The 99% Kind of Change

"Be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

A few weeks back I was planning on writing a post about people that add quotes to their Facebook pages about changing the world. You know the ones. The "dance like no one's watching", "try something new everyday" types.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized something.

Less than 1% of change in the world comes from monumental choices, inventions, causes, political movements, etc. Those are the ones that grab all the headlines. The ones that receive awards, and are placed on pedestals. And rightly so. Great achievement deserves recognition.

But what about the other 99% of change? The kind of change that comes slowly, sporadically, but steadily from people all around us. The kind that comes from people that post things like "Live. Laugh. Love." on their wall.

Robert F. Kennedy said it best. "Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

I think that's what Gandhi meant as well. He didn't mean that we each need to tackle a global issue head on (though I truly respect those who take up that sort of cause.)

Because in pursuit of causing one great change (the 1%) you can miss the 99% of opportunities all around you to affect others in a positive way.

Regardless of what your Facebook wall says, why not look for opportunities at work, at home, and all around you to impact people and cause real change? The 99% kind that will never win you any awards, but can have a huge impact on someone's life.

Manic Monday: Googly Eyes Gardener

I thought it might be nice to take a Monday off of sharing some political humor and post a classic clip from SNL.

This one's for all of you Christopher Walken fans out there...



I wonder is this trick would work on the NYSE's message boards.

How to Fix the Economy (10 words or less)

Ron Paul was recently interviewed on Fox News and offered up this simple, but brilliant way for us to get out of this recession.

"Spend less. Live within our means. Work harder. Start Saving."

What a concept. Why don't we stop looking for the government (our tax dollars) to bail us out and begin making smarter choices on an individual basis?

I know. Easier said than done. It's really hard to reverse the tide of 300 million people. But what about just one person: you?

This sounds familiar.

New Tunes Just Around The Bend

Upcoming albums that I'm pumped about (and you should be to)...


Coldplay - Prospekt's March (Nov '08)

Generally EPs drop before a full album release, but these British lads will follow up their June release of Viva la Vida or Death And All His Friends with additional songs from their most recent studio sessions. Track I'm most pumped about: "Lost+" featuring Jay-Z.




The Killers - Day and Age (Nov '08)

After silencing critics with their sophomore effort "Sam's Town" in 2006 and subsequent release of B-sides compilation "Sawdust", The Killers keep bringing indie heat. If "Day and Age" is anything like the first two, we're all in for a treat.



The Fray - Untitled (Jan '09)

I'm especially pumped about this group's sophomore album. If the songs floating around YouTube are any indication, these Denver bloats are here to stay. On a personal note, I got a chance to meet these guys in October '06 when they were already working on this album. Needless to say, it's about time!



And may I recommend one more album to check out: Brett Dennen's "Hope for the Hopeless" which dropped on Monday. Dennen has flown under the radar for years (and will probably continue to) but this kid is a seriously talented songwriter. Listen at your own reward.

Manic Monday: McCain and Obama (Re-mixed)

If the networks really wanted to get some off the chart ratings, they would show mash-ups like this of the presidential debates. I've watched all three presidential debates as well as the VP debate.

And I can honestly say I learned TONS more about each candidate in this video's minute and a half than I ever have in the hours of debate coverage.


If you're viewing this on Facebook, click here to see the video.

John McCain is Alexander the Great, and Barack Obama has superpowers!? Why have we not heard about these key facts earlier?

The Resolution (Jack's Mannequin)

To wrap up my birthday week, my wonderful girlfriend bought us tickets to see Jack's Mannequin tonight @ The Social.

This will be my third time seeing Jack's Mannequin in concert, needless to say I'm pumped. If you haven't heard of Jack's Mannequin, please check them out. You won't regret it.



What I love about his new album "The Glass Passenger" is that it goes beyond sweet melodies and catchy rifts. It's about searching for something more, finding a better place, and fighting for the goodness in life at all costs.

I think we can all use a little more of that. When you're going through tough times, sometimes all you need is a reminder that there are better days ahead.

"I'll be lying in the dark as I search for the resolution."

Change Costs Just $25 and 10 minutes

Today is October 15. But today is also Blog Action Day 2008. Today thousands of bloggers all around the world are talking about one thing: poverty.

To be fair I don't have much experience with this subject, and if you're reading this you don't either. But we have only to see a few pictures on the news to know it's real.

In the past, it was easy to look at these graphic images and ask (or more likely assume) that our government was doing their part to provide aid to some of these third world countries.

But no longer. Today, each of us has the ability to act and directly impact a family's life across the globe. Thanks to microlending sites like, Kiva.org, you can contribute directly to the impoverished.

If you have $25 and 10 minutes, you can send a loan to an entrepreneur in a third world country immediately. Within 6-12 months, you get your money back and you can then lend it to the next person.

Kossi Agbadzi is married and the father of 5 children. Kossi buys and resells coffee and cocoa products in Danyi, a village located approximately 175 kilometers from Lomé, the capital of Togo. With this loan, he wishes to buy more products for resale.

Go ahead. What are you waiting for? Stop talking about changing the world, and change one person's world today. Right now.

I just did. It took ten minutes to loan $25 to Kossi. He's now at 79% of his $1,050 goal and that much closer to a better life for him and his family.

Getting Out the Vote: From Xbox to Jewish Grannies

I had a post ready to go out earlier this week about a recent McCain rally in which GOP supporters were saying some pretty scary stuff. But I decided to restrain.

Instead, I thought I would take a look at two non-traditional marketing tactics Sen. Obama launched over the last week. It's no secret that the Obama Camp has ushered in a whole new era of marketing for political campaigns.

Much of that work has come in the realm of online marketing and social media which is well documented here, here, and here.

With less than three weeks to go to Election Day, the Illinois Senator has released two new tactics: one is cutting edge, and the other is a throwback to social media (pre-internet.)

Gigaom reported yesterday that Obama Ads are now showing up on billboards in the Xbox 360 racing game Burnout Paradise. Talk about reaching the youth vote.


And on the opposite end of the generation spectrum, The Great Schlep, "aims to have Jewish grandchildren visit their grandparents in Florida, educate them about Obama, and therefore swing the crucial Florida vote in his favor."

I'm not saying either of these tactics will single-handily swing the election. But they do represent more out of the box thinking from a candidate that has not only pushed the envelope of campaign marketing, he's reinvented the game.

Manic Monday: Toy Story As Dark Knight

I'm thinking this could make Toy Story 3 pretty interesting. Of course, it could also scare the living bejesus out of some little kids.



Click here to watch the high quality version on YouTube.

Coming Out for Obama

Some of you may already know by now. But for those that don't, and in the spirit of National Coming Out Day, I thought it was time for me to make it official...

I, John Rogers (Registered Republican), fully support Barack Obama for President of the United States.



With less than three weeks to go before the election, it's time to get out the vote. It's time for change. It's time for renewed hope. It's time for us to make a difference.

Yes. We. Can.

Manic Monday: Palin/Biden Debate (SNL)

Let's get Mavricky...

Happy Birthday Google!

As part of Google's 10th Anniversary they're doing some pretty sweet stuff, including a search engine that crawls a 2001 cached internet.

I just googled Barack Obama and it returned 771 results in the 2001 time capsule vs. 77,900,000 results if you google him today. It's amazing what can happen in a short 7 years.

They also launched a micro site featuring all kinds of cool widgets and gizmos.

But Project 10 ^100, easily takes the cake with the search giant giving back. It's going to award $10 million to whoever has the greatest idea that can positively affect the largest amount of people in the world in various categories.



What an awesome way to celebrate a birthday? I wish I had tens of millions of dollars to give back to others on my birthday.