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The Embassy of Haiti is collecting relief items this SUNDAY 1/17, 11 - 4pm.

2311 Massachusetts Avenue, NW   20008

Phone: 202-332-4090

Baby formula (dry/powder)
Baby wipes
Baby bottles
Diapers
Baby clothes
Hand sanitizer
Vitamins
Toiletries (shampoo, soap, toothpaste)
First aid kits
Over the counter medicines
Socks
Blankets
Mosquito repellent
Flashlights
Batteries
Candles
Flip-flops
T-shirts, pants, lightweight jacket

Non-perishable food that’s not in cans (seal-packs of tuna or sardines, for example). There are dozens more items; this is just a starter list. Think flat, lightweight, easily packable.

It’s the first workday of the new decade. It’s a chance to reclaim what we lost, but more importantly, a chance to begin taking concrete steps toward the future we started to envision on the campaign trail a couple of years ago.

For the Millennial Generation, of which I am a proud member, the terror, disappointments, heroism and aspirations of the last decade contextualized the tumultuous socio-political climate that has the potential to define our future. As we came of age and consciousness, we observed bitter partisanship, fraudulent elections, timid leadership, convoluted priorities, bloodshed and intolerable inequities. However, we also saw the inklings of a renewed democracy, fueled primarily by Barack Obama’s strong leadership and a technological revolution that has redistributed power and provided us with opportunities to become a generation of entrepreneurs. Whether we succumb to pettiness and convention or set our own new standard of success is a choice that’s ours to make.

I think we should make that choice today, and refuse to be small-minded about it.

To that end, I’m starting “The 2020 Project” with my pals at Causecast.org, to ask my peers to thoroughly evaluate their perfect visions for the new decade. To get our brains warmed up and out of that post-Holiday lethargy, this week I’m beginning a series of conversations with the 25 most interesting Millennial leaders I know. For 10 minutes each, I will ask some of the most dynamic people in politics, media and technology to share with us how they’d like to see their industries, our generation and American society evolve over the next 10 years. The interviews will be available for iTunes download and published on Mondays and Thursdays. You can find them compiled on HuffPost Impact, on Causecast.org and here on MaeganCarberry.com.

I’ve been blessed over the last three years, as a web entrepreneur and blogger, to travel around the country and meet some of the most compelling members of the generation who are taking risks and leading by example. My friends and colleagues whom you are about to meet are Republicans, Democrats, business-owners, filmmakers, bloggers, new media strategists, activists, comedians, journalists, foodies, musicians, veterans, entertainers, and thought-leaders in all the things that they do. I have collected them meticulously for a number of reasons: their fierce patriotism, moral convictions, strong judgment, bold nature, unconventional thinking, raw talent, and – above all else – the ability to think beyond their own worldviews. I hope you will enjoy getting to know them as much as I have, and that they will inspire you to make your own contribution to our collective future.

Among the many inspiring things our president said in 2008, I was struck by two things in particular that I’ve decided to carry with me regardless of how I may feel about his various policies now that he’s in office. First, he said: “People don’t want to be against something, they want to be for something.” He also said, “We’re not going to settle for what the world is, we’re going to strive for what it might be.”

I truly believe that within our generation is the power to alter paradigms that have held us back. There’s no need to skulk under your covers this morning in fear of facing another workweek in another year that will pass us by. Today is our generation’s best day as Americans, because we don’t have to passively react to the rules established by our parents, teachers, bosses, mentors and elders. We have arrived, and we can decide in our decade what we’re for, and what the future might be.

As a new media robot who’s slowly starting to re-embrace real life, I found the incident to be somewhat crass, if still patriotic. Naturally, a subsequent conversation about the merits of the themes in “Back to the Future,” “Minority Report” and any flick starring Will Smith ensued with some of our other friends at the New Year’s Eve dinner party I hosted the next evening. As was often the case in 2009, my pals expressed a deep concern about our generation’s instantaneous culture and artificial intelligence (in every sense the term implies).

Since we are moving obscenely fast in our everyday lives, it was lovely to have the opportunity over the last 10 days to be a tourist in my new city who had also recently lost her camera and had (mostly) taken a hiatus from Twitter. Instead of documenting every moment, I lived it and processed it. The experience reminded me often of my first trip to the nation’s capital in 1998, as a student in the Presidential Classroom program.

When I was younger DC invoked a vigorous response in me, that lives now only in old journals and a 12-year-old photo of my PC classmates that my mother found in my moving boxes last month. Though I had no Facebook statuses then to characterize my experience, I can remember standing breathless before the steps of the Supreme Court, a body that would disgust me three years later when judges from both parties reversed decades worth of states vs. federal rights decisions for political purposes in Bush v. Gore. I remember crying at the Sewall Belmont house over the sacrifices of women for equality. I remember visiting the Capitol the night of Bill Clinton’s State of the Union address, having walked past the Watergate where Monica Lewinsky was holed up the day before. (Imagine how disastrous social media would have been in those days? #TigerWoods)

I’ve been here on numerous occasions since then on business, but haven’t really allowed the weight of the city’s history and its symbolic significance to sink in as I did these past two weeks. I worked tirelessly to elect Barack Obama, yet standing with my parents and Nate at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at sunset and reading The Gettysburg Address etched in stone was not only majestic; It overwhelmed me with the reminder that America is not operating in a “post-racial” era now, despite our progress. This thought was cemented at Arlington a few days later, while Nate and I read the map of Robert E. Lee’s house, which listed the “Slave Quarters/Book Store” as a stopping point of interest, as though it were Thunder Mountain at Disneyland. Likewise, I may have poured over news about Teddy Kennedy’s death, which upset Megan and I a great deal this fall, but that didn’t at all prepare me to stand in front of his understated grave beside his fallen brothers, where Nate and I could still make out the rectangle of freshly dug grass that had been unearthed to bury a force of nature.

Was I supposed to post these thoughts and emotions as they came to me? Something in me just couldn’t bare to Twitpic the Lion of the Senate at rest. It was the same feeling we had watching that 5th-grader-turned-citizen-journalist at the Constitution, which was only magnified throughout the Archives as we watched our nation’s records evolve over the centuries. From early TV footage of Roosevelt, to Fidel Castro’s childhood letter to the White House requesting a $10 bill he’d never seen from the President, to an exhibit of 80s computer wiring the length or the wall that Maury aptly pointed out had less power than the iPhone in his pocket.

The holiday, for me, was an important contextual experience as I begin a new decade in this city. My mission has always been to tell the story of my peers as we come to fruition, and while I’ve made it a point in my career to be cutting edge, I am starting to feel that a responsible oracle - whether she etches hieroglyphics or codes a gnarly Facebook app - can never err too far on the side of human frailty.

I’ve come a long way, through the elites of Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York to the power center of the country, to try to capture the citizenship, possibility and progress we have at our feet as Americans in a way that’s grounded in reality. I’ve wondered many times if it’s better to be an insider who breaks stories at fancy parties by cozying up to even further entrenched insiders, or on the ground in places like Iowa and Ohio where I’ve worked directly with the people whose lives are effected by the elections those elite prey on with cyclical precision. Industries exist around this, gregarious inspiring and nefarious leaders enable it, zealous citizens of every party organize around it, modern day Thomas Paines blog it, disenfranchised people live it.

Some days, during the grind, it becomes dangerously close to sport. It’s reality, and history breathes around us, with us. When I look back on 2010 as it ends, I hope I can say I carried with me throughout the year the sense of obligation I feel right now to use the true value of networks and innovation to connect us back to what really matters.

At some point a monument becomes an edifice next to Starbucks, but the idea it represents is ubiquitous.

I certainly couldn’t have predicted that the year would end like this, and that’s what excites me about 2010. The things we can’t anticipate are always the ones to revel in, and I suspect the new decade will bring with it many surprises that will delight and energize me. I hope the many chapters to come will continue to be enjoyed in good company, and so a few “thank yous” to the people who made this bursting-at-the-seams year the kind of story I always wanted to write:

To my dear friend and business partner, Romi Lassally, for loving me enough to let me go out into the world on my own.

To Eric Kuhn and Maury Postal, whose minds congeal with mine in the perfect unconventional delicacy, like an ice cream bento box at Nobu.

To Katy Tur and Katie Halper, who I met on the same cold January day over Cuban sandwiches and red wine, respectively. You became the best gal pals I needed to make New York a memorable experience.

To Ted Johnson, Teresa Valdez Klein and Blaise Nutter for a second amazing year of “Wilshire & Washington,” my favorite project.

To Rachel Goldstein and Michael Skolnik for building me a new family of visionaries, a group that serves as my compass in the ambitious journey of our generation.

To the brilliant, prolific and dashing Ari Melber, for setting the standard of punditry and pushing me to match it.

To Baratunde Thurston, for turning a tough year into a victory and reminding me that we can work through anything with the right attitude. You are the definition of poise under pressure.

To some of the amazing women I met on the professional event circuit: Megan Carpentier, Amanda Ernst, Deanna Zandt, Nichelle Stephens and Aly Campbell. Your work and ability to balance demanding lives is an inspiration.

To Jon Henke, David All, George Alafoginis, Lizzy Blackney, Patrick Ruffini and Kristen Soltis for opening my eyes to the robust nature of Republican principles and the possibilities of what that party can offer in the new decade.

To Cory Booker, the dynamic mayor of Newark, NJ, for sharing your powerful story. Sometimes when you’re giving a monologue in another random living room full of people you wonder who is listening. I heard you when you said, “do something.” Needed that.

To John Battelle, for taking my “What next?” phone call and giving good advice.

To Jeff Pulver, for the amazing Twitter conferences that gave me the chance to love all the nutty people I follow in 140 characters in real life as well.

To the Energy Action Coalition team of passionate activists where I’ve finally found a home and a cause worth fighting for: Pete, Whit, Lili, Anjali, Danny, Adam, Ethan and our fearless leader, Jessy.

To Katie Masterson, Aamer Madhani, Andrew Satter and Janet Rabin: I’m thrilled that we will get to resume our friendship in close proximity.

To Shannon Hawes, Jacqueline Bush and Rich Wisz for diving into the domestic adventure of a lifetime, and for staying friends and supporters no matter what happens.

To Amber and James Bracegirdle for being Scarlett O’Hara’s and my east coast family.

To my cousin Nora Fitzgerald, who suffered great losses and confronted life-changing fears. I am sad we were not able to spend as much time together this year, but my heart never leaves yours.

To Kate Hahn and Adam Davis, my spiritual heroes and the kindest people I know.

To Megan Rollins, who knows better than to have listened to me when I was 23 years old now that she is too.

To Sarah and Damon Carroll and Julie and Brent Price for making me overcome my fear of weddings. Yours weren’t half bad, and we can totally still hang out until you have kids.

To Chris Sprow, my catalyst in so many things and the best writer I’ve ever encountered.

To Gramma, for being resilient through adversity and looking life in the eye every day with a smile and a good book.

To Mom and Dad, who have always believed whole-heartedly that I can change the world, even before Barack Obama said it was cool.

We start with the health care debate, and how digital media has been driving a lot of this debate. Without the blogs, would the public option have lasted this long? Probably not. We tackle Obama’s First 100 Days™. Remember how CNN covered that “story” and then how they covered Obama’s first 200 days as well? They called it news; I call it basic arithmetic. Obviously these stories are moves for higher ratings (isn’t CNN behind the Fly Fishing Network at this point?) but did it work? Is it good for us?

We continue our beat-down of CNN with the coverage of the Iranian Election. Digital media was all over that story, yet CNN - which wants to be a “serious” news channel - defended its lack of coverage (remember #cnnfail?) As Stelter notes, cable news needs to be a live stream, and once Iran became a story, CNN should have followed. But isn’t it a little unfair to bash CNN? Our standards for them are so high (we don’t expect the same from MSNBC or Fox) but when CNN covers silly issues like Michael Jackson’s funeral so extensively, it just confuses us.

While digital has had its moments this year, Stelter believes the MSM is still driving the story most of the time, especially with topics like Afghanistan and Iraq, which - because of cost and safety - are impossible for bloggers to really cover. Then again, the major networks didn’t even have Kabul bureaus for years, even though we had a war going on in Afghanistan. Good job, guys. This begs the question: Should the MSM actually cover active US warzones? No? Err…

Finally, we discuss a couple of those nutty stories in the past year - balloon boy, the arrest of the Harvard Professor for being black and in his home, what kind of beer Obama is drinking… you know, real stories. With things like these dominating MSM coverage, don’t we need a filter for all these non-stories? (I’m told this filter is usually called “editors.” Never heard of ‘em.) And as we distribute, and redistribute, news and content, shouldn’t we ourselves take some responsibility and ask, “Is this news good for us?”

Listen to the show here.

The Right Idea, Episode 35: The Future of Communication from The Winston Group on Vimeo.

I spent a lovely afternoon with Kristen Soltis, of The Winston Group, and Mark Drapeau (a.k.a. @cheeky_geeky) discussing the future of communications. Please disregard my wretched hair; Rich and I were up assembling IKEA furniture until 1am the night before!

Here’s the video from last week’s panel at the #140conf. The panel features some of my favorite colleagues: Ted Johnson (Managing Editor, Variety), James Sutyando (Strategic Development, CauseCast), Jacob Soboroff (Reporter AMC News and Founder Why Tuesday?), and Wendy Cohen (TakePart.com, Participant Media).

Many thanks to Jeff Pulver for having us in the mix; we enjoyed ourselves.

When campaign ‘08 ended, I was at a crossroads personally and professionally. The opinion journalism industry I pursued early in my career had altered permanently, and opportunities to inspire civic participation among my peers materialized that I’d never even dreamed of back in my days at UCLA as a political science student, reading “Bowling Alone” and struggling with the 2000 election and Sept. 11 attacks. There were a number of directions to go in from here, from formally joining the administration to twittering myself into a frenzy until I topped the Mediaite power rankings with breaking photos of myself with celebrities. However, after careful deliberation it seemed most prudent to espouse what I believe by proving the things I talk about. I’m always arguing that my generation, the Millennial Generation, is interested in using new technologies to rally around niche issues by operating outside of partisan politics-as-usual. I’m thrilled to have an opportunity to be in the trenches, to experience directly the amazing youth movement that began last year as it grows and emerges in all its Clay Shirky-esque glory.

It’s a novel concept that a ‘talking head’ would actually do something about the circumstances she blabbers about, one that some of my former colleagues will likely question the journalistic merits of. I will leave that to Columbia J-school professors to argue about, and forge ahead fully into the exciting innovations in citizen reporting and storytelling that are now available to all of us. I promise those of you who have followed me from the Chicago Tribune to the LA Times to the Huffington Post and “Wilshire & Washington” that I will always be transparent and thoughtful. Moreover, I am extremely excited to help my peers renew their commitment to change as we come to fruition as a generation.

Likewise, it will be wonderful to settle down a bit after a long period of strenuous travel and self-discovery. For the last three years, it’s been typical to hear chiding comments from friends: “Where ARE you?” Let’s just say it’s been an adventure as a self-employed “rogue blogger chick.” I’ll be forever grateful that I went all over the country, from Iowa to Denver and beyond, observing the political campaigns in action, participating in the blogosphere and new media revolution, attending mind-blowing tech conferences, meeting amazing young professional leaders and prevailing over a failed existential crisis involving the ‘love of my life,’ which brought me to New York for most of 2009. I’m sure to some extent this nomadic curious streak is an inherent part of my nature, and I’ll welcome the adventure and knowledge that comes with such a lifestyle.

I’ve always been one to follow my heart and insist on my vision. I’m so thankful for the people who supported my dreams over this wild ride: Mom & Dad, Shannon Hawes, Romi Lassally, Megan Rollins, Jacqueline Bush, Rich Wisz, Amber & James Bracegirdle, Katie Halper, Katy Tur, Eric Kuhn, Maury Postal, Brian Dockstader, and Damon & Sarah Carroll have logged countless hours and comfortable couches in the quest to make this happen.

Looking forward to continuing to tell you the compelling stories of my peers in the context of a media realignment we can probably just barely fathom.

It’s been a year since President Obama engaged a new generation of Americans in his historic non-traditional campaign, but what are those fearless young leaders doing now? We’re gathering some of them together to discuss how they’ve continued the momentum in creative ways that the mainstream media and politics-as-usual types aren’t always hip to.

Join us on November 1, 2009 in New York at The Tank (354 West 45th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues) from 6:30pm to 8:00pm (free booze!) for a FREE night of entertainment and conversation. Our program will feature the premiere of the ground-breaking mockumentary web series from Eqal Production’s Umbrella network, “Life is Cause,” (with a special guest!) created by NYU student Matt Hooper, as well as comedic sets by Baratunde Thurston (web editor of The Onion and co-founder of Jack & Jill Politics) and Katie Halper (comedian and Huffington Post blogger).

Following the performances, The Nation’s Ari Melber will moderate a round table discussion with the entertainers, who will be joined by Michael Skolnik (political director for Russell Simmons and political editor for GlobalGrind.com).

Our panel will address the following questions:

* Are millennials more engaged/better off a year after Obama’s been in office?
* Does ‘infotainment’ participation dumb down serious concepts; does it inspire action or enable sarcasm and cynicism?
* Does it speak through a generational lens?
* How is the Millenial Generation actively taking a role in promoting social good?
* Has Obama’s communications strategy targeted young people? * Why is it ineffective?

We hope you can join us for laughs and discourse. Please RSVP on Facebook.

It’s a relatively foreign idea these days, imagining the government as an effective, useful entity, but that wasn’t always the way of things. “A lot of people forget how innovative the government is,” Drapeau says. Government researchers invented GPS, the wristwatch, even the trench coat (spy vs. spy, indeed…) so why can’t they do it again with online technology? But those results of scientific research need to be readily available for everyone (using this Internet thingy, maybe?), and the same thing applies to legal decisions by the Supreme Court. It’s all public data, right, so why can’t we have an easy way of accessing it? And while the public’s trust in the government has probably never been lower, the open processes of social media are the types of things can rebuild that trust. Drapeau argues that there are security concerns about government involvement in the public’s data, but those concerns shouldn’t stop progress, right?

We also talk winners and losers for the summer, as well as Obama’s education speech and his upcoming health care speech to Congress tonight. Teresa brings up Bill “The Comeback Kid” Clinton and the Birthers (both winners), Maegan talks Hamid Karzai (loser) and Howard Dean (winner), and Ted highlights Glenn Beck and the American Worker (guess who’s the loser between those two…)

Listen to the show here.