Week 4 May, 2010
This week’s highlighted local treasure is the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Fairfield, CA. We’ve all seen the horrific reports of the BP/Transocean oil rig disaster blasting daily thousands of gallons of crude oil and toxic gases into the Gulf of Mexico. It’s an unimaginable tragedy, and one we’re recently familiar with here in the Bay Area as our own coast was soiled by oil spilling from the crash of the Cosco Busan tanker into the Bay Bridge in 2007. I remember quite well having feelings of outrage when I saw what that spill did to some of my favorite coastal areas around here. I remember watching the daily reports of volunteers racing to get trained to safely work on oil spill clean-up details, and of all the nasty gook washing ashore for miles and miles, and of all the birds and sea creatures either killed or soaked in that toxic gook. It is not a sight to see without hoping we as a culture may somehow find the proper expiation for such a crime against nature. And well, considering all of that, the continuing spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has been reported by NPR to be as much (or even more) as four times the Cosco Busan spill PER DAY FOR OVER A MONTH! It’s a tragedy whose consequences are hard to even conceive, but on the frontlines we can be proud and thankful for this group of naturalists and veterinarians and disaster relief crew at the IBRRC who today choose not to expend the bulk of their energy on blame and politics, opting for an alternative mission instead: saving however many affected birds as they possibly can. In fact, that’s been their mission since 1971 and they’ve been at over 200 oil spills saving birds since then. While it’s without question that we have a colossal disaster in the Gulf, it’s those men and women whose hands are soiled with muck working on the solutions— rather than those who are attempting to wash their hands of responsibility— who deserve this week’s utmost admiration from WeekendWanderings.com. Thanks so much to those of you working on THE SOLUTIONS in the Gulf of Mexico.
So, let’s find some fun ’round the bay…
BAMscape at the Berkeley Art Museum: From the East Bay Express: Art meets life meets free-Wi-Fi study hall in BAMscape, the BerkeleyArt Museum’s new interactive sculpture: undulant, Cheeto-hued, and wired. The eminent Berkeley architect and artist Thom Faulders executed the design, employing digital and traditional vellum technology to encourage “dynamic relationships between users and environments … active and opportunistic.” A hard foam framework supports a skin of painted 3/8″-thick furniture-grade plywood. At nearly 1,600 square feet spread over 150 connected modules, this gigantic Op art environment invites gentle, shoeless mountaineering as well as hammock-style socializing. Festively inaugurated during the January L@TE: Friday night (with singing by Anne McGuire; projections by Steven Dye, Peter Conheim, and Owen O’Toole; DJing by Wobbly and Jon Leidecker; and a no-host bar, this is not your father’s BAM), the recyclable BAMscape runs through November 30, 2011.
San Francisco Carnaval 2010: From their website: The Festival draws hundreds of thousands of people for two days of dancing Salsa, Samba, Reggae, Tango, Hip- Hop, Merengue, Calypso, Cha Cha Cha, Cumbia, and Mambo into the evening. Food vendors offer traditional delicacies, while others sell crafts native to the Carnaval countries of their heritage. Giant stages sparkle with continuous entertainment. The 2010 Festival will take place on Saturday, May 29, and Sunday, May 30, 2010. Festival Location: Harrison Street between 23rd Street & 16th Street in the Mission District, accessible by BART and Muni.
Acrosports and City Circus Presents “Echo’s Reach”: From the Chronicle: This spring City Circus premieres ECHO’S REACH, an imaginative new production by Tim Barsky that reunites him with circus performers from City Circus/Acrosports and a top-notch group of collaborators in urban music, hip-hop dance, and aerial acrobats. The production employs a new, thrilling hybrid performance style called Urban Circus Arts – a genre unique to City Circus – which crosses traditional circus arts (acrobatics, aerial acts, and contortion) with contemporary city-born forms (breakdancing, parkour, beat boxing, and hip-hop theatre).
Pic of the Week:
First fruits of the season.
Week 3 May, 2010
This week’s highlighted local treasure is SFkids.org. In their own words they are: San Francisco’s Official Family Resource Guide… a collaboration between the City & County of San Francisco’s Department of Children, Youth & Their Families and the non-profit organization GoKid.org. Its mission is to be a dynamic information resource for all San Francisco families with children, from a parent perspective. Together with their partners SFkids.org has organized a vast amount of resources in one place for children and parents alike. From one glance at their website you’ll see links to Activities, Adventures, Childcare, Community, Education, Family Finds, Health, Out of School Time, Parent Resources, and Special Needs. With school just weeks (or even days) away from letting out it’s no secret that it can be a challenge to find enough activities (and especially enough that are affordable) for kids to participate in over the summer. Find links if, for example, your teen needs a job or you’re hoping to send your kids on an adventure out of the city (or in the city), or also find links if you’re having family trouble or a family crisis. Lots of free events are posted in their Family Events Calendar. For example, did you know that as part of their neighborhood free program this coming week if you live in zip codes 94117, 94127, 94131, and 94132 you can get free admission to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park? Just one of the many great insights you’ll find at SFkids.org. Weekend Wanderings salutes them for helping kids and parents to find their way through the summer on any budget.
Let’s find some fun ’round here…
San Francisco International Arts Festival: From the Chronicle: The Seventh Annual Festival kicks off on May 19 and runs through May 31. SFIAF 2010 will feature more than 60 performances presented by 30 arts organizations and ensembles at the Fort Mason Center and multiple other venues. The opening concert will feature the Agatsuma Ensemble from Japan. Other headliners in week one include DEREVO (Russia), Al-Khareef Theatre Troupe (Syria) and the Bay Area’s Rumen Shopov with the Brass Liberation Orchestra.
34th Annual Marin Home Show: From the Chronicle: With hundreds of exhibits, the Marin Home Show offers the best and newest products for home and garden projects, with experts on site to answer all your questions on home & garden improvement projects. The 34th annual Marin Home Show will feature state-of-the-art kitchen and bath displays, spas, sunrooms and home theater and more. Buy a ticket on Saturday and return for free on Sunday!
Beethoven’s Eroica Conducted by Herbert Blomstedt: From the Chronicle: Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony is a landmark in music history. This monumental piece, conducted by San Francisco Symphony Conductor Laureate Herbert Blomstedt, forms the boundary between the Classical and Romantic eras. Inside Music, an informative talk free to ticketholders, begins one hour prior to concerts. Have a listen to the amazing Eroica by clicking here.
Pic of the Week:
Summer at Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe
Week 2 May, 2010
This week’s highlighted local treasure is the Bay Area Seed Interchange Library. Their mission is stated in their website and is wholly focused upon defending the seed production of the community’s vegetation from this: In the last two decades, the majority of the world’s family-owned seed companies have been bought out by multinationals such as the Monsanto and Novartis corporations. These companies are not interested in creating sustainable food systems and communities. They are busy replacing carefully bred strains of vegetables and flowers with their own hybrids and patented varieties. Hybrids don’t produce viable seed, and the seed from patented varieties cannot legally be collected and used. Instead, the seeds must be bought fresh each year, forcing gardeners and farmers to purchase from corporate seed sources annually. Genetic engineering enables “life science” corporations to control plant traits by “programming” the seeds. Monsanto’s infamous implementation of trait-control technology is often referred to as the “Terminator” seed. “Terminator” seeds yield plants that produce no viable seed of ther own. Trait-controlled plants that breed with traditional varieties may pass on engineered traits to the offspring. If non-evolved plant varieties are permitted to squeeze out natural and/or carefully cultivated varieties, seed saving may nearly disappear. Our nourishment or hunger might then depend on chemically dependent or infertile trait-controlled plants. And they conclude: Traditional knowledge of seed saving and plant propagation techniques exists in fewer and fewer minds and communities. In order to create a positive ecological future for the planet, we need to begin teaching each other the skills necessary to save our own seeds. We’ve got to engage with traditional agricultural knowledge, and work to anticipate the needs of future generations. I, frankly, could not write it any better than they did so I chose to post this description of their work in their own words. Weekend Wanderings salutes the Bay Area Seed Interchange Library for being such smart folks taking action to sustain healthy seed production.
Let’s find some fun ’round here…
Wildflower Explosion at the San Francisco Botanical Garden: From the Chronicle: Come see Spring exploding. The Native Plant Garden at the San Francisco Botanical Garden will be at the height of its spectacular bloom in April and May. Predictions are that this will be one of the best years for California wildflowers, and with hundreds of plants flowering, there is no closer place for San Franciscans to see California’s famous wildflowers doing their thing than right here in Golden Gate Park. I can personally attest to the current explosion of wildflowers on our ranch in Loma Rica. Beautiful!
6th Annual Asian Heritage Street Festival: From the Chronicle: Largest gathering of Asian and Pacific Americans, the Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration is Saturday, May 15, 2010, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., outside the Asian Art Museum leading up to Little Saigon in San Francisco. Two stages of non-stop performances, an Anime area, mah jong court, wine tasting, children’s rides and activities, Thai kick-boxing, dance competition, and diverse Asian cuisines define this event. Great Asian-themed arts and crafts make for an exclusive shopping experience. Free admission!
Oakland Greek Festival: From the East Bay Express: Parishioners from Ascension Greek Orthodox Cathedral (4700 Lincoln Ave., Oakland) began cooking all the spinach pies and meatballs in March, and by the first week of May were ready to transform their church into a warren of food booths. This week they set up the tables and let the pots simmer. On Saturday, the meaty smell of lamb shanks and stewed tomatoes will mix with the sweet fragrance of baklava. Aside from gorging, guests can enjoy non-stop folk dancing, liturgical choirs, culinary demos, and a huge bazaar where vendors sell sacred artifacts and secular goods. Friday through Sunday, May 14-16. Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; $6, children under 12 free.
Pic of the Week:
A shutterbug visits the financial district
Week 1 May, 2010
This week’s highlighted local treasure is the umbrella organization for the Bay Area food banks: BayAreaHunger.org. I became clear on at least the theme of this week’s highlight after reading this article in the East Bay Express regarding the concept of “Food Insecurity”: how our government describes not just those who can’t afford to buy food but “ those who’ve had to reduce the amount they eat, skip meals, or eat food they know isn’t good for them, because they can’t afford what it really takes to eat.” Since we are constantly peppered with messages about how happy we’ll be if we buy this or buy that, how those who are buying it are happier than you are, and how material gain is the backbone of our economy I find it fitting to completely buck that insidious meme and perhaps advance a different one— one that’s been advanced by great ones (Mahatmas, if you will) for many eras of history and one that’s at the root of most religions. Perhaps the Greek word Agape best describes the concept, and whether you’re an atheist, a Christian, or you’re following the Bodhisattva Path, when we move beyond ego to that place of infitinite compassion here we begin to find a pathway to true happiness. According to the article I linked to above from the East Bay Express, citing the US Department of Agriculture it says in 2008 approximately 49 million Americans were “food insecure” (which includes 16 million children, by the way). In the great nation the United States of America, we all ask? In MY neighborhood, we ask? Since we’re good citizens, as we dutifully watch the television news this coming weekend and we see the parade of ads telling us what we need to be happy (and perhaps calculate in our minds how much has been spent on political ads as well), maybe for a moment or two we might take the opportunity to buck that agenda for something more meaningful, something like Agape. Weekend Wanderings applauds the Bay Area food banks for advancing the agenda of infinite compassion.
Let’s find some fun ’round here…
Stamp Out Hunger Nationwide Food Drive: This Saturday, May 8th, you can leave non-perishable food in a bag near your mailbox and your letter carrier will pick it up for delivery to your local food banks. Download the flyer for the event here. This is the nation’s largest single-day food drive and you can easily become part of it. Sort of on the small step for man, giant leap for mankind level, and for sure one worthy of the few minutes it will take to participate.
17th Annual Artists Warehouse Sale: From the website: Join us for a gigantic five-day sales event supporting Bay Area artists as well as SFMOMA’s exhibitions and programs. Artworks are available in all media from a wide range of artists at prices from $50 to $5,000. May 5-9, 2010. A little info on the SFMOMA gallery at Fort Mason: In keeping with its mission to promote Northern California art, the SFMOMA Artists Gallery presents eight exhibitions each year in its main gallery. Focusing on both new and established artists, the exhibition program consists of solo, group, and thematic shows, and represents a diverse range of art practices, including painting, sculpture, photography, and new media works.
11th Annual How Weird Street Faire: Sunday at 2nd and Howard in San Francisco: Ten blocks of art, performances, colorful costumes, unique vendors, food and drinks. Plus ten stages of electronic music, non-stop fashion shows, and healing arts. And a new world record that you can take part in! The faire is a fusion of different styles and communities, united in fun. All ages are welcome. Costumes and dancing are encouraged.
Pic of the Week:
Office mates.