All Blog Posts (30)

My Test Blog Post

Just trying to see if this thing works. eating disorder treatments Its good to be here. Continue

Added by missysandra on December 21, 2009 at 4:05pm — No Comments

Eating Recovery Center Expands Treatment Capacity

Eating Recovery Center (www.eatingrecoverycenter.com), a behavioral hospital providing comprehensive treatment and sustainable recovery for eating disorders, this week announced that it has opened 12 new inpatient and residential beds to help meet an overwhelmi… Continue

Added by Ron Zwerin on December 10, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

Pet Health Insurance

I've recently been looking at several pet health insurance plans and have been very dismayed. Most of the plans have some sort of regular payment with a set of "covered" expenses. From what I've seen, the pricing is worse than human health insurance - and that is saying something.

With pets living longer, there is an increased likelihood that you'll ha… Continue

Added by Joseph Hewitt on October 13, 2009 at 6:52am — 1 Comment

Pet Costs and Breeding

Check out the stats from an article I found off Twitter (URL at the end): 1. The average dog lives 12-14 years 2. A 50 pound dog that lives 14 years will cost you $ 13,000 – $ 20,000 3. Where pet care is more expensive, the overall cost could double. 4. A healthy $ 1,000 high-quality purebred will cost less than a poorly-bred $ 100 puppy. The most interesting point in the article is #4 - that purebreds are, on average, healthier than a poorly bred puppy. It's an interesting point and an area t… Continue

Added by Joseph Hewitt on September 24, 2009 at 7:14am — No Comments

Pet Airways - It's about time!

Who else thinks this is a great idea? As someone who has had issue with airlines and pets, I'm willing to pay good money for a trouble-free experience of getting the dog across the country. We've got a pug mix, which means normal airlines will require a release form in case she DIES. That makes me feel real comfortable (not). I've read a lot of comments on stories related to this new airline. Many have been negative in regards to people over-paying for their pets or things of the sort. However,… Continue

Added by Joseph Hewitt on September 12, 2009 at 10:06am — No Comments

HAPPY Act

The newly proposed HAPPY Act could make it possible to write off up to $3,500 of pet-related expenses from your taxes. In theory, this is supposed to spur pet adoption and help to reduce the number of euthanized pets while easing costs on shelters and rescues. The costs of adoption have spiked recently with many shelters requiring micro-chipping, spay/neutering, and shots before you can take them home, it is hard to reduce the demand for breeders. Many breeders include these things in their pri… Continue

Added by Joseph Hewitt on August 29, 2009 at 4:45pm — 2 Comments

Next "Talk Back Tuesday"

Hello Everyone! Philanthropy is very important to me – there is something rewarding about giving back and knowing that you’ve made a small dent in making a difference in the world. I’ve tried my best to convey my thoughts and goals through my music and a social media site I launched with Akon, www.istheresomethingicando.com. Please check out the site, and the two songs Akon and I have collaborated on (“Blood into Gold” and “Anything”) in effort to support various causes. I would love to talk t… Continue

Added by Peter Buffett on July 31, 2009 at 11:56am — No Comments

Future of Social Media

There are many techno-geeks out there saying that social media is the future of donations. Without too much setup, I’m going to disagree. Let’s jump right in to my points. 1. The current rate of change in technology does not allow for a medium or long-term strategy based around any one website or technology. Non-profits cannot replace the traditional donation model because they are then at the mercy of any change to the technology, acquisition of the company, or possibility of the company going… Continue

Added by Joseph Hewitt on July 7, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Iran

So what do we think of what's going on in Iran and what should President Obama say in the speech that is sure to come in the next few days? We may wake up tomorrow to news of the violence coming after the potential demonstrations. It's hard to imagine that the youth culture in that country isn't representative of a new track, away from fundamentalist Islam. Continue

Added by Erik Figi on June 19, 2009 at 10:36pm — No Comments

Is Twitter the future of donation?

In a word – NO. Twitter’s core competency is short communication, but not in the normal Web 2.0 ways. It is currently being used as a “look at me” communication device. However, it requires people to want to look at you. This means that you need an equal number of people following you that you are following (in aggregate of course) to sustain the service. Currently, 80% of Twitter accounts have less than 10 consistent followers. That is not sustainable success. To me, that means dormant accounts… Continue

Added by Joseph Hewitt on June 16, 2009 at 5:00pm — 1 Comment

What if you could choose where your tax dollars went?

I’ve recently asked many people where they want their tax dollars spent. The answers included police and firemen, education, defense, foreign aid, and so on. So the question is, with no government involvement, where would you focus your tax dollars? Is this any different than charity? If we all we allowed to choose where our tax dollar went, would we be better off? Or better yet – how much would you put aside to go to GM? Continue

Added by Joseph Hewitt on May 29, 2009 at 2:26pm — 2 Comments

Tom's Shoes

I found this business and its mission very inspirational and needed. http://www.tomsshoes.com Could this be the future of business models? Continue

Added by Erik Figi on May 25, 2009 at 6:14pm — 2 Comments

American Idol & Idol Gives Back... is absent this year?

I will, with reluctant embarrassment, admit that I watch and enjoy American Idol. That being said, I do not enjoy the first part of the season, but rather the later half, which actually showcases talent, as opposed to exploiting crappy contestants for laughs. But, the "cringe" factor seems to be so very prevalent in television today. Hello, Reality TV! The point of my post is to express my disappointment that the episode, "Idol Gives Back," was not filmed this year. Now, I understand that some… Continue

Added by Erik Figi on May 23, 2009 at 10:57am — 2 Comments

Donation Factors

What specific things are more important in your decision to donate? It’s tough enough to decide where to distribute donations, but what factors should you take into account? • Cause – Which cause is most important to you? • Marginal happiness increase – How much does your dollar increase the overall welfare of the person receiving services? • Efficiency – How efficiently does your dollar reach the cause? • Location – How important is the local of the cause to you? • Political/Religious Affiliat… Continue

Added by Joseph Hewitt on May 22, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Which cause is most important?

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about which causes are most important to me. Being as highly analytical and idealistic as I am, I have not been able to separate what I feel is best personally versus what is best for everyone. How can you pick one over another regardless of your personal involvement? Do you decide on the seriousness of the cause? The number of people the issue affects? The basic needs of the cause? The efficiency of the organization running the non-profit? The people who… Continue

Added by Joseph Hewitt on April 27, 2009 at 7:00pm — 3 Comments

Obama to cut charitable donation deduction for wealthy? Down with the rich!

I get it. Everyone hates rich people and it’s a great platform to run on. However, this assault on wealthy individuals is in complete contradiction to the ideas of the new administration. If helping those in need is a first-tier goal, then how does funneling that money back through the government instead of letting it go directly to the non-profits help the greater good? Many community-based programs are holding up portions of society that are most affected by the economic downturn. There is no… Continue

Added by Joseph Hewitt on February 27, 2009 at 6:30pm — 2 Comments

Of course solar doesn’t make sense!

Why would anyone think that solar could actually be a viable source of energy? After all, what happened the last time became dependent on a particular energy source? Not good. We don’t need any of those other countries controlling our solar supply. Could you really imagine importing 30% of our sun from Venezuela? Not to mention that the sun is going to burn out in a short 5 million years. Then we’ll have to restructure everything AGAIN. Subsidize and regulate! But what about the costs? Consider… Continue

Added by Joseph Hewitt on February 24, 2009 at 4:29pm — 1 Comment

CA Budget Shortfall – Is it Sacramento’s Fault?

Given all the press around the shortfall in the California budget and how badly our government representatives have done, I can’t help but look locally and wonder exactly how bad our L.A. representatives have done. There is so much low-hanging fruit on the cutback front, yet everyone feels that changes need to be colossal and comprehensive to be considered. I beg to differ. I feel that you can apply Chris Andersen’s “The Long Tail” model to change in order to make change at lower governmental ch… Continue

Added by Joseph Hewitt on February 12, 2009 at 1:00pm — 1 Comment

It's time!

Well, folks. We are looking to take this idea to a more “marketable” level. We’re seeking investment and pricing from web development companies to get this puppy off the ground. If any of you have any knowledge or contacts that would help us in this respect, please let us know. Continue

Added by Joseph Hewitt on January 26, 2009 at 2:22pm — No Comments

Philanthropy, Recessions, and Corrections

Recently, the news has been dominated recently by one word – recession. The media is constantly reporting that sales are down, we’re stuck in our home and auto loans, and people are losing jobs. However, I don’t know if recession is the right word to describe the entire set of issues.
For example, the economic definition of a recession is “a period of an economic contraction, sometimes limited in scope or duration”.
Contrast this with some definitions of the word correction.
1.… Continue

Added by Joseph Hewitt on January 7, 2009 at 10:17am — No Comments