"Murphy was an optimist!"
How far would you walk to vote? February 23, 2008 10:38 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Activism, Politics, Regional Politics (Mid-W), Touchy SubjectsHow about seven miles? Read more on BoingBoing and RuralVotes.com.
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Kilowatt Ours (41 minutes) December 10, 2007 7:40 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Activism, Economy, Environment, Touchy SubjectsIf you watch the first 5 minutes you’ll watch the whole thing…and you’ll turn off your lights. Tell your power company you want green power.
Learn more at the Sierra Club.
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The Public Relations Long Tail December 3, 2007 1:38 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Activism, Blog, Communications, Publishing, Technology, Touchy SubjectsWhat?!! Reporters, bloggers, and spammers get lumped together at the end?
Email spamming reporters and bloggers: Why is this here as a tool? Because people are still doing it in spite of the high risk and low reward! They can’t give up the 1% return. See Eric Eggertson on the topic. [Source, Now is Gone, The Public Relations Long Tail]
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We asked to be heard; tonight is our chance! November 26, 2007 1:57 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Activism, Education, Health, Local Politics, Politics, Touchy SubjectsDo you care for the future of education in Knox County? We have asked that the citizens be heard in choices like rezonings and choosing a school superintendent. They are now willing to listen!
Knox County residents are invited this week to share their suggestions on what characteristics the school system’s new superintendent needs.
And the school board has been told to stay away.
[Source, Knoxnews.com, Residents' input sought on superintendent]
I personally think the superintendent needs to come from outside of Knox County and maybe far from TN where local politics and good ol’ boy relations will not be an influence. I want someone making decisions that are right for our children and not because of politics or helping a buddy out.
Don’t forget to attend the superintendent search forums tonight (11/26) at either Austin East or Central High School auditoriums, beginning at 7:00 pm.
Additional forums will be held Tuesday, 11/27/07, at South Doyle and Bearden High School auditoriums, also at 7:00 pm.
This is very important! Make the time to voice your opinion please.
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Is $1000 for someone else not worth YOUR time? October 7, 2007 10:15 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Activism, Blog, Love, Philanthropy, Philosophy, Publishing, Touchy SubjectsI am really enjoying participating in The Problogger Birthday Bash Darren Rowse and Lara Kulpa have put together. I do find it a little troubling that when they offered a prize of $1000 to your favorite charity it only generated 24 qualifying entries! Now turn it around. Instead of offering a decent sum of money for someone else, offer a $20 gift certificate for yourself and they got 724 comments! (not all of those would have been qualifying but I’m not going to count). Granted, there was a prize in that post which could have gotten you $500 for yourself but winning any other prize did not disqualify you from entering the charity giveaway. Every single Problogger reader should have entered the charity giveaway!
Ok. Let me get off my soap box and add in a little rationality.
- The money for self contest required no effort, just a comment under the post itself with as little as one word in it, so it makes sense that the number participants would be far greater.
- We assume that every reader of Problogger, due to its subject matter, has a blog BUT that could be a false assumption; ergo, the participation in the money for self would be higher.
- Not everyone is into charities. And that’s ok. So the participation in the money for self would be higher.
- The charity post required a little substance and effort. Unfortunately, effort and substance do knock a lot of people out of the game. Therefore, the money for self would be naturally higher.
All that said, it does make sense that some of the other contest posts would generate more comments. But only 24 valid entries for giving $1000 away to a meaningful cause?! Surely we should have done better than that! Karthik shares my sentiment.
Life is a participation sport. Get up! Participate! Be active in your community. Vote! Go to school board meetings. Pick up trash. Bring a shopping cart into the grocery with you instead of leaving it in the parking lot. Say hi to your neighbor. Hug someone daily! Volunteer your time. Leave a legacy. Make a difference!
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Spectators to the abolishment of freedom September 20, 2007 2:23 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Activism, Politics, Touchy Subjects, United StatesI just watched the University of Florida student getting tasered and read the account of the falsification of the police report. I am appalled! The video indicates no wrong doing! The questions seemed appropriate and Kerry seemed willing to answer. The growing abusive police state in this nation must be contained! What growing abusive police state? The abusive police state that commands on of our military personnel, who put his life at risk to protect your freedoms, to stand up so the officer can shoot him. The students who sat idly by should have risen from their chairs when the officers stood threateningly behind the student. They should have made a human barricade and assured the freedom of speech that our forefathers gave their lives for during the Revolutionary War. How we dishonor them! Our government exists by the will of the people and if the government is stepping out of line then the people must step up! Besides, what’s college if you haven’t been arrested at a protest?
Easier said than done you say? I would have sat idly by also if I were there you say? You don’t know me very well then. All that said, I acknowledge that maybe there were other circumstances not conveyed in the video or the media that led to this event. Perhaps the student had an altercation with the police earlier.
As Naomi Wolf has rightfully pointed out, the tasering of Andrew Meyer will be remembered as a watershed moment in American history. That much is certain. The only thing that remains to be seen is how we, as Americans, react to it. Will we sit passively by while our Constitution and our Democracy are murdered right before our eyes?
…
The choice is clear: either we fight fascism right now with all our power, or we will be the next ones on the ground with a policeman’s knee on our throats and 50,000 volts of electricity coursing through our bodies.
[Source]
Update: Is that officer laughing?!
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Do you have a PEACE of chalk for tomorrow? September 14, 2007 10:15 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Activism, Announcements, Of Interest, Politics, Touchy Subjects, World Politics
Do you have your chalk ready for tomorrow? Writing on the sidewalks is not vandalism or graffiti, it’s art! And it washes away.
Campaign to shift the paradigm from conflict to UNITY. From a double negative "No to War" To a double positive "Yes to Peace" [Source]
“Chalk4Peace” is a very simple, fun and inexpensive peace action
that you can implement in your local community [Source]
Get out tomorrow and draw a peace sign or a heart on the sidewalk!
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Saving the Earth one naked person at a time August 20, 2007 3:21 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Activism, Environment, Touchy Subjectsor maybe a little over 600 people. Shrunken penises, hard nipples, and frigid women! And one severely painted man(nsfw) who I do not think could possibly hold another tattoo. Oh, Greenpeace! And the famous Spencer Tunick of course! (and as if you really had to ask, no! That link is not safe for work…)
This moment brought to us by BoingBoing from LaughingSquid.
Update: there appears to be at least one family of confused cave people(nsfw) from global warming’s progress on the glaciers.
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