Revisiting Tonic News

As we approach the two-month mark for Tonic News, I thought I would provide an update on previous stories — a kind of "where are they now" feature that I will bring to Tonic News now and again.

A Girl, A Goal, and Your Car, you may remember, is about Jennifer Sekar, the 12-year-old girl who started the site A Day of Rest in her attempt to get 1 million cars off the road on October 4.

I received the following update from Jennifer yesterday: We believe we may have reached over 500,000 people through Comcast TV broadcast in July, websites and blogs such as Tonic, articles in publications, newsletters, radio broadcasts in 10 cities in three states and of course through friends. Actual pledge through our website is in the hundreds, however, I noticed that lot of people seem to plan to observe the Day Of Rest on October 4th, but without bothering to register. I also noticed that many elderly people who are all supportive of this effort, don't have access to the internet or the web site. Our intent is to continue to spread the word and plant the seed about the efforts by ADOR in the hearts and minds of people and with the help of people like you we are succeeding with that. Since there has been an overwhelming support and response after the first broadcast by Comcast TV in July 2008, Comcast TV has asked me to come back for a second interview today (8/21/08), which they are planning to broadcast in September 2008. We have people from many countries and states around the world who have committed to observe the Day of Rest including USA, Canada, India, Carribean Islands, and Sri Lanka. Any further help you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks again. Jennifer Sekar, ADOR

Please help Jennifer to reach her worthy goal and register today! Biking for the Developing World (July 15, 2008): The guys from MicroBikeUSA reached San Francisco Bay on August 9, raising $31,841 for microfinance nonprofit ACCION International in the process. I attended their closing party and they were ready to fly the 3,000 miles home versus sitting on a bike. They told me it was a life-changing and unforgettable experience. Kudos to Tyler, Freddy, Bryan, Jamie, Keith and Mike for their accomplishment. I also discovered they are quite good singers as they shared a song they wrote together during their 2-month journey. One Fewer S.U.V. (July 25, 2008) Ryan Mickle is still soliciting ideas to permanently remove his Range Rover from the planet. Please give him your ideas here. I, for one, can't wait to see how the demise of his gas-thirsty vehicle will entail! Finally, we got a great mention this week on The Knack! Our Tonic tees are mentioned as a Back to School item.  Cool!