Interview With John Izzo, Author of Stepping Up

Last Minute Donation Destinations for 2011

Because of the tax benefits and human procrastination, December 31 is the biggest day for donations of the year.

If you haven't already, go online and make a donation to your favorite charity.  If you need some ideas, here are some great ones.  I personally know at least one person at each one, and your money will go to a great cause.

SoleHope
Watch this video, then get ready to donate here: http://www.solehope.com/.  My friend Dru (a killer bass player) and his wife co-founded this ministry.



Servants Heart Ministry- My friend Rob co-founded this program.  We're taking my whole family there this spring.

Project 61 - This non-profit helps take orphans who literally live in a trash dump in Ethiopia, and sends them to a school.  My friend Shawn helps run it here in the US (on their front page, he's the dude in the goofy hat), and I've met the former orphan who lived in the trash dump who helps run it in Ethiopia.  I love how well you get to know the child you're sponsoring.

Young Leaders Council- This Nashville organization helps train the next generation of non-profit board members.  Nothing like taking business skills and helping others change Nashville and the world.

Visiting Orphans- They specialize in creating 'righteous discomfort'.  Their efforts have actually helped spawn several non-profits.

Book Review- Nothing To Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea

With the passing of Kim Jong-Il, I figure this is a great time to post my first book review.  I actually got this book on the last day our Borders was open, and they were selling two books for 50 cents, so I loaded up.  This book turned out to be excellent.

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea, by Barbara Demick.

This is a love story, really, at least part of it.  But it's the simplest kind, where the boy from the right side of tracks and the girl from the wrong side of the tracks don't hold hands for three years and don't kiss for six, despite spending almost all of their time together in complete darkness.  You don't believe it, and yet after reading the book, you do.  You end up rooting for both the kids and their parents, even though they have completely different viewpoints and motivations.  Somehow you still root for the ultra-patriotic mother, despite the knowledge that her patriotism is based on a ruthless dictator. You feel bad for the school teacher, who tries to motivate her kindergarteners, even as she slowly starts to see them die, one by one, from starvation.  You wonder why, even after all this, there are still just a trickle of people trying to defect from a country that is so obviously broken.  They're now moving into the third round, from Kim Il-sung, to Kim Jong-il, now to Kim Jong-un.


READ THIS BOOK IF...
- You like to see into a hidden world, a place that really doesn't know anything about the world outside it.

There's a scene in 'Hunt For Red October' where 'Soviet' Sam Neill is talking to 'Soviet' Sean Connery, and the exchange goes like this:

Capt. Vasili Borodin: I will live in Montana. And I will marry a round American woman and raise rabbits, and she will cook them for me. And I will have a pickup truck... maybe even a "recreational vehicle." And drive from state to state. Do they let you do that?
Captain Ramius: I suppose.
Capt. Vasili Borodin: No papers?
Captain Ramius: No papers, state to state.
(thanks, IMDB) 

At the time, I kind of laughed at this as some exaggeration we in the West use to pigeon-hole Communists, but after reading 'Nothing To Envy', you see how it's still like this, and so much worse.  Every aspect of life is controlled.

Here is the link to the book.

Here is the author, Barbara Demick's page.

Thanksgiving Comic

Click To Enlarge

This was inspired by my wife, whose secret joy is the military precision with which she plans Thanksgiving and Christmas.

GearBuzz - The Groupon for Triathletes, Runners and Cyclists

It's about time, but it looks like we finally have a 'Groupon' all to ourselves.  GearBuzz, brought to you by Competitor Group- the same folks of Rock N' Roll Marathon Series, Triathlete Magazine and Muddy Buddy fame- will offer deals on products and services for the endurance community starting November 21.

I'm excited about it.  I've always been a fan of Bonktown.com, but adding the groupon mentality to it makes it a bit more fun- and we'll probably have 24 hours or more to decide rather than Bonktown's 30 minutes.  Happy shopping!

3 Easy Ways To Say Thank You To Our Veterans

Today is Veterans Day, a day we remember and say thank you to those who've served and given their lives to protect our freedoms.   I decided to ask my friends who are veterans if they suggested any ways civilians like myself might be able to say thank you.  The first two below are organizations that were very near to their hearts, and were suggested by multiple people.  I also included some additional links.

We wouldn't have the lives and freedoms we have today without our soldiers and veterans.  Please make sure to thank them today!

A SOLDIER'S CHILD BIRTHDAY FOUNDATION
The photo above is of a young boy name Christian, son of Staff Sgt. Marc Golczynski, accepting his father's flag at his funeral.  Marc's friend Daryl Mackin realized that Christian would never again receive a present from his father, and that there were children all over the country who would never again receive a present from their fathers or mothers who had lost their lives defending our country.
Christian’s father wrote this in a letter to his mother shortly before he died in combat:

"We are warriors… we fight and sometimes die so that our families don’t have to… Stand beside us."

The goal of A Soldier's Child Birthday foundation is to do just that- stand beside fallen soldier's families.  They aim to honor the memory of the parent by giving a meaningful gift to his/her children on their birthday.  If you'd like to help, you can do so here.

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WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT and THE SOLDIER RIDE

The Wounded Warrior Project assists soldiers who've been injured in action.  Being into triathlons and endurance events, I especially have a heart for the sporting portion of this group. It was great to see the soldiers with the Wounded Warrior Project running at Ragnar Tennessee last weekend.

Next year I hope to ride during another event of theirs, The Soldier Ride.  These rides take place around the country (including Nashville), and raise funds for the project.  If you'd like to donate or participate in a ride, you can do so here.
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Special Operations Warrior Foundation
Special Operations Warrior Foundation provides scholarships and counseling to families and children of fallen or severely wounded special operations soldiers.   You can donate here.

A friend of mine let me know her husband lost his best friend last year in the well publicized Blackhawk helicopter crash, leaving behind his wife and four children- one who had only been with his daddy four weeks of his life.  The Special Operations Warrior Foundation gave his children scholarships.  As she put it so well, "It is strange to have it so close to home.  I think what most do not realize is the compounded effect of the loss of one life. It's not just the families, it's the brothers and friend as well.  Much like a pebble in the lake the ripple is huge! "


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SUPPORT OUR TROOPS (http://troopssupport.com/)
This site contains links to several organizations that support our troops, including Operation Mom, Hugs for Heroes, and others.

It just takes a few minutes to give back and say thanks today!

Running Ragnar TN, 2012!

I'm running 196 miles with my Ragnar Relay team over mountains and through the night (last year, through sleet, rain and snow), 30 hours straight, from Chattanooga to Nashville Friday (aka tomorrow) and Saturday.  Follow, donate (please, it's for an awesome cause!), and cheer!

FOLLOW:
Where are we? We'll be posting handoffs, photos, and videos throughout the day and night!
Twitter @SHMinistry
Facebook.com/servantsheartministry (NOTE: twitter updates will be more frequent)
Youtube.com/12ozofawesome (you can see several videos from last year already, more going on through the race)

In theory, here is where I'll be:
At 1:02PM on Friday- http://www.ragnarrelay.com/race/tennessee/legs/5 (somewhere between Chattanooga and Jasper, TN)
At 11:39PM on Friday night- http://www.ragnarrelay.com/race/tennessee/legs/17 (in the wilderness near Lynchburg, TN)
At 8:35AM on Saturday morning- http://www.ragnarrelay.com/race/tennessee/legs/29 (cruising from Page High School to Trinity Park in Franklin)

DONATE*:
Brian Lord: www.firstgiving.com/brianlord  (Krista, the girls and I will be visiting these kids next spring).

MAPS: http://www.ragnarrelay.com/race/tennessee/course_maps


Thanks for your support!
Brian


*Why donate? TO BRING BACK THE CHICKEN!!!
In a nutshell, this past year, Servants Heart Ministry's donations were down, so they had a tough decision- do they A) still serve chicken, rice, and beans for their meals, but stop feeding as many kids in Santiago, Dominican Republic, or B) feed as many kids, but cut out the chicken. Rob (my good friend, SHM co-founder, and one of our runners) told me the story of the time he had to be the person at the end of the food line, and had the difficult job of telling a grandmother that they didn't have enough food for her grandchild- basically, that they had to turn her away and the child would have to go hungry.  So the decision was made- the kids would lose the chicken, but at least the same number of kids would have something until donations came back up.

So, we've set a goal of raising $2,675 (the cost of chicken for one month for the kids in the program), so all the kids can have chicken (and the much needed protein it provides) for December- sort of a Christmas present. (as of Thursday morning, we're at $1,495)

THANKS FOR HELPING BRING BACK THE CHICKEN!!!