May 21, 2005
New Media Journalism at UC Berkeley - May 23-27
Cal's J-School is hosting a series of presentations on journalism and the web, from May 23-27. All free and open to the public.
Looks good!
MONDAY, MAY 2312:30 - 1:15 p.m.
"How to Exploit Attributes of the Web"
Ken Sands, Spokane Spokesman-Review7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
"The Changing Rules of Journalism: The Role of Editors and Reporters in the Future"
Bob Cauthorn, City ToolsTUESDAY, MAY 24
12:30 - 1:15 p.m.
"Doing a Multimedia Story"
Regina McCombs, Minneapolis Star-Tribune7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
"Digital Storytelling: New Media's New Storytellers"
Amy Hill, Center for Digital StorytellingWEDNESDAY, MAY 25
1:00 - 1:45 p.m.
"Grassroots Media"
Dan Gillmor, Grassroots Media Inc.7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
“VR Photography and Journalism”
G. Donald Bain, UC Berkeley Geography Computing Facility, and Landis Bennett, World Wide PanoramaTHURSDAY, MAY 26
12:45 - 1:30 p.m.
"The Northwest Voice: A Citizen Journalism Case Study"
Mary Lou Fulton, Bakersfield Californian7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
"Wikinews: Online News Community"
Amgine (Wayne Saewyc), WikinewsFRIDAY, MAY 27
4:15 - 6:00 p.m.
"Let's Quit Building Crappy Newspaper Sites"
Rob Curley, Lawrence Journal-World
May 19, 2005
yum! chinese!
i've never been a big fan of chinese food, probably because there is sooo much bad chinese food out there (being the oldest ethnic food in the us, there is bound to be!). but i am quite impressed with May Flower! (2156 University Avenue, 510.883.9788)
i stopped in for a quick lunch today and was happy that they serve dim sum (my fave of all chinese food) all day long!
but i was unprepared for the level of quality and freshness- amazing!
for example, i've always hated egg drop soup- it's always such a slimy mess. this egg drop soup was fresh, light, infused with fresh corn flavor and NOT slimy at all!
my friend & i shared 4 orders of their dim sum (they have a limited dim sum menu, but the quality more than makes up for a small selection).
1. shui mai (4 pcs, $1.98) amazingly fresh- the pork puree has whole shrimp in it! yum!
2. pan fried chive dumplings (3 pcs, $1.98) inside the rice wrap was shrimp, ginger, and LOTS of chives. really amazing fresh chive smell when you opened the dumpling.
3. steamed bb pork buns (3 pcs, $1.98) they must make them there. the filling was fresh and tasty- not like the frozen ones from other places!
4. shrimp dumplings (4 pcs, $1.98) whole shrimp, not steamed puree.
i would highly recommend this place, and guess what, they deliver for free!
May 18, 2005
Bay Area Storytelling Festival - May 21-22
A little bit outside the typical Beast Blog geography, but seemed cool enough to pass along:
Bay Area Storytelling Festival: the longest running solo performance/spoken word event in the East Bay20 Years of Storytellers and Spellbound Listeners
When was the last time you heard a really scary ghost story? Or had someone tell you a folk tale from a land you've never been to-but told it so well you pictured every detail in your mind? Your chance is coming up as the East Bay Regional Park District and the Storytelling Association of Alta California present the 20th Bay Area Storytelling Festival, May 21-22, 2005, at Kennedy Grove Regional Recreation Area in El Sobrante.
From its humble beginnings in a classroom at Fort Mason Center, the Festival now draws hundreds of listeners from around the state to the East Bay's Kennedy Grove, where three stages and an amphitheatre feature the best of entertainers who can captivate an audience with just their voices.
Fans from Santa Cruz to Sacramento bring lawn chairs and blankets to gather for a weekend of fables, ballads, legends, and ghost stories. Nationally renowned storytellers bring the storytelling traditions of Africa, Asia, the Pacific islands, Europe, and America to the stage. This year, the invited storytellers include these favorites from the past 19 years:
Diane Ferlatte, Oakland, CA
Internationally renowned storyteller and recipient of the National Storytelling Network's Circle of Excellence Award, Diane Ferlatte has wowed people the world over. With a repertoire of hundreds of African, African-American, multi-cultural stories and songs, Ferlatte has thrilled and touched audiences with her tales of inspiration, struggle, values and character.
www.dianeferlatte.comWilly Claflin, San Francisco, CA
Willy Claflin brings an extensive repertoire of Scottish ballads and a love for rubber squeaky toys to performances that range from personal experience to personal nonsense. Willy will be joined by his long time associate Maynard Moose, teller of ancient tales.
www.willyclaflin.comDonald Davis, Ocracoke Island, NC
Raised in the Southern Appalachians, Donald Davis kept company with stories next door, over the hill, and in the fabric of daily life. Now he brings family stories to audiences worldwide. From the comforts and challenges of small town Southern life, Donald creates a timeless world of decent folk doing the best they can, and then invites us to come in and stay awhile. Donald is a much honored and celebrated artist whose following spans geography and generations.Eth-Noh-Tec, San Francisco, CA
Eth-Noh-Tec combines the performance chemistry of Nancy Wang and Robert Kikuchi Yngojo. Robert and Nancy weave music, dance and rhythm with the spoken word as they layer Asian myth, folklore and urban legends with Asian American sensibilities to create a new blend of storytelling and kinetic theater. Imagine an artistic conversation among Robin Williams, Ginger Rogers and a Chinese village teller, against a backdrop of Japanese martial arts and music.
www.eth-noh-tec.orgDovie Thomason Sickles, Waldorf, MD
Dovie Thomason first heard the voices of the Animal People in the stories of her Lakota and Kiowa Apache relatives. With understanding and sly humor, she has joined those voices to share wise, boisterous teaching tales. When she adds stories from her own life and from her people's experience, the result is a contemporary vision of the rich cultures of the First Nations of North America told with elegance, wit and passion.Also featured are special guests: storytellers from the previous 19 years of Festivals will be dropping by to share a tale or two.
The Festival is recommended for ages 9 and up.
The Bay Area Storytelling Festival is part of ArtSFest 2005 (http://www.artsfestsf.org) and is co-sponsored by the Storytelling Association of Alta California (SAAC) and the East Bay Regional Park District. SAAC is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to promoting and preserving the ancient art of storytelling.
The Festival, hosted by the East Bay Regional Parks District since 1991, reflects the District's commitment to diverse programming highlighting the cultural and natural resources of the Bay Area. EBRPD manages over 95,000 acres of parkland in Alameda and Contra Costa County, 65 regional parks and recreation areas, and sponsors hundreds of educational and interpretive events each year.
http://www.ebparks.orgSaturday, May 21, performances are scheduled from 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM.
Sunday, May 22, performances run from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Local students from El Sobrante, Pinole, and Richmond will attend a student concert on Friday, May 20.A complete schedule is available at http://www.bayareastorytelling.org.
Tickets: $11 (single event) to $55 (entire weekend). Discounts for seniors, families, kids.More information:
(510) 869-4946
http://www.bayareastorytelling.org
We Get Press Releases - A Taste of Albany
The Beast Blog knows it's reached the big time when Chambers of Commerce send in stuff. We don't print everything we get, but this seemed of quality and interest:
A Taste of Albany, Sunday, June 5th Set yourself free! at the fourth annual "A Taste of Albany -- a Small-Town Walkabout," Sunday, June 5th, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Solano and San Pablo Avenues. Tickets available at www.albanychamber.org. Price: $20 in advance, $25 day of event (if available). Price includes tastes from 18 of Albany's finest restaurants, including Fonda, the Solano Grill and Bar, Albany Bistro, and Ruen Pair, to name a few, and special promotions from over a dozen other businesses in town. The festival features 12 live bands, featuring ORIXA and Otis Goodnight, an arts-and-crafts show, two free cable car shuttles, a "Kiddyland," jugglers, magicians, and more. "A Taste of Albany" is a "green" event. (Note to editor: Twenty percent of any profits will be donated to the Oakland Center for the Blind and victims of the south Asian tsunami. Additional donations made to support music, art, theater, and sports in local schools.)
May 01, 2005
A Favorite Nabe: Euclid Street, North of Hearst
There are many classic neighborhood strips in the East Bay -- Telegraph near Campus, Shattuck in the Gourmet Ghetto, Piedmont Ave in Oakland, College going through Rockridge (I prefer south of BART).
But, when I get on my bike on the weekends, and want a restorative and engaging afternoon away from home, I typically head to Euclid Street, just north of Hearst.
Why Euclid? There are four reasons.
1. Brewed Awakening. A coffeehouse, though I never go for the coffee. I go for the smoothies, which are good, and cheaper than Jamba Juice. I also love the wide open interior:
And there's plenty of free wi-fi, and many outlets to plug in.
2. Then a hop across the street to Signal Books. It's a very small independent bookstore that's always worth a browse. They have a great collection of, well, smart books, and also an appreciation for comix and graphic novels. Oh, and good magazines, and an extensive international newspaper selection. And their logo was drawn by Dan Clowes.
3. And then, when I want coffee, wander down the sidewalk to Caffe Nefeli, serving up the what's probably the best cappuccino in the East Bay. All I know is that when I get a double cap, I don't have to tell them to go light on the milk -- most places make what is essentially a latte. Nefeli has a few tables outside that provide a comfortable reading space for nice days.
4. Not photographed, and probably not widely appreciated, but Laval's Northside, the pizzeria, always has a pinball machine in pretty good working order. Today it took $2 from me as I tried to stave off an Attack From Mars.
Do you have a favorite neighborhood that's a bit off the path? Tell us in the comments...