A Website For The People
Recently, our President talked about our country’s need for job creation and advancement of American Businesses. This is a suggestion about how we can make that happen by working together. A suggestion of a way that we can generate rapid job growth for our citizens and develop customers for our businesses, both large and small, (and even new and emerging businesses are included), and has the capacity to refill the coffers of our Nations Communities.
This Website concept has been created, then developed to be inclusionary of all American’s – those who already have established businesses and for those who are at the beginning stages of turning their dreams into reality and starting emerging businesses of their own.
It is common knowledge that small business develops 71% of our jobs and that large businesses have assisted in forming strong and stable foundations within our communities for generations. Both are healthy aspects of our nation.
Although, I realize that this concept has the capacity to develop great earnings, it will take me much longer to assemble the individuals required to transform this Website Concept into reality – than it will take our leaders and various experts; and jobs for our citizens and business growth is needed now.
I have additional ideas for the development and enhancement of this Website. And a large portion of the earnings from the Memberships of the Website itself is intended to used to extend additional assistance to our citizens, in the form of Small Business Grants and Scholarships for our country's Students. And of course, the Website will be self-supporting.
At this point, my focus is on finding ways to uplift our citizens, stabilize our businesses, and increase the steady growth of our communities. We have the technology to achieve this goal and develop the win-win world that we know we can create. And, you know where I stand, determined to uphold a positive approach.
Personally, I trust our President and I know we can!
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-- Travel@Home.com –
Website Concept By: Suellis Kelley -- August 6, 2009©
All Rights Reserved For “The People”*
(* See, Additional Information.)
New Website – While reading an article this morning, a concept came to my mind that I think could draw the interest of our people; a new kind of Website that creates jobs for our citizens, revenue for our Businesses and a new fast-paced tax-base system for our American Communities. Please, be patient with the long description; as there are many components that build on each other to make this Website a profitable, attractive, and enjoyable asset that develops rapid job creation, flourishing businesses and uplifts our Nation’s Communities.
Business Idea: This is a website idea that has the potential to develop regular visitors, educate us about our Nations many Cities and their surrounding Communities and expand our cultural understanding of each other. Additionally, for folks who enjoy traveling and visiting other places in our country, (and the world), they will be enabled to do so from the comfort of their own homes. This concept is easy to expand and during this discussion, I will refer to this New Website as Travel@Home.com or “The People’s” Website. This Website also has the ability to open the doors of our businesses, which is discussed at length in the Website Experience section. (For clarification: Travel@Home.com is not an actual Website at this time nor is it an email address).
Basic Concept: Relax for a moment and picture in your mind one community that you have lived in during your life. As you remember, “see” the streets, the neighborhoods, the parks, the libraries and the stores, as you “travel through town.” Now, include the surrounding countryside, the mountains, the creeks, and other areas that exist at that location. The People’s Website offers our American Citizens the opportunity to regularly go to their hometowns or travel to places that they would like to visit.
The Television Travel Programs that are frequently available on our Public Broadcasting Stations, KPBS, (which is associated with UCSD), already has a lot of video that shows various communities and the neat attractions, businesses and scenic views of particular locations in our nation. This video can be edited to create a seamless view of many of our communities and landmark areas. (Other T.V. Channels also have collections of Video that show many of our Nations communities and focuses on the unique and magnificent architecture of the various buildings that were developed during the 18th and 19th Century’s. There are also Video Travel Logs of our communities and those in Foreign Nations as well. However, while starting up the Website the initial focus will be on the Communities within America).
For Example:
In San Diego, there have already been numerous television projects created that focus on various communities and suburbs, such as, Old Town, the Gas Lamp District, and even Little Italy. There are places and buildings in these communities that still attract hundreds of thousands of tourists every year because of their unique history and architectural design. By combining these clips in a seamless way, the city of San Diego, can be created for the Website; and then, offered to citizens throughout our nation, as a Travel Destination. This idea can easily be extended to develop other communities as well.
Once an Individual becomes a Member of The Peoples Website, they can select a community and then “Travel” through the town, and visit the stores, museums and other areas where they are encouraged to shop and see the sites. Or, they can join with family members and friends, (who also become Website Members), and spend a day at the World’s Largest Mall. (Once the basic configuration and design of the Website Travel Area’s are developed, the options for Travel Locations will also expand to include additional communities).
Many people love to travel and go back to places where they have lived before; but, for whatever myriad of reasons, just haven't had the opportunity or time to literally travel. Members will be provided the opportunity to pick one community, then “travel there and visit” that community for a year, for the Standard Membership Fee. When individuals become active members – they can choose to visit a community where they previously lived or visited; as well as select places to visit that they have always wanted to go to or visit exotic locations that they always wanted to explore, (the Grand Canyon, Big Sur, or our National Parks). An additional bonus for some individuals is that this Website can assist people “to see” the places where they intend to go in the future, in order to acclimate themselves with the location and plan their itinerary, before they arrive.
Membership: The charge for a Standard Membership Fee would be $20.00 to visit one town or city for a year and this fee also provides easy access and the ability for ‘On-Line Tourists” to shop at and visit various Stores, Museums and Historical Sites, as well. Additionally, Schools, Colleges, and Universities could also become involved by offering special membership packages for their Alumni and others to attend their events, via Webcasts and other options. This can assist in raising revenues to develop new projects, scholarships and other learning opportunities for their students, (see Website Experience #2 for further explanation). Of course, Museums, Historical Sites and schools can develop Special Membership Packages and make them available at their front doors for On-Line Tourists to purchase.
Other options or combination's of various travel packages can be developed for those who desire to extend their Travel@Home.com opportunities. For Example: A Membership Package of, “Three Destinations for $45,” or a “World Traveler Rate” can be developed for individuals, who want the flexibility to visit any or all of the numerous locations that the Website offers during a single year.
Website Experience:
The following are brief explanations of what a Travel@Home.com Member experiences when entering the Website.
For Example: After a Member selects a community to visit – they will click on the link and enter the town or city, where the, “Welcome Sign,” is already displayed. Then, they can click to immediately go to Main Street or take a Scenic Tour through the area.
1. When on Main Street – from the perspective of walking down the sidewalks; if an On-Line Tourist “see’s” a store that interests them, (these stores and shops are the ones that literally exist), they can either:
a. Click to enter and browse – looking at the shelves and seeing the ambiance, character and basic environment. (Naturally, cash register placement, doors, and other things will be removed from the view of the ‘Home Travelers.’)
b. Or, click to enter an area where there are photos and a list of the items that our members have “seen” and are available for purchase and shipping directly to their homes.
aa. This provides the businesses within our Nations communities to expand their consumer base and provides for our citizens easy access to purchase those neat little items that we like to collect when we are literally traveling throughout our country.
bb. The Business will of course gain profits, while a percentage of the earnings or the taxes will go into the Community Chest to assist the town in building up their towns and cities.
cc. Additionally, a small percentage or fee could go to create a fund for business grants and pay for the employees running the Travel@Home.com Website itself. (This is to be determined later).
c. Of course, the various Business Owners would be responsible for the hiring of their own employees to provide the shipping and handling for their products to their customers and an individual to keep their shops items, sales and discounts up to date. For a minimal monthly fee, they hire a Travel@Home.com Webmaster to input the ongoing updated information. (To be discussed in further detail later: perhaps, just keeping the current Webmasters apprised of the monthly sales and new products offered, can provide for the organization of the Website itself).
The general upkeep and information regarding the changes within the various States communities, (new buildings, new businesses and other land use transitions), could be sent by the communities Chamber of Congress to the Webmasters, who are assigned to their State, so that everything remains up to date and consistent.
2. When an individual purchases a year-pass, becomes member and an On-Line Tourist of a community, (because of the technology that has been developed), they can be enabled to have an “overview’ or “side-view,” as they “walk” from one distention to the next. This will enable people to enjoy seeing and visiting the other areas and places within the community.
a. For Example:
After an On-Line Tourist has shopped in the downtown area, they can head over to a museum, art show or go to another event that is available or is literally happening in the community at the time and pay whatever the regular fee is to attend. (The communities themselves can provide some Sample Give Away visits or attendance to events within a community by providing additional membership offers; which can be determined later).
Along with the Museums, Historical Sites and other public areas of interest; Theater Groups, Colleges and schools could also offer admission to the events that they frequently present. (Of course, these complimentary memberships can be offered at discounted rates, based on the decisions of the people in charge of the activities).
Members can literally attend the activities as they are occurring by clicking on a live Web-Cast option, which would take them to a place to purchase a ticket that would give them access to the Web-Cast. This can enable On-Line Community Members to experience a, “Night on the Town,” participate in activities they enjoy and assist the various organizations within our Nations communities, (their own Hometowns), to raise revenues.
b. I am certain many Alumni of various Schools, Colleges and University’s throughout our Nation would love this option, as a way to visit their Hometown, (or the communities that they have lived in previously and feel connected to), and continue to remain active participants by attending various social events via Web-Cast, (such as, a School Play or Sporting Event). This also gives our Members the ability to continue to support the growth and well-being of the communities that they care about; when they have moved to another location.
c. Each Institution, Store, or Organization could establish and design their own ticket-fee systems for citizens to obtain Complimentary Memberships to participate in the events they present and that appear on the Travel@Home.com Website. For Example: Members could buy a pass that gives them admission to attend 10 Basketball Games during the College Season… Or, they could purchase an additional Passport to go to the Town’s Museums, whenever they like. (Obviously, these kinds of options can be expanded to include other organizations and activities).
d. Additionally, many communities maintain a schedule of annual activities, such as, The Fourth of July Parade, The Celebration of May Day, or even the yearly Lighting of the Christmas Tree in the Town Square. Participation in these events can uplift the spirits of Website Members and make them feel included. Perhaps, this open access can also elicit celebratory shopping during the activities or before to prepare themselves for these occasions.
3. As many of us have experienced, there are also small businesses within each of our communities that are in the initial stages of development. Artist’s and Individuals, who are gifted with various talents and are good at creating Crafts and artwork -- and inventors, who develop products and typically begin building their customer-base by word of mouth, also can be included.
Permanent Art Shows and Craft Fairs can be created to offer and display original works of art, and one of a kind, handcrafted products for the On-Line Tourists to see, purchase, and personally own. Collecting unique items and inventions used to be a trend within our society. People enjoyed owning one of kind products in their homes and often showed their guests their, “Conversation Pieces,” when they visited. These Specialized Shops and Emerging Businesses could be developed in a variety of ways and have especially appointed Webmasters, who singularly focus on these areas to keep the items up to date, as new works of art and crafts are created and included in the displays.
a. The Emerging Businesses could be set-up in a, “Specialized Shopping District” -- which could be “built” on an unused area of land in the existing town. As an indicator of the “Virtual City,” when the On-Line Tourist enters the area they can be greeted with a similar, “Welcome Sign,” like the one that they saw when they initially entered the community. And by adding placards, the On-Line Tourists is provided information about how the community was developed and is able to learn about the various artists and inventors, as well.
Actually, the History’s about how the existing stores in the town or cities were developed and a biography about the original and current owner can be made available at the “doors” of the shops themselves, (for both established and emerging businesses). Additionally, for those who are offering hand produced Artwork, Music, and Crafts; these biographies could also provide information about their business, their education, and personal history. (This idea can be expanded to include information about the histories and owners of the businesses in the community; and share details and fun facts about the town itself, (suburb or city), the museums, the schools and other organizations within the community).
b. This also assists the people that live and work within the communities themselves. As it encourages and provides an easy way for individuals and other business owners to discover, who in their community has products that they would like to sell. Established Business owners can order the items to sell in their own stores for commission or order a large quantity of what our Emerging Business owners have invented, produced or sell – such as C.D.’s, Quilts, or Jewelry… or even new products that haven’t been offered to our citizens before… ect. (For additional information, see Website Experience, #8.
c. The area, where the Specialized Shops and Emerging Businesses are made accessible for the On-Line Tourist’s, can be developed to match the existing architecture of the Town; such as the houses, the parks, the Museums, and other sites as well.
d. Also, another form of Business can be created, by utilizing video and editing techniques. Some folks have large collections of items that fit into a particular category – such as, 9,000 different styles of Pez Dispensers, or various depictions of a favorite animal, or a home that is filled with Christmas Decorations… etcetera. These individuals could be included in the Specialized Shop area to allow citizens to see, appreciate, and enjoy viewing their large collections – for a minimal fee).
e. For individuals who produce various media programs; such as the interview format or variety and talent shows for a regular Webcasts or other Television medium – such as Public Broadcasting Channels – can also open Specialized Shops to sell DVD’s of their programs. An area can be developed, where the On-Line Tourist is encouraged to click on a link, in order to view a short preview of the program that they are interested in purchasing. The expansion of is technology can include additional previews and promote the sales of movies, songs, books and other forms of media.
f. By developing another Member category, collectors can sign up for a membership that only allows them access to The Specialized Shop and Emerging Business areas in each community.
4. As a result, of the seamless visuals of the location, our visitors are empowered to “walk,” (visually), through neighborhoods – the visitor will see and experience the ambiance of our communities. And since the Historical Sites can have open door policy’s, this gives our citizens a wonderful way to have the “on-site” experience of seeing with their own eyes the places where our Founding Fathers and former leaders spent their time and developed the concepts that have been applied to our lives.
The Hometown Tourist can get a close up view of the Place and Desk, where Thomas Jefferson wrote parts of our Declaration of Independence. We could see the interior of the Houses where various Presidents grew up or we could travel through the Rocky Mountains to see first hand the expeditions of Lewis and Clark. Additionally, those who are interested in our Environment, they can take a trip up to the North Pole and see the Glaciers, wildlife and communities themselves. This can assist us in expanding our understanding of America’s History and develop appreciation for our unique country as a whole.
5. Another aspect that is a plus for some Members is having an area where they can keep a Journal of their visits and log their activities, experiences, and thoughts as they visit their selected communities. Perhaps, this area could include sections that allow the member to show what they purchased, where they went, and what they did; and provide a way to keep track of the events they attended and display the other memorabilia that they collected as they traveled to different communities offered by the Website.
6. In addition, this Website can provide individuals, who are planning to go on vacation, to visit the community -- “On-Line” -- before they arrive to acclimate to the location and assist them with planning their itinerary.
7. Of course, this idea could be expanded by working with the Leaders of Foreign Nations to include their favored cities as well. And naturally, we could invite citizens in other Nations to become On-Line Tourists and visit America’s larger cities and major attractions too.
8. Additionally, individuals could be offered a discounted membership package to become On-Line Tourists in the communities where they currently live. This could open up access and another avenue for individuals to provide further support for their own hometown community events or cities businesses, Non-Profit Organizations and other social activities – such as support of our theaters, museums, and historic land-sites. This could also open doors for the leaders of community humanitarian causes to create various events or provide entertaining and informative videos to educate the general public about what they are doing and to generate further resources and expand their outreach programs.
Travel@Home.com© Suellis Kelley – August 6, 2009
All Rights Reserved For The People*
Travel@Home.com is not an actual Website at this time nor is it an email address.
Lea and I hosted an Economic Recovery meeting last week. We had a wonderful gathering and an interesting and informative exchange of ideas. I'm going to post a summary of what we talked about, starting with sustainability. Thank you so much to Liz, Anand, Tommy, Joan and Barbara for participating and making the discussion so lively:
I googled my name out of curiosity, and found my other blogs. I was pleased to see the connection between this site, and another site dear to my heart. I recently joined Navy for Moms, an online community for Navy Moms. I feel like it's a good way for me to support the troops.
I believe in the power of the pen, or in this day and age, the age of technology, the power of the internet. The internet, though often abused and used for evil purposes, can be a wonderful tool for worthy causes. It is a wonderful way to communicate with others, even others clear across the world. It can be a way to increase understanding among people.
When people get involved in online communities, and start sharing things dear to one's heart, such as family photos, pictures of sacred places, interests and beliefs, we soon learn that, no matter what country or background we are from, we are more alike than we thought. It becomes evident, to the honest heart, that we are all brothers and sisters, of one humanity, children of a loving and benevolent God. With that mind set, we begin to really care about this planet Earth, and the people on it. We find ourselves wanting to make life better for all of us, in whatever way we can, using the talents we have been blessed with.
I'd like to think that those of us who are passionate about blogging, using our love for the written word, and our talent for putting our thoughts on paper, or on Internet sites, are also serving worthy causes, as much as those who are actually on the front lines, serving as volunteers in hospitals, homeless shelters, or relief organizations. I believe we are, by sharing words of encouragement, telling others about worthy causes, and bringing the light of truth and hope into the hearts and minds of those living in the darkness of despair.
As FDR said during a similar time in history: "There is nothing to fear but fear itself." As Americans, we are experiencing a shift in our lives. We have a leader who is ready to lead us from despair to repair. He will proceed, not by himself, but as a partner with the people of America.
We are working together in our communities, in our counties, as a nation and a global partner. We are rising above the "issues" of today and rebuilding the American spirit. Are you ready to help? As Obama has said, "This will not be easy," but he trusts us. Do we trust ourselves? I say YES! Please join me in ensuring everyone you know that Obama will win. He is the leader we need at this point in history. He will, through his words and his work, inspire us to rise above old expectations and create a world our children deserve. It is not a question if Obama is ready - but are we? Please answer the call - it is for you.
There is one very important question that is not being asked on a daily basis by volunteers. That question is this: "Are you registered on My.BarackObama.com?"
On numerous occasions I've had volunteers ask me to fill out a form with my name, email address and phone number, and nowhere on these xeroxed forms is the question: "Are you registered on My.BarackObama.com?" If volunteers would ask that question every single time to every single person, perhaps more would respond: "What is that?"
I worked on a telephone bank for an Obama event a week ago. The scripted phone message said to give the name and phone number of the person in charge of the event. Nowhere in the phone script did it say to direct people to BarackObama.com where they could find events in their area by zip code and sign up online. But I did it anyway. Because real world consumer behavior says that someone will go to a website to search for information before they pick up the telephone!
This is a tragedy and a waste of a valuable resource! I totally "get" that talking to voters is more powerful than sending them someplace where we don't know who they are or if they've even been there. But the Internet has trained people to a certain set of expectations; and one of them is the "do it yourself" aspect of finding information online.
Even more important than encouraging voters to seek out volunteer opportunities online, is connecting them with EACH OTHER! It's not just about the campaign communicating with voters and volunteers, it's about connecting people on the front lines WITH EACH OTHER.
I read an article online this weekend about a woman in a rural town who felt she was "the only one" in her small community who supported Obama. Well if someone had told her about My.BarackObama.com, she would have been able to search for other Obama supporters by zipcode to see who in her town was also onboard this campaign. People in rural communities need this more than anyone else - they are isolated and live in such a small community they don't want to risk being ostracized or criticized. That's true of people within neighborhoods! I have neighbors who haven't spoken to me in the five years I lived here until they saw me walking around in an Obama t-shirt and noticed the Obama signs in my front windows. Suddenly I have friends I had not previously met because they know where I stand and they want an ally in their support of Obama! They want to know they are "not the only one."
We should make it a goal to ask every single person we talk to every single time: "Are you registered on My.BarackObama.com?" And don't assume that people in rural communities or older people don't use the Internet. They are busy emailing their grown kids, looking at pictures of the grandchildren, and shopping online! They just don't surf the net like younger people and unless someone tells them why they need to be on My.BarackObama.com - they aren't going to know! So they have never heard of social networking - who cares? They just need a "why" to be sufficiently motivated to go out there and connect with their friends and neighbors.
I honestly see this as a major weakness of the campaign. And I am doing everything possible to spread the gospel of online information so people aren't just connected to the campaign, but also connected with other Obama supporters in their own communities. Sometimes it's easier to do things online than to ask someone face-to-face who they are supporting. We all fear rejection and censure. This is a way to find out who your allies are before you ever reveal yourself.
Make it a personal goal to ask this question on a daily basis: "Are you registered on My.BarackObama.com?" Doing small things consistently is what carries the day.
[Photo - Grace Lee Boggs and the late James Boggs]
Obama is providing the authentic, visionary leadership we need in this period when our challenges are so great and our politics (as he puts it in The Audacity of Hope) so small.That kind of leadership is very precious.26 year-old MLK provided it in 1955 when he inspired Montgomery blacks, sick and tired of being sick and tired, to go beyond protest and manifest a more advanced humanity in their yearlong non-violent boycott.Jimmy Boggs anticipated it when he said in his last speech to University of Michigan students in 1991 "I don't believe nobody can run this country better than me. I'm saying you better think that way. You need to stop thinking of yourself as a minority because thinking like a minority means you're thinking like an underling. Everyone is capable of going beyond where they are."Liberals and radicals tend to be skeptical of this kind of leadership....
"Because we all share this small planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. That is not just a dream, but a necessity. We are dependent on each other in so many ways, that we can no longer live in isolated communities and ignore what is happening outside those communities, and we must share the good fortune that we enjoy."
(Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama- Nobel Lecture, December 11, 1989)
America has a problem with drug addiction & flybenji has a lot of ideas about positive things that can be done about it now.
www.flybenji.org
Please check it out & do not forget to tell Mr. Obama to check it out!
WE can & will do something now!
Enough of the occupation of violence in Iraq?
Enough of the occupation of violence in our communities and schools?
Enough of divisive, derogatory social commentary?
Enough of the excuses, distractions and no action?
Senator Obama, I've had ENOUGH! America needs you right now, today! We can't wait for 2008!
I have to say, this particular presidential campaign of this young senator from Illinois, is impressing me more and more each day! Speaking to members of the Wake Up Wal-Mart campaign group, Obama said:"You gotta pay your workers enough that they can actually not only shop at Wal-Mart, but ultimately send their kids to college and save for retirement."
And speaking to health care advocate group, Families Care, Obama said:"The days of using the war on terror as a political football are over...It is time to give Iraqis their country back, and it is time to refocus America's efforts on the wider struggle yet to be won." And according to his speech, Obama also called for a phased withdrawal of American troops starting in 2007, and an opening of diplomatic dialogue with Iraq's neighbors, Syria and Iran.
More than a week before Barack Obama announced his candidacy in Springfield, Illinois, 3,500 students--many of whom had driven for hours from out of state--packed into George Mason University's Johnson Center in Fairfax, Virginia, brimming with idealism. As the Senator took the stage to address the frenetic young crowd, he was visibly taken aback.The Obama campaign had done nothing to help with the event. Students for Barack Obama, which began as a group on the social networking site Facebook, had organized every aspect of the rally, from the slick, union-printed posters to the all-student speaker lineup preceding Obama. "This was a serious campaign-level rally," said 22-year-old Adam Conner, who attended the rally and runs the RunObama.com blog, "something you expect to see towards October of an election year rather than February of an off-year."
Obama has been podcasting from the Senate since late 2005 and is responding to the people through web-based grass roots groups who happen to agree that our future lies in "our" hands and we all know the basics here; it's number crunching time again. What really impresses me about this campaign is the way in which the campaign is organized through the use of Internet communities. Internet Politics are here to stay, at least all of us should understand this truth. Yes, it is brand spankin' new, and as a matter of fact, wikipedia needs some writers for their entry of Electronic Politics. Perhaps some of us here should explain to the people exactly how electronic politics are playing a vital role in the rising wave, and which direction will this type of politics travel? Will it's growing power be controlled by the "media elite" or will grassroots communities begin to force accountability and transparency as the standard and transfer power from the hands of the few into the will of the people...the majority? Internet Activism is without a doubt the best opportunity for the people and to deny this fact is deny your very future...what a tool it is. As individuals, we are armed with a seemingly endless supply of cybertools at our disposal.
Internet activism (also known as electronic advocacy, cyberactivism, and online organizing) is the use of communication technologies such as e-mail, web sites, and podcasts to enable faster communications by citizen movements and deliver a message to a large audience. These Internet technologies are used for cause-related fundraising, lobbying, volunteering, community building, and organizing.
And as we build links and expand and embrace other communities, our strength to "change what needs to be changed" builds as well. And it's this growing sense of community that bonds us together. It is in essence, your neighborhood. Here are two definitions of sense of community from wikipedia.
For Sarason, Psychological Sense of Community is “the perception of similarity to others, an acknowledged interdependence with others, a willingness to maintain this interdependence by giving to or doing for others what one expects from them, and the feeling that one is part of a larger dependable and stable structure” (1974, p. 157).McMillan & Chavis (1986) define Sense of Community as “a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members’ needs will be met through their commitment to be together.”
I'm keeping my eyes and ears open to this young Senator's campaign...definitely an experiment in social computing. And it seems our youth also is being active and participation levels are sky rocketing. In my personal opinion, when we begin to witness unrest among the youth of our countries... change is in the air. The wind of change is blowing once again and the answers have always been blowing in the wind! There have been 27 universities participating in social protests throughout the nation, including Columbia, UCLA, UC Davis, Berkeley, and UCSB. In the article entitled The Pulse of the Youth, the author writes:
Protestors sat on the pavement of Highway 217 and listened to speakers address the group with words of encouragement, news of other opportunities for political activism and the like. “I wasn’t planning on coming today. I was on the bus,” said Dos Pueblos High School student Adam Rothman, referencing a public transit vehicle trying protests%20110.jpgthat had been completely stopped from circling the roundabout when the march halted it. The crowd met this identification with cheers. Other speakers spoke about the protest being sadly uncharacteristic of the crop of young adults. “Our generation is the one that will be remembered for iPods and ignorance,” said a speaker. “We’re the generation that is willing to get arrested for public intoxication on the weekend on [Del Playa Drive] and not in a protest for civil disobedience.” Jeronimo Saldana, a member of UCSB’s Associated Students Legislative Council who took part in the protest, praised the crowd for coming as far as they had. “We shut down the university as of now. We’re showing our solidarity,” he said. “This is beautiful. Let’s keep this going on.”
This is our future and it's this shift in powers that we as concerned citizens and families should embrace and engage in my humble opinion at least. The shift is inevitable and we can expect to get no more out of it than we are willing to put into it. This is the opportunity to lay the foundation blocks of our future. The way I see it, it's two choices and it's not rocket science...either help build it or continue to let "somebody else" build it! If you don't have the time left to help build it, and are willing to accept what comes down the pike, don't be surprised to one day find you no longer have the freedom to actively participate in your own future! But take note, if you make the choice to help build it, this will definitely require a "time payment" or your part. You will have to sacrifice some alotted time in your daily life and redirect energy toward more...reading, researching, discussing, comparing, and writing. It boils down to active participation and there are many here that are already concerned enough in our future that they are willing to do anything to help. It's the dreamers who always chart new paths. These dreamers have faith in creating a society that is built on justice and participatory democracy. It's getting late...do you know where your Senator is?Another version of this post appeared on uncharted.ca and on this author's blog Mitakuye Oyasin.
