This weekend, August 2-5, progressive activists, bloggers, and politicians from all over the country (and the world) will be gathering in Chicago for the Yearly Kos convention. Joining them will be all the major Democratic Presidential candidates, as well as Democratic party leaders, so you know its going to be quite the shindig. If like…
Civil society activists from Global South sought for Oxford Internet research program
The Oxford Internet Institute is looking for civil society activists from the developing world to participate in their new Civil Society Practitioners Programme: This visitor programme is intended for Civil Society Practitioners of distinction or outstanding promise who wish to visit the Institute for a period of six weeks between February and December 2008, to…
Global Kids hiring YouthVentures Program Manager
Catching up on correspondence after my trip, I saw this message from my friends at Global Kids that they are hiring a new "YouthVentures Program Manager". Here’s how they describe it: YouthVentures supports groups of teens to develop social enterprises. A social entrepreneur is someone who recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to…
Last word on Herrang
Back in States now, getting ready to go back to "real life" after my adventures at the Herrang Dance Camp. It’s hard to sum up the experience of being crammed together with 800 crazy lindy hoppers for nine days in a tiny town in Sweden. On my last morning in Herrang, I strolled through the…
Friday Night Herrang Blowout Party
The final evening of dance camp is always a costume party with some kind of theme. This being the 25th anniversary of the camp, the theme was simply to dress in outlandish fashion, which lots of dancers gladly did. I loved how several dancers were dressed as different lindy hop moves, from the Texas Tommy to…
Rik’s Tips for Herrang
I’m spending a couple of days in Stockholm with my friend Tomo, recovering from Herrang. Here are some pointers from me that might help your Herrang experience be more enjoyable and stress-free: Be Flexible: I’m not talking about your body (although it’s important to stretch out before and after dancing.) I mean, the dance camp…
Frankie Manning book signing in Herrang a success!
The Herrang book signing for Frankie Manning’s autobiography Ambassador of Lindy Hop finished at around 3:30PM, only an hour after it was scheduled to complete today. Reportedly, the Herrang camp sold more than 700 books, with several campers buying more than one copy to take back home with them. Frankie, ever the gentleman, would not…
Inevitably ill in Herrang
Not surprisingly, I’ve gotten a bit sick here at Herrang Dance Camp. Really it’s a perfect breeding ground for airborne and skinborne viruses, since we spend a lot of time in close quarters, dance holding hands with tens of strangers, and get no sleep. It doesn’t help that people who are sick selfishly go out…
Groovin to the Blues
Last night was “Blues Night” at Camp Herrang. A killer band from Stockholm came in, the Family Carling band, playing live blues music. They played some solid sets for the dancers that kept the floor packed and moving. I did have a bit of a problem with how people were dancing to the blues. The…
Second Life Non-profit Commons Opening Party August 14
I’m excited to announce that on August 14 the Plush Non-profit Commons in Second Life (teleport SLURL) will be holding an official opening party. Starting at 5:30PM PST, this will be a mixed-reality event taking place in the real world in San Francisco as well as virtually at the Non-profit Commons sim. Here’s the official…