Randy's Guide LXVII

Today is actor Mel Gibson’s 52nd; Friday is Burmese National Day; Sunday is Three Kings Day (The Twelfth Day of Christmas); Tuesday is physicist Stephen Hawking’s 66th. Welcome to all readers!


Local News Story of the Week
U.S. House Representative Tom Lantos (D-San Mateo) announced he will retire from Congress after 28 years in office. After surviving the Holocaust and working to improve global human rights, Lantos must now battle cancer of the esophagus. www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=85406


Change for Change
Charity to consider: Blue Energy. The San Francisco-based nonprofit, which started as a graduate project at MIT, provides low-cost wind and solar electric systems in Nicaragua and eventually will spread its model worldwide. http://www.blueenergygroup.org/

Previous organizations Randy's Guide has spotlighted and donated: Common Ground Relief, LYRIC, Aldea Inc., Glide Memorial, City CarShare, Maitri, Loaves and Fishes, Friends of the Urban Forest, Farm Sanctuary, and Bay Area Community Services.

Donate through the non-profit's Web site or your corporate donation program.


Weekend Weather
Bay Area: Remember the 2005 New Year’s Eve storm, which flooded much of Marin County? The forecast is for something similar over the next four days – 40mph wind gusts, local flooding, 3-5 inches of rain, whiteout mountain conditions, thunderstorms and possible hail. Highs near 50; lows in the 40s.

High 30-50, Low 30-45: Burlington, IA (clear and cold turning to weekend rain)
- Republican candidate Mike Huckabee made a last-minute plea for votes at a casino, in advance of this evening’s presidential caucuses

High 70, Low 55: Dallas, TX (warmer)
- 47-year-old Charles Chatman was released after DNA testing proved his innocence following 26 years in prison

High 65, Low 55: Daytona Beach, FL (warmer)
- Snow flurries fell along the coast, the first snowfall in Florida since 2006

High 45, Low 35: New York, NY (partly cloudy)
- David Letterman returned to work, hosting Robin Williams and sporting a bushy gray beard


Environmental Tip of the Week
Time to recycle that Christmas tree! Most municipalities now offer curb-side recycling services, which often put the trees to good use by turning it into mulch, hiking trail chippings, and beachfront erosion barriers.

Previous:
Disposal sites for your electronic waste have popped up around the Bay Area. With the holiday season providing a bounty of new equipment, return your unwanted DVD players, televisions, CDs, and other electronics to Green Citizen (in SF and Los Altos), Hayward’s E-Recycling, or Santa Clara’s Zak Enterprises, among others.


Video of the Week
“World on Fire” by Sarah McLachlan (Canada)

$150,000 was sent to numerous global organizations in lieu of shooting an expensive music video. Check out all the different ways that expenses add up in a typical shoot… and how far that money can go in developing nations. Check out www.worldonfire.ca/donations.html for the full list of recipients.

Previous:
“If I Have My Way” by Chrisette Michele (New York)

Nominated for one Grammy, Ms. Michele evokes past jazz singers on her debut album, while providing vocals on multiple songs for Jay-Z and Nas. She’s currently performing in the Washington D.C./Baltimore area.


Movie Box Office (through Jan. 1)
#1 National Treasure: Book of Secrets (PG): $54.5MM; $142.9MM overall; 3832 screens; $14,233 per screen
#2 Alvin and the Chipmunks (PG): $41.3MM; $153.6MM overall; 3484 screens; $11,842 per screen
#3 I Am Legend (PG-13): $39.1MM; $206.1MM overall; 3636 screens; $10,741 per screen
#18 The Savages (R): $0.8MM; $2.0MM overall; 111 screens; $7,217 per screen; 1 Golden Globe nomination

Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem (R): Sci-fi; about two sets of film monsters battling in a small Colorado town

Meeting Resistance (NR): Documentary; about eight insurgents in Baghdad and their pathway to resistance

One Missed Call (PG-13): Horror; about a young woman who has two friends suffer gruesome deaths days after receiving phone messages recording their final moments; co-starring Edward Burns

There Will Be Blood (R): Drama; about a frontiersman who moves West in search of oil; co-starring Daniel Day-Lewis; directed by Paul Thomas Anderson; 2 Golden Globe nominations


Free Activities
Tom Stoppard [Sat 10am]: The famed playwright of “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” speaks with Carey Perloff. At the American Conservatory Theatre (SF). http://www.act-sf.org/

Coro Hispano [Sat 2pm]: 40-person chorus spanning Latin America. At Mission Cultural Center (SF). http://www.coro-hispano.org/

Great Migration Celebration [Sun 10am-5pm]: The California Academy of Sciences is closing shop and moving to its new site. Festivities include slide shows, arts and crafts. Bring a housewarming gift (see Web site for details) to gain free admission (SF). http://www.calacademy.org/


Paid Activities
Live Music - Social Distortion [Fri/Sat 9pm, Sun/Tue 8pm]: With American Steel opening. At the Fillmore (SF), $30. www.socialdistortion.com

Live Music - Kitka [Fri/Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm]: All-female Balkan and Slavic vocalists performing Rusalski. At the Jewish Community Center (SF), $15-28. www.kitka.org

Dance - Theatre Flamenco [Fri 8pm]: San Francisco’s venerable group journeys south. At the Center for Performing Arts (Mountain View), $30. www.theatreflamenco.org

Live Music - Next Wave of Bluegrass [Sun 6:30pm]: A fundraiser for February’s Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival. At Café Du Nord (SF), $10-20. www.cafedunord.com

Previous: Theatre - Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza [through Jan 20 in SF]