STAYING SHARP

AARP and Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives present "Staying Sharp," a series of free forums that focus on understanding how the brain works to maximize brain function and brain health, particularly in the second half of our lives. The next forum is open to the public, but reservations are required. Saturday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, Event Center, Patron's Hall, Saint Mary's Cathedral, 1111 Gough Street at Geary, San Francisco. To reserve, call AARP at 877-926-8300. Staying Sharp provides honest answers from the world's foremost scientists, presented in straightforward language that anyone can understand.

NAIL GUN DANGER

"Murillo had been struck down by a popular tool of his trade - the air-powered

nail gun - equipped with a mechanism that allowed automatic firing. As the tool's popularity surged during the building boom of the 2000s, a Sacramento Bee investigation found, nail gun injuries also took off despite decades of warnings from researchers and doctors that the guns are dangerous, especially in the automatic mode known as 'contact trip.'" (Andrew McIntosh, Sacramento Bee, sacbee.com, April 13)

MOTHER'S DAY PEACE CONCERT

Saturday, May 10 at 7 p.m. Mother's Day Concert for Peace. College Heights Church, 1150 W. Hillsdale Blvd., San Mateo. Mother's Day didn't start out as a windfall for greeting card makers, florists, and restaurants. The original intention, set out in a proclamation issued over 130 years ago, was an impassioned call for peace. Julia Ward Howe, best known for writing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," penned the moving words that inspired the official holiday we now observe on the second Sunday of May. To celebrate the true meaning of Mother's Day, Bay Area performing artists will gather for the "Mother's Day Concert for Peace." Our favorite political band (and Bill Moyers' favorite too!), the matchless Atkinson Kincheloe, will headline the evening of song and spoken word. Joining them will be eclectic musician Michael Vincent, the always-engaging Raging Grannies, and Aswad: Bay Area Arab Ensemble. Award-winning author Peter S. Beagle will make a special appearance to read the original Mother's Day Proclamation. Suggested donation of $10 will benefit children's services in the Middle East; no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

BE THE CHANGE

Be the Change environmental leadership program trains emerging leaders in skills needed to take action within places where they work, live, and play to "green" our world from the inside out. Be the Change offers lectures, panel discussions, monthly seminars, and field trips that focus on how concepts of ecology, economy, and social equity can be leveraged to create new models for living. This is a 10-month program that requires a full day each month, plus occasional evening programs and completion of a project. Attend one of our info sessions to learn more about program content, meet others who care about the environment, and talk with Be the Change participants, advisors, and program staff.

Wednesday, May 14, 6 to 8 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, 500 Castro St., Mountain View

Wednesday, May 28, 6 to 8 p.m. at Acterra, 3921 E. Bayshore, Palo Alto

RSVP to BtC Director Rebecca Araiz Iverson at rebeccaai@acterra.org or 650-922-1787 if you plan to attend.

COFFEE BREAK

Join Mission: Guatemala in celebrating Fair Trade at its office at the Linda Mar Educational Center on Rosita Road between Peralta and Adobe in Pacifica on May 10! Fair Trade means a fair price for farmers and artisans, a better future for our planet, and a tastier, higher-quality product for you. On Saturday, May 10, Mission: Guatemala will join with people from 70 countries worldwide to celebrate World Fair Trade Day and highlight the importance and benefits of Fair Trade. Mission: Guatemala will join Fair Trade supporters across the country and take a break to enjoy a cup of Fair Trade coffee at noon Pacific time.

PRESIDIO BIRDERS

Saturday, May 10 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. A full range of birding expertise is needed! Golden Gate Audubon Society has been keeping records of the Presidio's bird community for decades. On Saturday, May 10, volunteers will convene at Crissy Field Center for a three-hour morning program. Monitoring materials are provided to teams, consisting of both amateur and expert birders. Info: Jennifer Robinson at jrobinson@goldengateaudubon.org or 510-919-5873.

HERON WATCH

Great blue herons have returned to Golden Gate Park, kicking off the annual Heron Watch season. There are four active nests with chicks in them. The herons occupy the four nests on Heron Island in Stow Lake. Open to the public on May 10 and 17. Open 10 a.m. till 1 p.m. each Saturday. Two separate Nature Walks at 10:30 a.m. each Saturday, one for adults and one family walk for parents with children under 12. Every young person who attends will receive a make-it-yourself heron mobile. Follow the big sign at the Stow Lake Boathouse. We are 100 steps away. (sfnature.org)

HEALTH CARE JUSTICE

Join the movement for Health Care Justice! Truth Commission, Health Care: A Human Right, Women's Economic Agenda Project, Thursday, May 15, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 925 Brockhurst, St. Mary's Senior Center, Oakland. Our goal is to help all America's people get quality health care. Together we will build unity and broaden the fight for universal, single-payer, federally funded health care for all! Join the Women's Economic Agenda project, St. Mary's Senior Center, Unite Here, the California Nurses Association, and many others in this Truth Commission & Public Hearing. (weap.org)

HANG UP OR ELSE!

A California state appeals court has upheld a $50 fine against a State Compensation Insurance Fund lawyer whose cell phone interrupted proceedings in a workers' comp hearing. After the trial judge had warned everyone to turn off all phones, the lawyer's phone rang, so the judge immediately fined him for the disturbance. On appeal, the lawyer said that he didn't intend to disrupt the court, didn't know his cell phone was on, didn't know which of his several phones was ringing, and didn't know how to turn them off. He lost his case. (Appeals Board Reporter, May 9)

SITESEER

Delightful animal alphabet: bemboszoo.com

Socially conscious, upwardly mobile: scuppie.com

Satellite flybys, ionosphere adventures: spaceweather.com

Turn your bike into an SUB: rockthebike.com

Hike and socialize with Nature Friends in Muir Woods: touristclubsf.org

Celebrate and ride the rails, May 10: nationaltrainday.com

SWAMI SEZ

"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity." (Anonymous)

MAYBURRITOVILLE

Breaking news every day: pacificariptide.com

Email your stories & photos: mayburrito@goofbuster.com

My columns online: pacificatribune.com, wanderingandwondering.com