As I write during a flight delay, one of the places that first comes to mind for a rainy afternoon is the independent Market St. bookstore The Green Arcade with its ceiling-to-floor shelves and well-curated selection. It’s quickly become one of my favorite haunts (or “third space,” as iFanBoy co-creator Ron Richards has identified neighborhood comic book store Isotope in describing it as the place besides home and work where one is happy to spend a fair amount of their time).

Tomorrow I’m disappointed to miss a discussion by feminist activist Lierre Keith about her book “The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability” (which Alice Walker described as “full of thoughtful, soulful teachings”). The vegan author and part-time Humbolt resident will describe both the dangers of industrial farming and the risks of a vegan diet before more social justice-focused talks at the space this month, including one about Patrick Reinsborough’s “RE: Imagining Change: How to Use Story-Based Strategy to Win Campaigns, Build Movements, and Change the World.” On Monday, a panel discussion on our prospects of winning in an age of environmental and financial crisis includes Tadzio Mueller and Gifford Hartman, authors of the British book “What Would It Mean to Win?” from their movement-motivated Turbulence Collective.

Maybe it’s cliche for Northern California, but in addition to getting closer to safely practicing the handstands that have alluded me, a recent yoga teacher training introduced me to individuals doing notable work in media, medicine, and tattoo design (but of course). One of them was former broadcast reporter Cara Jones, who is launching a collective of journalists and photographers working to share stories about organizations and people who are making a difference. In addition to a kickoff party at 111 Minna on Sunday night, the not-for-profit Storytellers for Good project is offering to create free videos for five Bay Area non-profits to promote their work. One of the first features A Good Idea San Francisco, an endeavor to give away everything from sleeping bags, blankets and random acts of kindness downtown. In the words of one of the featured volunteers: “We get bombarded with negative news–everything is negative, negative–so when we have an opportunity to do something positive, I think it just makes everybody feel better.”

A Good Idea San Francisco from Bow Jones on Vimeo.

I had read a Wired magazine article a few years ago that described early detection as the best way to beat cancer, and one of the organizations noted for advocating for imaging, The Canary Foundation, was particularly memorable (though it didn’t keep me from mis-identifying it as “Aviary” when talking with the author, writer and editor Thomas Goetz, recently). More intervention evangelist than avatar creation tool, the foundation was started by Cisco C-level executive Don Listwin, who became passionate about the promise of earlier detection after losing his mother to ovarian cancer.

According to Goetz, that led to the creation of

“a research group with the single goal of bringing a battery of screening tests to patients and their doctors by 2015, starting with ovarian cancer and moving on to pancreatic, lung, and prostate. Listwin likes to explain the Canary approach with PowerPoint, and every presentation starts with a slide of the survival curve for cancer. Pointing to the 90 percent, he makes this simple observation: When we see cancer early, we have a chance to fight it.”

The visual image of Listwin in a canary yellow sportscoat at fundraising events to promote this cause was worth remembering, but even more so was the idea that when we identify health (or financial, or relationship) problems sooner, we can be more proactive in changing our subsequent behavior for better outcomes. I’m glad that Goetz included the cancer detection example in his new book “The Decision Tree: Taking Control of Your Health in the New Era of Personalized Medicine,” which promotes the idea that investing time and energy in understanding our personal data can have powerful effects on our health. Read the rest of this entry »

I have found few online resources where it’s possible to find West African Afro beat, reflections on public transport miscommunications, and interviews with the Dame of Punk (she being designer Vivienne Westwood), and it’s not for lack of trying. As someone with undiagnosed ADHD and an affinity for the search bar, the locally based audio resource The [Un]Observed is a long awaited catalog of auditory enjoyment, and I have radio producer Tania Ketenjian to thank.

Inspired by the Austrailain Broadcasting Company’s Night Air, the BBC World Service and Studio 360 contributor recently launched a radio magazine for conversations and observations that is, to her credit, very hand-selected. “I want people to know what quality they’ll hear” when they listen to the new five pieces The [Un]Observed adds to its archives per week, says Ketenjian, who also hosts the artist conversation series Sight Unseen on KALX.

Audio by journalists, sound artists, and producers of American, Australian, and British descent are well worth a browse (and listen). The Chorus of Refuge online installation by Jason Cady, Kara Oehler, and Ann Heppermann stands out with its combination of stories from six refugee populations relocated to as many American cities, and the experiences of postmodern dancer Anna Halprin and singer Marvin Gaye are also lovingly told. Consider it radio, curatorially catalogued.

International Women’s Day on Monday will bring the launch of the locally-based International Museum of Women’s newest endeavor to highlight the contributions of impactful individuals worldwide. The “Women on the Map” undertaking will invite visitors to name females who inspire them and note their locations, creating a virtual map of the communities of honorees, who will then be notified of their recognition. The tribute process takes approximately 30 seconds, and I’m eager to see who you’ll add. (And, while I watch Oscar acknowledgements by Kathryn Bigelow, my women to watch are Shaherose Charania, who has taught me more at the helm of Women 2.0 than I can tell her, and Rebecca Weeks Watson, whose recent Ignite Bay Area talk was a clear reminder of her humor, smarts and grace). Similarly intriguing, the virtual exhibit “Economica” about women’s global earning power first turned me on to the curatorial work of the IMOW. Following this month’s celebration of Women’s History Month, the museum’s spring benefit on April 27 is one I’m advocating (and not just because “cultural dress” is encouraged). SF’s first couple will be honorary chairs at the Metreon City View party in April with food provided by local female chefs. Donations to the museum–which doesn’t have a brick and mortar space but creates programming around female leadership in sociopolitical change–enable thought-provoking exhibits, to which I’m hoping a discussion about global healthcare is added.

Since moving to SF almost four years ago and after more post-run ales at Kezar Pub than I count, I’ve wondered what took place inside the stadium across the street. This weekend pals and I found out in the form of co-ed roller derby in which the SF Bay Bombers took on Brooklynites with the encouragement of the adult Cheer SF Squad (see them, I implore you). But after more than a few dramatic over-rail plays, the contest seemed more staged than I expected, and I’m eager to see a competition more along the lines of the athletic and fierce nickname competition Micki Krimmel presented at the first Ignite Bay Area.

During Women 2.0’s recent “Will It Launch?” weekend workshop for prospective entrepreneurs, moderator Poornima Vijayashanker spoke about her decision to leave Mint.com (where she was the founding engineer) to create software for small businesses. She discussed knowing when to take a risk–including leaving Stanford grad school to start a company that was later sold to Intuit–and how her BizeeBee co-founder Liz Wiltsie found her by following Women 2.0 on Twitter. More conversations with company founders can be found as part of the In Conversation interview series.

After sadly missing The Disposable Film Festival’s first bike-in movie screening, the promise of a full three days of programming seems like a perfect way to kick off the weekend before South by Southwest Film. The festival, which premieres annually in SF before heading to Brussels, Beijing and other host cities and is art directed by My First Earthquake frontwoman Rebecca Bortman, opens tonight with a sold out competitive shorts program at The Roxie.

Criteria includes “films made on non-professional devices such as one-time use video cameras, cell phones, point and shoot cameras, webcams, computer screen capture software, and other readily available video capture devices” (and don’t think that doesn’t include feature-length projects). For those new to the genre, Vimeo community director Blake Whitman will present on basic shooting, animation creation, and editing at ATA on Sunday–and as for promotions, it doesn’t get much better than “The more you know! Free. Includes bagels and coffee.”

DFF 2010 Bumper from Disposable Film Festival on Vimeo.

On Wednesday the community space The HUB will host The Life Investment panel to raise the question of whether speakers and participants would “sell themselves for social change”–the context being company founders who seek to offer three to six percent of their life’s earnings to raise $300K to $600K in the short term in the pursuit of social improvements. The Box on Howard Street will host the conversation around changemaking with professional experience anecdotes shared by FORGE founder Kjerstin Erickson, Adina Holistics and Odwalla founder Greg Steltenpohl, and fellow Northwestern alum Nathaniel Whittemore of Assetmap.org.

If you’re not among the technologists, writers, engineers, designers, bicycle mechanics, urban astronomers, and violin instructors to take part in the Bay Area celebration of Global Ignite Week on Tuesday night, you can join via Livestream, follow the presentations via @IgniteBayArea and access them later on the newly launched IgniteShow.com.

This week, 15 local talks will be joined by sets of five minute, 20 slide talks in 65 cities around the world answering the Ignite charge to “Englighten us, but keep it quick.” 10,000 people will be participating worldwide, and San Franciscans (appropriately) will be privy to talks about achieving enlightenment through nightclubs and the opportunity costs involved in modern dating.

Read the rest of this entry »