1955 Design Blog Archives

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Our Most Important Post of 2007

You Can Make A Difference!

A couple of days ago I wrote an article titled Our Most Popular Posts of 2007. After thinking back about the articles written in 2007, it struck me that I needed to talk a bit about another post that I had overlooked. The post is certainly not very popular, because nobody even commented on it. In my opinion, however, it is the most important post I wrote last year.

In September I became aware of an organization named Kiva and wrote an article about what I learned. The short story is that Kiva facilitates microfinance loans from people like you and me, and then disperses those loans to small business owners in third world countries. In turn, these business owners use these funds to grow and expand their businesses so that they can increase the standard of living for their families. Oh, I almost forgot. The other thing these business owners do, from thousands of miles away (in many cases) is pay back their loans.

Guess what? The concept works. Each of the loans my wife and I have made are currently being paid back - on time and on schedule. It truly is a miracle.

As each of us reflects back on 2007 and looks ahead to 2008, please consider the plight of those less fortunate then ourselves. I think Kiva is a great organization and one that you should consider donating to in New Year.

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December 25th, 2007 | This 'n That | Comment first »

In Support of US Troops

Without getting into any political discussion about US foreign policy in general or about the war in Iraq in particular, I do think it is appropriate that we support our troops. There are thousands of US military personnel stationed in foreign countries and in violent situations. Very few of these service men or women will be home for the Holidays.

As a show of support, you can send a free printed postcard to US military personnel to show that they are in our thoughts during this Holiday season. Please take the time to check out the Let’s Say Thanks website and to send a postcard today!

Thank you to Michelle Oshen for making me aware of this terrific idea.

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December 14th, 2007 | This 'n That | Comment first »

The Magic of Satellite Imagery

Show and Tell Time - Where Do You Live?

While wandering around the world viewing different blogs about web design and accessiblity, I stumbled upon an article over at David’s Doodles. On David’s contact page was an overhead view of the apartment complex where he lives.

I thought it was a novel idea to show an actual satellite view of his home. That prompted this post, and the rest is history. This map overview shows where I live in Rochester, MI USA.

About Rochester, Michigan

Rochester is a town of 12,000 people located in Oakland County, Michigan. Our county borders the City of Detroit to the north. One of the unique features of Rochester is that it maintains an historical downtown business district, which serves to give the city an identity that is lacking in most suburban cities. We can walk from my house to the downtown area, where just about anything we want or need can be purchased or enjoyed.

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November 6th, 2007 | This 'n That | 2 comments