Take a Stand: Sign up for Our Activism & Vision Newsletter and Our New AlterNet Smart Phone App

AlterNet, based on the financial support of our readers, is investing more resources and staff in covering progressive activism at the grass roots, in our legislatures, and online.

In addition we will highlight the best ideas and vision for the future we want. If we can't imagine what change will look like, it is hard to work for it.

We're looking for thousands of people to sign up for the weekly Activism and Vision newsletter. How about you? 

What We Are Missing

True, it isn't easy to embrace optimism these days, but we have no choice. As the famed political philosopher Gramsci said: "I'm a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will."

Despite the dark times, so much is going on that many of us don't know about because... well, we know what the mainstream media tends to cover: shirtless men on Twitter, tons of gossip, and lots of posturing by elected officials talking from predictable scripts. There is so much more.

For example: Surprisingly, more than 2600 people have been arrested in protests in the U.S. since President Obama was elected -- 670 this year alone. Groups like U.S. Uncut are making strides with their campaigns to force American corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. Apple is a current target.

And there is plenty happening in your communities and on your computers that we at AlterNet do not know about as well. We have two staffers -- Lauren Kelley, who hails from Texas, and Rae Gomes, from Trinidad -- who are laser-focused on tracking, writing and reporting about the most robust activism and best ideas out there. Please send them an email at Activism@alternet.org if you know of activities in your community which should get more coverage.

And sign up here for the Newsletter! 

That Long-Awaited Smart Phone Application for AlterNet Readers

It is now very easy to get AlterNet on-the-go! All people need to do is browse to AlterNet.org with their iPhones or Android phones to access the app. So, no excuse for missing the best of AlterNet.

True story: An anonymous donor sent us some money and asked us to spend some of it on a smart phone app. But because our "content management system" is old (we call it the "back end"), it took us a long time. So whoever you are, anonymous donor, thank you very much on behalf of everyone who will use the app. And now we are investing some major bucks in getting a new back end, so we can serve you all better.

Thanks for reading and fighting back.