Rob found Yeti Sports, Part 4! Can you crack a thousand?

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The results page shows $49,681.83 was raised but there are a few hundred more to be allocated. The fundraising goal of $50,000 for Spirit of America was reached!

My personal thanks to all y'all who donated and to everybody who helped to spread the word. You rawk!

The competition aspect of the fundraiser was fun and the banter and backstabbing kept it fresh and interesting. I think we'll be better prepared if this happens again - some great ideas popped up mid-stream that would have been great to start with. For the next fundraiser we'll need to get the central offer page (our vBay) up right away to coordinate better. Items like my blogad giveaway would have worked better if they'd been available from the start (sorry, didn't think of it until yesterday). More time for some of the auctions from the heavies would have been nice - we'll need to become pests much earlier in the next cycle.

But even as fundraising amateurs, we drummed up Fifty Thousand Dollars to help our guys over there. Is that freaking awesome or what?

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog.

The photo above was taken by Joanie.

The card graphic was made by Michele. She also has a nice collection of links to closing posts from some of the other fundraisers.

Posted by: Jim at 08:12 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I caught this meme from Ilyka (who's afeared to play along).

1. Grab the nearest CD.


2. Put it in your CD-Player (or start your mp3-player, I-tunes, etc.).


3. Skip to Song 3 (or load the 3rd song in your 3rd playlist)


4. Post the first verse in your journal blog along with these instructions.

The third song on my CD was instrumental so I took the fourth one. Good luck guessing the song:

No te vayas
Mujer
Tu no me dejas
Tu no te vallas
Igual que una chiquitana

POINTS: 10 points if you can name the song this comes from without searching for it. You've also got to give us the story of how the hell you know this one. (It's not exactly common, if you haven't guessed yet.)

After 24 hours the points will knock down to 1 and searching will be allowed.

Posted by: Jim at 07:46 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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The fundraiser for Spirit of America has been extended for one final day. So far the combined teams have raised $43577.83, just a hammer throw away from our goal of $50,000. We're hoping that this final day will bring us home. If yesterday is any indicator we're going to make it.

All of the incentives from all participating blogs are now listed at vBay. There are a load of 'em and I'm adding one more:

Donate to Spirit of America and get free advertising

Not on this site, you silly. On sites where advertising is valuable. Click on that Spirit banner at the top of this post and make a $20 donation. Forward me the receipt email from Spirit of America along with your choice of which site you wish your free advertising to run (first come, first served). The site owner will send you a code to get a free Blogad for one month on their site.

Sites Participating (# slots left)
A Small Victory (1)
Zero Intelligence (4)

Once the monthies are gone all further donations will receive a two week run on Zero Intelligence. Yes, all others. No matter how many people want it. It might take a while to get through everybody if there's a big response (since there are only 6 ads running at a time) but I'm happy to loan the ZI.net revenue stream out to Spirit of America.

If you have a Blogad space (or spaces) that you would like to donate, email me or comment in this post.

Posted by: Jim at 07:47 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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That drive I speak of is for a five with four zeros after it, of course. The various factions have united for the last day of fund raising to see if we can get to the original goal of $50,000. We're already over $36,000 so it is doable. In that spirit we're cross promoting each other's offers.

The Victory Coalition's special offers are still at vBay.
The Fighting Fusileer's offers are all tracked at Castle Argghhh!!
The Liberty Alliance does have stuff out there but there's no central organization. Page down at Dean's World and you can find some of them. Don't forget Ilyka's triple option offer, which I spotlighted yesterday. There are other good ones from the Alliance too so take a minute to take a look.

Update: Here's a good one! Just trackback to this post and the Pudgy Pundit will make a donation!

Posted by: Jim at 01:53 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Revenge is a dish best served cold. And with a pee filled balloon. Paul's got it nailed.

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Today is the last full day of fundraising for Spirit of America. The challenge officially ends at midnight PST today. What have we done so far? Take a look at this:

The Froggy Silly Rears: $16334.49
The Victory Coalition: $11713.44
Lagging Alliance: $5880

Almost thirty-four thousand dollars raised and we've still got a day to go!

Things are looking good for a strong finish, too. James Lileks (who made that nifty graphic at the top of this post) has joined the Victory Coalition so the thousands of folks reading his blog will be heading to our donation page. Michele has a new offer. A $10 donation will get you a CD with her favorite songs, personal notes on the songs and a CD cover painted by her artist hubby. There are loads of other offers from other Coalition bloggers at the vBay offer center.

If you haven't donated yet, consider doing it now. If you've got a buck or two to spare, that buck or two can be put to excellent use by Spirit of America. I'm speaking literally here. Just a dollar is a perfectly fine donation if that's what you've got. Don't be shy.

If you've already donated, thank you! How about another one? Just like sex, it's easier and more enjoyable the second time.

Posted by: Jim at 09:08 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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(Snagged from Venomous Kate)

Posted by: Jim at 10:51 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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My apologies to my Victory Coalition allies but I've just got to stump for Ilyka today. The poor gal has poured her heart out trying to help her last place team raise money for Spirit of America and nobody has taken her up on her offer. You see, the Liberty Alliance isn't very organized. They don't have anything like our vBay area where all of the fund raising offers from Coalition members are collected in one convenient place. So castigate me as you will but today's begging fundraising post is for Ilyka.

Five Bucks. What can you get for five bucks? You could get a coffee at Starbucks. Or one of those sickeningly sweet confections in a cup that they call coffee. Look here Ms.Barista, when I want a shot in my coffee the bottle it comes out of better say the word "Proof" on it somewhere.

Sorry, got sidetracked there. I have coffee issues.

What else can you get for five bucks? You could get the really big bag of Doritos with the bold hint of guacamole and lime. You could get three hotdogs at your local QT. You could get a banana split at the DQ. You could get the fat bastard sized value meal at McD's.

Damn, I better stop this line...I'm starting to get really hungry.

The point is, you can get a whole lot of tasty stuff almost nothing of any permanent value out of five bucks. What you can get is a feeling of satisfaction and the knowledge that you've helped our guys who are overseas complete special projects that they want to do. All that and one of three valuable prizes from Ilyka herself!

Yes, that's right. For a mere $5 donation to the Spirit of America, Ilyka will do one of three things for you:

1. Write erotic poetry (other poetic stylings available upon request)


2. Let you laud yourself in magnanimous fashion on her own website (ten question interview)


3. Give you a personal full size tarot card reading (I think it's full size - it's 10 cards anyway). If you choose this option your donation is 100% refundable if all of the things she predicts don't come true by the time you've died.

It is incredibly easy to get these wonderful prizes. Just click on this image and donate at least $5:

(click to donate)

A few minutes after you donate you will get an email reply from Spirit of America. Forward that to Ilyka at ilyka[insert at-symbol here]ilyka.mu.nu and let her know which reward tickles your fancy.

Hey, donate $15 and get all three!!

Thank you for your support!

Posted by: Jim at 09:16 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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This is a neat little game. See how many hedgehogs you can run over get to safety in two minutes.

(Hat tip to Lovely Wife)

Posted by: Jim at 08:47 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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If so, get yer arse over to American Digest pronto. Gerard is auctioning off 8 hours of line editing / feedback / workshop / you name it. Gerard has 30 years of experience with authors like Steve King, R. Crumb, Harlan Ellison, Andre Dubus, and Robert Fulghum. He has edited magazines like Earth Magazine, Viva Magazine, Omni Magazine and Penthouse (so he'll even do your amateur porn!). He's an accomplished author in his own right as well as a ghost author for others.

This is a $1600 plus value and bidding starts at only $200. If you have a dream of becoming a professional author you need this. This is like skipping the first three tiers of interference and getting right to the person who makes your work work correctly. And he'll tell you what doesn't work and help you to fix it, too!

Oh, would you look at that...I got so excited about the auction I forgot to mention that it's for the Spirit of America! Yup, Gerard is auctioning off 8 hours of his life to help the Victory Coalition raise money. Is that awesome or what?

So get over there and toss on a bid.

Posted by: Jim at 12:37 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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My short story auction has ended and will be adding $200 to the Victory Coalition's tally. Thanks, Kevin M! There are many other offers being extended by Victory Coalition members. Take a look at Kevin's VBAY post where they're listed out for you nicely.

As far as I can tell, you can travel across America without spending a buck on food. You don't even have to donate cash to raise money. Just ask Michele questions and Michele and funds matchers will donate cash. Or how about a 64MB USB drive for a $10 donation? And there are loads more offers.

The Victory Coalition is the place to donate through, that's for sure!

Posted by: Jim at 10:00 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The 21st Bestofme Symphony Simpsony is up at The Owner's Manual. Gary's made this one a tribute to our favorite dysfunctional cartoon family.

Hosting: Would you like to host the Symphony? Send me a note and I'll get you on the schedule.

Submit to the Symphony: Want to be a part of next week's edition? Check out this post for submission help. Entries should always be sent to bestofme@jpeacock.net regardless of who the Symphony host is.

Spread the word: Webloggers, how about some linky love? Gary would appreciate it and just think of the grand service it would be to your readers.

Email Reminders: If you'd like to be sent a reminder about the Symphony, join the mailing list. There's one email sent on Thursday or Friday to remind you to submit for the next Symphony and one on Monday with the location of the newly posted Symphony.

Posted by: Jim at 09:11 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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How can you help the Spirit of America?

1. Click on that banner up above and donate some pocket change. That $5 latte you might enjoy for an hour or so. Send it to Spirit of America and it'll be helping something permanent.


2. Head over to the Victory Coalition's HQ and get your blog on the side of goodness and all that is right.


3. Spread the word about the Spirit of America challenge. Let your readers, friends, co-workers, gang members, etceteras know how easy it is to help out.


4. Bid for a custom crafted short story in the comments of this post (details immediately below)

Fundraising Auction

I am offering up for auction a custom short story. The winner of the auction will be able to specify whatever characters he/she wishes, and a general tone for the story (comedy, drama, tragedy, etc). Specifics such as location, etc may also be listed but don't get too detailed - I need a little room to work my magic.

See the short stories list in my sidebar for examples of the fabulousness that is me.

This auction will run the same way the other fundraising auctions are running. Bid in the comments of this very post. (Keep the increment at an even dollar amount please, no silly stuff like a two penny raise.) Monday morning I'll stop the bidding and name the winner. That person will then make a donation in the bidded amount to the Spirit of America through the Victory Coalition link above and send me their confirmation from SOA.

Delivery of the story will be via post in this weblog and will take a couple of days to write (hey, this ain't gonna be no simple post ya know). It'll be complete with massive linky love and fantastic amounts of gratuitous thanks. Maybe even a shot of my nipple if that'll help drive up the price.

Any questions, ask away.

Auction starts now! Go!

UPDATE: The auction is over. My thanks to the bidders!

Posted by: Jim at 06:00 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Just like the Victory Coalition. That's right, I'm begging like a sweet sixteener getting eaten out for the very first time. Don't stop! Please! Keep going! Oh, YEAH!! Donate, baby, donate.

As expected, the Libertians have been left in the dust but the Aarrghinians found a clue somewhere and have jumped to an early lead. Just like forest fires, only you can stop them. (Hint: Do it by clicking on that picture at the top of this post and following along with the donation instructions.)

Posted by: Jim at 08:45 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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The challenge is on. Click on the banner above to head to Spirit of America to make a donation.

Unlike most charities this one will be using 100% of your donation to actually purchase equipment. Take a quick look at the projects that are being supported and you'll notice a common trend. They are started by American servicemen in an effort to help that goes above and beyond the call of duty.

[Edit - Ignore this striked out part. It's from the original premature posting of this missive, way back in my addled days of yore.] You'll probably also notice that the Victory Coalition is on top of this donation thing, whereas The Liberal Alliance is staring at the sun out in left field and the Flappy Sillybeers are more interested in rod measuring contests.

Support the Victory Coalition! more...

Posted by: Jim at 12:00 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Which Princess Bride Character are You?

(Snagged from The Cheese)

Posted by: Jim at 10:37 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Jen wants to know where you'd put it if you had a third one. I want mine on my forehead.

Posted by: Jim at 10:23 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The 20th Bestofme Symphony is up at Sneakeasy's Joint. Kiril's done up the weekly offering in high style so stop by and enjoy the performance.

Hosting: Would you like to host the Symphony? Send me a note and I'll get you on the schedule.

Submit to the Symphony: Want to be a part of next week's edition? Check out this post for submission help. Entries should always be sent to bestofme@jpeacock.net regardless of who the Symphony host is.

Spread the word: Webloggers, how about some linky love? Kiril would appreciate it and just think of the grand service it would be to your readers.

Email Reminders: If you'd like to be sent a reminder about the Symphony, join the mailing list. There's one email sent on Thursday or Friday to remind you to submit for the next Symphony and one on Monday with the location of the newly posted Symphony.

Posted by: Jim at 02:02 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Seems the kids attending Duke get cranky when they have classes too early in the morning. 8 AM is just too early for the little sleepy heads. So few people signed up for those early classes that lots of departments stopped offering them. But now the little dears are complaining because there aren't enough classes available.

The solution? 8:30 classes, of course. Kimberly doesn't think this is going to help too much and offers a different solution:

Now, there are classes at 8:30, but if they're hour-long classes, the next available time slot is 10 am, not 9. The whole day is essentially shifted back one hour, so students who were going to bed at 1 am before will be going to bed at 2 am now. Methinks that forcing bars to close a half-hour earlier would do more to get students into snoozeland than scheduling classes a half-hour later.

Of course you have to tie that in with RA's that actually enforce the dorm rules but otherwise it's definitely a better solution than a half-hour offset for the first class of the day.

Posted by: Jim at 01:20 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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