Things to do this weekend of Aug 24-26, 2012

** LitQuake
Aug 26, 3PM-8PM; Palo Alto JCC
http://www.paloaltojcc.org/events/2012/08/26/community-events...

** Festival of the Arts
Aug 25-26, 10AM-6PM; University Ave, Palo Alto
http://www.mlaproductions.com/PaloAlto/index.html

** Italian Family Festa
Aug 25-26, 11AM-8:30/6PM; Guadalupe River Park & Gardens; SJ
http://www.italianfamilyfestasj.org/

** Do It Yourself Target Family Day
Aug 26, 11AM-3PM; Courthouse Square, Redwood City
http://www.redwoodcity.org/events/targetfamilydays.htm

** Egyptian Festival
Aug 24-26, St. George Coptic Church, Campbell
http://www.egyptianfestivalca.com/home/.../2012/07/2012-Final-Poster-Final.pdf

** Children's FunFest
Aug 25-26, 11AM-5PM; Berryessa Flea Market, SJ
http://sjfm.com/Portals/0/FleaMarket/Events/FunFestFlyer2012b.pdf

** Aloha Celebrity Races and Polynesian Festival
Aug 26, Races-9AM, Festival-11AM-4PM; Santa Cruz Wharf
http://www.cityofsantacruz.com/index.aspx?page=831

** ChinaTown StreetFest
Aug 25-26; 10AM-5:30PM; Oakland
http://www.oaklandchinatownstreetfest.com/

** GoodGuys Car Show: West Coast Nationals
Aug 24-26, Alameda County Fairgrounds
https://www.good-guys.com/events/2012-events...

** Tiburon Art Festival
Aug 25-26, 11AM-6PM; Tiburon
http://tiburon-artfestival.com/

** Chinatown Musical Festival
Aug 25, 11AM-5PM; SF Chinatown
http://www.c-c-c.org/2012/07/20/the-3rd-annual-chinatown-music-festival/

** Last Sunday Festival
Aug 26, Noon-6PM; Telegrpah St., Berkeley
http://www.lastsundaysfest.com/

** Magic, Music and Stories with Peter Apel
Aug 30, 4:30PM; Portola Valley Library
http://www.smcl.org/en/node/5442

Things to do this weekend of Aug 17-19, 2012

** Cirque Du Magique
Aug 17, 7PM; Aug 19, 3PM; Los Gatos JCC
http://www.svjcc.org/events/index.shtml#aug12

** Assyrian Food Festival
Aug 18-19; 11:30AM-11/9PM; San Jose
http://www.assyrianfest.com/default.aspx

** San Jose Pride Festival
Aug 18, Noon-7PM; Guadalupe River Park&Gardens, SJ
http://www.sanjosepride.com/

** Caterpillar Puppets
Aug 17, 11AM and 12:15PM; Yerba Buena Gardens, SF
http://www.ybgf.org/c...

** Civil War Living History Day
Aug 18, 10AM-5PM; Fort Point, Presidio Park, SF
http://www.nps.gov/fopo/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageID=527240

** Debardchery: bards + archery
Aug 18, 10AM-till dark; Archery Field in Golden Gate Park, SF
http://www.westkingdom.org/node/560

** Two Hour on-camera workshop (ages 5-25)
Aug 18, Hilton Union Square, SF
http://www.sfcmt.com/on-camera-workshop/

** Fandango at the Peralta Adobe
Aug 19, 11AM-5PM; San Jose
http://historysanjose.org/wp/events/fandango-at-the-peralta-adobe/

** North Fair Oaks Community Festival
Aug 19, 11AM-6PM; Redwood City
http://www.northfairoaksfestival.org/

** PedalFest
Aug 18, 11AM-8PM; Jack Londown Square, Oakland
http://pedalfestjacklondon.com/

** Juggling & Unicycling Festival
Aug 17-19, Berkeley High School
http://berkeleyjuggling.org/festival2012/#show

** Coffee & Tea Festival
Aug 18, 9AM-1PM; Hotel Shattuck Plaza, Berkeley
http://berkeleycoffeeteafest.com/

** Zucchini Festival
Aug 18-19, 10AM-8PM; Hayward
http://zucchinifest.org/

** Pescadero Arts & Fun Festival
Aug 18-19, 10AM-6PM; Pescadero
http://www.pescaderoartsandfunfestival.org/

Things to do this weekend: Aug 10-12, 2012

** Happy Kids Day
Aug 11, 10AM-5PM; Memorial Park, Cupertino
http://www.happykidsday.org/flyer2012hkdeng.php

** San Jose Jazz Festival
Aug 10-12, Plaza de Cesar Chavez, SJ
http://jazzfest.sanjosejazz.org/

** Fiesta De Artes
Aug 11-12, 10AM-6PM; Los Gatos
http://www.lgfiesta.com/

** Burlingame ArtzFest
Aug 11-12, 11AM-6PM; Burlingame
http://www.burlingamechamber.org/artzfest

** Cajun/Zydeco Festival
Aug 11, 10AM-7PM; Fremont
http://www.regionalparksfoundation.org/document.doc?id=319

** Create Cascading Mobiles
Aug 11, 2-4PM; MOCFA, SF
http://www.mocfa.org/

** Outside Lands Festival
Aug 10-12, Noon-10/9PM; Golden Gate Park, SF
http://www.sfoutsidelands.com/news/

** Open Cockpit Day
Aug 12, Noon-4PM; Oakland Aviation Museum
http://oaklandaviationmuseum.org/Events.html

** JamBand Family Festival
Aug 12, 3PM-5PM; Park Chalet, SF
http://www.jamjamjam.com
 
** Japanese Summer Festival
Aug 11-12, 1PM-8PM; Concord
http://www.diablojaclub.com/summer-festival

Things to do this weekend of Aug 3-5, 2012

Jamba Juice offering Buy One Smoothie, Get One Free 8/1 through 8/5:
http://www.jambajuice.com/summerbogo

** San Jose Renaissance Faire
Aug 4-5; 10AM-6PM; SJ Guadalupe River Park
http://www.sanjosefaire.com/

** Santa Clara County Fair
Aug 2-5, Santa Clara County Fairgrounds
http://thefair.org/home.cfm

** Monterey Beach Burn - Burning Man Event
Aug 4, 10AM-10PM; Del Monte Beach, Monterey
http://montereyburners.wordpress.com/
http://www.facebook.com/events/143543282448536/

** Monterey National Horse Show
Aug 3-5, Monterey County Fairgrounds
http://www.montereycountyfair.com/horse-show

** Family Rock 'n roll Dance Party
Aug 3, 3PM; Woodside Library
http://www.smcl.org/en/node/5403

** Dog Day of Summer
Aug 5, 10AM-2PM; Palo Alto JCC
http://www.paloaltojcc.org/events/2012/07/29/community-events/dog-day-of-summer/

** Fremont Arts and Wine Festival
Aug 4-5, 9AM-6PM; Paseo Padre Pkwy, Fremont
http://www.fremontfestival.net/

** Nihonmachi Street Fair
Aug 4-5, 11AM-6PM; SF Japantown
http://www.nihonmachistreetfair.org/

** Aloha Festival
Aug 4-5, 10AM-5PM; San Mateo County Event Ctr
http://www.pica-org.org/AlohaFest/index.html

** Los Gatos Shakespeare Festival: Romeo and Juliet
Aug 3, 8PM; Oak Meadow Park
http://www.festivaltheatreensemble.org/los-gatos-shakespeare-festival-2012/

** Paquito D'Rivera Quintet - Aug 3, 7PM
** The Great American Songbook: Rodgers & Hart and Harold Arlen - Aug 4, 7PM
** Strike Up The Band - Aug 5, 5:30PM
http://www.symphonysiliconvalley.org/concerts.php?pagecontID=183

** The Animated Orchestra - Free Family Concert
Aug 5, 1PM; Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium
http://cabrillomusic.org/2012-season/performances/free-family-concert-the-animated-orchestra.html

** Petaluma Music Festival
Aug 4, 11AM-8:30PM; Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds, Petaluma
http://www.petalumamusicfestival.org/

** Brick Show
Aug 1-Sep 2, Wed through Sun, 1PM-8PM; San Leandro
http://playbuildingbricks.com/index.php?p=1_20_Brickshow-2012

Things to do this weekend of Jul 27-29, 2012

** "The Incredibles" - outdoor movie night
Jul 27, 8:30PM; Eagle Park, Mountain View
http://www.ci.mtnview.ca.us/...

** Garlic Festival
Jul 27-29, Gilroy
http://gilroygarlicfestival.com/

** Blues, Arts and Bar-B-Que
Jul 27-28, Courthouse Square, dwntown Redwood City
http://www.palbluesfestival.com/

** Celebrating 200 years: Fort Ross
Jul 28-29, 10AM-7/4:30PM; Fort Ross
http://www.fortross.org/app/download/6981686304/FRBW_poster.pdf

** Kite Festival
Jul 28-29, 10AM-6PM; Cesar Chavez Park, Berkeley
http://www.highlinekites.com/pages/BERKELEY-KITE-FEST.html

** A Little Classical Night Music - Jul 28, 7PM
** Fiddles 'n Fables Family Concert - Jul 29, 5:30PM
On the green at San Jose State University, San Carlos at 4th St., San Jose
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Free-concerts-this-weekend...

** Reptile Rally
Jul 28, 11AM-3PM; Sulphur Creek Nature Ctr, Hayward
http://www.haywardrec.org/events.html

** Foodie Fun Event in Saratoga
Jul 28, 4PM-8PM; Saratoga
http://www.facebook.com/events/348037501899393/

** Circus Bella
Jul 29, 2PM; Villa Montalvo
http://montalvoarts.org/events/circus_bella/

** Festival of the Book
Jul 29, 1PM-4PM; Harvey West Park, Santa Cruz
http://www.santacruzpl.org/

** International Poetry Festival
Jul 26-29, San Francisco
http://sfipf.org/

** Up Your Alley Fair (leather and fetish event)
Jul 29, 11AM-6PM; Dore Alley, SF
http://folsomstreetfair.org/alley/

Things to do this weekend of Jul 20-22, 2012

** Rock the Garden: sculpture on the grounds opening celebration and Photo Contest
Jul 20, 7PM-10PM; Villa Montalvo
http://www.montalvoarts.org/events/rock_the_garden/

** Red Panda Acrobats
Jul 20, 11AM; 12:15PM; Yerba Buena Gardens, SF
http://www.ybgf.org/cgi-local/...

** Connoisseurs' Marketplace
Jul 21-22, 10AM-6PM; Menlo Park
http://www.miramarevents.com/marketplace/about.html

** Niles Dog Show
Jul 21, 9AM-3PM; Niles Community Park, Fremont
http://niles.org/dogshow.html

** Chevron Family Theatre Festival
Jul 21, 10AM-4PM; Walnut Creek
http://www.lesherartscenter.org/family-theatre-festival/

** Graffiti Arts Festival
Jul 21, 1PM-6PM; Precita Park, SF
http://sf.funcheap.com/2000-sq-ft-wall-space-open-artists-paint-included-mission-dist/

** Junior Engineer Day at GGMRC
Jul 21, 10AM; SF
http://ggmrc.com/about/events/

** Classic Car Show
Jul 22, 10AM-5PM; Saratoga
http://business.saratogachamber.org/events/details/saratoga-classic-car-show-1513

** Wildlife Extravaganza - Target Family Day
Jul 22, 11AM-3PM; Redwood City
http://www.redwoodcity.org/events/targetfamilydays.htm

** Sunday Streets and Bayview Music Festival
Jul 22, 11AM-4PM; SF
http://www.sundaystreetssf.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/July-Program-List2.jpg

** The Picklewater Free Circus Festival
Jul 22, 29; 2PM; Union Square, SF
http://www.picklewater.com/performance.html

** Indian Festival of Chariots
Jul 22, 11AM; Golden Gate Park, SF
http://www.sfkrishna.org/

** Festival Del Nopal
Jul 22, 10AM-6PM; Santa Cruz
http://www.festivaldelnopal.com/

Things to do this weekend: Jul 14-15, 2012

** Celebrating 20 years of Russian programming at JCC (in Russian)
Jul 14, 5:00PM- 10PM; Jessica Lynn Saal Town Square, Palo Alto JCC
Event_schedule

** Los Altos Arts and Wine Festival
Jul 14-15, 10AM-6PM; Downtown Los Altos
http://downtownlosaltos.org/events/aw_main.html

** Palo Alto Clay and Glass Festival
Jul 14-15, 10AM-5PM; Rinconada Park
http://www.acga.net/cgi-bin/DJcalendar.cgi

** “Kung Fu Panda 2” – outdoor movie
Jul 13, 8:30PM; Cuesta Park, Mountain View
http://www.ci.mtnview.ca.us/city_hall...

** Free Family Golf Night
Fridays, Jul 6- Aug 31, after 6PM; Poplar Creek Golf Course, San Mateo
http://www.cityofsanmateo.org/index.aspx?nid=1400

** Hot San Jose Nights Car Show
Jul 13-15, Santa Clara County Fairgrounds
http://www.hotsanjosenights.com/

** Fountain Blues Festival
Jul 14, Noon-8PM; St. James Park, SJ
http://fountainbluesfestival.com/

** Stern Grove Free Concerts
Jul 15, 2PM; Stern Grove, SF
http://www.sterngrove.org/home/celebrate75/july15/

** Carmel Bach Festival
Jul 14-28, Carmel
http://www.bachfestival.org/index.cfm/about_us.htm

** The Picklewater Free Circus Festival
Jul 15, 22, 29; 2PM; Union Square, SF
http://www.picklewater.com/performance.html

** Arts and Crafts Fair
Jul 15, SJ, San Pedro Square Market
http://www.tfmendeavors.com/

** Salsa Festival
Jul 13-14, SF, Filmore
http://www.salsafestivalfillmore.com/

** Teddy Bear Festival
Jul 14-15, 10AM-4PM; SF Zoo
http://www.sfzoo.org/announcements/teddy-bear-festival

** Bastille Day
Jul 14, 9:30AM-4:30PM; Habitot Museum, Berkeley
http://www.habitot.org/museum/events_calendar.html#U4

** Bastille Day Celebration
Jul 13, 14; San Francisco
http://www.facebook.com/events/127555877385540/

Things to do this weekend of Jun 16-17, 2012

** Los Altos Summer Concert Series
Jun 14-Aug 9, 6:30PM-8PM
http://losaltos.patch.com/articles/the-list-2012-summer-concert-series#photo-7184842

** Firefighters Car and Motorcycle Show
Jun 16, History Park of SJ
http://sanjosefirefighterscarshow.com/

** Vertical Challenge
Jun 16, 10AM-4PM; Hiller Aviation Museum, San Carlos
http://hiller.org/vertical-challenge.shtml

** North Beach Festival
Jun 16-17, 10AM-6PM; SF
http://www.sresproductions.com/north_beach_festival.html

** Red Panda Acrobats
Jun 16, 11AM and 12:15PM; Yerba Buena Gardens, SF
http://www.ybgf.org/cgi-local/Calendar/calendar.pl?selected_datestring=20120616&datestring=20120616&template=day.html

** Opera Exploration Workshop
Jun 16, 4PM or 5:30PM; SF
http://sfopera.com/Learn/Family-Programs/Magic-Flute-Family-Workshops.aspx

** Japanese Cultural Fair
Jun 16, 11AM-6PM; Mission Plaza, Santa Cruz
http://www.cityofsantacruz.com/index.aspx?page=591

** Pirate Festival
Jun 16-17, Vallejo
http://norcalpiratefestival.com/mainpage.htm

** Palo Alto World Music Day
Jun 17, 3PM-7:30PM; University Ave
http://www.pamusicday.org/

** JuneTeenth
Jun 16-17, 11AM-7/6PM; Plaza De Cezar Chavez, SJ
http://sjaacsa.org/juneteenth/

Paper airplanes and movie sets

If you want to learn how to build the most perfect paper airplane visit Hiller Aviation Museum for 45 min. discussion and demonstration by John Collins on following dates:


Wed, Jun 13th, 1:30PM and 3PM
Sat, Jul 7th, 1:30PM and 3PM
Wed, Aug 15th, 1:30PM and 3PM


For more info: http://hiller.org/paper-airplanes.shtml

On the other hand, if you want to see how the movie about Steve Jobs being produced, visit Crist Dr. in South Los Altos on Jun 13th and you'll be able to become a witness of real movie shooting.

Below is the picture of neighbor's house with some of the film making stuff. I was not able to get close enough to famous garage on 2066 Crist Drive to get a good shot.

Things to do this weekend Jun 9-10, 2012

** Dia de Portugal
Jun 9, 10AM-6PM; SJ History Park
http://historysanjose.org/wp/events/dia-de-portugal/

** Crafty Corner: Father's Day
Jun 9, 2:30PM-4:30PM; Palo Alto
www.cityofpaloalto.org/depts/lib/news/details.asp?NewsID=1943&TargetID=160

** Sand Castle and Sand Sculpture Contest
Jun 9, 9AM-1PM; Alameda
http://www.cityofalamedaca.gov/Recreation/Sand-Castle

** Sheep to Shawl
Jun 9, 10AM-2PM; Half Moon Bay
http://ucanr.org/sites/elkus_ranch/2012_Sheep_To_Shawl/

** Caterpillar Puppets
Jun 9, 11AM and 12:15AM; Yerba Buena Gardens, SF
Link to Additional Info

** World Oceans Day
Jun 9-10, 9:30AM-6PM; Monterey Bay Aquarium
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/vi/vi_events/vi_events_worldoceans.aspx

** Live Oak Park Fair
Jun 9-10, 10AM-6PM; Berkeley
http://www.liveoakparkfair.com/

** San Mateo County Fair
Jun 9-17, 11AM-10PM; San Mateo
https://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/

** Green Kids Conference
Jun 10, 11AM-4PM; Mountain View
http://greenkidsconference.org/

** Kung Fu Tai Chi Day
Jun 10, 11AM-3PM; SJ
ww.kungfumagazine.com/info/tournament/KFTCDAY_2012.php

** Butterfly & Bird Festival
Jun 10, 10AM-4PM; Coyote Hill Regional Park, Fremont
Link to Additional Info

** Silicon Valley Duck Race & Festival
Jun 10; 11AM; Vasona Lake Park, Los Gatos
http://siliconvalleyduckrace.org/

** Strawberrry Festival
Jun 10, 11:30AM-4PM; Mill Valley
http://strawberry.marin.org/events.html

** Family Jazz Matinee - "The Voice"
Jun 9, 11AM; Herbst Theatre, SF
http://www.sfjazz.org/family-matinees

** JAMBand Family Festival
Jun 10, Park Chalet, SF
http://www.jamjamjam.com/jambandfamilyfestival.html

** Haight Ashbury Street Fair
Jun 10, 11AM-6PM; SF
http://www.haightashburystreetfair.org/

Summer Concert Series

** Cupertino Summer Concert Series
Thursday evenings: Jun 7 - Jul 12, 6:30PM-8PM; Memorial Park
http://www.cupertino.org/index.aspx?page=1081

** Golden Gate Park Band
Sunday concerts Apr 22 through Oct 7
http://www.goldengateparkband.org/Home.html

Transit of Venus

The last transit of Venus in this century will happen tomorrow, Jun 5th, 2012. Residents of San Francisco Bay Area will be able to see it from around 3PM till sunset.
Please do remember to use adequate eye protection: eclipse shades or #14 welding glass. If you don't have eye protection you can see live webcast from Mauna Kea in Hawaii with expert commentary brought to you by the team of NASA EDGE: http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/2012/transit/webcast.php
You can see the route of Venus here: http://www.curtrenz.com/transit37.html
Provided the sky is clear, you can also watch Venus transit from Foothill College Observatory: http://www.pastro.org/dnn/Observatory/FoothillObservatory.aspx

Things to do the weekend of Jun 1 - Jun 3, 2012

** Free Family Day at SFMOMA
Jun 3, 11AM-4PM; SFMOMA
http://www.sfmoma.org/exhib_events/events/2101

** Sunnyvale Art and Wine Festival
Jun 2-3, 10AM-6PM; Murphy Ave, Sunnyvale
http://www.svcoc.org/2012SunnyvaleArtandWineFestival.html

** Chocolate and Chalk Art Festival
Jun 2, 10AM-5PM; Berkeley
http://www.anotherbullwinkelshow.com/chocolate-chalk-art/

** PI Clowns
Jun 1, 11AM-11:30AM; 12:15PM-12:45PM; Yerba Buena Gardens
http://www.ybgfestival.org/cgi-local/Calendar/

** Bug Fest
Jun 2, 10AM-4PM; Palo Alto
http://www.friendsjmz.org/events.html

** Orchid Exposition
Jun 1-3, Winchester Mystery House, SJ
http://www.realorchidgrowers.com/

** Hidden Villa Farm Tours
Jun 2-3; Los Altos
http://www.hiddenvilla.org/calendar/flat/date/2011-10-01 - Select June to see sign ups

** Birding for Kids and Their Families
Jun 2, Jul 7, Aug4, Sep 1; 10AM-11:30AM; Golden Gate Park, SF
http://www.sfnature.org/programs/bfk.html

** Downtown Los Altos First Friday
Jun 1, 6PM-8PM; Downtown Los Altos
http://www.losaltosfirstfriday.org/

** Art and Wine Festival
Jun 1-3, Foster City
http://www.fostercitychamber.com/art_and_wine

** Gem and Jewelry Show
Jun 1-3, San Mateo County Event Ctr
http://intergem-web.ungerboeck.com/wbe/wbe_p1_main.aspx?oc=10&cc=WBE105297

** Eco-Urban Festival
Jun 2-3, 10AM-6PM; SF Union St
http://www.unionstreetfestival.com/

** Ethnic Dance Festival
June Weekends; Fort Mason Ctr, SF
http://www.sfethnicdancefestival.org/main/preview_festival.asp#weekend1

** Accident - Photography Exhibition at Photo Gallery
May 17- Jun 30, Curator's Talk on Jun 1, 6PM-9PM
http://www.happenstand.com/sanfrancisco/events/8386-accident-photography-exhibition-at-photo-gallery

Eclipse 2012

This year solar eclipse was very special because you could see the "ring of fire" withing 2-3 hours drive from Silicon Valley.
We decided to save the drive and watch the eclipse from the neighborhood. It was quite impressive. After some try and error we figured that 4 pairs of sun glasses together are almost enough to see the Eclipse, but I'm planning to get an eclipse viewer for the future, especially with Transit of Venus across the Sun on Jun 5-6, 2012
You can check this website for info about safety of viewing solar events: SafeWithFilters
Even so I didn't have any special filters for my camera, I wanted to take pictures, and was pleasantly surprised with the results.

Summer Visitors Program at Lick Observatory

You can visit Mt. Hamilton Lick Observatory during day light hours, but usually they are closed for public when the stars come out.
You can visit Lick Observatory at night during summer. They offer Summer Concert Series: http://www.ucolick.org/public/music.html or Summer Visitors Program: http://www.ucolick.org/public/sumvispro.html

Summer Visitors Program (SVP) is a wonderful opportunity to observe skies through both the 36-inch Great Lick Refractor and Nickel 40-inch Reflecting Telescope. Each evening also features 2 speakers and local amateur astronomers outside the building with additional telescopes and interesting stories.
Summer Visitors Program is extremely popular. If you are interested, I suggest you try to buy tickets for the program the moment they come up for sale.
For safety reasons, children under the age of 10 will not be admitted to SVP or Concert Series.
Also keep in mind: the road to observatory is a real mountain road: narrow and windy.

You can buy tickets on line: Summer Visitors Program Tickets
Or by phone at UCSC Ticket Office: 831-459-2159
Ticket price is $7.50 plus service fee. 

Each Program has its own Ticket Sale date. Ticket sales start at 10:00 AM sharp:

May 15 for June 15 Program
May 17 for June 29 Program
May 22 for July 13 Program
May 24 for July 27 Program
May 29 for August 10 Program
May 31 for August 24 Program

2012 Programs

Friday, June 15

Doors open: 7:30 pm
Start event: 8:30 pm
Speaker: Graeme Smith, UC Santa Cruz
Talk: Globular Clusters: Fossils in the Sky

Friday, June 29

Doors open: 7:30 pm
Start event: 8:30 pm
Speaker: Brian Siana, UC Riverside
Talk: A Cosmic Mystery: What Destroyed the Universe's Atoms?

Friday, July 13

Doors open: 7:30 pm
Start event: 8:30 pm
Speaker: Jonathan Fortney, UC Santa Cruz
Talk: Bizarre Planetary Systems Discovered by the Kepler Telescope

Friday, July 27

Doors open: 7:30 pm
Start event: 8:30 pm
Speaker: Adam Burgasser, UC San Diego
Talk: Dark Stars: The (Nearly) Invisible Universe of Brown Dwarfs

Friday, August 10

Doors open: 7:00 pm
Start event: 8:00 pm
Speaker: Tomasso Treu, UC Santa Barbara
Talk: What is the Universe made of? Cosmography with Gravitational Time Delays

Friday, August 24

Doors open: 7:00 pm
Start event: 8:00 pm
Speaker: Alice Shapley, UCLA
Talk: Galaxies and the Reionization of the Universe

Things to do this weekend of May 12-13, 2012

** Insect Fair
May 12, 10AM-5PM; Sanborn County Park
http://www.ysi-ca.org/#InsectFair

** Mother's Day Kid's Concert
May 12, 11AM-1PM; Downtown Redwood City
http://www.redwoodcity.org/events/mothersday.htm

** Hungarian Heritage Festival
May 12, 11:30AM-9:30PM; Belmont Twin Pines Park
http://hungarianheritagefestival.com/

** Teddy Bear Fair
May 12, 10AM-2PM; Cupertino
http://www.wvpc.org/children-and-youth/tbf.html

** Filoli Flower Show
May 10-13, Filoli Gardens
http://www.filoli.org/special-events-and-exhibits/flower-show.html

** How Weird Street Faire
May 13, Noon-8PM; Downtown SF
http://howweird.org/

** Spring Festival
May 12-13, Alameda
http://www.shopparkstreet.com/springfestival.html

** Asian Contemporary Art Week: May 12-19
See website for participating venues and events:
http://www.asiancontemporarysf.org/acaw/

Free lecture at Stanford

Spring Cubberley Lecture with Claude Steele, Geoff Cohen and Greg Walton - free and open to the public
Stereotype Threat: A Close Encounter. See it, Feel it, Fix it!
Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 6PM-7:30PM

https://ed.stanford.edu/events/spring-cubberley-lecture-stereotype-threat-close-encounter-see-it-feel-it-fix-it

Stereotype threat is the experience of anxiety in a situation where a person has the potential to confirm a negative stereotype about his or her social group. In school, stereotype threat can cause underrepresented students to perform below their potential. It can cause them to focus less on learning and more on the worrisome prospect of performing poorly. The sting of stereotype threat can be felt by anyone – male or female, black or white, Asian or Latino, young or old. But when the threat is chronic, it can contribute to enduring patterns of inequality in school and beyond. What can be done to reverse the effects of stereotype threat? Through a multimedia presentation, social psychologists, Steele, Cohen, and Walton will illuminate the experience of stereotype threat and highlight the powerful ways we can diminish it and close the achievement gap between groups.

Cool deals

"Mary Poppins" Opens in American Musical Theater of SJ May 29th through Jun 7th, 2012. 

Discounted tickets available through TravelZoo:
http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/South-Bay/Entertainment/16806

Rear and Side Orchestra seats are $27 (reg. $43), Mid Orchestra seats are $39 (reg. $63) and Front Orchestra seats are $45 (reg. $73) for the following performances:

• Tuesday-Thursday, May 29-31 at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, June 3 at 6:30 p.m.
• Tuesday-Thursday, June 5-7 at 7:30 p.m.


Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos offers $20 deal for museum visit with half-hour Flight Simulator Experience for Up to Four people ($47 value)
You can get those tickets while supplies last till end of the day 5/10/12
http://www.groupon.com/deals/hiller-aviation-museum-1

Things to do this weekend of May 5-6, 2012

** A La Carte Art
May 5-6, 10AM-6PM; Mountain View, Castro St.
http://www.miramarevents.com/alacarte/

** May Fete Parade and Fair followed by Vintage Vehicle and Family Fun Day
May 5, 10AM; Downtown Palo Alto
http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/recreation/news/details.asp?NewsID=1740&TargetID=7

** Fit and Fun Fair
May 5, 11AM-3PM; Sunnyvale
http://sunnyvale.ca.gov/Departments/CommunityServices/CommunityServicesHotTopics/FitFunFair.aspx

** Norway Day Festival
May 5-6, 10AM-6/5PM; SF, Fort Mason Ctr
http://www.norwayday.org/

** Cinco De Mayo Festival
May 5th, 10AM-6PM; San Francisco
http://www.sfcincodemayo.com/

** Children's Day Festival in Japantow
May 5, 11am-4PM; San Francisco
http://www.jcccnc.org/events/apr-jun.htm#Kodomonohi
  
** "Sunday Streets" event creates miles of car-free roads for people to get out and get active in diverse SF neighborhoods.
May 6, 11AM-4PM; SF
http://www.sundaystreetssf.com/

** "Antidot" by Liquid Theatre (in Russian)
May 4, 7PM and May 6, 7PM; Marines Memorial Theatre, SF
http://www.sfiaf.org/2012Festival/artists/Liquid-Theatre.html

** Summer Program Kickoff ans Science Fair
May 5, 11AM-3PM; Berkeley
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=82732

** Cinco De Mayo Celebration
May 5, 4PM-7PM; Berkeley
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/CalendarEventMain.aspx?calendarEventID=11817

** Cinco De Maya Fiesta
May 5, 10AM-5PM; Sausalito, Discovery Museum
http://www.baykidsmuseum.org/programs-and-events/cinco-de-mayo-fiesta/

** Celebrate Mama
May 6, 11AM-4PM; Walnut Creek, Ygnacio Plaza
http://everythingkidsguide.com/festival-showcase/celebrate-mama

** May Day Show
May 5-6, Santa Cruz
http://www.paintedchairstudio.com/

Things to do this weekend of Apr 28-29, 2012

** Wild Cat Adventure
Apr 29, 2PM; Foothill College
http://www.wildcatfund.org/public.html

** Cherry Blossom Festival
Apr 28-29, 10AM-5PM; Memorial Park, Cupertino
http://www.cupertinotoyokawa.org/index.php/cherry-blossom-festival

** Spring Family Parade
Apr 28, Noon-3PM; Mountain View
Spring_Family_Parade

** Wildflower Show
Apr 28-29, 10AM-4PM; Mission College
http://www.cnps-scv.org/

** Gamble Garden Spring Tour
Apr 27,28, 10AM and 4PM; Palo Alto
http://www.gamblegarden.org/events/springTour.html

** Dutch Queen's Day
Apr 28, 11AM-5PM; Golden Gate Park, SF
http://www.sfdutch.com/dutch-in-sf/koninginnedag.html

** Nikkei Matsuri: Japanese American Cultural Arts Festival
Apr 29, 9:30AM-4PM; San Jose
http://www.nikkeimatsuri.org/

** WOW: World of Water
Apr 28, 10AM-4PM; San Mateo County Event Ctr
https://ucce.ucdavis.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=5386

** Antique Show and Sale
Apr 27-29, San Mateo County Event Ctr
http://www.hillsboroughantiqueshow.com/

** Spring Stampede: horse show
Apr 28-29, Livermore
http://www.springstampede.info/

** Pacific Coast Dream Machines
Apr 28-29, 10AM-4PM; Half Moon Bay Airport
http://www.miramarevents.com/dreammachines/index.html

** Glen Park Festival
Apr 29, 10AM-4:30PM; San Francisco
http://www.glenparkfestival.com/

** Celebration of Children and Books
Apr 28, 1PM-4PM; San Bruno City Park
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dia-de-los-Ninos-San-Bruno/179457568827396

Lyrid Meteor Shower

Picture credit: Shooting Star Wallpapers

 Tonight (Apr 21-22, 2012) is a great night to watch Lyrid Meteor Shower (from Lyra constellation).
Meteor shower is not a meteor storm, when the whole sky fills with meteors. Meteor storm is an extremely rare event, and it's not happening today.
During Meteor Shower, like tonight, you can expect to see 15-20 meteors/hour.
The best time to watch will be around midnight. Dress up warmly and sit on your patio. Allow around 40 minutes for your eyes to adjust to darkness.


For more details visit:  http://www.space.com/15355-lyrid-meteor-shower-2012-space-balloon.html

Things to do this weekend of Apr 21-22, 2012

It's obviously an Earth day weekend, but it's also alpaca/sheep/goat weekend, and Russia day. Check it out:

** Moscow Nights
Apr 21, 6PM-9:30PM; Cupertino
http://www.sccgov.org/sites/sistercounty/Moscow%20Sister%20County%20Commission/Events/Documents/Moscow%20Nights%20Flier%202012%20FINAL2.pdf
Tickets: http://www.livesv.com/event/detail/441479680

** Festival of Cultures: Russia
Apr 21, 11AM-6PM; Berkeley
http://ihouse.berkeley.edu/programs/springfest.php

** Free Basketball Clinic for grades 3-9
Apr 21, 10AM-1PM; Mountain View High School
http://www.spartanssportscamp.com/clinic_basketball.php

** Fine Arts Festival
Apr 20-22, 10AM-6/5PM; Menlo Park
http://www.menloparkchamber.com/events/icalrepeat.detail/2012/04/21/2684/-/fine-arts-festival

** Arts Splash
Apr 21, 11AM-4PM; Villa Montalvo
http://montalvoarts.org/events/artssplash2012/

** Cherry Blossom Festival
Apr 21-22, San Francisco
http://nccbf.org/

** Cesar Chavez Parade and Festival
Apr 21, 11AM-6PM; San Francisco
http://www.cesarchavezday.org/

** RoboGames
Apr 20-22; San Mateo
http://robogames.net/index.php

** Spring Farm Tour
Apr 21, 10AM-1PM; Deer Hollow Farm
http://www.fodhf.org/farm_tour_2012_flyer.pdf

** Bug Day
Apr 21, 10AM-2PM; Randall Museum
http://www.randallmuseum.org/

** Explorables: Science You Can Play With
Apr 21, 11AM-2PM; Exploratorium
http://press.exploratorium.edu/explorables-april-21-2012/

** Berkeley Open House
Apr 21, 9AM-4PM; Berkeley
http://calday.berkeley.edu/

** Goat Festival
Apr 21, 10AM-1PM; San Francisco
http://www.cuesa.org/events/2012/goat-festival
** Alpaca Show
Apr 21-22; Pleasanton
http://www.calpaca.org/classic/index.htm

** Sheep Shearing Day
Apr 21, 11AM-3PM; San Ramon
http://www.srhf.org/events/index.html#sheep

** EARTH DAY - quite a few interesting events, check links for details
Sunnyvale: Apr 22, 11AM-4PM;  http://www.fullcirclesunnyvale.org/
Los Altos: Apr 21, Noon-4PM; http://losaltoshistory.org/events.html
Redwood City: Apr 21, 10AM-5PM; http://sfbaymsi.org/earthday.html
Foster City: Apr 21, 10AM-3PM; http://www.fostercity.org/news/Earth-Day-Fair.cfm
SF CA Academy of Science: Apr 21-22; http://www.calacademy.org/spring/
Ghirardelli: Apr 21, 1PM-5PM; http://www.ghirardellisq.com/events/ghirardelli-goes-green/ghirardelli-goes-green

** Family Concert
Apr 21: 2PM Oakland
Apr 22: 12PM San Mateo
Apr 22: 3PM San Francisco
http://www.sfchamberorchestra.org/events/family/

Things to do this weekend of Apr 14-15, 2012

** Dog Festival
Apr 14, 11AM-4PM; Duboce Park, SF
http://mckinleyschool.org/dogfest/

** Family Jazz Matinee: Clarinet and Saxophones
Apr 14, 11AM; Herbst Theatre, SF
http://www.sfjazz.org/node/2132

** Let's Move: Go Game for Kids
Apr 14, 1PM-3PM; Crissy Field, SF
http://letsmovegogame.eventbrite.com/

** Tartan Day Scottish Faire
Apr 14, 10AM-5PM; Ardenwood Farm, Fremont
http://tartanday.eastbayscots.org/

** Fantasy Festival
Apr 14-15, 10AM-6PM; Guadalupe River Park, SJ
http://www.sjfantasy.com/

** A Victorian Afternoon
Apr 14, 1-4PM; History Museum, San Mateo
http://historysmc.org/FPT.html

** Cherry Blossom Festival
Apr 14-15, Japan Town, SF
http://nccbf.org/

** Taco Festival
Apr 14, 11AM-5PM; History Park, SJ
http://sjtaco.com/

** Earth Day - Apr 14th, 2012
Oakland Zoo: 10AM-3PM; http://www.oaklandzoo.org/Calendar_Item.php?i=92
Chabot Ctr: 11AM-5PM; http://www.chabotspace.org/calendar.htm?date=4-14-2012&p=1439355

** Sidewalk Arts and Crafts Fair
Apr 13-15; 10AM-5PM; SF-West Portal Ave
http://www.pacificfinearts.com/schedule.htm

** Berkeley Bay Festival
Apr 14, 11AM-4PM; Shorebird Park
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=52724

** "Runaway Bunny"
Apr 14, 11AM; Villa Montalvo
http://www.montalvoarts.org/events/runaway_bunny_fpas/

** Children's Story Time and Affirmations by Cynthia Starborn
Apr 14, 4-4:30PM; East West Bookstore, Mountain View
http://www.eastwest.com/april-2012-events-east-west#14a

** "Sunday Streets" event creates miles of car-free roads for people to get out and get active in diverse SF neighborhoods.
Apr 15, 11AM-4PM; SF
http://www.sundaystreetssf.com/

** Special Golden Gate Exhibition tour and craft project
Apr 14, 2-4PM; Mission St, SF
http://www.mocfa.org/

** Spring Festival
Apr 14, 9AM-1PM; South SJ
http://www.openspaceauthority.org/

** USS Hornet - Family Overnight
Apr 20, 2012
http://www.uss-hornet.org/groups/overnightfamily

Events for kids

** Mad Science Slime Workshop
Today (Apr, 12): 4PM-5PM; Los Altos Library
http://helpdesk.sccl.org/evanced/lib/eventsignup.asp?ID=23364

** Adventures of Tom Sawyer at the Children's Musical Theater SJ: $9/ticket
http://www.plumdistrict.com/deals/children-s-musical-theater-san-jose-plum-steal-9-for-one-ticket-to-the-adventures-qpQOVH

At Stanford this week

Those are some events that take place at Stanford in the next few days:

** April 10
Krolilk po Berlinsku / Rabbit a la Berlin
2009; directed by Bartek Konopka; 52 minutes
Filmmaker Bartek Konopka examines the history of the Berlin Wall as seen from the perspective of the rabbits who made their home in the no man's land between the two massive monoliths separating East and West Germany. When the walls come crumbling down, the rabbits are uncertain how to handle their newfound freedom. This film received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Short.
http://creees.stanford.edu/events/international-film-series.html

** Robot Block Party
Apr 11, 1PM-6PM; Stanford
http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/events/national-robotics-week-2012

** Light Works: Dan Flavin and Robert Irwin, Art from the 1960s
Mar 21 - Jul 8, 2012; Cantor Arts Center

http://museum.stanford.edu/news_room/light-works.html

Cool Deals

Just in time for Spring Holidays:

Historic Submarine Tour on USS Pampanito at Fisherman's Wharf: 

$10 for 2 adults or
$14 for 2 adults and 4 children:

www.groupon.com/deals/uss-pampanito-1

Hours of operation: http://maritime.org/hours.htm
You can take Virtual Tour of the boat and listen to Audio Tour here:
http://maritime.org/pamphome.htm

Things to do this weekend of Apr 7-8, 2012

** Metropolitan Opera Live - "Manon" with Anna Netrebko
Apr 7, 9AM - 1:15PM; multiple locations
http://www.fathomevents.com/upcoming/locations/94043/04/07/2012/PerformingArts/event/manon.aspx

** Tango Festival and USA Championship 2012
Apr 5-8, San Francisco
http://www.argentinetangousa.com/

** Golden Gate Jubilee
Apr 7, 1PM-4PM; Golden Gate Park Concourse, SF
http://sfcarnaval.org/ai1ec_event/golden-gate-jubilee/

** Urban Adventure Hunt
Apr 7, 8:30AM-1:30PM; Millbrae
http://getlostxx.com/Millbrae/Street_Scramble/2012

** International Jem & Jewelry Show
Apr 6-8, San Mateo
http://intergem-web.ungerboeck.com/wbe/wbe_p1_main.aspx?oc=10&cc=WBE105284

** Kids Workshop: build a window bird feeder
Apr 7, 9AM-Noon; Local HomeDepot
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/ContentView?pn=HT_WS_KidsWorkshops

** Walk with the Winemaker or Horse Ride through Vineyards
Apr 7, Saratoga
http://www.cgv.com/events

Easter events:

** Spring Celebration and Easter Parade
Apr 8, 10AM-5PM; Union St., SF
http://www.sresproductions.com/union_street_easter.html

** Egg Hunt
Apr 7, 9:30AM-10:30AM; Los Altos
http://www.losaltosrecreation.org/egg-hunt.html

** Easter Bunny by Helicopter
Apr 7, 10:30AM; Hiller Aviation Museum
http://www.hiller.org/easterbunny.shtml

** Eggstraordinary Egg Hunt on a train
Apr 7-8, Roaring Camp, Felton
http://www.roaringcamp.com/events#easter_Hunt

** Egg Hunt and Learning Festival
Apr 7, 10AM-3PM; Berkeley
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~eggster/eventday.php

** Eggstravaganza in San Mateo: http://www.cityofsanmateo.org/index.aspx?NID=1749
** Eggstravaganza in San Francisco: http://sfrecpark.org/highlights.aspx
** Multiple Egg Hunts in Oakland: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/opr/index.htm

Cool Deals

** $5 for $10 at Starbucks: https://www.google.com/offers/home#!details/fc1a1724a6197df5/UE3HFPIOMPF08PVQ
Offer good till 9:30AM CA time (Apr 5th)


** Discounted tickets for Smuin Ballet Spring Show in Mountain View:
http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/South-Bay/Entertainment/14794
You can get tickets on line or by calling the office. Just use discount code "TZOO"

When: April 4, 2012; 6:45PM-9:30PM

Where: Stanford University

The LASERs are a national program of evening gatherings that bring artists and scientists together for informal presentations and conversation with an audience.
Leonardo ISAST and Stanford Continuing Studies invite you to a meeting of the Leonardo Art/Science community. Check http://www.scaruffi.com/leonardo/apr2012.html for location and agenda.

The event is free and open to everybody.

Things to do this weekend of Mar 31-Apr 1, 2012

** Spring Fling at Filoli
Mar 31, 10AM-3:30PM, Filoli Gardens
http://www.filoli.org/special-events-and-exhibits/spring-fling.html

** Trains and Planes Display
Mar 31-Apr 15; Hiller Aviation Museum
http://www.hiller.org/model_trains.shtml

** BubbleMania
Apr 1, 11AM and 2PM; SF JCC
https://tickets.jccsf.org/public/show.asp

** Feast for the Beasts
Mar 31, 9AM-3PM; Oakland Zoo
http://www.oaklandzoo.org/Calendar_Item.php?i=22

** Egg-stravaganza: if you want to adopt a small animal:
Mar 31, 11AM-2PM; Oakland
http://tinyurl.com/7kyf2ef

** Picture with Easter Bunny
Apr 1, 10AM-2PM; Santana Row, SJ
http://www.santanarow.com/events/easter_photos

** Chocolate Seder
Apr 1, 3PM-5PM; Los Gatos JCC
http://svjcc.org/events/

** Mavericks Invitational Festival
Mar 31, 9AM-5PM; Half Moon Bay
http://mavericksinvitational.com/2012/01/be-a-part-of-the-mavericks-festival/

** Code of the West Gun Show
Mar 31-Apr 1, 9AM-5/4PM; Vallejo
http://www.scfair.com/events.html

EGG HUNT EVENTS:

** Bunny Fun Hunt
Mar 31, 10AM-1PM; Los Gatos High School
http://www.lgsrecreation.org/Pages/specialevents.html

** Family Dat at the Park: Egg Hunt
Mar 31, 9AM-11:30AM; Newark
http://www.newark.org/calendar-of-events/event/famil/

** Easter Egg Hunt and Pancake Breakfast
Mar 31, 9AM-11AM; San Bruno
http://sanbruno.ca.gov/

** Las Madres Spring Festival: Egg Hunt
Mar 31, 10AM-Noon, Morgan Hill
http://www.lasmadresmorganhill.org/

** Easter Egg Hunt (SF)
Apr 1, 11AM-3PM; Kezar Gardens
http://www.facebook.com/events/349786098397190/

School Statistics

Couple years ago I was interested to get a greater picture of neighborhood schools. I've created a table based on the data from http://www.greatschools.org website. Recently I've updated info on some of the schools. If you don't see the year, the data are from 2009.
There were no data for English CAHSEE (CA standard Exam) in 2009, so the number you see shows % of kids, who passed Math Exam. Currently there are data for both, Math and English Exit Exams (relevant for High Schools only). CST% shows percent of kids who passed STAR test at or above Proficient level.

All Elementary Schools data are from 2009.

I thought this info might be interesting for people planning to re-locate into this area.

Discounted subscriptions to Cricket magazines

When I grew up in Russia, my parents subscribed to a lot of different periodicals. Around 8 or 9, I started to receive my first newspaper. It was quite boring and political (Yes, can you believe it? Politics in a newspaper for 9 years old), but I loved it anyway.
Of course, selection of possible periodicals for kids in US is huge and hard to chose from. I'd like to limit commercials, but don't always succeed. My son loves to get magazine mailed directly to him. We've tried a few over the years.
I just received a promotion for Cricket magazines and want to share it, because that's the best price I've seen so far: http://www.savvysource.com/offers/theme/cricket-magazines-for-young-imaginative-readers-27/
Cricket has different magazines for different age groups. We've only had experience with "Muse", and my kid loved it. They promise to have no advertisement in "Cricket" magazine. There are ten subscriptions involved in the promotion, check them out and enjoy!

Things to do this weekend of Mar 24-25, 2012

** Daniel DaVinci, The Juggling Genius
Mar 24, 3:30PM; Santa Teresa Branch Library
http://www.sjpl.org/event/daniel-davinci-juggling-genius-1

** ABC to Drawing
Mar 24, 3PM; King Library, SJ
http://sjpl.org/tags/king-library

** Flower and Garden Show
Mar 21-25; 10AM-7/6PM; San Mateo
http://www.sfgardenshow.com/index.php/the-show/the-show

** Sidewalk Fine Arts Festival
Mar 24-25, 10AM-5PM; Belmont
http://www.pacificfinearts.com/schedule.htm

** Home, Garden, Culinary and Wine Expo
Mar 24-25, 10AM-5PM; Santa Cruz
http://cocoanutgrovesantacruz.com/public-events/hgexpo/

** All-American Cars and Trucks
Mar 24-25, 8AM-5/4PM; Pleasanton
http://www.good-guys.com/events/2012-events/item/all-american-get-together-2?category_id=2

** Meet the Zoo's New Peccaries
Mar 24-25, 11AM-4PM; SF Zoo
http://www.sfzoo.org/announcements/meet-the-zoos-new-peccaries

** Monterey Bay Classic Livestock Show
Mar 24-25, Monterey
http://www.montereycountyfair.com/pdf...

Cool deals

** If you missed discount tickets for San Francisco race (see the post below), there is another one in San Jose this Sunday, Mar 25, 2012. I was told by different people that those races are fun event for the whole family. You can get more info: http://www.goldstar.com/events/san-jose-ca/san-jose-challenge-1

** In case it will rain during weekend, here is an in-door activity: bowling at Homestead Lanes. Groupon offers discounted packages for three, four, or six people, with drinks and snacks: http://www.groupon.com/deals/homestead-lanes-2

Race around San Francisco

San Francisco Challenge: A race of wits around the city by the bay.

The San Francisco Challenge is an urban adventure race. Teams of two or more will race around the city, competing against other challengers for top cash prizes as you plot race strategy, solve tricky clues, and explore undiscovered corners of the city. Think of it as a 5K that tests your brains as much as your legs, with much bigger prizes and a whole lot more fun! At the finish line, there will be an after-party with cold water, a costume contest, food and drink specials and an awards ceremony for the winners. (Offer Expires 11:59pm, 3/18/2012)

https://www.goldstar.com/shows/540551/checkout/new

Cool deals

** If you didn't see "Totem" by Cirque Du Soleil, I would strongly recommend it. We went few days ago and the whole family really enjoyed the show. Goldstar offers discounted tickets: http://www.goldstar.com/events/san-jose-ca/cirque-du-soleils-totem

** For those who enjoy whitewater rafting, TravelZoo offers a good deal: http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/San-Francisco/Other/11830
I checked some reviews, positive in general, but seems like there are might be some issues with customer service.
I would recommend to check reviews before making your purchase: http://www.yelp.com/biz/w-e-t-river-trips-lotus 
More reviews for the same company, but operating at different location: http://www.yelp.com/biz/w-e-t-river-trips-sacramento

Things to do this weekend of Mar 17-18, 2012

** Spring Farm Tour
Mar 17, 10am-1pm; Deer Hollow Farm
http://www.fodhf.org/farm_tour_2012_flyer.pdf

** Xtreme Science Magic Show with Dan O'Brien
Mar 17, 3PM; King Library
http://sjpl.org/tags/king-library

** St. Patrick's Day Festival
Mar 17, 10AM-5PM; Civic Center Plaza, SF
http://www.sresproductions.com/sfstpatricksday.html

** Family Fest: Celebration of Birds and Spring
Mar 17, 10AM-3PM; Portola Valley
http://www.scvas.org/index.php?page=text&id=event

** Lego Models Exhibition
Mar 18, 10AM-4PM; Santa Clara
http://www.bricksbythebay.com/

** Persian Bazaar
Mar 17-18, 9AM-5PM; Cupertino
http://plancast.com/p/a11p/kahrizak-foundations-annual-norooz-bazaar

** St. Patrick's Day Celebration
Mar 17-18, 10AM-5PM; Dublin
http://dublinca.gov/index.aspx?NID=293

** Cinderella
Mar 18, 1PM; Villa Montalvo
http://www.montalvoarts.org/events/cinderella_fpas/

** Junior Engineer Day
Mar 17, 10AM-3PM; SF
http://ggmrc.com/about/events/
Location: http://ggmrc.com/about/where/

** Model Train Show
Mar 17-18, 11AM-6PM; Walnut Creek
http://www.wcmrs.org/

** Be a Leprechaun for the Day
Mar 17, Noon-3PM; Marin History Museum, San Raphael
http://www.marinhistory.org/

** PaddleFest
Mar 16-18, Santa Cruz
http://www.asudoit.com/paddle_fest/index.html

Bouquets to Art at De Young Museum

Once a year "Bouquets to Art" at De Young Museum:
Taking place March 13 - 17, 2012, the 28th Annual Bouquets to Art will feature 150 floral arrangements by prominent designers and garden clubs that interpret and complement the de Young Museum’s permanent collection.
General admission allows access to all galleries. Tickets are required for floral demonstrations and for seated lunches and teas; these include general admission. General admission is free for museum members.
http://bouquetstoart.famsf.org/

Things to do: weekend of Mar 10-11, 2012

** NASA Family Night: Destination Station
Mar 9, 5PM-9PM; Oakland
http://www.chabotspace.org/calendar.htm?date=3-9-2012&p=301723

** Taiwanese Glove Puppet Show
Mar 10, 3PM; San Jose
http://sjpl.org/tags/king-library

** Purim Palooza
Mar 11, 9:30AM-3PM; San Rafael
http://www.marinjcc.org/events/2012/03/11/jewish-holiday-celebrations/purim-palooza/

** SF Ocean Film Festival
Mar 8-11, Pier 39
http://www.oceanfilmfest.org/about/

** Winter Jazz Festival
Mar 9-11, San Jose
http://www.sanjosejazz.org/winter-fest

** Arbor Day Festival
Mar 10, 10AM-1PM; Mitchell Park, Palo Alto
http://www.canopy.org/pages/about-canopy/special-events/arbor-day-2012.php
Mar 10, Pioneer Park, Mountain View
http://www.mountainview.gov/city_hall/comm_services/forestry/arbor_day.asp

** Out and About Kid Festival
Mar 10, 10AM-5PM; Morgan Hill
http://www.southvalleykidfest.com/

** Innovator of the Month Workshop (3-12 years old)
Mar 10, Noon-2PM; San Francisco
http://creativity.org/explore/innovation-studio/

** All tickets are sold out for Science Safari, but you can still sign up for Geocaching Event in April: http://ysi.tikkl.com/campaigns/safaris-1112

Can you see Aurora Borealis in Silicon Valley?

Today may just be the day.

Image Capture of Solar Flare. Credit: NASA/SDO/HMI

The sun let loose an intense solar flare on March 6, 2012. The coronal mass ejection (CME) arrived at Earth early Thursday morning, around 5:45AM ET.
This eruption from the sun has been classified as an X5.4-class solar flare. X-class flares are the strongest classification of solar flares.
Fortunately, geomagnetic storm didn't reach expected heights, so our cell phones and GPS systems shouldn't have too much disruption. At the moment geomagnetic storm is rated G1 on a scale of G1 to G5. For farther updates you can visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/News030712-X5-4.html
There is something interesting that might come out of this largest solar flare that hits Ears in the last 5 years: DeAnza College Planetarium Director Carl Vonahnen said that "Aurora Borealis might, just might, become visible in Silicon Valley tonight". Of course full moon will not help us to see it, but try your luck this evening. Watch out for Northern Lights in your sky tonight.

Happy Purim and International Women's Day to everybody!

Events: Education for Parents

"Raising Resilient Girls"
Mar 9th, 7:30PM-9PM
Montclaire Elementary School, GLC Room

Simone Marean, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the internationally recognized Girls Leadership Institute (GLI) will cover:
- How and why girls are aggressive with one another
- The "Good Girl" phenomenon
- What girls need to avoid victimization
- The power of emotional intelligence
- The importance of mistakes
- The limitations of blame
- Seeing conflict as opportunity for change

"Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills" 
 by Ellen Galinsky
Mar 15th, 7PM-9PM
Mountain View High School

Ellen Galinsky is the past president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. She is also a former professor at the Bank Street College of Education, as well as the author of Ask the Children and The Six Stages of Parenthood, along with more than 125 articles in academic journals, books, and magazines.
In "Mind in the Making", she identifies seven life skills essential to success—in school, the workforce, and life: focus and self-control, perspective taking, communicating, making connections, critical thinking, taking on challenges, and self-directed engaged learning.

Register: http://ellengalinskymvla.eventbrite.com/
Info: http://mindinthemaking.org/meet_ellen_galinsky/

Things to do: weekend of Mar 3-4, 2012

** Free Family Day at SFMOMA
Mar 4, 11AM-4PM, SF
http://www.sfmoma.org/exhib_events/events/2042

** Purim Carnival
Mar 4, 2-5PM; Berkeley JCC
http://www.jewishgateways.org/events/2012/mar/4/purim-carnival

** Hakone's Garden Dragon New Year Celebration
Mar 4, Noon-4PM; Saratoga
http://www.hakone.us/events/upcoming-events.html

** Home Depot Kids "Build a Race Car" Workshop
Mar 3, 9AM-Noon, different locations
http://tinyurl.com/6v4o5yr

** Free Crafts for Kids
Mar 3, 11AM-3PM, different locations
http://tinyurl.com/89je8v9

** Science Night
Mar 3, 5PM-7PM; Palo Alto Museuim of American Heritage
http://www.moah.org/

** SF International Chocolate Salon
Mar 4, 10AM-6PM; Fort Mason Ctr
http://www.sfchocolatesalon.com/

** Summer Resource Fair
Mar 3, 10AM-3PM; SF
http://www.sfkids.org/content.aspx?id=12358

** Jewelry, Gem & Mineral Show
Mar 2-4, 10AM-6/5PM; Newark
http://www.mgscv.org/

** Hand Made Bicycles Show
Mar 2-4, 10AM-6/5PM; Sacramento
http://2012.handmadebicycleshow.com/2012-show/

** Family Overnight at USS Hornet
It's probably too late for Mar 2, 2012, but you can register for following dates:
http://www.uss-hornet.org/groups/overnightfamily/