2011 Pinewood Derby Car Races

KokuaJapan

Came across this web site set up by a San Francisco law firm to raise funds to aid the victims of the earthquake in Japan:

KokuaJapan.org

Kokua means 'help" in Hawaiian.

The following are other notable donations:

Taiwan - $38 million through televised fund raisers
Tadashi Yanai (president of Uniqlo) - $12.2 million (cash and goods)
Coach (fashion house) - $5 million
JPMorgan Chase - $5 million (through various charities)
Toyota - $3.75 million plus donation drive through North American plants
Nissan - $3.75 (through Red Cross and other donations)
Honda - $3.7 million
Walt Disney Company - $2.5 million
Boeing - $2 million (through Red Cross)
Wells Fargo - $1.5 million (through Red Cross and other charities)
Gree, Inc. - over $1.5 million
Mixi, Inc. - over $1.5 million
Starbucks - 100 million yen plus donations
Ichiro - 100 million yen (about $1.23 million)
Hyundai - 100 million yen
Sandra Bullock - $1 million (through Red Cross)
Demi Lovato - $1 million
SM Entertainment - $900,000 (through Red Cross)
Sutter Health - $500,000 (through Red Cross)
Red Cross funderaisers at Angel Stadium and the Rose Bowl - $250,000
Google - $250,000
Lady Gaga - $5 bracelets raised $250,000 in 48 hours
Mazda Foundation - $150,000 (through Red Cross)
Microsoft - $100,000
Telus - $100,000 plus matching funds (through Red Cross, Salvation Army and UNICEF
Seattle Mariners - $100,000 to match donations by their fans and front office
New York Yankees - $100,000 (through Red Cross and Salvation Army)
Eric Schmidt of Google - $100,000 in matching funds
Pacific Software - $70,000 in donations and matching funds
Oakland A's - $1 for every ticket sold for April 3 game against Mariners plus other fund raisers
San Francisco Giants - $12,500
Medefile International, TEMPTU, Clint Eastwood/Warner Bros., Charlie Sheen, Creed, Hanae Mori Parfums, Jewelry for a Cause, Afterzine, Artist James White, Made With Japan, Steven Alan, Rebecca Minkoff, Theory, American Eagle Outfitters, Karmaloop, Gap Inc., Bergdorf Goodman, Brroks Brothers, Forever 21, H&M, Gilt City, Natori and Josie, Zero, Alexis Bittar and other designers and celebrities are making donations through the sale of merchandise.

Big Game Win for Bears

Ethan got to experience his first Cal game against Stanford yesterday. Although it wasn't the biggest crowd of the season, Haas Pavilion was rocking just the same. After all, it was Stanford in the house. It was fun to see Ethan's reaction to seeing the Stanford tree for the first time. He thought that it was goofy, especially that the mouth that was attached to the tree looked ready to fall off at any time.

The Stanford band was their usual obnoxious self, playing barely recognizable tunes that became less frequent as the game wore on as it became apparent that there would be very little to cheer about for the cardinal-clad. Most of the empty seats were arranged around the Stanford band giving the band a halo-like effect. Even the Stanford fans who were nearby chose to distance themselves from the seats closest to the band probably to prevent premature deafness. Although we were on the opposite side of Haas from the band, each time the band would strike up Ethan would put his fingers in his ears because it was too loud.

The Bears broke out to a 10-2 lead and never looked back to cruise to a 74-55 win. When the Bears started to clear out their bench, the lead had grown to 28 points. Here's a link to highlights from the game, including a fastbreak layup (starting at about the 1:17 mark of the video clip) that must've brought a smile even to Coach Montgomery. Pass, pass, layup with not a single dribble over half court. This was like one of those drills run in practice with no defenders.

On senior day, the Bears faithful said good-bye to three seniors in pre-game ceremonies. Markhuri Sanders-Frison and two team managers. The Bears lose one key player, but will be adding at least 4 new faces, including two players who are currently redshirting. Although the Bears are not loaded with blue chip recruits like some schools (Arizona, UCLA and Washington come to mind in the Pac-10) and usually are undersized and less athletic compared to their opponents, having the best Pac-10 coach on our side of the court is a big plus. The players part in this is that they have figured out how to play as a team with great chemistry and no hint of personal agendas. The Bears are a very good college team in every sense of the word "team." Looking forward to more Pac-10 hoops next year.