Author: wlerik
From Media Re:public (by Persephone Miel)
http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/mediarepublic/category/cappucino/
Media Re:public
encouraging collaborative, practical research and analysis of the new media (r)evolution
Blogging for a cause – global voices!
You should read Global Voices Online. You should write
for them. You should re-publish Global Voices stories from around the
world in whatever medium you produce. You should give them money.
Why? Because how will you find out what Bahraini Mahmood Al Yousif thinks about Obama’s choice of Egypt for his speech unless Amira tells you?
I keep asking myself why did Obama choose the most
repressive regimes in the Middle East to honour not only with his
presence, but also to use as a launchpad for his Utopian vision of a
peaceful and democratic Middle East? A vision that will continue to
remain as illusive as a desert mirage for us Middle Easterners.Then I try to select an alternate of the 22 Arab countries where he
could have used instead, but I fail to find a single one which could be
worthy of such an occasion.
– Bloggers React to Obama’s Address
Or how would you find out about Mariam Zouaghi,
a Tunisian student sentenced to six years in jail for her online
activities? (search for her Google News turns up 3 articles, none in
English) without Global Voices Advocacy?
Global Voices is important to me not because it brings us “citizen
media” from around the world. As I have opined repeatedly, I don’t care
whether media is “citizen” or “mainstream” and I live for the day when
those words (as Henry Jenkins proposed so eloquently here at Beyond Broadcast) have gone the way of the term “horseless carriage.”
I care about good stories and authentic perspectives. And I care
about the lives of people in countries that mass-market legacy media in
my country ignore except when there’s a war or a US economic or
diplomatic interest at stake.
Full disclosure: I’m friends with many of the people who make Global
Voices what it is and I’m writing this today in response to an
interesting challenge that could help bring some more money to Global
Voices. But I’m not doing it to help my friends, I’m doing it because I
know how hard they work, how many amazing new projects they’d like to
do and how important they are to the project of bulding the
cross-border connections that we all need to become global citizens.
It is election time in India. Painted walls tells stories of political
loyalty. India is rich with political symbols some more obvious than
others. Congress’ symbol — THE HAND. Photo by Carol Mitchell via Global Voices and Flickr.
This blog post is part of Zemanta’s “Blogging For a Cause” campaign to raise awareness and funds for worthy causes that bloggers care about. Check it out.
ArtOMatic 2009: Art for (and from) Everyone
Last night Leo & Dimitar helped me hang some paintings and photos for Harry’s exhibit at Artomatic 2009
The annual Artomatic festival runs May 29 to July 5 above the Navy Yard Metro station (Green Line – exit closest to National’s Stadium). There will be four bars inside, exhibits by hundreds of local artists, and two stages for live music & dance performances. Harry’s exhibit is on the second floor near the stage. It is on the north side of the building, with windows overlooking the Capitol.
See http://www.artomatic.org/participate/faq for more information
Community Gardener Extraordinaire
Charlie Koiner is almost 90 years old, yet he has an amazing farm in downtown Silver Spring that supplies the whole neighborhood (and beyond) with an amazing variety of fruits and vegetables almost year-round. Below is a video I shot recently where we talk a bit about Montgomery County’s new initiative to promote community gardens. Although one site has been removed from consideration, the initiative is going strong and the county is on the lookout for appropriate locations. I am thinking of doing a documentary about Charlie. If you know him and/or have any ideas for the documentary, please let me know by adding a comment to this blogpost.
(wait for video to load and then click play)
New Group Tweet Account for Peace Corps community
I created a new grouptweet account (http://grouptweet.com/) for current and former Peace Corps Volunteers: http://twitter.com/pcorps
Currently, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) and Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPVCs) on Twitter. While, I am sure that they all have very interesting lives and tweet streams. I doubt anyone wants to subscribe to (follow) them all.
However, I (and presumably some of you) would want to know (on occasion) if they have something particularly relevant for the Peace Corps community to to hear.
That is the idea behind pcorps
It will not send out updates. However, followers will be able to receive any “direct message” sent by a follower of pcorps to pcorps
That way followers of pcorps can stay connected, without getting overwhelmed. pcorps will not be moderated. It will be dependent on its followers to be selective regarding the tweets they send directly to pcorps
In other words, if you are a person that sends out a lot of tweets and only a few are particularly relevant to the Peace Corps community, only those tweets that you “direct message” to pcorps will be received by the other members of the community (who do not follow your twitter account directly).
Just become a follower of pcorps and pcorps will follow you back. Then if you or any other follower of pcorps sends a direct message to pcorps , you (as a follower) will get a copy in your tweet stream.
**********UPDATE********
Slight change to the PcorpsTwitter account. I started moderating membership a bit to prevent spam. I also started ocassionally retweeting followers tweets because people are not contributing much via direct message.
If you have something useful to contribute and have not been followed back, leave a comment here and tell me your connection to the US Peace Corps.
Doubling the Peace Corps: an idea whose time has come
When President Kennedy created the Peace Corps in 1961, he envisioned ramping up the number of volunteers to 100,000 per year. We would like to see that, but have taken on a more pragmatic goal of doubling the size of the Peace Corps. Just imagine what the world wold look like today if there were 3 million returned Peace Corps Volunteers (instead of 200K) among the electorate. Harris Wofford postulated the other day that our foreign policy, our image abroad, and our domestic policy would be much different. I believe it would be unrecognizably different (and 10 times better and more progressive).
Please take actions recommended below. Follow and post your efforts using the Twitter hashtag #PCx2
Below is a blog post from http://peacecorpsconnect.typepad.com
A Time to Focus: Next Tuesday’s MorePeaceCorps National Day of Action
from Jonathan Pearson
National Peace Corps Association Advocacy Coordinator
A lot can change in 48 hours in Washington. And I’m not just talking about the fickle weather, where a cold February day can be quickly supplanted by a brilliant feel of spring.
I’m also talking about politics and government and advocacy. It can be discouraging and hard to navigate and sometimes it can be downright nasty! But then, things can turn and renew the feelings of spirit and hope.
We’ve experienced that in the last 48 hours, as the last touches were placed on a delayed budget process for the current fiscal year that has strapped the operation of many government programs, including Peace Corps. Discouraging for sure, with a small increase in funding for Peace Corps, bringing current funding to only $340 Million. Many have responded to this and expressed their disappointment.
And now, new developments in the last two days give me reason for optimism – mind you, measured and cautious optimism – as we turn to the budget for Fiscal Year 2010.
Yesterday, President Obama put down his first true mark on a budget blueprint for America. And the indicators for Peace Corps – though still vague – are very positive. While a President normally has his complete budget to Congress by now, a new President is given some extra time. So, while the exact numbers are not expected until April, consider this: The International Affairs budget has dozens and dozens of individual line items, and Peace Corps was one of the few programs the President chose to single out. Included in the President’s Funding Highlights was this:
“…additional funding for key programs that advance U.S. foreign policy goals, including significantly increasing funding for energy initiatives, programs addressing global climate change, agriculture investments, and the Peace Corps.” (emphasis added).
That was yesterday. Then came today. I looked at the latest list of co-sponsors of the “Peace Corps Expansion Act of 2009”. Not even two weeks in circulation, and nearly 1 out of every 5 Congressman/woman in the House of Representatives has signed on as a co-sponsor, including RPCV sponsor Sam Farr (D-CA) and the bi-partisan members of the House who served in Peace Corps: Mike Honda (D-CA), Tom Petri (R-WI) and Steve Driehaus (D-OH).
These are exciting developments. They are not guarantees and we need to be vigilant.
And that brings me to the first big advocacy action of the MorePeaceCorps Campaign. Next Tuesday’s MorePeaceCorps National Day of Action.
We need to build on the momentum of the Obama budget outline and the Peace Corps Expansion Act. MorePeaceCorps Campaign Coordinator Rajeev Goyal and I ask you to engage your lawmakers next week to positively reinforce these recent developments by urging them to co-sponsor the Farr legislation and sign onto Senate and House “Dear Colleague” letters that will be circulating. And if they do? We urge you to thank them! And if they don’t? We want to find ways to work with you and build momentum to turn that opinion around.
Next Tuesday, when you visit www.morepeacecorps.org, the site will be converted to focus attention solely on the Day of Action with links to your lawmakers and instructions that we hope will allow you to take quick, effective action.
So…what can you do to help right now? The easiest thing is to help us spread the word. Share this message, post on your blog, let’s make it happen.
Tuesday…March 3rd. You are about to bring the voice of the members and friends of the Peace Corps community to our nation’s capital, like it never has been heard before.
Peace Corps at Inaugural Parade
I marched last Tuesday in the Inaugural Parade. It was fun.
Check out this interesting blog post about the parade written by Audrey Scott http://tinyurl.com/aky5kw And this one in the Huffington Post
Also a short video greeting in multiple language by former volunteers recorded before the parade.
WOWIO: Free on-line Books
WOWIO: Free Books on-line
http://www.wowio.com/index.asp
A source where readers can access thousands of high-quality copyrighted ebooks from leading publishers. Most titles can be read on-line free. A wide range of titles are available, including comics, graphic novels, works of literature, children’s titles and other popular works in every category.
Watch documentary films free on-line
SnagFilms is committed to finding the world‘s most compelling documentaries, whether from established heavyweights or first-time filmmakers, and making them available to the wide audience these titles deserve.
SnagFilms.com is a website where you can watch full-length documentary films for free, but we’re also a platform that lets you “snag” a film and put it anywhere on the web. With a library of 250 films, and rapidly growing, you’re bound to find films that resonate with your interests. We make it easy for you to find a film that shines a light on a cause you care about. You can then open a virtual movie theater on any web site, so any one can watch your favorite SnagFilms for free.
SnagFilms can be summed up in four words: Find. Watch. Snag. Support.
Find. Whether using our custom search tools, browsing by topic, or tuning into one of the great channels provided by our partners, with a few clicks you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for.
Watch. By streaming films worldwide, on-demand, 24×7 and with no software installation or downloading required, we have radically expanded the audience for documentary films. All you need is a decent broadband connection. Just click play, go full-screen, and lean back and enjoy our films.
Snag. Widgets let you take your favorite SnagFilms with you wherever you like to go online. Open a virtual movie theater right in your webpage, blog, Facebook or MySpace page, or just about any other place online you can think of.
Support. At their best, documentaries don‘t merely entertain us, they engage and inspire us to action. Our filmmakers have selected their favorite charities and causes so you can get involved, immediately. And just by embedding our widget our widgets, you’ve donated your pixels and helped support independent film.
Rans Crank Forward Bicycle
Update March 27,2022: Still loving this bike and riding it almost every day. Just learned that Rans sold off its bike business to https://phoenixbikewrx.com
For the past few years I have been commuting to work in DC by bicycle. I was using a standard, rigid frame, Mt. Bike. After a while, I developed chronic back, neck, and shoulder pain. After a few month hiatus, and a new bike, I am back to my commute of 17 miles a day on a bicycle. Three months ago, I purchased a Rans Crank Forward from Bikes@Vienna. It is a fantastic commuting bike. I recommend it highly. The reason it is called a “Crank Forward,” is because the bottom bracket (pedals) are in front of the seat instead of below the seat. It is a hybrid between a recumbent and a regular bike, combining the best of both. I bought the Cruz, which is the most relaxed model. There is no pressure on my wrists, no hunching of the shoulders, and no craning of the neck. The steering is a little squirrelly, and it takes a short while to get used to. It is a little longer than a standard bike, but I can still take it in the metro, if I need to. I’m not sure I could transport it on the bus. The racks on the front of the buses are made for standard size bikes.
Another benefit of the bike is that there is only one frame size. I am 6’2″ and my girlfriend is 5’3″ and we can both ride the same bike with just a quick seat adjustment.
WHY RIDE CRANK FORWARD BIKES?
See: http://www.crankforward.com/whyride.htm
See what they look like in action:
[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0sgUjhCF6U&feature=related]
A few reviews from different sources:
Bryan | 16 March, 2007 20:19
By BRYAN J. BALL
Managing Editor
I admit it. My name is Bryan Ball and I used to be a crank forward skeptic. I had ridden a lot of these “crank forward” semi-recumbent bikes over the last year or so and until a couple of months ago, I really did not think that much of them. I thought they were fun enough but I hadn’t been on any that were very comfortable or really made me consider choosing one over a good recumbent. Or a good upright bike for that matter. Fortunately, Randy Schlitter of RANS didn’t give up on me and kept pushing me to give one a longer run. I finally decided to take him up on his offer and he sent me a nice aqua green 2007 Fusion to review.
Since the Fusion comes from an actual recumbent bicycle manufacturer, it’s quite a bit different than many other crank forwards. The bottom bracket is a lot farther forward than many other flat footer bikes and it has a real recumbent style seat base. Fusions are also a bit more upscale than many of their counterparts and the line has pretty nice components and very nice details and options. It’s $950 price tag is a bit higher than many other flat foot style bikes but the Fusion appears to be well worth the asking price in my opinion.
…[delete]…
I intentionally took a little bit longer with this review than I usually do. From all accounts I’ve heard, the Fusion is one of the best crank forward/flat footer/semi recumbent bikes out there and I wanted to make sure I gave it fair shake. I usually put between 100 and 200 miles on a test bike but I put about 400 on the Fusion. I was definitely left with a positive impression. I’m still nowhere ready to give up any of my recumbents for one but I could see a place in my stable for one of these bikes. It’s a great for urban riding and performs better than I thought it would. If you’re looking for a fun bike for recreational or urban riding I would take a look at the Fusion line for sure.
RANS FUSION
MSRP – $950
Highs – A blast to ride, pretty light, good value
Lows – Not as fast as a fast recumbent, not as comfortable as some recumbents
More Info – http://www.ransbikes.com
Re: Crankforward
Posted by: Spanky (IP Logged)
Date: March 22, 2007 10:27PM
I have a RANS Zenetik, which in fact I reviewed in the reader’s bikes section of the last edition of VV. I’ve owned 3 recumbents and a great many uprights, and have found this bike to be quite a revelation. It really does combine the best of both worlds, and still performs very well, at least as well as a standard road bike. It is also much faster and more comfortable than my Pedersen, (but possibly not as groovy).
Right now it’s my favourite bike, with another RANS, the Stratus, as second in line to the throne. I don’t even ride standard geometry type bikes any more. The Zenetik is the most versatile bike I’ve ever owned, nimble enough for tight situations, yet comfortable enough for long days in the saddle.
I don’t know about other ‘Crank Forward’ models, but RANS’ line up has, in my view, revolutionary potential. I know I sound like an ad campaign, but really, this bike can’t be compared to things like the Giant Revive, or any other of the heavyish iterations of similar geometries.
It does appear that it might be quite a reach to the bars, but the bars themselves adjust backwards to a considerable extent, and there is also the possibility of installing a swept back type bar, like the Rivendell Albatross or Dove bars.
If you’re curious, why don’t you just give RANS a call and order a frame set, then have it built up wherever you live. That’s probably the cheapest way. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.
Cheers, John Hopkinson
Sr. Member
Posts: 396
Posts: 396
 |
« on: October 15, 2007, 11:41:20 AM »
|
If cycling were enjoyable more people would do it. I started riding at an early age and continued into my teens until I quit because the cycling world seemed to move in an unprogressive direction. I didn’t like the full-suspension approach to making cycling comfortable. Although cycling brings out the best in the body, the industry had failed in the thinking aspect. In my early twenties I walked/hitchhiked/trained/bussed accross the US after abandoning my motorcycle in New England (I didn’t have any money for gas). After the journey, I continued to live motorfree in a mountain town. Getting jobs eventually involved long distance travel for which I needed a bicycle. Riding the bike to work day in and day out had repurcussions unrelated to weather. Due to the logistics of my work and lifestyle, wearing bike shorts was difficult and I decided not to wear them. Right from the start, numbness was a huge problem. I could definately identify with a culture that shunned the bicycle, because for me the feeling was nothing short of sadomasichistic. Showing up to work with sleepynumb legs and a stiff neck, started off every workday on the unproductive side of things. Fortunately my employers tolerated my catatonic state enough to keep me around. I lasted a couple of years in this painfull routine until I stumbled accross a recumbent bike. At the point that I found recumbents I had grown one incredibly large testicle and shrank the other. The recumbent greatly increased my happiness level. The only problem I have with recumbents is the terrain limitations. Riding in the winter required that I regress back to the asshatchet. My search for the perfect bike brought me to the world of Crank Forward. Crankforward is a term created by Ransbikes owner Randy Schlitter. The crankforward gives the rider a high seat without a backrest which looks alot like a standard bike. The crankforward bike doesn’t compromise comfort either. I feel more comfortable without the backrest because the road vibration upsets my sensitive stomach. The road vibration that once travelled up the seat now gets absorbed in the muscle. I know have a bike that I can take safely on dirt road and even off-road. I have now taken back mountainbiking into my life, thumbing my nose at the bike industry by riding a fully-rigid crankforward. I still shun bike shorts and see any bike that requires them as LATOC unfriendly. Of course there are the die-hard riders who love the asshatchet and find it comfortable after ten hours in the saddle, but I find those people are few and far between. Everytime somone askes me what bike they should get I tell them to strongly consider a Crankforward. There are several models available from companies like trek, giant, electra, and Rans. I see these bikes as the future of cycling because they solve the oldest malady to industrial society; the uncomfortable bicycle.
See Also
http://revolutionsincycling.blogspot.com/2008/05/been-while-since-ive-had-time-to-add.html
Tags: Bike, comfort, crank, forward, Rans, bicycle, commute, writst, pain shoulder, knee
Worthy Mouse Clicks 
