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Author: Alfredo Casuso

Peruvian Navy Tall Ship “Union” arriving for its first visit to the Port of San Francisco

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Contact For Press Inquiries: Alison Healy 415-203-6305

MEDIA ALERT     

DATE: April 26, 2019

WHAT: Peruvian Navy Tall Ship “Union” arriving for its first visit to the Port of San Francisco

WHEN: Crossing under the Golden Gate Bridge at 7:00 am and docking by 8:00am

WHERE: Pier 15-17 on Embarcadero

WHY: Sailing School Ship Union carries 106 Cadets in their final year of Naval Academy. Union is a tall ship Ambassador to Peru, sailing to expose cadets to other countries and cultures while giving them hands-on exposure to traditional sailing. 

PHOTO & VIEWING OPPORTUNTITES:  Golden Gate Bridge, Fort Point, Crissy Field, St. Francis Yacht Club, Pier 39, and Pier 15-17

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC: Saturday and Sunday, April 27 & 28, the ship will be open for tours from 10:00 am to 6:00pm, Free of charge at Pier 15-17

SHIP DATA:

  • 4 masts, 34 sails, 36,620 sq.ft of sail area, speed 12 knots
  • LOA 115.5meters, Beam 13.5 meters, draft 6.5 meters
  • Build in Callao, Peru, commissioned in 2014, launched in 2016
  • Largest Class A Tall Ship in Latin and South America
  • Total Aboard: 257 persons including officers, cadets and crew members
  • Commander: Captain Kurt Ludwig Bottger Garfias

2019 VOYAGE FACTS:  From March to July, Union will sail to Mexico, United States, Canada and various ports in Peru totaling 12 ports of call and sailing 14,500 nautical miles. Union will be arriving from San Diego, California and will be sailing on to Vancouver, Canada. 

THE MISSION: Sailing Ship Union was built to teach cadets how to sail without electronics, how to work as a team and how to appreciate original meaning of life at sea. Cadets embark on this sail a one of their final rights of passage before graduating to junior officer status.  More, Union was designed as a Floating Ambassador to the Country of Peru. Union sails around the world approximately five months a year, often participating in international sailing events and races with other class A naval, merchant marine and sailing vessels of the world.  Each year, Union’s itinerary is determined by the Commander General of the Navy and approved by the President of Peru. 

UNION, THE NAME: The name Union was chosen for several reasons; the most noteworthy is the international message that the word Union brings to each person, regardless of their native language. Union transmits a message of goodwill, cooperation, and international friendship among all people which is fitting for the tall ship ambassador to Peru.

FUN FACT: All Peruvian Naval Academy cadets are required to be fluent in English before they graduate the academy, so you won’t have any language problems if you don’t speak Spanish. 

DEPARTURE: Union will depart San Francisco on Monday, April 29, leaving her berth at 8am.The same viewing spots are recommended for photographs and general viewing.

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CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO, FRENCH CONSULATE & GRACE CATHEDRAL ANNOUNCE PUBLIC SOLIDARTY CONCERT FOR THE NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Friday, April 19, 2019

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, 415-554-6131

*** PRESS RELEASE ***

CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO, FRENCH CONSULATE & GRACE CATHEDRAL ANNOUNCE PUBLIC SOLIDARTY CONCERT FOR THE NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS

SF Symphony, SF Opera, American Bach Soloists, and Johann Vexo, the organist from the Notre-Dame de Paris, will all perform at Grace Cathedral on Monday, April 29th in a concert that is free and open to the public

San Francisco, CA — Today Mayor London N. Breed, the French Consulate and Grace Cathedral announced a solidarity concert for the Notre-Dame de Paris will be held on Monday, April 29th at 6 pm that is free and open to the public. The concert will take place at Grace Cathedral and will include performances by the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Opera, American Bach Soloists, Johann Vexo, the organist from the Notre-Dame de Paris, and others.

“San Francisco is proud to stand in solidarity with the people of Paris, our sister city, and the world to celebrate the beauty, spirit and resilience of Notre Dame de Paris,” said Mayor Breed. “Watching Notre Dame burn was devastating, just as it was also horrible to witness a series of historic Louisiana churches burnt in recent arson attacks. Our houses of worship hold a special place for our cities and our people, and we are proud to support the people of Paris as they begin the work to rebuild the iconic monument in the heart of their city.”

“Watching Notre Dame de Paris engulfed in flames was a shock for all Paris lovers,” said Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens, Consul General of France. “Beyond a monument and an architectural masterpiece, it is a part of the world history of art and our common identity that was being damaged. I am very grateful to San Francisco Mayor London Breed for the organization of this concert at Grace Cathedral and would like to acknowledge all the many ways of support that we have received during the past week. This concert will allow all of us to find comfort in the beauty of music, and the strength to move on to the phase of reconstruction of our beloved cathedral.”

Grace Cathedral is French Gothic in design and while its influences include the French cathedrals of Amiens, Beauvais and Chartres in addition to Notre Dame, its facade most reminds visitors of the beloved Parisian cathedral. The event will be coordinated by Charlotte Mailliard Shultz, the Chief of Protocol of the City and County of San Francisco. More details will be released next week.

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Voices from the Railroad: Stories by descendants of Chinese Railroad Workers 

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Media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

Voices from the Railroad: Stories by descendants of Chinese Railroad Workers 

Co-edited by Sue Lee and Connie Young Yu, full-length book features first-hand narratives by descendants of Chinese workers who built US Transcontinental Railroad

150th Anniversary of Transcontinental Railroad: May 10, 2019

15 April  2019 – San Francisco, CA:Published to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the completion of the TransContinental Railroad on May 10, a new book — Voices from the Railroad: Stories by descendants of Chinese Railroad Workers —  reveals the hitherto untold stories about the unsung and often forgotten Chinese workers who built the mammoth project. These stories have never been told outside their families until now. The book, $ 25,  is available through the Chinese Historical Society of America (965 Clay Street, San Francisco) or online at https://chsa.org/shop-chsa/publications/voicesfromtherailroad/.  

“No longer nameless, faceless workers lost to history, their stories will shatter misconceptions about the Chinese who helped build America,” said noted historian Sue Lee, longtime Executive Director of San Francisco’s Chinese Historical Society of America and community advocate.  “For the first time, readers will learn about Chin Lin Sou, Hung Lai Woh, Jim King, Lim Lip Hong, Lee Ling & Lee Gik-Gim, Lee Wong Sang, Lum Ah Chew, Mock Chuck and Moy Jin Mun, workers of the Central Pacific Railroad.”

Co-edited by Lee and Connie Young Yu, this full-length book features first-hand narratives by railroad worker descendants Gene O. Chan, Montgomery Hom, Carolyn Kuhn, Sandra K. Lee, Paulette Liang, Russell N. Low, Andrea Yee, Vicki Tong Young, and Connie Young Yu.

The Transcontinental Railroad was the work of giants. The building of 15 tunnels in the Sierra Nevada, the towing of locomotives and rails for 28 miles over the summit, the laying of ten miles of track in one day. The courage and daring of the Chinese in doing the impossible has been omitted from American history.   Setting the record straight has been the driving force of the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) since its founding. In 1969, the Chinese Historical Society of America initiated an effort to obtain recognition for the Chinese who helped to build the first Transcontinental Railroad at its 100th anniversary celebration. The plan was to produce and install commemorative plaques at the two ends of the Central Pacific Railroad—in Sacramento and Promontory Summit. The Centennial Committee invited Phil Choy as President of CHSA to speak at the May 10th 1969 ceremony at Promontory.

“What happened instead was a monumental snub,” says Lee. “Phil was removed at the last minute rom the main program due to a special guest appearance by John Wayne.  To add insult to injury, the keynote speaker, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary John Volpe’s asked, ‘Who else but Americans could chisel through miles of solid granite? Who else but Americans could have laid 10 miles of track . . . ‘ His backhanded acknowledgement of key construction milestones insulted the very Chinese laborers who performed these amazing feats. Chinese immigrants, specifically laborers, were unwanted—they were discriminated against and eventually prohibited from becoming citizens by the Chinese Exclusion Act.”

This snub ignited community efforts for rightful recognition. New York photographer Corky Lee’s efforts to recreate the iconic Gold Spike photo in the name of photographic justice has inspired an annual event at Promontory. Stanford University’s Chinese Railroad Workers of North America project has spurred academic interest in recovering source material on Chinese, inspired new research in multiple disciplines, and brought stories to light through interviews and oral histories from descendants of railroad workers. Then at last, official recognition came in May 2014 when the United States Department of Labor inducted the Chinese Railroad Workers into its Hall of Honor in Washington DC.  No one could have anticipated the unintended consequence of this simple act of recognition.  The ceremony struck a chord in the hearts of Chinese Americans.  They have been inspired to recover the untold stories of descendant families. 

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“For many years, the only named Transcontinental railroad worker of note was Chin Lin Sou of Denver. And there was no documentation of other identified workers,” Lee continues.  “Today, we can identify names on the incomplete collection of Central Pacific Railroad payrolls of specific individuals and name more than a dozen descendant families who have stories about their railroad ancestor. Some families were inspired to share heirlooms and photographs, conduct deeper research, and interview far-flung family members. Their accounts are the foundation of a new chapter in the overall American historical narrative—the Chinese in America.”

According to Lee, this book now provides an opportunity to give the Chinese community’s laboring ancestors the recognition and credit, and above all, the humanity they deserve. While they did not leave journals of their ordeals or speak for themselves in the hearings on Chinese labor, the book documents the oral history interviews of descendants who can speak for their forebearers. Incredibly, the great-grandchildren and even great-great-grandchildren have provided insight into the character of their railroad worker ancestors.

“This book evokes the breadth and scope of the experience of these early Chinese American pioneers,” Lee sums up. “Their stories outline humble and arduous beginnings as well as their legacy to six generations of descendants, who now add their own history of the Chinese American experience.”

Exclusive opening week screening of the Disneynature Film “Penguins”

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Media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

Disneynature media contacts:

Walt Disney Studios Global Publicity (LA)Kara Spector: kara.spector@disney.com
Walt Disney Studios Global Publicity (NY)Derek Del Rossi: derek.del.rossi@disney.com

The 16th Annual International Ocean Film Festival presents an exclusive opening week screening of the Disneynature Film “Penguins”
Thursday, April 11, 7pm / Century Westfield Theater, San Francisco

www.intloceanfilmfest.org 

10 April 2019 – San Francisco, CA: Except for the stars on screen, attire for everyone else is eco-friendly casual.  Of course, the penguins will be in nature’s tuxedos. On Thursday, April 11 at 7pm, San Francisco’sInternational Ocean Film Festival (www.intloceanfilmfest.org) will host anexclusive opening-week screening of the latest Disneynature feature film“Penguins” at San Francisco’s Century Westfield Theater (835 Market Street / Powell Street Muni/BART). The screening will be followed by a Q&Asession with Paul Baribault, Vice President of Disneynature, and “Penguins” producer Roy Conli, who produced the Oscar®-winning film “Big Hero 6.” The film opens in theaters nationwide on Wednesday, April 17 in recognition of Earth Day.


“It’s a distinct pleasure to work with our friends and colleagues at Disneynature,” said Ana Blanco, Executive Director for the International Ocean Film Festival. “Films such as ‘Penguins’, which portray wildlife as relatable and even personable, foster a love for wildlife among moviegoers of all ages. Penguins protagonist Steve gives an endearing voice to nature, and as a loveable ambassador helps reinforce our own mission of inspiring audiences and ‘saving the world’s oceans: one film at a time.’  We’re thrilled to celebrate Earth Day with his eventful story, and have a conversation with the team that brought Steve’s epic journey to the silver screen.”

“Penguins” is a coming-of-age story about an Adélie penguin named Steve who joins millions of fellow males in the icy Antarctic spring on a quest to build a suitable nest, find a life partner and start a family. None of it comes easily for him, especially considering he’s targeted by everything from killer whales to leopard seals, who unapologetically threaten his happily ever after. “Penguins,” directed by Alastair Fothergill and Jeff Wilson, is from the filmmaking team behind “Bears,” “Chimpanzee” and “Monkey Kingdom.”


Since its launch in 2004, the San Francisco-based International Ocean Film Festival has attracted thousands of spectators of all ages from around the world, including film enthusiasts, sea athletes, educators, and environmental supporters. Since then, the Festival has presented on average over 50 films annually from 15 different countries and featured post-film Q&A sessions with visiting filmmakers, special panel discussions with content experts, and the Annual Free Student Education Program. It was the first event of its kind in North America, inspired by the well-established ocean festival in Toulon, France, Festival International du Film Maritime, which has continued to draw large audiences for more than 40 years. The International Ocean Film Festival is a registered 501(c) 3 non-profit.

ABOUT DISNEYNATURE

Celebrating 10 years since its first U.S. theatrical feature, “Earth,” Disneynature brings the world’s top nature filmmakers together to share a wide variety of wildlife stories on the big screen in order to engage, inspire and educate theatrical audiences everywhere. Walt Disney was a pioneer in wildlife filmmaking, producing 13 True-Life Adventure motion pictures between 1948 and 1960, which earned eight Academy Awards®. All seven of Disneynature’s theatrical film releases—”Earth,” “Oceans,” “African Cats,” “Chimpanzee,” “Bears,” “Monkey Kingdom” and “Born in China”—rank among the top 10 highest overall grossing feature-length nature films to date, with “Chimpanzee” garnering a record-breaking opening weekend for the genre. “Penguins,” opening April 17, 2019, is the label’s 8th theatrical release. Disneynature’s commitment to conservation is a key pillar of the label and the films empower the audience to help make a difference. Through donations tied to opening-week attendance of its films, Disneynature has contributed to a host of conservation initiatives. “Penguins” continues Disneynature’s conservation tradition: for every ticket sold opening week (April 17-23, 2019), Disneynature will make a donation to the Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) to help protect penguins across the southern hemisphere. For more information about Disneynature, like us on Facebook: facebook.com/Disneynature and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Disneynature.

Alliance for Smiles Celebrates 15 Years of “Repairing Children’s Smiles”Around the World

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Media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. / Erin Saberi (916) 952-5080 / erin@davidperry.com 

MEDIA ADVISORY / ONSITE COVERAGE REQUEST –SATURDAY, APRIL 6: 5:30pm / 7:15pm

WHAT:

Alliance for Smiles Celebrates 15 Years of “Repairing Children’s Smiles”Around the World

San Francisco based nonprofit marks anniversary & kicks off milestone year.

Missions this year will establish and further cleft palate centers in China, Egypt, Guatemala, Mynamar and The Philippines

WHEN:

Saturday, April 6

5:30pm -7:15pm – Reception

7:15pm – Program followed by dinner

Lifetime Achievement Award – Dr. Karin Vargervik; Volunteer of the Year – Becky Steed, RN; John Uth Memorial Award for Significant Financial Support – Dr. Chih-Chen Fang.

10:30pm – Event Ends

WHERE:

Julia Morgan Ballroom, 465 California Street San Francisco

WEB:

www.allianceforsmiles.org  

WHY / DETAIL:
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile,” opines Zen master Thích Nhất Hạnh. “But sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” This is not news to Alliance for Smiles(www.allianceforsmiles.org) the esteemed San Francisco-based nonprofit that provides free comprehensive treatment for cleft lip and palate anomalies in under-served areas of the world. On Saturday, April 6 the practical wisdom and miracle-making gift of a youthful smile will be celebrated at the 15th annual “Night of Smiles” Gala () and kick off an unprecedented series of international trips to China, The Philippines, Nigeria, Bangladesh and for the first time, Egypt, The Republic of Congo, Honduras and Guatemala.


“Our mission is repairing children’s smiles,” said Alison Healy, Executive Director for Alliance for Smiles. “It is impossible not be to touched, moved and renewed in spirit by the smiles of the young people we heal. What we celebrate this year is their success. What we are committed to for the next 15 years and beyond, is expanding our work, and educating the public about the long road faced by our patients.”

A cleft lip occurs when the lip does not quite close during the child’sdevelopment before birth and needs to be surgically closed. A cleft palateoccurs during the same period when there is an opening or cleft in the roof of the mouth.  It is estimated that, worldwide, a child is born every three minutes with a cleft — about one in 500-750 births. While such anomalies all need to be corrected by surgery, in first world countries such options are readily available and affordable. However, in developing countries, this is often not the case. Alliance for Smiles exists to fill this need.

“We’ve all seen the ads supporting groups that perform this incredible work,” continues Healy. “However, sometimes such compelling images can be deceiving, in the appearance of a fully healed child. Most of the young people with whom we work will require multiple surgeries andtreatments and also socialization over many years. Sadly, in some of the countries most in need of our efforts, being born with a cleft lip or palate not only means pain and difficulty, but it can also mean ostracization and sometimes, even death.”  

In October 2004, Alliance for Smiles was founded by five members of the Rotary Club of San Francisco: Past Presidents, John Uth, Anita Stangl, Jim Patrick, and Jim Deitz and long-time Club Member John Goings. The ongoing support of the Rotary International Community is still key to the success of Alliance for Smiles. Fondly known as “people of action”, Rotarians associated with Alliance for Smiles hope to eventually setting up multi-disciplinary international cleft treatment centers in underserved countries around the world, and exchange ideas on proper medical techniques and procedures


“Traditional international efforts to repair cleft lips and palates have consisted of small teams that perform surgical procedures to correct defects,” Healy says. “However, the initial surgery only addresses one part of the problem. Cleft patients require ongoing treatment in the disciplines of dentistry, orthodontia, speech therapy and sometimes psychological counseling.”

According to Healy, time and funding constraints in target countriestypically make it next to impossible to address those needs. 

“Even if information, expertise and treatment were available, it would pose a financial burden on the families of our target population,” Healy summed up. “The budgets of these families are already strained by their basic daily needs for food and shelter.”

To respond to the immediate need, Alliance for Smiles conducts two-week surgical missions. They also provide advanced training for local health care providers who are dedicated to the treatment of under-served cleft lip and palate patients. Additionally, Alliance for Smiles has establishedpermanent treatment centers where patients can receive follow-up and ongoing care, utilizing the same treatment protocols used in the United States.