wait, what?

i leave for the grand on Tuesday. I still have zero comprehension of what is going to occur on this trip, what I will see or what it's like to go rafting. I have a few visions currently of what is going to occur while on this trip.













I've never been to the south west. I've never really been in a canyon. I have never been in the desert (unless we consider that death run I did in Utah this summer) and I have never seen a scorpion before.

On a slightly related note, I did get my SPOT up and running for this trip (HOOORAY) and seems slightly reliable after a few tests this afternoon. I have set up a new page for the Grand, so if you would like to watch my travels, please go here: Floating!!

I'll post more before I leave, and then I'll get some super random posts up on this thing so I don't lose my 3 regular visitors to this page.

class

Came back up to the Learning Center yesterday for the beginning of classes. We started out with an introduction into Non-profit development and also into curriculum development.

What I left with was complete awe after hearing the following facts:

- the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation must donate around $5million per day to maintain their non-profit status

- American's gave over $300 billion last year to non-profits (that's just 1 year, and that's just what American's gave to American non-profits).

Crazy.

- Religion is the top recipient of that $300 billion, while receiving around 36%

- Environmental non-profits are one of the lowest with only receiving 2% of the $300+ billion. That includes funds protecting animals as well (WWF, ASPCA, PETA, etc)

we saw this quick 4 minute video, which also includes all these facts and some really great insight. You can watch that here:

sigh

This will be short and sweet.

$4 billion was spent on campaigns for this election
$140+ million was spent by a candidate in California running for the governors office (she lost)

The tax on candy & soda was repealed in WA, and now Washington State is facing an even larger budget shortfall.

the "Rent is Too Damn High" party in New York received .9% of the vote... more then the tea partiers in that state

a cat just tried to walk into my kitchen (no lie)

I just do not understand sometimes why people vote the way they do... at all.

on a positive note, it's 65 & sunny here, and I leave to go float on a river in a week.

busy bee

Well, not really. But, i'm in Bellingham the next two or three days "relaxing" and working on my work study project: Group Rentals.

We're working on our 2011 operational plan in order to increase our group rental profitability to help off-set more of the costs we are finding with both Mountain School and our underserved youth programming.

I do not have a marketing degree. Im pretty sure I didn't even take marketing when I got my business minor. I'm also pretty sure Political Science does not contribute one ounce of knowledge toward marketing. But what that has provided me with is a baseline for understanding how jacked our political system is now a days, when it comes to elections.

Speaking of elections, sometimes Im embarrassed to say I have a degree in political science, and yet do not vote. But, then I look at the current system and recognize the amount of money that is being thrown into these campaigns and the lies that are being said and how can I vote? I don't know what's true, and I'm disgusted that our country is still struggling in this economy, yet millions upon millions of dollars are being thrown at this election. Could you imagine for one instant what would happen if 20% of all money spent on current elections was diverted to our school system? Or diverted toward all of the public service programs that have had to be cut in the past two years? Or maybe instead of me spending 4 days on writing this proposal on funding, I could be looking at ways that money could be used to get children out into the woods and experience a new and fulfilling type of education.

But, that's not the case. So, instead I'll continue to be disenfranchised with our current political system and try to find businesses to come use our facilities at the institute to off-set the increased costs of programming for kids.