This is Us Visits California Artists

May 8, 2012, 9:49 am • Posted by Becca King Reed
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This is Us visits the studios of four Northern California artists; Kirk McNeil, artist/blacksmith who works with white hot steel and really big hammers to create unique art; Beth Gripenstraw, she's best known for her original ceramic jewelry and large ceramic murals but it is her paintings about life with vertigo that are drawing attention these days; Hans Skalagard, a world-renowned nautical artist who managed to escape three separate sinking ships during world war II and finally Richard Mayhew, one of the finest living landscape artists in the nation.

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Filed under: Artists, Full Episode

This is Us from Happy Hollow Zoo

May 8, 2012, 9:40 am • Posted by Becca King Reed
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For this episode we visited the Happy Hollow Park and Zoo in San Jose.
I was lucky enough to be invited into the lemur enclosure. The gentle Black and white primates gathered around for the show open and ate cherries and strawberries from my hand. We also got a close look at a porcupine (kinda stinky) and visited the meerkats who were really curious about the camera. We got some pretty funny close ups of them as they tried to see inside.

This episode also features profiles of three extraordinary local, community leaders - Sal Kahn who is transforming education with YouTube videos; Sylvia Mc laughlin who was at the forefront of Saving The San Francisco Bay from becoming a landfill area and Nell Newman, whose Newman’s Own Organics company has given more than $20 million to charities.

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Filed under: Full Episode, Places

This is Us Remembers Japanese Internment

May 8, 2012, 9:33 am • Posted by Becca King Reed
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It's been 70 years since Japanese citizens were interned during World War II. In this episode od This is Us, we profile two local people who experienced the interment camps, Norman Mineta, the 14th U.S. Secretary of Transportation and Dr. Misako Miura who was interned with her family at Manzanar and who worked as the camp physician. On location at Hakone Estate and Gardens a traditional Japanese garden build in Saratoga in 1915.

Filed under: Heroes & Heroines

Profile: Big Wave Surfer, Richard Schmidt

May 8, 2012, 9:26 am • Posted by Becca King Reed
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John Gregg, Steve Kern and the TiU crew spent a day at Richard Schmidt's surf school (Nice work if you can get it!) in Santa Cruz.

Schmidt is legendary big wave surfer, who shares his passion with others who dream of riding the waves. He has perfected an unusual teaching technique. He surfs alongside his students, and when the moment is right, Schmidt reaches over, pulls them to their feet
and - bing-bang - they're catching a wave. You can see Richard in action in the story above.

This piece is part of a special surf edition of This is Us airing at 7pm on May 23rd, shot aboard the O'Neill Sea Odyssey catamaran.

Filed under: Athletes