Link: http://www.idealist.org

I received the following email and wanted to share it with anyone who is interested.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

As you may know, this month we are trying to reach every nonprofit organization in the country to invite them to post their jobs and volunteer opportunities on Idealist.org.

The biggest challenge we face in doing this, is that after 12 years of promoting Idealist solely by word of mouth (we've never had any money for advertising or marketing) we are suffering from a classic 'network effect' - while in some places we are very well known, in other places no one knows us, and therefore no one knows us…

In Ohio we are somewhere in between: some people are using Idealist, but many others are not.

At the bottom of this email you can see the number of nonprofit job postings we've had so far this month, state by state. As you can see, we should be doing much better in a state as big as Ohio.

And this is why I am writing you: to really jumpstart Idealist in Ohio we need your help.

Are there any mailing lists in the state where you could post this message? If you blog, or if you use Facebook or Twitter or any other networking tool, can you give Idealist a plug and invite your friends to join us?

Lastly, if you want to do more, let me know and we'll put together a team of people who want to help share Idealist in Ohio.

Thanks in advance for your support, and all the best!

Ami Dar
Executive Director
http://www.idealist.org

Job postings on Idealist.org, June 1-17, 2008

NY - 1816
CA - 901
MA - 855
DC - 719
IL - 334
WA - 323
MD - 260
PA - 254
VA - 201
OR - 157
NJ - 146
TX - 116
FL - 111
MN - 86
OHIO - 84
CT - 78
CO - 74
NC - 70
AZ - 60
GA - 60
WI - 58
MI - 45
MO - 36
ME - 34
IA - 32
LA - 30
VT - 30
TN - 25
NM - 25
KS - 24
NV - 24
DE - 22
RI - 21
AK - 18
NH - 18
OK - 18
MS - 15
MT - 15
IN - 13
SC - 8
UT - 7
KY - 6
AL - 6
NE - 6
WV - 4
ID - 4
AR - 4
HI - 3
SD - 2
ND - 2
WY - 1

For more details, here is two-minute video about why Idealist.org is a great place to post a nonprofit job:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-BQYIPILUU

Link: http://www.ebgames.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?sku=230443

About five years ago I hired a personal trainer. It cost a ton of money, but my hard work brought me benefits galore. I got into a great workout routine. I knew what I was doing with the machines and free weights at the gym so there was a significantly less chance that I would get an injury. I lost weight and looked pretty darn good.

Now, going back to where I mentioned that the trainer cost a ton of money. . .After a few months I decided I no longer needed the trainer. I was going to work out all by myself. And I did for a while - at least until I didn't anymore. Like all of the other exercise routines I have ever had, this one got lost in the shuffle. I gained back some of the weight, lost a lot of the strength I had built up, and felt guilty the whole time it was happening. Four years later I still haven't reestablished an exercise routine.

This brings me to the "Be Fit with Wii" link I provided. I am obviously not in a position to preach to anyone about the importance of maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly. I don't like to quote stats so I am not going to provide any here, but I don't think anyone would argue that many children (and adults) today in the U.S. get less exercise than they should, don't eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables, and are generally not the healthiest generation the country has ever turned out.

I question what seems to be the willingness of a great many people to accept what seems to me to be very silly ways to justify the use of a video game controller over the use of a treadmill. I firmly believe that if a child or adult does not currently exercise on a regular basis that purchasing an $89.99 (plus sales tax) balance board connected to the Wii is not going to improve your chances of being the person you always wished you could be.
I know that my attitude falls on the negative end of the expectation spectrum, but there happens to be several other realists down here with me most of the time. Spending money to increase the profit line of Wii is not going to make anyone healthier. This is a marketing ploy like so many others. "Look at how easy we are making it for you!" If life were that easy, I would still be a size 8 and have great abs.

My point is this; if you are going to buy this product, buy it because it looks like a fun toy and not because you think you or your child will get the exercise you need and suddenly start eating right. And please don't think I have a crusade against Wii. I love the Wii and have played several games on the Wii. I don’t, however, feel swayed to believe that the little white box under the TV is going to provide the emotional encouragement I personally need to put myself on track to lose the extra 25 pounds I carry around my hips. Little white boxes can't do that, not even if they come in shiny packages and cost only $90. Even if I wake up tomorrow and decide that making the Wii my new personal trainer is a great idea, I am going to wait a few weeks after the release and buy one of what I expect will be thousands of used "Wii Fit with Blance Boards" on the gaming market.

http://www.sexandthecitymovie.com/

Link: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hioNE4UQDdE3Lo1ZjwRLBC9JFtvQ

Seriously? I am all for cessation of beating the dead horse, but it might be easier if the White House pick one version of a story and stick to it. It amazes me that they can hold out for an impossible victory in Iraq (Can anyone tell me how we are defining "victory" these days? I know the dictionary has under gone some radical updates in recent years, but I still can't figure out how anyone can expect a victory in this situation. It doesn't have anything to do with why we went to Iraq. The way things are today, I don't believe there are enough benefits to outweigh the horrors of war.), but still can't seem to decide how to address questions about the meaning of a banner that was displayed 5 years ago. And which media outlet has run out of things to write about and finds it necessary to request further comment on the issue of the "Mission Accomplished" banner? Our Government doesn't make me angry anymore. It doesn't make me laugh. It honest to goodness makes me sad that our Government has spent so much time and energy on things that don't matter; things that only further the divide in the Nation. Does anyone that "represents the people" ever sit up at night and wonder if they've done the right thing? Seriously! I don't care who designed the banner, who printed the banner, or who asked for the banner. I care that people are dying. I care that the United States seems to be losing all credibility globally. Please don't tell me that makes me unpatriotic. I happen to believe it makes me very patriotic. Seriously.

I know that the end of April is here, but I don’t think that is any reason to not contemplate the fact that April is Alcohol Awareness Month, Stress Awareness Month, Donate Life Month, and National Humor Month to name what I am sure is not a complete list of April designations.

Now let’s work this one out with paper and pencil.

Becoming aware of their stress, people may become more aware of the importance of alcohol, which in turn, especially if the alcohol is Tequila, may result in the donation of life. Serioulsy, am I the only one who thinks drunken sperm must swim faster than the sober ones?

Now before you start to moan and groan in disgust, remember that April is National Humor Month. The site I found did not specify good humor or bad humor.