SF State designers go from discarded to divine

Still looking for something green to do in honor of Earth Day? Why not purchase tickets for St. Vincent de Paul Society’s annual fashion show & auction of one-of-a-kind couture made from discarded clothing, to benefit the poor and homeless.  The much buzzed about event takes place Thursday, May 7, 2009, at the Giftcenter Pavillion, 888 Brannan St., San Francisco.

SF State alumna and lecturer Amy Love, co-chair of the Discarded to Divine event committee, tells me this is the fourth year professional and student designers have taken unusable donated clothes and turned them into couture creations for a good cause. The event, which brings together the design forces of schools across San Francisco, has tripled in size each year.

 

For more information, visit www.discardedtodivine.org/

Today’s news: Filmmakers, local labor landmarks, corporate pay cuts

 

Filmmaker Lourdes Portillo graced the cover of the San Francisco Examiner on Sunday. The SF State alumna is among the luminaries being honored at the 52nd annual San Francisco International Film festival opening Thursday. Portillo is receiving the Golden Gate Persistence of Vision award, “for challenging the boundaries of the documentary form and remaining dedicated to broadening the scope of Latino and Chicano portrayals in film.” Read the entire article here.

 

Others being honored include Francis Ford Coppola, who was just on campus discussing his craft with the next generation of filmmakers–a talk Leah Garchik mentions in her San Francisco Chronicle column .

 

Attention Bay Area radio listeners, tune in to the KPFA (94.1) radio program “Against the Grain” today around 12:40 p.m. to hear SF State Professor Robert Cherny and Catherine Powell, director of SF State’s Labor Archives & Research Center, discussing the center’s latest publication, “San Francisco Labor Landmarks Guide Book.” For more on the book, read this SF State news story.

 

Does the corporate strategy of cutting pay to preserve jobs pay off? SF State Assistant Professor of Management Mitchell Marks shares his views in this Time magazine article.

 

Our alumni keep cranking out the books

Alumnus John Christgau invites alumni and friends to learn more about Yoshio ”Kokomo Joe” Kobuki, the amazing subject of his new book,  ”Kokomo Joe: The Story of the First Japanese American Jockey in the U.S.”

Chirstgau will be speaking at noon, Saturday, April 18, 2009 at the National Japanese American Historical Society Gallery (1684 Post Street, San Francisco).

“Kokomo Joe” was the first Japanese American jockey in the country. He was as promising a young jockey as turf writers could remember–winning race after race during the summer of 1941, despite conspiracies against him by antagonistic jockeys. As the war with Japan loomed, his continued victories and amazing records aggravated fans who hated and feared anything Japanese. When the war began, America’s concerns over invasion grew, and not even Kokomo Joe could escape the country’s espionage and sabotage dragnet.

 

 

Stan Goldberg at the Left Coast Writers Reading Series

One of the best parts of my job as editor of SF State Magazine is the opportunity to read advanced copies of thought provoking books like Professor Emeritus Stan Goldberg’s “Lessons for the Living: Stories of Forgiveness, Gratitude, and Courage at the End of Life.”

 

When Goldberg was diagnosed with cancer, he chose to face his fear by helping others in the process of dying—he signed up as a hospice volunteer to be at the bedsides of people who are terminally ill. In his new book he shows how seemingly ordinary things, such as small acts of kindness, letting go of anger, and keeping things simple can have an extraordinary effect for someone who is dying—and how they offer lasting lessons for the rest of us. I have already sent several YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK e-mails to friends and family.

 

The book will be released on June 9, but advance orders are now being taken at Amazon.com and look for an excerpt in our forthcoming spring/summer issue.

 

Goldberg will be reading at the Left Coast Writers Reading Series: Intoxicating Ideas, at Book Passage, April 13, 1 Ferry Plaza, #46 in San Francisco. Readings are from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. with networking and wine afterward. Go!

Happy Buddha Day

In Japan, Buddha’s birthday is observed today—a great excuse to tell you about alumna Kathleen Edwards’ new book.

“Holy Stars! Favorite Deities, Prophets, Saints and Sages from Around the World!” (Sentient Publications, ’09) is a wonderfully informative and beautifully illustrated book that provides an overview on everyone from Allah to Zarathustra.

Edwards was inspired to create the collection when her 10-year-old goddaughter saw a drawing of St. Francis and asked, “Who’s that?” and “What’s that circle around his head?”

Riding out the recession

In this New York Times article, Professor of Counseling Robert Chope discusses the importance of keeping up appearances in tough economic times. A study by Professor of Psychology David Matsumoto is also cited.

Are you out of a job? Chope shares some tips to “smooth out the bumps in the career change road” here.