Displaying comments 1 to 28 of 28
MeFi post:
We should all live in Manhattan
This article is actually relevant to this week's news--one of the stories featured in places like the NYT and Gothamist concerned the spike in obesity in NYC boroughs except Manhattan, where people tend to walk considerably more. Better health, abundant social connectivity, a small environmental footprint: the arguments for population density seem to be intensifying, in stark contrast to the suburbanizing trends from the 40s through the 80s.
posted to MetaFilter by jefftrexler
at 5:25 PM on April 6, 2008
Ask post:
Where to get high end jewelry magazines in NYC
I'll second the store on the south of Bryant Park--it targets the fashion industry & has a number of magazines you're not likely to find elsewhere. You might also want to try magazine stores & stands on/near 7th & 8th in the Fashion District, around FIT & Parsons.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jefftrexler
at 10:41 AM on February 27, 2008
MeFi post:
The Marvel Assistant Editors' Month
Without question, one of the most fun & memorable events in comics history. It still holds up in ways countless other more serious events--whose names for the most part escape me--do not.
posted to MetaFilter by jefftrexler
at 6:34 PM on February 23, 2008
MeFi post:
Book Scavenging in Manhatten
Like others in this thread, this is something I noticed at bookstores and have been wondering about. The studies mentioned here sound fascinating. Understanding urban ecology is essential to developing philanthropic strategies that go beyond tossing money around to salve one's conscience.
posted to MetaFilter by jefftrexler
at 12:09 PM on January 20, 2008
It just kills me to see books in the garbage . . .
I don't think there is anything special about books . . .
The evolution of norms regarding the destruction of books is worthwhile topic in its own right. Scarcity environments--political repression, expensive paper, limited literacy--fostered a set of values that can seem obsolete to people used to the delete button, datafloods and instant info-obsolescence.
posted to MetaFilter by jefftrexler
at 12:16 PM on January 20, 2008
MeTa post:
Fallout from the Givewell affair
If the response had been "Goodness gracious, that's awful—thanks for alerting us! We'll investigate and take appropriate action," the reaction here would have been very different.
Same for me, no question.
With regard to the board's action, twelve hours or so later I find my main response to be indifference. Givewell's declared mission was to start a revolution. Over the past week the organization had a real... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler
at 12:25 PM on January 7, 2008
Miko: In my view, American citizenship allows us to critique and register opinions on nonprofit organizations, because they belong to the people, through the state government. The people are represented by the trustees, whom the state charges with the public trust. This is what makes them fundamentally different, governance and responsibility-wise, from private businesses.
This is particularly true of charities, which by definition serve a public... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler
at 10:19 AM on January 8, 2008
One of my favorite courses in law school was Guido Calabresi's Tragic Choices, which analyzed the difficult decisions society faces in the allocation of resources. One of the thought experiments in the class involved aliens coming down from space years ago and offering us a deal: they would give us automotive technology if we'd give them an offering of 40,000 people every year.
It's not a sacrifice most of us would sanction, yet it's one that the U.S. implicitly... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler
at 3:51 PM on January 11, 2008
On the other hand, AskMe is definitively not a discussion board.
That's the answer right there. The value of AskMe--like any Q&A medium, from a classroom to an advice column--depends on maintaining a relatively high signal to noise ratio.
A discussion board is different. Much like ordinary conversation, it can function quite effectively as a series of iconoclastic probes and parries. In this regard online discussion... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler
at 7:25 PM on January 11, 2008
If we did expect those standards all the time, I think there would be much less rigor, vitality, and challenge here, because the shared assumptions would be much greater.
Even those who've followed the conversation with interest and had nothing pressing to add other than a chuckleworthy one-liner are part of the energy that keeps it vibrant. And I'm really thankful for the number of those one-liners I've been able to enjoy in these threads.
Amen to that!
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler
at 9:18 PM on January 11, 2008
Ericb, thanks for the link!
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler
at 7:32 AM on January 16, 2008
Miko, my own reading of the Hewlett reaction is that it was, shall we say, hedging. The use of the word "concept" really stood out. The spokesman could have expressed the HF's confidence in the organization or its founders, but did not.
That doesn't mean the Foundation won't support GiveWell--it very well might. What was actually said, though, was relatively neutral.
As for the more systemic issue you raise re GiveWell's approach,... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler
at 12:35 PM on January 17, 2008
MeFi post:
In search of Aids
As someone who has worked in international charity and seen how quickly trust can be destroyed by actions that are well-meant but not well-thought-out, I have to side with the critical voices on this one. The short-term benefit to a few children risks substantial long-term loss for the whole effort.
A la tkolar, think of how skittish Americans are getting about foreign investment in U.S. banks & real estate, then imagine how they'd would react if folks from... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by jefftrexler
at 4:47 PM on January 16, 2008
MeFi post:
The Artist Leaves Underground.
Tom's story makes for interesting insight into a job that most of us might take for tourist-trapping huckstery.
Thanks for that. Made me think of how we (myself included) can automatically reduce individuals to a transaction or a feature of the landscape. In my walk through Central Park yesterday I didn't stop to think about the no doubt rich array of stories behind every artist on the path. Next time, it'll be hard not to think of this article.
posted to MetaFilter by jefftrexler
at 3:42 PM on January 7, 2008
MeTa post:
GiveWell, or Give 'em Hell?
mrserkan: not worth 1000 comments
Here's another example of how defenders of Givewell can appear to lack self-awareness. Consider: Givewell is an organization that touts the ability of its leaders to investigate and to analyze an array of charitable organizations serving diverse markets. What we have in this thread--trolls aside--is a team of people engaged in a similar task in real time. Thoughts that Holden and Elle might speak to themselves or... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler
at 3:50 PM on January 2, 2008
Fourcheesemac, Miko, dw, Rumple (and many others I'm not mentioning because if I did, that would be a whole post)--excellent work. I'm glad to see the discussion moving past the deliberate attempts to divert it.
There's no question that the lack of experience has been apparent from the beginning. In theory, no problem--lawyers, consultants and I-bankers learn on the job all the time. But that's where Givewell diverted from the very culture it claimed to be represent.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler
at 8:52 AM on January 3, 2008
The charitable world can be a bit smug, assured of its own virtue to the point of denigrating anyone who does not genuflect in its direction. It flocks towards fads and has ruling cliques every bit as petty and vicious as what you remember from high school. Getting past all that can be hard work, especially if you don't hum the latest buzz.
dw: Yet again, higher ed and the charity world have something in common.
Amen to that,... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler
at 9:27 AM on January 3, 2008
I agree, jefftrexler, that there is waste, cronyism, and sloppiness in the nonprofit world and that the halo effect obscures some shady dealings. It's true. But that's all the more reason why I don't want to excuse this incident,
Miko, I should clarify: I wasn't defending Givewell or rationalizing inaction. In fact, over on the Gifthub thread, I argued for shutting it down. The point I was trying to make, however ineptly, was an ironic one: that... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler
at 10:37 AM on January 3, 2008
So, Jeff, tell me -- why is it that I've heard at endless conferences and seminars over the last two years that doing business on the Internet means that you must be transparent, honest, and forthright lest your customers think you're a fraud, but that message apparently isn't even being spoken to the non-profit/philanthropy world?
. . . I'm hearing and seeing the exact opposite of that from these Gifthub commenters and other philanthropy... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler
at 12:37 PM on January 3, 2008
ikkyu2, kickin' it 'til the very last note is just part of my job.
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler
at 7:27 AM on January 5, 2008
A couple comments prompted by the discussion of Christian forgiveness . . .
The example of John 8--the woman caught in adultery, "let he who is without sin", etc.--is often cited as the model for dealing with leaders who do wrong. Again, the irony. The story actually serves as a lesson about the inequity of a system in which the powerless are punished while the privileged get off scott-free.
I won't go through all the legal ins and... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler
at 7:55 PM on January 5, 2008
It's a familiar pattern: group proclaims superior virtue; leader does something egregiously bad; community responds with earnest questions about civility and fairness. The pattern recurs whether the whistleblower is an insider, a newspaper, a TV show or an online community. Regardless of the source, eventually you end up with the nonprofit world's version of a Superboy punch retcon, as what was once an attempt to reform a charity's bad behavior becomes a story about reforming those who dared... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler
at 8:12 PM on January 6, 2008
By the way, Holden is out.
Sort of. From the same GiveWell blog link:
"While we are removing him from the Executive Director position, we believe that his previous contributions outside of the acts noted above have demonstrated a commitment to the goals of the organization and have been important to accomplishing GiveWell’s work. As a result, Holden will be moved to a Program Officer position, where we believe he will... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler
at 9:01 PM on January 6, 2008
