Oh hey blogging friends. I back a little earlier than usual but this has just been a week couple of weeks in 280, so I guess all I can say is, go with it. So last week we discussed environmental nonprofits and let me tell you, after doing the readings, listening to lecture and watching a very informative and eye opening video, I could not feel more naïve and honestly oblivious to all that environmental nonprofits are trying to solve. Now I knew some of the things I am going to discuss are happening, but I truly take my life for granted a lot of the time and try not to think about all that is going on and why I continue to have nice things, why I continue to be healthy and fed, why I have a roof over my head, this sector and learning about it made me truly appreciate what I have more than I ever did.
“The Story of Stuff Project” is a documentary/advocating group of videos looking at the hidden side to producing and consuming in today’s society. The statistics that were presented in this piece really blew me away and was sort of the tipping point for me in this discussion; here are some of the statistics and facts that stood out to me the most. First discussed was how the Earth is running out of resources. Now they say this time and time again, conserve, conserve, conserve, but I truly believe that now this is not a joke. The world’s population is going to continue to grow and grow and we as an entire group of people are aware of this, but still really see nothing wrong with using what we have and not considering that by wasting and not conserving we are putting the world in a worse position. I know this is something that I take for granted everyday. I know I am constantly wasting, food, electricity, and basic resources. Essential resources to survive like water, but that is all that I know and that is how I was raised. Not necessarily to waste, but use it because you have it. Not the greatest mentality, but something that these discussions have opened my eyes too. Speaking of water, the documentary, one of the statistics that stood out was forty percent of the waterways in the world are undrinkable. Forty percent. Considering that a very large majority of the Earth is made up of water, forty percent is a lot. Billions of people live on this Earth and one of the things that one must have to survive is water and without we will die, so this stat stood out to me because it can be assumed that, that number will only increase and we will probably eventually run out of water. I can only hope that doesn’t happen in my life time, but thinking about this today, made me take a shorter shower, use less water when washing my dishes, do things that I usually would have had taken for granted a little less, because I considered the affect my choices were making.
Other staggering statistic, which stood out to me, was two thousand trees a minute are being cut down in the Amazon. A minute!! I cannot even wrap my head around that. Now I know the Amazon rainforest is a large forest with thousands upon thousands of trees, but really two thousand a minute?!? How is there any rainforest left? Is this truly the sacrifice I need to make to have a wood roof over my head at night? To have wooden floors, desks, chairs? I cannot completely say that I would choose to make that sacrifice. It just blows my mind and I wish I knew how to honestly express my thoughts on it but it is hard and I’m not sure I entirely can.
Finally, the real standout fact from this documentary that stood was how breast milk, has the highest dose of toxic materials in it. How you may ask? Well when companies manufacture goods, in large plants, or whatever it may be, toxins are released into the air and as a result into our bodies, because of our dependence on oxygen. The toxins usually do not stay with us for long, but with a pregnant woman, the toxins can actually stay with her longer in her breast milk. The part that blew my mind when learning this, was that babies who are breast fed are directly receive the toxins from their mother’s breast mile because of the high dose of toxins in it. So indirectly, the companies and corporations that have released the toxins in the air are not only affecting the people who are surrounded by the toxins, but the newborns and babies that are just doing what they need to survive, drink their mother’s breast milk. This is one of those things that you just would never even consider or think about when thinking about the effects companies have on the environment, but this is such a huge part of the effects they are having. This, just like the other fact stated above, is one that I cannot fully wrap my head around. Essentially poisoning innocent newborns and babies with toxins from manufacturing plants. Wow. That’s all I can really say is wow.
This documentary/advocacy piece was extremely creative and opened my eyes more than I expected it too. I have now chosen to be much more aware of my surrounds and not as much as I can to not take too much for granted. I will live a great life and I want to make sure many generations after me can say the same thing. So until next time….
Monday, May 17, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Creative, Innovative and Unique
Hello blogging friends. I’m back. A little later than usual but no fear I am here. This has been quite the week, in class especially, but just in life in general. So many things going on, so stuff to do, the end of the term could not come any sooner. But until then I am still here to blog about all my new adventures and learnings from this last week’s class.
So this past week in class we discussed the nonprofit sectors of advocacy and arts and culture. I’ve decided I wanted to focus on the arts and culture discussion for this blog, so here you go.
Arts and culture is one of the smallest parts of the nonprofit sector, but I think one of the sectors that a majority of people take part in, in some way shape or form. Everyone in their life time goes to a museum, sees a play, buys a piece of art, goes to a historical site, etc. By doing this, these everyone is contributing to the success of the arts in the nonprofit sector, because the arts rely heavily, almost entirely, on donations, admissions fees, contributions and very little comes from any other funds. This sector would not survive without the support from everyday people, who have no idea how important/have much of an impact they truly are having on this sector.
One thing that stood out to me in the readings was this idea of the distinction between, “art” and “entertainment”. The book claims that the, “practical difference often lies in what makes money versus what does not.” Entertainment are for-profit, while the arts are nonprofit. Now while this may be true, I honestly believe that entertainment, like movies, concerts, games, CDs, are all art. I personally do not see just a large distinction between “art” and entertainment”. I believe that entertainment is a form of art. Producing art is being creative, innovative, unique, and believe that entertain is all of those things. In order to sing/make a CD you must be creative, have the right beat, be different than the next person. To make a movie, you must as well be creative, innovative, and create a piece of art that others will enjoy just as much as you did putting it together. I think that most things in the world are art and even though some are for-profit and some are nonprofit, this difference does not need to remain or dictate what is art and what is entertainment. Art is what you make it and if you are entertained by it then great and if you are entertained by something and you think that is a piece of art, then that is great too.
It was also very interesting to read and learn how so many “artists” do art because it is what they love to do and what they know how to do, even though they know that they could be making a lot more money doing something else. I think a great thing about this sector is that is truly is the move unique and different sector, than any other that we have learned about. In no other sector, do you really have people doing the work because it is just what they love to do and sometimes it is all they know how. This sector is like a piece of art/entertainment it self; creative, innovative and unique. Until next time….
So this past week in class we discussed the nonprofit sectors of advocacy and arts and culture. I’ve decided I wanted to focus on the arts and culture discussion for this blog, so here you go.
Arts and culture is one of the smallest parts of the nonprofit sector, but I think one of the sectors that a majority of people take part in, in some way shape or form. Everyone in their life time goes to a museum, sees a play, buys a piece of art, goes to a historical site, etc. By doing this, these everyone is contributing to the success of the arts in the nonprofit sector, because the arts rely heavily, almost entirely, on donations, admissions fees, contributions and very little comes from any other funds. This sector would not survive without the support from everyday people, who have no idea how important/have much of an impact they truly are having on this sector.
One thing that stood out to me in the readings was this idea of the distinction between, “art” and “entertainment”. The book claims that the, “practical difference often lies in what makes money versus what does not.” Entertainment are for-profit, while the arts are nonprofit. Now while this may be true, I honestly believe that entertainment, like movies, concerts, games, CDs, are all art. I personally do not see just a large distinction between “art” and entertainment”. I believe that entertainment is a form of art. Producing art is being creative, innovative, unique, and believe that entertain is all of those things. In order to sing/make a CD you must be creative, have the right beat, be different than the next person. To make a movie, you must as well be creative, innovative, and create a piece of art that others will enjoy just as much as you did putting it together. I think that most things in the world are art and even though some are for-profit and some are nonprofit, this difference does not need to remain or dictate what is art and what is entertainment. Art is what you make it and if you are entertained by it then great and if you are entertained by something and you think that is a piece of art, then that is great too.
It was also very interesting to read and learn how so many “artists” do art because it is what they love to do and what they know how to do, even though they know that they could be making a lot more money doing something else. I think a great thing about this sector is that is truly is the move unique and different sector, than any other that we have learned about. In no other sector, do you really have people doing the work because it is just what they love to do and sometimes it is all they know how. This sector is like a piece of art/entertainment it self; creative, innovative and unique. Until next time….
Creative, Innovative and Unique
Hello blogging friends. I’m back. A little later than usual but no fear I am here. This has been quite the week, in class especially, but just in life in general. So many things going on, so stuff to do, the end of the term could not come any sooner. But until then I am still here to blog about all my new adventures and learnings from this last week’s class.
So this past week in class we discussed the nonprofit sectors of advocacy and arts and culture. I’ve decided I wanted to focus on the arts and culture discussion for this blog, so here you go.
Arts and culture is one of the smallest parts of the nonprofit sector, but I think one of the sectors that a majority of people take part in, in some way shape or form. Everyone in their life time goes to a museum, sees a play, buys a piece of art, goes to a historical site, etc. By doing this, these everyone is contributing to the success of the arts in the nonprofit sector, because the arts rely heavily, almost entirely, on donations, admissions fees, contributions and very little comes from any other funds. This sector would not survive without the support from everyday people, who have no idea how important/have much of an impact they truly are having on this sector.
One thing that stood out to me in the readings was this idea of the distinction between, “art” and “entertainment”. The book claims that the, “practical difference often lies in what makes money versus what does not.” Entertainment are for-profit, while the arts are nonprofit. Now while this may be true, I honestly believe that entertainment, like movies, concerts, games, CDs, are all art. I personally do not see just a large distinction between “art” and entertainment”. I believe that entertainment is a form of art. Producing art is being creative, innovative, unique, and believe that entertain is all of those things. In order to sing/make a CD you must be creative, have the right beat, be different than the next person. To make a movie, you must as well be creative, innovative, and create a piece of art that others will enjoy just as much as you did putting it together. I think that most things in the world are art and even though some are for-profit and some are nonprofit, this difference does not need to remain or dictate what is art and what is entertainment. Art is what you make it and if you are entertained by it then great and if you are entertained by something and you think that is a piece of art, then that is great too.
It was also very interesting to read and learn how so many “artists” do art because it is what they love to do and what they know how to do, even though they know that they could be making a lot more money doing something else. I think a great thing about this sector is that is truly is the move unique and different sector, than any other that we have learned about. In no other sector, do you really have people doing the work because it is just what they love to do and sometimes it is all they know how. This sector is like a piece of art/entertainment it self; creative, innovative and unique. Until next time….
So this past week in class we discussed the nonprofit sectors of advocacy and arts and culture. I’ve decided I wanted to focus on the arts and culture discussion for this blog, so here you go.
Arts and culture is one of the smallest parts of the nonprofit sector, but I think one of the sectors that a majority of people take part in, in some way shape or form. Everyone in their life time goes to a museum, sees a play, buys a piece of art, goes to a historical site, etc. By doing this, these everyone is contributing to the success of the arts in the nonprofit sector, because the arts rely heavily, almost entirely, on donations, admissions fees, contributions and very little comes from any other funds. This sector would not survive without the support from everyday people, who have no idea how important/have much of an impact they truly are having on this sector.
One thing that stood out to me in the readings was this idea of the distinction between, “art” and “entertainment”. The book claims that the, “practical difference often lies in what makes money versus what does not.” Entertainment are for-profit, while the arts are nonprofit. Now while this may be true, I honestly believe that entertainment, like movies, concerts, games, CDs, are all art. I personally do not see just a large distinction between “art” and entertainment”. I believe that entertainment is a form of art. Producing art is being creative, innovative, unique, and believe that entertain is all of those things. In order to sing/make a CD you must be creative, have the right beat, be different than the next person. To make a movie, you must as well be creative, innovative, and create a piece of art that others will enjoy just as much as you did putting it together. I think that most things in the world are art and even though some are for-profit and some are nonprofit, this difference does not need to remain or dictate what is art and what is entertainment. Art is what you make it and if you are entertained by it then great and if you are entertained by something and you think that is a piece of art, then that is great too.
It was also very interesting to read and learn how so many “artists” do art because it is what they love to do and what they know how to do, even though they know that they could be making a lot more money doing something else. I think a great thing about this sector is that is truly is the move unique and different sector, than any other that we have learned about. In no other sector, do you really have people doing the work because it is just what they love to do and sometimes it is all they know how. This sector is like a piece of art/entertainment it self; creative, innovative and unique. Until next time….
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Final Paper Idea
How is the nonprofit sector coping with the current recession?
This is the question that I have decided to research for my final paper. I chose this question because as I have said many times before this entire class is a huge learning experience for me and I feel like I know very little about the recession, other than that we are in one, and I want to not only learn more about the nonprofit sector but also the recession. I hope through this paper I gain a better understanding of the recession, as well as learn about the true effects it is having on our society and different sectors like the nonprofit. Also, when beginning a little bit of the research with this question, I read some articles and they really caught my attention and I was really interested in the topics they were discussing. This topic also seems very easily relatable to my everyday life and I excited to add some of my own personal insight and experiences with this, once I gain some more knowledge of the subject and have a true understanding of how the recession and nonprofit sector 'relate'.
Sources:
www.ccss.jhu.edu/pdfs/LP_Communiques/LP_Communique_14.pdf
www.mvgazette.com/article.php?21806
ww.bridgespan.org/outrun-the-recession-for-nonprofits.aspx
http://www.examiner.com/x-7241-Boston-Nonprofit-Business-Examiner~y2009m4d30-Nonprofits-make-changes-to-weather-the-recession
This is the question that I have decided to research for my final paper. I chose this question because as I have said many times before this entire class is a huge learning experience for me and I feel like I know very little about the recession, other than that we are in one, and I want to not only learn more about the nonprofit sector but also the recession. I hope through this paper I gain a better understanding of the recession, as well as learn about the true effects it is having on our society and different sectors like the nonprofit. Also, when beginning a little bit of the research with this question, I read some articles and they really caught my attention and I was really interested in the topics they were discussing. This topic also seems very easily relatable to my everyday life and I excited to add some of my own personal insight and experiences with this, once I gain some more knowledge of the subject and have a true understanding of how the recession and nonprofit sector 'relate'.
Sources:
www.ccss.jhu.edu/pdfs/LP_Communiques/LP_Communique_14.pdf
www.mvgazette.com/article.php?21806
ww.bridgespan.org/outrun-the-recession-for-nonprofits.aspx
http://www.examiner.com/x-7241-Boston-Nonprofit-Business-Examiner~y2009m4d30-Nonprofits-make-changes-to-weather-the-recession
Monday, May 3, 2010
Week 5 - Health Care
Hey everyone. I’m back with more thoughts on my favorite class! Now this may shock some you who read this, if any besides you Sarah and Bob, but I was not as surprised or shocked by this week by the lectures or readings like I usually am. Now there were some things I shocked and surprised by, but overall I felt like I had a pretty good understanding of this topic before this week. Oh, you are probably wondering what the topic is right? Well because you asked, this week’s topic was health care. A sensitive subject to some and a very interesting subject to others, like myself.
First lets talk about the lecture this week. We had two lectures, but I’m going to focus on the first lecture last Monday about health care and not the one Sarah did on Wednesday. I’ll be honest that lecture was so confusing and there were so many side discussions and debates going on I was lost, so I’m just going to put that lecture to the back burner now and not even attempt to tackle it in this post. Now I know I say this every time but I honestly had no idea that health care was a part of the nonprofit sector. I assumed that it was some sort of government agency or own separate entity that was always for profit. Maybe I thought that because it costs you an arm and a leg, no pun intended, to have almost any medical procedure done that I just thought that someone was just swimming in money. It was interesting to learn that half of all nonprofit revenue and employment is in the health care sector of nonprofits. Considering how many nonprofit organizations and sectors there are, half just for one sector seems like a lot! $385 billion in revenue and $461 billion in assets, that is a lot for one sector, but another way to think about it is that is essentially the most important sector, because without it other sectors probably would not be around because there would no one healthy enough to keep them around. One of those interesting thoughts.
It was kind of ironic to also learn that 15% of the US population has no health insurance, considering the fact that all US citizens are now required by law to have health insurance, through President Obama’s health care bill. Now I do not want to get all political here but I just have a few things to say about this bill. I was totally for it and truly believe that everyone should have the right to health care and be treated equally when it comes to your health, but when I heard some of the logistics of the bill, like people are going to be forced to buy health insurance that the government provides, I just did not really understand that. Now I can see the government providing health insurance to those who want it, but tell citizens that they have to buy it, even it maybe they do not want it does not really make sense to me. I’m not sure I understand how you can force someone to buy something that they may not want. Now I do understand that most people are going to want health insurance and will buy it, but what about the people who truly cannot afford it? Are they going to be stuck without insurance and without care if they need it? I have just decided, as of right now, that I am going to read the bill, or as much as I can to come to a better understanding of it. I know that my facts or assumptions may be wrong but I just want to make it clear that I am only commenting on what I have heard or seen. But it will be interesting to see what happens to the 15% number in terms of whether it really will decrease, you would assume it would, but stranger things have happened.
Also in the lecture it was interesting to learn that we spend more money people 65 and older, $14,797, than we do on children, $2,650 or working-age people, $4,511. Now I understand it and see why this is, because more people aged 65 and older are declining in health and need for health assistance, but it got me thinking after thinking about Michele Obama’s plan to fight childhood obesity and watching TV shows about fighting childhood obesity and learning to eat healthy, this whole new craze that is pretty much taking over, on whether the priorities, in terms of who spends more money would change. Will the focus of health care be more focused on children now as childhood obesity and eating healthy becomes a huge part of the adolescent years or will the focus stay on 65 and older? Now we can assume that people 65 and older will decline in health no matter how older they get but it is an interesting thought to think that children’s health and money spent on that could be more as the years goes on. Only time will tell.
I decided I’m going to go over readings this week because they were pretty self-explanatory and just kind of restated what the lecture was about. But there you have it, five successful weeks in PPPM 280 and 5 left. On to another week of wonderful learning about the nonprofit sector. Until next time…..
First lets talk about the lecture this week. We had two lectures, but I’m going to focus on the first lecture last Monday about health care and not the one Sarah did on Wednesday. I’ll be honest that lecture was so confusing and there were so many side discussions and debates going on I was lost, so I’m just going to put that lecture to the back burner now and not even attempt to tackle it in this post. Now I know I say this every time but I honestly had no idea that health care was a part of the nonprofit sector. I assumed that it was some sort of government agency or own separate entity that was always for profit. Maybe I thought that because it costs you an arm and a leg, no pun intended, to have almost any medical procedure done that I just thought that someone was just swimming in money. It was interesting to learn that half of all nonprofit revenue and employment is in the health care sector of nonprofits. Considering how many nonprofit organizations and sectors there are, half just for one sector seems like a lot! $385 billion in revenue and $461 billion in assets, that is a lot for one sector, but another way to think about it is that is essentially the most important sector, because without it other sectors probably would not be around because there would no one healthy enough to keep them around. One of those interesting thoughts.
It was kind of ironic to also learn that 15% of the US population has no health insurance, considering the fact that all US citizens are now required by law to have health insurance, through President Obama’s health care bill. Now I do not want to get all political here but I just have a few things to say about this bill. I was totally for it and truly believe that everyone should have the right to health care and be treated equally when it comes to your health, but when I heard some of the logistics of the bill, like people are going to be forced to buy health insurance that the government provides, I just did not really understand that. Now I can see the government providing health insurance to those who want it, but tell citizens that they have to buy it, even it maybe they do not want it does not really make sense to me. I’m not sure I understand how you can force someone to buy something that they may not want. Now I do understand that most people are going to want health insurance and will buy it, but what about the people who truly cannot afford it? Are they going to be stuck without insurance and without care if they need it? I have just decided, as of right now, that I am going to read the bill, or as much as I can to come to a better understanding of it. I know that my facts or assumptions may be wrong but I just want to make it clear that I am only commenting on what I have heard or seen. But it will be interesting to see what happens to the 15% number in terms of whether it really will decrease, you would assume it would, but stranger things have happened.
Also in the lecture it was interesting to learn that we spend more money people 65 and older, $14,797, than we do on children, $2,650 or working-age people, $4,511. Now I understand it and see why this is, because more people aged 65 and older are declining in health and need for health assistance, but it got me thinking after thinking about Michele Obama’s plan to fight childhood obesity and watching TV shows about fighting childhood obesity and learning to eat healthy, this whole new craze that is pretty much taking over, on whether the priorities, in terms of who spends more money would change. Will the focus of health care be more focused on children now as childhood obesity and eating healthy becomes a huge part of the adolescent years or will the focus stay on 65 and older? Now we can assume that people 65 and older will decline in health no matter how older they get but it is an interesting thought to think that children’s health and money spent on that could be more as the years goes on. Only time will tell.
I decided I’m going to go over readings this week because they were pretty self-explanatory and just kind of restated what the lecture was about. But there you have it, five successful weeks in PPPM 280 and 5 left. On to another week of wonderful learning about the nonprofit sector. Until next time…..
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