The Destiny Thief
The Destiny Thief is a collection of essays (9) on writing, writers, and life by Richard Russo. Readers may recognize Russo, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for Empire Falls and also wrote Nobody’s Fool and the follow-up Everybody’s Fool, Mohawk, The Risk Pool, Straight Man, The Whore’s Child, and That Old Cape Magic, but for those who have not read his works, the best way to describe Russo’s books is to say they are authentic, real, and so well written. So how did he do it? By living the life he was meant to live. Read more 
Student Loans, University Expenses, and Personal Responsibility
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) recently published an article entitled “Student-Loan Debtors Get Help From Judges” which reported that judges are now using “tools at their disposal” to reduce or cancel student loan debt after years of holding debtors responsible for the money they borrowed and promised to pay back.
One of these tools is asking lawyers who represent borrowers to provide their services for free. Yes, free. Students (legal adults) can borrow money to attend college, promise to pay it back, default on the loans, and the judiciary thinks its ok to ask a third-party (lawyers) to work for free. Is there anything more absurd? Read more
Executive Compensation at the School Nutrition Association
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a non-profit 501 (c) (4) national organization of school professionals that provide education and advocacy for its members in an effort to improve the quality of school meal programs. A 501 (c) (4) is a social welfare organization who can engage in advocacy and lobbying. Businesses and unions can donate unlimited amounts to 501 (c) (4)’s and the donations are not tax-deductible.
Based in National Harbour, Maryland, the SNA reported $11.8 million in revenue for the year ending July 31, 2016 (hereafter referred to as “2016”) on the Form 990 submitted to the IRS. Read more
How Revenue is Spent at the School Nutrition Foundation
The School Nutrition Foundation is the “sister organization of the School Nutrition Association” focused on obtaining resources for “education, professional development, scholarships, and research in school nutrition.” One is a 501 (c) (3) – the School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) and one is a 501 (c) (4) – the School Nutrition Association (SNA), the major difference being the former accepts tax-deductible donations while the later is a professional association (donations are not tax deductible). Read more
Where Does $100 to the Food Research and Action Center Go?
The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) that works to eradicate poverty-related hunger and improve public policies in the United States by awarding grants, assisting people with access to nutrition assistance programs, and working in both the public and private sectors to foster program participation and promote changes in public policies and attitudes.
The 2016 IRS Form 990 reports the following key information about FRAC: Read more
Enfrijoladas with Avocado Mango Citrus Salad
One of the things I love about the Purple Carrot (a plant-based meal prep delivery service) is that the recipes inspire me to make something different from the usual fare. But, my favorite thing to do is to take the recipe and figure out how to keep the flavor but reduce or eliminate the oils or fats that don’t come from whole foods, and add more vegetables.
The following recipe is a variation of the Purple Carrot recipe for Mole Enfrijoladas. I eliminated the oils, jalapeño and garlic (but feel free to add these ingredients if you prefer a hotter, spicier meal) and nuts but added mango, sweet Marzano tomatoes, cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and more onion to make a super tasty enfrijolada (a tortilla drenched in pureed black beans) on a bed of spinach with an Avocado Mango Citrus Salad. Read more
Executive Compensation at Wake Forest
Wake Forest University (Wake Forest) is not a part of the Ivy League (8 private universities in the northeast) but if rank is ever determined by executive compensation, then Wake Forest would be right up there.
In 2016, Wake Forest reported employing 5,838 individuals for the roughly 8,000 students (5,000 undergraduate and 3,000 graduate) at a total compensation cost of $232 million, which equates to an average compensation of $56,000 (compared to $58,000 at Harvard and $75,000 at Yale). However, 431 individuals received more than $100,000 in compensation, including the 15 most highly compensated individuals listed below: Read more
Where Does $100 to God’s Love We Deliver Go?
God’s Love We Deliver (GLWD) is a New York City-based 501 (c) (3) that prepares and delivers “high quality and nutritious” meals (approximately $1.6 million worth in 2016) to people who are living with serious illnesses in the New York City metropolitan area who are unable to provide or prepare meals for themselves. The organization also provides nutrition education and counseling.
Housed in a 48,000 square-foot relatively new building (2015), the 6-story facility (including rooftop garden) was named for the designer, Michael Kors whose personal donation in 2012 kicked off the building project, and whose rooms looks like a whose who of New York with The Joan Rivers Bakery and the Anna Wintour Volunteer Center. Read more
Blueberry Pie
Ever since I saw the musical “Waitress,” I can’t stop thinking about pie. I find myself singing the lyrics (pie, pie, pie, me o my, I love pie..) and then, of course, I start thinking about making a fresh pie but one that doesn’t have a lot of added fat or sugar. There are those who claim it’s nearly impossible to make a good pie without butter, shortening, sugar, eggs, and cream but I’m here to tell you, a delicious fruit pie with a flaky crust is totally doable if you follow some advice. Read more
You Play the Girl
Strategic girls manage perception; idealistic girls go up against the narrative, because it’s at the root of the problem, and they get crushed every time. ~Carina Chocano
When I was a young girl (maybe 12 or 13), I watched my mother get up early one Sunday morning and drive down to Walter’s Bakery (the local bakery known for their doughnuts, brownies, and New York-style streusel coffee cake) to buy a bag of glazed, powdered, and jelly doughnuts. She returned home, bag in hand and put the doughnuts on a plate and promptly delivered them upstairs to my five brothers who were in bed.
The problem with this extremely kind gesture is that it was Mother’s Day – that one day a year when fathers and kids are supposed to wait on mom, instead of the other way around. Even back then as a child I thought it was insane for a mother to bring her five sons fresh doughnuts in bed, especially on Mother’s Day. Where’s the justice? There wasn’t any…and that was the problem with growing up female in most homes in the 50’s, 60’s. and 70’s. Read more
Paddock Post 