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OUSD Parents Support Teachers, Engage Students, with Creative Outdoor “Strike School”

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Subject Line: Media Coverage Request: 8:30am — Thur., Feb. 21 — OUSD Parents Support Teachers, Engage Students, with Creative Outdoor “Strike School”

Media Contact: 
Naomi Stein / (510) 292-1251‬


Who/What:
OUSD Parents Support Teachers, Engage Students, with Creative Outdoor “Strike School”

Where: Dimond Park, Oakland; end of Wellington Street, Scout hut
When: Thursday, February 21, 8:30am-12pm

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT IS FILLED TO CAPACITY. THIS IS NOT A CALENDAR LISTING. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR ONSITE MEDIA COVERAGE ONLY


Rockridge, Calif., February 20, 2019: On Day One of the Oakland teacher’s strike, 10 OUSD Parent-Volunteers will chaperone 55 OUSD elementary students, under the auspices of local non-profit, Friends of Sausal Creek (FOSC), to create a pop-up “Strike School.” STEAM educator, activist, volunteer, and parent of two children who attend an OUSD elementary school, Naomi Stein has organized a morning of eco-restoration and service learning. When she sent out the announcement, the event quickly filled to capacity for children and adult-volunteers.On Thursday, February 21, from 8:30am-12:00pm, 55 students will learn about and plant native species that secure the soil and benefit local insects, engaging in hands-on learning: sampling macro-invertebrates (creatures that live in the creek that one can see without magnification); examining how the presence or absence of certain species reveals the health of the stream. The kids will round out the day with meditation in nature, and artistic projects designed to integrate their learning and time in Dimond Park.

Naomi explains, “In addition to its gross malfeasance, the District has failed to incorporate parent input. So I organized Strike School to provide a meaningful activity that will simultaneously enable parents to honor the picket line, get to work, educate kids and restore a local creek, free, if only for a half-day. We wanted to provide full-day care, but unfortunately FOSC had another contract in the afternoon.”

She adds, “Parents are taking political action through affecting the District’s bottom line. OUSD receives an average of $58/day per pupil. This one action will cost them over $3k, and there are dozens of these pop-up Strike Schools happening all over town. Parents are acting to support teachers in a way that translates into significant dollars. We hope this will get the District’s attention and that they accede to the teacher’s reasonable requests immediately.”

FOSC is generously donating their services, as well as the 10 OUSD parent volunteers who are donating their time and expertise. 

Naomi Stein is a veteran STEAM educator and children’s experiences leader with over 30 years of experience, including two decades working in theater-based education at the Lawrence Hall of Science. Since retiring from the Hall to be a stay-at-home mom, Naomi has spearheaded numerous events such as this for her community, although this is the first that specifically targets protesting OUSD via political action.
To learn more about other initiatives to support Oakland’s teachers, visit the Oakland Education Association’s website https://oaklandea.org/
The general public can also engage in active learning of the skills listed above by volunteering for Friends of Sausal Creek, as well as supporting their efforts to restore Oakland’s least culverted creek, while educating Oaklanders, young and old, at https://www.sausalcreek.org/

Former Airbnb Problem Solver Steps Out as “Solo World Wanderer”

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media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

Former Airbnb Problem Solver Steps Out as “Solo World Wanderer”

San Francisco’s Karen Rosenblum Goes Global from Homebase in Madrid

www.soloworldwanderer.org

13 February 2019 – Madrid, Spain:  There are travel experts, and then there is Karen Rosenblum. Her passion is her brand. Her name says it all:www.soloworldwanderer.org.  In a world of experts, she is, well – a world apart. For years, an executive “problem solver” for the AirBnB, Karen is now turning that worldly wisdom to good use, and helping others explore their home planet.

“The not-so-dirty-little-secret of international travel is this,” says Rosenblum, 41, in mock conspiratorial whisper. “It does not have to be expensive, and it does not have to be complicated.”

With 20 years in the professional travel industry, working for companies such as STA Travel and Airbnb, Karen’s job is just that: taking the “complicated” out of travel. While based in Madrid, Spain, Karen helps travelers plan and organize their trips nearly anywhere in the world.


“As a child I was a closet globetrotter, but now I’m out of the closet and monetizing my passion, laughs Rosenblum known to her friends as La Gringa Loca.  “I would tear apart my parents’ Sunday newspaper to find the travel section. That, when I was 15, my parents agreed to take me to Europe with the understanding that I would plan and book the entire trip.  With the help of travel guidebooks as well a trusted travel agent, I planned a trip to Madrid and Paris for my entire family.”

From that armchair genesis, Karen has visited over 60 countries and developed and cultivated a trusted cadre of international hospitality and travel partners in the process. While some ‘left their hearts in San Francisco’, Karen packed up her Bay Area corazon  and moved it to Spain.

“Spain holds a special place for this digital nomad,” says Karen, noting that one of our friends calls her ‘Spain’s biggest fan since Hemingway.’ “There is no denying that Spain and its people have stolen my heart. My passion is seeing Spain off the beaten path, the real Spain that few visitors are lucky enough to get to know. If there’s a town on the list of  ‘Spain’s most beautiful pueblos’  that I have not been to, I am scheming on how to get there.” 

As Kahlil Gibran once wrote: “Work, is love made visible.” Whether catching AVE trains from Madrid’s Atocha Station or setting up hand-crafted artisan-tours-on-a-budget, Karen has taken her passion for travel on the road and online.  

“If you want to travel, just click on me,” says the irrepressible Karen. “Whether your style of travel is super luxury or super-efficient eco-friendly backpack – solo or in a group, I’ve got an itinerary for you.”

For a free consulting experience, contact Karen at karen@spainlesstraveled.com

Winners Announced for 16th Annual International Ocean Film Festival with Showings in San Francisco and Marin

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Media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

Winners Announced for 16th Annual International Ocean Film Festival
with Showings in San Francisco and Marin
March 7 -– 10, 2019


11 Films Receive Honors for Superior Work in Fields of  Environmental Awareness, Animation, Wildlife, Coastal Conservation, Citizen Science, Sports & Adventure and Short Subjects

www.intloceanfilmfest.org

13 February 2019 – San Francisco, CA: Amidst a virtual sea of cinematic talent, San Francisco’s International Ocean Film Festival (www.intloceanfilmfest.org) has selected 11 films for special honors at this year’s 16th annual showcase, March 7 – 10. The award-winners recognize works highlightingenvironmental awareness, animation, wildlife, coastal conservation, citizen science, sports & adventure and short subjects. The annual awards are handed out at the end of each program at which the winner’s film is screened 

“Every year brings a greater awareness of our ocean heritage, and every year brings fresh, new talent to our screens,” said Ana Blanco, Executive Director for the International Ocean Film Festival. “This year’s stand out films offer a truly international perspective with films from the Netherlands, Canada, the United Kingdom and the US.”

Since its launch in 2004, the San Francisco-based International Ocean Film Festival has attracted thousands of spectators of all ages from around the world, including film enthusiasts, sea athletes, educators, and environmental supporters. Since then, the Festival has presented on average over 50 films annually from 15 different countries and featured post-film Q&A sessions with visiting filmmakers, special panel discussions with content experts, and the Annual Free Student Education Program. It was the first event of its kind in North America, inspired by the well-established ocean festival in Toulon, France, Festival International du Film Maritime, which has continued to draw large audiences for more than 40 years. The International Ocean Film Festival is a registered 501(c) 3 non-profit.

Sponsors for the 16th Annual International Ocean Film Festival include National Marine Sanctuaries, the Canadian Consulate of San Francisco and Silicon Valley, BigBus of San Francisco, SSA, RBC Wealth Management, Port of San Francisco, Alcatraz Cruises, San Francisco Magazine, and Hyatt Hotels, the Premiere Hotel Sponsor for the Festival. 

Screenings take place in San Francisco at the Cowell Theatre in Fort Mason and at the Roxie; in Marin at the Smith Rafael Film Center. Below, the chronological schedule of winning films for the 16th International Ocean Film Festival:

PROGRAM #1 – Thursday, March 7 at 4pm 
(Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason, San Francisco)
Presented by NOAA

  • Living with the Oceans, Nicky Milne* (United Kingdom) 17 min – COASTAL CULTURE AWARD
  • Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies, Michael Hanrahan (USA) 8 min – SHORT AWARD
  • The Final Breach, Jess Webster (United Kingdom) 17 min – U.S. Premiere – SHORT AWARD

PROGRAM #2 – Thursday, March 7 at 7pm – OPENING NIGHT
(Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason, San Francisco)
Presented by the Consulate General of Canada 

  • Near Miss, Josh Berry* (USA) 12 min – Bay Area Premiere – GOLDEN GATE AWARD
  • Sharkwater Extinction, Rob Stewart (Canada) 87 min – Bay Area Premiere – CONSERVATION AWARD

—————–

PROGRAM #3 – Friday, March 8 at 1pm
(Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason, San Francisco)
Presented by the Port of San Francisco 

  • Dispatches from the Gulf 2: Research, Innovation, Discovery, Hal Weiner (USA) 57 min – Bay Area Premiere – ENVIRONMENT AWARD

PROGRAM #1, Friday, March 8 at 4pm (Smith Rafael Film Center – 1118 4th Street, San Rafael) 

  • The Blues Crab, Ari Rubenstein* (USA) 14 min – Bay Area Premiere – ANIMATION AWARD
  • Manry at Sea: In the Wake of a Dream, Steve Wystrach (USA) 94 min – Bay Area Premiere – ADVENTURE/OCEAN SPORTS AWARD 

—————–

PROGRAM #6 – Saturday, March 9 at 10am
(Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason, San Francisco)
Presented by BigBus San Francisco

  • Beach Watch, Mary Jane Schramm* (USA) 5 min – World Premiere – CITIZEN SCIENCE AWARD

PROGRAM #1 –  Saturday, March 9 at 1:30pm
(Roxie – 3117 16th Street, San Francisco)

  • Scars – Politics in the Big Blue, Karin Hartman (Netherlands) 65 min – WILDLIFE AWARD

PROGRAM# 9 – Saturday, March 9 at 7pm
(Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason, San Francisco)
Presented by SSA

  • A Feather to Kill, Hardy Jones**, Uli Ploefner (USA) 48 min – World Premiere – DIRECTOR’S AWARD

*Filmmaker expected in attendance

**Film representative expected in attendance

Finalists Announced for 16th Annual International Ocean Film Festival March 7 -– 10, 2019

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Media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

Finalists Announced for 16th Annual International Ocean Film Festival
March 7 -– 10, 2019

Two Virtual Reality Films Offered for First Time at Festival

www.intloceanfilmfest.org 

7 February 2019 – San Francisco, CA: “One who was born by the ocean or has associated with it cannot ever be quite content away from it for very long,” wrote John Steinbeck in his classic The Log from the Sea of Cortez. For thefilmmakers and film lovers of the San Francisco-born International Ocean Film Festival (www.intloceanfilmfest.org), the sea and its inspiration are never far away for very long. From March 7 – 10, for the 16th year, the acclaimed nonprofit festival dedicated to “saving our oceans, one film at a time” will bring the wonder of earth’s watery realm to scores of audience members with 55 films including four world premieres and four United States premieres by filmmakers from around the world, across the United States and right here in the Bay Area.
“Every day it becomes clearer that our oceans are under assault,” said Ana Blanco, Executive Director for the International Ocean Film Festival, noting that this year a record 148 films were submitted for consideration including for the first time, two films to be offered in virtual reality. “Every year, more and more people are inspired to action by the films that we present. We are very much a festival with a mission and passion for making a change.”Since its launch in 2004, the San Francisco-based International Ocean Film Festival has attracted thousands of spectators of all ages from around the world, including film enthusiasts, sea athletes, educators, and environmental supporters. Since then, the Festival has presented on average over 50 films annually from 15 different countries and featured post-film Q&A sessions with visiting filmmakers, special panel discussions with content experts, and the Annual Free Student Education Program. It was the first event of its kind in North America, inspired by the well-established ocean festival in Toulon, France, Festival International du Film Maritime, which has continued to draw large audiences for more than 40 years. The International Ocean Film Festival is a registered 501(c) 3 non-profit.

Sponsors for the 16th Annual International Ocean Film Festival include National Marine Sanctuaries, the Canadian Consulate of San Francisco and Silicon Valley, BigBus of San Francisco, SSA, RBC Wealth Management, Port of San Francisco, Alcatraz Cruises, San Francisco Magazine, and Hyatt Hotels, the Premiere Hotel Sponsor for the Festival. 

Below, the chronological schedule of films for the 16th International Ocean:

Thursday, March 7 at 4 pm – Program #1 Presented by NOAA

  • Living with the Oceans, Nicky Milne* (United Kingdom) 17 min 
  • Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies, Michael Hanrahan (USA) 8 min 
  • China: Caging the Ocean’s Wild, Steve Chao (Malaysia) 26 min
  • Coral: Glimmer of Hope, Gaelin Rosenwaks* (USA) 9 min – World Premiere 
  • For the Love of the Reef, Alan E Franks (USA) 7 min – West Coast Premiere 
  • The Final Breach, Jess Webster (United Kingdom) 17 min – U.S. Premiere 

Thursday, March 7 at 7pm – Program #2 – OPENING NIGHT
 Presented by the Consulate General of Canada 

  • Near Miss, Josh Berry* (USA) 12 min – Bay Area Premiere 
  • Sharkwater Extinction, Rob Stewart (Canada) 87 min – Bay Area Premiere 

——————————–

Friday, March 8 at 1pm – Program #3 Presented by the Port of San Francisco 

  • Wake Up, Haydn Fischer* (USA) 2 min
  • The Adventures of Zack and Molly, Jim Toomey (USA) 11 min – Bay Area Premiere 
  • Blue Carbon: A Story from the Snohomish Estuary, Benjamin Drummond, Sara Joy Steele (USA) 6 min
  • Master of the Turbulence, Steven Albert*, Mary Albert (USA) 8 min
  • Dispatches from the Gulf 2: Research, Innovation, Discovery, Hal Weiner (USA) 57 min – Bay Area Premiere 

Friday, March 8 at 4 pm – Program #4 – Sponsored by the SF / Kiel, Germany Sister City Program

  • Hybrids, Florian Brauch (Germany) 5 min
  • Plankton, Gustaf Lindstrom (United Kingdom) 6 min – U.S. Premiere 
  • Sailor’s Delight Louise Aubertin (Germany) 8 min
  • Fragile – Why turtle hatchlings need the sea, Hendrik and Claudia Schmitt* (Germany) 8 min – Bay Area Premiere 
  • Dolphin Man, Lefteris Charitos (Greece) 82 min

Friday, March 8 at 4 pm, (Smith Rafael Film Center(1118 4th Street, San Rafael)

Program #1

  • The Blues Crab, Ari Rubenstein* (USA) 14 min – Bay Area Premiere 
  • Manry at Sea: In the Wake of a Dream, Steve Wystrach** (USA) 94 min – Bay Area Premiere 
  • Deep Look – Watch these Cunning Snails Stab and Swallow Fish Whole, Elliott Kennerson (USA) 5 min

Friday, March 8 at 7 pm – Program #5 – SURFING PROGRAM

  • City Surf Project, Oscar Guerra (USA) 11 min
  • Paige, Bjarne Salen (USA) 22 min
  • Beyond the Noise, Andrew Kaineder (Australia) 38 min – West Coast Premiere 
  • Under an Arctic Sky, Chris Burkard (USA) 40 min

——————————–

Saturday, March 9 at 10am – Program #6
Presented by BigBus San Francisco 

  • The Ocean’s Message, Cynthia Abbott* & Andrea Leland (USA) 5 min
  • The Salty Generations, Shaun Wolfe*, Shelby Oliver (USA) 8 min
  • Whitehall, Wendy Schuss* (USA) 9 min 
  • The Swimmer, Thomas Beug (Ireland) 12 min
  • Water Warrior, Monica Medellin* (USA) 4 min
  • Beach Watch, Mary Jane Schramm* (USA) 5 min – World Premiere 
  • Surviving in the Lagoon, Gil Kebaili, Manuel Lefevre (France) 53 min – U.S. Premiere 

Saturday, March 9 at 1 pm – Program #7 SHARK PROGRAM
Presented by Alcatraz Cruises

  • Near Miss, Josh Berry* (USA) 12 min – Bay Area Premiere 
  • Farallon Patrol: Feeding the Devil’s Teeth, Paul McManus*, Kylie West, Chris Winn (USA) 10 min
  • The Angel’s Secrets, Elodie Turpin (Canada) 27 min – West Coast Premiere 
  • 700 Sharks, Luc Marescot (France) 93 min – West Coast Premiere 

Saturday, March 9 at 1:30pm Roxie Theatre (3117 16th Street, San Francisco)

Program #1 

  • Bahía, Santiago Ramirez (Colombia) 8 min
  • Deep Time, Kirsten and Joachim Jakobsen (Portugal) 10 min
  • New Caledonia, Mother of the Coral Sea, Shawn Heinrichs (New Caledonia) 14 min
  • Scars – Politics in the Big Blue, Karin Hartman (Netherlands) 65 min

Saturday, March 9 at 4pm – Program #8

  • Diving Surge Narrows, Grant Callegari, Tavish Campbell (Canada) 4 min
  • Defending The Deep, Will Parrinello* (USA) 6 min
  • Colors of Change, Jenny Nichols (USA) 22 min
  • Deep Look – Whack! Jab! Crack! It’s a Blackback Land Crab Smackdown, Elliott Kennerson (USA) 5 min
  • Call of the Baby Beluga, Suzanne Chisholm, Michael Parfit (Canada) 52 min

Saturday, March 9 at 7pm – Program #9
Presented by SSA

  • Wake Up, Haydn Fischer* (USA) 2 min
  • Deep Look – This Adorable Sea Slug is a Sneaky Little Thief, Joshua Cassidy* (USA) 5 min
  • A Feather to Kill, Hardy Jones**, Uli Ploefner (USA) 48 min – World Premiere 

Saturday, March 9 at 7pm – (Smith Rafael Film Center 1118 4th St, San Rafael, CA 94901) Program #2

  • Every Nine Minutes, DJ O’Neil, Oliver Hamilton*, (USA) 4 min – World Premiere 
  • Chasing The Thunder, Mark Benjamin*, Marc Levin (USA) 96 min

——————————–

Sunday, March 10 at 10 am – Program #10

  • Student Film Competition (full schedule TBD)

Sunday, March 10 at 1pm – Program #11

  • The Lives of Wild Dolphins, Jim Knowlton* (USA) 7 min 
  • Wakes, Lea Rinaldi (France) 90 min

Sunday, March 10 at 4 pm – Program #12
Presented by RBC Wealth Management 

  • The Blessed Assurance, Isabelle Carbonell** (USA) 22 min
  • The Southern Right Whale, Kevin Zaouali (Argentina) 21 min – West Coast Premiere 
  • Lobster War: The Fight Over The World’s Richest Fishing Grounds, David Abel* (USA) 74 min – West Coast Premiere

Special Virtual Reality Program – (Fort Mason Firehouse)

Sunday, March 10 10am – 2pm

  • 360 Coral Reefs – Life below the surface, Hendrik and Claudia Schmitt* (Germany) 6 min – U.S. Premiere  (Virtual Reality Screening)

Join us on a journey through the Coral Triangle and its magnificent coral reefs. These underwater gardens boast the largest biodiversity of life on Earth, but as the planet keeps warming, our oceans are changing. Coral bleaching, ocean acidification, overfishing and pollution are threatening the world’s coral reefs and their fragile ecosystems. Experience the underwater world and learn about today’s urgency to protect our reefs.

  • IMMERSE: A Story of Science, Love and Magic in the Ocean, Erika Woolsey PhD*, Jason McGuigan, Rick Mistiv (USA) 9 min (Virtual Reality Screening) WORLD PREMIERE

Immerse is a live-action 360º 3D journey that takes you to the tropical Pacific, where you explore coral reefs, see manta rays do back-flips, watch sharks glide by, and join scientists as they study how the reef is changing.

* Filmmaker expected in attendance

**Film representative expected in attendance

Dezart Performs Continues 11th Season with White Guy On The Bus by Bruce Graham

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media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

Dezart Performs Continues 11th Season with White Guy On The Bus by Bruce Graham

Searing drama of racial and social divide directed by Michael Shaw runs March 1 – 10
www.dezartperforms.org

4 February 2019 – Palm Springs, CA:  Weaving back and forth between the past and present, a bus, a wealthy suburban home and a down-and-out urban apartment, Bruce Graham’s White Guy On The Busdelivers a searing montage of elements about America’s current racial and economic divide. Directed by Michael Shaw, it is the hardest-hitting drama of the 11th Season from the award winning Dezart Performs of Palm Springs. White Guy On The Bus is “a scalding take on race” (The New York Times) “a play with guts. This one goes right for the jugular” (The Chicago Tribune). The play runs March 1 – 10 at thePearl McManus Theater (at the historic Palm Springs Woman’s Club / 314 S Cahuilla Road, Downtown Palm Springs).


“Good theatre holds up a mirror to our society,” said Shaw, not one to step away from controversy in his role as the founding artistic director for Dezart Performs. “However, sometimes what we see in the mirror is not what we expect, and often we don’t like the reflection. White Guy On The Bus is an example, truly, of an American mirror cracked.”

Week after week, a wealthy white businessman rides the same bus, befriending a single black mom. As they get to know one another, their pasts unfold and tensions rise, igniting a disturbing and crucial exploration of race, and a contemporary morality play that cuts across racial, social and economic lines.

The cast for White Guy On The Bus features David Youse as Ray, Alexana Thomas as Roz, Desireé Clarke as Shatique, Sean Timothy Brown as Christopher and Bianca Stoker as Molly.


Dezart Performs, one of the Coachella Valley’s preeminent theatre companies, recognizes that the performing arts enrich the life and culture of a community, promote greater understanding and provoke insightful discussion. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company, its mission is to provide an artistic home for bold and cutting–edge plays, creating an atmosphere of artistic growth for actors, writers, and directors who uniquely contribute to the diverse theatrical environment in the Coachella Valley.

Sponsors of Dezart Performs’ 2018/19 Season include The Riviera Palm Springs, Desert Care Network, Eight4Nine Restaurant & Lounge, Acqua at the River, TRIO Restaurant, Hotel Zoso and the Desert Sun.

Showtimes for White Guy On The Bus: Fridays and Saturdays @ 7:30pm, Saturdays and Sundays @ 2pm.  Ticket prices are $45 Opening Night with Post Show Reception; $35 Evening; $30 Matinee. Performances take place at the Pearl McManus Theater (at the historic Palm Springs Woman’s Club) 314 S Cahuilla Road, Downtown Palm Springs. Tickets may be purchased online www.dezartperforms.org 

The 11th Season for Dezart Performs Ends With:

Maytag Virgin
A southern love story by Audrey Cefaly
Directed by Deborah Harmon
April 5 — 14, 2019

Alabama high-school teacher Lizzy Nash is on a leave of absence after the sudden death of her husband when a mysterious new neighbor moves in next door. Jack and Lizzy, both hiding a world of secrets and pain, excite and confound each other. Maytag Virgin explores the ideas of moving forward and self-enlightenment, and the bridge between the two.

“….unflinchingly honest. Cefaly’s writing is richly-layered, creating compelling characters that must balance love and heartache, the safe with the unfamiliar.”– DC Metro Theatre Arts

“…it’s the emotional journey of Maytag Virgin gives it such a wallop. Cefaly writes with sympathy and a finely-sharpened wit.” – BroadwayWorld.com