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Video Rating: 4 / 5

Alternative News and Commentary Even as workers race to prevent the radioactive cores of the damaged nuclear reactors in Japan from melting down, concerns are growing that nearby pools holding spent fuel rods could pose an even greater danger. The pools, which sit on the top level of the reactor buildings and keep spent fuel submerged in water, have lost their cooling systems and the Japanese have been unable to take emergency steps because of the multiplying crises. Experts now fear that the pool containing those rods from the fourth reactor has run dry, allowing the rods to overheat and catch fire. That could spread radioactive materials far and wide in dangerous clouds. The pools are a worry at the stricken reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant because at least two of the three have lost their roofs in explosions, exposing the spent fuel pools to the atmosphere. By contrast, reactors have strong containment vessels that stand a better chance of bottling up radiation from a meltdown of the fuel in the reactor core. If any of the spent fuel rods in the pools did indeed catch fire, nuclear experts say, the high heat would loft the radiation in clouds that would spread the radioactivity. “It’s worse than a meltdown,” said David A. Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer at the Union of Concerned Scientists who worked as an instructor on the kinds of General Electric reactors used in Japan. “The reactor is inside thick walls, and the spent fuel of Reactors 1 and 3 is out in the open …
Video Rating: 5 / 5

What Are the Greatest Books of All Time? The Disinformation Company Found Out

Disinformation Overall Top Ten Books

New York, NY (PRWEB) July 21, 2008

“What is your favorite book of all time?” The Bible? “Gone With The Wind”? Harris Interactive found these two books to be ranked numbers 1 and 2 as America’s favorite books through a recent survey conducted over the Internet. When The Disinformation Company heard about this, whose publishing program caters towards the more alternative and controversial, they took the question straight to their readers with a blog on the popular social networking site MySpace.

“The response was overwhelming,” says Disinformation’s managing editor, Ralph Bernardo, who maintains a company MySpace page of over 114,000 “friends.” The blog turned into an unexpected response survey to the Harris poll, receiving over 1,000 comments, and was the subject of Editor-in-Chief Sara Nelson’s recent editorial in the trade publication of record for the book business, “Publishers Weekly.”

In “Read My Lists” (Publishers Weekly, 7/14/2008) Nelson found it interesting that Disinformation readers “favored backlist over books du jour” and “was skeptical and a little horrified … that such recent books-of-the moment as Dan Brown’s ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and ‘Angels and Demons’ made the Harris poll.”

Here are the results and analysis of The Disinformation Company’s “Favorite Books” MySpace Survey from Disinformation Managing Editor Ralph Bernardo. The overall top ten from their MySpace audience, surveyed from 1,074 responses, was (see attachment: Disinformation Overall Top Ten)…

“Orwell’s ’1984′ is the clear favorite among Disinformation readers, with over 1 in 10 of survey respondents including it in their top ten, and twice as popular as their next favorite, Douglas Adams’s ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,’” reports Ralph Bernardo. “But from there on in, it was a horserace for the remaining spots in the overall top ten.”

The Disinformation top ten list is not without some shared favorites from the Harris poll, “The Lord of The Rings” was a very close 4th place for Disinformation readers (3rd on Harris), and “Catcher in the Rye” came in at 7th place (10th on Harris).

Countercultural landmarks, like Hunter S. Thompson’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse Five,” are favorite books among Disinformation readers, with numerous books by Thompson and Vonnegut cited as favorites among respondents. Other authors favored by Disinformation readers that didn’t make the top ten with one book, whose favorite works were spread across five or more titles, included Charles Bukowski, William S. Burroughs, Albert Camus, Philip K. Dick, Jack Kerouac, and Chuck Palahniuk.

Since the overall top ten was overwhelmingly fiction, with nine out of ten titles, Bernardo created a top ten non-fiction list (see attachment: Disinformation Non-Fiction Top Ten)…

The non-fiction list is dominated by spiritual and philosophical works, with a notable joint appearance from Robert Anton Wilson, who was also on Disinformation’s overall top ten with his cult classic, “The Illuminatus! Trilogy.” Robert Anton Wilson (or RAW, as his fans call him) has been widely discussed on The Disinformation Company’s website since it launched in 1996, and made a memorable appearance at the legendary Disinfo.con event held in New York City in 2000. In 2005, The Disinformation Company distributed a documentary about RAW’s life and works titled Robert Anton Wilson: Maybe Logic.

Wilson, who died in 2007, was famous for saying that his goal was “to try to get people into a state of generalized agnosticism, not agnosticism about God alone, but agnosticism about everything.” Bernardo speculates that RAW would have been amused to find the number one book of all time according to Harris, the Bible, alongside two of his books on Disinformation’s top ten non-fiction list. Wilson, famous for his comedic examination of American paranoia and conspiracies, might even suggest a bit of “disinformation” at work from a secret organization, or perhaps, a higher power.

Responding to questions of divine intervention in the Disinformation MySpace survey, Bernardo expressed that, “one can surely question whether the Bible is really ‘non-fiction,’ as many Disinformation readers already do. Considering that ‘The God Delusion’ and ‘God Is Not Great’ are in our non-fiction top ten, with a famous provocateur of Christianity — Mr. ‘God Is Dead’ himself — Friedrich Nietzsche, within the top five — reaffirms my ‘belief’ that this is a shared sentiment among Disinformation readers.”

Looking more closely into the non-fiction top ten, however, Bernardo contends that Disinformation is not solely a religion- and spirituality-bashing group in the vein of the “Un-Holy” Trinity of the bestselling critics of organized religion: Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens. “With the ‘Tao Te Ching’ at the top for our non-fiction list and placing in the overall top ten,” Bernardo states that “Disinformation is a much more a skeptical audience, and arguably more well-read, than those surveyed in the Harris poll.”

“Our goal as a publisher has always been to find those people that want to question the convention wisdom. And lately, there’s been no shortage of things to have serious questions about,” remarks Bernardo.

About the Disinformation Company

Launched on September 13, 1996, Disinformation (disinfo.com) was designed to be the search service of choice for individuals looking for information on current affairs, politics, new science and the “hidden information” that seldom seems to slip through the cracks of the corporate-owned media conglomerates. Ironically, it was funded by one of the largest media companies in the world (TeleCommunications, Inc. (TCI), now part of Comcast), who paid for placement on Netscape’s then ubiquitous search page.

The site drew immediate attention and (usually) applause from the very same news media that it was criticizing as being under the influence of both government and big business, but the honeymoon was short. Some three weeks after launch the CEO of TCI learned of Disinformation and immediately ordered it closed down. Needless to say, the founding team managed to keep the site going and it has evolved into the largest and most popular alternative news and underground culture destination on the Web.Today The Disinformation Company is independently owned with offices in New York City. In addition to this site, The Disinformation Company also has thriving publishing, television and home video divisions.

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Public Outcry for Privacy in Social Networks Came at a Great Time for Entrepreneur Aaron Sylvan and Tech Startup Trustworks?

Public Outcry for Privacy in Social Networks Came at a Great Time for Entrepreneur Aaron Sylvan and Tech Startup Trustworks™

Aaron Sylvan — Founder and CEO, TrustWorks, Inc.

New York, NY (PRWEB) May 10, 2010

For serial Entrepreneur Aaron Sylvan, Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg’s blatant irreverence for his users’ privacy means one thing: opportunity.

Back in 2007, just as Facebook was taking off, Sylvan anticipated the need for an alternative to the “public feed” model of social networking. He quietly obtained backing from several IT industry giants and business strategists, and an advisory board comprised of dotcom and Fortune 500 execs. The founding partners went on to develop TrustWorks™, a non-broadcast platform for private conversations — like “crowdsourcing” without the crowd.

Now, hovering on the threshold of its launch and distribution, TrustWorks™ is poised and ready to become the solution to what is blossoming into the most widely discussed issue in the tech industry: online privacy.

“I saw the problem when a family member got sick — I didn’t know which friend to talk to, and I wasn’t going to put it on Facebook,” says Sylvan. “Then a CTO friend was complaining about how people at his company never know who to ask, and I realized it’s also a business problem.” Click here for more comments.

On the surface, TrustWorks™ resembles just another question-and-answer site, like Aardvark.com or Answers.com — but the real innovations have to do with privacy and community:

TrustWorks™ is built around real-life communities, such as Universities, Corporations, SIGs, and Professional Organizations.
There are no mailing lists and no public feeds — only direct connections within a user’s trusted group.
Profiles are completely private, answering questions is strictly “opt-in”, anything can be anonymous, and nothing is searchable.
When users need personal or business advice, each question is sent only to one or several individuals who have the right skills or experiences to have the conversation
Just as Facebook has special lists of schools, and LinkedIn has special lists of employers, TrustWorks™ has a special way of storing knowledge.
Dialogs can be vetted for compatibility through a unique system, similar to those found on dating sites like eHarmony.com or match.com.
Questions provide settings for different levels of urgency, and can be handled by email or SMS. IM and VOIP are in development.

For additional information about the product, click here.

When Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg, publicly stated that “Privacy is no longer the social norm,” Sylvan’s team hit the accelerator and expedited completion of an early release of the software.

Just as Facebook launched its controversial system update in April, Sylvan was expanded his small company into hip NYC tech offices Sunshine Suites in TriBeCa.

Now that Congress is finally having to step in and take legislative action to protect Facebook users’ privacy rights, Sylvan’s days are jam packed with software presentations and meetings with Venture Capital firms.

“We expected most of our calls to be from small and medium enterprises, who want a better way for employees to connect than facebook or yammer,” says Sylvan, “but we have also been getting a ton of interest from schools, who want to help alumni and students to exchange private advice about all walks of life, job opportunities, and personal or professional subjects too private for a feed-based.” Research shows that providing high-value connections with other alumni can increase donations by 14-22%, so expect to see TrustWorks coming to your school soon!

Private communities provide faster and better answers to important questions than public broadcast networks. The only thing preventing the tech market from realizing this has been the system to make it work. Now that system is here, in an early release format, with a major upgrade scheduled for Fall 2010.

TrustWorks™ is licensed as a hosted Software-as-a-Service (“SaaS”) solution for small and medium enterprise, discounted for educational organizations and not-for-profits, and currently free for individual users. For more information visit http://about.TrustWorks.com, email info(at)TrustWorks(dot)com, or call +1 646-825-5300.

Media Contact:

Aaron Sylvan (bio at: http://aaronsylvan.com/)

e. aaron(at)TrustWorks(dot)com

c. 917.684.0670

t. @aaronsylvan

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More than Six Million People a Month Get their News from Citizen Journalists on Allvoices

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) July 7, 2010

Allvoices.com, the largest open media site in the world, today announced that 6.5 million unique monthly visitors now get their news and information from more than 375,000 registered citizen journalists reporting on its platform, making it the largest citizen media site in the world. Allvoices is the only media platform where anyone can report unfiltered news and other timely information from anywhere, anytime for immediate consumption by a global audience. Contributor and reader growth is in direct proportion to, and an affirmation of citizen journalism’s popularity, the ease of which anyone can publish reports on Allvoices, and the site’s ability to verify report credibility—an industry first and a necessity in citizen journalism.

Launched just two years ago and already ranked a top 3000 site by Alexa and top 2000 site by Quantcast, Allvoices has quickly become the web’s leading resource for first-hand event accounts from hyper-local to global locales. The public’s hunger for alternative news sources and un-sanitized information has been a major contributor to the site’s popularity as a repository for raw news accounts.

To ensure reports are thorough, Allvoices employs a unique combination of technology, automated aggregation and community content curation to provide a 360 degree view of every contribution. Fully-realized “news packages” can start with as little as a text message. Once received and vetted for authenticity, Allvoices Automated News Room surrounds reports with related information from other mainstream and user-generated sources such as blogs, video, pictures and Twitter to produce a richly detailed accounting from multiple, immediate perspectives.

“Allvoices was born into a media climate where we were the ‘right idea at the right time,’” said Amra Tareen, founder and CEO, Allvoices. “Citizen Journalism is finally coming into its own; there are simply too many information sources now for the mainstream media to keep up with news consumers’ growing expectations of immediacy, unfiltered and unedited content, first hand perspective, the ability to share and manipulate information or become an information source themselves. Allvoices’ rising popularity affirms our belief that news is not defined by a finite number of publishers, but by anyone, anywhere with the means to capture an event and explain its significance.”

Over the past year Allvoices’ rapid technological innovation has raised bar for citizen journalism. The site is responsible for introducing a number of other firsts which have contributed to the site’s popularity as a destination-location for news you can’t find within mainstream sources. Concurrently, interest in specific world events such as the Iranian elections, the World Cup, the Olympics and other political, cultural, socio-economic and human interest stories has also contributed to Allvoices’ rapid user acquisition.

Advancements in citizen journalism coming out of Allvoices this year include:

–The Global Assignment Desk – where both professional and citizen journalists provide regular in-country reports from 30 major cities around the world.

–The appointment of David Warthen, Ask Jeeves (Ask.com) co-founder and Internet visionary as Allvoices’ Chief Technology Officer

–Warthen revolutionized online search and marketing while at Ask Jeeves and helped lead the company through its initial public offering (IPO) in 1999.

–The most lucrative incentive plan in the citizen journalism industry, including health care for citizen reporters

–The Allvoices Syndication Program where:

–Allvoices offers world wide exposure to media and image buyers.

–Allvoices licenses submitted images

–Allvoices international platform showcases contributor images and increases the chances of selling images

–Innovative reporting assignments such as the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa News Reporting Contest, and

“We’ve worked very hard to get to this point, and the reception we’ve received from both the mainstream media and proponents of citizen journalism alike has been tremendous,” said Aki Hashmi, Chief Marketing Officer, Allvoices. “There is broad recognition of the importance of the citizen reporter’s perspective on world events, and before our inception there were few places for that unique, first hand voice. Our goal is to make sure we maintain a strong platform where journalists of all types can publish and promote their work. The numbers we’re announcing today agree with and affirm our intent of providing the best vehicle for anyone who wants to expose news to the world.”

About Allvoices, Inc.

Allvoices.com is the largest global community offering local to global news and perspectives in one place. With its proprietary technology, Allvoices provides a 360p view of news by enabling citizen reporting from its community and international news bureaus that is automatically surrounded by additional sources of content including mainstream news feeds and blogs, social media feeds (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube), images and videos which provides context, insight and diversity of opinions around a broad range topics and issues on the global, national and local levels. Allvoices utilizes professional online news stories and media to determine relevancy and credibility with each contribution made to the site. Its highly automated system blends the latest advances in natural language processing and machine learning with a vibrant, diverse and engaged community so anyone can easily publish relevant, trustworthy news for a global audience. The resulting connection and dialogue between contributors and readers makes Allvoices the destination for breaking news, hyperlocal topics and popular global interest stories (http://www.allvoices.com).

Contact:

press(at)allvoices(dot)com

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Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Shhhhh don’t tell my mom I write for this rag – :-)

Shhhhh don’t tell my mom I write for this rag –

(PRWEB) November 6, 1999

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Alexis Parker

HookMeUp Magazine

(888) 477-6530

alexis@hookmeup.com

http://www.hookmeup.com

HookMeUp.com Launches Its New Web Magazine

Las Vegas, NV – May 26, 1999 – HookMeUp.com launches its new web magazinehttp://www.hookmeup.com>, which now offers surfers an alternative news source of alternative information throughout the United States. Surfers are now able to search over 100,000+ personal advertisements online from other surfer all over the world. HookMeUp.com started its operation by selling advertisements to the adult entertainment community, but now is branching out to be a magazine, online radio program and directory for people looking for alternative information. The changes are due to the high loyalty factors in their surfers and the increase in foot traffic to the sight. HookMeUp.com is well positioned to cater to the growing need of online surfers looking for alternative information.

HookMeUp.com is one of a few men’s web magazines, so far, to receive the increase traffic due to the convention Comdex in Las Vegas, Nevada. HookMeUp.com has served as an information source for this convention, and many others across the United States.The upsurge in hits/surfers is also due to the reason the World Wide Web is so popular – HookMeUp.com is an unbiased information source. HookMeUp.com has a laundry list of all the adult clubs in Las Vegas, and will adding reviews and updates to other cities across America.

HookMeUp.com is read internationally as well, with a strong surfer concentration from the East travelers.The international and national appeal and clever URL name is what makes HookMeUp.com the buzz on the World Wide Web.

HookMeUp.com is located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company strives to provide top quality service and information into the next millennium. For additional information on HookMeUp.com or the free magazine that they offer visit their Web site http://www.hookmeup.com

Or call (888) 477-6530.

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Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

New Website ‘Conspiracy Digest’ Challenges So-Called News

(PRWEB) October 13, 2000

Recent surveys have shown that readers are less likely to “believe” the news than ever before.

The ABCNNBCBS-Fox Media Cartel is losing credibility daily. In fact, media analysts say the time is coming when so-called “news” will be regarded like the pronouncements of the old Soviet Pravda — disinformation with no real value.

Newly launched alternative media website ‘Conspiracy Digest’ has a different agenda — to show readers how the Real World really works.

Its in-depth investigative journalism will focus on politics, law and business issues.

Conspiracy Digest will also explore insider trading and backroom deals at the highest levels — who cheats, who profits, and where the money goes.

The website’s first major feature article is called “BUSHWHACKED: HUD Fraud, Spooks and the Slumlords of Harvard” by Uri Dowbenko.

“Bushwhacked” is the true story of the hidden side of Washington — how corporate honchos, shaky intell agents, and government officials ambushed Hamilton Securities, a small Washington DC financial advisory firm.

Headed by former Dillon Read partner and FHA Commissioner Catherine Austin Fitts, Hamilton Securities was a model company saving taxpayers billions of dollars.

The problem was that Hamilton stepped on insider toes and they drove it out of business.

This original Conspiracy Digest exclusive feature story, “Bushwhacked,” tells the facts and names names. So readers can connect the dots between criminal corporate and government networks.

The cast of characters includes Harvard Endowment Fund, Harvard Management, DynCorp, Cargill, First City Financial of Waco, Texas, HUD, CIA and the Department of Justice.

“Bushwhacked” describes in easy to understand language what happens when ordinary people get slammed by Washington insiders in cahoots with the underworld.

Conspiracy Digest readers will learn about:

+ Who’s Who in the Corporate Government Mobocracy,

+ Private Spies and Spooky Judges

+ Bosses of the Underworld and their Overworld Connections

Conspiracy Digest is the latest website production of New Improved Entertainment Corp. Other affiliated subsidiary sites include:

Steamshovel Press. All Conspiracy. No Theory http://www.steamshovelpress.com

Conspiracy Planet.The Alternative News & History Network.http://www.conspiracyplanet.com

Al Martin Raw: Secrets of Iran Contra

http://www.almartinraw.com

New Improved Entertainment Corp. delivers real news alternatives to the Mega-Media Cartel. These websites challenge so-called news-analysis from politically correct, virtually indistinguishable global conglomerates.

Alternative media is the promise of the internet, and Conspiracy Digest is a prime example of the best case scenario for the future — high quality content, clean design and real value for its readers.

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Self-Promoting Websites that Makes Website Owners Money on the First Day.

(PRWEB) February 14, 2005

We set the system up to work with any search engine we partner with in the future and we have attempted to reach out to Overture-Yahoo, but to no avail. The number 1 PPC in the world hasnÂ?t even responded to an email, phone call to partner relations, not even to a signed for FedEx delivery to contact the company. Â?It makes since to attempt to work with the big 3 (Yahoo, MSN, Google) versus always combating them.Â? Said President Donny Lairson Â?Unfortunately when a company goes public it becomes a nightmare to deal with. Their priorities change to controlling growth for stock purposes rather than attempting the impossible.Â? FireBase Software engaged in open contracts with webs second and fourth largest PPC Findwhat.com and Searchfeed.com.

We have lots of add-on modules built and ready to go for the software, but we intend to release them at a controllable pace. FireBase Software expects to see immediate and huge growth and wants to ensure that the core is sound before adding the extras to the functionality. Modules like offline article updates, allowing writers to be at trade shows, political events and write in real time on their laptops and update later when Internet access is available, sending the completed article to the site with just a click. Topic specific Syndicated content importation is one of our more powerful tools. It will change the way news sites utilize Associated press and other mass content distribution. The software eliminates the duplicated labor of maintaining multiform of media; radio, news syndication, television and website updates of the same news. This will also have a positive effect on Â?NewÂ? or alternative news sources which can see a much wider distribution without the need to pull visitors directly to their site. The big module that PPC search engines will love is a Catalog that directly promotes products into PPCÂ?s and generates the keyword terms for them automatically and verifies that the user is not Â?spammingÂ? the PPC.

When building the software FireBase had to overcome thoughts like; why would someone use this? We built the affiliate advertising for PPC right into the software. Users of Firebase Software get paid for using right from day 1. We didnÂ?t want to get stuck with the Â?Free SoftwareÂ? idea its not free we just completely changed the way we get paid for it. We only get paid if the software actually works. If our software is not helping you generate traffic then we donÂ?t make any money. This is the integrity check that most software companies will avoid at all costs.

Updating members and controlling false spam accusations at the same time, was another goal. Email campaigns to a member list usually have 35% effectiveness. RSS has 65% effectiveness and your company canÂ?t be accused of spamming. False spam accusations have hurt many businesses over the past couple years and our software deals with that immediately. Every page you add to the software is immediately updated on your RSS feed. Members who are watching a topic will automatically be notified of an update via their RSS readers. Since RSS is the new shortcut to quick website promotion having it built into the software was a must.

Since we were making money even during beta testing we were happy to keep quietly building in order to release a huge platform all at once. We decided to go more quickly because we didnÂ?t want to wait until it looked like WE were the copycats. It was becoming evident that the big three was figuring out what we have known for years. We hope that by launching now more direct contact from these companies will come from their side of the table instead of just ours, Even though we are happy with the partners we have now, and results have exceeded our initial expectations, we know there are things that could be made better by working with the Big 3 directly.

Point and click direct marketing, massive content syndication capabilities, self optimizing robot friendly pages that help prevent search spamming, quick and easy to use website building; The Question is where is your website going in the future and is it flexible enough to get you there?

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Related Alternative News Press Releases

Shepherd Express Names Vogel to Head Web and Advertising Sales; Announces New Reader Initiatives

Milwaukee, WI (PRWEB) July 2, 2007

Celebrating 25 years in Milwaukee, Shepherd Express will launch new community discussion sites later this year under the direction of citizen media veteran, Andy Vogel. Shepherd-Express.com’s local Web sites will operate to keep communities informed about local events and issues in their neighborhoods using tools such as blogs, wikis, photo galleries and events calendars.

“As we enter the 2008 political season, greater access to online tools for more informed and reasoned debate on the topics of the day are needed,” said Louis Fortis, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Shepherd Express. “I’m pleased to be able to add Andy’s passion for Milwaukee and online community building to ours. Milwaukeeans want to be able to express opinions that matter to them within their community, and this will add another option for our advertisers seeking to reach one of the most politically aware reader groups in Wisconsin,” Fortis added.

Vogel, formerly Director of Digital Strategy for the Journal Sentinel and General Manager of Backfence.com, adds unique experience from dot com start-ups like cars.com and traditional media companies like Gannett and Detroit Newspapers. He has held several senior level advertising, business development, technology marketing and sales positions in the software, Internet, automotive retailing and newspaper industries.

For years, Vogel has been blogging on the state of interactive media and marketing in Milwaukee and was the Founder of the Milwaukee Interactive Marketing Association. Vogel has won numerous advertising awards, including the NAA’s New Media Edge Award for best advertising campaign, and is a frequent judge for interactive advertising awards.

About Shepherd Express:

Shepherd Express was founded in 1982 and is the only alternative news-weekly in the Milwaukee area. Using investigative reporting, satire and an emphasis on high-quality writing, Shepherd Express went from a monthly to a weekly beginning in 1988. The paper prints 72,000 issues a week, reaching 244,500 readers, almost 20 percent of the metro market. Shepherd-express.com reaches an additional 90,000 unique visitors each month.

The Shepherd Express offers in-depth analysis and coverage of trends and developments in the urban environment through investigative reporting, commentary and feature stories. The approach is to put a different perspective on the issues that challenge a Midwest urban area in the 21st century — education, race relations, transportation, economics, environment and health.

Shepherd Express’ news scope doesn’t stop at the city line, as the paper has won awards for environmental reporting on issues that concern the entire state. It has been recognized many times over the years as “Best Music Newspaper” by the Wisconsin Area Music Awards.

In the field of entertainment, Shepherd Express is Milwaukee’s guide to local music, arts, movies, dining and high culture. It also has the most complete calendar of events listings in town. Shepherd Express publishes the official gate guide to America’s largest music festival, Summerfest. Shepherd Express is also the founder of the Milwaukee International Film Festival, and publisher of the annual Inside Milwaukee City Guide, a comprehensive guide to food, festivals, music, shopping, and life in metropolitan Milwaukee.

The Shepherd Express remains one of America’s few locally owned alternative newsweeklies. It has been published since 1997 by Louis Fortis, a Ph.D. economist, international consultant, and former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Contact:

Louis Fortis

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

(414) 276-2222 ext. 202

Andy Vogel

Vice President

Advertising and Online Products

(414) 276-2222 ext. 207

Milwaukee Shepherd Express

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San Antonio Voters Ready for City’s First Virtual-Interactive Town Hall Meeting

SA4Mayor.com

San Antonio, TX (PRWEB) April 12, 2009

It has been less than 90 days since SA4Mayor.com launched, but come Tuesday April 14, what first started as a Digital Journalism project of the heart, will mark a historic moment in community-driven journalism, and what is to be the Alamo City’s first online and on site LIVE Town Hall Meeting where the people of San Antonio have the final word.

“Our goal is to open the door to everyone. We want to go beyond traditional candidates forums, and complement the richest of local media,” says Patricio Espinoza, Emmy award winning journalist and Founder-Managing Editor of SA4Mayor.com. “We have built an online 24/7 stage, they – the people – are coming, and now it is up to the candidates to meet the challenge.”

The Interactive Townhall is to be webCast LIVE Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 6:30-7:30pm CST. To reach the broadest audience possible, SA4Mayor.com has teamed up with the Current, San Antonio’s award-winning alternative news-weekly. Both will carry the webCast on http://www.sa4mayor.com and http://www.sacurrent.com.

‘The Current is proud to be a part of this grassroots effort to create a forum for San Antonio’s citizens to speak directly with their candidates,’ said Current Editor Elaine Wolff. “SA4Mayor.com has made an impressive debut this election season, and we’re looking forward to partnering with them on future projects that put the power of the internet to work for the people.”

Top contenders Julian Castro, Diane Cibrian, Trish DeBerry-Mejia, and Sheila McNeil have confirmed their participation. In recent weeks several of the campaigns have hosted their own blogging and twitter events. Following the webCast, the town hall video will be available on-demand, in the remaining days leading up to the election.

During the Town Hall Meeting, a live online and on site audience will be asking the questions. SA4Mayor.com has also recruited the San Antonio’s Social Media Club membership to bring a greater number of Twitters, bloggers, and social media users. “It’s Your Turn” a series of SA4Mayor.com web video reports, connecting the candidates for Mayor, and questions from San Antonio’s voters will also be used. “It is after all, Your Voice, Your Vote, Your Forum, to on elections day pick Your Mayor… and everyone is invited,” says Espinoza.

Self funded, SA4mayor.com is powered-by a local crew of experienced news media professionals and volunteers. “Many are journalists in transition working for the greater good regardless of whether we get paid or not,” says Espinoza, who has also been able to recruit NewTek, a San Antonio based company, and one of the world’s top technology players in new media, winner of a 1993 Emmy for their invention of desktop video.

“Technology plays a big part in what we do,” said Patricio. Newtek is the creator of the TriCaster. “It’s a digital studio in a box that allows our team to put out a broadcast quality, live online product literally with a click of a mouse.” ‘NewTek is proving in-kind the one thing that brings it all together.’ AT&T Wireless has joined this groundbreaking event, and will be powering wireless laptops. Cynthia Muñoz of Muñoz Public Relations, MPR is also supporting the effort as well as renowned Taco Taco Cafe, a family owned local restaurant, and attorney Magdalena Gonzalez.

San Antonio College, RTF Dept. Chair Markene Bennett is hosting the Virtual-Interactive Townhall meeting at the school’s state-of-the-art RTVF facility.

“It is good to see our community come together, our volunteer crew, our partners, and these local businesses share our vision and efforts in the public interest, because local democracies and local Journalism thrive with local support,” concludes Espinoza.

CONTACTS: Cynthia Muñoz, MPR, 210.860.9633 cynthia(at)munozpublicrelations.com

NewTek Inc., Jennifer Thurlow, 210.370.8216 jthurlow(at)newtek.com

SA4Mayor.com, Marketing, Momenta Plus / ¡Claro Que Sí! Joe Flores, 210.573.7832 jaflores(at)satx.rr.com

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