WireTap Magazine

XV “Everybody’s Nobody”

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:59:03 PST

XV- “Everybody’s Nobody” by 99problemsdotorg We recycle good music!!! Check out this insightful ditty from XV. Related posts:A Poem by Bobby Drake: “I Am Somebody” Related posts:

A Poem by Bobby Drake: “I Am Somebody”

Omo Moses Makes History

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:16:24 PST

NBC News and theGrio.com have chosen Omo Moses, Founder and National Director of The Young People’s Project as one of the “History Makers In The Making,” celebrating 100 African-American history makers and industry leaders. theGrio’s.com honors Omo’s leadership and innovation in the fields of Education and Activism, trumpeting YPP’s national math literacy work and Quality Education [...] Related posts:

Feb 13th – Call out for solidarity actions across Canada against Olympic and Tar Sands green washing!

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:07:06 PST

From Clayton Thomas-Muller We all know the Olympics are about more than fun and games but we need your action to help get the facts heard! The Olympics industry tries to promote that the 2010 Winter Games a re making a positive contribution for our ‘social, economic, and environmental benefit’, but in reality the Olympic Industry causes [...]

Lobbyists Kick Students in the Pockets!

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:20:53 PST

WASHINGTON — Four months ago, it appeared all but certain that the White House and Democrats in Congress would succeed in overhauling the student loan business and ending government subsidies to private lenders. President Obama called the idea a “no-brainer” last fall, predicting it would take billions of dollars from the profits of private lenders and [...] Related posts:

Fossil Fools Day 2010: Pull a prank that packs a punch April 1

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:08:58 PST

The fossil fools ain’t no joke – but that doesn’t mean we can’t fight them with one! The Fossil Fuel Empire is real and it’s here. The stakes couldn’t be higher: destabilization of the global climate, communities from Alaska to Appalachia being destroyed by dirty energy extraction and combustion, devastating super hurricanes, droughts, flooding, the list [...]

Why Stories Matter: The art and craft of social change by Marshall Ganz

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:30:37 PST

I grew up in Bakersfield, California, where my father was a rabbi and my mother was a teacher. I went to Harvard in 1960, in part because it was about as far as I could get from Bakersfield, which was the terminus of the dust bowl migration that John Steinbeck made famous in The Grapes [...] Related posts:

X Games Opened My Eyes

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:10:55 PST

... friends in the movement – if I can share an idea that I’ve just come to realize, it’s this: businesses can be our allies in the fight against climate change – with the exception of perhaps the Chamber of Commerce and a few others. They’re influential, powerful, and self-interested. If we frame the conversation correctly, that what’s good for the planet (and human health) can be good for business, we’ll find some loud and powerful voices shouting on the behalf of fair, responsible, and just climate and environmental policy. Make friends. Build consensus. Change the world.

Youth and Health Reform: A Selling Failure

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:30:31 PST

An interesting blog post at Newsweek's "The Gaggle":

The other issue, I think, is the way health insurance has been sold and positioned. In general, we talk about the outcome of health care reform in two ways: the micro impact on individual citizens and the macro impact on health care costs. Neither has struck a cord with Millenials [sic]. Like I said, the individual impact strikes us as unimpressive. The large-scale economic outcomes take a lot of effort to understand. They seem distant, probably to Millenials [sic] and the rest of the population, and easy to lose sight of in a Twitter-size news cycle.

Instead, the more attractive part of health insurance for Millennials, these poll numbers indicate, is the moral underpinnings of the bill: that all Americans ought to have access to insurance, that this is our responsibility as a nation. While 47 percent of Millennials generally support health care reform, 70 percent support the idea that all Americans should have access to affordable health insurance, the highest number for any demographic. Maybe we’re just young and idealistic, maybe we have genuinely different viewpoints than our parents; either way, that provision really strikes a cord with younger Americans. But the bill has not been sold that way--if it had, perhaps more Millennials would strongly support health care reform instead of the kind of, sort of support we see now.

Yes, the expertise gap is tough for us to navigate. But I think what's worse for youth engagement is the heavy presence of traditional Washington behavior. Untelevised hearings. Deals behind closed doors. Inaccessible jargon. A lack of political courage. All of these elements and more preclude young people from focusing on the moral principle at stake.

We live in the United States -- all of us should should have access to affordable health insurance. But when the discussion is misrepresented, shrouded in Washington-speak and timidity, we lose that right to health care and we (young people) understandably lose patience with the process.

Alan Keyes

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:45:04 PST

Though his Birther protests are by far the wackiest of his antics, perennial loser Alan Keyes has been spouting nonsense for decades.

MA Bill Leaves Committee as Climate Court Hearings Continue

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:33:09 PST

Today, An Act to Create a Repower Massachusetts Emergency Task Force — written by Students for a Just and Stable Future (SJSF) and others in The Leadership Campaign — was released from the Senate Ethics and Rules Committee during the 6th Day of Climate Court Hearings for the Boston Common Sleep-out. Each day last week, citizen-activists [...]

Call to action by Naomi Klein, Terry Tempest Williams, Bill McKibben, Dr. James Hansen and Peaceful Uprising

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:05:39 PST

[The following was co-written by Naomi Klein, author of #1 NYT bestseller The Shock Doctrine, Terry Tempest Williams, world renowned wildlife author, Bill Mckibben, founter of 350.org and author of The End Of Nature, and Dr. James Hansen, author of Storms of my Grandchildren, and who is regarded as the world's leading climatologist. All recognize [...]

The Anti-War Super Bowl Party

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:48:44 PST

Iraq Veterans Against the War call attention to the connection between the Super Bowl and pro-war propaganda

Damian Marley and Nas - Strong Will Continue

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:51:44 PST

Related posts:On This Day|B.O.B. MARLEYGood Hip-Hop Lives on 99problems.org: Strong Arm Steady feat Phonte Related posts:

Jay Z’s 100th Problem

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:57:15 PST

“My ni88a Big predicted this s*** exactly, Mo Money, Mo Problems, gotta move carefully….” Above, an excerpt from Jay Z’s “Heart of the City” record off the Blueprint 1 that expresses the hardships of achieving the highest peaks of financial stability. Currently, with enough money to speed up the efforts in Haiti, Jay Z remains human [...] Related posts:

2010 Super Bowl Doritos Commerical

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:04:11 PST

Lil homie ain’t playing. Related posts:The Reality Is… Related posts:

The Reality Is…

Teens Don't Blog Blog, Don't Tweet, DO Facebook!

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:25:19 PST

Pew's study on Social Media and Young Adults has some really interesting findings: teens don't blog or tweet. According to the study, 14% of online teens blog. This is down from around 28% just a few years ago. As for Twitter, only 8% of people 12-17 use the service.

The study also found that 93% of young adults go online, with 63% of those using the internet daily. This is comparable to only 38% for those over the age of 65.

So what does this mean? We know that teens use the internet, regularly. We know they are active on social networks - they post comments (83% of online teens say they've posted comments on a friends' pictures), they communicate (although less teens now say they use social networking to contact friends), and more. They do not, however, create that much content.

Only 38% of teens share content in general, 21% remix content, and once again - only 14% blog. For adults, the numbers are even worse. The difference comes in the fact that the numbers for adults have come up in recent years. Teens, on the other hand, created more just a few years ago.

Some, such as Ben Parr, have come to the conclusion that teens just don't have the life experiences needed to create quality content. They are simply consuming. Even though I am a teen, I tend to agree with this rather negative view...Most teens are not interested in creating content. Instead, they are simply consuming.

Members of my generation are consuming more information in a day than one might have come across in a lifetime in centuries past. They're reading, watching, and listening. The number of teens who simply USE the internet (93%) are huge. These young people will be heading into college and jobs with a new and unique outlook, gained by exposure to such huge amounts of information.

Overall, the study is interesting, but there isn't much to feel bad about if you're a teen. The fact we're able to consume so much more content than previous generations means we will be creating much more high quality content of our own in the future.

Climate Generation: A History of Energy Action (2005)

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:11:48 PST

As a tribute to the inspiring Climate Generation series, I thought I would re-publish this early history of Energy Action, originally written in December 2005. A History of Energy Action We each arrived on the scene from different beginnings. Billy Parish, Adi Nochur, and Meg Boyle were taking time in and out of school to pull together [...]

My Way or The Highway!!!

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:19:18 PST

Read below, an article about the history of violence that take place because of the famous recording, “My Way” written by Paul Anka, preformed by Frank Sinatra. These murders are so common that they’re categorized as “My Way Killings.” Dont believe me? See for yourself. I got 99 problems but this definitely aint one. GENERAL SANTOS, the [...] Related posts:

Stand Up and Be Counted! Get Stuff!

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:00:53 PST

A few weeks ago we posed a piece from Mike Hais and Morley Winograd - Authors of Millennial Makeover. They urged Millennials to be a part of the Census because a Pew survey shows that the Millennial Generation, this country's largest generation in history, are less likely to participate.

"This lack of knowledge translated directly into this key demographic segment’s unwillingness to participate, with only 36 percent of 18-29 year olds indicating that they “definitely” would respond to the form when it arrives, compared to large majorities in all other age segments who said they would do so."

Future Majority is participating in the launch of Voto Latino's Count Me In 2010 campaign asking young voters to pledge to participate in the Census.

Users Can Take the ‘Census Pledge’ and receive 25 free songs from artists like Pitbull, Mos Def, Morrissey & Rodrigo y Gabriela by going to BeCountedRepresent.com/FutureMajority

According to the release:

"Be Counted, Represent! is comprised of multi-platform web, mobile, direct and traditional media initiatives that will elevate the census in the minds of millennials, who are historically undercounted in the Census.

In the United States, census data affects everything from the allocation of federal budgets for education, health care and transportation to the drawing of Congressional districts. This year’s 2010 census is of critical importance to all Americans because it allocates $400 billion in federal funds and determines congressional representation.

“Our work with the census is to both educate Latinos about the importance of taking it and re-imaging it as a means of personal empowerment and taking ownership of one’s future and one’s family’s,” said Maria Teresa Kumar, co-founder and executive director of Voto Latino, an official US Census partner.

“With 80 million young people in the Millennial Generation, the Census is a critical in determining exactly where we are, who is unemployed or underemployed, who has started a family, and other important information that can serve as indicators to policy makers on the unique needs of our nation’s youth,” said Sarah Burris, managing editor of Future Majority.

In speaking to their target effectively and leveraging drive-to-web and SMS campaigns from their 2008 presidential election work as well as the best practices utilized by President Obama’s campaign, Voto Latino’s “Be Counted, Represent!” campaign is comprised of the following initiatives:

“Be Counted, Represent!” Local  - On-the-ground Events : Voto Latino (VL) will be organizing on-the-ground events and census outreach operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Upstate New York, Long Island and San Francisco. 

- Collateral and Direct Mail Pieces : Voto Latino will distribute iTunes cards, t-shirts and other collateral materials, including direct mailers to aforementioned markets.

“Be Counted, Represent!” On the Web & Mobile - “BeCountedRepresent.com” – A dedicated URL, which goes live 2/2, will serve as the campaign’s hub, featuring easy-to-digest US Census information, and prompting viewers to “Take the Pledge” to participate in the census. Anyone who takes the pledge will also receive a free 25-song soundtrack courtesy of iTunes (as per below).

 - “Be Counted” Viral Video PSAs – Executive produced by Voto Latino, who were acknowledged last year with a Webby award for their “La Pasión de la Decisión” get-out-the-vote PSAs, this three-part series of Internet shorts, feature a group of friends who, one night over a festive party, launch into a heated argument about whether to participate in the census. An all-star ensemble cast, featuring Rosario Dawson, Luis Guzman, Demi Lovato (Disney’s Camp Rock franchise), Ana Ortiz (“Ugly Betty”), Wilmer Valderrama (“That Seventies Show”), Jorge Garcia (“Lost”) and more, comprise of characters with opposing viewpoints. The first short will launch in February on BeCountedRepresent.com with subsequent shorts to follow through the end of May. 

- Free Digital Downloads – Apple will provide Voto Latino with 100,000 census-themed iTunes cards that will be distributed to community organizations, universities and radio stations. The cards allow recipients to download 25 free songs from major artists across a wide range of relevant musical genres, who have donated their tracks to the campaign. 

- Text2Represent SMS campaign – Voto Latino will send targeted text messages to tens of thousands of U.S. Latinos to ensure that they and their families understand the importance of the Census and being counted."

DNC Launches Gen44 to Engage under 40 Crowd

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:05:03 PST

This week the Democratic National Committee announced a new entity responsible for promoting and re-engaging 25-39 year olds into supporting the President and his agenda.

Gen44 describes itself as

"Gen44 is a new concept founded from some of the campaign’s most successful programs – Generation Obama (GO) and the DNC TrailBlazers.

Building on this strong record of success, the DNC has merged these critical programs in order to create Gen44 . Gen44 will seek to harness the energy and excitement from the 2008 Presidential election by cultivating the next generation of fundraisers for the DNC and Organizing for America. Gen44 will work to maintain their passion from the campaign and engage their networks and colleagues in support of the President and the Democratic Party."

Sharon Yang describes the group as a year around engagement mechanism that communicates with the 25-40 year olds not just during "sexy presidential elections."

BlogTalk Radio interviews Yang about the new program here (click here if the link below doesn't work)

See the former fake President's bodyman "Charlie" from the West Wing - Dule Hill announce Gen44