From A Proud Nephew

Today my uncle Roger was inducted into the political consultants hall of fame by the American Association of Political Consultants in Washington, DC. I am proud of his accomplishments and to be honest surprised by many of them which is a testament to his humble nature.

Roger M. Craver

David Broder called him "a bomb thrower"... The Wall Street Journal claimed he was the "assassin" of all things right wing.

Many of the household names in progressive politics and movement advocacy were launched and built under his guidance: the first organization, Common Cause, in 1969, and then the National Organization for Women, Greenpeace, Amnesty, NARAL, Handgun Control, Inc. (now the Brady Campaign), the World Wildlife Fund, Environmental Defense and dozens of others.

Older organizations were relaunched by him: the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood and The Wilderness Society. In the fray of Watergate, he won a place on Nixon,s enemys list for his work exposing the brown bag contributions to CREEP, the Committee to Re-elect the President.

Roger, whose Washington watchword is "no permanent friends, no permanent enemies", designed and built the direct mail programs for the DNC, the DSCC and the DCCC. Despite these lucrative contracts, he shocked the consulting community by resigning from these accounts as a matter of principle. He left the DNC in 1986 over a disagreement with the lobbying practices of its leadership. In 1987, he left the DCCC over Jim Wright,s ethics challenges involving a book deal, and in 1992, he walked away from the DSCC over its leadership,s hesitancy to support Anita Hill and stand up against Clarence Thomas, nomination.

Roger and his firm, Craver, Mathews, Smith & Company, raised record amounts of money in the late ,70s for key Democratic candidates � Frank Church, George McGovern, Birch Bayh, John Culver. In 1976, he raised record amounts for the presidential campaign of Mo Udall and again in 1980 for Ted Kennedy,s and John Anderson,s presidential races.

In 1987, Roger and Republican consultant Doug Bailey founded The Hotline – today the preeminent daily online presence on American politics. The Hotline counts among many alumni Chuck Todd, currently the political director of NBC News.

A pioneer who wont quit, Roger founded Public Interest Communications, the first large telemarketing firm for advocacy and progressive politics, in 1975, then The Hotline in 1987. Then, in 1995, he founded New Media Publishing, the first Internet company to build websites and update them daily for clients such as WWF International, the International Red Cross, UNICEF and the Feminist Majority, along with 25 other organizations.

Today, Roger is the founder of DonorTrends, a company providing fundraising intelligence, predictive models and market research to the nonprofit and political communities. diMobile is his latest company, building mobile engagement applications for the next generation of activists and hell-raisers.

Roger publishes the daily blog TheAgitator.net, is a summa cum laude graduate of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and holds a summa cum laude JD from GW,s National Law Center. Today, he is working on the organization that will elect our next president, Americans Elect

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AAPC — The American Association of Political Consultants

VISION

En Mis Manos..

I held peace, purity and possibility.

There is nothing like holding a newborn baby...

1st Stop In The New World

If you are interested in learning about Mexico City through its people and great stories, look no further. David Liga, an expat living in the DF for more than 20 years does a realistic and vivid job of helping the reader peel back the layers and get a peak into what makes this city such a fascinating place.

Monarch Mariposas

Normally when you see one or two butterflies it is a cool experience. They are such beautiful creatures and a symbol of transformation for many. Imagine being surrounded by thousands of them! This past weekend I was fortunate to go to a butterfly sanctuary where millions of the monarch butterflies migrate every year. We road horses up into the forest and there they were all nestled in the trees. There were so many that you could hear the sound of their collective wings flapping. Once the sun broke through the trees they started to fly around. It was one of the most naturally beautiful things I have ever seen. Breathtaking....

On the way out of the sanctuary we noticed there were police ushering traffic slowly down the
road. We assumed there was an accident. It turns out that there were so many butterflies flying around that cars had to drive super slow to not kill them. I stuck my head up the cars sunroof and soaked up the surreal experience. Thousands of butterflies flew around me and all I could do was smile and laugh at this unbelievable spectacle.




You really have to see this yourself to fully comprehend how incredible it is, however this video does a good job of giving an idea of the experience

MAXWELL EMERSON CRAVER

With joy flowing from my fingertips I am pleased to share that Max entered the world last night, January 16th @ 10:04 pm MST. He weighed in at 7 lbs 11 oz and measures 20 inches.Welcome to the world dearest Maxwell, Uncle Josh.

On the road...

Every time you leave home,
Another road takes you
Into a world you were never in.

New strangers on other paths await.
New places that have never seen you
Will startle a little at your entry.
Old places that know you well
Will pretend nothing
Changed since your last visit.

When you travel, you find yourself
Alone in a different way,
More attentive now
To the self you bring along,
Your more subtle eye watching
You abroad;
and how what meets you
Touches that part of the heart
That lies low at home:

How you unexpectedly attune
To the timbre in some voice,
Opening in conversation
You want to take in
To where your longing
Has pressed hard enough
Inward, on some unsaid dark,
To create a crystal of insight
You could not have known
You needed
To illuminate
Your way.

When you travel,
A new silence
Goes with you,
And if you listen,
You will hear
What your heart would
Love to say.

A journey can become a sacred thing:
Make sure, before you go,
To take the time
To bless your going forth,
To free your heart of ballast
So that the compass of your soul
Might direct you toward
The territories of spirit
Where you will discover
More of your hidden life,
And the urgencies
That deserve to claim you.

May you travel in an awakened way,
Gathered wisely into your inner ground;
That you may not waste the invitations
Which wait along the way to transform you.

May you travel safely, arrive refreshed,
And live your time away to its fullest;
Return home more enriched, and free
To balance the gift of days which call you.

-John O'Donohue

Less is More

Many relationships in my life have changed this year. One in particular was my relationship to stuff. Backpacking through Latin America the year before taught me great lessons about how much we really need to get by.





I learned less is more and simplicity is a pillar of happiness.



However, over the years I had accumulated many things. Part of this was due to the fact when I moved twice in the past I put things in storage and vowed to return and claim my precious keepsakes.

That time came this year in a serendipitous fashion....My things from two different chapters of my life all collided in my cozy loft. The places I have lived in the past had been about 3 times the size so imagine only having space for 1/6 of your stuff. Saying that I was overwhelmed when the movers unloaded all the boxes is a serious understatement. The process of sifting through my things was draining. Everything had emotional triggers. Pictures, Books, Handicrafts, Letters, Clothing, CD's and so on...

I avoided the process for a few days and then slowly began to decide what to keep and what to let go of. As the process progressed it became easier and easier. In fact about half way through I found the emotional weight of things I thought I wanted to keep was gone. I ended up giving away or selling 70% of my belongings.

At the end of the process I felt incredibly light and liberated.

Playas de Mexico

This year I have been fortunate to visit many of the beaches of Mexico. Here is a little summary of my experiences and suggestions in ranked order.


1. Playa de Carmen & Tulum, Rivera Maya- The most physically beautiful beaches I have been to in Mexico. The white sand beach and azure water make it a great place to relax.















2. Sayulita & Litibu (Cerca de Puerto Vallerta) - This area is low-key, has a bohemian vibe and has decent waves for surfing. My favorite for atmosphere.











3. Beach camping (Between Acapulco and Zihuatanejo)- Nothing beats the waves rocking you to sleep and waking up to the sunrise in solitude. There are various areas to camp on the beach all around the Mexican coast and I highly recommend giving it a try.












4. Acapulco - I visited the area 4 times this year and each experience was very different. Since it is around a 4hr drive from the DF it is always an attractive option. Acapulco has a diverse range of choices from romantic hotels like Las Brisas to huge villas you can rent for party weekends.













#1 Mexican Beach on my list for next year to explore is Puerto Escondido.

The Secret Power of Time

Great use of creative drawing which engages the audience and reinforces an important message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3oIiH7BLmg&feature=channel

DF Video DOC!

Groovy!

http://vimeo.com/15068747

World Domination

One of my favorite bloggers these days is a fellow by the name of Chris. He writes about the art of non-conformity and finding meaning in your life.

Here is a link to his guide on world domination which I encourage you to read:

http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/a-brief-guide-to-world-domination/