Mar 9, 2021 | Alan's Letter
Our readership is 0.1% of that of Heather Cox Richardson. That’s not exactly what I had in mind when I say I aspire to be the HCR for the 0.1% class! In her daily letter, which usually arrives around 11pm, she does an extraordinary job of making sense out of the news...
Feb 23, 2021 | Alan's Letter
I recently had a Portlandia moment. For the uninitiated, Portlandia, the tv comedy series that parodied the city’s eccentricities, was one of the two best things to come out of Oregon, the other being my stepson and daughter-in-law’s winery, AtoZ Wineworks. The most...
Feb 9, 2021 | Alan's Letter
In a word…Bezos (as in, “you say Jeff Bay-zos, I say Jeff Bee-zos, let’s call the whole thing off”). Jeff Bezos (it is bay-zos) isn’t all bad. Incredible entrepreneur. The Washington Post benefactor. He doesn’t appear to be giving money to hate groups, as some 351...
Jan 26, 2021 | Alan's Letter
Happy New Year (it began January 20 this year)! When Lady Gaga, JLo, Garth Brooks and the President of the United States can be upstaged by a young black female poet, Amanda Gorman, you know you are witnessing something amazing. I suspect that if we could bottle all...
Jan 12, 2021 | Alan's Letter
You may have noticed a certain Dickensian theme running through my recent writings. It began with the image of Oliver Twist (nonprofits) begging his master (private foundations and rich donors) for more. During the Christmas holiday we had the wealthiest Americans...
Dec 29, 2020 | Alan's Letter
For CCC’s Philanthropist of the Year award it would be appropriate to give it to the 57 signers of the Crisis Charitable Commitment, a hearty group of individuals and foundations who have shown leadership in digging deep in this time of crisis. But after thinking long...
