Civic Participation

A Standing Ovation For Upstanders

Deborah Plummer | Posted 10.27.2009 | Living


Deborah Plummer

Upstanders are people who, when faced with information that is troubling because of injustice, take a positive stand and act on behalf of themselves and others.

Man on The Street: The Vote Wants You To Get Out for It on Health Care

Brian Ross | Posted 09.23.2009 | Politics


Brian Ross

I stood outside of a town hall meeting the other day to interview people who had participated and recorded this really amazing interview with one of the more influential speakers on health care reform.

Our Children (and Our Country) Deserve Democratic Schools

Sam Chaltain | Posted 08.02.2009 | Politics


Sam Chaltain

It is possible -- indeed, essential -- for schools to find the right organizational balance between individual freedom and group structure.

Become a Rock Star Volunteer

Lisa Honig Buksbaum | Posted 08.01.2009 | Living


Lisa Honig Buksbaum

The simple actions of giving and receiving rejuvenate us because these gestures remind us what it means to be human.

Archbishop Tutu's Dream for the Future

Michelle Cote | Posted 07.06.2009 | Living


Michelle Cote

"I'm comiiiiinggg!" Tutu sings out from the adjacent room, the words rolling off his tongue in a playfully high-pitched refrain, before he comes wheeling and teetering -- all 5'2" of him -- around the corner of his suite at the Atlanta Grand Hyatt.

My Exclusive Interview with Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

Marianne Schnall | Posted 05.29.2009 | Politics


Marianne Schnall

I recently spoke with the inspirational former Supreme Court Justice about her new web site, the judiciary and her legacy as the first woman on the Supreme Court.

Take Note: News Corp Quietly Owns NYC Neighborhood Newspapers

BlackAndBrownNews | Posted 04.27.2009 | Media


BlackAndBrownNews

With News Corp's purchase of neighborhood publications like the Brooklyn Paper, all that annoying journalism that challenges pesky things like protecting citizens from eminent domain is all but lost.

Obama's Call to Public Service and the Boomer Generation

Mark Miller | Posted 12.25.2008 | Politics


Mark Miller

Boomers were a big force in Obama's army of campaign foot soldiers, and tapping them for broader public service would have a huge impact -- in part because there are so many of us.

Bloggers: Get Thee to Congressional Staffs!

Lorelei Kelly | Posted 12.09.2008 | Politics


Lorelei Kelly

You twenty-somethings who are reading this, if you can't take your day job after being part of such a political earthquake like last week's election, go find your local Member of Congress and apply for a job.

Voting for Democracy: The Obama Vision of Open Government and Public Engagement

Peter M. Shane | Posted 11.30.2008 | Politics


Peter M. Shane

The Obama platform is something of a "Top Ten" list when it comes to proposals for federal leadership in revitalizing democracy through technology.

Winning -- and Running -- the Presidency as a Participatory Democracy

Craig Newmark | Posted 07.16.2008 | Politics


Craig Newmark

As more of us get Net access, we're getting the tools for the kind of representative democracy the Founders envisioned. Whoever wins the presidency will be faced with an electorate that is genuinely empowered.

China's Fake Tiger Photos and Its Growling Citizens

Alex Pasternack | Posted 07.09.2008 | Green


Alex Pasternack

The South China tiger hasn't been seen since the 1960s. That's why photographs that emerged last year in Shaanxi Province, China, earned so much suspicion from eagle-eyed bloggers.