Shelley Keith

I do not agree with what Don Imus said, I think he’s an idiot for being an insulting jackass on the airwaves. I think the FCC should have stepped up and done something about it. I think the Rutgers ladies bb team had every right to be righteously indignant and furious. I think men like to insult strong successful women at every opportunity. I do not think he should be fired solely for being the same kind of jackass he always is.

If Jesse Jackson and Rev. Sharpton want to get all up in arms about what Imus said they need to step to their own communities and start speaking out about arguably much worse lyrics being spewed forth from the hip-hop community and promoted as “art”. If Diddy had said the exact same thing it would have been very un-newsworthy.

Proof positive that free speech doesn’t apply to all of us anymore.

Fuming over politically (in)correct bullshit wasn’t the way I wanted to mourn Vonnegut today.

“I am too lazy to chase down the exact quotation but the British astronomer Fred Hoyle said something to this effect: That believing in Darwin’s theoretical mechanisms of evolution was like believing that a hurricane could blow through a junkyard and build a Boeing 747. No matter what is doing the creating. I have to say that the giraffe and the rhinoceros are ridiculous. And so is the human brain, capable, in cahoots with the more sensitive parts of the body, such as the ding dong, of hating life while pretending to love it, and behaving accordingly: Somebody shoot me while I’m happy!”

-Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007)

I’m going to start collecting these little bits of sarcastic joy…they make me smile.

I managed to get in on a session this morning by Matt Frazier of Pursuant called “Internet Fundraising: Augmenting Mail and Phone Programs with an Integrated Online Approach”.

Matt is a dynamic speaker who kept the small room smiling and in touch with his message throughout the presentation.

His core message was that our efforts should revolve around “the story”. We’ve all got stories on our campus, it’s how we take those and turn them into valuable connected efforts to reach and build relationships with our donors, potential donors, faculty, staff, students, etc.

He highlighted some valuable technologies and ways they can be leveraged to reach various target groups using “Web 2.0″ concepts. One point he made was that if you have content, you have an audience. It might not be a very big audience, but it’s there, nonetheless.

Everything you want to get to in Dallas is always on the opposite side of the freeway from where you expect it to be…including the exits. Silly me. Random thought #1.

I’m here for the annual CASE District IV conference at the Fairmont in scenic warm lovely Dallas. The hotel pillows are heavenly. Random thought #2.

We did manage to find the P.F. Chang’s here. God bless whoever thought up Kung Pao Scallops…god bless them every one. I was perusing the drink menu looking for something yummy and asked the waitress if they had any creamy chocolaty boozy goodness, to which she replied (without missing a beat) “There ain’t no chocolate in China, honey”. I love southern women, for I are one.

The hotel is lovely. They really believe in a mini-bar, I can tell you that much. Bless the valet (every one), for they prevent me from walking too far in 3 inch heels.