january 1st, 2005
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6:37pm

only got through march in counting photos i've made in 2004.
then jason came over and we watched "house at the end of the world"
i think that is what is was called.
it had colin farrel in it, and it was an excellent movie.
we munched on cheese, crackers, smoked oysters and jasmine green tea.
the freezing rain taps frantically on my window but inside my house is toasty warm finally.
i'm in my green flannel pajamas.
it's a good day to lay in bed and holiday with my boyfriend and pupsters :)

weirdly, it was actually lightning out today.
jason saw it by i didn't.
freezing rain with lightning...in january!
seriously weird weather going on in this world lately.

2:44pm

mouseover:

pictures from last night in yesterday's anagram.

woke up to a freeeezzzzing apartment. brrrr.
i have the heat on high now but i'm still so cold, i have flannel pjs, thick socks and the tube scarf over my neck and head. i may go look for fingerless gloves as my hands are so cold.

hummus and crackers and a diet lime coke for breakfast.
i'm watching "the outer limits"

i'm going to count all the photos i made for 2003 now which should take some time.
add that to the anagrams and make the new 2005 folder for the anagrams.

my floor is full of confetti and the wind is rattling my windows with freezing rain.

 

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giving to charity wisely

here is a very informative article about choosing a charity wisely:

http://money.cnn.com/2004/12/22/pf/poverty_giving1_0412/index.htm

excerpt:

"Going online is a quick way to sift through the hordes. You can search for charities by cause at Web sites like http://www.Guidestar.org and http://www.Networkforgood.org.

If you prefer to give close to home, you can get information about local charities from community foundations, which are nonprofit organizations that support area causes. You can find one near you at http://communityfoundations.net.

With a few names in mind, you'll then want to get a handle on how wisely these charities spend money to support their mission. You don't want to give to a group that squanders donations on administrative or fund-raising expenses.

In a 2003 survey of charity telemarketing campaigns, New York State attorney general Eliot Spitzer found that on average less than a third of the money raised went to the groups -- the rest was siphoned off by telemarketing and campaign costs."

"You can scrutinize the financial details (including tax returns) for nearly 300,000 charities at http://www.guidestar.org. Or you can rely on watchdog groups to do the analysis for you. Sites like http://www.Charitywatch.org and http://www.Charitynavigator.org rate charities on how well they use the money they raise. http://www.Give.org, the philanthropic arm of the Better Business Bureau, looks at finances as well as governance issues, such as whether the charity has independent directors on its board.

Each of these watchdog groups has different criteria, but as a rough guideline, a charity earns the highest rating if at least 60 percent of the money it spends goes to its programs and no more than 35 percent to fund raising or other administrative costs.

Many top charities do better, devoting 80 percent or more of the money they spend to their cause. But the financials don't tell you how well a charity is performing its mission -- say, the number of people a homeless shelter has served or how many studies a cancer research group has funded."

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International relief

AMERICAN REFUGEE COMMITTEE INTERNATIONAL 612-872-7060; http://www.archq.org

Spending going to programs: 93 percent

Comments: Offers humanitarian aid to refugees and displaced persons around the world.

AMERICARES 800-486-4357; http://www.americares.org

Spending going to programs: 86 percent

Comments: Delivers emergency relief to victims of international conflict and natural disasters.

Sources: http://www.Charitywatch.org, individual charities.

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also, i did a search for lj communities that list "charity" as an interest and here are just a few that i found (and there are many more). i haven't checked these out, personally:

activists
actrandom
advocates
all_good_news
alt_share_com
carus_futurus
charityclickers
craft4acauseuk
craft_and_cause
craft_for_cause
feedtheworld
giving_tree
good_ideas
heartofservice
itstartswithme
linksforchange
life_helper
love_and_help
love_and_peace
nicepeopleexist
payingitforward
peacetrain
peopletopeople
selfless_acts
worldconscience

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i has some auctions going to charity