Dear Friends and Colleagues,
As another year comes to a close, we once again take a few moments and reflect on the year leaving us. 2012 gave us three wonderful new employees, several amazing new clients and it also marks Susan’s 35th year at NIN.
We are so very proud of the work we do for, and with, our clients and the work our clients do to help make our world a better, kinder, more humane place. We are grateful for each year we have the privilege to support them and help them prosper and grow.
The horrible recent shootings both violently break our hearts and give us steely determination to work that much harder on behalf of our clients, as it illustrates how critical the work our non-profits do is to our children’s futures.
So with pain in our hearts for those suffering right now, but grace and appreciation for all that we have, we wish you the merriest of holidays, filled with peace, love, and health for you and your families.
Sincerely,
Your friends at Names in the News
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WIN! WIN! AND WIN AGAIN!
With pleasure and great pride, we saw many candidates we support win on election night. We are grateful to be a part of their progressive and dedicated teams and look forward to providing you with their lists as they again become available.
Congratulations to the amazing representatives!
Tammy Baldwin– First female Senator from Wisconsin, Tammy has a reputation for taking on corporate special interests and fighting for the middle class. She is the lead sponsor of the Buffet Rule, which would ensure that millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share and *not* a lower tax rate than the middle class.
Data Card
Maria Cantwell– Washington State Senator and leading the way to help make America more energy independent, as well as a known advocate for better education and accessible healthcare for all.
Data Card
Tammy Duckworth– Illinois Congresswoman and a former Black Hawk Helicopter pilot, the first woman to fly combat missions in Iraq, until being shot down and losing both her legs. She now leads the way for improved care for our Veterans.
Keith Ellison – Minnesota Congressman whose priorities are building prosperity for working families, promoting peace, pursuing environmental sustainability, and advancing civil and human rights.
Mazie Hirono – Hawaii’s first female Senator, she was previously Governor and is an outspoken leader for better access and education to contraception and choice.
Elizabeth Warren – Massachusetts Senator and former Harvard Law professor, she is credited with the creation of a new consumer financial protection agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Carolyn McCarthy – New York Congresswoman and instrumental to many causes, including the creation of the National Instant Criminal Background Check Database (NICS) Improvement Amendments Act that was signed into law in 2008. NICS is the most significant gun legislation passed in over 16 years.
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Happy 35th Anniversary Susan Anstrand!
Once an innocent young girl from the Midwest, looking to get away from home and explore the big bad world of California, Susan answered an ad for a Girl Friday. She needed a job. Any job. Who knew that little Names In the News, then only two years old, would become one of the most significant and innovative pioneers in direct mail fundraising, breaking ground left and right as to how lists are used and managed.
Working directly with Richard Hammand, founder of NIN and many of the data techniques we now all take for granted, Susan has been at the forefront of progressive direct mail fundraising almost from its modern inception. Under Richard’s professional tutelage, Susan has “grown-up”, so to speak, at Names In the News, spending 35 years honing her skills as a List Broker and Manager. Susan is now regarded industry-wide as one of the most successful, creative and accomplished strategists, helping progressive non-profits she is passionate about raise millions of dollars and donors.
When Susan isn’t squinting at spreadsheets, she can be found biking all over the bay area, sometimes with her daughter. NIN hopes that Susan would and could spend another 35 years here….though Susan would likely say, “Don’t count on it.” The good news is, she has no other plans at the moment except to keep helping our clients succeed. And maybe a trip to Hawaii. Please congratulate Susan on her 35 years at NIN. It’s sort of like a birthday!
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New Managed Lists
Best Friends Animal Society
FINCA – Foundation for International Community Assistance
Trustees of Reservation
Wisconsin Democratic Party
World Food Program
Now Available for Rent
Alley Cat Rescue
Tammy Baldwin for Senate
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Congratulations to Ms Magazine on their 40th Anniversary
With Wonder Woman at the helm, this issue celebrates forty years of fearless reporting with forty “Ms.” and key feminist moments that shaped our history, including; birthday letters from dozens of life-long readers, essays from founding editors Gloria Steinem and Letty Pogrebin, and current Executive Editor Kathy Spillar.
Produced by the Feminist Majority Foundation, this unique quarterly publication is an outspoken defender of women’s rights and a passionate promoter of feminist beliefs. Ms. Magazine’s award winning concept features in-depth reporting and hard-hitting political analysis that is recognized both nationally and around the world.
Data Card
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Doctors without Borders on first US mission
In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy on October 30, 2012, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provided medical and mental health care to more than 1,000 people uprooted by the storm or trapped in their homes in the New York City boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, as well as in Hoboken, New Jersey…read more
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an international independent medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, and exclusion from health care. MSF provides independent, impartial assistance to those most in need. MSF reserves the right to speak out to bring attention to neglected crises, to challenge inadequacies or abuse of the aid system, and to advocate for improved medical treatments and protocols. In 1999, MSF received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Data Card
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Brady Campaign Calls on Congress to Stop the Violence
Mission Statement:We are devoted to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work, and in our communities.The Brady Campaign works to pass and enforce sensible federal and state gun laws, regulations, and public policies through grassroots activism, electing public officials who support common sense gun laws, and increasing public awareness of gun violence. Through our Million Mom March and Brady Chapters, we work locally to educate people about the dangers of guns, honor victims of gun violence, and pass sensible gun laws, believing that all Americans, especially children, have the right to live free from the threat of gun violence.The Brady Center works to reform the gun industry by enacting and enforcing sensible regulations to reduce gun violence, including regulations governing the gun industry. In addition, we represent victims of gun violence in the courts. We educate the public about gun violence through litigation, grassroots mobilization, and outreach to affected communities.
Data Card
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Meet our new employees:
Jennifer Cox, Pia Payne and Krsni Watkins
Jennifer is an old-new employee. She loves us so much she just couldn’t stay away and we were happy to welcome her back in April. Working for us in Client Services in 2000-2001, she took a break to become a Pastry Chef. But it’s our good fortune she came back to fundraising (armed with delicious recipes, see below.) She was very busy during her hiatus, getting married and becoming mom to a sweet 2-1/2 year old little boy. A native of Marin County and a self-proclaimed “small town homebody”, Jennifer and her husband love California and all it offers outside. But shhhhh! When inside, what they really enjoy are Superhero movies in their home theatre. And who could blame her? Please be sure to share your favorite superhero movie with Jennifer when you next talk to her.
Pia is old to direct mail but new to List Management and since she’s managed the paper portion so adeptly, we figured she could pick this up too, her background helping to round out some of the “hat-changing” skills needed as List Manager. And pick up those hats she did! She works out of her Baltimore, MD office and is constantly on the hunt to find great test lists for you, as well as market and promote the clients we are proud to represent. When not analysiing who’s mailed what, Pia can be found playing Godzilla with her five year old son, learning about retro art and photography, writing, or taking wacky photos, usually of shoes.
Also starting in April, Krsni came to us via her work at a non-profit that provides foster care for children. When not working as a Client Services Assistant at NIN, Krsni can be found persuing a Master’s Degree in Adult Education or trying new exotic restaurants with her boyfriend. She is local to the East Bay but that hasn’t stopped her from wandering to some far off places, including Belgium as an exchange student (yes, she speaks some Flemish!) and Hong Kong. She does not recommend the chicken feet she tried in Hong Kong. But if you are out this way, feel free to ask her for yummy restaurant recommendations.
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Holiday Recipe – Baked Alaska
brought to you by Jennifer Cox
Fun Fact – February 1st is Baked Alaska Day in the United States. A restaurant in New York is said to have first created the dessert in 1867 to celebrate the United States’ purchase of Alaska. However, it was the Chinese who first had the idea of a similar dessert that was encased in a pastry instead of meringue. The French are the ones who introduced the meringue and made the first actual Baked Alaska.
Originally the dessert was placed in a hot oven not so much to “bake” the dessert, but to brown the meringue. Today, the meringue is typically browned using a blow torch in a professional kitchen or can be flambéed tableside. I will give you instructions for both.
How to Assemble a Baked Alaska –
This can be made in any size/shape pan of your liking. The Baked Alaska in the picture was assembled in a small bowl. The instructions I provide are for a loaf pan but can be applied to other pans.
- Ice Cream – Try using different flavor combinations. The sky is the limit!
- Pound Cake
- Simple Syrup – Equal parts of granulated sugar and water boiled then cool
- ¼ c. liqueur – use something that compliments the ice cream flavors
- 1 c. Egg Whites
- ½ c. granulated sugar
- Rum 151 if doing flambé
1) Spray the loaf pan with pan spray, line with plastic wrap with some hanging over the edge. Chill the pan before the next step.
2) Cut strips of pound cake that fit the dimensions of the pan. Have pieces for the ends, side, bottom and top. It’s ok if a section is more than one piece. Place all of the pieces inside of the prepared pan except for the top section. Reserve cake scraps in case you need to fill in some gaps when you remove it from the pan.
3) Combine the simply syrup and ¼ c. liqueur and brush the cake pieces lightly all over.
4) Pack softened ice cream into the prepared chilled pan. If layering ice cream, harden each layer in the freezer before adding the next layer. Add the top layer of cake and brush with simple syrup. Wrap and freeze.
5) Once firm, remove the dessert from the pan and place on your serving dish. Use an oven-safe dish. Freeze again.
6) Place egg whites in a bowl and whip until frothy then add the sugar. Continue whipping until thick and shiny.
7) Pipe the meringue on or swirl it on with a spatula/spoon. Freeze until firm and ready to serve.
8) If “baking” the dessert, pre-heat your oven to 500°. When ready, place the dessert in the oven until the meringue is toasted and golden. It’s ok if any peaks on the meringue get a little dark. Once toasted, it is ready to serve. Alternatively, if you have a blowtorch handy, you can skip the oven and use the torch to toast the meringue.
9) If you want to flambé the dessert, you need no more than ½ oz. of Rum 151. **Use caution when doing this step. Use a small cup/shot glass, with the lights off, ignite the rum and pour over the dessert tableside. Alcohol will burn off on its own fairly quickly. Now dessert is ready to serve!
Tips for success:
Use a metal container to form the dessert. It will help chill the ice cream quicker and holds in the cold much better.
Think about the size of your freezer. Does the dish fit in there?
You will want to assemble this dessert at least one day before you need to serve it. Give it plenty of time to get cold and firm up again.
Return the dish to the freezer if you have to step away or when between steps in the recipe.
***If serving this dish to pregnant women, children, sick or elderly persons please either use pasteurized egg whites or use a recipe for Swiss Meringue
Inga Beck, Marketing Manager, (510) 302-4621, ingabeck@nincal.com
