Top All-Time Donors, 1989-2012. This list includes the organizations that have historically qualified as "heavy hitters" — groups that lobby and spend big, with large sums sent to candidates, parties and leadership PACs. Individuals and organizations have been able to make extremely large donations to outside spending groups in the last few years. While contributions to outside groups like super PACs do not factor into an organization's designation as a "heavy hitter" (a listing of about 150 groups), those numbers are included for the roster below. For example, this list does not include casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. He and his wife Miriam donated nearly $93 million in 2012 alone to conservative super PACs — enough to put him at No. 2 on this list. It is also worth noting that certain organizations, such as ActBlue and Club for Growth, are included although they function for the most part as pass-through entities: individual donors give to them with the contributions earmarked for specific candidates.
Partisan tilt: 53 New Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed. With the holidays in full swing, that means the new year is just around the corner. Here at Mashable, we've been reflecting on the changes 2011 has brought for technology and social media and what those changes mean for the future. If you've been busy decking the halls and getting ready for the holidays, you might have missed a couple of our digital resources. Here is our gift to you — a weekly roundup of features. It's the gift that keeps on giving! Here are this week's features. We hope you have a very merry holiday.
Editor's Picks Steve Jobs: 20 Life LessonsHaving finished the Steve Jobs biography I realize that there are larger lessons we can all glean from Steve Jobs’ remarkable life. Social Media. 3 New Ways to Connect With Content That Interests You. The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Each weekend, Mashable selects startups we think are building interesting, unique or niche products. This week, we chose three startups that are helping to tailor content in a digital environment that has become over-saturated with information. BetaBait connects startups with early adopters who love trying new products and apps.
Subjot is a social network in which you follow topics rather than people. Movable Ink is adding dynamic graphic elements to emails, helping your message stand out in a flat inbox. BetaBait: Connecting Startups With Early Adopters Quick Pitch: BetaBait connects startups with their target group of beta users, who love to test new apps and products. Genius Idea: Connecting eager users with exciting new products. Subjot: Follow the Topics You Care About. The Evolution of People-Powered Markets: 60 Resources. There is a growing movement towards peer-to-peer value exchange and production, prompted by a variety of things, like economic conditions, shifting cultural values, exploration into collective intelligence, and further enabled by social technologies.
I’ve been tracking the online marketplaces that have been cropping up for sharing, swapping, gifting and renting, as well as sites that give people different kinds of opportunity to share skills and knowledge, innovate, and work collaboratively both on and offline. Below are a few sites I’ve come across, please add any I’ve missed. People-Powered Markets for Gifting / Sharing / Swapping / Renting / Value Exchange What sites have you seen that are offering new ways to exchange or create value?
Upcoming will be a post on People-Powered Capital, exploring platforms for crowdfunding, investment, and lending. Like this: Like Loading... Anger Management. When you occasionally have a really bad day, and you just need to take it out on someone, don't take it out on someone you know, take it out on someone you don't know.I was sitting at my desk when I remembered a phone call I'd forgotten to make. I found the number and dialed it. A man answered, saying "Hello.
"I politely said, "This is Chris. Could I please speak with Robyn Carter? "Suddenly a manic voice yelled out in my ear "Get the right f***ing number! " and the phone was slammed down on me. When I tracked down Robyn's correct number to call her, I found that I had accidentally transposed the last two digits.After hanging up with her, I decided to call the 'wrong' number again.When the same guy answered the phone, I yelled "You're an asshole!
" I wrote his number down with the word 'asshole' next to it, and put it in my desk drawer. When Caller ID was introduced, I thought my therapeutic 'asshole' calling would have to stop. I said, "Is this the man with the black BMW for sale? " Skills of Success (SOS)