Happy birthday to me, now pass me a cough drop
Plus: Indoor orange tree, Erin Brockovich, nonprofit woes, Gen Z voters
Just days away from my birthday, and I am dealing with my first serious sinus infection since February 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has been terrible for so many reasons. And it has also made us rethink so many things that had been ingrained in our heads from bygone eras — the office, commuting, low wages, etc. For me, the pandemic has been a savior of my sinuses. As someone with severe and chronic sinus issues, not having a serious sinus infection (something I used to get two or three times a year and that would last for weeks and weeks) has been good. But this roller coaster weather (please just stay cold in winter, damn you, climate change) and a really gross hotel air conditioning unit put the brakes on my nasal passages and clear head. I’ll be ringing in my birthday this week with some strong medicines to kick this thing. 🍒
Farewell, AmazonSmile. We hardly knew ye
Despite Amazon’s crazy high net sales in 2022 (net sales increased 9% to $514 billion in 2022, compared with $469.8 billion in 2021), Amazon is cutting costs by laying off 18,000 workers and it’s ending its popular AmazonSmile program.
It’s not clear if cutting AmazonSmile, which is set to end Feb. 20, is part of the company’s cost-cutting measures. And while there are naysayers who think the program was a lot of effort for little reward, there are certainly a number of nonprofit organizations that enjoyed the boost.
In Amazon’s corporate speak email discussing the program ending, the company said that “after almost a decade, the program has not grown to create the impact that we had originally hoped.”
What did they hope for when just 5 cents from every $100 (AmazonSmile donated just 0.05 percent of a purchase to the organization) was going to an organization? What did they hope for when users had to go to a specific website or be sure to add the app add-on to ensure their favorite organization was going to benefit?
For my part, my AmazonSmile efforts support The ANNA Shelter in Erie, Pennsylvania. While my individual AmazonSmile effort raised nearly $14 (I forget how long I’ve had ANNA Shelter as my default group, but I had changed it once or twice in the decade), the shelter has received $10,220.77 as of Feb. 17 from all supporters, according to the AmazonSmile page. That’s an extra roughly $1,022 per year. Amazon says the effort has raised more than $400 million (as of December) collectively since it began a decade ago.
But for smaller nonprofit groups like ANNA Shelter, that money could be difficult to make up — especially at a time when the number of overall donors to organizations fell by 7 percent in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy goes on to say, in an October story citing a report published in part by GivingTuesday, that the decline is largely due to a “collapse” in the number of small-gift supporters. The report said the number of people making contributions of $100 or less dropped more than 17 percent. For donations of $101 to $500, the number of people contributing dropped 8 percent.
As if this isn’t enough worrisome news for nonprofit groups, a report released in January by the AmeriCorps and the U.S. Census Bureau says Americans are volunteering less. And while the pandemic is an cheap target to blame, like everything else that’s been forced to change, the writing has been on the wall for decades.
I was one of those people who who helped make that data point a reality. In February 2021, I essentially ended all volunteer activities. I’d been wanting to scale back for years, and the pandemic finally gave me reason to do so. I never fully gave up, but I did shuck the leadership roles and all of the responsibilities because it had no longer been fun for me.
If you are so inclined, please consider a donation to my American Cancer Society fundraising efforts. I’m just a little bit short of my goal!
What in the Reddit?
I’ve been trying to use Reddit more, but, wow, wow, wow, people ask and discuss some strange stuff. These are all from the r/Pittsburgh page on Reddit.
What I’ve read and you should know…
Norfolk Southern’s environmental disaster in Ohio
Cincinnati stops using Ohio River water even though Gov. Mike DeWine says East Palestine chemicals have ‘dissipated’ (Cleveland.com)
CNN anchor asks Ohio lawmaker if he would drink the water in East Palestine (CNN)
Environmental activist Erin Brockovich coming to East Palestine (WFMJ)
“Obama imposed stricter rules on trains carrying toxins. Trump killed them.” Mostly True. (Politifact)
Trump will return to the scene of his crime when he visits Ohio toxic train wreck (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Jimmy Carter
'I've had a wonderful life': Former President Jimmy Carter lived serving God and others (USA Today)
Jimmy Carter: How to repair the U.S.-China relationship — and prevent a modern Cold War (WaPo)
Fond remembrances for Jimmy Carter after entering hospice (AP)
Carter’s hometown shares love, respect for ‘Mr. Jimmy’ (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
All About Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter's Children and Grandchildren (People)
Photos of Jimmy Carter: Remembering the life of the 39th president and humanitarian (WaPo)
LGBTQ news
Missouri Considers Forcing Detransition On Incarcerated Trans People (Erin In The Morning)
Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, 100+ Organizations & Advocates Call Out Biased, Harmful New York Times Coverage of Transgender People in Joint Letter (HRC)
N.Y. Times contributors and LGBTQ advocates send open letters criticizing paper's trans coverage (NBC News)
Shame on the New York Times (Discourse Blog)
Montana House Passes Right To Bully Trans Kids (Erin In The Morning)
A new anti-trans law in Utah, eight more anti-LGBTQ bills pass a state legislative chamber (Law Dork by Chris Geidner)
Pittsburgh/Western Pennsylvania
Wabash Bridge piers — with no Wabash Bridge — have been sold (KDKA)
Split Pennsylvania House set for raucous return next week (AP)
Now a political force, research shows GenZ voters crave information on candidates, issues (Penn-Cap Star)
An environmental leader’s new memoir is inspired by the life and work of Rachel Carson (Allegheny Front)
Meet Moms for Liberty, the group leading LGBTQ book bans in Pa. schools (Penn-Cap Star)
Happy little trees, ‘n at
Check out this incredible painting of the South Side Slopes by Nick Ruble.
