U.S. Fund for UNICEF raising money for children affected by disasters in Japan :: News Releases :: Media Center :: U.S. Fund for UNICEF - UNICEF USA

U.S. Fund for UNICEF raising money for children affected by disasters in Japan :: News Releases :: Media Center :: U.S. Fund for UNICEF - UNICEF USA

This is a short one.

Please consider donating to UNICEF! They save the lives of children all around the world through food and programs. Their "program dollars" ratio is one of the best for charity organizations. And the disasters didn't end with Japan; in the same region, there was an earthquake in Myanmar.

You can navigate to the donations page once you're at the site. Thanks in advance!

New Design! I AM a Game Changer at Doug E. Shirts on Zazzle

New Design Friday! That's right, Doug E. Shirts has a new design just about every Friday and this week's is a game-changer! No really... the name of this design is "I AM a Game Changer". Are you the one who brings positive chaos to a situation? Do you know someone who spins a group into a new direction? This is the design that is sweeping the nation! Get it on many fine Zazzle products today. It's customizable!

I like the term and was trying to figure out a way to use it in a design for Zazzle products. Does it work for you?


Browse other personalized gifts from Zazzle.

My Top 5 Favorite Recipes from Allrecipes.com!

I love to eat! Recently, I had to figure out how to "love" a little less due to health reasons. Equipped with the knowledge of what I could and could not eat, I turned to Allrecipes.com and signed up to be a Supporting Member. being a Supporting Member gives you tools to filter based on your criteria. And now that they have a new Menus section that breaks out meals in different categories by popularity, meals, cuisine, season, holiday and diet, it couldn't be easier!

What follows are my Top 5 recipes (so far!). Click on the title to go to the recipe. Please feel free to suggest your favorites as well.

1. Cinnamon Stove Top Granola

I use raisins instead of dried cherries. I also cut the brown sugar down to 1/4 cup.

2. Barbeque Tempeh Sandwiches

Yummy!

3. Black Beans and Rice

Make sure to read the comments for great variations. Most of them recommend adding corn and more spices.

4. Crispy Eggplant with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Follow the recipe and you can't fail!

5. Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

Awesome!

Hans Rosling and the magic washing machine | Video on TED.com

Hans Rosling and the magic washing machine | Video on TED.com

In this TED video, Hans Rosling proclaims the washing machine as the greatest invention of the industrial age. And once you think about it, how can you disagree?

Let's face it - washing clothes was once time-consuming, back-breaking work, primarily done by women. With the invention of the washing machine, women were given the gift of discretionary time. Time that they could spend with their children and concern themselves with more than chore drudgery. What I like about this presentation is that I find myself questioning what truly is revolutionary as well as by what perspective I'm measuring that status. In addition, I am reminded that really great achievements are measured not only what effort is expended to achieve the goal, but what it actually means in improving the quality of life.

Books I'm Reading (Part 3): Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0: 1,001 Unconventional Tips, Tricks and Tactics for Landing Your Dream Job

I'm Doug and I'm currently unemployed. Sure, I have the great Doug E. Shirts at Zazzle site, but I don't get the medical benefits with that. So, like a lot of people nowadays, I'm looking for a job. And I'm finding that job hunting has changed in the last ten years, so I figured I would get some "new thinking" from Jay Conrad Levinson and David E. Perry in their book Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0: 1,001 Unconventional Tips, Tricks and Tactics for Landing Your Dream Job (longest. title. ever.). My copy is a Kindle version and revised. I'm looking for ideas to jump-start my job search and ideas to possibly strengthen the marketing of my Zazzle store.

Chapter 2 is all about personal branding, guerrilla style. The following is a summarization that applies the themes to my job hunt as well as the marketing for my Zazzle store.

- How to Stay Motivated

This section has four steps to fight the rejection and negativity one faces when looking for a job or career.

1. Take Charge of Your Job Hunt

Only you know your strengths and weaknesses. To possess the authenticity in interviews, you have to write your own resume and cover letters.

Job Hunt: This is a known. I don't want to look like I don't know what's on my resume or what I wrote in a cover letter.

Zazzle Store: I've got to know my products and stand behind my designs. For me, this also means keeping to my mission statement and make my designs positive!

2. Adopt a Tough Mindset

Surround yourself with positive people and lose the "Debbie Downers" or the people who feed off others failures. We need support, not sympathy.

Job Hunt: Network with supportive people. Stay away from other job hunters eager to blame their lot on everyone and everything other than themselves.

Zazzle Store: Network with other successful Zazzlers. Accept constructive criticism and stay away from other soured Zazzlers, friends and family that don't get it. Don't listen to your Aunt that has never bought a t-shirt in her life.

3. Stay Focused

Track and record your efforts. Stay on track in what your you're doing. Actually write down your accomplishments and setbacks; you need to see what you're doing to be successful.

Job Hunt: Not only is this a great way to keep yourself honest, but you can also learn and see what's working and what's not.

Zazzle Store: Sometimes it can be easy just designing and ignore why I opened the store in the first place - to SELL STUFF! I've got to be willing to track sales, see what sold and continue to improve my store.

4. Think Positive

You have to believe you will be successful. Write positive affirmations and always keep your goals in mind. It will be worth it!

Job Hunt: Don't talk yourself out of a job! Do the things you need to do to stay on your game. This includes eating right, sleeping, networking and look at the bright side.

Zazzle Store: I can come up with a million reasons why my Zazzle products won't sell. But that's not positive OR true. People I don't even know have bought my products! If I believe in myself and my designs and do the things I need to do to be successful, the rest will follow.

To be continued...

Beautiful Italy Poster - Cathedral of Milan from Crisferra Gallery and Zazzle.com

Beautiful Italy Poster - Cathedral of Milan from Zazzle.com

I've been to Italy and this poster brings back so many good memories! Cristina (Crisferra Gallery) is a graphic designer living in Italy and she really digs photography. You can buy many of her images not only in her Zazzle Store, but working images on sites such as Shutterstock and iStockPhoto. She also is on Facebook, Twitter and has a blog! Please take an opportunity to view her art.

Sarah Kay performs " B "

Sarah Kay is a spoken-word poet and started when she was 14(!). I'm sure many who have seen her on HBO's Def Poetry know her work but she just found me. She performs her poetry stunningly. I encorage you to view the YouTube video (a NSFW word or two at the end) and check out her body of work.

Response to Japan Earthquake Continues

Response to Japan Earthquake Continues

By this point, you would have to be living under a rock with no media access to not be aware of the tragedy and devastation in Japan due to the related triple-disasters of a 9.0 earthquake, tsunami and potential nuclear meltdown.

If you want to help, the truth is there is no better organization that deals with this kind of thing than the Red Cross. Already they have people in Japan helping to get the needed necessities to the survivors of this horrendous act of nature. Whether you raise money by yourself or in a group, I strongly recommend that you donate those proceeds to the American Red Cross. Read the blog post article (link above) and donate here.

New Design! Funky Love Exclamation at Doug E. Shirts on Zazzle

Exclamation!!! With funky, psychedelic colors, you are sure to make your point with this design. Love the exclamation!

I had this thought about a design using an exclamation point and I wanted it to have a positive vibe. So this is what I did. What do you think? Please leave a comment!

See more personalized gifts from Zazzle.

4 Green Things To Do For St. Patrick's Day

Top 'o the mornin' to you all! Since it's Saint Paddy's Day and I'm not Irish, I figured that I'd look at the "green" a different way today.

Environmentally, I'm not the greenest guy. I grew up in the convenience generation and threw away my share of foam cups, batteries, printers and plastic bottles. I am trying to be a better person now; both by cutting down the waste I produce and dealing with my waste in a responsible manner. But sometimes it's hard to know what's an Earth-friendly practice. As they say, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. What's a laddie to do?

Here are 4 green things you can do to minimize your impact today for Saint Patrick's Day:

1. Unplug - After you finish reading this blog post, log off your accounts and turn off your computer. I you can't do that, at least try to minimize your computer usage. And unplug everything you're not using (like your toaster and TV). Most appliances are draining power from the grid even if they are not being used. 
2. Walk - Many of us will have somewhere to go today, Irish or not. Instead of consuming that expensive petrol, why not walk if weather permits? Not only will that be good for the environment, but it will be good for you as well. Or, if you live in an area that has bus service, take a group ride? It will mean one less car on the road for the day.
3. Use a non-disposable/reusable drinking vessel - When you are going out to drink your green beer/coffee/Jamba Juice, how about not using the foam or paper and bring your own mug/stein/pitcher? Yeah, I know - the cup was already made. But by using your own cup, you can slow down the consumption of the disposables.
4. Eat a local restaurant - Let's face it; unless you're a great cook, preparing corn beef and cabbage is not that easy and can be cost-prohibitive for some. Why not take advantage of dining at a local restaurant and doing the group-eat thing? You help support the local economy and cut down the potential waste of cooking for yourself. 

Have a great green Saint Patrick's Day!

Anthony Atala: Printing a human kidney | Video on TED.com

Anthony Atala: Printing a human kidney | Video on TED.com

Hopeful, wonderful and "Star-Trek"-like! Surgeon Anthony Atala demonstrates creating a kidney using 3D printing.

Watching this and the skin replacement "printing" gives me goosebumps. Please do yourself a favor and watch this wonderful TED video.

WI Senate Majority Leader Lets The Cat Out Of The Bag: Defunding Unions Meant To Hurt Obama's Reelection | Crooks and Liars

WI Senate Majority Leader Lets The Cat Out Of The Bag: Defunding Unions Meant To Hurt Obama's Reelection | Crooks and Liars

This is an excellent post from last week's Crooks and Liars blog. Go read it here.

It sounds like a weird political conspiracy. What if a political party wanted to win so bad in the Presidential election that they were willing to risk the health of the nation and plunge it to the edge of the abyss to show up the sitting President? Maybe it's not such a wacky idea. What can you do to destroy the areas of support that a Democratic candidate might depend on? Destroy the unions, take away funding from schools, don't allow college students to vote in the town they are going to school at, take away same-day voter registration, and block the President every chance one can. Make sure the governors that are with your political party have their marching orders to implement this plan on the state level.

I'd like to be positive, but I don't see any real winners in this. All the more reason to live one's life that makes the government's influence as irrelevant as possible. We need to create support systems and positive, hopeful living conditions that the state and Federal government can't tax and can't control.

Summer Mermaid iPhone Case from Rona's Art & Zazzle.com

Summer Mermaid iPhone Case from Zazzle.com

This beautiful iPhone Case is available from Rona Gregory at her Zazzle store call Rona's Art (go figure!).

Rona currently resides in Ontario, Canada and works in mixed media and acrylics. Her artwork adorns various Zazzle products. Go check out this store!

1000 Happy Faces - Your face on giant billboard in Chicago

Check out the video for this worthwhile cause and event. It's happening in the Chicago area but it could spread! You can also like them on their Facebook page.

Repost: What Would Jesus Want US To Do?

Note - I originally posted this in April 2006. It's incredible that this seems even more true today. Enjoy and think about it...


I'm a Christian. Yep. I said it.

I know many people have bad feelings about religion(s), God, belief in God and Christians. Some of it comes from very painful memories and experiences. And, as a Christian, I'm sorry. The things some of you have had to endure under the guise of "Christianity" are horrific at best. It doesn't seem right; you know it wasn't right. And you're right.

Some people like to rail because it's the cool thing to do. To those people, I'd ask that they think about what they say. It's one thing to have experience rejection or hurt from a supposed follower of Christ; it's another thing to rail against the government and hit well meaning people in your crossfire.

There are days I'd have to admit I'm ashamed to admit I am Christian. Not because I believe in and love Christ... but because my brothers and sisters who have made such loud proclamations without compassion. These are the people who hook themselves to an issue and don't bend. They get in bed with Big Government and want a Taliban-like theocracy.

I don't pretend to be Super-Christian, but I can see the viper in the bed. Government and others in power have compromised the message and have given power to those who say they follow Christ, but actually follow world power. These people innocently believe, at first, that anyone who professes belief in Christ to be honest and loving. Many of these people have no time for the grays; only black and white.

And you know what? The problem doesn't lie with those people. You heard me right. The problem lies with those Christians that have not stood up and spoken out against the ridiculous shouting of a frightened group of people.

I think it is time for compassionate Christians to take back their name.

How do we do this? One only has to look to the new testament to find out what Christ would have us do (Matthew 25:31 - 46):

Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Welcome the strangers
Tend to the sick
Clothe the naked
Visit the prisoners

This is love in action.

And I believe that it is not enough to say what is wrong; in fact, in a lot of instances, it is not our place. If we Christians could concentrate on just these six areas that Christ himself spoke about, I can't help but believe this world would be that much closer to heaven. Even many of those who do not believe but have compassionate hearts could not argue with this line of thinking.

Will there be mistakes made? Probably; we are human. But I'd rather make a mistake out of love than indifference and intolerance.

Is it safe? Hell no. But it has been mentioned to me that a comfortable Christian is not Christian at all. To follow Christ is very radical; no doubt many would have a very hard time leaving their comfortable lives behind. I still struggle with it.

But I believe that practicing Love In Action will give me a joy that no creature-comfort could ever give me. I won't be in the position of judging others... I'll be loving others.I won't be above others... I'll be with others, attempting to bring heaven a little closer to the here-and-now.

Doug

New Designs! Get Well Flowers at Doug E. Shirts

Flowers on the hospital tray. A hopeful greeting of love and hope. Cheer up your friend or loved one and encorage them to get well with your own words with this Doug E. Shirts design on a card, postcard or one of the other fine Zazzle products.


Make a personalized gift at Zazzle.

Brothers Are Everywhere Men's Dark T-Shirt from Doug E. Shirts & Zazzle.com

Brothers Are Everywhere Men's Dark T-Shirt from Zazzle.com

Design Spotlight!

Brothers are everywhere. And you can remind people of that fact by wearing the tee or hat (or both!). Anyone can wear this anywhere... the mall, on a trip, the White House or even the moon!

Chad Vader : Day Shift Manager - The Date

One of the funniest series on YouTube is Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager by Blame Society Films. Chad has a famous, more-accomplished brother (guess who!), while he toils as a struggling supermarket manager.

I have many laugh-out-loud moments watching this. You should get quite a few laughs out of this and the many other offerings from Blame Society Films!

Books I'm Reading: Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0: 1,001 Unconventional Tips, Tricks and Tactics for Landing Your Dream Job

I'm Doug and I'm currently unemployed. Sure, I have the great Doug E. Shirts at Zazzle site, but I don't get the medical benefits with that. So, like a lot of people nowadays, I'm looking for a job. And I'm finding that job hunting has changed in the last ten years, so I figured I would get some "new thinking" from Jay Conrad Levinson and David E. Perry in their book Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0: 1,001 Unconventional Tips, Tricks and Tactics for Landing Your Dream Job (longest. title. ever.). My copy is a Kindle version and revised. I'm looking for ideas to jump-start my job search and ideas to possibly strengthen the marketing of my Zazzle store.

Chapter 2 is all about personal branding, guerrilla style. The following is a summarization that applies the themes to my job hunt as well as the marketing for my Zazzle store.

-Effective Branding is About Selling what Matters

This section helps you determine your marketable skills and find the achievements that prove those claims. Documenting those achievements with more than bullet points, highlighting how you saved your employers money or provided value is key.

Job Hunt: Intellectually, it's common sense to list my skills, but I need to have a sense of how it benefits my potential employer and put into writing.
Zazzle Store: The take-away is promoting myself a little more (okay, a LOT more) on my store's landing page and provide a sense of value for my products.

- Attitude Check

Employers need to see a positive, "can-do" attitude. Many people would rather hire a positive candidate with some skills that a person that is very qualified with a poor attitude. Someone who doesn't fall apart from setbacks but learns from them.

Job Hunt: I have to project an authentic positive "I want to be here" attitude with my resume, cover letter and style.
Zazzle Store: For me, this means being welcoming at my store and offering to go the extra mile with my customers.

To be continued...

PINK BUNNY BLUE DOG IPAD CASE KENNETH SHAW from Zazzle.com

PINK BUNNY BLUE DOG IPAD CASE KENNETH SHAW from Zazzle.com

Kenneth Shaw is an artist and animator from Los Angeles, California. His designs are delightful, fun and crisp. Check out his store here.