I have Election Fever.

I spend my free time creating electoral map scenarios. My inbox is a constant barrage of fowarded articles, blogs, polling data, YouTube videos and general commentary about the election and the candidates. I wake up, watch political shows and read the news. I come home from work, watch political shows and finish reading the news I didn't get to in the morning. I reluctantly fall asleep, (to the sweet lullaby of bickering campaign spokepeople) only to wake up and do it again.

So In honor of tomorrow's election, I would like to bring you a WhatGives!? Polling Exclusive.

WhatGives!? is ready to announce a win for the McCain/Palin ticket in the key demographic of...5-year-old girls.

WhatGives!?, considered by some to be the next Gallup, came to this crucial conclusion largely by way of the Cabbage Patch Candidates' Auction for Toys for Tots. The McCain/Palin ticket is trouncing the Obama/Biden campaign with a combined auction price of $11,525, while Obama/Biden are only bringing in $5,233,

With this key demographic, Sarah Palin seems to be the drawing factor - her doll alone bringing $9,800 of the current auction price. 5-year-old Kaylie from Sandusky, Ohio says, "She has better clothes, and I like to play with her hair."

Of course, this stunning revelation leaves the all-male, suit-wearing, follically-challenged Obama/Biden campaign at an extreme disadvantage. Democrats are scrambling to make up ground and second guessing themselves along the way. One senior-level campaign advisor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confessed, "I can't help but wonder if we'd be in this same position if Hillary had won the nomination."

Pantsuits? Unlikely.

What does this all mean? Absolutely nothing; in this country, 5-year-olds can't vote.

But (presumably) you can. So find your polling place and get out and VOTE! Forgot to register? Under the Help American Vote Act of 2002, you are entitled to cast a provisional ballot. So no excuses!

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TAGS: obama, biden, election 2008, mccain, palin, cabbage patch

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While usually nothing short of loquacious, I don't have a lot of say on this subject. I can't make it funny. I can't make a happy ending. But I can stand up to it.

Cancer, I'm so over you.

For me, cancer 'ain't nothin but a family thing'. We've seen the cruel spectrum. The Marquess of Queensberry rules got tossed out the window, and cancer gave us a gloves-off one-two punch followed by an elbow to the face, just for kicks.

I'm not a fan.

While there are others, I'm Standing Up for my grandparents:

My mother's mother, Eleanor (Lee) Jakobek, who died in 1992 from lung cancer at the age of 63.

My father's mother, Elaine (Gordon) McQuade, who died in 1994 from ovarian cancer at the age of 62.

My mother's father, Adolph Jakobek, who died in 1996 from gall bladder and liver cancers at the age of 71.

Cancer, your days are numbered.

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TAGS: stand up 2 cancer

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The American Red Cross is having a blood drive in my building today, so I thought it would be a good post today.

Blood is a crucial component to staying healthy - it carries oxygen and nutrients to every cell in the body, it gets rid of waste and it helps the body prevent disease and sickness.

Unfortunately because of emergencies, accidents and illness, nearly 5 million people will need a blood transfusion this year.

The average adult body has 10 pints of blood, and donors only need to give one pint. And the best part about giving blood is that it is free and easy. You can give blood any time (and every 8 weeks after that!), and when you're done, they give you free juice and cookies.

What's not to like?!

All kidding aside, giving blood is literally giving a part of yourself to someone in need. Donating blood takes so little from the donor, but means so much to the recipient.

Please take a moment to find a blood drive near you: Give now

While you're there, you can check out some cool facts about blood, and find out more about your blood type. As indicated by the subject line, I'm O+, which according to the Red Cross (and my memory of 9th grade biology), is the most common type of blood, but I can only receive from other O donors.

Leave me a comment and let me know what blood type YOU are. And if you don't know, make that your excuse to go donate today!

TAGS: red cross, blood drive, donate blood

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I kicked off my weekend on Friday by inviting some friends over to watch the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics and - in true Chinese tradition - eat Chinese food. $150 of Chinese food later, we felt very culturally engaged.

It was a marathon of a night, as the ceremonies were scheduled for over 4 hours, and we had them on DVR delay. But overall, it was a blast. The show was visually stunning and even mentally engaging. It kept us ChaCha-ing our queries all evening:

After watching the acrobatics and wire stunts:
Q: Can Chinese people fly?
ChaCha: You mean like on a plane? Yes, I have seen numerous Chinese people on planes.

After watching Georgia's delegation enter:
Q: What is Georgia going to do about the Russian invasion?
ChaCha: What can they do? It was a surprise attack.

After misunderstanding regarding Matt Lauer's anecdotal commentating during the Japanese delegation's entrance and a quick cut to the Japanese Prime Minister:
Q: Is the Japanese Prime Minister really competing in one of the equestrian jumping events?
ChaCha: He isn't competing. Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda made the news recently when he said he would attend the opening ceremonies.

If you had any of these same ponderings and ruminations, I hope this helps. If not, I hope you all had a fabulous weekend as well.

Happy Monday!

TAGS: beijing, olympics, opening ceremony, chinese food, friends, weekend

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I’ll admit, when I walked out of a meeting at 4:30 yesterday, I was floored to learn that Manny Ramirez had been traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Dodgers.

Floored not because I didn’t think the Red Sox would get rid of him, but because when I walked into the meeting at 3:45 all of my sources said the talks had fizzled out.

So when my boss, who was on the phone with her husband and son, who were in Boston listening to WEEI, dropped the bomb, I frantically started looking for confirmation and texting and emailing everyone I knew.

The homepage on Boston.com still proclaimed the fizzled deal, but Dirt Dogs had the headline - and only the headline - which redirected to Boston.com. In turn, Boston.com was inaccessible; I learned later that the site received 1.6 million page views during that time – double its normal traffic for a late Thursday afternoon.

Am I sad? Nope. Am I disappointed? Yes.

Manny Ramirez is unequivocally one of the most talented right-handed hitters in baseball. His batting average and clutch hitting will be missed. He was an integral reason that the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 and 2007. No doubt.

But enough is enough. Manny being Manny became Manny being Insufferable. And I’m not sad that the front office decided to end this toxic relationship. When you’re on a team, the sum of its parts cannot be greater than its whole. I could argue that other teams operate like that now and are often less than successful – maybe to the extent of not winning a world series in 8 years. But I’m just speculating (and talking trash)…

A lot has been said on this matter (a lot), with which much of I wholeheartedly agree. I’m excited to see Jason Bay play tonight, and I hope the Fenway Faithful give him a warm welcome. On paper, the Red Sox might look weaker than they were two days ago, but paper doesn’t play baseball; players do. And you have to show up – mentally and physically – to play.

Teams are a fascinating dynamic – made up of a number of individuals who are all working towards the same goal. Everyone has a different role and brings something unique to the table, without which the team would not be the same. What is the incentive to creating a team, family, organization, or any other collective group?

Peter Schworm and Maddie Hanna commented on Boston.com:

"Like the Red Sox themselves, the Ramírez watch brought the city together, a unifying force that connected the sports bars around Fenway Park to the cafes along Newbury Street and points in between. As the trade rumors flew fast and furious, fans braced for the fate of the iconic Boston athlete."

Some think that such passion for a sports team is a waste of time. Maybe. Working at GlobalGiving, I know that there are many more productive things to support and places to invest your energy. But I find comfort in the continuous demonstration – even if it is, in this case, only for the Red Sox – that individuals can come together - for one reason, one goal, even one moment – and create a team. Together, we can accomplish so much.

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TAGS: manny ramirez, boston red sox

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Hi, I'm Alison, and you'll occasionally find me under the nom de plume of GlobalGiving, but today it's just me!

I didn't go anywhere for the weekend, but a friend from college was staying with me to spend the 4th in DC. We celebrated in style, as the earlier part of the day was hosted by my friends from New Zealand. They wanted to surround themselves with Americans to get the real feel of the holiday, and in turn they surrounded us with decorative stars, stripes and flags. We watched the fireworks near the Mall and avoided the rain. Great weekend all around!

TAGS: new zealand, washington dc, 4th of july

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