Richard Freedlund's blog

I am currently in research mode for some upcoming blog posts, and I am waiting for some information from those I have contacted.  While I am waiting, I thought I would share some feedback from some of the previous posts I have written.

"Prejudice is like a hair across your cheek. You can't see it, you can't find it with your fingers, but you keep brushing at it because the feel of it is irritating."
Marian Anderson

Discrimination is a pervasive problem in American society, and it has long roots throughout our history.  It can be based on a number of things, from race, gender, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, and even employment status.  The government created affirmative action laws to battle it, but discrimination still exists to this day.  It is hard to prove, which is why it continues.  In one way or another, we have all probably faced it at some point in our careers.

If you have cable television, you have access to a lot of programming.  Not too long ago, I came across a channel in the 300 level called ATNTV that shows classic TV shows from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. 

One of my favorite shows to watch is “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”.  Like all TV shows, Mr. Hitchcock had to have sponsors to put his show on every week.  At the beginning and the end of the show, Hitchcock came out on camera, talked a little about the evening’s entertainment, and then with a backhanded comment, introduced the sponsor.  In Hitchcock’s opinion, sponsors were a necessary evil that allowed him to exhibit his art.

When I think of unions and organized labor, I think of groups like the Teamsters, UAW, and AFL-CIO which deal with workers in the Private sector, or Public sector unions like AFSCME and various teacher, police and firefighter unions.  The unions do things like negotiate wages and benefits for their members, amd then receive dues paid from workers' salaries.  According to an article in Wikipedia, “Union workers average 10-30% higher pay than non-union in America.” Unions are also responsible for giving us the 40 hour work week, overtime pay, and other things workers now take for granted.

When I was a kid in the 70’s, I remember watching a show called “Mulligan’s Stew” on Public Television.  The show featured a half dozen or so semi long haired urban kids of various races and ages who were in a band that played songs about eating a healthy diet.  Back then, the USDA suggested that a healthy diet consisted of four servings of grains, four servings of fruits and vegetables, three servings of dairy products, and two servings of meat.  Hearing these kids singing “Four, four, three, two, that’s the formula for me and you” was kind of hokey, but my mom was a dietician who pushed a balanced diet so I was encouraged to watch the show.  It meant well and encouraged eating a balanced diet for good health.  It was p

After publishing last week’s blog, ”Revolving Doors and Musical Chairs”, I got an interesting response from a reader.  She was an older individual with still a lot of good years of work in her, and was a long time volunteer for an organization.  She knew the organization’s mission and programs well.  When a professional position opened up, she applied for the position and it was perfect fit for her skills and knowledge.  The NPO didn’t hire her, and the job went to a young person fresh out of school.  It’s a pity, because the NPO lost out in the long run.  Older candidates have a great deal of life experience and, this volunteer had working knowledge that the other candidate did not have,

Have you ever noticed when you read the job postings in the CNRG Digest, that you will often find openings for the same development positions at the same organizations once every year or so?  I have.

While reading through the CNRG Daily Digest recently, one post caught my eye.

http://cnrg-portland.org/content/saturday-april-14th-most-popular-fundraising-date-2012-ten-events

Elisa Klein, Editor of PortlandSocietyPage.com posted that there were ten fundraising events scheduled for April 14, of which seven were dinner/gala/auction events.