Okay, I admit it. I never read Treasure Island. It was a big book, a classic, written over 100 years ago, hence, probably boring. Boy, was I wrong. This book is GREAT. Ever wonder when the phrase “shiver me timbers” entered the common lexicon? Ever wonder where the image of a pirate with a parrot comes from? Ever wonder where “yo ho ho and a bottle of rum” comes from? Ever eat at Long John Silver’s? Well, you’re smart, you put two and two together already: it’s all from Treasure Island. You could never make this into a movie nowadays because it all became such popular imagery that now it’s cliche. But I read it this past weekend and simply couldn’t put it down. There’d be no Intergalactic Nemesis without this book because Treasure Island is like the granddaddy of pulp adventure stories. Go to the library, get a copy, and read it!.
And, of course, I can help but think of another island that’s deeply in need of treasure, so below is pasted from a message I got from Austin Film Society. Do your part!
Austin Ventures & Entrepreneurs Foundation Match Gifts for Haiti Relief
In light of the devastation in Haiti, Austin Ventures (“AV”) and the Entrepreneurs Foundation (“EF”), have launched the High-Tech HelpHaiti Fund. $600k has been raised from Austin high-tech leaders to match 1:1 donations. The match is open to everyone. Donors to the match include Philip & Donna Berber, Isabel & Dave Welland, The Meredith Family, The Garber Family, Silicon Labs, Inc., EF and friends, and AV.
Given the critical nature of this past weekend, we wired $250k on Friday, even before receiving the match donations. These monies were split evenly between Partners in Health (@PIH_org) and Concern Worldwide (@ConcernWorld). Both groups have long histories in Haiti and are making a difference on the ground today.
HelpHaiti – consider donating to Haiti relief services and having your contribution matched by Austin High-Tech leaders ($600k available), click HERE.