Do you think that the air smells like roses and the sun is always shining? Are you constantly enveloped in the warm fuzziness of your being? If you said yes to either of those statements you run the risk of leading a positively boring existence. Fret no longer, because the excitement of any number of obstacles is headed your way all thanks to the new site Need A Problem. For a small to sizeable fee the fine folks at Need A Problem will toss a dilemma your way in the hopes that you can be their solving savior. The problems range in scope from trivial to nearly unsolvable, and the prices vary accordingly. Upon conquering your quandary you are entered into the site’s hallowed hall of fame and one percent of your monetary donation is donated to help those with greater hardships. So be a part of the solution.
This Saturday marks the second international Support Women Artists Now (SWAN) day, a commemoration and series of celebrations to raise visibility for women artists around the world. Whether you're in Austin, Jerusalem, or Nairobi, there are a series of events near you. From jazz fests to Girls Write Now Days, use the SWAN Day online map to find out what’s happening locally. The project, which was started by San Francisco's collaborative network Fund for Women Artists, also has a local partnership with the upcoming SF Women's Film Festival to highlight filmmakers behind and in front of the camera.
Smiles are sure to abound for North American audiences of Playing for Change as the musical extravaganza goes on tour this week. The multimedia, artist-driven effort is working to promote peace and music education through collaboration and live performances of World music. San Franciscans can take in the tunes, including a rather irresistible rendition of “Stand By Me” at Slim’s today. Other upcoming shows include Seattle’s Showbox and New York’s High Line Ballroom. Should you miss the opportunity to see Grandpa Elliott, Mohammed Alidu, Jason Tamba of Afro Fiesta, and their counterparts performing together live for the first time, the film looks to be a promising second best (after showing at Tribeca, it won best song at the Roxbury Film Festival — no surprise there).
We’re not sure that Dubya, Dick, and Rummy will ever give a straight answer for their reasons for invading Iraq this last time, but popular opinion can be best summed up by that early 90’s anti-war mantra, “No Blood For Oil.” Echoing that sentiment Andrew Wilcox (noted for his collaboration with Ji Lee on Tag A Dummer) along with photographer Jonas Lara have created a video showing Iraq veterans invading a gas station. It serves as a scathing critique on the Bush administration’s foreign policy, as they assert through Operation W.A.N.T. (We Are Not Toys) that soldiers should not be treated as plastic toy pawns in their war games.
Good design shouldn’t cost a fortune. The problem is, when homes are custom-designed by architects, instead of pumped out like widgets on an assembly line, they are often too expensive for the average home buyer. In this article on Treehugger, green stock plan designer Greg Lavardera and FreeGreen’s David Wax discuss how to open up the green market to a larger audience and how the cost factor weighs into the issue.
Good design shouldn’t cost a fortune. The problem is, when homes are custom-designed by architects, instead of pumped out like widgets on an assembly line, they are often too expensive for the average home buyer. In this article on 
