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Rochelle on Huff Post PRO-MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS’ TWITTER- ProMediaComm: Who Cares? HSC_NY does, says Allison Sesso, and you should, too. http://t.co/l2xnU8Vt (via @99percentNY)
- ProMediaComm: @HSC_NY's Allison Sesso says human services are the answer to a new New York @NYNP_News
- ProMediaComm: Our belated (but no less enthusiastic!) congrats to new progressive FOX News contributor @sallykohn
- ProMediaComm: @ALAyma announces top honors in children's literature. NYT @artsbeat talks to the year's big winners: http://t.co/BFZmLrZ6
- ProMediaComm: A new report from @HSC_NY shows that social programs not only provide services -- they also create jobs.http://ow.ly/8EAdr
November 1, 2010
Test Drove the new Nissan LEAF
Had a blast test driving the Nissan LEAF yesterday (where I ran into former Pro-Media client Jim Fruchterman, CEO and Founder of Benetech, who told me that via Benetech’s Martus software, a Guatemalan genocide perpetrator was finally convicted).
As for the LEAF, it was fun to drive. Great brakes, too! All electric, it has a hundred mile range. I’ll be charging it at home overnight like I do my cellphone.
I test drove the Nissan LEAF with my husband, Felix Kramer, founder of CalCars (the California Cars Initiative) with whom I’ve owned the first consumer plug-in hybrid car for over four years now, our converted 2004 Toyota Prius, which we bought new, then converted two years later (it has been getting 100 mpg ever since).
Rochelle
Russell Sage Foundation scholar Theda Skocpol on For Your Ears Only
Russell Sage Foundation- Theda Skocpol- For Your Ears Only
10/30/10- Theda Skocpol, Russell Sage Foundation scholar, was interviewed on “For Your Ears Only”. Skocpol gave insight on the upcoming midterm elections and what they could mean for the Obama Administration.
September 2, 2010
“The Library Card is the Smartest Card in My Wallet”-Dwyane Wade
By Lauren Atieh, Account Coordinator, Pro-Media Communications
In September, lots of things are changing – the seasons, vacations ending, children heading back to school. Another thing that should also be changing is your library card status. The American Library Association celebrates September as Library Card Sign-Up Month as a national effort to encourage all people to utilize their local library as a wonderful resource in their everyday life. As a New Yorker, I am always looking for a great deal, and I found it at my library. Books, movies, computers, magazines, games, classes and more await me just steps away from my apartment, for free. I take pride in my library card, and I love that I have it in my wallet and accessible on my key chain. Just as the world around us has changed, so have our libraries. To keep up with technology, libraries have invested in the necessary tools to provide for their patrons. With the declining economy and job market, many libraries now offer resume building classes and employment workshops.
Pro-Media has been working with the American Library Association for over 15 years and for the past 4 years I have been working with this team. Each campaign they support, Teen Read Week, National Library Week, Banned Books Week and more, is near and dear to my heart. This September, I urge you to go to your library and check it out. I can guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised.
August 17, 2010
June 29, 2010
Human Services Council on WBAI – Wakeup Call
Human Services Council Executive Director Michael Stoller exposes the potential negative impact of the proposed New York budget on human services in his interview on WBAI’s Wakeup Call.
WBAI Wake Up Call Michael Stoller 6.29.10
For the full Wakeup Call broadcast visit WBAI.
June 25, 2010
Remembering Stonewall
By Stephanie Schroeder, Account Manager, Pro-Media Communications
Remembering Stonewall for me is not about real memory, since I wasn’t in New York City during the Stonewall Riots or even near the age of consent. My “memories” of Stonewall are through stories related to me by my lesbian mentors: Joan Nestle and Kate Millett, along with lesbian-feminist activists whom I have interviewed over the years. Joan has told me stories about the 1950s, when bars much like the Stonewall Inn―dark and sketchy, some Mafia-owned, regularly raided by police―were just about the only places lesbians of the time could meet other lesbians. These bars also had rules that women had to wear three items of “women’s clothing” so as to not be arrested.
There are a few facts about Stonewall we know for certain: the patrons of the Stonewall Inn, located in Greenwich Village, were mostly gay men, many drag queens, hustlers and homeless youth, and some trans-people such as the legendary Sylvia Rivera. Maybe a lesbian or two were in the bar.
History is still murky about just who was and wasn’t actually inside the Stonewall Inn when it was raided by police. Who was outside, however, is a different story. The neighbors, mostly queers and hippies, came out to support those homosexuals in the bar who, having had it with decades of police and other harassment, finally fought back. There were bottles thrown, broken and used as weapons, physical altercations of all types, police beatings of Stonewall patrons and neighbors, too. A year later, on June 28, 1970, the first Gay Pride marches took place in Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
It’s important to remember the social context of the time. In 1969, homosexuality was considered both a mental illness and a crime; the bible of psychiatry, the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual, categorized homosexuality as a “sociopathic personality disturbance” and sodomy was illegal in most states. Being out of the closet and open about one’s homosexuality was making oneself a target for potential job loss, custody loss of children, housing, friends and family, all without legal redress.
Today, because of the Stonewall rioters, and those who organized around and after the riots, we take for granted many liberties, both socially (at least in New York City) and legally. However, there is still much forward movement to be made regarding the rights of lesbians and gay, bisexual, trans and queer people.
Just last week, for instance, closing arguments were heard in the San Francisco trial over the constitutionality of Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage in the state of California. There are different viewpoints on marriage equality within both the straight and gay community, but there is a bigger picture, and we can’t lose sight of it: the need for all of us to advocate for social and civil justice for people of all classes, gender, ethnicity and backgrounds, to ensure equal, universal access to health care, housing, food, shelter, and all other basic human rights.
This year is the 41st anniversary of Stonewall. We here at Pro-Media wish to remember our brothers, sisters and others who fought and continue to fight the discriminatory and oppressive powers that be to make the world a safer place for LGBTQ people everywhere.
Stephanie Schroeder is an account manager at Pro-Media Communications. She has worked in strategic communications for two decades as a staff editor, freelance journalist, publicist and media relations specialist and has been an activist for social causes including women’s health, nuclear disarmament and queer rights. She is a contributing editor at Curve Magazine and lives in Brooklyn.
June 17, 2010
In Honor of Father’s Day…
Good Dads Deserve Love Too
By: Maxine Mitchell, Account Coordinator, Pro-Media Communications
"Giddy up, Giddy up, Giddy up horseyyyyyy!"
That’s the pre-sunrise weekend wake-up call my toddler reserves for us. As I hesitate in hope of getting a few more minutes of rest, my husband usually responds. Our determined fifteen-month old never tires from demanding this romp through our home atop his trusty steed (his father). It’s an accepted ritual, and with patience (and an occasional groan), his father obliges our jockey-in-training.
I sometimes watch as father and son play, share meals, and have discussions on why it’s not the best decision to run around diaper-free, and I marvel at the palpable sincerity between them. Their interaction is a medley of baby babbles, squeals, laughter, brainstorming (building block forts are a favorite) and gentle reprimands. Nothing warms my heart more.
Even when occasional pricks of jealousy arise as I wonder if the eight-tooth smile that welcomes me home from a workday is as radiant as the one my husband gets when they play and make up their own songs, I still appreciate and respect their one-on-one time and blossoming relationship.
What they have is good, but I know it’s not always so rosy for others?a look at the struggles of single mothers and the statistics of unpaid child support are parts of the distressing picture in our society. But I also believe that credit should be given to those fathers who deserve it. Unfortunately, not enough focus is put on, and not enough credit is given to men who are outstanding fathers, caring and supportive partners and hardworking citizens (not all dads are as clueless and inept at fatherhood as Ray Barone from Everybody Loves Raymond!). Some people are even surprised to see a father doing what a father is supposed to be doing?playing, talking, nurturing, teaching and interacting with his child.
I celebrate when I see advocates for the good guys, like Pro-Media Communications, whose work with groups like Dads & Daughters helped to share messages on the media’s impact on families and tips on successful parenting.
These are tough times for many families, and the test lies in how well partners can cooperate and the flexibility of families to adapt to challenging situations. Dads like Daniel Butherus, whom I read about in the May issue of Reader’s Digest, who drives 800 miles weekly from his home in Wichita, Kansas, to his workplace in Fort Worth, Texas, to help support his family and make ends meet, deserve a little appreciation. This Father’s Day, let’s show some appreciation for those phenomenal dads; they’re not myths?they do exist, just ask my son about his horseyyyy.He’ll tell you with a big grin, that’s as long as you can catch him.
As an avid Animal Planet lover, I thought it would be fun to share a countdown of the top 5 animal dads. I’ll give the descriptions; can you guess the doting-dad animals?
TOP 5 ANIMAL DADS
5. This native of India is from the wolf/dog family; unlike so many other animals, these animals mate for life. Mom and dad live together for their entire lives and raise the young together. True teamwork! When pups are born, they are breastfed for eight weeks by mom, and then dad takes over by feeding his kids with regurgitated food until they are ready for solids.
4. This creature of Japan belongs to a large group of insects called heteroptera, or "true" bugs, and are surprisingly strong and adept predators, using toxins to paralyze their prey. Pregnancy is also a real team effort with these creatures – the female cements her eggs to the male’s back; he then carries them around for a week until they hatch. And we’re not talking just one egg – this dad ends up giving piggyback rides to up to 150 kids. Now that’s taking giddy-up horsey to a whole new level!
3. These South American flightless birds are true champions of child rearing. Females leave their eggs with dad, and dad looks after the eggs. He keeps up to 60 eggs warm for over two months with only two weeks of food to sustain him, and he also raises the newborn chicks as a single parent for close two years. Wow, and don’t even think about messing with this daddy-bird, he will ferociously attack any other animal or even human who gets too close to his babies.
2. This dapper looking bird is also flightless and is native to Antarctica, the coldest place on Earth! After the female lays her egg, it’s the dad’s job to keep it warm. Meanwhile, the mom takes a two-month feeding vacation while the dad balances the egg on his feet in subzero weather, often forced to huddle together with other males for warmth until their chicks hatch. Surprisingly, despite this two-month hunger strike, it’s the dad who provides the chick’s first meal – a milky-type substance to sustain them until mom can return with a belly full of fish and switch the chick from "dad milk" to solids.
1. This beautiful sea creature is not only monogamous, but he’s the one who actually gets pregnant, carrying up to 1,000 babies at a time! The mating process begins with a dancing courtship ritual with the female eventually laying hundreds of eggs inside the male, which he then helps fertilize himself during the process. This papa-to-be also loves to show off his rounded belly, proudly displaying the brood pouch he uses for carrying his young.
5. Answer: Golden Jackal
4. Answer: Giant Water Bug
3. Answer: Rhea
2. Answer: Emperor Penguin
1. Answer: Sea horse
Quiz was drawn from information obtained from Animal Planet – Top 10 Animal Dads
Honey Bun
By: Melissa Baker, Operations Manager, Pro-Media Communications
Many of us grew up with a traditional home life: Dad was in the home, but Mom was responsible for the children. That may be a reason that Mother’s Day seems to be the bigger celebration.
Father’s Day became a lot more important to me once I became a wife and mother. I realize now that my own dad doesn’t get the acknowledgement or respect on his special day, which my mom does on Mother’s Day. It seems the campaign against deadbeat dads has begun to overshadow the many men taking an active role in their children’s lives. I see these great dads every day at our daughter’s school, and I am fortunate enough to be married to one of them.
"I remember when the doctor said we were having a girl. I was ready to get my shotgun," Tyrone, my husband, often says when talking about the moment we were found out we were having a baby girl. "I remember the moment you popped out of Mommy," he’ll say to Dainell aka Honey Bun, our daughter, as he removes the measuring tape from the drawer for the zillionth time to see how much she’s grown. "I remember when I could hold you with one hand," he says. Now, picking her up requires a lot more effort and serves as a reminder that Daddy is getting older, though he still tries to carry her whenever she’s too tired to walk. As I comment, "Put her down, she’s too big to carry," he ignores me.
They’ve had many memorable moments that Tyrone can recall in Dainell’s six years of life?at the doctor’s office, the park, karate, the dentist, the podiatrist, the orthodontist, grandma’s house, movies, commuting to and from school, her dance recitals, and our least favorite place, the hospital, to name a few. The hospital was the worst time for all three of us, but it did allow me to see a much more emotional side of Tyrone. Being Dainell’s father has made him vulnerable in ways even he couldn’t imagine.
So, to honor all the great dads everywhere like Tyrone, spend some time actually planning a Father’s Day that he will brag about for years to come. Let him know that he’s appreciated for being there, giving lots of hugs and piggyback rides, and doing the things that drive Mommy crazy, like giving the kids too much ice cream and a few extra cookies!
Happy Father’s Day!