Monday, June 22, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
The Obamas' new message - United We Serve
The original call to action came from President Obama in this video:
And this one just came out today - June 22nd:
And the press release:
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2009
President Obama Unveils ‘United We Serve,’ Calls on All Americans to Commit to Meaningful Volunteer Service in Their Daily Lives
President encourages Americans to visit www.serve.gov to find and create service projects in their communities, share stories about projects they’re working on
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, in a video message, President Obama unveiled United We Serve, an extended call to service challenging all Americans to help lay a new foundation for growth in this country by engaging in sustained, meaningful community service. The initiative will be led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency dedicated to fostering service in communities across the country. Since his Inauguration, the President has called on all Americans to serve their communities and be a part of building a better future for our country.
The United We Serve summer initiative begins on June 22nd and runs through the National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11th. The National Day of Service and Remembrance was created by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which President Obama signed in April to help encourage and facilitate community service across the country. During this summer, the President is renewing his call to all Americans to identify needs in their communities, engage in meaningful service to create change – and stay engaged with those projects long after September. The President’s call focuses on four key areas where everyone can have a continuing impact in their community: education, health, energy and the environment and community renewal. To create new service projects, to find service projects in their communities and to share stories about projects that are making a difference, Americans can visit the Corporation’s website, www.serve.gov .
President Obama’s video was distributed via email by the Corporation for National and Community Service. View President Obama’s full video message at www.serve.gov.
“The challenges we face are unprecedented in their size and scope, and we cannot rely on quick fixes or easy answers to put us on the road to recovery,” President Obama says in the video message. “In this new century, we need to a build a new foundation for economic growth in America. My Administration has already begun this work with dramatic new investments in education, health care and clean energy – investments that will create new jobs and lay the foundation for lasting prosperity. But we cannot do this alone here in Washington…’
‘Economic recovery is as much about what you're doing in your communities as what we're doing in Washington – and it’s going to take all of us, working together.”
The goal of United We Serve is to help make volunteerism and community service part of the daily lives of all Americans in order to help build a new foundation, one community at a time. Further details about the June 22nd kickoff are forthcoming.
And this one just came out today - June 22nd:
And the press release:
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2009
President Obama Unveils ‘United We Serve,’ Calls on All Americans to Commit to Meaningful Volunteer Service in Their Daily Lives
President encourages Americans to visit www.serve.gov
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, in a video message, President Obama unveiled United We Serve, an extended call to service challenging all Americans to help lay a new foundation for growth in this country by engaging in sustained, meaningful community service. The initiative will be led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency dedicated to fostering service in communities across the country. Since his Inauguration, the President has called on all Americans to serve their communities and be a part of building a better future for our country.
The United We Serve summer initiative begins on June 22nd and runs through the National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11th. The National Day of Service and Remembrance was created by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which President Obama signed in April to help encourage and facilitate community service across the country. During this summer, the President is renewing his call to all Americans to identify needs in their communities, engage in meaningful service to create change – and stay engaged with those projects long after September. The President’s call focuses on four key areas where everyone can have a continuing impact in their community: education, health, energy and the environment and community renewal. To create new service projects, to find service projects in their communities and to share stories about projects that are making a difference, Americans can visit the Corporation’s website, www.serve.gov
President Obama’s video was distributed via email by the Corporation for National and Community Service. View President Obama’s full video message at www.serve.gov.
“The challenges we face are unprecedented in their size and scope, and we cannot rely on quick fixes or easy answers to put us on the road to recovery,” President Obama says in the video message. “In this new century, we need to a build a new foundation for economic growth in America. My Administration has already begun this work with dramatic new investments in education, health care and clean energy – investments that will create new jobs and lay the foundation for lasting prosperity. But we cannot do this alone here in Washington…’
‘Economic recovery is as much about what you're doing in your communities as what we're doing in Washington – and it’s going to take all of us, working together.”
The goal of United We Serve is to help make volunteerism and community service part of the daily lives of all Americans in order to help build a new foundation, one community at a time. Further details about the June 22nd kickoff are forthcoming.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Global Warming Education in High School
Who's doing this? The new non-profit organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Alliance for Climate Education.
Check out one of their high school presentations here -
Check out one of their high school presentations here -
Take a Year ...
This organization was founded by a Draper Richards Foundation fellow social entrepreneur Abigail Falik because ...
For more info check out Global Citizen Year.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Design Ignites Change
For more info check out Design Ignites Change.
Design ignites Change is an initiative of 2 foundations:
Worldstudio Inc, a social marketing agency based in NYC.
Adobe Youth Voices. AYV supports young people in and out of school and encourages the use of cutting-edge multimedia tools to communicate and share their ideas, demonstrate their potential, and take action where they live. Check out some of their projects, here.
For example, check this one out.
The Rise of American Poster Art
More details about the film here.
World premiere of this film at the Red Vic in Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, on Saturday, June 20th at 5pm, and again at 7pm! Buy your tickets in advance here. Check out the website for upcoming showings in other cities nationwide.
Also check out this free event "Rock Art by the Bay" at Fort Mason, Building A, in San Francisco on Saturday, June 20th.
The Rock Poster Society presents a celebration of poster artists & art from the 1960s to now. Rock poster artists are present to sign, discuss & sell their work.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Whale Meat. It's What's for Lunch. In Japanese Schools.
Animal Planet promoted the upcoming season of "Whale Wars" last week by wrapping delivery trucks in New York so it appeared they were delivering canned whale meat, similar to what is actually sold in Japan.
In addition, street teams handed out cans of faux whale meat at the South Street Seaport, Washington Square Park, Union Square and Madison Square Park, among other locales. The cans contained red licorice, but only enough to line the bottom of the cans.
IntranMedia wrapped the trucks and Discovery Creative designed the cans of whale meat.
source: Out to Launch, MediaPost, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Barton Seaver: The Alice Waters of Seafood
Are you into cooking shows? Are you interested in sustainable fisheries? Eating healthy? Are you a foodie? A follower of innovative marketing campaigns?
If so, then you have to check out the up and coming 30 year-old chef Barton Seaver.
Since his acrimonious split last July with the owners of Hook, the hip Georgetown (Washington, DC) restaurant he helped put on the map, Seaver has been working to craft his message, setting himself up as the Alice Waters of seafood. But he wants to make that message accessible enough to play to audiences beyond Waters groupies or the Whole Foods shoppers who instinctively reach for their sustainable-seafood pocket guides at the fish counter.
To spread the word, the Washington native is launching myriad projects. Next week, he and partner Eli Hengst are set to open Blue Ridge, a decidedly casual spot in Glover Park. This summer, the duo will christen a seafood restaurant and retail market in Logan Circle. Next spring, Seaver is slated to star in a public television series, "Cooking Without a Net." He has also signed on as a fellow for the Blue Ocean Institute, an environmental advocacy organization.
Seaver's message isn't an easy one to sell. All things sustainable may be in vogue, but getting people excited about fish can be a challenge. Americans, Seaver likes to point out, have a deep-rooted respect for the Jeffersonian farmer with dirt under his fingernails. But they have little connection with fish: "We have 'Jaws.' 'Finding Nemo.' The Gorton's fisherman. And Charlie Tuna. That's it. We don't have that iconic relationship with the ocean and how we should manage it."
So here's Seaver's idea: Change the lexicon of sustainability. Instead of talking about fish and science and dire statistics about oceans in peril, talk about people and what and how they eat. "If you begin to talk about fish not as a resource, but as a reality in our daily lives, it has a different effect," Seaver says. "So let's talk about oysters. Eating a farm-raised Chesapeake oyster supports generations of watermen and supports the most productive marine ecosystem in the world. When I eat a delicious oyster, it's one of the most ecologically friendly acts a person can take. That's the kind of environmentalism I can get behind."
...
... built into Seaver's thinking is a subtle argument for compromise and common sense. The way he sees it, conservationists need to accept that everyone, from the commercial fisherman in Alaska to the family fisherman in Senegal, acts in his own economic interest. Acknowledging that sustainability is about people, not fish, is the first step toward finding solutions.
...
... what Seaver wants is for people to engage, to see what role they can play in saving dinner.
He'll send the message at his restaurants. The ingredients will be sustainable, of course: grass-fed Virginia beef, Kentucky hams and local bluefish. The portions will be measured. Diners will get four to five ounces of fish and lots of vegetables, not all-you-can eat sustainable shrimp. "I don't care if something is certified 10 times over. It's morally reprehensible to eat 16 ounces of protein in one sitting," Seaver said. "Until that changes, it doesn't matter what the product is."
At the still-unnamed Logan Circle market, Seaver will target home cooks with what he calls "retail 2.0." The vision sounds more old-fashioned than futuristic. Instead of countertop signs, which Seaver believes are easily overlooked or misunderstood, he wants to employ passionate, educated salespeople to talk about the provenance of seafood and local produce and how best to use them. The 21st-century touch is that once shoppers are home, they can visit Seaver's Web site, where he plans to post short how-to cooking videos.
The public television series, a co-production of WGBH in Boston, will address a national audience. The project is still in the fundraising stage, but plans call for filming 13 episodes that will take Seaver from halibut boats in Alaska to the shrimp and oyster farms on the Gulf Coast and the Chesapeake Bay. In each episode, chefs, activists and fishermen will talk about the challenges of sustainable fishing and offer solutions so "we'll have our fish -- and eat it, too."
Barton Seaver Has Something To Save: And Surprisingly, It Isn't Fish. But His New Message Has a Catch, by Jane Black, Washington Post, Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Design for a Dollar
By: Linda Tischler
Is it possible to design anything worthwhile for less than a buck? That’s the challenge Pratt students set for themselves as part of this year’s ICFF Design Schools’ Exhibition. Surprisingly, the Pratt students managed to come up with a wide array of intriguing items, many of which were born of cast-off materials. That not only made their cost less than a dollar, but environmentally solid gold.
Check it out here.
Is it possible to design anything worthwhile for less than a buck? That’s the challenge Pratt students set for themselves as part of this year’s ICFF Design Schools’ Exhibition. Surprisingly, the Pratt students managed to come up with a wide array of intriguing items, many of which were born of cast-off materials. That not only made their cost less than a dollar, but environmentally solid gold.
Check it out here.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Before I Die I Want To ...
I love this project, Before I Die I Want To ...
Partly because it reminds me of one of my favorite songs, "Say" by John Mayer, which was written for the movie "The Bucket List." Check out this brief interview with Mayer regarding his song and the movie.
The Before I die I want to... project was inspired by a combination of factors: (1) the “death” of the Polaroid, (2) a psychologist’s tool called safety contracts, and (3) a passion to get people to think about (and act upon) what is really important in their lives through this simple, straight-forward question.
(1) With the prevalence of digital photography, Polaroid announced its discontinuation of products, or in other words, its “death.” Film will be sold until the current inventory is out, which is projected to be 2009. No more cameras are being made.
(2) Safety contracts are a common tool used by psychologists when treating suicidal patients. When psychologists find someone to be suicidal, if they ask them to give their word that they will not harm them self until help comes, often times the potential victim will choose to remain alive based on this promise. Likewise, the best thing a layperson can do if they find someone to be suicidal is to ask that person to promise not to harm themselves until professional help comes. That human connection of making a promise to someone and understanding that someone cares, notices, and expects something is motivation to stay safe. Although that is an extreme example, we are hoping that Before I die I want to... will work in the same way. By asking people to state out loud/write down something they want to do before they die and to be aware we will be checking up on them in a number of years, we believe that this will add significantly to their motivation to accomplish their goal. The added fact that the photos and statements will be published online and in print will urge people to fulfill their desires.
(3) One part cultural study, another part an encouragement to reflect on priorities and take action on desires, the Before I die I want to... project will create a new dialogue in the realm of sociological art. The project aims to urge people towards thinking about and fulfilling their life goals by asking them to make a promise to themselves and to the photographer.
Co-curators, Nicole Kenney and ks rives met at Saint Mary’s College in 1998 in their very first collegiate art class. They have been exploring psychology, sociology and art together ever since. This is their first time working as a team.
Nicole and ks keep their Polaroid cameras close at hand, taking portraits wherever they go to add to the collection. They snap the photo while the subject is saying what they want to do before they die, getting them in the act of stating their desire. Nicole and ks then request that the subject writes his or her statement on the Polaroid starting with the words “Before I die I want to....” As the subjects are signing the release form, the artists ask them to include their email.
The website is updated continuously with new portraits.
In a number of years (five, ten, twenty, etc.), Nicole and ks will contact the participants via email to see if they have accomplished their goal, if they are on their way, or why they haven’t made steps in that direction. At this future time, Nicole and ks will ask them to write a short story next to their photo on the website about fulfilling their expressed want. Seeing online that other people are fulfilling their desires will motivate participants to complete their task and write a story of their own.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Facebook block ahead of Iran vote hampers youth
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer - Sun May 24, 2009 5:24PM EDT
TEHRAN, Iran -
Iran's decision to block access to Facebook — less than three weeks before nationwide elections — drew sharp criticism Sunday from a reformist opposition hoping to mobilize the youth vote and unseat President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The decision, critics said, forces Iranians to rely on state-run media and other government sources ahead of the June 12 election.
It also appeared to be a direct strike at the youth vote that could pose challenges to Ahmadinejad's re-election bid.
More than half of Iran's population was born after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and young voters make up a huge bloc — which helped former reformist President Mohammad Khatami to back-to-back victories in 1997 and 2001 but failed to rally strongly behind Ahmadinejad's opponent, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, four years ago.
Young voters are now strongly courted by the main reformist candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, as the possible swing factor.
"Every single media outlet that is seen as competition for Ahmadinejad is at risk of being closed," said Shahab Tabatabaei, a top aide for Mousavi, the leading reformist candidate. "Placing limits on the competition is the top priority of the government."
Tabatabaei said the Facebook block was "a swift reaction" to a major pro-Mousavi rally Saturday in a Tehran sports stadium that included an appearance by Khatami and many young people waving green banners and scarves — the symbolic color of the Mousavi campaign.
Iranian authorities often block specific Web sites and blogs considered critical of the Islamic regime, but critics of the latest decision said the loss of Facebook — and possibly other Web sites popular with reformists — means Iranians must rely on the government for information.
"Facebook is one of the only independent sources that the Iranian youth could use to communicate," said Mohammed Ali Abtahi, a former vice president and now adviser to another pro-reform candidate, Mahdi Karroubi, a former parliament speaker.
During the last presidential race in 2005, information about rallies and campaign updates were sent by text message. In recent years, political blogs by Iranians in the country and abroad have grown sharply. Newcomers such as Twitter also are gaining in popularity.
Iranian officials did not comment on the reported block, but Facebook criticized the decision.
"We are disappointed to learn of reports that users in Iran may not have access to Facebook, especially at a time when voters are turning to the Internet as a source of information about election candidates and their positions," Elizabeth Linder, a spokeswoman for Facebook, said in an e-mailed statement following questions from The Associated Press.
"It is always a shame when a country's cultural and political concerns lead to limits being placed on the opportunity for sharing and expression that the Internet provides," she wrote.
Linder said the company generally does not give out details on the number of users in a given country, and could not say how many members Facebook has in Iran.
TEHRAN, Iran -
Iran's decision to block access to Facebook — less than three weeks before nationwide elections — drew sharp criticism Sunday from a reformist opposition hoping to mobilize the youth vote and unseat President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The decision, critics said, forces Iranians to rely on state-run media and other government sources ahead of the June 12 election.
It also appeared to be a direct strike at the youth vote that could pose challenges to Ahmadinejad's re-election bid.
More than half of Iran's population was born after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and young voters make up a huge bloc — which helped former reformist President Mohammad Khatami to back-to-back victories in 1997 and 2001 but failed to rally strongly behind Ahmadinejad's opponent, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, four years ago.
Young voters are now strongly courted by the main reformist candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, as the possible swing factor.
"Every single media outlet that is seen as competition for Ahmadinejad is at risk of being closed," said Shahab Tabatabaei, a top aide for Mousavi, the leading reformist candidate. "Placing limits on the competition is the top priority of the government."
Tabatabaei said the Facebook block was "a swift reaction" to a major pro-Mousavi rally Saturday in a Tehran sports stadium that included an appearance by Khatami and many young people waving green banners and scarves — the symbolic color of the Mousavi campaign.
Iranian authorities often block specific Web sites and blogs considered critical of the Islamic regime, but critics of the latest decision said the loss of Facebook — and possibly other Web sites popular with reformists — means Iranians must rely on the government for information.
"Facebook is one of the only independent sources that the Iranian youth could use to communicate," said Mohammed Ali Abtahi, a former vice president and now adviser to another pro-reform candidate, Mahdi Karroubi, a former parliament speaker.
During the last presidential race in 2005, information about rallies and campaign updates were sent by text message. In recent years, political blogs by Iranians in the country and abroad have grown sharply. Newcomers such as Twitter also are gaining in popularity.
Iranian officials did not comment on the reported block, but Facebook criticized the decision.
"We are disappointed to learn of reports that users in Iran may not have access to Facebook, especially at a time when voters are turning to the Internet as a source of information about election candidates and their positions," Elizabeth Linder, a spokeswoman for Facebook, said in an e-mailed statement following questions from The Associated Press.
"It is always a shame when a country's cultural and political concerns lead to limits being placed on the opportunity for sharing and expression that the Internet provides," she wrote.
Linder said the company generally does not give out details on the number of users in a given country, and could not say how many members Facebook has in Iran.
Millennials & Twitter
by Laurie Sullivan, Yesterday, 7:45 AM, MediaPost
Millennials -- 18- to-26-year-olds -- don't see value in Twitter, although they spend hours daily texting friends and communicating on social networks in real time, according to a study released Monday from the Participatory Marketing Network (PMN).
The study suggests that only 22% of Millennials use Twitter, the real-time microblogging site that allows posts of up to 140 characters. Of those young people who use Twitter, 85% said they follow friends, 54% follow celebrities, 29% follow family, and 29% follow companies. That's not great news for marketers and companies trying to reach this demographic through the site.
"Twitter has a problem on their hands if they want to become a long-term viable player," says Michael Della Penna, PMN co-founder and executive chairman. "Part of that communication of value must speak to Gen Y and show them the benefit of using Twitter."
Some might suggest that Millennials aren't the only ones who don't see the value in Twitter.
When asked about social networks, nearly all who participated in the survey revealed having an active profile on at least one site. Eighty-nine percent have downloaded an application to their profile page; 89%, photos; 53%, games; 51%, entertainment; 32%, news; and 29%, weather.
Mobile social networking is heating up for Millennials, too. Thirty-eight percent have an iPhone or iPod Touch. More than 50% have downloaded games; 35%, entertainment; 31%, lifestyle; 28% have downloaded free financial applications, and 7% have paid financial applications. More than one-quarter -- 26 percent -- indicated that they have not downloaded any.
PMN conducted the study in May 2009 with its research partner, the Lubin School of Business' Interactive and Direct Marketing (IDM) Lab at Pace University, by questioning 200 PMN panel members and consumers between the ages of 18-24.
Millennials -- 18- to-26-year-olds -- don't see value in Twitter, although they spend hours daily texting friends and communicating on social networks in real time, according to a study released Monday from the Participatory Marketing Network (PMN).
The study suggests that only 22% of Millennials use Twitter, the real-time microblogging site that allows posts of up to 140 characters. Of those young people who use Twitter, 85% said they follow friends, 54% follow celebrities, 29% follow family, and 29% follow companies. That's not great news for marketers and companies trying to reach this demographic through the site.
"Twitter has a problem on their hands if they want to become a long-term viable player," says Michael Della Penna, PMN co-founder and executive chairman. "Part of that communication of value must speak to Gen Y and show them the benefit of using Twitter."
Some might suggest that Millennials aren't the only ones who don't see the value in Twitter.
When asked about social networks, nearly all who participated in the survey revealed having an active profile on at least one site. Eighty-nine percent have downloaded an application to their profile page; 89%, photos; 53%, games; 51%, entertainment; 32%, news; and 29%, weather.
Mobile social networking is heating up for Millennials, too. Thirty-eight percent have an iPhone or iPod Touch. More than 50% have downloaded games; 35%, entertainment; 31%, lifestyle; 28% have downloaded free financial applications, and 7% have paid financial applications. More than one-quarter -- 26 percent -- indicated that they have not downloaded any.
PMN conducted the study in May 2009 with its research partner, the Lubin School of Business' Interactive and Direct Marketing (IDM) Lab at Pace University, by questioning 200 PMN panel members and consumers between the ages of 18-24.
Chinese Government Blocks Twitter
Run-up to 20th Anniversary of Tiananmen Square Blamed
Posted by Normandy Madden on 06.02.09 @ 02:55 PM, Advertising Age
HONG KONG (AdAge.com) -- China's government has pulled the plug on yet another Western website, making Twitter unavailable to most users in mainland China since about 5 p.m. local time (5 a.m. in New York.)
It is widely assumed the government wanted to limit Twitter use before an important and controversial event -- the 20th anniversary of the government crackdown on student protests in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.
The authorities are also nervous about the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China coming up on Oct. 1, 2009.
Tweets cannot exceed 140 characters, limiting messages in most Western languages to just a few words, but 140 Chinese characters gives Twitter users the ability to post a full-blown news article.
Also, Twitter's format makes it easy to spread messages quickly and easily and potentially mobilize people in public areas within minutes, a scenario that terrifies China's Communist Party.
The government blocked other sites this week, such as Flickr, a photo sharing service owned by Yahoo, and two Microsoft Corp. applications, the e-mail service Hotmail and Bing, a flagship search engine that launched globally only this week. It has also started a four-month crackdown on unapproved internet cafes.
"It's experiencing a boom in popularity," said Oli D. (@djodcouk), a Shanghai-based blogger with one of the largest Twitter followings in China who declined to give his full name for this story.
Minutes after the site was blocked in China, indignant and often angry users tweeted posts with trend topics such as #gfw (which stands for "great firewall of China") and even #fuckgfw.
Censors have blocked other Western sites in China, including YouTube in early March, presumably for videos on the site related to Tibet, another sensitive topic in China. Blogspot, Tumblr, Livejournal, Xanga, Wordpress, Friendfeed and Microsoft's Live.com are also blocked.
Ironically, many posts are still coming from users based in the mainland who are skirting the blocked site today with Twitter applications like Tweetdeck.
Posted by Normandy Madden on 06.02.09 @ 02:55 PM, Advertising Age
HONG KONG (AdAge.com) -- China's government has pulled the plug on yet another Western website, making Twitter unavailable to most users in mainland China since about 5 p.m. local time (5 a.m. in New York.)
It is widely assumed the government wanted to limit Twitter use before an important and controversial event -- the 20th anniversary of the government crackdown on student protests in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.
The authorities are also nervous about the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China coming up on Oct. 1, 2009.
Tweets cannot exceed 140 characters, limiting messages in most Western languages to just a few words, but 140 Chinese characters gives Twitter users the ability to post a full-blown news article.
Also, Twitter's format makes it easy to spread messages quickly and easily and potentially mobilize people in public areas within minutes, a scenario that terrifies China's Communist Party.
The government blocked other sites this week, such as Flickr, a photo sharing service owned by Yahoo, and two Microsoft Corp. applications, the e-mail service Hotmail and Bing, a flagship search engine that launched globally only this week. It has also started a four-month crackdown on unapproved internet cafes.
"It's experiencing a boom in popularity," said Oli D. (@djodcouk), a Shanghai-based blogger with one of the largest Twitter followings in China who declined to give his full name for this story.
Minutes after the site was blocked in China, indignant and often angry users tweeted posts with trend topics such as #gfw (which stands for "great firewall of China") and even #fuckgfw.
Censors have blocked other Western sites in China, including YouTube in early March, presumably for videos on the site related to Tibet, another sensitive topic in China. Blogspot, Tumblr, Livejournal, Xanga, Wordpress, Friendfeed and Microsoft's Live.com are also blocked.
Ironically, many posts are still coming from users based in the mainland who are skirting the blocked site today with Twitter applications like Tweetdeck.
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