Change.org Launches 7 New Blogs; Predictions for 2009
We’re pleased to announce that today we?re launching seven new blogs to expand our network to 19 blogs covering the most important issues facing our world. Yes ma’am, that’s a lot of blogs.
The new sites include Autism, Education, Global Health, Health Care, Human Trafficking, Poverty in America, and Sustainable Food. We’ve hired an amazing team of experts/activists to lead each community, selected from more than 1500 applicants. We hope you’ll stop by, check out their take on the issues they?ll be covering, and welcome them to the Change.org community. (As always, you can find the full list of our blogs on our Causes page.)
We also wanted to take this moment of New Year reflection to thank you for being part of the Change.org community. 2008 was an exciting year for Change.org. In October, we re-launched an updated site with a completely new structure and design, leading to a ten fold increase in daily traffic in less than 3 months. In November, in response to Barack Obama’s call for citizen involvement in government, we launched Ideas for Change in America, which has thus far received more than 7000 ideas and 250,000 votes. (The final round of voting will begin next week ? more on that to come Monday.) We have many more exciting things in store for 2009, and can’t wait to continue working with you to build a nationwide movement for change around the major issues of our time.
Speaking of the future… our bloggers have consulted their Change.org-branded crystal balls and are offering predictions for their issues in 2009. Read on:
- Gay Marriage, Finally: Gay Rights blogger Michael Jones offers hope for marriage equality in 2009 after a frustrating year in the polls for his fellow activists. Mike’s predictions: five states will move towards equality, with grassroots movements picking up steam and some high-level support (paging President Obama!) being offered as well.
- Toyotas, Warlords, Apocalypse: Looking into his crystal ball for 2009, Humanitarian Reliefer Michael Kleinman predicts militias worldwide continuing to favor the Toyota Hilux as their vehicle of choice, Congo getting into warlord haute couture, and aid agencies referring to crises in the most apocalyptic terms possible. For the latter, Michael will proudly do his part.
- Hope for Darfur: The year is ending on a depressing note, as the security situation in Darfur continues to deteriorate, writes Genocide Blogger Michelle. However, the Obama administration is promising to bring “unstinting resolve” to the White House, and justice is being sought in the ICC against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Can 2009 finally bring a trace of hope?
- Women Looking Forward: Jen Nedeau expects a big year for Women’s Rights. She highlights the predictions of three thinkers, who look ahead to a Palin-less year with a new president as moment of opportunity for all women.
- Business and Philanthropy: In the new year the Social Entrepreneurship movement will continue to benefit from the partnerships being forged between business and charity. Nathaniel Whittemore suggests seven trends that will shape the scene in the new year, from new markets for philanthropy to new online social action platforms to the huge potential of mobile technology.
- Another Hot Year: The renewable energy industry and green jobs are likely to get a huge boost in investment from the Obama Administration, predicts Global Warming’s Emily Gertz. Other predictions: Obama will reach out the public to gain support for a cap-and-trade bill, and corporate “greenwashing” will continue as companies fight the economic crisis by pushing their green credentials.
Welcome to 2009, folks. The first official year of Change in America.
Shame!
First vote fraud.
Now censorship.
change.org’s credibility?
zero
See my profile before it’s deleted by change.org
This inauguration to me means that we have hope for an Honest Government ! That ideas and Facts will be real and not just based on what the highest bidder wants to be fact. That trampling our “lesser” citizens to fill certain pockets with wealth by lies and greed will stop! That ruining our great planet with petroleum products and chemicals only because of bias studies and greed will come to an end! That thousands of Law Enforcement and Border Guards can stop losing their lives over lies and greed! That thousands of Innocent-Honest-Hard Working Americans won’t have their Lives and Families ruined by unfair laws funded by lies and greed! That America will be what our Founding Fathers intended it to be, FREE! That our Economy can Flourish with Savings from our bias War on our own people if it were to stop! That Millions of Jobs can be created and sick could have natural relief! That we can end our current failed wars on our people and stop the injustice! That prohibition on our rights will end! That prohibition will end! I know we can do it! YES WE CAN!!! We can be back to an America that’s government is OF the people, BY the people, FOR the people and not OVER the people! YES WE CAN!!!
I’m extremely happy to see the sustainable food blog. I’m hoping that it will be included as a sub-heading of an environmental section, which I find is oddly missing.
Why, in this economy, did our President-Elect take a million dollar family vacation?
Why is our President-Elect nominating all of the “re-treads” that he had promised that he was “chang[ing]” from…..
HUM…..Integrity??????
George Washington led us to victory in the American Revolution, served as President for a term and celebrated his new found freedom growing hemp. Although our first and second presidents, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison and others wrote letters to each other about the joys of smoking the dried Cannabis flower, they all knew there were other incontestable uses of the plant.
George Washington kept detailed notes about his farming and even wrote about the importance for the full development of the flower is by early separating the plant sexes. He is quoted saying “Make the most of the hemp seed and sow it everywhere.”
Thomas Jefferson went to the length of risking his life smuggling Hemp seeds he had bred at his plantation. He said Hemp was the first necessity to America’s prosperity and defense.
Abraham Lincoln said “Prohibition strikes a blow at the very principles that founded America.”
Largely unknown fact is that Henry Ford ‘grew’ a car that ran on hemp fuel and was built with a lighter than steel bio plastic. This proved to be ten times as impact resistant as steel.
America would be extremely irresponsible to ignore the recommendations of our country’s finest, the overall good potentials for the plant for the sake of human kind in general and the real current support and need for Hemp vitality for America.
What happened to Hemp? In the first 2 rounds of ‘Ideas for Change’ there were several high ranking questions regarding the Hemp plant. These questions were not aimed at the drug use of the plant, but for its many industrial uses.
Hemp is the most profitable plant to grow because we can use it for virtually anything including the abundant basically complete nutrition found in its 4 tons of seed per acre.
Hemp can free America from foreign oil dependence for energy and unsafe plastics.
If our farmers who are being payed to NOT grow anything instead grew hemp, we would not need to cut down trees for paper.
6% of America’s farmland growing Hemp could power all America.
It’s been proven it would kick global warming’s ass.
Imagine a clean, warm place to sleep and food to eat for every child and if we went in with a plan it could be for everyone.
We could build all our buildings from homes to schools to skyscrapers with no more need to cut trees and destroy environments with pollutants..
Vast medical potentials that could -for free- aide millions i’d even say billions, doctors say it could replace 80% of today’s prescription drugs (the other 20% are plant based medicines).
Let’s restore our flag to it’s original pride shown through the durability of a Hemp made flag, opposed to today’s polyester monopoly.
Can we grow up America?
Google Hemp – Educate yourself – REducate others
I’m confused by the blog categories and the idea categories. They aren’t consistent as far as I can tell. It makes for confusion. For example, why is the Reform Act for Autism the top Education issue when you also have an Autism blog?
Maybe there might be a HUMAN rights area.
I find the siloing and promotion of issues/ideas based on that a continuation of siloing and not recognizing the interconnectedness of us all. Maybe backing up and starting with values and intentions that we hold for ourselves, and our country, would help us toward a path of integrity and alignment that could then be carried through in all aspects of our lives.
It’s a pity your anti-trafficking blog is being written by a person who is more concerned with stopping all sex work than actually fighting trafficking- a position shared and fostered by the extreme right of the Republican Party……
Treaty for the league of democratic countries: Import tax rates should be moduled according to the regime (democratic/in evolution/dictatorial), as established by the council of the league.
I really like the ideas for this change but it could be better
I LOVE THIS PAGE IT HAS MANY THINGS TO READ AND TALK ABOUT
this site is wonderfull i enjoy visting this site.
I will return to the site when i can.
it has many interesting features here.
the owner of this site has created something for us to visit and honor
Yes this site is confusing unfortunately in many respects, but I suppose it’s still in its birth pangs. Anyway, I joined in order to vote for Health Freedom because I don’t want government taking away my right to choose what goes into my body or criminalizing natural supplements. They don’t seem to have a problem allowing the drug companies to poison people with their prescription drugs, but then it’s all about the money isn’t it. How dare they!
Hello! I?m Silvia a journalism student at the University of Barcelona, Spain, and following closely follow the presidential elections and I?m conducting a study on the impact that will have the choice of Obama for that. I have made contact with American bloggers. Why you would like to respond briefly to a few questions? Thank you very much
What are the biggest challenges that will confront the new president?
What are the areas where we can count on the major changes?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the new president? And his government team?
Even before the elections saying they were going to be historic elections. Can we really talk about a historic change?
In Europe and in Spain, the vast majority of the population is tilted in favor of Obama. How do you explain this?
Many Europeans are opposed to the Bush administration on the war in Iraq. How can improve the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan with Obama?
Are we going to live in a more peaceful world with Obama?
What should you expect Europe, particularly Spain, the U.S.A under the chairmanship of Obama?