On Oct. 12, about 500 people are expected to attend this year’s TEDx San Antonio at Rackspace’s global headquarters, a.k.a. “The Castle.” Most will have applied for and purchased tickets, at least three will have won them one week after reading this sentence.
The local chapter’s fourth annual, all day event will be made up of 19 presentations (some more like performances) that cover a wide range of topics and aim to inspire, educate, and encourage thought-provoking conversations.
[Read More: “TEDxSanAntonio Salon: Intellectual Stimulus You Don’t Have to Apply For” and “Ideas Worth Spreading: TEDx San Antonio Celebrates Three Years.”]
This year’s theme is “Minds Wide Open.” Among the 19 speakers set to take the stage are Roman Baca, a former Marine and Iraq War veteran, who will discuss the healing powers of teaching Iraqi children ballet; Nick Longo of Geekdom, who will talk about the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems and the inner-workings of thriving startup communities; and our very own freelance contributor, Brantley Hightower, will address the evolving nature of architecture and “demonstrate how society’s relationships with public buildings and government have changed over the course of the last century.” (See full list and synopsis of speakers below).
The Rivard Report is honored to be a media sponsor for this year’s event and we’ll have an interactive booth set up in the Media Lounge where individuals will be encouraged to pitch story ideas and/or volunteer to write them – a kind of crowdsourced assignment desk, much like how we operate on a daily basis, but you’ll get to see how we operate and join in live and in-person. Participants can choose between a variety of story genres and categories such as “Where I live,” technology, education, music, art, health, policy, history … any and all things that tie into San Antonio’s urban revitalization and progressive economic/cultural development.
Registration for tickets for TEDx San Antonio is now closed, but we have six to give away.
Well, “give away” is a bit too easy, so we’ve come up with a bit of a contest to combine with a randomized drawing.
To Win Two Tickets to TEDx San Antonio:
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Leave a comment on this story page with the title of your favorite Rivard Report story, include a link to it* and tell us why this story in particular caught your eye – or rather, your mind.
*As we continue to optimize our website to better serve our readers, we recognize that the search function of our site … well … leaves much to be desired. If you are unable to find your favorite story through in internal search of our site, we recommend entering key words or authors in addition to “Rivard Report” into a Google search. Usually, this works wonders. Please let me (jaime@rivardreport.com) know if you’ve any questions.
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When commenting, include your first and last name along with your email address in the appropriate fields. Your email will not be visible to the public unless you enter it into the comment text field. We advise you to enter it into the provided field so that only our team can see it – it will not be used for any purpose but to contact you in the event that you’ve won.
Out of all submitted comments, as short or as long as you need, 20 of the most thoughtful will be selected. From that list, three names will be randomly selected to win two tickets for themselves and a friend to attend TEDx San Antonio.
If you would like to share your favorite story, but do not want to or cannot attend the TEDx San Antonio event on Oct. 12, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (or already have tickets), you are still welcome to comment. Please note in your comment that you would not like to be entered into the drawing.
The contest will end one week from today at midnight on Tuesday Oct. 1, the winners will be selected and contacted mid-afternoon on Wednesday.
Thanks to our readers, contributors, and sponsors of the Rivard Report. We look forward to hearing from you and hope to see you there!
TEDxSanAntonio 2013 Speakers List
Samuel Ximenes, XArc Exploration Architecture Corporation
The Lunar Ecosystem and Architectural Prototype (LEAP2) program addresses space architecture issues in lunar exploration, economic development, mining, and sustainment for human settlement on the moon.
Roman Baca, U.S. Marine Iraqi war veteran
The healing power of teaching Iraqi children ballet, for both children and Marines suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Liza Long, “I am Adam Lanza’s Mother” blogger
On the stigma associated with mental illness. If she had blogged about her child having cancer, would she have had so much negative feedback?
Nick Longo, Geekdom
Ecosystems, Collaboration & Communities. The natural order of things. How the development of a entrepreneurial ecosystem works from heart-seat to mind-set to build thriving communities.
Cary Clack, Office of U.S. Congressman Joaquin Castro
Embracing nonviolence as a way of life, as well as a tool for social change.
Nelson Guda, Photographer, www.EnemiesProject.com
“ENEMIES” is an attempt to understand resilience – specifically how people move back into the light from tragically dark places such as war and genocide.
Andres Andujar, HemisFair Park Area Redevelopment Corp.
The soul of a city is found downtown, and soulful cities invariably have urban parks.
Doug Frantz, University of Texas at San Antonio
Stem cells can be the ?cure? or possibly the reason for disease.
Brantley Hightower, Architect
Architectural tastes have changed over time, and demonstrate how society’s relationships with public buildings and government have radically transformed over the course of the last century.
Karl Klose, South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, UTSA
Bacteria have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics such that we are running out of drugs to treat common infections.
Anastasia McKenna, The Twig Book Shop
Live, multi-sensory, and raw story sharing is the essence of human interaction.
Eric Fletcher, Perspective
Legally blind, this speaker brings insight into the human experience when the traditional way we think of vision is turned upside down.
Faith Harper, Sex Therapist
De-shaming sex in order to form meaningful relationships.
Tom Tunstall, UTSA Institute for Economic Development
Pros and cons of Eagle Ford Shale oil and gas work
Ryan Cox, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division
Prison reform in Texas.
Julia Langenberg, performance artist
Explores the intellectual side of aerial dance and fabric theory.
Myric Polhemus, H-E-B Grocery Company
How leading creative/innovative employees creates a level of vulnerability leaders have to overcome—if they want to attract and retain these types of individuals to solve the complex problems of the future and help companies remain relevant.
Martha Atkins, Atkinsosity, LLC
Visions of the dying vs. hallucinations, and how visions can be an integral part of meaning making/healing for the dying and those they leave behind.
Kristina Durante, UTSA Department of Marketing College of Business
Research about ovulation that makes women a) more likely to compete with other women and b) attracted to bad boys.
Jaime Solis is the Director of Marketing and Development for the Rivard Report, he previously served as a congressional aide to Congressman Ciro Rodriguez and a Legislative Director for State Representative Joe Farias. You can follow him on Twitter at @_JaimeSolis and contact him at jaime@rivardreport.com.
Related Stories:
TEDxSanAntonio Salon: Intellectual Stimulus You Don’t Have to Apply For
Ideas Worth Spreading: TEDx San Antonio Celebrates Three Years
SA2020: Moving from Aspiration to Accountability
Building a Bicycle-Friendly San Antonio, One Committe Meeting at a Time
Artists and Developers Eye Historic Buildings, Imagine Possibilities
Great Cities Have Great Gathering Places
Local Startup: Pipeline for Tech-Savvy Foreign Workers
Texas Book Festival/San Antonio Edition Takes Downtown by Surprise
Good morning! My favorite Rivard Report is:
therivardreport.com/san-antonio-a-city-o…
A City on the Rise… It was beautifully written, and truly captured the Spirit of our great city. I saved it on my Hone Screen & Liked/Shared. Thanks for your wonderful reporting!
Definitely the “enterprising city” story! As an entrepreneur it is so great to read about others like me in the city. Keep up the good work!
The story that announced Jaime joining the Rivard Report with a sweet picture of his kickball team
My favorite story made me cry.
Highlands High: How Teach For America and Lacrosse Build Self-Esteem
https://therivardreport.com/highlands-high-school-lacrosse/
Without a doubt, my fave RR post is “The Mission Reach: Bringing Life and Pride Back to the Southside”. https://therivardreport.com/the-mission-reach-bringing-life-and-pride-back-to-the-southside/ Rebirth. Redemption.
One of my favorite’s was Tyler Tully’s article, Attacking Urban Decay: Taking Back Neglected Property
https://therivardreport.com/attacking-urban-decay-take-back-neglected-property/
I liked the charged tone of the writer and it addressed a huge part of the problem that often goes unmarked. It also offered a micro history lesson and an innovative solution from another great american mid-market city.
I enjoyed Síclovía – It’s a Party and You’re Invited. My family attended the last one and it was alot of fun. I hope more people hear about and attend this event.
My favorite RR story was Whistle Stop Corner to Bring “Retrotech Residences” to Dignowity Hill.
https://therivardreport.com/whistle-stop-corner-to-bring-retrotech-residences-to-dignowity-hill/ The August 2012 story introduced me to an area of town I wasn’t too familiar with but have grown to love. I grew up in the suburbs and am all for the revitalization and return to the urban core. I dream of creating a live-work space I could share with other likeminded souls and this story inspired me.
City on the Rise article: https://therivardreport.com/san-antonio-a-city-on-the-rise/
It articulated what most people living in San Antonio feel. An amazing transformation is occurring here and this story gave us in the business of promoting our city the data to back up our belief the San Antonio is a City on the Rise. The timing of the story was very advantageous as well as it will be used in the Valero Alamo Bowl’s bid to host the 2017 College Football Championship…the perfect way to showcase our city’s improvements to the nation.
My favorite is Brantley Hightower’s “preview” of the Tobin Center:
https://therivardreport.com/inside-and-outside-tobin-center-aims-to-bring-performing-arts-to-the-whole-city/
His article provides great insight into what the Tobin will be — a world class performing arts center, an engineering and architectural marvel, and a cultural gathering place for San Antonio. Great work.
San Antonio – A City on the Rise by Lorenzo Gomez!
https://therivardreport.com/san-antonio-a-city-on-the-rise/
There are so many good stories to choose from! Rivard Report is my “go to” source for discovering all aspects of life in San Antonio. I particularly like the personal stories of “why I live here” but for my top choice, it has to be Lorenzo’s thoughtful and well-researched piece about why we are, indeed, a city on the rise, in so many areas!
I enjoyed reading “Avoiding Eye Contact on a Walk Through Travis Park.”
https://therivardreport.com/avoiding-eye-contact-on-a-walk-through-travis-park/
It was a great overview of the collaborative approach in transforming a public space. (And about the perils of a neglected green space.) I have shadowed a design charette before and it’s just fascinating to see so many people from different backgrounds throw their perspectives into “the hat.” Downtown is in an exciting transitional period and there is just so much potential for positive change.
My favorite story by far is Truckin’ Tomato: Bringing the Farmer’s Market to You. https://therivardreport.com/truckin-tomato-bringing-the-farmers-market-to-you/ This is powerful idea that benefits the participants in a beautiful circle. I can imagine the customers saving seeds and continuing to eat well for years to come. Shaun Lee is a genius on wheels! Thank you Lorenzo Gomez and Robert Rivard for bring this powerful idea to light.
Moble Yoga: https://therivardreport.com/mobile-yoga-stretches-across-san-antonio/
As someone who has recently started yoga-ing for back pain, I found this story of mobile yoga very compelling. I didn’t know San Antonio had this kind of younger sub-culture and I look forward to more articles showing SA’s hipper side.
My favorite Rivard Report was one that also made me a little sad — Augie Ray’s “A Few Thoughts from a San Antonio Defector” https://therivardreport.com/a-few-thoughts-from-a-san-antonio-defector/
Because our city doesn’t offer what other major cities do, we lost a great contributor at USAA and what could have been an involved and engaged resident of San Antonio. It made me wonder how many other great people left because they couldn’t find what they needed to fulfill them here. I snapped out of it pretty quick and realized that the people we want here are the ones that want to make it a better place to live. That inspired me to continue my local food blog (sapalate.com) and work toward my goal of creating a local goods shopping site (localoodle.com).
Josh Levine’s vision for downtown groceries. Very timely again–please do more to challenge the anti-urban, unimaginative misuse of an important incentive.
https://therivardreport.com/small-footprints-big-impact-how-to-make-a-million-dollars-stretch-across-center-city/
Urban groceries should be walkable, which means there should not be only one. They should front on a sidewalk. Are there not storefronts that could be converted with these funds, to provide options within walking distance of every housing hub? Inventory should meet the regular needs of the residents, and not be “supplemental” shopping.
https://therivardreport.com/where-i-live-dignowity-hill-story/
Bekah McNeel’s ‘Where I Live: Dignowity Hill’ remains my favorite RR article for several reasons. This article helped me realize that though I may be here in San Antonio only temporarily (yay, military) I am part of this community. As part of this community, I can take part in shaping the future of this city- that’s exciting. Also, this was my introduction to the Rivard Report, which has helped me to connect and take part in this interesting place. Thank you Bekah! Thank you RR!
https://therivardreport.com/san-antonio-a-city-on-the-rise/
A City on the Rise is my favorite RR article as it provided me with a great tool to describe our City with, whether I am in St. Louis, Austin, Dallas or Houston traveling. I am a passionate supporter of the Urban Core synergy we create and sustain every day, and I am proud to live in this rising City! A City on the Rise captured my excitement and passion precisely, and it also gave me factual data to back it up. Thank you RR and Lorenzo Gomez!
https://therivardreport.com/community-rescues-history-and-culture-in-eastside-s-a/
As the city shifts into it’s newest iteration of itself with the explosion of growth in population, consumerism, and culture; we get a visually stunning reminder of the people who make up the backbone of this city. This art exhibit put the spotlight on a section of the city that is increasingly being pushed to it’s limits as “urban revitalization” creeps invasively further and further east. The art piece humanizes the too oft marginalization that happens when we assign identity by regional locality such as “The Eastside”.