North Gate Radio

Tall Tales

tsipe — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:12:28 +0000

These days, outrageous stories aren’t reserved for love songs. We read them in the news, see them on the television and hear them from the mouths of politicians. So today, we’re talking about tall tales. We’ll hear about liars; talk to tall women and learn about the sinister side of what was once the world’s tallest suspension bridge.

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The show's producer was Caitlin Esch.  Our executive producer was Ben Manilla.  Our studio engineer was Angela Kilduff.  The anchors were Clayton Troslcair and Japhet Weeks.  Our Web producer is Tyler Sipe.  Music for this week includes "Liar Liar" by the Castaways, "Jesus Christ You're Tall" by Harry Nilsson, "Taul Paul" by Annette Funicello, and "Shallow Nights Blurry Moon," by ShinSight Trio.

Thumb Wars
Oscar Villalon is the publisher of McSweeney's, a retired "underground cage fighter" and the author of The Way of the Thumb.
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Link to video of Oscar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxjVkbQ_5Xw

One-on-One Conversation with Baine Kerr
Reporter Dara Kerr can’t hear the words tall and tale without thinking of her dad, Baine Kerr. For this show, she asked him about the biggest tall tale he knows.
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To hear Baine Kerr’s take on whether Andy Warhol knew if Julian Burroughs was really Chip Dungan click below.



Taller the Tale
Sometimes it seems the taller the tale, the more people are willing to believe it. But why is it that people are so gullible in the face of the most outrageous lies? Clayton Trosclair takes a look at some incredible stories, and why people keep falling for them.
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Looking for lie detection services?  Goto Truth Tools.

Final Rest
Now a tale from what was once the tallest and longest suspension bridge on earth. The towers of the Golden Gate Bridge stand seven hundred forty-six feet tall, and the cables alone contain enough wire to circle the planet three times.  For some people, leaping from the bridge is the ultimate grand finale. Reporter Ali Winston spoke to people about the possibility of installing a suicide prevention netting under the Bridge, which might put an end to suicides off the iconic structure.
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Click here to examine Dr. Blaustein's report on suicide and the Golden Gate Bridge.
To examine the environmental impact report for the suicide prevention netting, click here.

Tall Women Sometimes Short Changed
Reporter Tyler Sipe found one of the country’s last remaining independent retailers catering to tall women.  He also discovered sales are coming up short.  But not for the reasons you might suspect….
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The Underground

tsipe — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:19:19 +0000

This week’s theme is the underground. We will take you six feet deep with celebrities of yesteryear and the people who just can’t let them go. We’ll also hear about efforts to ease the environmental cost of funerals. And we’ll follow an underground band that plays on street corners around San Francisco.

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The show's producer was Ali Winston.  Our executive producer was Ben Manilla.  Our studio engineer was Angela Kilduff.  The anchors were Dara Kerr and Tyler Sipe.  Our Web producer is Tyler Sipe.  Music for this week includes "Way Down Low" by Errol Dunkley, "Cold, Cold Ground" by Tom Waits, "Six Underground" by Sneaker Pimps, "See That My Grave is Kept Clean" by B.B. King.

Spending the Day with Hollywood's Dead
Los Angeles is a city that shamelessly worships celebrities.  There are maps that meticulously detail where stars live, where they eat and where they shop.  And for the last seven years, star gazers have been able to track celebrities in their final resting places, six feet underground.  Melanie Mason traveled to Hollywood to figure out the appeal of this graveyard journey.
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Click play to listen to Karie Bible explain why Rudolph Valentino's gravesite is so famous.


To get more information about Karie Bible's tours, visit her website: http://cemeterytour.com/

The Ferocious Few
The Ferocious Few is a local underground rock duo. They play day and night, on street corners, outside big concerts—basically anywhere they might be heard. And the two musicians are so energetic and tight, it’s hard not to stop and listen. Reporter Dara Kerr caught up with them at a recent performance.
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Photos by Tracy Ong



Ferocious Few’s unscheduled performance at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2009.



Francisco Fernandez on guitar and Daniel Aguilar on drums are the Ferocious Few.
Click Play to hear The Ferocious Few song "Midnight Ghost"



Commentary by Japhet Weeks
Reporter Japhet Weeks never thought he'd lose sleep over the state of America's sewers. Then an infrastructure project funded by federal stimulus money broke ground right outside his window. He was left with no choice but to write this commentary.
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Web Extras: Interview clips with David Zetland. He blogs about water and economics at aguanomics.com. He's also a Wantrup Fellow at UC Berkeley. 

What's a better way to invest stimulus money into America's decaying infrastructure?



Do European countries take better care of their infrastructure than America does?



One way to improve America's water infrastructure is simply to raise water prices.



Water managers need to change their quick fix culture.



Green Funerals
Many associate the underground with death.  And these days, people are rethinking the environmental impact of death and dying.  Reporter Clayton Trosclair takes us to a green funeral fair held in Berkeley over the weekend.
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For more information on the businesses mentioned in this story, visit their websites:

Final Passages

Final Footprint

Forever Fernwood Funeral Home

Threshold Choir

One-on-One Conversation with Mark Goodwin
There may be far fewer kinds of dinosaurs than we once thought. Scientists digging deep underground have discovered that what they originally thought were three different species, may actually be the same dinosaur at three different stages of development. Reporter Caitlin Esch learns more from Mark Goodwin, assistant curator at the UC Museum of Paleontology. He co-wrote a paper--out this month--in the journal PLoS ONE.
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Web Extra: Click here to read Mark Goodwin and John Horner's paper in PLoS ONE, "Extreme Cranial Ontogeny in the Upper Cretaceous Dinosaur Pachycephalosaurus."

Change

tsipe — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:24 +0000

This week’s show is all about change, man. Our reporters are looking at some of the big changes happening in West Oakland, where a parking lot is now a skate park, and urban blight has become urban beauty with the arrival of a non-profit farm. We’re talking to people whose lives have been transformed by excruciating, relentless pain. And hear that clinking sound? Now that we’re in a recession, everyone is paying more attention to the change shaking around in our pockets. We talk to the owner of a coin shop. Plus, one year after a presidential election that promised huge political change, some thoughts on how the Obama administration scores on surveillance.

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Today's producer was Clayton Trosclair.  Our executive producer was Ben Manilla.  Our studio engineer was Angela Kilduff.  The anchors were Ali Winston and Melanie Mason.  Our Web producer is Tyler Sipe.  Music for this week includes "Change" by Tears for Fears, Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come," War on Drugs' song "Taking the Farm," and "William Tell Overture" composed by Rossini. Additional music includes "Express Yourself" by N.W.A. and "Rollout" by Ludacris.

Skate Park Brings Change to West Oakland
In a neighborhood known for its high homicide rate, there's a community volunteer working to make West Oakland safer for children. And he's doing it...with skateboards. After three years and a lot of hard work from the community, the first legitimate skateboard park in Oakland is finally done. Reporter Dara Kerr dropped by for the grand opening.
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Photos by Dara Kerr

Grand opening of Town Park in West Oakland.

Urban Agriculture
One of the newest tourist attractions in Washington is First Lady Michelle Obama's victory garden.  It's a small organic vegetable patch on the south lawn of the White House and visitors having been craning their necks to get a glimpse of the garden from the street.
It's one of the most visible signs of the growing urban agriculture movement.  A little closer to home, Oakland residents are making their own efforts to bring farming to the city.  Melanie Mason has the story.
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For more information on City Slicker Farm, click here.

Sketch of Union Plaza Park



The Spectrum of Pain
Everyone knows the pain of stubbing a toe. But some people suffer from chronic pain so intense, living becomes difficult. Reporter Caitlin Esch talks to people whose lives are transformed by conditions so painful, stubbing your toe seems pleasant in comparison.
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Web Extra: To view Allan Basbaum's 2007 UCTV speech on pain and the brain, click here.

One-on-One Conversation with Ralph Foster
Reporter Tyler Sipe is going to examine the change we keep in our pocket.  Sipe speaks with Berkeley Coin and Stamp owner Ralph Foster.  He recently wrote a book about the history of global currency.
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Photo by Tyler Sipe

Ralph Foster at his store Berkeley Coin and Stamp located on Bancroft Way.

Commentary by Ali Winston
Reporter Ali Winston critiques President Barack Obama's first year in office.  In his piece, he examines how Obama has continued some of the practices started under the Bush Administration.
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Everything Ominous

tsipe — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:36:57 +0000

The anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake just passed and Halloween is right around the corner. So, today’s show is about all things ominous. We’re looking at everything from disasters to ghosts to Oakland turf wars. We’ll hear from a reporter about his own morbid interest in earthquakes; and then meet a ghost channeler who tries to conjure up a dead professor. In Oakland, a city known for its high murder rate, 2009 has been a somewhat calmer year; we’ll learn about the anatomy of one of its turf wars. And we’ll hear how one burned down chicken farm struggles to survive through social networking. 
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Today's producer is Dara Kerr. Our executive producer was Ben Manilla. Our studio engineer was Angela Kilduff. The anchors were Caitlin Esch and Japhet Weeks. Our Web producer is Tyler Sipe.  Music for this week includes "Hells Bells by AC/DC, "Danger! High Voltage" by Electric Six and "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins.

Earthquake Geek
A few weeks ago, locals marked the 20th anniversary of the destructive Loma Prieta earthquake.  The 1989 trembler stopped the World Series and left part of San Francisco’s Marina District in flames.  But not everyone believes earthquakes are all doom and gloom.  Reporter Tyler Sipe has long been fascinated by earthquakes.  He hung out with a woman who has an even stronger passion for plate tectonics…
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Click here to view a map of the Hayward fault.

The Hayward Fault runs through UC Berkeley's Memorial Stadium.  The two newer looking steps were replaced after a 4-inch gap was formed from the fault's continuous creep.
  
The Berkeley Hills are believed to have been thrust up by the Hayward Fault on one side and the Calaveras Fault on the other. The land is being squeezed between the two faults, making the hills . The Berkeley Hills are still growing in elevation, but at a very slow rate.  
Doctor Peggy Hellweg is a seismologist at the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory. 
  
Doctor Peggy Hellweg points to a digital broadband seismometer. Dozens of seismometers, old and new, in addition to other earthquake information can be found in U.C. Berkeley's McCone Hall.
One-on-One Conversation with Nicole Maxali
Our next story is about a different kind of disaster -- the public humiliation that you feel when you get up to speak to a room full of people -- and everything goes horribly wrong.  Clayton Trosclair sat down with Nicole Maxali, a stand-up comic who’s still honing her act. She’s been performing for two years now, and has had her share of disasters on the stage.
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Comedian Nicole Maxali To hear the uncut, dirty jokes from Nicole’s set, click here.
The Haunting of Room 219
Throughout the Bay Area, historical sites are said to be haunted by spirits who just can’t move on. One such hotel—the Faculty Club here on Campus—is rumored to house the ghost of an old professor who lived there until his death in 1919. Reporter Caitlin Eschmeets with a psychic medium to see whether there’s any truth to the tale.
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Self-described psychic medium and animal communicator Charles Peden looks for spirits in room 219 of the Faculty Club.
Web audio extras: To hear more about Charles Peden's psychic abilities click below. 
Oakland Murders
In Oakland, a city known for its high crime rate, 2008 has been a somewhat calmer year. There have been 94 homicides as of Oct. 26, down from 109 at the same point in 2008. However, violence can flare up unexpectedly, as it did in North and West Oakland late this summer. Ali Winston reports from Oakland.
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Twittering to Save Chicken Tweets
It could have been the end of Soul Food Farm.  A sudden fire ripped through the property, located some 50 miles east of San Francisco.  The blaze caused about $25,000 in damages.  But now efforts to save the farm are in full-swing, thanks to friends, family and facebook.  Melanie Mason has the story.
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Photos courtesy of Soul Food Farm blog
For more information on Soul Food Farm, check out their blog.



The Outsiders
tsipe — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:22:13 +0000
Outsiders are not the norm–they often live and recreate outside of mainstream society. For today’s show, we meet people who are outsiders in the communities where they live, places where they work and in the sports that they play.
We’ll visit students at the California School for the Blind who are being trained for work in the service sector.  And we’ll hear from a woman who was born outside the US, but forced to move here during World War II.  We’ll speak to people participating in a variation of soccer.  They hope to raise America’s underdog profile on the international soccer stage.  And we’ll hangout with another group of Bay Area athletes.  Only these wheelchair rugby players have redefined expectations for people with physical disabilities.
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Today's producer was Tyler Sipe.  Our executive producer was Ben Manilla.  Our studio engineer was Angela Kilduff.  The anchors were Melanie Mason and Clayton Trosclair.  Our Web producer is Tyler Sipe.  Music for this week includes "Outsider" by The Ramones, and "Writing to Reach You" by Travis.

Futsal
Soccer is rapidly gaining popularity in the United States, and the country is also becoming a respected name in the sport. Last week, the men's national team qualified for their sixth straight World Cup, and thousands of Americans have already booked their tickets for the host nation of South Africa. However, American players are widely perceived as lacking the necessary skill and technique to compete against rivals from Africa, Latin America and Europe. The introduction of futsal, a close-control version of indoor soccer, may just give Americans the necessary tools to develop truly world-class players. Ali Winston reports for North Gate Radio on the sport's growth from Hayward, Calif.

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Photos by Ali Winston






Wheelchair Rugby
Reporter Dara Kerr spent time on the sidelines of one of San Francisco's wheelchair rugby games.  All of the participating athletes are quadriplegics, which means that they have some type of impairment in their upper body.  Some have use of their arms, while others don't.  Dara also learned that just like traditional rugby, these players like crashing into each other.  For information on how to join the YMCA's wheelchair rugby games go to their Web site.

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photo courtesy of Nils Jorgensen Scott Pope, foreground, barrels through competition at a wheelchair rugby game.
Web audio extras:

To hear Scott Pope's story about becoming quadriplegic click below.



One-on-One Conversation with Bruce Benderson
Bruce Benderson's latest book Pacific Agony is about a New Yorker hired to write a Tocquevillian travelogue of the Pacific Northwest. It's a journey that will drive him mad. Japhet Weeks reports.

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New York City author Bruce Benderson

The Rocket Shop
The unemployment rate in America is about 9-and-a-half percent. But for blind people, it’s estimated to be 70 percent. The California School for the Blind is trying to change that, with the opening of a new café where high school students are getting ready for retail jobs.

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Photo by Clayton Trosclair Mocha Shelton (left), a teaching assistant, and Karen Courtemanche, a job developer, stand behind a register at the Rocket Shop, a newly opened retail store at the California School for the Blind in Fremont.

Japanese-Peruvian Internees
During World War II, over a dozen countries in South and Central America deported some of their citizens with Japanese ancestry to U.S. internment camps.  Peru sent more than 1,700  Japanese and Japanese-Peruvians to an internment camp in Crystal City, Texas.  About  300 internees stayed in America after the  war.  Many of them relocated to the Bay Area.

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Photos by Tyler Sipe


Libia Yamamoto was born on a hacienda in Peru.  She and her family were deported to an internment camp in Texas during World War II.


Libia visits with a friend during a Sunday church service in Richmond.


Grace Shimizu holds a portrait of her father Susumu Shimizu. Susumu was a Japanese-Peruvian sent to America's World War II internment camps.


Grace embraces her mom Yoneko Shimizu following dinner at their home in El Cerrito. Grace started the Japanese-Peruvian Oral History Project in 1991. The organization is dedicated to telling stories from Japanese-Peruvians and their internment experience.


Art Shibayama holds a portrait of his family taken in Peru.  Art was born in Lima, but deported to an American internment camp during World War II.


Art's parents immigrated to Peru from southern Japan.




The Economy
tsipe — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:37:57 +0000
It was just over a year ago that U.S. financial markets melted down.  These days, more than one in ten Californians is without a job.  Today we’ll take a stroll down economy lane and speak to a Berkeley resident who collects cans for extra cash.  We’ll also speak to Bay Area porn producers.  Turns out, their sales have gone soft during the recession.  And we’ll trek north and spend a day with an 81-year-old man who shoes horses in picturesque Humboldt County.

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Today's producer was Japhet Weeks.  Our executive producer was Ben Manilla.  Our studio engineer was Angela Kilduff.  The anchors were Dara Kerr and Tyler Sipe.  Our Web producer is Tyler Sipe.

Can Collector
These days, everyone has a story about a scavenger digging through their recycling bin. Stolen cans and bottles cost the city of Bekeley more than an estimated hundred-thousand dollars a year. But just how much money can a man make in this illicit trade? Reporter Caitlin Esch takes a ride with a moonlight can collector and files this report.

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Stolen cans and bottles cost Bekeley more than $100,000 a year.

photo by Caitlin Esch
Web audio extras:

Mario's worst can collecting experience



Mario's best can collecting experience



Mission Bay
Reporter Clayton Trosclair visited a creekside community in San Francisco where a unique group of home owners have held out as bigger, shinier developments have cropped up around them.

To view a map of Mission Bay developments, click here.
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One-on-One Conversation with Michael Natzic
It's well known that this economic crisis has hit banks especially hard.  But not all banks are created equal.  We often hear about big money centers like Bank of America or Wells Fargo, but what about local community banks?  How have they been faring?  Melanie Mason reports.

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Michael R. Natzic,

Senior Vice President of Stone & Youngberg

Lyal Corliss, still shoeing horses at 81
In Northern California's Humboldt County, one hard-working octogenarian is still at a trade that people half his age consider

back-breaking. Reporter Japhet Weeks has the story.

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Photos by Yuli Weeks







Sex Doesn't Always Sell
Despite the common thinking, it turns out the porn industry is not immune to economic downturns.  A number of film studios and magazines have folded, or gone online since the beginning of the year, including Play Girl.  Reporter Tyler Sipe ventured to San Francisco’s Folsom Street Fair.  Where he spoke to a number of pornography producers about what exactly is making their sales go limp.  

Download link: Here
Photos by Tyler Sipe



Patrick Batt, owner of Auto Erotica in San Francisco's Castro District. Batt calls himself the porn recycler because most of his sales come from vintage pornography.


Phoenix resident Milton Odem shops at Auto Erotica. Odem says the recession hasn't hurt his appetite for purchases of pornography.


Attendees of the annual Folsom Street Fair browse the booth of gay pornography company Raging Stallion Studio.


Actors representing the pornography company Raging Stallion Studio speak to fans at San Francisco's annual Folsom Street Fair.  Sales of pornography have decreased during the recession, despite the common belief that it is immune to economic downturns.




Buttons
ian — Sun, 10 May 2009 04:26:16 +0000

Today our theme is "Buttons"--from the buttons we push to the hot-button issues of the day. It’s all things buttons this half hour.  California’s housing market has come unbuttoned. We’ll see the effects through the eyes of a local mail carrier. We’ll also discuss the hot-button topic of elderly suicide.  And we’ll find out how the push-button world of the internet has created a digital divide for the visually impaired. 



Today’s producer was Fernando Gallo. The assistant producer was Claire Tragesar. Our studio engineer was Rina Palta. The anchors were Karen Weis and Casey Miner.  Our executive producer was Ben Manilla. And the web producer was Ian Sherr.


Gold's Gym'
There are few place where you can get a workout, a therapy session,  and a spiritual cleansing all in one. Reporter Paul Gackle visited God's Gym in Oakland to find out how owner Gary Shields helps his clients strengthen their bodies and their faith.

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Gary Shields

photo by Kerry Seed

 Suicide in the Silver Years
In 2005, more than 7,000 senior citizens committed suicide in America. Reporter Shaleece Haas investigates the rise of this disturbing trend and meets some of the people trying to help. 

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For more information, visit the Institute on Aging's website, here.

Return to Lender
Nowhere has the housing market come unbuttoned quite like Stockton, California. Reporter Matt Durning spent a day with a mailman in America’s foreclosure capital.

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May Day Marcher
On May 1st, around a thousand people marched to Oakland city hall, hoping to call attention to the many issues affecting workers. Reporter Diana Montano caught up with one labor leader to talk about the state of the movement today.

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Disability Rights in a Virtual World
With the click of a keyboard button and some basic adaptive software, blind people can navigate the Internet.  But too many sites aren’t compatible with the technology, creating a digital divide. Adelaide Chen reports on how California’s equal access laws are being applied to the virtual world.

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Tomorrow
ian — Thu, 07 May 2009 08:26:56 +0000

Today our theme is "Tomorrow." Not tomorrow as in Friday, but more like the future in general.  We’ll learn about a shop that’s giving inventors the tools to create tomorrow’s great inventions.  We’ll also hear from an ambitious New Zealander who’s making futuristic travel happen today. There are some people who know tomorrow’s news before anyone else. Our reporter follows around the guys who deliver the newspaper right to your doorstep.  All this and more on North Gate Radio. 



Today’s producer was Fernando Gallo. The assistant producer was Claire Tragesar. Our studio engineer was Rina Palta. The anchors were Karen Weis and Casey Miner.  Our executive producer was Ben Manilla. And the web producer was Ian Sherr.


A future career
We’ve come to the end of another semester at UC Berkeley, and many students are preparing to graduate. They’re unsure of what tomorrow will hold for them.  Many industries have cloudy futures, especially journalism. Reporter Elizabeth Shemaria sat down with one of our classmates who’s about to enter a pretty tough business. 

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For more information about the Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley, visit its website, here.

Budgets for our children's futures
San Francisco is facing a budget deficit of more than four hundred million dollars next year. And while nothing's set for the coming budget, early proposals showing cuts to many children's programs have activists up in arms. The youth is our future, they say, so we'll pay for these cuts tomorrow. Nicholas Kusnetz visits a board of supervisors meeting held to give these folks a forum.

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People lined around the room waiting to speak at the lectern


The public filled the Legislative Chamber at City Hall for a Budget and Finance Committee meeting on April 29th.


Like all Board meetings, the hearing was televised. A video can be found here.

TechShop
TechShop is a one-stop gadget shop that gives its members all the equipment they need for just about any kind of project. Angela Kilduff got the skinny on the inventors and entrepreneurs who use it. 

Download link: Here



Jim Newton is TechShop's founder and Managing Director.
To learn more about TechShop, visit its website, here.


Karen Snyders operates KaratStix from her workshop at home.
To see more of Karen Snyder's products, visit her KaratStix store, here.

Your Very Own Flying Machine
As a child in the late 1960's, New Zealander Glenn Martin hoped the day when everyone would float around in personal flying machines would be not far off.  But by 1981, when it still had not happened, he took to his garage and fiddled until he came up with the Martin Jet Pack, which he unveiled last year.  Reporter Jude Joffe-Block spoke with Martin by phone about his invention.

Download link: Here
The Martin family will be doing demos of their Jet Pack in the Bay Area this July.  In the meantime, you can watch a video demo.


Trouble delivering tomorrow's news
For a handful of folks in the Bay Area, tomorrow begins much earlier than it probably does for you.  Every night, carriers fan out across the city delivering the news to doorsteps near and far. On one hand, they’re part of the productions costs that are taking down papers.  But they’re also people whose very livelihood is at stake as newspapers flounder.  Karen Weise checked in at a distribution center for the San Francisco Chronicle.

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Yesterday's Fashion Tomorrow
n these tight economic times, style might be the last thing on your mind. But if you’re worried that your look might be so five minutes ago, Linsay Rousseau Burnett takes us to a place where yesterday’s clothing becomes tomorrow’s fashion. And even if you don’t really care what you wear and usually get dressed in the dark, you should still listen to find out where you can get good affordable clothing.
Learn more about Buffalo Exchange and find a location near you visit its website, here.

Download link: Here









Over and Under
ian — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 07:48:46 +0000

Today our theme is "Over and Under." Parts of the Bay Area that aren’t at eye level. For this week’s show, most of our reporters go under. We’ll follow the trail of a real estate broker who got in over his head, and the people who went under because of it. We’ll talk about why black environmentalists fly under the radar, and meet a straight-A student who has to lay low. Since all our reporters went under, your hosts decided to go over. Hear what our anchors, Linsay and Noah found out about rock-climbers and overtone singing, all coming up on North Gate Radio.



Today’s producer was Casey Miner. The assistant producer was Elizabeth Shemaria. Our studio engineer was Vianna Davila. The anchors were Noah Buhayar and Linsay Rousseau Burnett.  Our executive producer is Ben Manilla. And the web producer was Ian Sherr.

Music from today's broadcast included:
"What Sarah Said" by Death Cab for Cutie

>> Audio samples from Plagasul (arpegio2.wav) and Corsica_S (Shivvle.aif)


Going Under in San Francisco Real Estate
Last week, a report came out showing that more Californians had defaulted on their mortgages in the first three months of the year than at any time in the last two decades. Nicholas Kusnetz looks at what can happen when one San Francisco real estate developer goes under.

Download link: Here
For more information, read the San Francisco Chronicle story, Mortgage defaults hit record in state, Bay Area
And UC Berkeley's very own MissionLoc@l's story, Valencia Real Estate Shows a Faint Pulse.

A talk with Carolyn Finney about race and environment
 First Lady Michelle Obama became a hero to America’s foodies when she decided to plant a vegetable garden at the White House. But the image of a black woman growing her food wasn’t one you see every day. Emma Brown sat down with Berkeley professor Carolyn Finney to talk about why our culture thinks the outdoors is only for white people. 

Download link: Here
To read a profile of Dr. Finney, visit the UC Berkeley website here. 
And to read more about the incredible accomplishments of planetwalker John Francis, visit the grist article about him, here. 
You can also visit Francis's web site, here.

Underground Student
Every year 65,000 undocumented youth graduate from American high schools.  For those who go on to higher education, they are challenged to navigate the university system without legal status.  Jude Joffe-Block has this report.

Download link: Here
To learn more about Underground Undergrads, visit the UCLA blog, here.

Upside down indoors
If your exercise routine seems a little monotonous, then maybe you should consider a hobby that lets you go over and under and maybe even sideways. The Berkeley Ironworks is not only a fully size fitness gym, but has over 20,000 square feet of various climbing terrain. Linsay Rousseau Burnett talks with a few people who use the convenience of indoor climbing to stay fit and sane.

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Siriji Lamenzo is halfway through her 41st climb





People "bouldering"


People "bouldering"

Singing From the Inner-Asian Steppe
For hundreds of years, nomadic herders in Siberia have invoked their natural environment through throat singing. It's a kind of music rich with overtones. Northgate Radio's Noah Buhayar recently sat down with Robbie Beahrs, a graduate student from UC Berkeley's Music Department, to learn about this vocal tradition.

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Robbie Beahrs uses several computer tools to help visualize the music he studies. In this sonogram of a Kargyraa, a throat singing vocalization from Tuva, the horizontal bands represent the overtones above the drone that the singer is vocalizing. The singer selectively filters out some and allows others to become prominent. The darker lines represent what we hear as a melody.  


Listen to Robbie discuss the recording that this sonogram depicts. 

Secret Cupcakes
A warehouse in San Francisco's Mission District holds an unusual treat. And people are finding out about it. Amanda Dyer has the story.

Download link: Here


Jasmine de Lung prepares a cupcake tray for eager customers.



For more information, visit the Jasmine Rae Bakery's website, here.



Backyard
ian — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:56:48 +0000

Today we’re talking about backyards. As the weather gets warmer, you might be heading outside. Here are a few things that we found in the backyards of the Bay Area. 62 years ago, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. Now America’s backyard game – baseball – in on the decline the African American community.  We’ll step into the shoes of local movie lovers hoping to save a historic theater in their own backyard. And we’ll also talk with a community organizer who’s bringing urban farming to West Oakland, one backyard at a time. 



Today’s producer was Huda Ahmed. The assistant producer was Matt Durning. Our studio engineer was Kerry Seed. The anchors were Adelaide Chen and Diana Montaño.  Our executive producer is Peter Finch. And the web producer was Ian Sherr.


Losing Jackie's Dream?
African Americans have a rich history in baseball, from the Negro Leagues to Jackie Robinson to Hank Aaron's home run record. But today, African American players seem to have disappeared from our national past time. Reporter Paul Gackle investigates the decline of African Americans in America's backyard game.

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After the Parkway
Last month, after more than a decade entertaining people in Oakland’s Eastlake neighborhood, the Parkway Theater closed its curtains for good. Now a group of local supporters is fighting to keep the spirit of the Parkway alive. Reporter Shaleece Hass went to the movies, and came back with this report.

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Visit the website for the group "I like the Parkway!", here.

Let it Grow
Finding fresh food in West Oakland is harder than you’d think. But local residents are fighting back, building organic gardens in their own backyards. Reporter Matt Durning spoke with Julie Pavuk of City Slicker Farms to get the dirt on this urban farming phenomenon. 

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To learn more about the City Slicker Farms, visit their webpage, here.


Julie Pavuk at the City Slicker Farms offices in West Oakland

Up in the Air
Pacific Steel Casting Company in West Berkeley says they're good for the local community, but many of their neighbors disagree. They say Pacific Steel emits chemicals at dangerous levels, and want the company to change its ways. Reporter Kristine Wong takes a close look at the battle for the air in West Berkeley.

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Feathered Friends or Backyard Attackers?
What’s in your backyard? A dog; maybe a cat? Squirrels? In the rural town of Sutter Creek, an unlikely attacker is threatening residents.  Reporter Linnea Edmeier takes us to her home town to meet this menace.  

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Wild turkeys in the hills above Sutter Creek in Amador County
For more information, visit the California Department of Fish and Game, here.