A Bike Ride for Peace, Friendship & Co-existence

Fourteen Iranian cyclists have traveled city by city across Italy, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States to communicate the pacifist message of the Iranian people to the nations around the world.

The 14 cyclists have now arrived in San Francisco and will be meeting with Mayor Gavin Newsom on Monday the 2nd of July 2007.

On the 4th of July 2007, I encourage fellow cyclist to join the 14 cyclist in a celebration of goodwill to spread peace, friendship and solidarity by escorting them as they bike out from the city of San Francisco (and on with their journey) toward Los Angeles.

04 July 2007
12 noon.
Justin Hermann Plaza
San Francisco, CA.

Donations to “Miles for Peace” are greatly needed and deeply appreciated. Your donations will help the cyclist complete their journey successfully and attain their goal. This endeavor has been made possible by the donations of diverse peace lovers worldwide.

Related Links:

Miles for Peace Official Website:
http://milesforpeace.com

Donations can be made here:
http://milesforpeace.com/takeaction.php

Wishing the best of all possible worlds,
tony

AIDS Walk 2007

AIDS WALK 2007 - Thank You Walkers!

The funds raised by participates in AIDS Walk San Francisco benefits many important programs of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation - and help change lives (read the story of AIDS Walker, Rigoberto Maruri below):





Rigoberto Maruri - Member, El Grupo (Latino Support Group)
- "After I became HIV-positive in 1990, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation was the light at the end of the tunnel for me. I knew I was not alone. At one point I was sick and I had no job, and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation helped me find a doctor, a dentist, and a food bank. I also qualified for rental subsidies they gave me that helped me keep my apartment. Thanks to medication and housing, I've been able to go back to work.

I'm also part of the El Grupo support group which is like a big family. Over time I've been able to provide support to others who've become HIV-positive too. We help let people know that they are not alone, and that people just like them can enjoy life again.

Recently, I was a part of a group of people living with AIDS who were invited by the Foundation to travel to Washington. We raised awareness and let Congress know that people like me still need services. The trip gave me a sense of empowerment because I knew I was speaking for thousands of people in the community who live with HIV and AIDS.

I'm a living proof that this works. My experiences with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation have motivated me to keep fighting not just for me, but everyone who has become HIV-positive.

AIDS WALK San Francisco 2007 - 15 July 2007

AIDS Walk San Francisco 2005 raised over $3.6 million in support of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and other Bay Area AIDS service organizations.
Thank you all for changing the course of the epidemic.

The 10-kilometer (6.2 miles) walkathon benefits the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and 45 other Bay Area AIDS agencies. Benefiting organizations are involved in such efforts as supporting treatment access efforts both domestically and in the developing world, conducting cutting edge HIV prevention campaigns, operating nutrition programs, advocating for sound public policy, offering legal support advocacy, and providing critically needed housing assistance.

9 a.m.: Sign-In, hosted by Wachovia , opens in Mother's Meadow. Walkers turn in donations, pick up fundraising awards, and receive their official 2007 AIDS Walk San Francisco walker button and AIDS Walk Guide.

9:30 a.m.: Aerobic Warm-Up -sponsored by YMCA of San Francisco
Get ready for AIDS Walk San Francisco by stretching along with the warm-up team, Culture Shock!

9:45 a.m.: Opening Ceremony in Sharon Meadow. Live from the stage: community leaders, musical guests, and celebrity speakers.

10:30 a.m.: AIDS Walk begins!

Noon: Free HIV Testing, provided by Brown & Toland Medical Group, STOP AIDS Project,
and AIDS Health Project

This year the AIDS Walk is pleased to offer free and confidential HIV testing at the event. Get tested and receive results in just 20 minutes. HIV/AIDS information will be available and appointments can be made for an HIV screening at a later date.

12:30 p.m.: Post-Walk concert and family entertainment in Sharon Meadow with live music and the announcement of the fundraising total for AIDS Walk San Francisco 2007! The KidZone, sponsored by Bank of the West , features a bounce house, face painting, and free carousel rides!

http://ynottony.com/aidswalk.jpg

DIRECTIONS

The AIDS Walk starts and ends at Sharon Meadow, which is located at the east end of Golden Gate Park, near the intersection of Kennedy and Kezar Drives. Enter from Haight St. or Stanyan St. Nearby landmarks include the carousel, the tennis courts and the children's playground, and Hippie Hill.

Related Links:

• AIDS Walk - Donate
• AIDS Walk - Register
• AIDS Walk - Volunteer
• AIDS Walk - Route Map
• AIDS Walk Speaks to Oprah Winfrey
• An Invitation to Oprah Winfrey & Harpo Productions
  

Wishing the best of all possible worlds,
tony

Avon Breast Cancer - San Francisco

On the 22 October 2006, while bike riding through Golden Gate Park, I witnessed the very tail end of the American Cancer Society's - "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" - Breast Cancer Walk. And, from my involvement with the AIDS LifeCycle Charity Events, I remembered: the sense of completion, the feeling of exhaustion, the questions of "where do I go from here," and the thoughts of "how to explain what one has experience physically, and emotionally" after completing a charity event. . . .

And most importantly, I remembered the importance of letting participants of charity events know that:

1. You understand and support what they are doing.
2. They are not alone.

So today, at 8:00am, along with the Sports Basement Employees, friends, new friends, strangers and "then some," I served coffee, bagels, Gatorade, sweets, cheers & love to the participants of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer - San Francisco.

Sports Basement welcomes Avon Breast Cancer Walk

"Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, except for nonmelanoma skin cancers. The chance of developing invasive breast cancer at some time in a woman's life is about 1 in 8 (13% of women). It is estimated that in 2007 about 178,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in the United States. At this time there are slightly over 2 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. Women living in North America have the highest rate of breast cancer in the world.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer. The chance that breast cancer will be responsible for a woman’s death is about 1 in 33 (3%). In 2007, about 40,460 women and 450 men will die from breast cancer in the United States. Death rates from breast cancer continue to decline, with larger decreases in women younger than 50. These decreases are believed to be the result of earlier detection through screening and increased awareness, as well as improved treatment." - American Cancer Society



Being safely escorted by the San Jose Police Department, women & men of all shapes & sizes, ages, creeds, and sexual orientations gathered because they know the adage "Good things come to those who wait." Yet when it comes to breast cancer - when someone in the United States is diagnosed every three minutes - waiting is not an option. Walking is.

So whether one can run, walk, type, sing, cook, answer phones, bike, swim, bowl, drive a car, load a truck, or donate - there's definitely something one can do to better the world and/or assist a fellow human being.



Wishing the best of all possible worlds,
Iyengar Yoga Teacher, tony

San Francisco Bike Coalition & Fat Tire Beer

Post Ride Depression:
It is not uncommon for cyclist to suffer post- event depression after finishing the AIDS LifeCycle Event. This is due in part to achieving a goal which took much time and energy to reach. Now that the goal has been accomplished, cyclist oftentimes feel a void in their lives.

So if you too are suffering from a post ride depression, have a void in your life, are searching for a fun loving bike ride community, dying to sponsor a charity organization, love a good beer, or are seeking a weekend booty call - It's time for the Tour De Fat

Oil your bike chain and press the polyester, Tour de Fat is back in San Francisco on Saturday, July 21st at Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park. Come join Ed Dopman, Jamie Mastin, and the Fat Tire Beer Team for a ballyhoo of bikes & beer sponsored by the New Belgium Brewing Company.



Two parts bike rodeo and one part circus you can expect fire-jumping bike acts, cycling games, cruiser bike parade, live music, tasty eats and great beer, of course - and all proceeds benefit two great nonprofits: the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition & the Bay Area Ridge Trails Council!

So how much is this grand fete going to cost me? The show, parade, conversation and booty calls are FREE! All proceeds from beer sales ($4 for 16 oz.) will benefit the San Francisco Bike Coalition, and The Bay Area Ridge Trail Council. New Belgium Brewing Company will bring the beer and you just bring your bike! (Valet bike parking provided--of course!)

I'll look forward to seeing you there ...
Wishing the best of all possible worlds,
tony



Related Links:

• AIDS LifeCycle Sponsor - Fat Tire Beer
• AIDS LifeCycle - Fat Tire Beer Bust Fundraising Party - 2005
• AIDS LifeCycle - Fat Tire Beer Bust Charity Fundraising Party - 2006
• AIDS LifeCycle - Fat Tire Beer Bust Charity Fundraising Party - 2007

New Belgium - Tour De Fat

New Belgium Brewing Company - Tour De Fat - San Francisco:
"Grab your bike and slip into your alter-ego because New Belgium's philanthropic cycling circus Tour de Fat is hitting the road for its seventh season! Costumes and decorated bikes reign supreme as the participants come for a casual ride, good music and entertainment, then stay, of course, for the beer. Amid the hoopla, Tour de Fat also raises money for local charities."

Besides being An Annual Sponsor of AIDS LifeCycle, New Belgium Brewing Company has repeatedly supported the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.

Well - You Missed it!:
On 22 July 2007, I visited the Fat Tire Beer - Tour De Fat. I witnessed an "of the hook" performance by of the Yard Dog Road Show, watched others test ride the latest bike inventions, giggled at the costumes, sampled the New Belgium Portfolio of beers, and then .. . . I caught a glimpse at the Harley of Bikes .....

Now this is no ordinary bike!

Inside of that red & green seat bag is a PA that possess more than enough power to rock the house. "DJ Fossil Fuel" rides the bike, generates the power, sings & raps, and is very pleasing to watch. You'll definitely want to check him out at the Bicycle Music Festival.

Bicycle Music Festivall organizers Gabe Dominguez and Paul Freedman are the leaders in the young field of human powered music. Dominguez toured 700 miles through Utah in April & May of 2007 with his band SHAKE YOUR PEACE!, using a human-powered P/A system. Audiences were thrilled to volunteer their leg power, both at the shows and in the giant touring "Caravan" as the band and audience rode together from city to city. Freedman's Soul Cycle mobile audio systems have appeared on BBC1 television and the San Francisco Chronicle, and will be featured in the August edition of Make Magazine. His company, Rock the Bike, supplied and sponsored the Human Power capability for the SHAKE YOUR PEACE! touring rig.

Best of Show!:

After chatting up Ed Dopman & Jamie Mastin of New Belguim Brewing Company, and slurping down three Skinny Dips, I ventured away from the beer garden and began to search out the most appealing characters & costumes. Here's to the "best show."

And there's still time to lube the chain an visit the Tour De Fat. Check out the venue:

Truckee - July 29
Seattle - August 12
Portland - August 19
Boise - August 26
Missoula - September 2
Durango - September 16
Ft. Collins - September 23
Flagstaff - September 30
Tempe - October 21

So if you've attended the Tour De Fat or have attended my Fat Tire Beer Charity Fundraising Beer Bust , or just want to send out some love - send a thanks out to Brew Meister Jamie Mastin, Ed Dopman, & the Fat Tire Beer Team for their continued support towards charity bike rides, and charity benefits, and for their product sponsorships by clicking on their logo.

Wishing the best of all possible worlds,
tony



Related Links:

• AIDS LifeCycle Sponsor - Fat Tire Beer
• AIDS LifeCycle - Fat Tire Beer Bust Fundraising Party - 2005
• AIDS LifeCycle - Fat Tire Beer Bust Charity Fundraising Party - 2006
• AIDS LifeCycle - Fat Tire Beer Bust Charity Fundraising Party - 2007

AIDS Marathon & Sports Basement

AIDS Marathon & Sports Basement - San Francisco:
At 7:30am. the alarm clock rang - I hit the "snooze."
At 7:45am., I ran to the laundry mat to finish the drying of my Sports Basement T-shirt.
At 8:15am. I revisited the laundry mat. I retrieved my "wet" Sports Basement T shirt, threw it in my bag - and proceeded as planned.

At 8:45am (15 minutes late), I approached Sports Basement - "16th & Deharo. And as I pulled into the parking lot - I was greeted by screams of excitement, pickle bucket drums, cheering, applause, and cow bells. It was my fellow employees of Sports Basement.



And amongst the employees was Sports Basement Partner - Eric Prosnitz.

"Eric Prosnitz is the partner credited with the seed concept. He added a Harvard MBA to a Stanford degree in economics, then went to work for Boston's famed consulting firm, Bain & Co. Prosnitz, a runner, swimmer, snowboarder and soccer player, wondered if that Maxx/Ross recipe might function equally well with outdoor gear." - SF Gate.com



Each week, Sports Basement becomes a meeting place for sports clubs, charity organizations and outdoorsy folks from all over the Bay Area. So if you bump into a tri-athlete balancing bowls of pasta salad while looking for your next swimsuit, don't worry, she's probably just meeting some friends for a potluck somewhere in the store. And that cyclist riding through the camping department is likely just in a hurry to catch the speaker in the back of the warehouse. It's Thursday night, after all." - Sports Basement

And as we rang our cow bells, yelled out our favorite expressions, and banged our pickle drums, I remembered the importance of supporting an idea, a person, or anything which one believes in. . . ..

Shortly later, I repeatedly jogged several blocks with various AIDS Marathon Participants because I know that the best way to teach - is by example.

"The National AIDS Marathon Training Program is geared to both beginners and experienced runners. The full marathon program starts with three miles of running and walking, and then gradually increases in distance. The half marathon program starts with just one mile. Whether you have never run a step, or you are a seasoned marathoner who wants to improve your personal best, this program will help you succeed. It’s a great way to get fit, have fun, and make a tremendous difference in the lives of people living with AIDS." - National AIDS Marathon

A wonderful day it was .. .
Wishing the best of all possible worlds,

Iyengar Yoga Teacher,
11th Yr. California AIDS Ride / AIDS LifeCycle Cyclist,
tony

Related Links:
Sports Basement - Avon Breast Cancer Walk
Sports Basement - Bike to Work Day
An Invitation to Oprah Winfrey