Parent Event: Are Your Kids Safe & Smart Online?

The Media Center is sponsoring a presentation for parents who want to keep up with what kids are doing online and acquire tips to keep them safe and smart internet-users. Patty Page, from the Common Sense Media Volunteer Speaker Bureau will present a media-rich, interactive program in the Media Center's TV studio on Monday, May 19th beginning at 7:30. Doors open and light refreshments are available at 7 PM at 900 San Antonio Rd. in Palo Alto, near the 101 freeway.

The presentation includes the eight major risks of online life including cyber-bullying, cheating, privacy, and bad information. A video overview and a tour of specific web sites will provide the context for a valuable conversation and a variety of tips and resources for parents.

Common Sense Media is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, that recognizes the omnipresence of media and the way it has become "the other parent" in our kids' lives. They assist families to constructively manage our kids' media lives. Patty Page has been involved in Media Literacy studies since 1990. She has produced and marketed media for 20 years.

The 90-minute presentation and discussion will be videotaped. There is a suggested donation of $10, and a coveted door prize will be awarded. Please RSVP by emailing Dave@communitymediacenter.net or calling 650-494-8686.

Production Manager Karen Adams Nominated for an Emmy!

The Midpeninsula Community Media Center proudly announces that Riding the Storm, the independent production of Karen Adams, our production manager and staff producer, has been nominated for an EMMY! The 37th Annual Northern California Area EMMY® Award Nominations were announced Thursday, April 10th.

Riding The Storm: Landslide Danger in the San Francisco Bay Area, that first aired on KTEH 54, was submitted by U.S. Geological Survey in the Informational/Instructional category. Besides Adams’ leadership as Producer/Director/Editor, credits go to Douglas DeVore, Videographer; Bryan Coleman, Motion Graphics/Animation; and Wendy Van Wazer, Editor.

About the program

Although well aware of the region's earthquake threat, many San Francisco Bay Area residents are perilously uninformed about another dangerous geologic hazard: landslides triggered by heavy rainfall. In January 1982 a single, catastrophic rainstorm triggered 18,000 landslides throughout the Bay Area. During the drenching winter of 1997-98, El Nino-driven storms triggered a range of landslides in the Bay Area from deadly debris flows to destructive deep-seated slides. Riding the Storm documents these tragic events, the lessons learned from residents, and explores the science behind the hazard with U.S. Geological Survey researchers. It is the first documentary of its kind to detail the landslide hazard in the Bay area.

The EMMY statues will be presented at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on Saturday, May 10th.

Save the Internet! Workshop on April 13th

Comcast has been caught blocking BitTorrent, Verizon has been caught blocking text messages, AT&T wants to inspect and filter Web traffic. These big companies' efforts to discriminate online are crushing competition, slowing innovation, and endangering free speech. With so much at stake, it's encouraging that the FCC's first move is to quickly seek public feedback and expert counsel about the future of the Internet. It is rare for all five members of the Federal Communications Commission to leave Washington, D.C.

We are in a unique moment in history when we can help to decide whether we have a closed Internet controlled by a small handful of giant corporations, or an open Internet controlled by the people who use it. Now is the time to speak up for an open internet free from corporate gatekeepers.

The FCC will be holding a hearing at Stanford University on April 17th and time is allotted for public comment. Come to the Media Center on Sunday, April 13th, 4-6pm to learn more about the issue, get trained on how to make the best of your 90 seconds, and tape a testimonial in advance. If you would like to come, please RSVP to Danielle Fairbairn by email: Danielle@communitymediacenter.net .

Important Dates/Locations:
FCC Testimonial Training
Sunday April 13, 4-6pm
Media Center
900 San Antonio Rd
Palo Alto, CA 94303

FCC Hearing
Thursday April 17, 12-7pm
Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Stanford University
471 Lagunita Dr
Stanford, CA 94305

Related links:
Learn more at SaveTheInternet.com
Directions to the Media Center
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