts Decorations & Supplies Games Parties Birthday Celebrations Retirement Celebrations Party Ideas, Favors & Gifts Holiday Favors All Occasion Gifts Memorial Products Related Links Baby Shower Gifts Labor Day Pamper Pack Surprise your favorite Mommy-to-be with the gift of tranquillity on the one day she'll really need it! More Info Bridal Shower Gifts Newlywed Kitchen Combo Bride and groom oven mitts really get things cooking in the kitchen! Stir up some smiles with this fun novelty item. More Info Celebrate weddings , bridal showers , baby showers , anniversaries , friends and memorialize loved ones with special gifts and favors from The Rosemary Company. The herb rosemary is the symbol of remembrance, and a traditional gift for loved ones. It said they were someone special and would never be forgotten. Surprise your guests with an array of beautiful mementoes chosen for their thoughtful, unique and memorable qualities. Personalized Tea Favor Personalized Wedding Coffee Wedding Cake Candle Favor Long-Stemmed Lollies VIEW MORE WEDDING FAVORS Celestial Bridal Shower Favor Magnetic Clipboard Favor Bride To Be Button Cookie Cutter Heart Favor VIEW MORE BRIDAL FAVORS Personalized Baby Shower Notepads Showertime Baby Shower Favor Baby Bootie Shower Favors Satin Bunny Favor VIEW MORE BABY FAVORS Help | Home | Contact Us | View Cart © 2000 - 2005 The Rosemary Company. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement This site maintained by Fox Web Design Please direct all questions and comments to the Webmaster

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Gifts for women- Keyword in Sites- keyword searching for woman's gift web sites-NETprofit.com Gifts for Women The best cross-search engine listing is a classy site with gifts that money can't buy- Gifts of Speech ( http://gos.sbc.edu/ ) . Gifts of Speech is dedicated to preserving and creating access to speeches by influential contemporary, women from around the world. Congrats to Liz Linton, mother of the idea. You'll find 85 outstanding speeches from women around the world. And the gift probably not on anyone's list for the holidays (although it shows up as #3 in Yahoo) is menopause ( http://www.radiancemagazine.com/menopause.html ). Other than that, perfumes, flowers, cloths & flowers are the common fare. We saw shewear and hergoods and the newest- www.beckandcall.com if you seek a luxury gift or are a business seeking client or employee gifts and gift service. GraphicLines & ManInTheMoon list well. For those seeking "uncommon" try wonderfullywackey.com . Check back in December for the Male List (we probably should have done the men first since so many men wait until the last minute to shop). Alta Vista 1. Silver. Sterling Silver Jewelry Gifts for Women & Men from Sivle URL: www.sivle.com / 2. Gifts For Women Home Page Luxurious gifts for her. Making it easy to give lingerie, and presents that she'll really appreciate URL: www.giftsforwomen.co.uk/ AOL Search 1. Other Gifts for Women Other Gifts for Women Other Gifts Kids Can Make for Women http://www.makingfriends.com/mother%20day %20gifts.htm 2. Women.com Gift Services-Postcards, presents, gift ideas, yellow pages and more! http://www.women.com/services/gifts/topnav.test.html Direct Hit 1. Women's Gift Ideas, Gifts for Girlfriends, Moms, and Friends http://www.graphiclines.com/womens_gifts.htm 2. Just in Time Gifts for Kids, Women, and Men http://www.justintimegifts.com/ Excite 1. Gifts of Speech: Women's Speeches From Around the World URL: http://gos.sbc.edu/ 2. Lutheran Women's Missionary League, URL: http://www.lwml.org/ FAST/AllTheWeb 1. April Cornell: A Lifestyle Boutique of colorfully designed womens clothing, housewares, linens pottery gifts http://www.aprilcornell.com/ 2. Her, gifts for her, lingerie, women's magazines--4Her.com http://4her.4anything.com/4/0,1001,1002,00.html Google 1. Gifts of Speech: Women's Speeches From Around the World http://www.gos.sbc.edu/ 2. gifts for women http://www.themaninthemoon.com/giftsforwomen.html GoTo.com 1. Same Day Delivery At Usaflower.com www.usaflower.com ($0.73) 2. Gifts for Her By 1GreatGift.com www.1greatgift.com ($0.59) Go.com/InfoSeek 1. Gifts For Women USA Affordable gifts for women along with great collectible and gift ideas http://www.giftsforwomenusa.com/ 2. TowelBuddies Great gifts for baby showers, baby gifts, kids birthday gifts, gifts for women, gifts for girls and new baby gifts http://www.towelbuddies.com/ HotBot 1. Women's Gift Ideas, Gifts for Girlfriends, Moms, and Friends. http://www.graphiclines.com/womens_gifts.htm 2. Just In Time Gifts for Kids Women, and Men http://www.justintimegifts.com/ LookSmart New listings are on top here. 1. Gift Center This is LookSmart's own page. http://www.looksmart.com/r?page=/dls/gi/gi.html&pg=gi 2. Gifts for Women USA New! Choose from a variety of gifts for women such as porcelain flowers, glass creations and collectible dolls. This site needs proofing. http://www.giftsforwomenusa.com:80/womenusa/default.asp Lycos 1. Women's Gift Ideas, Gifts for Girlfriends, Moms, and Friends, http://www.graphiclines.com/womens_gifts.htm 2. Just In Time Gifts for Kids, Women, and Men http://www.justintimegifts.com/ MSN I say! The Brits are on top here! 1. House of Ascot-Gifts and Collectibles from England http://www.houseofascot.com/ 2. Made in Sheffield CyberStore http://www.made-in-sheffield.com/cyberstore/ NBCi Finally a listing in this popular site. 1. iVillage.com Shopping http://www.ivillage.com/shopping/ 2. Sassy Sara's Inc. Fishing & hunting gear for women http://www.sassysara.com/index.html Netscape 1. hergoods.com a store for women http://www.hergoods.com 2. Heart and Soul Gifts http://www.heartandsoul-gifts.com/ Open Directory Why "Gifts for Pets" is returned as the top site is certainly interesting! 1. Gifts for pets- Just the perfect gifts for pets and pet owners- toys & treats. http://www.gifts.com/presents/greatgiftsforpets.htm 2. Mother's Day for Moms at Women.com- Fashion and beauty tips, famous moms, greeting cards, sweepstakes, and more. http://www.women.com/promotions/hotmamas/ Yahoo Web pages 1. Gifts for Speech: Women's Speeches From Around the World http://gos.sbc.edu/ 2. Gifts for women http://www.themaninthemoon.com/giftsfor women.html Web Sites 1. Gifts of Speech: Women's Speeches From Around the World http://gos.sbc.edu/ 2. Gifts for Women USA- sells collectible dolls, glass creations, and more. http://www.giftsforwomenusa.com:80/womenusa/ default.asp NETprofit.com e-Visibility & Web Traffic Generation Services 107 LaSalle Plaza, 800 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55402-8006 Tel: 612.618.0111 - Fax: 612.371.0010 e-mail: Visibility@NETprofit.com © 1996-2000 NETprofit.com, all rights reserved.

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Organic Body Jewelry - Gifts AB Looking For Gift Ideas? Visit Siena Julia for a unique collection of gift ideas. Siena Julia offers unique home decor, fashion jewelry, gifts, collectibles, office accents, tableware, and much more. Organic Body Jewelry Articles Top Organic Body Jewelry Retailers Wood, stone, shell and bone are some of the natural materials used to create beautiful body jewelry. These items are also very rare and difficult to find, so these Guide Picks will help you to locate online suppliers....( Continue Reading ) Body Jewelry Materials - Organics - Wood Bone Horn Ivory Stone Organic body jewelry includes items made of wood, bone, horn, ivory (tusk) and stone. This article discusses whether or not these materials are safe to wear, what restrictions should be heeded and how to clean and care for your organic body jewelry....( Continue Reading ) Body Jewelry Materials Part 3: Organics The third and last part of this article on materials used to create body jewelry deals with organics - wood, bone, horn, ivory and stone. This article discusses whether or not these materials are safe to wear, what restrictions should......( Continue Reading ) All About Body Jewelry Materials Body jewelry can be and is made of many different raw materials. Some materials are more conducive to healing a new piercing, while others are only recommended for well-established piercings or short-term wear. It?s important that you familiarize yo...( Continue Reading ) Body Jewelry - Online Body Jewelry Stores Links to online sources for body jewelry. Find and order body jewelry for every type of body piercing....( Continue Reading ) Organic Body Jewelry Directory Links marin county us angels flower girl james avery cheap wedding gifts and groom gifts mark twain gift basket home business two towers gift baskets in new york hawaiian flower coloring pyrex body jewelry lyrics to gifts and daisy flower arrangements christmas gifts boyfriend snack gift baskets holiday gift certificates gifts for a new mom average wedding gift home remedy los angeles flower delivery inaestimabile donum baptism gifts pat and oscars gifts for bride and wire jewelry designs kids in the hall rum tum tugger los angeles flower district flower of oklahoma honeymoon gift registry appropriate wedding gift temperament sorter my heart david austen flower duet lakme michigan gift baskets gift basket baby gift ideas mom plant a seed plant a flower plant gift for baby shower childrens gold jewelry gift tax rate international flower and garden show anniversary gift year color blind Popular Search Terms: Gifts AB | Gifts | Gifts Resources | Add URL © 2004 Gifts AB All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All Rights Reserved.