Employers and Unemployed: Please Don’t Waste My Time

These days I want to scream to both Employers and the Unemployed: “Please Don’t Waste My Time!”

There is a great deal of energy being wasted in America today by millions of citizens desperately looking for work. The potential employers waste our time, the temp agencies waste our time and the politicians also waste our time, as they do nothing to correct but further deepen the chasm between the Haves and the Have Nots! We have all come to expect these energy vampires in our lives and it seems to be the exception rather than the rule just to get a confirmation from an employer or a politician, informing you they received your application/correspondence.

The type of time and energy wasting I have grown to resent the most recently has got to be the endless parade of useless petitions generated by those who feel this type of civil protest will actually do something. I am sick to death of the multitudes of petitions from 99ers and other jobless that do little more than waste what precious time and energy I for one have left for this fight.

The politicians love for us to occupy ourselves with such useless and inane endeavors as they are easy to ignore and gives the multitudes a false sense that they are doing something. Well, I for one am fed up with methods that give the masses false comfort and allow them to justify the smallest of effort as “doing their part” when in fact - they are NOT!

Effective action is what is required not useless self delusion. Ask yourselves: “What if the Wisconsin 14 and all the protestors had instead drafted a petition to fight the disgusting Union Busting by Gov. Walker?” Yes, you guessed it - NOTHING - No media coverage, no sit-ins at the Capitol and the bill would already be law by now.

Mark Twain had a very interesting and apropos saying about worry that I believe is also applicable in the case of public petitions in this day and age: “Worrying is like a Rocking chair...It will keep you busy, make you think you are doing something but it won't get you anywhere” .... neither will signing the hundreds of petitions out there specifically intended to address/resolve the 99er and related unemployment issues in America today. There is simply NO SUBSTITUTE for taking real action by getting OUT THERE and being seen constantly!

If you want to do something productive then you MUST get off of your butts and do something. Find a protest (any protest) and bring YOUR SIGN! Join in and when the media is there - do not be too shy or ashamed of your situation to talk to the press. Get on your local news and in your local papers. Let’s face it, 2011 is the Global year of the protest! People are fed up with oppression everywhere but it seems that the USA is the only country where we sit home and gripe online, sign useless petitions and expect others to take to the streets for us. We make excuses like:

I cannot get to Washington DC

I am afraid someone will recognize me if I march/appear on TV

I am too busy looking for work to get involved

I don’t want to be the only one that shows up for a rally

I get too nervous when talking to the media

NEWS FLASH: These are all just lame excuses for being either too lazy or too afraid to take responsibility for your own salvation.

Cannot get to Washington DC? THEN MARCH CLOSE TO HOME: Washington DC has millions of protestors every year - they are numb to such things there. How many marches have there been in your home town this year? That is NEWS!

Too busy looking for work to get involved? BULL! I doubt one afternoon or devoting a few hours to make a difference close to home will interfere with looking for jobs that are simply NOT THERE ANYWAY!

Don’t want to be the only one that shows up for a rally? THEN GET INVOLVED NETWORKING in U-CUBED! It costs NOTHING but a little time and effort to join the action group U-Cubed and connect with fellow unemployed in your own state to take action - but not even one state so far has even reached the 1,000 member threshold. PATHETIC!

It is unacceptable how with a minimum of 6 million UI exhaustees suffering so in this country that a FREE Union designed for the specific purpose of Strength and Unity to speak in ONE LOUD VOICE that Washington cannot ignore - has a membership of less that 5,000 - and that is not the worst of it.

Yesterday, Rick Sloan (U-Cubed Executive Director) revealed a troubling reality that equates to the typical lack of involvement of the jobless American today. From his email titled One Truly Is The Loneliest Number:

Dear UCubed Leaders and Activists:

One truly is the loneliest number. Only one UCubed member stepped up to run for UCubed State Director in exactly one state. Consequently, the scheduled 2011 elections must be cancelled.

Perhaps, by this time next year, UCubed will have sufficient mass -- and sufficient intensity and drive -- to elect its own leadership. Until then, we will build our organizational infrastructure by appointing activists who will aggressively represent the Union of Unemployed and its members at the state and regional levels.

Here at the Union of Unemployed, just like in your personal lives, each obstacle is simply another challenge to be met… as we continue our fight for the jobless.

What an exiguous, disappointing commentary on the American jobless response to an epidemic of distain from politicians and suppression of our undeclared birth rights as citizens of this great country by the rich who continue to assure they have all the power and privilege. I wonder exactly when we are going to realize that what the wealthy really FEAR is an uprising of the millions of minions - who out number them substantially.

As long as you continue to self-delude into believing you are making a difference simply by making a few calls to Washington, sending the occasional fax and signing the latest petition that comes along, YOU ARE PLAYING RIGHT INTO the System of SILENCE that is killing AMERICA.

Perhaps you are content to sit on the sidelines and say “What can one person do to make a difference anyway?” BUT unless you yourself are willing to be one of those who can make a difference in your own little corner of America - PLEASE DO NOT WASTE MY TIME sending me anymore worthless petitions on Facebook, Twitter, Change.org, Care2, Popvox or any other complete waste of my time as I am uninterested to the point of nausea!

I prefer instead to focus my energies on personal visits to lawmakers in my area, protesting with any group gathering for whatever cause that gets media attention (bringing my own 99ers sign) and working together with like minded active individuals who wish to do more that click a few computer keys a few times per month and claim to be ACTIVE in the cause. We must BOMBARD our elected officials in mass with one single message: WE ARE ANGRY AND WANT ACTION NOW to help NOT further HARM the American jobless and working poor.

Get out there and meet with real activists. Find them locally in groups like U-Cubed, on College Campus bulletin boards (computer), contact MOVE-ON.org and USUncut. Get out there and get ‘er DONE!

[The donation button below is for Paladinette. If you like what I write please donate so I can keep on fighting for the 99ers! Thank You!]

99ers: Latest Employment, Interview Tips

The World's Most Admired Companies of 2011

CNNMoney / FORTUNE released their annual list of the World's Most Admired Companies last week. If you're looking for a job, then you're in luck--these companies are also doing some major hiring.

Here are this year's top 5 most admired companies:

1. Apple
2. Google
3. Berkshire Hathaway
4. Southwest Airlines
5. Procter & Gamble

Find a job at one of the World's Most Admired Companies!

Interview Question: "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?"

Whether you're a new graduate or someone with a few years of experience under your belt, you might come across interview questions about where you'd like to go in your career during your job search. One of the more common versions of this question is, "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?". Although it may not be the most creative question, it's an important question to ask yourself anyway, and you should have a response prepared for the interview.

Read how to answer the question, "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?".

Job Searching with a Criminal Background

We've had a few job seekers write in, asking how to deal with questions about having a criminal background. It's a question that comes up for nearly every job search, and it's usually not an easy subject to discuss. Employers have an obligation to do due diligence in the hiring process, so that they don't hire an employee that will harm others or the business. On the other hand, if an ex-offender answers truthfully, they risk not getting the job. If they lie, they risk being terminated once their record is discovered.

Learn more about job searching with a criminal background.

Findings from the February Job Trends Report

Last week, Simply Hired released its February job trends report, which found that hiring across the nation continued its slow start in the second month of the year. Job openings increased 3.8% from January 2011, with a year-over-year improvement of 49.7% from February 2010. Several industries had substantial growth in February, with Military (22.7%), Travel (20.9%) and Agriculture (20.0%) leading in increases.

See more from our February Job Trends Report

Daniel Craig (James Bond) In Drag, Dame Judy Dench On International Women's Day

Daniel Craig, who plays James Bond 007, and "M" well-represented by Dame Judy Dench, team up once again to make this effective video for International Women's Day, and WeAreEquals.org.

According to We Are Equals: "The two-minute short, specially commissioned for International Women's Day, sees 007 star Daniel Craig undergo a dramatic makeover as he puts himself, quite literally, in a woman's shoes."

This video, directed by Nowhere Boy Director and Conceptual Artist Sam Taylor-Wood, written by Jane Goldman from Kick Ass is the first James Bond movie or video to be directed by a woman.

In the video, Bond walks into an interrogation room under one light, as M starts peppering him with a series of questions on everything from pay inequality for women to domestic violence. Then M asks "For someone with such a fondness for women, I wonder if you’ve ever considered what it means to be one?"

Bond then walks off camera, then comes back into the interrogation room dressed as a blonde woman in drag. As M continues her questions, Bond wipes away a tear, and takes off his wig.

"Bond is challenged by M to think about gender inequality, says Sam Taylor-Wood, "and I hope that the film encourages viewers to do the same. Despite great advances in women's rights, statistics show that when it comes to the balance of power between the sexes, equality is far from being a global reality. As M reminds Bond, facing up to gender issues and the sometimes covert nature of sexism in the 21st century is something that we all have to recognise, confront and challenge."

Outstanding.

Frankly, I wish society would tackle Racism with the same gusto.

Meantime, hats off to Daniel Craig, Dame Judy Dench, Sam Wood-Taylor, Jane Goldman, and Barbara Broccoli, the producer of James Bond, and "Equals," the campaign for awareness.

Oakland's Larry Reid Wrongly Called Cannabis University Graduate

Like his Oakland City Council colleague Councilmember Desley Brooks (District 6 - Central East Oakland), Oakland City Council President Larry Reid (District 7 - East Oakland) also supposedly received a "Diploma of Certified Seedling," last year, and from the Oakland-based institution called UniCann.

Or did he?

The video's title - "Councilmember Larry Reid University of Cannabis graduate" - is just plain wrong. There's no video evidence of Councilmember Reid receiving the kind of diploma Brooks got last year. The video just has Larry expressing his gratitude for the location of the University of Cannabis facility in his District 7. Reid just says "Congratulations. Welcome to Oakland."

Here's the video:



It's no wonder the video's not being pushed via Twitter the way the video with Councilmember Brooks has been (and by members of the local and regional pot growing industry with Twitter accounts at @GroMaster, @M24Cabbage, and @calpotnews) - it's not accurate at all with respect to its title.

I'll bet Larry's going to bust a gut when he sees this.  And he should; they misrepresented him.

Larry Reid almost hates to be on video, or at least he consistently ducks doing a video interview with this blogger, so to see this video - like the Brooks videos, not touched by the general media until this space found them - is a surprise. But it's also a window into why Reid is careful to do videos of any kind - this video was title to by misleading and it is.    The Thinking Pot - the YouTube channel that uploaded the video, should change its title.

Indeed, that wasn't very thoughtful of them.

Charlie Sheen Fired; Will Smith Most Bankable Actor In Hollywood

While Charlie Sheen falls, Will Smith rises.

According to James Ulmer of The Ulmer Scale, a 100-factor list that tracks who's hot and who's not (also called a "bankability score") in the entertainment industry, as of this writing, Will Smith, best known as one part of the rap duo D.J. Jassy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, and for the TV show The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, and movies like Ali, and Independence Day, and Legend, is the most bankable star at the top of The Ulmer Scale.

Meanwhile, Two And A Half Men star Charlie Sheen, who was officially fired by Warner Bros today, is "tanking," according to a phone conversation this blogger had with James Ulmer, the list's creator.

Right now, Ulmer says Sheen, is "not bankable," and explains that Hollywood insurance bonding agencies may not be willing to take a chance on him because of the enormous costs associated with losing a day of shooting on a movie set because of, say, an actor's break to enter drug rehab.

What's The Ulmer Scale?

The scale look at "how risky it is to hire actors to make movies," says Ulmer. According to its website, The Ulmer Scale...

"...scores each actor's bankability by three different budget levels. The first is for "art house" movies costing up to $8 million; the second is for mid-range films in the $8 million-$30 million range; and the third level is for studio movies made for more than $30 million...The results of these surveys are then compiled and ranked by a 100-point index. Each actor is assigned four scores next to his or her name. There is one for each of the three different budget levels of a film (up to 100 points per budget level), as well as a total score adding up the previous three (the highest possible being 300 points). These scores are then assembled into The Ulmer Scale's proprietary A+, A, B+, B, C and D lists -- and the closely-watched "Uppers" and "Downers" lists of the biggest gainers and losers in star power.

Does Twitter Help Sheen?

Will Sheen's social media success help? Sheen's set the record time of reaching 1 million followers on Twitter, and has worked to monetize the medium for himself. "Right now," says Ulmer, "Sheen's toxic." Ulmer can't see that money will come pouring out for the son of Martin Sheen. Plus, Ulmer, who's based in Hollywood, says Charlie's not listening to the people who he's formed relationships with.

Hollywood's Not Happy With Sheen

One of those people is Two And A Half Men creator Chuck Lorre, who cancelled production of the last four episodes of the series after Sheen called him by his real name Chime Levine. Since Lorre's real name is Jewish, the comment was seen by some in the Jewish community as Anti-Semetic. But Sheen claims that since some in his family, including his mother, are Jewish, he wasn't being Anti-Semetic. Still, the damage is done. "Hollywood's very sensitive to Anti-Semetism," Ulmer said, "what Charlie said was something you don't do."

Will Smith and Johnny Depp Rise

Meanwhile, Will Smith, who currently commands about $20 million per film, chugs along. He scores 100 the top of a list that includes Johnny Depp with 95 score, Brad Pitt (88), Tom Hanks (87), George Clooney (86), Will Ferrell (85), Reese Witherspoon (85), Nicholas Cage (84)m Leonardo DiCaprio (81), and Russell Crowe (81).

What About The Women?

If you note, there's only one woman in Ulmer's Top 10 List, Reese Witherspoon, and the reasons given for this by Ulmer himself are eyeopening and unfortunate: "Hollywood is sexist," he says. "It's tough for women. And they're viewed as more bankable in ensemble roles." So that's why you don't see a lot of women action heros in movies, and it may be one reason why it's taken so long to get a movie version of "Wonder Woman" off the ground. Ulmer reports that the recession's made it harder for women to land well-monetized roles.

On his website, Ulmer says:

Women sustained the most wide-ranging losses. Former no. 1 female star Julia Roberts slipped 11 points to 12th place overall with 80 points, moving off the A+ list for the first time in 15 years due largely to her reduced workload in the past two years. However, Roberts still managed to come in second among women after top-seated Reese Witherspoon, who scored 85 points to earn 7thth place among all stars in The Ulmer Scale’s global bankability survey of film industry professionals. Witherspoon is the only woman to make the Hot List’s Top 10 List.

Hollywood's Losing Ground To The Web

While Charlie Sheen may not be bankable in Hollywood, one fact provides a ray of hope for the entertainment legend: Ulmer says that the overall larger number of platforms other than movies have damaged the overall value of Hollywood's actors. "Stars’ scores have shrunk because they must increasingly compete for eyeballs with all kinds of screens beyond the silver one," Ulmer reports on his website.

That may provide some comfort to Charlie Sheen. Now that he's fired from his gig on Two And A Half Men, Sheen will have more desire than ever to succeed online. His success could spell the beginning of the end of Hollywood's dominance in providing paid work for actors.

Stay tuned.

We could have Sheen that coming...

Well, according to Variety it's all over but the coverage as far as Charlie Sheen's time on Two-and-a-Half Men. CBS has reportedly sent Sheen a termination letter today, despite the well-publicized fact that Charlie had another season to go on his contract.

Citing "erratic behavior" CBS has pulled the plug on the star, but isn't saying if a decision has been made about the series itself. Given his recent appearances I'd say very few of us outside the TV industry are surprised, and probably relatively few inside are either - although in pursuit of the bottom line there's naturally some question about how much this publicity might have boosted Sheen's ratings.

If only we could get this much coverage for stories like how Congress is - or isn't - creating jobs, and why it's so important to fund wars that we don't have enough money to properly address poverty, hunger, public education, or the cost of health care.

Political Correspondent Thomas Hayes is a former Congressional Campaign Manager; he's a journalist, photo/videographer, entrepreneur, and communications consultant who contributes regularly on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community, who incidentally thinks Sheen may have gotten carried away and had some challenges distinguishing himself from his successful character - and needs more professional help (even though Sheen didn't ask.)

You can follow Tom as @kabiu on twitter. Tweet

Mike Destefano Of Last Comic Standing Dies

According to TMZ.com, Mike Destefano, one of five finalists on last year's Last Comic Standing, has died. Destefano had what was described as a "massive heart attack." According to his website, Mike had a busy schedule, with four shows coming up over the month of March alone, one he just completed in New Jersey.

Punchline Magazine, which covers the comedian industry, praised Destefano for his "brutally honest approach to stand-up comedy."

It seems that honesty came from a hard life.

Destefano overcame the death of his wife and drug addiction to place himself on a comeback path to stardom.

This video from Punchline and Matthew Gill, does, as they blog, give good feel for what Mike was like:



Mike Destefano. Remember him by watching his videos here.

BASHOF Event Is Tonight; I Won't Be There

Ok. A friend calls me and says that they're attending the Bay Area Sports Hall Of Fame Dinner BASHOF and that I should cover it as media. My friend is always looking out for new opportunities for Zennie62Media.com, and that's much appreciated.  It would be nice to have some video interviews from BASHOF, I thought.

So, on the encouragement of my friend, I sent an email to two people: Tom Martz the BASHOF President and his PR person, who was nice enough to get back to me about the press conference. So I planned to go over at 4 PM for the press conference. I didn't expect dinner, otherwise I guess she would have said so. But then, not having attended a BASHOF before, I didn't know.

So then I get this call out-of-the-blue from Martz. And since I didn't expect the call I asked who it was and instead of saying who he was Tom says "Who I am? Who are you? You contacted me!"

Since I had not called anyone at that number, I was confused. Then he said "It's Tom from BASHOF. We have NO SEATS AT THE DINNER." Dude was yelling at me!

Yeah.  Yelling.

So I calmly explained that I emailed to cover the event as press. Tom said the press conference was at 4; I said yeah, that's where I'm going to be.

But then he ranted again, "But there's NO SEATING AT THE DINNER. Why don't you check back with us NEXT YEAR earlier!

I don't like circuitous conversation and I sure as hell don't like being yelled at for nothing. I'm not some kid, and if so, that would be child abuse anyway. So I told him to stop being nasty. Tom said "I wasn't being nasty," and hangs up on me.

So, I sent an email stating that I wasn't coming. I'm happy BASHOF has so much press that Tom feels it's just fine to be mean to me. But it's not. I don't care who the person is, I will not put up with disrespectful treatment for one second. I don't treat people that way, so I'm not going to tolerate it when I'm treated that way.  Same goes for anyone who talks to a friend of mine in a disrespectful way in my presence. Don't do it.

And my constant message is that you can't just treat people any kind of way you want in a New Media environment.  You have to be nice.

If I were a name Tom knew, you know damn well he'd not have talked to me like that. Well, now he does know my name, but it's too late. The damage is done.

Good luck tonight BASHOF. I won't be there.  I'm not giving good media content to someone who talks to me like that for no reason at all, then won't apologize to me.

Forget it.  

Talk About The Academy Awards And Social Media

The Academy Awards ratings problems and the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences foray into social media were the central points of discussion on Friday's Tonya Hall Radio Show.

The guest was none other than yours truly, Zennie Abraham of Zennie62Media.com and Sports Business Simulations. Tonya basically let me talk for an hour; just kidding. It was a good "back-and-forth," but I think I could have used one more hour of conversation.

There's a lot to talk about on the Academy Awards and social media, but for Tonya's show, I essentially expanded on what I blogged here: Zennie on Improving The Oscars.

Here's the show:

The Tonya Hall Show - March 4, 2011

Friend of the show and well-known blogger Zennie Abraham

takes a look back at the 2011 Oscars with Tonya.

At any rate, The Tonya Hall Radio Show is broadcast out of Colorado Springs, Colorado and is on 1300 AM, The Sports Animal. This is something like the fifth or sixth time I've been on her show as a guest.

The Tonya Hall Show focuses on "The power of social media," and has some really great and interesting guests. Last week, for example, Tonya had as guests Kodak Chief Blogger Jenny Cisney, Alex Roach from Facebook, and Sean Percival of MySpace.  Check it out!

99er, Tier 5, UI Extension, HR589 News and Views from The Blogosphere

The following is a montage of 99er, Tier 5, UI Extension, HR589 News and Views from The Blogosphere.

From thephillyBurbs.com article today: This 99er says her number's up discusses Gerry DePietro who appeared on the "The Ed Show" on MSNBC and told the host that the Great Recession and long-term unemployment have devastated her standard of living.

The article goes on:

The plight of the long-term unemployed deteriorates.

Most of the 99ers are 55 and older, and it is estimated that there are more than 5 million of them.

According to a recent Gallup survey, the long-term unemployed report that they experience "worry, sadness, stress, anger and diagnoses of depression."

"I just talked to somebody (last week) who said they were considering ending their life" because they could not find work, DePietro said.

Now she is a member of the American 99ers Union, which lobbied for yet another extension of unemployment benefits through House Resolution 589. The bill died Feb. 17 but has been resubmitted.

From the Trenches WorldReport.com, as always some great and colorful commentary in: 99ers Supporters of HR 589 How will History Judge Americans of Today?

The resentment against the corporate elite is however growing exponentially, day by day, in its scope and intensity, but they have our people so entranced with pursuing the debt currency in an effort to just survive to the next day, that taking on more in the form of protest or revolution seems to be just too much. Their plan is working perfectly.

We cannot wait until our children are lying in the streets with their stomachs swollen and flies lighting on their open eyes, like the German people did in the Weimar Republic. Our enemies are using the same techniques to destroy us as they did on the German people in the 1930s. Once they have starved us down to apathy and desperation they believe we will gladly accept their one world government and our slavery as compensation for a little nutrition.

99ers we have to stop chasing butterflies and start getting down to brass tacks. This means we have to start arming and training for a revolution that is becoming more inevitable with each passing day. We must steel ourselves to the idea of giving our lives if necessary for the restitution of our beloved Constitution and Republic.

And their article from yesterday: 99ers HR 589 Supporters We Must Take the Lead

“If the mainstream propaganda was true news and the truth was reported as to what is really going on in this country, three quarters of the population would run and hide, while the other quarter would attack Washington DC.

If we 99ers want to get anywhere we have got to break the news blackout that has removed us from the thoughts of everyone but ourselves. If a quarter of the 99ers would just come to a site like From the Trenches and vent their rage every day all day long, our enemies, the elitists in power, would see that we are no longer on our knees begging them for salvation, but rather that we are accumulating in a single place plotting strategies for their demise while getting one another worked up into a frenzy.”

Unemployed but Organized for the 21st Century put it this way:

It's March and March, 2011 has a uniquely perplexing, frustrating sad anniversary. 99ers will begin to celebrate their 1st full year of being a 99er. 52 weeks without unemployment benefits; nearly 3 years without full time employment. Folks out of work due to the offshoring of jobs; over 3.4 million manufacturing jobs lost in the 1st decade of this century. People unemployed through no fault of their own with little hope for reemployment any time soon.

There has been almost no help for 99ers in the last year. A couple of failed attempts at adding some weeks of unemployment insurance, the last being H.R.6556 which is now reincarnated as H.R.589. If H.R.6556 didn't get through the 111th Congress, I don't see how H.R.589 is passed in the 112th Congress. A bill to establish incentives for creating American jobs and penalizing offshoring couldn't overcome a GOP Senate filibuster in the 111th Congress (I'm shocked, shocked I tell you to find gambling in this establishment). So what should a 99er do? Find a way to carry on.

But by far the most unbelievably ironic drivel came from The World New Vine from their article last week - H.R. 589 Extended Unemployment Benefits for 99ers Lacks Republican Support when they opined:

With the nation’s attention focused on preserving the rights of those working Americans at this time, the long-term unemployed are simply out of luck, and out of benefits. With the Republican Majority in the House pushing to cut social programs such as, Women and Infant Children’s Program (WIC), food stamp programs, and other funding to state level welfare programs, the long-term unemployed are now witnessing what masses in other third-world countries have been for years, the lack of caring by upper-class society.

Unfortunately, for the many, a few groups and individuals entered into the quest for assistance for long-term unemployed American workers looking to profiteer and self-promote their own actions. These small time profiteers claimed legal knowledge along with political connections, did nothing more than mislead, misguide, and alienate the masses from Congress. Attempts of coercion and extortion by these groups included actions such as, sending photo’s of persons threatening suicide to congressional members, and backing actions with heavy talk. Again, as unfortunate as the situation is, the actions of the few were not only misguided but illegal as well.

These individuals led a group of people suffering down a road that led to nothing more than a dead-end. Some of these individuals cannot even present themselves in person to lawmakers as they are perceived as a threat. One can only ask themselves why, anyone would enter into a humanitarian cause seeking aid and comfort for the masses when in fact, were simply attempting to make a buck from a horrible situation.

EXCUSE ME BUT.... Wasn’t it the owner of that publication WorldNewsVine, Mr Grone himself who manipulated the long term unemployed into paying for his luxury Washington DC petition delivery “get away” last June that was a complete and total BUST? Talk about the POT calling the Kettle BLACK!

99ers What have You Done Lately to HELP Yourselves?

99ers What have You Done Lately to HELP Yourselves? This is the question you must answer even before continuing to beg Congress and the Obama administration for additional aid.

In a letter from a former resident/business owner in Washington DC, I received the following insights:

I think that there is a slim possibility that the extensions might be enacted if there is pressure from the grassroots on Congress and Obama to enact them.

I know you probably think by pressure, that I mean from the unemployed in a united effort to pressure Congress. While I think that may have some effect on the Democrats, including the President, it will not likely sway the Republicans.

The groundswell of pressure I was referring to deals with the local agencies and NGOs that serve the homeless population. Even in very conservative areas like FL, the homeless and their plight do make the local media and the regional media and national media at times. When these organizations serving them are overwhelmed, these organizations have the contacts built up to be able to get a story in the paper almost overnight. What I suggest that the unemployed do now, especially the 99ers, is go ahead and start overwhelming these local homeless assistance agencies and NGOs (including churches) with requests for assistance NOW. If this is done concurrently across the country, then these organizations, who are respected by local government officials and some state and federal elected officials as well, will start putting pressure on governments at all levels for more funding and maybe even for an extension of unemployment benefits for the 99ers.

If the unemployment benefits extension is not enacted, you are going to have to do this (appeal for help and/or become homeless) in a few months. Start the process now.

Have you ever taken a good look at the YouTube video: What is Ucubed? [see video below] This explains just how the U-Cubed model for activism is set up to work from within each community in the USA and build outward into a force to be reckoned with that cannot be ignored by Washington DC.

If you are not yet engaged in U-Cubed Please DO SO TODAY:

U-Cubed on:

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/ucubed

TWITTER: @U_Cubed

WEBSITE: http://www.unionofunemployed.com

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Your Government has FAILED YOU BADLY! MAKE them HEAR YOU NOW!!!! You cannot rely upon anyone else to do this for you. YOU MUST FIGHT FOR your own SURVIVAL now or continue to suffer the "Congressionally imposed poverty" that is the 99er reality today.

U-Cubed Powerful TV Commercial:



[The donation button below is for Paladinette. If you like what I write please donate so I can keep on fighting for the 99ers! Thank You!]

U-Cubed Fights on for American Jobs in latest Press Release

"Have a friend who is unemployed? Tell Congress to Stop talking numbers and start talking JOBS."

The following was released last week in response to the DOL's latest "fairy tale" about the jobs situation in America:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Union of Unemployed Facebook Campaign Demands a New Focus on Jobs

Washington, D.C., March 4, 2011 - In response to the Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment report, Ur Union of Unemployed (UCubed) urged our nation’s leaders to stop destroying good-paying American jobs and start creating millions of them.

UCubed has launched an aggressive ad campaign on Facebook, asking users to click “Like” if they agree it’s time Congress stop talking numbers and start talking jobs.

“The government’s rose-colored jobless numbers are falling on deaf ears,” said UCubed Acting Executive Director Rick Sloan. “When you’re out of work for months and in many cases years, the only number you care about is ONE: yourself.”

“The little to no change unemployment rating means no real job growth during the month of February,” said Sloan. “Only 192,000 new jobs were created. Meanwhile, nearly 29 million unemployed and underemployed workers are still without work.

“The jobless want to go back to work. And they want to go back today. It’s time our state and federal leaders delivered on their promise of jobs, jobs, jobs - and stop playing Nero in these incendiary times.”



See UCubed's ad campaign on Facebook.

Ur Union of Unemployed, or UCubed, is a community service project of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) designed to assist the millions of unemployed and underemployed Americans, and to provide them with a structure that allows them to take advantage of their growing numbers. For more information, visit Ur Union of Unemployed.

If you are not yet a part of this growing community of activists, PLEASE JOIN TODAY and help make it work of all of us (it is completely free).

[The donation button below is for Paladinette. If you like what I write please donate so I can keep on fighting for the 99ers! Thank You!]