Here are some of my favorite posts about dogs.
Whew, Christmas! (December 2007)
Montgomery County 2008 (October 2008)
Susan Getgood's personal blog
by Susan Getgood //
by Susan Getgood //
I’m currently on vacation in Africa. Since I will be focusing my blogging on my Snapshot Chronicles Roadtrip travel blog during the trip, you’re going to get a couple weeks of re-runs here on Snapshot Chronicles. This week, three of my political posts from the past year.
From June 2008: Disappointed, disillusioned, disheartened but still a Democrat
From Sept. 2008: Sarah Palin for VP?
From January 2009: A personal reflection on the inauguration of President Obama
by Susan Getgood //
The TV in my exercise room isn’t working. More accurately, either the TIVO or the cable connection is malfunctioning because I can watch DVDs but not broadcast. So, I’ve been reading while on the treadmill instead.
Which means I finally got around to two books that have been sitting on my shelf for ages, Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell and Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World by Bill Clinton.
One of the reasons I like Gladwell’s books is that he focuses on a single point, and illustrates it in a number of ways. As opposed to some business books that seem to introduce more themes than there were animals on the ark, but then skim over the all important proof.
Outliers argues that the rags-to-riches tale in which the supremely talented overcome impossible odds to succeed is built on a faulty assumption that the individual did not benefit from any special advantages. There’s a strong element of being in the right place at the right time in his success stories, but overall it provides a strong argument for those who favor nurture in the nature/nurture argument. It’s also a fast, satisfying read, which is not something we can say about every business book on our shelf.
While I am sure that President Clinton wrote Giving out of a desire to motivate the public to acts of philanthropy, it also serves as an excellent primer on philanthropy in the United States, both domestic and internationally focused. If you are interested in the non-profit world, start with Giving, and then move on to some of the other books Clinton references in the text.
You might also want to check out events like August’s Social Good Conference sponsored by Mashable, although I have profound differences of opinion with the Humane Society of the United States, one of the charities supported by the conference. (If you are interested, the bottom line is: HSUS is a lobbying organization devoted to the eradication of pet animals in the US. None of the funds it raises goes to support animals. Just about every cent goes to support lobbying. Want to support animals? Donate to your LOCAL humane society or breed rescue organization.)
Here’s a list of stuff I have pending to review, and Lord help me , this blog isn’t even that well known although its sister Marketing Roadmaps has a small following and is the reason for most books I get offered. Some of these things will end up there or on Roadtrip, my travel blog. Disclosure: all the stuff in this list was sent for free, for possible but not promised review. Most of the stuff I review on my blogs however (Like Outliers and Giving) I purchased myself.