Tag Archives: Youtube

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Change.org + YouTube = your questions for President Obama


Tonight, President Obama will address Congress and the nation when he gives his State of the Union address. His speech will lay out his vision for the next year, but he may not address the issues most important to you.

Good news: This year, Change.org members have an opportunity to ask President Obama our own questions, courtesy of YouTube.

On Thursday, President Obama will give a national interview on YouTube, and instead of letting the White House press corps have all the fun, you can ask your own questions. Concerned about health care? Focused on the environment? How about education, the economy, or foreign policy? This is your chance to spotlight the issue closest to your heart.

Upload a video with your question today at:

http://www.youtube.com/askobama

Community voting will help determine which questions get asked. Here are a few tips to increase the chances that your question will be chosen:

Your video should be no longer than twenty seconds, and you should ask your question as directly as possible.

Speak clearly and try to film in a place with minimal background noise. Try to keep the camera as still as possible.

Feel free to be creative (use props, charts, etc.) to help your question stand out.

An interesting backdrop may help reinforce your message –– for example, if you’re asking a question about education, you could be inside a classroom, or if you want to talk about the environment, find your favorite place outdoors.

The deadline to submit your question is Wednesday night at midnight Eastern Time. So get cracking, and we hope to see your question on President Obama’s national webcast!

Click here to submit your question via YouTube today:

http://www.youtube.com/askobama

Thanks for asking the questions that matter,

Patrick and the Change.org Team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

FCC


Progressive Change Campaign Committee

BREAKING: Minutes ago, the FCC passed new rules — written by corporations — that will end Net Neutrality. For the first time in history, the U.S. government approved corporate censorship of the Internet, putting the future of online free speech at risk. Unbelievably, the person leading the charge was Obama appointee Julius Genachowski.

This violates President Obama’s campaign promise to protect Net Neutrality, but some media are reporting the corporate spin that this is a “Net Neutrality compromise.” It’s not — there’s no such thing as half a First Amendment. We need to set the record straight.

If you’re on Twitter, please click to share this: NEWS: @FCC breaks Obama promise, allows corporate censorship – no Net Neutrality rules. 3 things to know: bit.ly/eVKyWH @WhiteHouse

If you’re on Facebook, click here to spread the word.

By sharing, you can help us spread the top 3 reasons the rules passed today are a giveaway to big corporations and break Obama’s promise:

  1. They enshrine different rules for wired and wireless Internet — allowing big corporations to censor on your mobile phone
  2. They allow corporations to set up tollbooths online, stifling new innovators like the next YouTube who can’t pay the fees the old, crusty corporations can pay
  3. For the first time, they embrace a “public Internet” for regular people vs. a “private Internet” with all the new innovations for corporations who pay more — ending the Internet as we know it

A more detailed explanation is here. Please pass this email to your friends so they know not to believe the corporate spin.

And click here to share on Twitter and here to share on Facebook.

Thanks for being a bold progressive,

Jason Rosenbaum, Adam Green, Stephanie Taylor, and the PCCC team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Google …official blog


Trip report: Google and YouTube in Iraq

Posted: 26 Oct 2010 08:06 AM PDT

(Cross-posted from the YouTube Blog)

Earlier this month, a small team from Google and YouTube spent a week in Iraq on a trip arranged by the Department of Defense’s Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO). Our goals were to explore opportunities for Google in Iraq, to understand the landscape of Internet access and connectivity in the country during this critical transition period and to bring top-voted questions from YouTube to Iraqi leaders in a series of interviews. We met with students, private sector companies, NGOs and Iraqi leadership in the Kurdish city of Erbil in the north, and in Baghdad.

Pictures taken by the Google/YouTube team in Iraq: Harry Wingo (Policy), Carrie Farrell (Google.org), Debu Purkayastha (Corp Dev), Olivia Ma (YouTube), Mary Himinkool (Business Development) and Steve Grove (YouTube).

Regardless of your feelings about the Iraq War, it’s immediately evident upon arrival just how completely the country missed the Internet boom during Saddam Hussein’s regime. Internet penetration rates in Iraq are among the lowest in the Middle East—somewhere between one and eight percent. Only 15 percent of Iraqis say they use the web, and the largest percentage of them live in Baghdad. There are no commercial data centers in Iraq and much more fiber connectivity is needed to meet consumer needs. Most connections are via satellite, and those who do have connections pay dearly for it—we heard estimates of up to $150 U.S. dollars per month for a 512kb connection. To incentivize and enable private companies to lay more fiber in Iraq, a complex set of roadblocks must be addressed—from security concerns to regulatory frameworks to licensing structures. As the country is still struggling to form a government more than seven months after its last election, much of this progress has been stalled.

There are signs of progress, however. Mobile penetration has skyrocketed in Iraq in the past seven years, from effectively zero percent in 2003 to over 70% today. And the Iraqi people are highly educated. We met with dozens of computer science students at Salahaddin University in Erbil and at Baghdad University, and though they lack equipment and resources, they’re highly motivated to innovate and believe the web is a critical component of their economy’s future.

Many young people in Iraq and around the world submitted questions in Arabic and English for three interviews we conducted in partnership with Middle Eastern news agency Al Arabiya. Google Translate enabled anyone to vote on their favorite questions regardless of language, and we brought the top five questions to current Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the Prime Minister of the Kurdish Regional Government in Erbil, Dr. Barham Salih and Iraqi politician and once the interim Prime Minister of Iraq, Ayad Allawi. Here is the television special that Al Arabiya produced showcasing their answers:

The Iraqis we met consistently expressed their desire for increased access to the web and for more access to content and tools in both Kurdish and Arabic. We believe access to information and high-speed connectivity to the cloud will be key to the future of the country. The power of the web to change people’s lives grows the further one gets from Silicon Valley, and we look forward to continuing our work with companies, governments and citizens in Iraq and other countries in transition.

Posted by Mary Himinkool, New Business Development, and Olivia Ma, YouTube News & Politics

~ my 2cents ...

TGIF …&some News …Mrs.Obama’s speech while in Wisconsin


Congress is still on break…sigh ..so much work to do, so many bills to get through… only if we had more(truer) Democrats on the floor of both Chambers of Congress. Vote Dems on Nov.2nd

***Today started out like another day of nasty weather just like the rest of the country and while the weather does affect, maybe set the mood for the day it is on a very rare occasion that the weather makes a person or group of people act out in ways that are not just extreme, obscene and or pack like but their actions and their words have influenced some ugly behavior from their followers. The words and comments being made by rightwing radio hosts, protesters and cableheads but mostly Republican Tea Party candidates continue to race bait, promote violence, lean to the extreme as promises of repealing, replacing and eliminating looms over the middle class if the Republican Tea Party gains control. I have to say contrary to what progressives are saying on the airwaves the  land  of the middle class is not ruled or inhabited only by white folks like keith o and ed Shultz would have us all believe. I appreciate the advocacy they do and the variety of guests but it is getting tiring to hear that “those people” in need, the poor blah blah blah they talk about are black or Latino …I am not naïve but being poor is not about colour Keith and or Ed Shultz, there a lot of poor white people in need too as well as there being non-whites who are or should be included in your so-called Middle Class monologue yo.  The words coming from the right definitely upsets me but I gotta say tuning into so-called progressive stations playing the class war game as well is making me tune out almost completely.

The great speech while in Wisconsin by Mrs. O is below

We have two weeks before we all vote and though people like Palin love trying to engage in the art of fear mongering it would be great if the public finally gets it and turns off the nasty vitriol.  Words still matter, words hurt as we have seen over the last few weeks and this seems to have been lost on a whole lot of people on the right. The blood pressure of Americans seems to have been pushed up by rhetoric that is just full of miss-information.  After watching the latest round of debates the need to fact-check not only the news but right-wingers and their candidates because the do as we say not as we do is in full effect and while we all expect truthfulness this 2010 group of Republicans have decided to lie…luckily for folks who care can log into YouTube and plug in any candidate and hear their views their real opinions because it got caught on tape.

The changes the Obama admin and Congress have been able to put in place despite the Political Party of no will affect all our lives, our children and our jobs. The new HCR laws  will transform the lives of people who previously were denied coverage due to an illness, people who have kids just about to turn 22, usually get dropped will now be able to stay on your insurance until age 26 and as for being a woman… def a pre-existing condition has been dealt with and while some of us didn’t have these new laws in place when we needed them it is with great pride that others will not be subjected to insurance and or health care discrimination; hopefully, all the changes will happen in a positive way; create healthier people and jobs in the future.

Anyone with a mom, sister, daughter or wife should celebrate because the new law of the land will increase her ability to live longer.

Other News…

Pastor Terry who threatened to burn quran & offered a car if he didn’t -collects

Danica says she won’t be pushed around after Nascar crash

GM recalls model year 2009 and 2010 Chevrolet Impalas.

Prince will go on the road ..his tour starts in December

Feds oppose Prop 19

NYC’s Lincoln Center says 2nd venue has bedbugs

Oprah is sending her audience to Restore Sanity Rally

CSPAN …

Pres. Obama & Vice Pres. Biden Remarks at Chris Coons (D) Campaign Event Pres. Obama & Vice Pres. Biden Remarks at Chris Coons (D) Campaign Event
Today
Hudson Institute Discussion on U.S.-Japan Relations Hudson Institute Discussion on U.S.-Japan Relations
Today
Fed Chair Ben Bernanke Addresses Boston Fed. Reserve Conference Fed Chair Ben Bernanke Addresses Boston Fed. Reserve Conference
Today
Fmr. Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice Remarks at National Press Club Luncheon Fmr. Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice Remarks at National Press Club Luncheon
Today
CSIS Discussion on the Year Ahead in Space CSIS Discussion on the Year Ahead in Space
Today
Urban Land Institute Conference on the Real Estate Market & the Economy Urban Land Institute Conference on the Real Estate Market & the Economy
Today
C-SPAN Debate Coverage of Campaign 2010 - Thursday, October 14 C-SPAN Debate Coverage of Campaign 2010 – Thursday, October 14
Thursday
White House Briefing with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs White House Briefing with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs
Thursday
FCC Open Meeting on Cell Phone FCC Open Meeting on Cell Phone “Bill Shock” Regulations
Thursday
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Official Google Blog


Official Google Blog
The YouTube Symphony Orchestra returns!

Posted: 12 Oct 2010 03:12 PM PDT

(Cross-posted from the YouTube Blog)
The world’s first online collaborative orchestra is back, and this time a new round of performers will be playing their part onstage at the iconic Sydney Opera House.
It seems like just yesterday that Carnegie Hall was abuzz with a sold-out performance that made headlines around the globe. Ninety-six musicians arrived in New York City, from over 30 countries, to perform together after uploading an audition video and then being chosen by the YouTube community to be a part of the exciting event. We are thrilled to invite you to audition for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011.
In addition to the new locale, this “second act” includes another new element: “Mothership,” a musical work from composer Mason Bates. Right now, it’s still missing something: an improvisation provided by you. Take a listen to it here and start planning your contribution.

This time there are two ways to audition, for the classical audition perform the pieces listed on the channel according to instrument. For the opportunity to contribute your own creation, choose the solo improviser—it doesn’t matter if you play trumpet, viola or didgeridoo. If you proceed to the final stages, you will join musicians from around the world in a week-long music summit with Grammy-award-winning conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, who returns to guide the orchestra.

The YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 is a collaboration with partners the Sydney Symphony, the London Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker and many other leading institutions of the classical music world. This event is being made possible by Hyundai.

Posted by Michele Flannery, Music Manager, YouTube
Be the next Gone Google ad

Posted: 12 Oct 2010 11:08 AM PDT

A little over a year ago, we began the “Go Google” campaign with just a single billboard in four U.S. cities. In the past year, we’ve grown from two to three million businesses and more than 30 million users on Google Apps; through the campaign, thousands have shared their Gone Google stories via tweets, photos and submissions to our community map. We’ve heard from companies across the country and around the world; from large enterprises such as Konica Minolta and leading global food retailer Ahold, to small businesses like Bowery Lane Bicycles in New York and Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss in Oregon, we’re excited to hear how Google Apps has helped your business increase productivity, reduce costs and innovate.

As we kick off the next wave of our global campaign this week in airports and train stations in 11 major cities in nine countries around the globe, we want to use this opportunity to invite the millions of companies and schools using Google Apps to tell us why your organization would like to be featured in our next global Gone Google ad campaign. For this contest, we’ll pick up to five companies/schools in each of the following regions: the Americas, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and Asia Pacific. The winners will be featured in an upcoming outdoor ad campaign in each region early next year.

To participate, tell us your organization’s Gone Google story, and create a “sample ad” using our template:


We encourage you to be creative and have fun with your ad! (You may want to check out some of our previous ads for some inspiration.) Once you create your ad, be sure to publish and share it with us. (Bonus points for tweeting it with the #gonegoogle hashtag.) For complete rules and details, visit our contest site. We can’t wait to see your ads, and look forwarding to putting your organization’s name in lights!

And if you are still thinking about going Google, we encourage you to check out the Go Google cloud calculator to learn more about the benefits of switching to Google Apps.

Posted by Vivian Leung, Google Apps Team
App Tuesday welcomes apps from around the world to the Google Apps Marketplace

Posted: 12 Oct 2010 10:59 AM PDT

Since our Google Apps Marketplace has been around, we’ve been working hard to bring you apps from all around the world. This App Tuesday, four apps launching in the Apps Marketplace are from companies that are not solely in the United States. Brightpearl joins us from the U.K., SprinxCRM is headquartered in the Czech Republic, and Clio calls Canada home. And even though Producteev is based out of New York, their founders are all from France. These apps join other international apps in our Marketplace, including apps from Australia, Bulgaria, Japan, Germany and 17 other countries.

We’re also excited to welcome our second education-focused app, PlanbookEdu, as well as our first legal-focused app, Clio. The apps launching this App Tuesday sport a number of advanced integrations that will make your business run much more smoothly. For example, Producteev, offers a Gmail contextual gadget that allows users to use its features right from the Gmail inbox.

Check out the Google Enterprise Blog for more information or go shop the Google Apps Marketplace.

Posted by Harrison Shih, Associate Product Marketing Manager, Google Apps Marketplace Team