Gas-Free Fridays!

The SF Bike Coalition really started this going in the Bay Area, but the East Bay can get in on the fun. Grab your bike and a friend or co-worker and pedal to work on Fridays. Encourage more people to substitute one short car trip with a bicycle trip on Fridays in October.

It’s easier than you think, half of all driving trips in the Bay Area are under two miles in length—a distance easily travelled by bicycle.

Heading to Piedmont Grocery? Peets? Gaylords? Grand Lake Ace? Trader Joe’s? Grand Lake Farmers Market? Try it on a bike!

East Bay Bicycle Coalition: http://ebbc.org
WOBO: http://walkoaklandbikeoakland.org
Bike Route Maps: http://bikely.com

Bike Commuting Increasing in USA

From the League of American Bicyclist newsletter:

43 Percent Increase in Bicycle Commuting

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey (ACS), released today, 0.55 percent of American workers use a bicycle as their primary means of getting to work. This is up 14 percent since 2007, 36 percent from the first ACS in 2005, and 43 percent since the 2000 Census. The League of American Bicyclists is analyzing the numbers for various locations, including League Bicycle Friendly Communities. In the meantime, you can look up this information for hundreds of communities and all of the states using the American Fact Finder.

Learn more at the LoAB’s blog.

East Bay Bike Resources

Did you know we have two great East Bay bicycle organization? Check them out for events, actions you can take to improve bike and pedestrian access, and general info.

East Bay Bicycle Coalition (EBBC)
http://ebbc.org/

Walk Oakland Bike Oakland (WOBO)
http://walkoaklandbikeoakland.org

The city of Oakland also has great info on biking and pedestrain information at www.oaklandbikes.info

LWV Program: Get the Facts on Health Care Reform

This came in from the League of Women Voters. Read the press release to learn more about health care reform.

——————————————–

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                  Contact: Lianne Campodonico:  510.654.8723

August 22, 2009                                                             Marjorie Blackwell: 510.654.4456

Get the Facts on Health Care Reform

Piedmont League of Women Voters Program

Confused about all the proposals, arguments and dissension over health care reform? Find out firsthand what the underlying policy issues are and what’s happening in Congress, the California legislature and the League of Women Voters (LWV) from an informed expert, Dr. Li-hia Wang, who will speak at a meeting of the Piedmont League of Women Voters on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009, at 9:30 a.m., at 660 Blair Avenue, Piedmont.

Dr. Wang, a retired pediatrician and family practitioner and an expert in health care policy, will discuss the pros and cons of the various alternatives and explain the underlying policy issues of no reform, a government-run program, health care co-ops, and the single-payer approach. During her medical career, Dr. Wang worked in public hospitals and community health centers in New York City, Chicago, West Virginia, and Berkeley. She earned her undergraduate degree from Radcliffe College and medical degree from Case Western Reserve Medical School. She is a member of Physicians for Social Responsibility and Physicians for a National Health Program and has been an active member of the LWV in West Virginia and California. Dr. Wang is a strong advocate for quality, affordable health care available to everyone in the U.S.

The Piedmont LWV program on health care is a tribute to long-time Piedmont resident and LWV member Jean Jackson, who passed away earlier this summer. “Jeanne was a tireless advocate for single payer healthcare reform,” notes Piedmont LWV President Lianne Campodonico. “She would go anywhere, any time to present her case in her strong, no nonsense and articulate fashion. We are pleased to honor Jeanne’s work with a program featuring Dr. Wang.”

For more information, contact Marjorie Blackwell, 510.654.4456, or email marjb@sbcglobal.net.

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Parking Pirates

Be aware that Oakland has changed its parking enforcement to run until 8pm instead of the current 6pm cutoff. They are also aggressively enforcing neighborhood street parking regulations and raising parking ticket fees. This is in an effort to raise some cash. Kind of like pirates asking you to pay a little “extra protection” to sail past their port. To me, this seems like the wrong message to send to Oakland small businesses.

So if you head out to Zachary’s, Diesel Books, L’Amyx, Lanesplitter, or Peet’s, make sure to check the parking hours and curb your wheels properly or you could be hit with an expensive ticket.

You can read more at the SFGate and the East Bay Express.

Parkway Theater

This community meeting notice came to me from the City Homestead blog. Check out the meeting at Rooz Cafe on Piedmont Avenue this Sunday…details below.

When: THIS Sunday, May 31st, 3 pm to 5 pm
Where: Rooz Cafe, 1918 Park Boulevard
Why: Learn what the future may hold for the Parkway, and provide your own ideas and input.

From the organizers:

“We will bring the lowdown on the recent investor activity regarding the Parkway Theater. You will bring your diverse and rich experience, and a passion for movies, food, and drink. Together, we will construct our collective vision for the new Parkway.

The visioning process has already been done at previous I Like The Parkway meetings and through the spare time of various volunteers. This go-’round, we’ll be working off of those initial efforts to distill the community’s true desires for their beloved Parkway into a nice, digestible package for potential investors. The results of these discussions, along with our survey, will be part of the toolset that we will present to the investors that will help guide them in their processes, and ultimately will help us determine if we as a community should endorse them (we hope so!). Come join us!”

Can’t make it to the meeting? You can still offer your ideas through the group’s web survey.

Bike-to-Work Update

Click to learn more about commuting by bicycle.

So, it’s Bike Month and Bike-to-Work day was almost two weeks ago. We’re still riding in. So far this month I have a 4 for 5 and two 5 for 5 weeks. Four other coworkers are committed to riding as part of the Team Bike Challenge. We also have a couple of other coworkers who occasionally ride or at least ride at lunch instead of taking the car.

How many of you participated in BTWD? How did it go? Did you stop at an Energizer Station? Congrats to Dale, who rode in a couple of days that week. Readers, please leave a comment if you participated.

From Guatemala, with Love

Piedmont High School Graduates start a scholarship program in Rabinal, Guatemala and bring back letters of hope and gratitude

After witnessing the dismal health conditions faced by Guatemalan families living in poverty, Piedmont High School 2004 graduates Michael Bakal and Amy Yam founded Voces y Manos por el Derecho a la salud (Voice and Hands for the Right to health) an organization dedicated to addressing health needs in Guatemala.  They began their work in 2007 by coordinating community health fairs that provided comprehensive preventive and curative health services.  But when they heard Guatemalan Nobel Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu declare: “it is not until we have more Indigenous doctors and nurses who speak the language of the people will health conditions truly be improved”, they realized they had to broaden their vision.

Heading Menchu’s call, Voces y Manos established a scholarship fund that has assisted Guatemalan youth embark on the academic journey to careers in nursing, education, and medicine.  The community health fairs have thus become a springboard to something much greater: an opportunity to inspire local Indigenous youth to bring health to their communities.

Voces y Manos is hosting an open house event at the Kehilla Synagogue—1300 Grand Avenue—in Piedmont On Sunday, May 31^st, 2009 from 4-6pm. The Bay Area community, along with current and past sponsors, are invited to attend.  Letters from scholarship recipients will be read by Piedmont Middle and High School students, light refreshments will be served and all will be invited to enjoy items in the Guatemalan art and artifacts display.  You will also get a chance to hear what Voces y Manos and partner organizations have planned for this summer.

If you would like to bring art or artifacts from Guatemala, or to share your own story about the human right to health please, contact Lisa Gardner-Event Coordinator at 510-867-9221.  For more information, to volunteer or to donate to Voces y Manos go to www.vocesymanos.org or contact Michael Bakal at michaelbakal@gmail.com.

Bike-to-Work Day is Thursday, May 14th

May is Bike Month and this Thursday is Bike-to-Work Day. Get out your bike and ride!

In addition to a group of us meeting to ride to work on Thursday, my coworkers and I are participating in the Team Bike Challenge. On our team of 5 riders, we have three riders who ride to work 4 or 5 days a week and as often as possible on weekends and are committed to riding during the month of May. The other two riders on the team try to ride as often as they can, even though it’s not everyday. Sometimes it’s as simple as riding the bike to get your latte instead of hopping in the car. The farmers market, a quick trip to Trader Joe’s, or to the local park or market are all good reasons to ride the bike. I rode my bike to coach soccer my son’s team last fall.

If you are heading out on Thursday, be sure to check out the “Energizer Stations” where you can pick up a musette bag of goodies and bike-related SWAG. Some stations also offer refreshments. See the full list of Energizer Stations in the east bay.

For route planning, check out Bikely.com, a great bike mapping resource. For more info on local biking, see Walk Oakland Bike Oakland (aka WOBO) and the East Bay Bike Coalition.

Hope to see you on the road Tuesday!

–L

Everybody Has a Story

Everybody Has a Story: An Evening of Improv Theatre Celebrating Our Connections and Our Differences

The Piedmont Appreciating Diversity Committee (PADC) and the Piedmont Parents Network are pleased to announce a performance by The Living Arts Playback Theatre Ensemble (www.livingarts.org) on Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m. in the Ellen Driscoll Auditorium.

This performance, featuring Piedmont Middle School teacher Gina McKuen (Core 7, Shakespeare 7/8, Drama 7/8), will focus on personal stories that celebrate our connections and our differences. Audience members will be invited to share stories on this theme and watch them enacted improvisationally. Bring a story to tell or simply watch the drama unfold. The goal of the evening is to celebrate the community and connection among the people of Piedmont by honoring the dignity, drama, and universality in their stories. This event is appropriate for ages 10 and up; babysitting for younger school-age children will be available for a nominal fee.

Other supporters of the event include: Piedmont Unified School District, Beach Parent Organization, Havens Parent Club, PMS Parent Club, Piedmont Asian American Club, Piedmont Educational Foundation, Piedmont League of Women Voters, Parent Education, PRAISE, and The Wellness Center.

Please contact Dana Schwartz-Benedetto: danaschwartz510@email.com or Lisa Gardner: hawaiianlion5@sbcglobal.net with any questions.

An Afternoon with Kelly Corrigan

Nationally Recognized Keynote Speaker and Bestselling author of “The Middle Place”

May 17th, Sunday 4:00 PM
Piedmont High School Alan Harvey Theater
800 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont

Tickets $40* includes a copy of Kelly’s book For tickets go to www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/phs and follow the links

Hosted by the Ann Martin Center & the Piedmont High School’s Parents’ Club, this

EVENT BENEFITS THE ANN MARTIN CENTER AND THE PIEDMONT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT’S WELLNESS CENTER

Laugh, cry and bond with the captivating Kelly Corrigan as she shares her humor and insights on life, family and surviving cancer. Learn more about Kelly and watch her YouTube video “Transcending” which has received over 4 million hits on her web-site: www.KellyCorrigan.com

The Ann Martin Center is a non-profit organization that provides psychotherapy, educational therapy and diagnostic testing to youth and their families in their two Piedmont clinics and five Oakland public school based programs The Wellness Center provides services to promote emotional, physical and social well-being for Piedmont & Millennium High School and Piedmont Middle school students.

* Your donation is tax deductible as allowed by law