Strengthen the Good

I've had a lot of great feedback regarding my post "What's the Font, Kenneth?' regarding the news media, blogs, and accountability. When we talk about the responsibility of accountability, and the ability of blogs to fact check each other, it is important not to neglect another responsibility that comes with influence -- the responsibility of making sure that we use that influence for good.

A while back I joined a network of Bloggers called Strengthen the Good. The idea is that we can use the influence of our blogs not just to decry the evil in this world, but also to do what the name implies. STG highlights small "Micro-charities", organizations that are doing good work helping people, just not on as grand a scale as more well-known charities. By using blogs, we can get the word out to more donors than these charities could on their own.

Well, in light of this weekend's anniversary, STG has come up with a good one. The Brent Woodall Foundation For Exceptional Children offers care and education to autistic children and their parents. This is what STG says about the charity:

The Foundation was created by Tracy Woodall, who lost her husband,
Brent, in the South Tower on September 11th, 2001. Tracy was 5 weeks
pregnant at the time, and she created the foundation as a way of dealing with
her grief and extending his legacy.

We all lost somehting on 9/11/01, but for Tracy, it was a husband and a father for her child. She decided not to let the terrorists win. We can do the same. We can show them, show the world, and show ourselves that we can make something good out of the worst they can throw at us. I would encourage you to do so. Check out Strengthen the Good's site for more information.

It's About Time II

After the cruel trick they played on me in the Ducks game Saturday, the football gods owed me a little consolation come NFL Sunday.

They did not disappoint.

Having been without a favorite team for several years, I have been following the teams who have drafted recent UO grads -- particularly Joey Harrington. Also, I'm trying to care about the Seahawks, since they ARE in the PNW, and San Diego, since I lived there for 12 years. Not as true favorites, but as teams I like.

Minnesota drafted Keenan Howry and Onterrio Smith. They beat Dallas 35-17.

Seattle also has a former Duck, Maurice Morris. They beat New Orleans 21-7.

San Diego has Justin Peele and Igor Olshansky (watch for that name. He's a rookie, but as he matures, he's going to be a force to recon with on the D-line). They beat Houston 27-20.

And finally, Detroit. Detroit of the 24-game road losing streak. Detroit who recruited my favorite Quarterback. They ended the streak, beating Chicago 20-16.

Not a bad way to start the season. It sure beat all sorts of hell out of Saturday.