How the Media is Changing- An Interesting Conversation

This links to a video of an interesting conversation about the media and how to have a real impact in the world.  More discussion to follow.

http://lauraflanders.firedoglake.com/2010/02/25/beyond-echo-van-slyke-clark/

My Latest Favs on the Internet- Left-leaning Web sites

It's mostly political analysis from a lefty point of view...

grittv.org

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/

Add to those my standard favs:

The Rachel Maddow Show: rachel.msnbc.com

Countdown with Keith Olbermann: countdown.msnbc.com

The Daily Show: thedailyshow.com

I'm totally into politics these days.

Interesting reading on potential fixes to the economy, written by an Economist.  Rational but politically unfeasible:

http://content.ksg.harvard.edu/blog/jeff_frankels_weblog/2009/12/01/ten-ways-to-move-the-budget-back-toward-a-sustainable-path/

Saturdays with Lots To Do

Okay, it's Saturday morning.  I've had my caffeine.  I've enjoyed sitting around in pajamas a bit.  It's 8 am and I've been up for about two hours now.  I have watched TVoed episodes of Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann.  I'm sufficiently outraged at Big Corporate and how they get rich while most people get poor.  I've had breakfast and played with Kitty.  I have plans to run at 10 am with Joslyne.  Christopher is still sleeping and I can get cracking on that great big "To Do" list running in my head.

But what to start with?  Read those books that I have borrowed from others and need to return?  Dust the furniture after the minor repair work we had done this week?  Finally make sense of that room in the front of the house that has no purpose and is just a catch-all of random stuff?  Start a load of laundry?  Start correcting the test I gave last week?  Format the digital pics from our wedding so we can order some prints to hang in our living room?  Call a friend I want to catch up with?  Prepare a surprise for Christopher before he gets up?  Modify and update the spreadsheet of our finances?  Spend time meditating and getting spiritual?

Now I hear my Mother's voice in my head... "If your biggest problem right now is figuring out what to do then you are in good shape!"  And it's true, things could be much worse.

But I still don't know what to do with myself right now.

Ironically, although I think I don't know what to do, I have chosen.  To write this blog.

Called my Senator

I did it.  I just called my US Senator to express an opinion on legislation.  The Senator in question is Lamar Alexander of TN.  The legislation I was calling to support was the "Fair Elections Now Act".  The act supports across-the-board restrictions on big money donors to reduce the influence of monied lobbyists.  Some believe that the interests of lobbyists eclipse the interest of the American people.  I think it does too.  And my phone call was evidence.  The woman who answered the phone did not know of the act and said that the Senator has not released a statement on that.  Then she told me that she would pass on a message to  the Senator.  She did not ask my name.  I asked her why she didn't need my name.  She said that she can see on her caller ID that I am calling from a TN area code.  Oh really?  Makes me glad I finally got around to switching my cell phone area code from MA to TN.  Makes me glad I didn't call from the RI area code phone number I almost got so my Mom doesn't have to call long distance.

I think my story is in itself the case in point.  Congress can and does summarily dismiss the will of any constituent who does not have thousands of dollars to throw their way.  All the more reason for needing the Act in my opinion.

If you are interested in reading more, email me for the web site.  I want my FB experience to be a social one and not a political one (by and large) but on this issue I'm breeching the divide.

Another Interesting TED talk

This talk is short and interesting.

Derek Sivers: Weird, or just different? | Video on TED.com

Before I heard this talk I didn't know anything about Derek Sivers, so I googled him and found his blog. Some cool perspective there. Read on if you are interested.

http://sivers.org/blog

Celebrating MLK Day a Little Late

Okay, MLK day was a couple of weeks ago, but I realized today that I had never listened to the "I have a Dream" speech before and TED.com had it posted. So I'm linking it here and inviting my reader(s) (hee hee Joslyne, I'm practicing for more readers! :) ) to watch and listen and think about what it would have been like to have lived at that time and been there that day.

As I watched the speech I was struck by the behavior of the crowd while he spoke. They were listening calmly. Could all those people hear him? Was the sound system that good at that time? In any event, I'm sure I'll watch it again because I want to be sure that I really heard what he had to say.

So, without further ado, here is the link:

Martin Luther King Jr.: I have a dream | Video on TED.com

Talk by JK Rowling at the 2008 Harvard graduation.

This video was posted by a friend of Christopher's. I found it very interesting.  Watch and get your own perspective:

JK Rowling: The fringe benefits of failure | Video on TED.com