The New Idealist Social Network, from the kid who co-founded Facebook and got Barrack Obama into the White House: a new social venture for connecting volunteers with their causes, Jumo.

Whether the non-profit sector is ready to embrace a new social networking platform remains to be seen, especially given these organizations’ often-limited staff time and lack of familiarity with cutting edge technology. And there’s competition—Ning, for instance, allows non-profits to build their own branded social networking websites using pre-fabricated tools. But the most formidable rivals are [Chris] Hughes’ old friends at Facebook, which already offers the application Causes, on which users can donate money and promote non-profits to friends. Hundreds of thousands of non-profits are members of Causes, and in the application’s first two years, 25 million Facebook users “joined” at least one of the causes. But according to a Washington Post report, the majority of Causes non-profits have never received a single donation through the application.

As a voting constituent in the 8th Congressional District of VA, I respectfully urge you to vote for a strong and comprehensive public option that guarantees all Americans with the choice of a public health insurance plan, as proposed by President Barack Obama.

This reform package, which aims to provide all Americans with access to affordable health insurance, must include a strong and comprehensive public option that:

• is available to ALL Americans on DAY ONE. Co-ops or triggers weaken the public health insurance option and make it ineffective. I ask you to oppose these proposals.
• is national, available everywhere, provides transportability and thus a continuum of benefits.
• has government-appointed decision-makers and thus are accountable to Congress.
• provides substantial bargaining leverage against providers and pharmaceutical companies.

I also ask you to put a statement on your web site’s home page supporting these points. As aptly stated by our fellow American expatriates in Canada: health insurance in a civilized society is a collective moral obligation, not a discretionary consumer good.

We voted for Change in 2008 and I ask that you support what voters have overwhelmingly demanded from our representatives. I look forward to reciprocal support for you on the 2010 ticket.

Sincerely,

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Look up your representative(s) in the House here.

Look up your US Senators here.
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But what do we do with Obama? Granted, he doesn’t provide much fodder for wit in the gaffes and boneheaded blunders department that Bush was so obliging with. But why can’t we get a good laugh at the expense of this Commander-in-Chief? As with any unchartered territory, this massive ideological shift presents extremely dangerous grounds for comedians of any color and progressives of all objections. Someone of such historical significance can be brought down for the sake of a simple joke, sure, but it’s a colossal gamble just beyond the ability of our prevailing cultural zeitgeist –just yet.

And a telling commentary on progress in race relations…

Unprecendented heights of popularity worldwide and mammoth support for Obama aside, I hope we can move past this social hiccup where comedy runs smack into race, cuz it’s only been four days and all the seriousness is gettin’ kinda dull…
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ALL-NIGHT PARTING SHOTS $2
Rejoice y’all! At long last, Bush is disembarkitating!
Burning BUSH (Tequila)
Dead-eye DICK (Vodka Caramel)

CELEBRATE “A NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM”
Raise a glass to the new President of the United States!
ALE to the Chief $1 (Tiger Draught)

BEVERAGES YOU CAN BELIEVE IN
Coke
Sprite
Ginger Ale
Lime Juice
Lime Soda
Juice Box
Montfleur
BARACK Berry Chill

CENTRIST LIBATIONS $3
Obama-politan
MICHELLE-mojito
BIDEN Margarita
YES WE DID Bubbly Cocktail

ROAD TO THE WINE HOUSE $2.20/glass
(CHOW “Exclusive” Red or White)

RECESSION-PROOF CHOW BITES $3
Fish Cakes
Calamari
Spring Rolls
Choi Mei

BILLION DOLLAR BAILOUT OPTIONS (served with a side of Optimism)
Sirloin Steak $15
Salmon Steak $10
Pad Thai $5
Nasi Goreng $5

..and circulating about cybersphere today is this fun piece about the tech-savvy Obama team descending into the dark ages of the White House IT infrastructure. “Like going from Xbox to Atari”, one of his aides said. Have I mentioned lately how much I like our freakin’ cool new Techie-in-Chief??
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