As if Venezuelans do not have enough challenges.

Facing a 50% devaluation in their currency (announced by Chavez this past weekend), record crime rates, power outages, collapsing industrial infrastructure and food shortages, President Chavez is asking film producers to alter Venezuela’s beloved soap operas or telenovelas to make “socialist soap operas” as part of his plan to reduce the amount of capitalism on television.

This movement by Chavez is not a total surprise. Chavez has made it clear that he wants to eradicate free-markets and capitalism from the country. In the process, gaining control of the media – especially TV and radio programming – has been an important element of his government. Over the years, Chavez has established many limitations on television and radio – suspending licenses of stations that aired opposition programming, expanding government control over broadcasters and using political pressure to alter programs in ways that support the government’s socialist agenda.

However, Venezuela is one of the largest producers of telenovelas in the world. Programs are diverse and have romantic, criminal, comedic, working class and other angles. They are a popular draw for actors and actresses from different Spanish-speaking countries, and generate a sense of pride in Venezuelans (as well as provide a valuable source of regular entertainment).

Chavez has indicated that his model of replacement would be Cuban soap operas. But Cuban programming, subjects to its tough state controls, tends to not only be low-budget, but include bland socialist political philosophy that render programs dull. Gone are typical dynamics seen in most latin telenovelas today.

How exactly Venezuelans will react to one of their leading and most popular enterprises undergoing such drastic content changes is unclear. But with so many challenges facing the country, Chavez’s latest effort to control the masses to build his socialist state could have the reverse effect his desires and bring about a more steady erosion of this popularity over the next year.

Well, today I did not quite have a “new” show as I had planned. But the name did change. The program will now be known as Social Web Radio. I’ll make some changes on the site over the next few days to reflect this, as well as update the show intro and other music. I made some progress this past week, but not quite the amount I had desired. Life often intercedes to the detriment of my radio show!

In the meantime…

On today’s radio show, I discuss the interesting dynamic I think netbooks can play on the lives of our children. Allow me to elaborate. The other evening I had a bunch of people over for my birthday party. A bunch of us got into talking about technology as I showed them my new netbook. As I pointed out some features, it occurred to me that cost ($250 – $300), light-weight and overall technology (many run on an XP OS and have 7 to 10 hours built-in battery life) in this netbook potentially made it an ideal tool for a tech-savvy kid in my daughter’s age group. I can set-up parental controls, share access to our home network, and she can read online, write stories, chat with her friends and develop excellent computer skills at a very young age.

The truth is – kids her age (9 – 11) are all getting iPods, cell phones and tonight at a Girl Scouts meeting one parent was going to add a Kindle to the mix as well.

But the more I thought about the idea of all this technology entering her life – the more I wondered about our educational system and its ability to teach a child who downloads song off iTunes, socializes online with her friends and could have access to her own computer that is light-weight enough to carry in a small bag and almost go anywhere she goes. Are our schools really equipped to meet the interests and the intelligence of kids with that kind of mobility and desire for information on-demand? Is the curriculum we have established really what our kids need to know? And are those big, factory-sized schools with aging computers and 30-year teaching veterans who have never worked with new technology the right venues and right people to surround our kids with?

My short answer: no, not really.

But what is the solution? Tune in for the discussion. Or share your thoughts here.

Special Announcement

Now for my special announcement. As if I need another challenge, I am working with others across the country to reinvigorate the Reform Party. For far too long we have let this country be run by the professional politicians and special interest groups. They’ve sold us bill after bill, and made promise after promise. What do we have to show for it? Are our schools, bridges and roads the envy of the world? Are we at low levels of unemployment? Unfortunately, no.

Instead, we are faced with trillion dollar budget deficits, over $12 trillion in debt, a currency in decline and an increase in partisan fighting and divisiveness – much of which is for show. When one side assume power – it manipulates legislation to provide pork for the special interest groups, while the opposition cries foul – all the while trying to leverage their own deals. The two major parties exist to support themselves and keep themselves in power.

According to a recent Rasmussen Reports poll – just 32% of Americans believe that their elected officials represent their best interests – 67% do not. The number of Democrats is at a substantial low (a 7 year low), but the number of people joining the Republican Party remains largely flat. People are not aligning themselves with a party for a reason – and I believe it is because a growing number of people have no confidence in the two-parties to solve our economic challenges heading to the future. This presents an excellent opportunity for the Reform Party.

The Reform Party can provide an outlet for the millions of Americans who want to take their government back. I am proud to work with so many people across this country to try and rebuild something that was the cornerstone of the modern, American grassroots movement. If you are interested, please email me at: mike@hackmer.com

This is, I hope, the last old show of the New Year.

By this I mean that I am working on gathering a better intro, segment music and other elements to make the show run a bit better, sound more professional and help to add a little something to the content that is provided. Oh, and the name of the show will change as well.

Today, my big topic will be about Twitter and the popular trends of 2009 and what we may see for 2010. I also will discuss a few of my recent blog posts and, time permitting, phone calls.

Tune in online at: http://www.hackmer.com/live

On October 21, 2009, The Catholic University of America announced that more than 1,000 solar panels would be installed on several campus buildings before the end of year to reduce energy costs and carbon dioxide emissions. This project, implemented by Herndon, VA-based Washington Gas and Gaithersburg, MD-based Standard Solar, has now been completed – resulting in the largest solar panel system in the metro DC region in terms of the amount of electricity produced.

According to data released by Standard Solar, the system will produce about 340,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each year and result in 294 fewer tons of carbon dioxide being emitted annually. The avoided emissions will be the equivalent of reducing the use of 30,300 gallons of gasoline in 2010.

Standard Solar, the Mid-Atlantic region’s largest designer and installer of solar electric systems completed the installation right before this past Christmas. The four arrays that were installed consist of 1,088 3-by-6-foot panels on the roofs of the Raymond A. DuFour Athletic Center, the academic building Aquinas Hall, and the dorms Gibbons Hall and Flather Hall. Under the terms of the arrangement, The Catholic University of America,  the national university of the Catholic Church in America with over 6,700 graduate and undergraduate students, will purchase the energy produced by the solar panels from Washington Gas at guaranteed prices.

In addition to the economic and environmental benefits, Catholic University also used the installation process as an educational experience for students studying solar power and renewable energy. Students received instruction from Standard Solar and Washington Gas on the technology, and will continue to get hands-on experience in the years ahead.

“As climate leaders from around the world take stock of the climate meetings in Copenhagen, it is fitting the University and Washington Gas Energy Services are ‘walking the talk’ about sustainability,” said Scott Wiater, Standard Solar President. “We look forward to helping other colleges and universities connect what’s going on in the classroom to what we can help their schools achieve on many rooftops all over campus,” Wiater added.

Frank Gruber, one the most popular Washington, DC tech figures and a product manager of AOL’s Lifestream Platform, has revealed on his blog, Somewhat Frank, that he is leaving AOL to pursue new interests.

Saying that his New Year’s resolution “is to be bold”, Gruber writes that he will devote much of his time to growing TECH Cocktail, which he started with Eric Olson in 2006, prior to joining AOL three years ago. TECH Cocktail is a community building startup that offers events and community-powered projects open to bloggers, technology enthusiasts, entrepreneurs & professionals interested in technology in under-served technology communities.

In addition to TECH Cocktail, Gruber writes that he has “co-founded Shiny Heart Ventures, a startup focused on building products that remind us of the joys of life.” The company’s first product was Thankfulfor, “a social gratitude journal which launched in September” and according to Gruber, “has been growing into a strong community.” Last month the company also lunched Shiny Maine Lobster which is designed to “help bring a family business online for fresh lobster” that can be shipped direct by mail.

Gruber writes in his blog, “I have racked up a lot of airline miles bouncing between DC and the West Coast. It has been a good run and a great learning experience working in a large organization and I have met so many great people along the way. I am proud of our accomplishments at Aol. As anyone who has ever worked at a large company can attest, it is not easy to launch a product in a big organization and I did it a few times in just three years.”

In his blog, Gruber thanks AOL for the opportunity to work for them and bring new products to millions of people across the world. He said, “I am so proud of our accomplishments and look forward to Aol doing it’s own start-up thing in 2010.”

In reviewing my Google Alerts today I came across a solicitation from the Xinhua News Agency, China’s state news agency, seeking reporters, editors and marketing personnel for their North American operation. All candidates must be native English speakers, possess a background in journalism or marketing, be an American citizen or foreign national with a US Green Card, be in good health and be able to travel for stories and marketing assignments. Some knowledge of Chinese is preferred.

The Xinhua News Agency in North America is based in New York City, and has nine sub-bureaus in the United States and Canada. The agency has more than 120 bureaus around the world.

By the look of their personnel needs (click here to view the release), Xinhua is expanding the scope of its US news coverage. Though this is not a surprise by any means, given the growth China is experiencing, it comes at a time when many traditional news organizations are cutting the size of their domestic bureaus or eliminating them altogether.

Click here to view the release, which includes the positions the Xinhua News Agency is seeking to fill.

I should preface this blog post by saying that I am, and always have been, a Boston Celtics fan. I grew up just outside of Boston, and took in quite a few Celtics games in the 80′s, suffered through some of the bad years and very bad years (like when ML Carr was the coach), and have enjoyed the resurgence of the team the last few seasons.

But that does not mean that I cannot have an opinion about other teams, like, the Washington Wizards, for example. In fact, I feel as if I should be able to comment just as openly about the Wizards as I could the Celtics, because I have lived in the greater Metro-DC region for quite a few years and have followed the team through its ups and downs.

In my view, one of the low moments for the Washington franchise, and I am not alone in this opinion, was when they changed their name from the Bullets to the Wizards. For those who are local you will remember the bogus name-the-team contest that took place that led to the eventual selection of a team name that has absolutely nothing to do with the history, culture or environment of Washington, DC. The owner, Abe Pollin, wanted to get away from the name “Bullets” because he felt the name had a violent tone, and we all understood that. However, the name change to the Wizards rang hallow among many in the city.

Leap forward from 1995 to 2010, and it would seem that the team should change its name back to the Bullets or at the very least swiftly address the public relations nightmare that is Gilbert Arenas – aka Agent Zero.

According to reports in ESPN and other sources, the NBA, the Washington DC Police and Federal Authorities are examining reports that the Wizards guard brought and stored “unloaded” guns in a container in his locker. Now the New York Post is reporting that Gilbert Arenas and his teammate Javaris Crittenton drew guns on each other during a Christmas Eve locker room argument over a gambling debt. There is no indication from the reports I have read the guns were loaded for the alleged draw.

Arenas denies that he drew a gun on Crittenton, but sources have indicated that the standoff at D.C. Corall, otherwise known as the Verizon Center, was over a gambling debt that Arenas refused to pay. Apparently, league security officials are part of the sourcing for the story.

Arenas has made a fairly successful comeback from some devastating injuries this year, but this latest saga for the Washington franchise is a PR and financial nightmare for the organization. If the team had any chance to reinvigorate its shrinking fan base that is depressed with another losing season (The Wiz are 10-20 and 3-7 in their last 10 games), that has been thrown out the window. What’s more, any hope at luring talented free-agents or to dump Arenas and his huge contract (Arenas signed a six-year, $111 million contract in 2008) is likewise a non-starter.

So, what is the owner to do?

In truth, there is really only one decision that works, regardless of how financially unfriendly it may be. If Abe Pollin is serious about the image of his team and its connection to violence and he wants to build something successful that reflects his values, he will take a long and hard look at sending Gilbert Arenas packing as soon as he possibly can. The decision may not sell tickets, but let’s get real – he was not selling too many tickets with the current line-up anyway. What’s more, if you are going to scuttle the name of your team because of it has some violent connotation, then you should be willing to scuttle other pieces as well to make the whole a true sum of its parts.

Otherwise, Mr. Pollin might as well go and change the name of the team back to the Washington Bullets.

There is nothing better than celebrating the holidays with family and friends – Christmas and the New Year especially.

Of all the holidays, Christmas and the New Year are the strongest celebrations about beginnings – the birth of Jesus Christ and the start of a new year. They are moments in which we are thankful for the year gone by (and sometimes surprised at the speed with which it has come and gone) and we look ahead with optimism, freshness and hope that are unlike other times of the year.

It is in looking ahead to all the possibilities in 2010 – for me, my family and friends around me – that gets me revved-up and excited.

So, as 2009 comes to an end, I hope everyone else out there can seize the energy that comes with a fresh start – all the power and joy that comes from a new beginning, where the slate is wiped clean and all your ideas and dreams become possible again.