Steve and Alice
August 14, 2004

Why we're not registering

Several people have very kindly asked us what sorts of gifts we'd like to receive as part of this event. The idea of giving us presents is incredibly thoughtful, however, truly, there's really nothing that we need, and not much space to put additional items (ask us about the ratio of books to square feet in our apartment sometime!). In our case, we've each lived on our own for a while, and when we moved in together, we had a nearly complete set of household goods. Any deficiencies that existed (a funnel set, random things like a rice cooker) were pretty much remedied within the first few months of moving to our current apartment last summer.

Additionally, we try to be fairly non-consumptive in general. So, while it's really nice for people to want to give us things, since that's a traditional way of expressing all sorts of congratulations and good wishes, it's not really a situation that comes immediately to our minds when thinking about our celebration.

If, after all that, you're still interested in doing something monetary to mark this occasion, there are a number of different causes and groups that would be more than willing to take donations and do good things with them. We understand that people attending don't necessarily share all (or even any!) of our political views and opinions, but if you would like to know of some of the organizations that we support, here is a (non-comprehensive) list, roughly broken down into where the groups fall on the political spectrum:

• Middle of the Road
• Left of Center
• Past the Left Side of the Road, Towards the Forest
• In the Trees

Middle of the Road

• ACS - The American Cancer Society - This group fights against all types of cancer through education, research, advocacy and more.

• Harding Charter Preparatory High School - This is a college-prep charter school in Oklahoma City where a good friend of ours (the magical fantastical Dr. Stephen Prilliman) teaches. But it's a brand new school with budget problems, and they could use some funding to make their science labs a bit better equipped (doing biology labs without microscopes is rather difficult!). Their website is not currently set up to take donations, so if you're interested in supporting them, please send them a check or money order, with a note indicating that the money is to be used for scientific equipment - they just got a "challenge grant" for $10,000, and any money donated for scientific equipment is matched by the Kerr foundation. Please make checks out to "Harding Charter Preparatory High School," and mail them to:
  
  Science Department
  Harding Charter Preparatory High School
  3333 N. Shartel
  Oklahoma City, OK 73118

• JDRF - The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation - This is a group dedicated to funding research on Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes, and to advocating for further research for a cure.

• Nature Conservancy - These folks work to preserve natural areas that are threatened by pollution, development and other forces to ensure that natural habitats aren't lost. They don't fight against all development, but work to make sure that the development that does happen occurs within a sustainable framework. They purchase some land outright, and work with partner organizations elsewhere.

• Union of Concerned Scientists - They use scientific methods and analysis to achieve practical environmental solutions.

Left of Center

• ACLU - The American Civil Liberties Union - They work to defend civil liberties for folks in the US, primarily through litigation.

• EFF - Electronic Frontier Foundation - They do good stuff on civil liberties as they exist in relation to the internet and on-line things in general.

• EPIC - Electonic Privacy Information Center - Their focus, as you can tell by the name, is on electronic privcy issues and protecting 1st Amendment rights on the web and in other public spheres.

• Fix Our Ferals - These folks run an all-volunteer organization that will spay or neuter feral cats for free. There are so many feral cats in the Bay Area that they've got their work cut out for them, but their work makes a significant impact in reducing the number of unwanted cats that will be born. Please Note, however, that they do euthanize some cats that are brought in to their clinics if those cats are carrying Feline Leukemia. This disease is incurable, and spreads through casual contact between cats, so they have decided to take this step to stop the flow. However, not all people can be comfortable with that, which is why we mention it.

• FSF - Free Software Foundation - They're the people behind GNU/Linux, and are just generally awesome. Their basic premise is that users should be free to run, study, modify, and redistribute software without having to ask or pay for permission to do so. Access to source code is a precondition for most of these things.

• GLSEN - The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network - This is a wonderful organization that works to eliminate anti-lgbt (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) bias in schools, and to make educational environments safe for all students. They support gay-straight alliances in schools and work for legislative reform as well.

• Lambda Legal - This group works to ensure that the state recognizes the rights of all gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people, as well as the rights of people with HIV and AIDS. They have been particularly active in the legal fight to have same-sex marriage recognized, and do many other types of positive impact litigation.

• Planned Parenthood - This group works to ensure that family planning services are available to a wide array of individuals, particularly those who would otherwise have problems accessing it. In many locations, like Oakland, the clinics also function as a general health-care clinic, providing healthcare services beyond the scope of reproductive rights.

• RCRC - The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice - This is an amazing organization that is dedicated to the idea that being pro-choice can be completely compatible with being actively religious. They bring a valuable perspective to the political and policy discussions around these issues, work for legislative action to keep abortion safe and legal, and help bridge the gap that can exist between national pro-choice groups and religious organizations.

Past the Left Side of the Road, Towards the Forest

• Berkeley Free Clinic - A "street medicine" clinic that started in 1969 to provide decent health care to people who can't afford it. Their motto is "Health Care for People, Not Profit" and they do really great work. They are one of the main sources for anonymous HIV testing in the area as well.

• The Emma Goldman Papers - Emma Goldman was a prominent advocate for radicalism, anarchism and women's rights. This group at UC Berkeley has collected, organized, and edited tens of thousands of documents by and about Goldman from around the world, so that they are preserved and available for scholarly use.

In the Trees

• East Bay Food Not Bombs - A (mostly) anarchist group that provides free vegetarian food to people in immediate need of it. Their basic unifying principles are non-violence, consensus decision making, and vegetarianism. They would probably prefer donations of (vegetarian) food or people to help cook and serve food over cash, but you can always ask.

• Free Radio Berkeley - This group started as a radio station broadcasting outside of FCC regulation on 104.1 FM, and now works to provide transmitter kits, technical support and training for folks who want to create their own micropower broadcast stations. They are also involved in national and international outreach and organizing efforts.