Two of the World's Best Ping-Pong Players Train in Milpitas

April 17, 2013, 1:22 pm • Posted by Becca King Reed
Add your comment

At the India Community Center in Milpitas, California, Table Tennis is the sport that rules the hardwood. You may know it as “Ping Pong” but this cutthroat game played by young kids with a “take no prisoners attitude,” has captured city. Two of the ICC’s finest players, Lily Zhang and Timothy Wang were members of the 2012 United States Olympic Table Tennis Team. Find out why Zhang and Wang have a shot to medal at the 2016 Games and why the sport’s very best players are products of Milpitas.

Filed under: Athletes

America’s Cup Winner, John Kostecki Prepares to Defend Title in San Francisco Bay

April 17, 2013, 11:10 am • Posted by Becca King Reed
Add your comment

Professional sailor and America’s Cup winner John Kostecki has been a force in his sport for the past thirty years. Raised near Marin and a master of the tricky San Francisco Bay waters, Kostecki is a former Olympic sailor who captured a silver medal in the Soiling Class at the 1988 Games in South Korea. A former Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, Kostecki was part of the crew aboard Oracle that defeated the Swiss boat Alinghi to recapture the America’s Cup in 2008. The victory marked the first time the oldest trophy in American history has returned to these shores in 15 years. Kostecki is currently the Tactician for Team USA Oracle, as this country prepares to defend the America’s Cup in San Francisco Bay.

Filed under: Athletes, Record Breakers
Tagged: , ,

Spy for a Day-a Look at Antique Spy Gear

April 15, 2013, 10:45 am • Posted by Becca King Reed
Add your comment

This week we are at History where we'll take a look at San Jose’s famous Electric Tower, just one of the many amazing things you’ll discover walking around grounds here.

The tower we'll show you is a replica of the original, which was built in 1881 to ‘light up’ the downtown area. It was hailed as the ‘Seventh Wonder of the West’. Legend has it that the designer of the Eiffel Tower visited San José’s Electric Light Tower when he was looking for ideas.

In this episode, we’re going on a journey back in time to take a look at early spy gear. We’ll see all kinds of technology used by spies throughout history.

We’ll also meet an energetic pair of paddle-pounding Olympians from Milpitas;
a NASA scientist who is re-inventing the way we do planetary exploration and one of the youngest female engineers to fire up a steam engine!

You can watch the show on KQED Plus on April 17 at 7pm.
Episode 503

Filed under: Athletes, Full Episode, Innovators, Record Breakers, Scientists
Tagged: , , , , , , ,

The Only Full Color Footage from Inside a Japanese Internment Camp

March 26, 2013, 11:16 am • Posted by Becca King Reed
Add your comment

The film posted here, Dave Tatsuno Movies and Memories, documents an important piece of American and Bay Area history. In 1942 about 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States were placed in "war relocation camps."

Japanese-American businessman, Dave Masaharu Tatsuno and his family were relocated to the Topaz Interment Camp, in Utah, for the duration of World War II. While imprisoned, he filmed a remarkable series of home movies documenting his family's life at Topaz.

Later, Mr. Tatsuno created a film with that footage called, Topaz Memories. It is the only full-color movie of life in an internment camp shot from the perspective of an internee. Mr. Tatsuno showed the homemade film at schools and community events to educate younger generations. In 1997, he gave Topaz Memoriesto the Library of Congress as a gift to the American people.

Dave Tatsuno Movies and Memories is about the inspiring documentarian, himself. The footage Mr.Tatsuno courageously shot at Topaz is featured in the documentary by Public Television Station, KTEH (now KQED Silicon Valley) in 2006.

J

Filed under: Behind the Scenes, Eye Witnesses to History
Tagged: , , , , , , ,