During the periodic times of year that Eclectablog asks for your financial support, I always find it an affirmation to the vision and incredible hard work of Chris Savage and the entire staff at Eclectablog, including and maybe especially Anne Savage, who is very much an unsung hero of this critical and important news source. Her dedication, creativity, point of […]

Journalism is defined as “the activity or job of collecting, writing, and editing news stories for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio.” In this new media age, you can add blogs and podcasts and other online news sources to that, as well. It is my firm belief that journalism – TRUE journalism – goes farther than that: it is a necessary […]

One of my favorite parts about asking our readers for donations (and there aren’t many “favorites”, I actually hate doing it) are the incredibly nice notes we get when people send us checks directly. I thought I’d share a few with you today and let folks know how much they warm our hearts and keep us motivated. Sometimes, it’s something […]

I’m excited to announce some big news for Eclectablog readers. Two pieces of news, actually. First, the site will be undergoing a major facelift in the coming month. We will be moving to a more mobile device-friendly theme that will make reading our content even easier than it is now. We’re working on it this week and hope to unveil […]

Help LPJ League win a $25,000 prize for gathering the most donations on December 1st. Giving is always good, and the #GivingTuesday tradition on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving is a great reminder that there are organizations out there that rely on charitable contributions to do their work. There’s no shortage of worthy organizations and I hope folks will give whatever […]

Children, have a seat and let me tell you a story. Way back in your granddaddy’s time, ten years ago, every day some high school-aged kid on a bicycle would come by the house and deliver a thing called a “newspaper.” The newspaper was exactly what it sounds like: a stack of papers where a bunch of writers got together […]

A lot of people call the Buddha the greatest marketer in the world because he told people, “Don’t trust me. Try it yourself and see how you feel.” You can make that promise when you know you have a great product. The Buddha did and the result was a world religion that even people who don’t like religion often claim […]

Just as it’s always cocktail hour somewhere, it’s always fundraising season somewhere, too, right? Now that our underfunded schools are back in session kids are on the move raising funds for special class projects by peddling goods and services (candy, greeting cards, car washes, etc.). Public radio and television have just finished their fund drives. The flurry of mail requests […]

Put your money where your mouth is, please. The other day, a friend and I were talking about how important it is to have an informed electorate. I mentioned Eclectablog and she exclaimed, “I love that blog!” My friend knows full well I’m a contributor, but this wasn’t about me. It was about Eclectablog being a resource for people who […]

I was astounded as I was watched the Democratic presidential debate last night. It was real adults having a real conversation about real issues. I know it’s silly to say that but after suffering through the “debates” from the Republican candidates, it had to be said. It was rather refreshing, but it also occurred to me, what would my political […]

Dear President Obama, I wanted to explain to you why I did what I did. I’m afraid I had to take your ’08 bumper sticker off my car. Actually, it was starting to fall off. It’s not like I washed my car very often so it didn’t really get disturbed much. Plus I park my car in a garage so […]