Social Justice Camp DC began Friday with a evening of 5-minute Pecha-Kucha presentations, all focusing on Social Justice.  Speakers were brilliant, passionate advocates that discussed issues ranging from saving DC social programs from budget cuts to Regina Holliday's medical advocacy murals, created to promote patient's rights.  The inspiring civil and human rights work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was mentioned often, including in my own presentation.

My talk chronicled my experience looking for a definition of Social Justice.  After the usual Internet sources failed, I turned to an unlikely method: translate Social Justice into Japanese characters and then analyze those characters as if they were telling a story.

The results were surprising (and a bit funny), but eventually lead me to my own definition of Social Justice.

@cindythroop shot video from the front row.

I took the audio from her recording and created a video the shows only the slides.

Interestingly, I did some of the development of this idea on my $20 wall-sized whiteboard.

Fascinated by this process, I'm working a new Found in Translation.

Here's the write-up for the 5-minute Petcha-Kucha presentation I'm giving tonight at Social Justice Camp DC.  I'll post a video if there is one.  Otherwise, I'll record the narration and post on YouTube.

Found in Translation: Social Justice

Coming from the Government 2.0 and Health 2.0 communities, I wasn't really sure what Social Justice was.  After a few conversations and web surfing, I realized it was a question I would have to answer for myself.  In studying foreign languages, I've found that one tends to learn more about one's own culture when seen through the lens of another.  So to decipher the meaning of Social Justice, I turned to the characters of the Japanese language.  Each character, a complex pictograph, tells a story.  I wanted to see what story the characters for Social Justice would tell.

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, read from her newest work, Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage and answered questions at a signing last night organized by Politics and Prose at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington, DC.

I was first introduced to Gilbert's work by a friend who showed me Gilbert's amazing TED talk on creativity and then lent me her copy of Eat, Pray, Love.

Gilbert opened the evening by thanking everyone for coming.  She added, "Especially the men.  You're very brave."  (counting myself, there may have been 10 men in the audience of 700)

Gilbert read for about 30 minutes from Committed.  In the book, she and her lover (not a U.S. citizen) are separated at the border and are told the only way he will ever be allowed back in the U.S. is if they marry.  The memoir chronicles her quest to overcome fear of marriage (both had lived through horrific divorces) by learning as much as possible about the history of the institution.  I would describe her prose as disarming self-disclosure.  She is a gifted storyteller, with a warm, familiar tone, as if talking with a close friend.

I'll leave reviews of Eat, Pray, Love and Committed to others.  Of course, I highly recommend them both.  Actually, my recommendation would be to listen to Gilbert read the books herself.

Because I have little time to read, and because I was so drawn into her TED talk, I purchased the audio version of Eat, Pray, Love, read by Gilbert.  I had already read a couple of chapters and knew I wanted to follow her journey across Italy, India, and Indonesia.  In all honesty, I enjoyed the experience so much (it was my first audio book) I will certainly purchase the audio version of Committed when it is released.

Gilbert's honest and sincere tone was echoed by those from the audience who asked questions after the reading.

One person asked for advice on marrying someone from another culture.  Gilbert replied that even if we marry someone born in the same country, "I think we all end up marrying someone from 'another culture'."

One particularly amusing comment came from a woman who had found Eat, Pray, Love but was unsure about reading the book and didn't want to "jump into anything without being certain."  Gilbert was amused by her serious attitude towards reading selection.  After she began reading Eat, Pray, Love she devoured the novel.  "I only ate, slept, and read until I was finished."

The question of same sex marriage being addressed in Committed was asked.  Yes, topic is addressed in detail in several parts of the book.

When asked if she thought marriage as an institution would be better off without government intervention, Gilbert replied, yes.  However, she provided this justification for why that can never happen.

You can't have marriage without intimacy.
You can't have intimacy without privacy.
You can't have privacy without rights.
And you can't have rights without a government to protect those rights.

Her prediction for same-sex marriage: it will most definitely happen.  Just as inter-racial marriages have happened, and others before that, this too will become a reality in the U.S.  "The couples always win.  Always."

Her advice for for those about to marry, or anyone entering into a relationship?

Go into a relationship whole. Or at least owning all of your own holes.  You can want someone else to fill in the holes.  The idea of someone completing us is deeply ingrained in our culture.  But it should not be an expectation.  "You shouldn't impale someone with your holes."

When asked about a section from Eat, Pray, Love regarding soulmates, Gilbert replied she has an "allergic reaction to the word."  Such a weight has been placed on that concept by our culture, that she cringes at its use.  She is happy for those who feel they have found their soulmate, but for her, she holds partnership and companionship as aspects of a successful long-term relationship.

Gilbert's advice for writers on proof-reading: read it out loud.  The ear hears more than the eye sees, she says.  Always have an audience before you begin writing.  For any writing, no matter how small or humble, select at least one person to which to write.  Gilbert herself had a circle of close friends read Committed as she was writing it.  She adds that the book could just as well be said to have been written by them all.

When asked why she discarded the first manuscript for Committed, Gilbert responded she read an excerpt to her husband one evening in bed (not a spoiler - it's well-known there is a happy ending).  He was silent for a long time afterwards.  He finally said, "I'm a little tired.  Maybe you should read it to me again in the morning."  She put it away and never touched it again.

On setting realistic goals as a writer: "My goal was to publish before I died."

In an unexpected commentary on technology and the evolution of writing, Gilbert explained she doesn't have much advice for young writers on how to break into the business.  "I typed manuscripts on a typewriter, put them into manilla envelopes, and mailed them to editors at glossy magazines that don't exist anymore."

She did add, "Write the stories you are compelled to write by your conscience."

After answering questions, Gilbert signed several hundred copies of Committed and, despite the line wrapping around the inside the synagogue,  took time to hear each individual's personal message.

Thanks to Politics and Prose and the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue for hosting this event.

And thank you to Elizabeth Gilbert for sharing her experiences with a sincerity and candor that shows the true potential of loving oneself and sharing that love with another.

A few days ago @chiah tweeted a link to a video from iBusinessMagazine demonstrating how to make a $4 wall-sized whiteboard.  Since I have recently been debating paying $150+ for a whiteboard for my home I decided to give this a try.

The local Michael's arts and crafts store had everything required:

- 1 roll of Clearphane by Highlander $10
- Dry erase markers $7.50
- Eraser $2.00

Total w/ tax ~$20

Yes, this is a bit more than $4, but worth it in my opinion for the reasons listed next.  This solution is inexpensive, easy to setup, and convenient.  However the real benefits are surprising.

Pros:
- Great way to test "Do I want to spend $150 on a real whiteboard for my house, office, etc.?"  Use this for a week or two and see how much (and in what ways) you actually use it.
- Could be setup for gathering in non-office location: (insert name of)Camp, strategy session, etc.
- Party.  Let guests exchange ideas (since so many of parties become brainstorming sessions anyway) or simply draw.
- Giant Canvas. This is the real hidden value!  This creates a HUGE canvas upon which to create HUGE art. Or a lot of small art.
- Children. Those with children (or guests with children) can do the bottom of a wall and let kids be creative w/o worry.

Cons:
- Massive glare (difficult to take a picture of anything but a small area
- Certain colors show better than others (blue, using EXPO brand markers)
- Occasional issues when writing/erasing across border/overlap
- Erasing after marker has set a few hours requires some effort
- If you have pets, vacuum first.  There will still be hair under the cellophane anyway.
- Bubbles/ripples will remain even after smoothing that will be visually distracting, but won't interfere with writing too much

Installation tips:
In addition to the video, here are a few extra pointers to improve the process.
- After laying each strip, use the tube to smooth out air.  Slide sideways first in one long motion, then diagonal to top and bottom.
- If laying multiple vertical strips for a writing surface higher than 3 feet, lay the bottom strip first.  This creates a clean 3 feet high writing surface and decreases the likelihood of crossing the border between two strips.  When laying strips close to the floor (for use by children, for example) lay the top strip first, then bottom.
- If laying multiple vertical strips, allow overlap between the strips.  Creating a perfect line for the two strips would be difficult enough.  The danger or pulling or ripping the material when drawing or erasing is much greater than when strips overlap.  Also, overlapping strips will stick to each other.
- Be careful putting tacks in, as the pressure will break the seal with the wall and pull the material towards the tack. 

Will I use this as a permanent whiteboard?  No.  Will I use it in situations listed in the Pros section? Yes.

Here's a (low quality) pic of a mind-map on my $20 wall-sized whiteboard.