Random stupid things on your mind. Post them.

[stevesh]

An op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal about Greenpeace's opposition to GMO foods started me thinking about whether charitable and activist non-profits ever actually achieve their stated goals, and if it's even possible for them to do so.

It seems to me that at some point in such an organization's history, the personal goals of its employees run counter to the aims of the organization, which should greatly diminish their effectiveness.

Does someone pulling down $60K a year shuffling paper for Susan G. Komen really want to see breast cancer cured ?

Does someone living a good life as an Executive Vice-President for the National Rifle Association really want the Supreme Court to declare an absolute Second Amendment right ?

The Muscular Dystrophy Association does great work that isn't cure-related, but after twenty-some years and hundreds of millions of dollars from Jerry's telethons, are they any closer to a cure ? If not, why not ? Is it possible that the thousands of people they employ are subconciously dogging it to keep their jobs ?

I'm thinking that the tipping point comes early in the life of these organizations, possibly when the number of employees exceeds the number of volunteers.

Just askin'.

[b_dubb]

those are all great points stevesh

[ziznak]

An op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal about Greenpeace's opposition to GMO foods started me thinking about whether charitable and activist non-profits ever actually achieve their stated goals, and if it's even possible for them to do so.

It seems to me that at some point in such an organization's history, the personal goals of its employees run counter to the aims of the organization, which should greatly diminish their effectiveness.

Does someone pulling down $60K a year shuffling paper for Susan G. Komen really want to see breast cancer cured ?

Does someone living a good life as an Executive Vice-President for the National Rifle Association really want the Supreme Court to declare an absolute Second Amendment right ?

The Muscular Dystrophy Association does great work that isn't cure-related, but after twenty-some years and hundreds of millions of dollars from Jerry's telethons, are they any closer to a cure ? If not, why not ? Is it possible that the thousands of people they employ are subconciously dogging it to keep their jobs ?

I'm thinking that the tipping point comes early in the life of these organizations, possibly when the number of employees exceeds the number of volunteers.

Just askin'.

Just like the mike bara's and hoaxboy's of the world these organizations will always find "the next thing" that gives them reason to exist and continue to necessitate your kind contributions.

           If anybody saw Howard Stern on Jimmy Kimmel last night....well, I now know how baseball fans felt watching Willie Mays for the Mets in '73. Just pathetic, ready for the glue factory type of misery. I think Stern has been washed up for a long time, but last night was even worse than I expected.
     

Howard Stern reminds me more and more of Larry King as he ages.

[ChewMouse]

Does someone pulling down $60K a year shuffling paper for Susan G. Komen really want to see breast cancer cured ?

I picked this sentence because I teach nursing and invariably the question comes up: do drug companies and various foundations really want to see cures for the ills they are "fighting", such as breast cancer? Naturally such cures would end jobs and therefore terminate the need for various organizations.

My stock answer is this: the researchers and all members of the company are either women or they have mothers, sisters, wives and daughters, a certain percentage of which are sure to be afflicted with breast cancer. That alone would drive them toward a cure.

See, I have to believe that. Otherwise I'd change my career. I'm not in the business of perpetuating disease to benefit leaders of various illness-related companies.

But a story I don't tell is about the National Foundation For Infantile Paralysis. Jonas Salk was a researcher who was part of this polio-fighting group...and he won the fight with a vaccine. He could not cure polio, but his work could prevent it.

And the vaccine sat on a shelf. And it sat. And it sat.

So Salk went private and gave the vaccine to his own children and within a relatively short period of time, we all got the vaccine. Polio, for awhile, was considered eradicated. And the National Foundation For Infantile Paralysis was dead in the water.

They changed their name, a very canny move. And they thrive today.

That's why I never give a red cent to the March of Dimes. Though the originals are almost surely all gone, this is the organization that withheld the polio vaccine.

These details are not easy to find, but Wikipedia's March of Dimes entry is notable for what it omits.

The above story is the one I don't tell my students.

[Eddie Coyle]

Howard Stern reminds me more and more of Larry King as he ages.

         Fitting that was one of Stern's better impersonations on the old Channel 9 show.

[b_dubb]

That's why I never give a red cent to the March of Dimes. Though the originals are almost surely all gone, this is the organization that withheld the polio vaccine.

holy crap.  i had no idea that someone kept the vaccine for polio secret.  thanks for sharing this.  screw the March of Dimes

[Meggini]

holy crap.  i had no idea that someone kept the vaccine for polio secret.  thanks for sharing this.  screw the March of Dimes

Whoah. I've been very careful about not giving money to foundations that have a high percentage of admin fees. For example, I'd never give to Komen - too much $$ spent suing people who used the word "cure" in fundraisers. But.. it's easy to be fooled. And there's a reason why it's fashionable for the sons/daughters of the rich and famous to start charitable orgs. Charity is a very lucrative biz. Easy to pull down 6-figures in admin fees when you have your parent's wealthy friends in your address book.

My random stupid thing:

I feel selfish, but I'm bummed that Io9.com has been down all week because their servers were damaged by Sandy. That's my favorite genre entertainment and popular science news website.

[Sardondi]

Whoah. I've been very careful about not giving money to foundations that have a high percentage of admin fees. For example, I'd never give to Komen - too much $$ spent suing people who used the word "cure" in fundraisers....

That's the whole issue right there - the percentage of donations which go to "administration" ( read "salaries"). It still infuriates me that the Red Cross, a bloated bureaucracy if ever there was one, sniffs that it will take our money, but it doesn't want foodstuffs, clothes, blankets or survival items. That guarantees a fantastic amount of money will be wasted by RC. But we little people just shouldn't worry our pretty little heads about stuff like that, and should let the professionals do all that hard thinking.

[Meggini]

That's the whole issue right there - the percentage of donations which go to "administration" ( read "salaries"). It still infuriates me that the Red Cross, a bloated bureaucracy if ever there was one, sniffs that it will take our money, but it doesn't want foodstuffs, clothes, blankets or survival items. That guarantees a fantastic amount of money will be wasted by RC. But we little people just shouldn't worry our pretty little heads about stuff like that, and should let the professionals do all that hard thinking.

That's just it. It's easy to give physical survival items locally, very difficult to give across state lines or internationally. That makes it tough if you really want to help during a disaster, famine, or whatever.

And if I want to give money towards finding a cure for a disease, how does someone like me find a Jonas Salk to donate to directly?

Sometimes we have to trust an organization to forward the funds or host the research. It's too bad, because the lazy and greedy can smell free money from miles away and they're difficult to move once they've sat their fat asses on honeypot.

[MV/Liberace!]

That's the whole issue right there - the percentage of donations which go to "administration" ( read "salaries"). It still infuriates me that the Red Cross, a bloated bureaucracy if ever there was one, sniffs that it will take our money, but it doesn't want foodstuffs, clothes, blankets or survival items. That guarantees a fantastic amount of money will be wasted by RC. But we little people just shouldn't worry our pretty little heads about stuff like that, and should let the professionals do all that hard thinking.

my grandmother was a respiratory therapist for 30 years, and absolutely HATED the red cross.  any time that organization's name was mentioned she would cringe.  she hated the RC because blood donation used to be handled primarily through hospitals or various other local entities, and you were paid for your blood... until one day, some how, the red cross managed to tie almost all blood donation into their organization.  if you've donated blood at any time in the last 20 years, it's unlikely you've done so through an organization other than the red cross. 


sooo... not only do you no longer get paid for your blood, but the red cross makes hundreds of dollars per unit donated.  nice racket.  fuck that organization.  i also will never forget how they misled all of the peasants after 911, making them believe their donations would help 911 victims and their families.  nope.  that money went into the RC's general fund, and there it sat.  nice. 


by the way... red cross CEO gail mcgovern makes $561,210 per year according to the better business bureau.
http://www.bbb.org/charity-reviews/national/human-services/american-red-cross-in-washington-dc-679/all


the RC's highest paid executive:  James Hrouda, Executive Vice President, Biomedical Services
Compensation*: $621,779

[b_dubb]

my grandmother was a respiratory therapist for 30 years, and absolutely HATED the red cross.  any time that organization's name was mentioned she would cringe.  she hated the RC because blood donation used to be handled primarily through hospitals or various other local entities, and you were paid for your blood... until one day, some how, the red cross managed to tie almost all blood donation into their organization.  if you've donated blood at any time in the last 20 years, it's unlikely you've done so through an organization other than the red cross. 


sooo... not only do you no longer get paid for your blood, but the red cross makes hundreds of dollars per unit donated.  nice racket.  fuck that organization.  i also will never forget how they misled all of the peasants after 911, making them believe their donations would help 911 victims and their families.  nope.  that money went into the RC's general fund, and there it sat.  nice. 


by the way... red cross CEO gail mcgovern makes $561,210 per year according to the better business bureau.
http://www.bbb.org/charity-reviews/national/human-services/american-red-cross-in-washington-dc-679/all


the RC's highest paid executive:  James Hrouda, Executive Vice President, Biomedical Services
Compensation*: $621,779

and there goes my lunch.  all over my keyboard

[stevesh]

blood donation used to be handled primarily through hospitals or various other local entities, and you were paid for your blood...

I was stationed in Hawaii for two years, and we got a half-day off every six weeks to go to Queen's Hospital to donate blood. They paid $10 (in 1969), and after the donation, they offered a can of orange juice or a can of beer. Better days.

[Sardondi]

I was stationed in Hawaii for two years, and we got a half-day off every six weeks to go to Queen's Hospital to donate blood. They paid $10 (in 1969), and after the donation, they offered a can of orange juice or a can of beer. Better days.

Ah, the famous "blood donor cheap buzz".

[Mind Flayer Monk]

I donate blood once per year at my local Children's Hospital. The process is on site and completely automated.
I have been told that the blood is used at that or nearby Children's Hospitals. I hope that it is being used well and no one is getting price gouged for the blood.

[McPhallus]

That's the whole issue right there - the percentage of donations which go to "administration" ( read "salaries"). It still infuriates me that the Red Cross, a bloated bureaucracy if ever there was one, sniffs that it will take our money, but it doesn't want foodstuffs, clothes, blankets or survival items. That guarantees a fantastic amount of money will be wasted by RC. But we little people just shouldn't worry our pretty little heads about stuff like that, and should let the professionals do all that hard thinking.

That sucks if true.  I used to work for the Red Cross (for just a few months as a temp), and they seemed pretty legit.  My job involved processing donations, and as I recall they had several donation categories ranging from administrative to direct relief for disasters (Katrina was still a big deal at the time). Shame if that money was used wrongly.

[Eddie Coyle]

 
         The Red Cross are the spawn of the Templars. It's a plot by "you know who" to take over everything. John Wells should get to the bottom of this.

    * You know who is a delightful melange of "them".

[Sardondi]

         The Red Cross are the spawn of the Templars. It's a plot by "you know who" to take over everything. John Wells should get to the bottom of this.

    * You know who is a delightful melange of "them".

Uh, angels?

[Eddie Coyle]

Uh, angels?

       They are certainly part of this nebulous, but clearly malevolent force. But I'm on to "them". I'd quote Delmore Schwartz here...but he's probably part of it too.

[stevesh]

Freakin' awesome:

http://news.discovery.com/space/big-pic-mars-curiosity-self-portrait-121101.html

[Evil Twin Of Zen]

Freakin' awesome:

http://news.discovery.com/space/big-pic-mars-curiosity-self-portrait-121101.html

looks like there should be a Jawa or two in the background. 

[ziznak]

Freakin' awesome:

http://news.discovery.com/space/big-pic-mars-curiosity-self-portrait-121101.html

So is that the like the rover equivalent of a ducklips self shot on farcebook?

[Eddie Coyle]

 
          Time for Diane Sawyer to be superannuated. How many Jessica Savitch episodes is one allowed before the plug is pulled.

[b_dubb]

watching Finding Bigfoot and suddenly it all seems so plausible. I'm so glad I bought this twelve pack

[Eddie Coyle]

 
      It's an 80's thing, you wouldn't understand....

[stevesh]

      It's an 80's thing, you wouldn't understand....

Shouldn't that be 'reach around' ?

[Eddie Coyle]

Shouldn't that be 'reach around' ?

That's not fair. Richard Simmons just hasn't found the right girl yet.

[ChandlersDad]

What is the difference between Memorial Day and Veteran's Day?  I honor the Veterans' many sacrifices, but am selfishly miff'd that tomorrow is yet another free vacation day for Postal Workers, right at a time when I am anxiously awaiting a package. I know....shoulda used Federal Express.

And that brings up another question: Why do banks also give employees the same days off as Federal workers? How did that originate? Damn inconvenient for the rest of the citizens. 

[stevesh]

What is the difference between Memorial Day and Veteran's Day?  I honor the Veterans' many sacrifices, but am selfishly miff'd that tomorrow is yet another free vacation day for Postal Workers, right at a time when I am anxiously awaiting a package. I know....shoulda used Federal Express.

And that brings up another question: Why do banks also give employees the same days off as Federal workers? How did that originate? Damn inconvenient for the rest of the citizens. 

Memorial Day honors those military members who gave their lives for their country. Veteran's Day honors all military veterans, dead or living.

[stevesh]

      That's not fair. Richard Simmons just hasn't found the right girl yet.

Too much time spent being the right girl, I guess.

[ChandlersDad]

Are you really sinking to the level of gay jokes?  Richard Simmons is a very shrewdly created persona, and he plays it for laughs. It really says nothing about who he really is.  I lived in Los Angeles for many years, and the general scuttlebutt was that he was actually heterosexual.  Ironically, some of the public macho men in TV/movies were often known to actually be gay around town. You really cannot rely on any public image.