Crazed Teacups

A Lender Be

Last year, I read Bill Clinton's book, Giving, subtitled "How Each of Us Can Save the World."  In it, Clinton issued lots of advice that would be completely unhelpful to any normal person, such as, say, starting a foundation.  (I'll get right on that.)  But he did write extensively about Kiva, a group that connects aspiring entrepreneurs around the world with people like you or me, who might be willing to give a little money to get them started. 

Here's how it works: Kiva partners with international microlenders to find prospective lendees, then the stories of these entrepreneurs are posted to Kiva's website.  You contribute money towards their loan, and you'll be emailed when the entire loan amount has been reached.  The lendee has about a year to repay the entire loan; you'll get regular updates about the loan repayment.

I was drawn to a single mom in Mexico who ran a flower shop and was looking for $1200 to help her get supplies so she could actually start shipping her floral arrangements.  I contributed a small portion of that in April 2008 and was notified this week that she has paid back 100% of the loan.  In June 2008, I also gave a little to a carpenter in Togo who needed to buy some more tools.  So far, he's paid back 75% of his loan, so 75% of my loan is available to me.  I could get my money back (since it was a loan, and not a donation) but instead, I just reinvested it in another entrepreneur.  This time, it's going to a 29-year-old man in Ghana who supports some younger siblings by trading/selling hardware.  (The money will let him muy some of his materials in bulk.)

Polonius advised Laertes "neither a borrower or a lender be", and while I'm sure there are a lot of people who wish they would've taken that to heart a little more in the past few years, there's still a lot to be said for lending.  Kiva shows the internet at its very best - connecting hundreds of thousands of people all over the world, all to help one person at a time.

Phife This, Phife That!

A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg has bounced back from kidney disease to become an assistant high school basketball coach and recruiter... on both coasts!  (He also has a new production company and record label.)  According to a SLAM article, Phife will "assist with player relations, running practices, and in-game situations like substitutions and recognizing the hot-hand."

“I’m not turning my back on my love for beats and lyrics,” Phife says in the article. “That’s the reason I’m getting this opportunity to coach and recruit. I want to touch lives through basketball as I did with music.”

Not only is it great to find out that Phife is healthy and doing well, but it's fun to read all the great puns, mostly from the commenters:

- "Can He Coach It?"

- "His starting five will be Brown, Yellow, Puerto Rican and Haitian…"

- "You also know Phife will set an example keep his players healthy and in game shape, as evidenced by his ability to hit it from the back and not catch a hernia."

I'm Getting Excited Now

(Thanks, Blogtown.)

FUP

Fuck You, Penguin ("a blog in which I tell cute animals what's what") is the funniest website I've seen in ages.  Just go to it, scroll down and look at the photos and headlines.  If you don't believe me, check out this excerpt on the 'silky hen', entitled "What is even going on here?":

"

"Here we go. The silky fucking hen. What is this thing thinking when it goes outside every day? It's like David Bowie meets Tim Burton meets Colonel Sanders. Did you just step out into the light after a night of clubbing? CHICKENS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO COCAINE, SILKY HEN.

I'm just going to be honest: I'm terrified of you. I don't know if it's the pom-pom specifically or just that I didn't know it was possible to get whites that white, but something about your look says "I'm coming to steal your dreams." So stay away from me, you dream-stealing poultry devil."

Thanks to David, who can distill what's great on the web like it's nobody's business.

Quote of the Day

The Powell's blog has a regular feature called Q&A, in which they ask many different authors the same standard questions.  This week, they asked religious scholar Huston Smith to "offer a favorite sentence or passage from another writer."  His response:

The final words of Saint John Chrysostom: "Thanks, thanks for everything; praise, praise for it all."

Anyone Watch Wallander?

The new Masteriece Mystery! series, Wallander, started tonight on OPB and last week on other PBS stations.  (Kurt Wallander is the hero in a fantastic crime series written by Swede Henning Mankell.)  I don't feel like sitting down to a 90-min show right now, so maybe I'll tape it later.  Are there any other Mankell fans out there who watched it?  How does it compare?

Seen at Burgerville

Saw this at the MLK Burgerville on the way in this morning.  It was one of those marquee signs that employees do the lettering for:

ASPARAGUS MAXIMUS

At first, I just thought that was funny (not as funny as when I saw someone else had messed with the GET FISH N CHIPS sign and changed it to CHIPS N SHIT, but still funny).  Then I thought, wait!  Does that mean Burgerville's now featuring asparagus?  So I looked it up, and hot diggity - Burgerville's got asparagus!

Being a Yankees Fan: Priceless

This is crazy.  From the NY Post:

Reader Gary Cicio, NYC podiatrist, did the research, and asks us to choose one of the two options to see a Mariners-Yankees game this season, and from the very best seats:

Option 1: Two tickets to Tuesday night, June 30, Mariners at Yanks, cost for just the tickets, $5,000.

Option 2: Two round-trip airline tickets to Seattle, Friday, Aug. 14, return Sunday the 16th, rental car for three days, two-night double occupancy stay in four-star hotel, two top tickets to both the Saturday and Sunday Yanks-Mariners games, two best-restaurant-in-town dinners for two. Total cost, $2,800. Plus-frequent flyer miles.

(Thanks, David)

One More Day!

There's just one more day in the Cat Adoption Team's Care-a-thon, in which they hoped to raise $11,000 over a two month period.  I've already far exceeded my personal goal (originally just $121), and thanks to my awesome friends and family, I've raised $628!  But CAT still hasn't even reached $3k in their $11k drive.  If you can help, please donate here on Sunday.

(The attached photo is one of my all-time favorite pet photos.  That's Chloe, my friend Leslie's cat, who likes to hang out on drying racks.  Who knew that could be comfortable?)

CAT Woman Strikes!

I'm trying to help fundraise for CAT (Cat Adoption Team), a no-kill cat shelter that's celebrating their 11th anniversary this year.  They're asking  each member to find 11 friends who will donate $11 a piece.  Their hope is to reach $11,000.

 

I've been hemming and hawing about participating in this because while I believe in the cause, I hate asking people for money - especially in this economy, and especially when there are plenty of other valuable charities people could be giving to.  But this drive ends on Sunday, and they've still only raised $2,200 - far short of their $11,000 goal, so I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring. 

 

I originally set a goal of $121 (11 x $11), which was quickly met.  Then I set another goal of $250, which would take care of spaying/neutering 9 cats.  That goal has almost been met - in fact, I'm their #3 individual fundraiser right now!  So now I've made a truly ambitious goal of $500.  You can see on the website just how far $500 can go.

 

 

If now's not a good time for you to be donating money, or if there are other causes closer to your heart, I totally understand.  But if you'd like to contribute $11, please visit my page at http://www.firstgiving.com/valariesmith.