Upcoming Event! Boogie Rally Too!

So, you don't want the summer to end? Who does?! Here's an upcoming party that I told my new friend, Herbert Clark I would spread the word about -- The Boogie Rally Too - bike rally in Cookeville, TN!
Here's the skinny: Sept 22- 23 -24, at 115 Waterloo Road, Cookeville, TN 38506.
$20 will get you an armband good for 3 days of music, partying and FUN! Age 21+, please. Ice and beer at the entrance or BYOB, no glass. Free camping, hot showers and firewood... how nice!

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the local fire department AND community center -- even nicer!


http://junebugboogie.com

Check the Pulse

I am a frequent diner of the Pulse cafe in the Sports Club/LA in Rockefeller Plaza. For my birthday, (today, August 16th), I decided to treat myself (well, okay, my dad was treating!) to a sit-down full meal lunch in the restaurant.

Always a happy customer of the cafe, I was confident we'd have a great experience in the more formal dining room. And I was not disappointed.

Considering my lunch hour is truly just an hour, time was of the essence. The dining room was packed, but most people looked like they were finishing up so I didn't think we'd have to worry about the timing.

My father and I were seated in the back, against the wall, so we had a great view of the entire restaurant.

For appetizer he had the miso soup, which was "delicious" in his view. [That's a big compliment from my father.] I ordered just a simple mixed greens salad, which was served in a gorgeous green ceramic bowl. The salad was just right. The dressing was light, fruity with a little tang and not overpowering at all, which is the worst thing you could do with just greens. The cherry tomatoes tossed in added just the right amount of flavor and color to the big dose of green.

My entree was another appetizer of Lobster Spring Rolls. They were as I expected them to be--light and delicious. The vinegary sauce was just light enough to add some tang and was also perfect. My father ordered the fish special, which was a Wild Sea Bass. And while he ordered the prix-fixe menu, they gave him an entree-sized portion! I sampled the fish and the local tomatoes and it was just sublime. Light, flakey, perfect seasoning--very light. Just perfect!

For dessert, my father had ordered the fruit skewers with chocolate dipping sauce. I thought I was in heaven just sampling the fresh succulent fruit with the chocolate, but since I'm in a celebratory mood and announced that it was my birthday, they brought out two complementary espresso-sized cups of chocolate pudding with whipped cream and a mint garnish. What a superbe luncheon!

Strong and HOT real women

Taking the term "hot woman" to another turn, the REAL HOT 100 organization held its 1st celebration at the KFMK Galleries in New York City on August 10th – 12th. Starting on the 10th the gallery showcased artwork by some of the winners of the REAL hot 100 (http://therealhot100.org) and other artists.

Two days later, these women and other honorary "hotties" convened at a brunch to network and highlight each other's successes. Later that evening the festivities continued as more women (and men!) came by to continue the celebration. I stopped by for a short while to see just who is hot and why. When I arrived, chocolate, candies and rose petals were strewn around the gallery (on West 29th Street).

The REAL hot 100 are 100 young women who are breaking barriers, fighting stereotypes and making a difference in their communities and the nation. The non-profit was founded in 2005 in an effort to combat the lack of positive, strong images of young women in the media. It promotes positive, realistic images of younger women in the name of media justice. In addition to celebrating them, it helps them realize their goals.

Gwynn Cassidy who's involved with therealhot100.org and girlsingoverment.org introduced me to political social cartoonist Mikhaela Reid and Donna Riley, who is a professor at the Smith College Picker Engineering Program (http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/Engin/), which is the first engineering program specifically for women. For the past five years this program was the first and only program with a female professor. Sweet Briar (http://www.sbc.edu/) in Virginia will be joining the ranks soon. Smith is breaking ground by having 6 women out of the 10 engineering professors against the national rate of 7%. Deanne Zandt was a spiffy dresser in her short-shorts and tuxedo top--she's equally adept at commanding an audience in her work with key progressive organizations including the Independent Media Institute, Free Speech TV. Catch her blog at AlterNet's "The Mix." Her mom, Rachel Zandt, made it into town to support her strong multi-tasking daughter. Jennifer Pozner, executive director of Women in Media & News, told me about their Power Source project (http://www.wimnonline.org/psp/experts.html ) and the efforts of this media analysis education and advocacy group. F-Word zine-ster (thef-wordzine.com) Melody Berger was in town from Philadelphia. She told me she is also is editing an anthology of young feminist writer for Seal Press.

Mid-party I got a "reading" by intuitive reader and consultant Nan O'Brien (http://whisperonline.com) who told me I'll meet my next significant other in October. If your name is Gary and you like to go to the park—let me know! ;) She told me about Phoenix-based disability advocates Amy Rocker and Samantha Johnson who hosted their own fundraiser so they could get to New York for the event. Amy is on the Phoenix Mayor's Commission on Disability, works for the Arizona Spinal Cord Association in Community Relations and does a whole host of other community-related efforts. Samantha is also a Commissioner on Disability Issues for Phoenix, AZ when she's not providing home and community-based services to the elderly and disabled population as a Long Term Care Case Manager.

Eloquent and elegant cousins Maureen Saint-Cyr and Farrah Marguerite Saint-Surin both advocate for women and are involved in their student governments, women's organizations Haitian American organizations and missionary work. They were just a few of the so many amazing and diverse women at this event. What they really represent is a small but growing percentage of women who are active in their lives and communities and thus affecting change for the world (economically, business-wise) and who are creating positive role models for young girls and the next generations of HOT women!

Angry cartoonist Mikhaela Reid's (mikhaela.net) paintings adorned the walls above the promotional and swag table. The pop-art bold graphics were a great visual complementing the bold women in the room. Other swag that pushed the point: In true Girl Scout style, the Girl Scouts had iron-on patches available and postcards where you could register as an alumna. (Daisy and Brownies included too!) girlscouts.org/alumnae; a "NY (heart) (women symbol)" pin; The Feminist Press at the City University of New York; a National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health pin; a TranquiliT.com 10% coupon; info on screenings for the "I was a teenage Feminist" (trixiefilms.com); information on the performance "In Her Image: Producing Womanhood in America" by Julia Barry (http://juliabarry.com/inherimage/); a $100 coupon for SkinKlinic; a V2 in-store music sampler (v2music.com); plenty o' pro-choice temporary tattoos, stickers and flyers; flyers for more bands; a 10% coupon for HaloPottery.com; info on TigerEye Design (tigereyedesign.com); postcards for GirlsinGovernment.org; the annual report for Women+Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania (who effectively got Abercrombie + Fitch to stop sexist ads/clothing); a postcard for "First Moon" books and journals (http://www.newworldlibrary.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=309); a copy of Bitch magazine (http://www.bitchmagazine.com/) and, of course, a copy of Ms. Magazine (http://www.msmagazine.com/).

Well, whether your angry, hot, a feminist or not, you can't deny the power that certain women in this world have. Amen to that!

First Usability's First Party

After being involved in the new media biz for fifteen years and one year at First Insights, Lon Taylor (principal at First Insights) threw a shindig for friends, colleagues and clients to celebrate on Wednesday, August 9th at the punchy-colored Punch restaurant on Broadway.

Upon entering the crowded room I landed upon Jodie Kahn who told me she's right now at Right Media. She filled me in on all the amazing-ness of Right Media and then we chatted about Burning Man! I went in 1998, but she's a multiple-timer and got hooked early on. Now she's a Media Relations Captain.

Steve Masur and Bonnie Halper were chatting with respective friends and I was in Lon-central: chatting with Marc Zelanko (a VP at MTV) who grew up with Lon, Margo Sanchez, who is one of Lon's cousins who works for a NGO and does lots of cool charity work and another man who dated one of Lon's cousins (different cousin).

Well, upon first impressions of First Usability first party, it was packed and packed a punch!

Check out the fun party pictures!

The Cyber Scene in Portland, Oregon

by Tamar Alexia Fleishman.

It seems that no matter how old we get, the concept of Summer vacation never really vanishes, right? Hopefully, you have been enjoying yourselves in the sun. This week, I had the pleasure of visiting Portland, Oregon for the first time, to check out their 8th Annual Pickathon.

I have traveled to and fro, but it’s been a long time since I have seen a place so brimming with natural beauty as Portland! When you fly in, you see the Columbia River dividing Oregon from Washington, with the Cascade Mountains all right there. Gorgeous!

At Portland’s airport, near gate C-13 in Southwest’s corridor, they have a passenger service center. This is a convenient room where there’s an ATM, copy machine, cell phone chargers (bonus for me, who always forgets to charge things), phones, computer ports and a currency exchange.

Pickathon (www.pickathon.com ) is a roots music festival that is deliberately loosely defined. I was invited there by my friend Roy Batchelor that I’ve told you about -- he is the guru behind www.bootliquor.com , the Internet’s bad-ass country radio station. Many of the folks associated with Pickathon stayed at the Doubletree Hotel, with their fine Pickathon group rate and commitment to "green" business practices. When it was time to go to the festival, a bio-diesel bus was provided by the Oregon Bus Project (www.busproject.org), a grassroots nonprofit that provides volunteers to Oregon political candidates who are committed to green policies.

So, onto the music! Many different groups played, from traditional bluegrass -- like the Earl Brothers -- to more indie rock. Not everybody was a "picker", either. Iris Dement played piano. Pickathon had three different stages, including an intimate barn that was used for smaller acts and workshops. The workshops ranged from banjo to clogging. Concerts were going from 11:30 am to past 2 am both nights.

One of my favorite acts was Danny Barnes. He did everything from rocking electric guitar on the big stage to delicate improvisational banjo, accompanying 8 year olds! His style is that of quiet genius -- Roy calls him the "Frank Zappa of country music".

When you’re at a festival, don’t you always think about food? I do. Pickathon had a lot of healthy choices, but I would have like to have seen some more affordable options, as well. One great item I snacked on was a vegan coconut ice dream, made of pure coconut milk and seasonings. Terrific! What made it even more terrific was their suggestion to go by the gate and pick myself some wild black raspberries for free to use as a topping.

The weather was picture perfect for both days, with absolutely clear skies. Clear skies does equal sun-damage, though. One great solution was the shaded beer garden, which had chairs and tables. For $6, you could get yourself one of 4 different types of micro brews and listen to the concerts in comfort. After 1 am, the barn also served beer. I am proud to say that I led a revolution in bringing chairs into the barn. I wasn’t really going out on a limb; the place had a laid-back atmosphere. I figured nobody’d get too mad if I moved chairs from outside to inside the barn.