THE HUMAN SIDE OF TWITTER by Neil Sandow is a hilarious book that not only showcases the most current trend insocial networking but also provides a window into what people are thinking and communicating. In 140 characters people can say the funniest things, whether they meant to or not. Tweets are being sent by the millions every day, everywhere. Recently, Twitter reached 32 Billion sent tweets. While it would be near impossible to peruse that volume, THE HUMAN SIDE OF TWITTER presents 1300 Tweets that will make you smile, giggle or laugh out loud although not all the Tweets included are funny. Some are sad, unfortunate, and graphic but profoundly human.
Elected to the Senate in 2008, Senator Mark Leno represents the 3rd District, which includes Marin, and portions of San Francisco and Sonoma Counties. He is the first openly gay man elected to the State Senate, and one of the first two openly gay men ever elected to the Assembly. Prior to his election to the Senate, he served six years in the State Assembly and four and a half years on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
While in the Assembly, Leno fought for better schools and access to higher education, a cleaner and sustainable environment, single-payer universal affordable and quality health care, improved transportation, renewable energy, safer streets and equal rights for all Californians. His AB 849 in 2005 and AB 43 in 2007 were the first two marriage equality bills passed by both houses of any state legislature in the United States allowing LGBT couples to marry.
VISIT SENATOR LENO'S WEBSITE HERE
We must speak loud and clear that we will not back track from anything less then total inclusion of our entire wonderful LBTGQ community. Almost 30 years after my uncle was violently removed from this world by a hateful element of fear based pragmatism we most stand together and say we will and can have everyone protected from discrimination. Harvey has said, “we must not create a shopping list of exceptions” and that includes any such exceptions no matter how loud those fear based pragmatic voices rise, our voice of inclusion will and must rise higher!
Prior to his appointment as Treasurer, José served as Deputy General Manager of Capital Planning and External Affairs for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (MUNI). In this capacity, he managed MUNI’s $7 billion capital program designed to repair, replace and enhance system assets – including the 3rd Street Rail extension to help continue to encourage economic improvement in Chinatown, Mission Bay and for the residents of Bay View and Hunters Point. A San Francisco resident for over ten years, Treasurer Cisneros has been active in the community including serving on the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club board. Before working at MUNI full-time, while still at IBM, José was a volunteer member of the MTA Board of Directors and was instrumental in creating Proposition E, the MUNI Reform Charter Amendment. Previous to the MTA Board, José volunteered with the former Parking and Traffic Commission where he worked closely with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition to help expand the number of dedicated bike lanes throughout the city.
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn... confused? Mike will make it all make sense!
Theresa Sparks is the president of the San Francisco Police Commission, the former CEO of woman-owned, multi-million dollar, retailer Good Vibrations, and one of the most prominent female transgender activists in the nation. Her many professional accomplishments include being a member of the Emeritus Board of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, a Vietnam-era veteran and a trained engineer. She has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Horizons Foundation, a community based LGBT philanthropic organization, and has been nationally recognized for her long standing commitment to human rights and public service.
I get a lot of shit when I talk about this; my blog post complaining about the Obamas choosing a private school got all sorts of comments from all over the country, every single one of them negative. But I soldier on: elected officials should send their kids to public schools. If the San Francisco schools aren't good enough for the mayor's kid, then the mayor needs to be working harder to fix them. I know it's none of my business, and that you have to do what you think is right for your own child and all that, but ... if the mayor, or the president, or the school superintendent, or the school board members, or the supervisors choose private schools, then they're saying that public education is good enough for the poor kids, but not for their own. Hell of a statement, huh Gavin? San Francisco has some great public schools, and I suspect you can figure out the admissions process. Or just gimme a call. I'll pass along some tips.
As my uncle taught me from any early age, “each and every individual member of our diverse community represents the medicine that the world needs”. We as Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals are so much less and are incomplete without our trans brothers and sisters.
The eldest child of Chinese immigrant parents, David Chiu, grew up in Boston and attended a Catholic high school in a working class neighborhood.
David and his siblings all attended Harvard University, where David received a degree in government from Harvard College, a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
David became Democratic Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Constitution Subcommittee and Senator Paul Simon’s aide to the Senate Budget Committee. As Democratic Counsel, David’s responsibilities for a wide range of constitutional, criminal and civil rights issues included drafting, negotiating and advocating socially progressive legislation. As a budget aide, David analyzed the economic and fiscal impact of numerous proposals, and was the lead staffer in 1995 for the first Democratic balanced budget proposal in several decades.
David Chiu has lived in District 3 for the past 12 years, in the Russian Hill and Polk Street neighborhoods. David has been a hands-on leader in San Francisco and in District 3 in numerous capacities.
As City Attorney of San Francisco, Dennis Herrera leads what the Los Angeles Times recently called "an unconventional public law office that has earned a nationwide reputation for its aggressive legal tactics."
The first Latino ever to hold the office in San Francisco, Herrera was elected city attorney in 2001 on a pledge to defend the integrity of our public institutions; to expand neighborhood protection efforts; and to enhance local government's accountability to its citizens and taxpayers. But it has been several of his bolder, affirmative litigation efforts for which Herrera's office has earned its national reputation.
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He filed the first government litigation in American history to challenge the constitutionality of marriage laws that discriminate against gay and lesbian couples.
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He intervened as the nation's only municipality in seeking to strike down the Bush Administration's federal abortion ban.
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And his public integrity investigation and lawsuit on behalf of the San Francisco school district blew the whistle on a nationwide scam to defraud the federal E-Rate program, which helps America's poorest school districts bridge the digital divide.
Joey Altman is a San Francisco based Chef who wears many hats.
Television Host, Cookbook Author, Restaurant Consultant, Food & Wine Educator, and Public Speaker.
In 1998 Altman launched Bay Café, a food-magazine television show. Bay Cafe provides food and wine enthusiasts with an insider’s look at the Bay Area’s rich and diverse culinary scene.
While it quickly became a Bay Area favorite food show, after its first season Bay Cafe has been recognized 3 times by the prestigious James Beard Foundation with the food-world's equivalent to The Oscar's, The James Beard Award for Best Local Cooking Series in 2000. It went on to win the award again in 2001 and 2006. .
SAN FRANCISCO SUPERVISOR BEVAN DUFTY
Watch the interview PART 1 PART 2
"For me, this has been the job of a lifetime. I work hard, seek common ground and attend to neighborhood concerns - whether big or small. "
Supervisor Bevan Dufty was elected in December of 2002 and re-elected in November 2007 and represents San Francisco's District 8. District 8 encompasses Noe Valley, The Castro, Glen Park, Diamond Heights, Duboce Triangle, Dolores Park & San Jose / Guerrero, and Buena Vista Heights neighborhoods.
Bevan's early exposure to a world filled with social activism, ethnic vibrancy and soulful music gave him a unique perspective on life and instilled in him the importance of giving back to the community. It laid the foundation for the person Bevan is today.
YOUTH SPEAKS Founder & Executive Director JAMES KASS
Watch the interview Part 1 Part 2
"The young people I work with and listen
to offer inspiration and hope. Over the last thirteen years, Youth
Speaks has brought young people together across gender and ethnic
lines, class and racial barrier, and red state, blue state politics,
working to unite a generation working toward the change that our
country needs." James Kass http://www.youthspeaks.org/
As the sacred cows routinely paint targets on their foreheads practically begging for someone to puncture their pomposity, America cries out for a man with the aim, strength, and style to hit them where it hurts the funniest. Will Durst is that man. Sweeping both sides of the aisle with a quiver full of arrows dipped in common sense, Durst transcends party ties, having performed at events honoring former Presidents Bill Clinton and George HW Bush as well as acclaimed appearances at both a Mayors Convention and Governors Conference. Outraged and outrageous, Durst is as current as today’s headlines, as accurate as a sniper, and universally acknowledged by even his peers as the nation’s foremost political comic. * Will Durst’s performances are made possible by the First Amendment. 
