San Jose
Azteca Mexica: New Year Ceremony & Celebration
While standing in line to see “La MISSION” I found out about an event that will be held at The National Hispanic University in San Jose. Calpulli Tonalehqueh hosts the largest Azteca Mexica New Year Ceremony & Celebration in the nation. Everyone is invited to attend on the weekend of March 13-14, 2010 in San... »
César Chávez Day: March 31, 2010 – Let The Eagle Fly
César Chávez was born in Arizona March 31, 1927. In June of 1939 his family moved to San Jose California. They lived at 53 Scharff Ave. in the barrio called Sal Si Puedes “Get Out If You Can.” César Chávez Day is a state holiday in California. Government offices, educational institutions and many businesses are... »
Diabetes Society Camps Filling Up Fast
The Diabetes Society in Willow Glen is offering a great variety of educational and fun camping programs for Summer 2010 for kids, teens, and families living with type 1 diabetes. Because the Diabetes Society recently went through a fiscal restructuring, fewer camps are being offered; however, available camping dates and locations are filling... »
Gardening: Saving Water and Bees in San Jose
For many reasons plants native to California are quickly disappearing, urban development being just one. Citizen groups are encouraging homeowners to use native plants in their landscaping. Not only do these plants look natural and save water, they may be beneficial to birds, butterflies, and play a role in saving the bee population. “If the... »
High School Speakers
The new Willow Glen Lions Club held its first annual high school speech contest on 21 February. For more about that event, read my blog entry called Willow Glen Lions Speakers’ Contest. Our club champion, Sara Cois of Presentation High School in San Jose went on to speak at the Area-level contest,... »
Today at The Tech: Casting Call Video Workshop
Here is something of interest for kids from 8 to 18 years-old. The Tech is having a Casting Call. The Tech Challenge Video Workshop and Gallery is a place for kids to learn about a scientific concept. They will star in their own video demonstrating what they’ve learned. Their video may even become part... »
Charisma: A Mike Gold Mystery
We were first introduced to Mike Gold, a successful Silicon Valley software entrepreneur in Opium, a Phil Bookman novel. Charisma: A Mike Gold Mystery finds Mike working on his latest challenge. As the newly hired CEO of a biotech company he must first tackle the technology, and then take the company public. After the... »
Two Auctions
Every year, I attend two charity fund raising auctions: the Via Ball which benefits Via Services, and the SAMA Middle Eastern Feast and Auction, sponsored by St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Saratoga, benefiting medical relief programs in Haiti, the Holy Land, and Africa. Via is most famous for the year-round Camp Costanoan, a residential, outdoor... »
From My Yoga Mat to The Movie Maverick
I was on my yoga mat this morning at 24hr, trying to focus on my breathing in savasana (or corpse pose, the much anticipated final super-duper relaxing pose of any yoga class). Usually my mind wanders off into space and I feel pretty floaty, but today it just kept going back to Tuesday night... »
Benjamin Bratt the Maverick Spirit Award
“La MISSION” observes a father’s unwillingness to accept his son’s choices, and how the importance of ‘La Familia’ ultimately keeps them together. The audience’s reaction to “La MISSION” indicated that the film would do well in distribution. “La MISSION” will be shown locally in San Jose and San Francisco in mid-April. I commend Cinequest for presenting... »
SMUM Thanks Volunteers
For over 25 years, Santa Maria Urban Ministry or SMUM has been a safe place of welcome, service and positive transformation. SMUM is at 778 South Almaden in San Jose, CA. SMUM works with Second Harvest Food Bank to distribute food to the hungry, offers educational program that include ABC Playtime for... »
CINEQUEST FILM REVIEW: STARRING MAJA (PRINSESSA)
STARRING MAJA (PRINSESSA) is a lovely Swedish film about an overweight, unattractive and clumsy young woman who wants to be an actress. Most of the movie is spent watching her deal with harassment and being used as an object by others for their own purposes, but there is a quite satisfying ending that I... »
CINEQUEST FILM REVIEW: THE EXPLODING GIRL
THE EXPLODING GIRL is a quiet, sweet film about a young girl trying to deal with a waning love-life and her own epilepsy. However the slowness and lack of anything really happening left most of the audience cold. Young Ivy is home on summer break and a few times we see her dealing with the... »
CINEQUEST FILM REVIEW: BURIED PRAYERS
BURIED PRAYERS is an emotional documentary about the search for buried items from holocaust victims sent to the gas chambers. In 1943 one of the worst death camps was Maidanek in Warsaw, where before the victims were sent into the camp they were held in these open fields right outside. After interviewing many survivors... »
CINEQUEST FILM REVIEW: PARABLE
PARABLE is an incredible film which obviously had a great deal of thought put into it and in return gives the viewer a lot to think about. Should you go see it? Well. Directed by Jon Jost, whose films are referred to as “tone poems”, PARABLE is a symbolic commentary on the Bush administration and... »