About the artist:

Johanna Poethig is an internationally exhibited visual, public, and performance artist. Over the years, she has collaborated with many different artists, professionals, communities, and cultural groups. The work you see here is specifically from a mural project in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco, CA. You can contact Poethig at jpoethig@mindspring.com.

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New Mural in SF

Poethig and Wofford, mugging and working on new mural in San Francisco’s Tenderloin. Expect more progress posts as the project continues over weeks to come.

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Week 4: Tenderloin Heights

Civic Center Post Office Mural: Street Art/ Mural Performance Painting/ Social Theater

It’s either “Tenderloin Heights” or “Tondo (famous slum in Manila) in the Tenderloin”.  Our scaffolding is periodically inhabited.  There are sleeping things stuffed in the tree next to the second level.  I call it the “Garden Level” .  We look over the top planks gingerly every work day hoping for no surprises. What’s worse, a tag or some human dung. Hmmmmm.  Hard to say.

The police are not around this week.  People are corralled into this neighborhood.  Arrests seem very arbitrary. There is no space in California prisons and clearly not enough mental health services.  An anti Drug War demonstration came down the street last Friday.  The police were all around that.  There was also a bomb scare at the Federal building 2 blocks down so it crowded up on our block that day. A little too cozy. A blind man knocked over a blue jar of paint and it splatted on to the sidewalk.

Natural Beauty

With a click the severed sunbeams
Flutter and descend like canary’s feathers
As a cat holds down the body.
A body trapped beneath the paws and
Claws that pierce skin, releasing
Fluid that leaves no trace.
A small stubbled head placed
Upon trembling cupped hands
That trap falling water.
The eyes make up lakes,
The mascara raging tributaries.

You may contact Don P. Musey at donpmusey@gmail.com.

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Our Son

I want to hold you,
But you’re almost my size.
With your father’s hair,
And Papa’s eyes.

You’re big and rough,
And strong and loud.
You make me and your father very proud.

When you changed from a baby
I do not know.
Though I’ve been there every second,
To watch you grow.

You surprise us and shock us every day.
We are in awe sometimes,
By the things you say.

In too few years,
You will be a man.
Just follow careful,
To God’s great plan.

And know at sunset,
When each day is done,
We are always proud of you our son.

J’Rie B. Elliott is a poetess and ongoing contributor of Synchronized Chaos. To contact her, send an email to dixiepoet@gmail.com.

Synchronized Chaos is serving you up a summer “cocktail” for July: equal parts science and nature with a splash of spontaneity.

Tapati McDaniels takes you inside the 4th annual conference on pharmacogenomics and consumer genetic testing, held on May 26, 2011, at the South San Francisco Conference Center.

Leena Prasad kicks off Whose Brain Is It, a brand new monthly neuroscience column.

Daniella Engen finds unique characteristics of wildlife through a lens and gives new boldness to otherwise unassuming moments. Sara Diamond explains the meaning of “dream logic” in her series of whimsical photographs.

Other artists featured in this issue are Ari Bernabei and Trius Fernsler. Bernabei’s paintings are joyful in the small details and Fernsler’s work is colorful and rhythmic.

Also rhythmic is the poetry by Christopher Bernard. Bernard shares a few of his free-spirited and energetic poems based on bikes.

Last but not least for poetry, Carolyn Havenhill’s work reflects upon finding peace and faith during hardships and appreciating the present.

There are 3 book reviews this month:

• Jaylan Salah on In the Palace of Creation, by Janine Canan
• Nicole Arocho on It Felt Like a Kiss, by Leena Prasad
• Bruce Roberts on Quiet Chaos, by Sandro Veronesi

You also have an exciting opportunity to read the first suspenseful chapter from A. Paul Cartier’s novel, Tunnel Road. Also check out the electric and shocking (puns intended) flash fiction by Carter Maddox.

Thanks very much for reading this month’s issue of Synchronized Chaos Magazine. Cheers!

His Spirit

In the depth of this sorrow
My heart hears you weep
A prayer in the Bible
I hope you will read
God sends His Love
To Help Carry Us Through
No Matter what has been done to us
Or the things that we do.
He mapped out our future
For as we have been told
The Highways to Heaven
Are streets lined in Gold.
The angel song is as sweet
As Solomon would sing
Our clothes are the finest
Of garments he brings.
A table of silver
Where You are His Guest
A footstool in Heaven
For our weary feet to rest
Breathe deep and feel
His abiding love
Sent from above

Carolyn Havenhill, currently incarcerated in California for drunken driving and taking part in an accident which caused a woman to have a miscarriage, writes as part of a process to rebuild her life and give something positive back to society. She and her victim now write to each other as part of a mutual healing process, and Havenhill dedicates her poem, “His Spirit” to the memory of the unborn child. She intends to continue writing upon release and seeks other outlets to continue publishing her work. You may comment here if you would like to write to Carolyn, and we will give you her address with her permission.

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Whose Brain Is It?
by Leena Prasad

Lou has lost weight. He has dark circles under his eyes from insufficient sleep but does not look tired and appears to be happy. He is focused at work and getting a lot done. He is also spending more time on his guitar and writing a new song almost every week.

A friend that Lou had not seen for a while wonders if Lou has slipped back into his cocaine habit. The dopamine level in Lou’s brain is consistently high these days. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter produced by the brain and plays a starring role within the pleasure circuits of the human mind.  Cocaine increases the level of dopamine in the brain resulting in feelings of happiness, improved focus, increased energy as well as lower needs for food and sleep.

Lou’s mother, who sees him sporadically, worries that he has developed a disorder because he is displaying new behavior patterns.  He spends a lot of time in his childhood room ordering and re-ordering things.  He either taps his foot constantly when sitting down or paces back and forth in the living room when talking to her. She has not said anything because he also seems to be happier than usual and she wonders if the changes might be the effect of his recent job promotion.

His mother reads a lot of popular psychology articles and thinks that he might have a mild case of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Can you guess what is going on in Lou’s brain?

Lou is not taking cocaine.

Leena Prasad has a journalism degree from Stanford University. Her writing portfolio is available at http://www.FishRidingABike.com and she can be reached at leena@fishridingabike.com.

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[Article by Tapati McDaniels]

On May 26, 2011, the department of Biology at San Francisco State University hosted the fourth annual conference on biotechnology as it applies to medicine. Each year journalists, health professionals, educators, alumni and students gather to learn about the latest applications of genetic research in various aspects of health care. This year we gathered at the South San Francisco Conference Center to accommodate more participants, an appropriate venue given the role of South San Francisco in the field of biotechnology. Many leading biotech companies are located there and have an active partnership with the city as well as sponsoring the conference.

Master of Ceremonies David Ewing Duncan,  Journalist, Director of the Center of Life Science Policy, UC Berkeley, started us off by sharing the story of his own experience with having a full genetic workup done as well as being tested for pesticides and chemicals for his book Experimental Man. Duncan took all of that information and improved his fitness level and diet to reduce his chances for heart disease, offering an example of how this knowledge can empower consumers. He also invited us to view his Personalized Health Manifesto, which makes the case for a more integrated approach using cutting-edge genetic research in patient care. Like others at the conference his manifesto points to gaps between what we know and what is being offered to patients.

Pharmacogenomics was the subject of the morning presentations and has been described as “the right drug, at the right dose, for the right patient, at the right time.” As Kathy Giacomini, PH.D., Professor & Co-Chair, Department of Bioengineering & Therapeutic Sciences at UCSF explained, genetics is one of several factors that can cause a variation in how a patient responds to medication. Genetic factors play a role in the efficacy and safety of drug therapies. Dr. Giacomini illustrated these factors with two stories that clearly showed what’s at stake if these issues are not understood and applied to patient care.

Tapati McDaniels is the former publisher and editor of Uppity Women Magazine and is currently writing a memoir. Excerpts can be found at http://tapati.livejournal.com/ where you can contact her with questions or comments.

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