This post is related to my May 8th post as well as my May 16th post. I first became aware of Kiva through Bill Clinton’s book, Giving, and then came across it on some other blogs, especially Julia’s blog, How I Changed the World Today. I then began lending to Kiva and I just now made another loan to Kiva before I wrote this post. In fact, I was the first lender to this group of entrepreneurs in Paraguay.
The thing that I find so compelling about Kiva is that you are loaning money to worthy recipients, not giving it. Kiva lets you lend to a specific entrepreneur in the developing world–empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty. You loan as little as $25, receive updates, and get repaid as the business succeeds.
Theoretically (and in reality), you could take $100, give four $25 loans over a staggered amount of time and, as each loan is repaid, you could re-invest that $25 back into Kiva. Your initial $100 investment could go on helping worthy recipients for years and years. I can see how this method of giving might appeal to a broader base of people–especially in these economically difficult times. There are all sorts of stats available on each loan offered so that you can track when your money will be repaid, the past history of the lending partner, etc. It’s a very grassroots way of participating.
What others are saying about Kiva.org:
‘Revolutionising how donors and lenders in the US are connecting with small entrepreneurs in developing countries.’
– BBC
‘If you’ve got 25 bucks, a PC and a PayPal account, you’ve now got the wherewithal to be an international financier.’
– CNN Money
‘Smaller investors can make loans of as little as $25 to specific individual entrepreneurs through a service launched last fall by Kiva.org.’
– The Wall Street Journal
‘An inexpensive feel-good investment opportunity…All loaned funds go directly to the applicants, and most loans are repaid in full.’
– Entrepreneur Magazine
This blog post is part of Zemanta’s “Blogging For a Cause” campaign to raise awareness and funds for worthy causes that bloggers care about.
Candace
Memorial Day has passed so even though it’s not officially summer, for all practical purposes, it has begun…especially in Phoenix. Do you have a fun trip or trips planned? Visiting family? Going to the beach? A stay-cation? Just some relaxing with good books and good friends? Going to a lot of summer movies? A lot of happy hours? Working on some interesting creative projects?
The above is a mail art pass-along I started many years ago (looks like 1997)–just a postcard that had the car and the title on it to begin with. I sent it to one person who sent it to another (who sent it to another) and eventually it came back to me looking like this. Kinda makes me want to go on a road trip everytime I look at it.
I’ll be visiting Indiana (and Chicago) at some point but haven’t narrowed down the dates yet. Maybe Tony and I will take some day or weekend Arizona trips. I need to give my camera a workout and get some different perspectives and new vistas. We’re being more than encouraged at work to take additional time off this summer and I am more than willing to comply.
What are you going to do?
Candace
A tangle of stuff left over from the weekend:
Yes, Katie, we do have dandelions in Arizona, at least in our yard.
Sheila’s and Jim’s mailbox. We were at their house for a delicious barbecue on Monday.
Jim’s airplane:
Flag on our porch on Monday.
New moon tonight, guess I need to get that remote…even with a tripod, I still had a little camera jiggle.
It’s an “untidy heap, clutter, muddle, mess, confusion, disarray, tangle, imbroglio; hodgepodge, mishmash, miscellany, motley collection, mixed bag, medley, jambalaya, farrago, gallimaufry.”
Candace
It rained again in the middle of the night but the morning was clear and bright again. All the critters were out including our cadre of outdoor kitties, most of whom spent the last couple of days in the carport and other outdoor covered areas. Ebony was happy to be able to roll around on the carport roof again.
And his sister, Ivory, was scampering around on the neighbor’s roof.
She has a tipped ear, as do most of our outdoor neutered cats, so that people will know they have already been fixed. The vet forgot to tip Ebony’s ear. Ebony and Ivory used to be feral but are now tame. This is their sister, Edie, who is still semi-feral. We can touch her tail sometimes but that’s about it…she’s shy. Edie still needs to be spayed.
WB is their grandpa or great-grandpa or great uncle or something related…definitely not their dad, his neutering preceded their existence. He just woke up.
Jessi was dumped in our neighborhood several months ago and now lives in our yard, too.
Last night there were 11 outdoor cats for dinner. A couple belong to neighbors, the others live in the alleys closeby and know where the food is, and the rest live mostly in our yard.
The mockingbirds love to taunt and divebomb the cats. Unfortunately, occasionally the cats win. I guess that’s urban nature. This guy was enjoying the early morning sun, too.
If you don’t like cats, I guess you won’t like these photos 
Candace
Filed under: Blogging, Cats, Photography | Tags: Cats, Photoblogging, Photography
It’s good when it rains here in AZ and it’s rained quite a bit the last couple of days. It also made the triple digit temperatures go away and they won’t be back for a few days which is also a good thing. But it makes for bad photos. Some bloggers only post their really beautiful photos…but I’m not proud, here are some of my gloomy weather photos over the last few days.
Some day–I’m going to get a really good photo of a hummingbird…but not today.
The clouds began rolling in a few nights ago.
These little petals are all over my yard from my neighbors’ bush. I don’t know what they are.
Fisheye Friday:
Candace
I’ve got a four day weekend coming up starting this afternoon where I hope to get some good shots, read some books (and blogs), catch a movie, spend time with Tony and the cats, get some things done around the house, catch up on some correspondence, go to a barbecue (you kind of have to do that on a summer holiday weekend, don’t you?)…
Bokeh above, reverse bokeh on the jacaranda:
Jacarandas are always such a startling sight.
I’d like to go to Boyce Arboretum in Globe to take some photos but don’t know if we’ll go this weekend…maybe. But I need to get some decent fisheye shots other than photographing everything in my yard:
Hope you have some fun and/or relaxing plans coming up!
Candace
Filed under: Art, Phoenix, Photography | Tags: Art, Parks, Phoenix, Photography
These photos were taken at Arizona Falls, a small park about 4 miles from my house on the Phoenix/Scottsdale border. I pass it going to and from work everyday. Located on the canal, it is also a functional hydroelectric plant that furnishes power for 150 homes.
The colors are all natural. Algae does wonderful things.
Niagara Falls, it’s not, but it’s an interesting little place to go. It even has a dance floor upstairs and it’s open 24 hours a day so you can dance under the stars, if you want.
From behind the above falls, the opposite side of the canal looks like an Impressionist painting.
The place is a little eerie–there’s never anyone around but a guard upstairs reading the paper–with the sound of rushing water underground.
Not much chance of being swept away…
This will give you an idea of the scale–not very large.
It was originally built in the early 1900s and then was closed for over 50 years. It reopened in 2003 as a public art project, WaterWorks, as well as a power plant.
The setting sun made the falls glisten…
Dusk was falling and I got outta there…before the humidity, the fishy smell, and the eeriness got the better of me. But, all in all, I think it was a successful photo op…and the fourth in my urban park series.
Candace
Filed under: Blogging, Books, Greater Good, Photography | Tags: Blogging, Books, Global Community, Obama, Photoblogging, Photography
I’ve been thinking about this for awhile and just needed to get my ideas focused (intentional pun).
Recently I’ve been reading Bill Clinton’s book, Giving, as well as another book called The Soul of Money (which I heard about on Kelli’s blog, a young woman who makes constant differences in the world). Both books, on different levels, are about what you can do to give back and transform your own life in the process.
President Obama was here the other night and I went to hear him speak at Arizona State University and giving was his main theme, too. And, I have worked for a large nonprofit for many, many years and for 5 of those years I worked for the fundraising part of it. I know what giving $$ can do and I think it’s important to give to groups one feels strongly about.
Also there is a blog I read everyday called How I Changed the World Today. The writer, Julia, does something every single day to help the world. She doesn’t write about it to brag or to sound important but to hopefully influence others as well as to motivate herself to give in some way everyday.
But face it, much as I would like to give to a lot of groups, I can’t, because I’m not rich. I give to some and would like to give more to them and others. But Bill Clinton (and President Obama) speak of giving your time, your effort, etc.–not just your $$.
So…I’ve been trying to think of ways I can “change the world” through photography and/or blogging, both things I have fun doing.
Here are some I have thought of and I would love to hear if you have some other ideas on this subject:
1. Contribute your artwork to fundraisers. I have done that about 5 times and find it really fun and fairly rewarding when your work sells. The only problem with this is there just aren’t that many around or at least it’s hard to find out about them so it’s just an occasional thing. I’d like to be doing it a lot more.
2. Contribute your photography services to a nonprofit. A lot of them hire professional photographers to shoot their events, their donors, the staff, the recipients of their services, etc., but I would think the smaller ones would rather use free services…especially in these hard economic times when some charities are going under.
3. Sell your photos yourself and donate proceeds to charities. Indicate that is your purpose before you sell as that may further influence buyers to purchase your work. Try to sell ‘em on your blog.
4. Blog about your favorite charities, use photos of their facilities (if it’s a zoo or museum or an actual physical place), in the hopes of getting your readers to donate. This I have done several times.
5. Give a gift of photography to someone who needs it. On another photoblog I read, just today the writer, Toni, mentioned that her next door neighbors’ son was unable to have his senior portraits taken because the dad had lost his job and they just couldn’t afford it. So she is shooting the kid’s portraits as a gift. She suggested calling local high schools (the guidance counselors) and offering your free services to kids who can’t afford to pay for their photos. This is a great idea but probably one I wouldn’t do personally at this time as shooting portraits is not my strong suit.
6. Or like Julia, who I mentioned in paragraph 4, blog about doing something everyday, even if it’s a small thing, so you force yourself to do something as well as possibly inspire others.
7. Be a photojournalist. We can’t all work for TIME or even our local paper but we can do it on a smaller, more local level by championing a cause…and putting it on our blog, or in an art show at your school, if you’re a student, maybe your church, a coffeehouse, somewhere…Maybe you could have a box out for people to donate canned goods to your local food bank or shelter when they come to your show. Tell the local paper about your exhibit, get the word out.
8. Make photo gifts and birthday cards for your friends, thereby saving $$ (which you could even then donate) or reaching an agreement with some of your friends (as one group of my friends and I did this year) that we would give monetary gifts to each others’ favorite charities in our honor instead of giving gifts as we normally do–but still get together to celebrate the birthdays, of course.
Here’s another good blog for ideas to change the world as well as an interview with a photojournalist who wants to do just that.
My view of the world from my front porch:
I’m involved in this same discussion on a photography forum where others have contributed more suggestions. Check it out.
Do you have any other ideas?
Candace
Filed under: Greater Good, Phoenix, President Obama | Tags: Arizona State University, Obama, Phoenix
It was hot! It was a long, boring 4 hour wait from the time we got into Sun Devil Stadium at Arizona State University until Commencement 2009 began. It wasn’t too much of a hassle getting there in the car, by light rail, and walking (getting through Security took all of 3 minutes) but it was sort of a hassle getting out of there, especially when you’re fried after a long day. Was it worth it? Yes!!!!!!!!!
It was exciting, awe-inspiring, other words I can’t think of. Just to be in the same space (extended space, of course, since we were nowhere near him) with President Obama was a stirring experience. His speech was tailored to the controversy at ASU over not receiving an honorary degree. He was gracious and funny about that but it led to the main points of his address to the graduates…”what building a body of work is all about–it’s about the daily labor, the many individual acts, the choices large and small that add up to a lasting legacy. It’s about not being satisfied with the latest achievement, the latest gold star–because one thing I know about a body of work is that it’s never finished. It’s cumulative; it deepens and expands with each day that you give your best, and give back, and contribute to the life of this nation. You may have set-backs, and you may have failures, but you’re not done–not by a longshot.”
The President also said, “I’m talking about an approach to life–a quality of mind and heart. A willingness to follow your passions, regardless of whether they lead to fortune and fame. A willingness to question conventional wisdom and rethink the old dogmas. A lack of regard for all the traditional markers of status and prestige–and a commitment instead to doing what is meaningful to you, what helps others, what makes a difference in this world.”
Well, I could go on and on…it was wonderful, I didn’t want to leave, and we stayed until the end, until the fireworks were set off on “A” Mountain (photo below of “A” Mountain earlier in the day) and echoed loudly around the stadium. If you missed it and would like a transcript (which I noticed is lacking a few extraneous remarks he made), let me know and I’ll email it to you.
Do I regret I didn’t take my DSLR? Not exactly because I already had enough stuff to lug around in the heat and I was worried about the camera getting bashed in a crowd or lost. What I do regret is that the extra batteries I took for my point and shoot were also dead once the batteries in the camera died. So I got zero shots of the President. We mostly watched him on the jumbotron anyway since we were so high up. But I do wish I had gotten a decent photo of Air Force One as it flew directly over Sun Devil Stadium enroute to Sky Harbor at 5:50pm. That was an exciting sight and just the beginning of an inspirational evening…magical, even.
Candace
