Another reason to love Barry Bonds:

Bonds is also increasingly stingy with the Hall of Fame. He has so far refused to donate any valuable artifacts from his chase of Aaron this season. Not a spike, helmet or bat so far.

“I take care of me,” Bonds told reporters. Bonds is his own museum curator, meticulously authenticating his memorabilia and stashing all of his goodies in a warehouse, as The Associated Press reported.

We just couldn't ask for a better role model for the kids.

Perla Ni at SSIR:

“I’ve randomly inserted pictures of my grandkids in my progress reports,” one executive director of a prominent mid-Atlantic nonprofit told me. “I’ve inserted lines like, ‘If you really read this, call me.’” He was bemoaning the fact that he’s forced to spend time writing reports that his foundation officer doesn’t seem to read. “Next time,” he said, “I’m going to put in an ad for my used car.”

I really think this is the exception rather than the rule, although I think Perla's post is largely accurate in that foundations tend to come up with a bureaucratic solution to every compliance challenge.

I do think she's a bit wrong here, though:

The nonprofit sector is developing in all of these directions, but it isn’t quite there yet. We don’t have an accepted understanding of effectiveness. There is no code of ethics, except for fundraisers. And if we did have a code of ethics, there would be no enforcement body to suspend or admonish anyone who broke it.

Sure, there's no collective code of ethics that nonprofits and foundations adhere to, and if someone manages to make that happen they deserve a Nobel Prize. Many nonprofits, and quite a few foundations, have codes of ethics which they make public. Do they adhere to them? Good luck finding out.

Joe links to advice for those nonprofit brand managers to whom pithiness comes as a challenge.

The Capital Research Center Web site has fallen silent. How are we supposed to keep ourselves from our anti-free market big government communist tendencies?

The Rockefeller Foundation has posted a niftly little form in which you can submit a brilliant idea. Here's a sample:

1. Are you submitting this inquiry on your own behalf or on behalf of an organization? Organization.

2. Have you ever received funding from the Rockefeller Foundation? No.

3. What is the problem this project or idea would aim to solve? Deposing Saddam Hussein; bringing democracy to Iraq and the rest of the Middle East.

4. What is the idea / opportunity to solve it? Invade Iraq.

5. How will this idea positively impact the lives of poor or vulnerable people? (Please be as specific as you can about numbers and geography of people who will be reached.) When the 20 million people of Iraq are free from Saddam Hussein they will immediately unify around American style democracy and lift themselves out of poverty by embracing the entrepreneurial spirit of Sam Walton.

6. Why now? 9/11 mojo, man.

7. What is the measurable impact that could be expected in 3-5 years? Three to Five years? You kiddin' me? We'll be outta there in six months.

Your Name: Bill "let's bomb Iran, too" Kristol

Your Organization: AEI

PND:

Following the recommendation of the inspector general, the IRS is developing a long-term strategy to automate the process of identifying potential terrorists and is testing software to check names on forms filed by charitable groups.

Glad they jumped right on that.