AMC theaters will help to entertain the kids this summer with some great family films. Each Tuesday morning admission is only $1.00 at most Bay Area AMC theaters!

Doors open at 9:30 AM and shows begin at 10:00 AM. Advance tickets for each week’s movie will be on sale about one week prior to the scheduled show date. All admission and concession proceeds will benefit two AMC charities, “Variety – The Children’s Charity” and the “Will Rogers Institute.”

The movies …

June 15 – Shrek The Third (PG)

June 22 – Imagine That (PG)

June 29 – Monsters vs. Aliens (PG)

July 6 – Madagascar (PG)

July 13 – Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (PG)

July 20 – Hotel for Dogs (PG)

July 27 – Kung Fu Panda (PG)

August 3 – The Spiderwick Chronicles (PG)

August 10 – surprise mystery title

San Francisco Theaters:

* Metreon 16
101 Fourth Street, San Francisco 94103
415-369-6201

* Van Ness 14
1000 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco 94109
415-674-4630

AMC Summer Movie Camp 2010
Tuesdays, June 15 through August 10
10:00 AM (doors open 9:30 AM)
Tickets $1.00

Also: Theaters in the South Bay

In other fundraising news, have you seen Kickstarter? People put their project proposals online and ask people to donate small sums. Projects range from the artistic (films, books, other art projects) to small businesses like these three women starting a cake bakery. And your donation is only accepted if the whole project is supported by tens or dozens of people and reaches its fundraising goal. What’s really fun about Kickstarter is that it combines the thrill of internet shopping with the thrill of helping others. Cool idea!

But as the crowd — demonstration? religious rite? — grew closer, I saw all the kids. And then I realized it was the town’s Little League parade.

In my hometown of Edwardsville, Ill., the Little League parade was one of the big events of the year. At least it seemed so to me when I was 9 years old. But we really did parade down Main Street for a mile and a half to the main Little League diamond, and it was a larger parade than Albany’s — one of the years I participated there were 60 teams, ranging in age from 8 to 15, with even the youngest players suited in full wool flannel uniforms. The day was made extra-special because it was that morning that the adults passed out the caps — because they were afraid that if they passed them out in advance, along with the uniforms, the kids would lose them and not look sharp for the parade.

The Albany Little League parade was smaller, and showed rather less emphasis on looking sharp, I must say; uniforms were more informal, and in Edwardsville the idea that your team would actually shuffle along such that it would mix with the other teams would have been unthinkable. But Albany’s parade had its charms, chief of which were the girls’ teams with names like the Atomic Sweeties, the Racoons, the Purple Panthers, and the Mighty Molars — the last sponsored, no doubt, by a dentist.

It’s tonight, and the exclamation point is mandatory. It’s the last event until next year for the Asian Art Museum’s Matcha series, and I think you can probably guess what the focus will be: “the food, music, and dance of Afghanistan.” The AAM continues:

[This grand finale is] In celebration of the highly anticipated, critically acclaimed special exhibition, Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul. See what the press is saying about this “at once revelatory and heart-rending” show (New York Times).

The Bay Area’s own Ballet Afsaneh, a dynamic ensemble whose repertory focuses on Silk Road regions in Central Asia, will perform colorful, kinetic traditional dance. See Afghanistan, go on a guided tour, make jewelry inspired by the ancient Bactrian gold on view, nibble on tasty bites, mingle with friends over cocktails from the cash bar, and much more.

The museum is on Larkin, next door to Main Library. As always, the event runs from 5-9 PM and admission to it is $5. Plus, for that awesome wallet-friendly price, you can check out any exhibit you like. The full evening schedule is here on the event page.

Interesting the Governator is being quoted as saying that the spray is completely safe for humans. This taken from The SFBG Blog, “Q: Will the Spray Cause Erectile Dysfunction?“:

ABC: Will you comment on LBAM spraying?

Governor: It’s important we do everything we can because it can destroy our agriculture products and harm our environment. Other countries can cut off our agriculture trade. Public safety is my number one priority and there is nothing that shows this program is unsafe.

ABC: Senator Migden is proposing legislation to prevent spraying before an EIR is done. Do u have a position?

Governor: We have done all the studies in the world and nothing says it is unsafe. We wouldn’t spray if it were unsafe.

Ballsy considering that they won’t even disclose the sprays makeup. Duck! Here comes the Trade Secret claim to protect this vendors secret recipe they want to spray on us.

Details From the Flyer in circulation:

——————————————————
THE SPRAY – Come to Sacramento: Wednesday 4/16 1:30 PM CAPITOL, Room 4202

Agriculture Committee hearing Support LBAM legislation: Five bills and two resolutions collectively correct a broken system in California by providing both the information and the process to enable communities to
protect themselves from the dangers posed by aerial pesticide spraying.

The AG Committee hearing is the main hurdle for these bills. Show your support and make your voice heard during the public comment period! Bring your kids!

Fax or call in support of legislation to:
Assemblymember Nicole Parra Chair Agriculture Committee
Fax (916) 319 – 2130
Phone (916) 319 – 2030

“I am in support of the package of aerial spray legislation, AB 2892, AB 2763, AB 2764, AB 2765 and AB 2760 and related resolutions SCR 87 and ACR 117. I support this legislation because Californians have a right to informed consent regarding pesticides sprayed by the state over homes and communities.”

Sample letter and more info on www.StopTheSpray.ORG.
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[poll=10]

Related

• Sign the petition to stop the spraying
• Get Ready To Be Sprayed… But Will “Sexual Confusion” Be Enough?
• SFBG: Mirkarimi: Don’t spray on me
• HuffPo: Bush Administration to Blue-State California: Drop Dead!

Details and more Pipsqueak A Go Go pix after the jump…

If you are in touch with yer inner 8 year old, and aren’t afraid to wear your miniskirt & Go Go Boots for an audience of 8 year olds, and perhaps just as immature older crowds, maybe you’d like to audition for The Devilettes themselves this week. They are looking for two new female dancers ( sorry lads…)

Details on the auditions here http://www.devilettes.com/audition.html.

This weekend’s Pipsqueak A Go Go will feature:

+ FANCY DANCIN’! by The Devll-Ettes who promise to get the kids hoppin’ with fun and energetic dance performances throughout the afternoon. They’ll bust out classic dance lessons in important steps like the Monkey, the Swim, the Bug, The Frug, Mash Potato and more

+ LIVE & DJ MUSIC! The Time Outs (a spin off of the Bay Area’s beloved Amazing Embarrassonics in their first ALL Dad Band! See some retired punk rockers get all G rated on ya).
http://www.myspace.com/timeouts

plus between set spinning by DJ Brother Grimm

+ BABY BAZAARE! Fun local craftsman selling kid friendly wares. Shop while you bop!

+ THE ULTIMATE IN KID FRIENDLY! The afternoon also includes kids snacks, a chill out area, diaper changing area and more!

Pip Squeak A Go Go starts @ 1 pm and runs until 4:30 on March 31st at the Rickshaw Stop @ 155 Fell…
admission is $8

I have mixed feelings about zoos. I realize that ‘conservation of wildlife’ is a complex, messy issue – oh we could go on for days! Nothing about it is black and white. So if you asked me why we signed up for an annual family membership at the San Francisco Zoo last weekend, it would take me a long time to answer… and I’d probably just direct you to this photo of my eldest son peacefully observing and drawing a chimpanzee in his always present sketchbook.

The other reason (uh, besides my younger son) would be the SF Zoo’s Koret Animal Resource Center. Here it’s all about youth volunteers and educational outreach. And, okay… the chance to get up close yet respectful to a young alligator, a native San Francisco garter snake, a friendly rescued ferret, and many other non-human creatures in need of love and appreciation. The kids who are part of this program offer me hope that maybe the world will not turn out quite so mean-spirited as it sometimes seems.

Now back to harsh reality: the rest of the zoo. I never knew I was such a misanthrope, but one thing that really bummed me out were the unwashed masses who spent more time screeching at each other in loud voices, smoking, littering, and stuffing their faces with cotton candy than actually connecting with wildlife, or even each other. Heh. And I thought movie theaters these days were bad!

I speculated with friends over why Glen Park seems so well suited a setting for Halloween grandeur, and here are a few of our thoughts:

1. The streets aren’t brightly lit – they still sport old fashioned yellow tungsten streetlights, as opposed to the brighter, bluer hue emanating from the newer LED fixtures being installed in lucky neighborhoods (have you seen the faaaaancy new lights going up along Guerrero?)

2. The streets arc and wind, disappearing around upgrades and down towards the creek, which makes for more suspenseful trick-or-treating.

3. The local elementary school, recreation center and converging transit lines in the ‘downtown’ give the decorations a steady stream of appreciative viewers – namely, the pre-adolescent set – who get quite riled up at the thought of making off with oodles of candy loot from these decorated domiciles – you just KNOW they’re going to be handing out the good stuff!

So, I’m probably divulging the secret life of Glen Park trick-or-treating, but if you’re looking for a ‘hood to traipse your toddlers through for maximum ‘eyecandy’, grab the BART to good ‘ole Glen Park, and get there early ’cause I hear that the booty goes pretty darn quick!

The British guy behind us was talking about the first outdoor concert he ever attended in SF, back in 1969. Meanwhile, some folks were lighting up the happy stuff a few feet away, and we were close enough to pretend we were vicariously stoned, although, of course, it never really happens that way.

When Oscar started playing race-around-the-port-a-potty, we had to leave. Walking home, he got to see a really big dog, pet a Park Police horse, and watch a girl in green rubber boots make out with a boy in a sari behind the trees by Spreckels Lake. All in all, a good day in Golden Gate Park.

HSBG is the brainchild of bluegrass-lovin’ financier Warren Hellman, whose pockets run deep for this show. Did you go? Who did you see? What’d I miss?

Emandal is open only a certain weekends, and you can stay from three to four nights. A three-night stay for me, my husband, and our toddler, including all food (you bring your own alcoholic beverages) was about $800. The place is lovingly run by Tam, who used to have a children’s summer camp there but now only opens the place as a “family camp.” A great trip for families!