PHILANTHROPY 2173: Philanthropy and Social Investing Blueprint ...

My third annual industry forecast for philanthropy and social investing is now available.

After a year like the one we've just had what can donors and impact investors look ahead to in 2012? Here's what we can expect:

"There are two things we can be sure will happen in 2012. First, hundreds of millions, probably billions, of dollars will be raised by newly created, issue-specific nonprofit organizations in the United States. Second, that money will be used for political advertising in the American presidential campaign.

An opening statement about political giving might seem out of place in a monograph on philanthropy. It should make you say, ?what?? The key challenge for philanthropists going forward will be to understand and adapt to the actual landscape of funding in which they now work. Today this is as much a landscape shaped by the dynamics of political giving and impact investing as it is by charitable giving. It is the gravitational pulls and pushes, the choices made between and among these resources and the enterprises that they fund that matter."

Blueprint 2012 will help donors, investors, and enterprise leaders address three big shifts coming in 2012:

• Finding your way in the new social economy in which philanthropy and impact investing now operate
• Considering the implications of the Citizens United decision on philanthropy and social investing
• Making sense of data as a public good

Looking further into the future, Blueprint 2012 provides early alerts about the impact of open government and the sharing economy on philanthropy and impact investing.?

You can buy hard copies on Lulu, pdfs at Scribd or Amazon Kindle versions (eBook format is coming soon!). Orders of 20 or more can be placed by clicking here. Preview the book below:

Philanthropy and Social Investing Blueprint 2012

Source: http://philanthropy.blogspot.com/2011/12/philanthropy-and-social-investing.html

world series game 2 world series game 2 libya bay area news lettuce recall lettuce recall zanesville ohio

Two talented 'X Factor' contestants go home

Fox

Simon admitted he might have been wrong to let Drew Ryniewicz sing so many slow songs.

By Craig Berman, TODAY.com contributor

Someone is going to get a $5 million recording contract later this month thanks to ?X Factor,? but two of the acts who seemed the best bets to become that kind of star were voted off the show Thursday.

The more predictable one was Astro. This is not a show that a teenage hip-hop artist could expect to do well in, and he did well to last as long as he did. It wasn?t a big shock that he was the lowest vote-getter. But if you were betting on someone to wind up making it big out of this group of contestants, it might be him.

Or it might be Drew. The teenager found herself in a sing-off with Marcus Canty, which clearly came as a stunner to both her and mentor Simon Cowell. Simon, in fact, was so surprised that he actually humbled himself in his efforts to save her, an act most experts had previously considered to be impossible.

?The reason Drew?s in this position tonight is my fault. I take total, full responsibility,? he said. ?I should have listened to what everyone else was saying.?

?I?m begging these two to give her another chance, I really am,? he then said, referring to the critical votes of Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul.

Well, let?s review for a second. Here?s what everyone else had been saying about her: Drew has a lovely voice and it would be great if she would at some point sing something that wasn?t as slow and deadening as the typical Steve Jones pause before he announces the results.

Here?s what Simon said in response: Forget those no-talent hacks next to me on the podium. I know best, she?ll keep doing what she?s doing, and if you don?t like it you can go pound sand.

As it turns out, the other three were correct in their assessment. But Simon was right about one thing .... the judges made the wrong call in sending Drew home. She was much better than Canty, both Thursday night and throughout the competition, and is far more likely to become a recording star than he is.

If you were searching for storylines, you might point out that Simon couldn?t expect the women to do him a favor tonight after he?s spent the past couple of months belittling them. All those jibes at Nicole probably aren?t going to get her to take his side in a dispute.

Two other factors were more likely explanations, however. The first is that at the end of the night there are only five singers left in the competition, and had the judges saved Drew then there of the singers would have been girls. Better to mix things up than to let one judge dominate.

But the ultimate reason is that Simon?s mea culpa was right. By ignoring what the judges had said about her over the past few weeks, Simon and Drew set themselves up for disappointment.

If we?re judging this based on vocal talent, Drew and Melanie Amaro are the clear winners. But week after week, Drew came out singing these sad, soulful, angsty and sappy ballads. Every one, taken individually, was very good. But because she did the same thing every week, it was easy for people to tire of her.

The eliminated contestants took the news very differently. Astro, who went on a rant the last time he was in the bottom two, seemed cheerful at his exit. ?I wish you all the best of luck Team L.A. Reid!? he yelled, thanking his ?Astronauts? and promising to be back.

Drew, meanwhile, interrupted her sobbing to blurt out ?Jesus loves all of you guys. I haven?t gotten to say that, and that?s what I?m here for, and that?s what I truly was in this competition for, and now I?m saying it.?

Sadly, it came as she was saying goodbye.

Did the wrong contestants get sent home? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

?

Related content:

Source: http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/02/9163174-simons-mea-culpa-cant-save-one-of-two-x-factor-contestants

jimmy kimmel tilt do a barrel roll. florida state football florida state football fsu football fsu football

85-year-old says she was strip searched at JFK (Providence Journal)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/169469720?client_source=feed&format=rss

matt moore national grid andrew luck andrew luck day light savings time 2011 hocus pocus hocus pocus

Is Pet Insurance Worth It? [Ask Lifehacker]

These vary from policy to policy, so pay close attention the terms when you're researching. The hereditary conditions one in general is difficult to define, so talk to your vet about potential problems before choosing an insurance plan. If you have an "exotic" animal like a horse, lizard, or parrot, you may need to search for special insurance companies.

Photo by holga_new_orleans.

How to Pick out the Right Insurance

The cheapest monthly rate I was able to find for a 12-year-old cat was $11.45/month but it had a $1,000 deductible and only covered accidents. Another plan, with a $500 deductible was over $300 a year, which collectively is more than I've spent on the cat's healthcare in its entire lifetime.

The biggest issues to watch out for if you're going to pick a pet insurance are service related. Not all companies are the same and many have exclude specific treatments or pay different percentages on different procedures, so read the policy as carefully as you would your own. Many also vary deductibles based on the incident type and treatment, which makes planning difficult.

I talked with several veterinarians, who seemed to unanimously recommend Petplan and VPI Pet Insurance (although WiseBread has another take on VPI). For what it's worth, Petplan is more expensive, but lets me select my reimbursement percentage and deductible, and then covers loss, kennel fees, and more. They also have a handy calculator so I can see if it's really worth it.

Assuming the treatments were all covered, for their bottom tiered, Bronze plan, I would pay $1,300 on a $6,000 bill that cost about $27 a month, which isn't too bad. The problem is there's probably nothing that could possibly happen to this cat that would cost $6,000, so let's drop it down to a $700 bill. Now, my share of the costs is $340. So, that's $340 right there, plus the $324 in monthly payments I've made, which is $664, a savings of $36, assuming all costs were covered. Below that $700 mark, the savings disappear and considering the average vet bill last year was around $500, it hardly seems worth it. Consumer Reports had similar findings earlier this year. Typically, dog and cat visits are similar in cost, with dogs being slightly more expensive because of their size, but the math doesn't work out either way.

Despite what the numbers say, the veterinarians I talked with were energetic about insurance and recommended it for animals of every size. There reasoning was that it offers peace of mind and works as a savings plan for larger bills that may come down the line. From a veterinarian's perspective, it also means they'd likely have to put down less animals due to cost issues. However, two of the offices mentioned they usually send the entire bill to the insurance company because, "you never know what might get covered," which seems to accent the biggest problem with pet insurance, the unknowable outcomes of claims.

If you'd still like to go for it, we didn't find any solid price comparison sites, but aside from the two mentioned above, popular and well-rated insurance companies also include Trupanion and 24PetWatch. Some home and car insurance may offer discounts on select companies as well, so be sure to check with them first.

Photo by Masahiro Ihara.

Alternatives to Pet Insurance

If you don't like the idea of pet insurance, there are alternatives, but they'll require a more proactive approach on your part. The first thing you'll need to do is research your pet and see what types of common, hereditary ailments they might run into and call your vet and ask for rough estimate on cost. With these in hand, you can create a makeshift hypothetical payment plan for yourself. You'll also want to include problems like potential broken bones and dental care. You can use whichever budgeting technique you prefer, but most of our favorite money management sites allow for this type of planning.

As for the care itself, you want to shop around for the best deals. They're going to vary depending on your location, but many larger cities have cheaper, non-profit clinics or universities that are willing to work with you on prices and payments if necessary. These often run a first-come first-served system, so be prepared to potentially spend a lot of time in the office. Most of these types of places also have low-cost annual visits and medications as well, but they typically don't handle major chronic maladies.

Photo by Adria Richards.

---

The benefit of animal insurance is going to come down to your location, the type of pet, and the lifestyle. If your animal roams the streets freely, it's going to be more prone to accidents and might be worth it. If your animal remains healthy for its life and doesn't have any major medical conditions, the insurance absolutely will not be worth it. Even if your pet does have a major surgery, say $4,000 once in its lifetime, you will still be breaking even in a best case scenario. Pet insurance is geared more toward people who don't want to set up a separate fund to cover health costs, or who want the peace of mind that comes from insurance. If that's you, all we can say is research your potential plans extensively before choosing one.

Love,
Lifehacker

P.S. Have you used pet insurance? Do you feel like you get what you pay for?

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/p5SwgL5W-Xc/is-pet-insurance-worth-it

stacy keibler dancing with the stars season 13 cast tay sachs tay sachs watch the walking dead giuliana and bill giuliana and bill

Lobster tag lost in 'Perfect Storm' hops Atlantic

In this Nov. 30, 2011 photo, Richard Figueiredo poses with a lobster trap in Pembroke, Mass. Figueiredo lost hundreds of lobster traps in what came to be known as "The Perfect Storm" in 1991. Rosemary Hill of County Kerry, Ireland, found one of his lobster pot tags on a beach in 2010, and wants to return it to him. (AP Photo/The Patriot Ledger, Gary Higgins) BOSTON HERALD OUT; BOSTON GLOBE OUT; QUINCY OUT

In this Nov. 30, 2011 photo, Richard Figueiredo poses with a lobster trap in Pembroke, Mass. Figueiredo lost hundreds of lobster traps in what came to be known as "The Perfect Storm" in 1991. Rosemary Hill of County Kerry, Ireland, found one of his lobster pot tags on a beach in 2010, and wants to return it to him. (AP Photo/The Patriot Ledger, Gary Higgins) BOSTON HERALD OUT; BOSTON GLOBE OUT; QUINCY OUT

COHASSET, Mass. (AP) ? A tag from a lobster pot that was swept off the New England sea floor two decades ago during what came to be known as "The Perfect Storm" has washed up 3,000 miles away in Ireland.

The pot that held the tag with Cohasset lobsterman Richard Figueiredo's name on it was one of hundreds he lost when the vicious storm on the Atlantic Ocean struck off New England in 1991.

Rosemary Hill of Waterville in County Kerry found the tag on a beach last year, but the 39-year-old beachcomber put it aside with other beach souvenirs. Last week, she decided to try to contact Figueiredo and found him through his son Rich's Facebook account.

"I looked at it again and thought, 'Why not try to find the owner?'" Hill told The Patriot Ledger (http://bit.ly/sVKBd3). "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Figueiredo, of Pembroke, was stunned the worn tag had weathered the long trip after the storm, which was made famous by Sebastian Junger's book "The Perfect Storm," the basis for a Hollywood movie about a rugged crew of New England fishermen caught in the storm.

"The odds are phenomenal," Figueiredo said.

Oceanographer Curt Ebbesmeyer said the tag's 20-year drift is unusually long for such flotsam. He theorized it was buried in offshore mud before drifting and catching the Gulf Stream toward Ireland ? in between a few years of circling in a mid-Atlantic current.

He called it "a very well-traveled tag indeed."

Hill said she spied the orange tag in clumps of seaweed after a storm.

Figueiredo and Hill spoke for the first time Thursday, when she offered to mail the tag back to him. But Figueiredo told her to keep it.

"The meaning it has over there is what matters," he said. "I am honored that she has put so much enthusiasm into this. What's happening now is a gift to me."

___

Information from: The Patriot Ledger, http://www.patriotledger.com

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2011-12-02-Lobster%20Tag's%20Journey/id-df92bc116e514080b4c341553b23d280

joran van der sloot osteopathy osteopathy diphtheria diphtheria drew brees drew brees

Patrice O'Neal On Football In Elephant In The Room (VIDEO)

Early Monday morning, the comedy world was rocked by the death of comedian Patrice O'Neal due to complications from a stroke suffered in October.

A fearless performer, O'Neal was a large part of the part of the New York comedy scene for years -- emotionally, intellectually and physically. Standing 6'5", the comic was actually recruited by Northeastern to play football before deciding his future was on the stage rather than on the gridiron.

In a signature sketch from his 2011 feature-length special "Elephant In The Room," O'Neal reflects on the way football has changed since the days when he used to play. Needless to say, stealing an opposing player's socks and tying them to your helmet would likely earn a fine from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

'; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/30/patrice-oneal-on-football-comedia-dead-stroke-elephant-room_n_1119642.html

black friday elliot elliot la galaxy la galaxy david blaine kevin smith

Northeast to post warmest November in 10 years (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? The Northeastern United States, the world's largest heating oil market, is set to post its warmest November in a decade, and the mildest for some cities like Boston in over 30 years, forecasters said this week.

The Northeast and East North Central regions, including Chicago, Cleveland and St. Louis, had their warmest November since 2001, Pennsylvania-based forecaster Planalytics said.

Boston was the warmest since 1975, while Indianapolis was the warmest in over 50 years.

Overall, forecasters expect this November to be the fifth-warmest since records began in 1950.

The mild weather was a result of "autumn being autumn" and not a sign of a weakening La Nina weather pattern - expected to continue through winter - or a harbinger of what's to come this winter, according to New York-based Weather 2000 meteorologist Michael Schlacter.

While November's mild weather aided U.S. retailers as shoppers took to the streets, it pressured demand for natural gas to fire furnaces and power plants.

Cash gas prices slid to their lowest levels in more than two years, while gas futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange slid to 11-month lows.

Heating oil prices, meanwhile, were weaker, but concerns about supply disruptions due to recent refinery closures limited the downside, market sources said.

The Southwest coast was the coolest since 2004, with Los Angeles the coolest since 2000, the forecaster said.

Weather 2000's Schlacter noted that while New York City had a "warm" November, it was not "off the charts" or historic in nature.

"Even just this past decade we've had some tremendous swings in weather in November temperatures. We're not that much warmer than 2009 or 2006. We are going to top those, but we're still in the same ballpark as the last five years," Schlacter said.

Overall this November will fall behind November 2001, and will likely be the fifth-warmest on recent record, Schlacter said. MDA EarthSat meteorologist Rick Groh agreed.

All the forecasters noted that cooler weather in the U.S. West would likely skew the overall national average.

"The tremendous cool in the West will likely dilute the impressiveness of the warmth for the nation as a whole," Schlacter said.

NOVEMBER VERSUS THE WINTER

Forecasters were quick to note that November weather patterns were not necessarily indicative of how the entire winter will turn out.

Forecaster WSI has called for the mildest winter in five years, lowering heating demand expectations.

U.S. government forecasters said a strengthening La Nina would grip the country for a second straight winter, causing colder and wetter weather in the most northern states and drier, warmer conditions throughout the drought-ravaged South.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said it expects the La Nina weather phenomenon that results in cooler ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific, to become the most dominant factor influencing weather across the country, but added that a change in pressure called the Arctic Oscillation could make it difficult for forecasters to predict more than a week or two in advance.

The volatile condition could produce dramatic short-term swings in temperatures. Arctic Oscillation can generate strong shifts in the climate patterns that could overwhelm or amplify La Nina's typical impacts, NOAA said.

Weather 2000 was calling for a below-normal period from December through March for the nation as a whole, with the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes area the focal points of the coolest weather.

"Last year was very impressive. It's probably not going to be as cold as last year, but could be similar to the 2008-2009 winter for the nation as a whole. The winters the last four years have been in that slightly cool direction and that's where we're leaning this year," Schlacter said.

"Chicago, which had a very, very warm November, just like New York, is already starting this new transition. It's a very slow progress and the Interstate-95 corridor on the East Coast is going to have to wait about six or seven days into December until we catch up with that," he said.

"Everything between the Rockies and the Appalachians are doing a 180 flip starting today or yesterday, compared to what was going on in November, which just shows how quickly things can change," Schlacter added.

MDA EarthSat said the December through February winter period would be normal to slightly above-normal for the Northeast and near to slightly-below normal for the Midwest, above-normal in Texas and below-normal on the West Coast and in the Rockies.

(Editing by Andrea Evans)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111130/us_nm/us_energy_weather_november

peyton hillis cl p cl p andy rooney andy rooney groupon ipo groupon ipo