ATHENS, Greece, April 26 (UPI) — While some fear that sports venues will not be ready for the Summer Olympics in Athens, others fear that Greece's sanitation facilities cannot handle toilet paper.

It is a little-known fact outside the country that toilet paper is not available in Greek sanitary facilities, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday.

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Some warnings have been posted, such as a restaurant posting a sign with an image of a grimacing toilet and the admonition “Don't put Papper in the toilet.” However, most of the expected 1.4 million tourists did not know that used toilet paper had to be thrown into a wastebasket next to the toilet, the newspaper said.

Another concern, the paper said, is the impact that high-tech tourists with cell phones, laptops and exposure to air conditioning could have on the country's overloaded power grid in August.

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As we move into week 6 of the 2021 NFL season, many uncertainties remain. One uncertainty that is no longer in question, however, is who the top team in the NFL is. (At least IMO) With another exciting win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals – led by their defense – kept our top spot in this week’s power rankings. But what about the rest of the league?

As expected, the Miami Dolphins continue to crash after being run over by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. It was ugly, but not all of the weekend football was as challenging to watch as Miami. Many of this week’s games ended in one final possession, and I know many of us have watched our rival AFC East take his place at the top of the AFC with a win over Patrick Mahomes and the 2020 AFC champions, Kansas City, consolidated bosses.

It’s been a wild week, but not as wild as these power rankings are going to be.

For those who don’t know, the way we do power rankings on The Phinsider is a little different from other places on the internet. Instead of just taking last week’s leaderboards and moving teams that have gone up and teams that have lost, we start each week with a clean sheet of paper. Josh Houtz and Kevin Nogle then take turns in a draft-style leaderboard, answering the question, “Who will win the Super Bowl?” It can sometimes lead to dramatic changes in the rankings, but it can also keep a team on the pitch despite perhaps a poor performance over the past weekend.

This week Nogle is traveling so I’m (@Houtz) going to see Hans Solo! Go to the rankings:

1. Arizona Cardinals (-)

2. Los Angeles Rams (-)

3. Buffalo bills (-)

4. Tampa Bay privateer (-)

5. Baltimore Ravens (+1)

6. Green Bay Packer (-1)

7. Los Angeles Chargers (+1)

8. Kansas City Chiefs (+2)

9. Cleveland Browns (-2)

10. Dallas Cowboys (-1)

11. Cincinnati Bengal (+5)

12. Saints of New Orleans (+6)

13. Tennessee Titans (+6)

14. Carolina Panther (+1)

15. Chicago Bears (+7)

16. Denver Broncos (+2)

17. Las Vegas Robbers (-6)

18. San Francisco 49ers (-3)

19. Minnesota Vikings (-6)

20. Washington soccer team (-)

21. New England Patriots (-)

22. Philadelphia eagle (+3)

23. Indianapolis Colts (+2)

24. Seattle Seahawks (-9)

25. Pittsburgh Steelers (+1)

26. Atlanta Falcons (+5)

27. Miami Dolphins (-2)

28. New York Giants (+1)

29. Detroit Lions (-2)

30. New York Jets (-1)

31. Houston Texans (-)

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (-)

What do you think of this week’s power rankings? Who do you think is too high? Who is too low Let us know in the comments section below! #FINSUP

The post 2021 NFL Energy Rankings Week 6: Arizona Cardinals maintain on to prime spot after 17-10 win over San Francisco 49ers appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

San Francisco Playhouse and executive producers Betty and Cliff Nakamoto in collaboration with Capital Stage presented a fully staged production of Jeanne Sakata’s critically-acclaimed play, Hold These Truths starring Bay Area favorite Jomar Tagatac as Gordon Hirabayashi, under the direction of Jeffrey Lo, Jun. 8 – Jul. 3.

This hybrid co-production of Hold These Truths marked San Francisco Playhouse’s return to in-person performances and was also available for audiences to enjoy at home on-demand. San Francisco Playhouse followed strict health and safety protocols to minimize risks to patrons, actors, and staff.

The Sacramento Premiere and the second leg of performances of Hold These Truths begin on Wednesday, August 25 and continue through Saturday, September 26. Opening night is set for Saturday, August 28 at Capital Stage, 2215 J Street, Sacramento, CA. Click here for more information.

Hold These Truths is based on the incredible true story of one of America’s unsung heroes. In February 1942, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, authorizing the relocation and incarceration of tens of thousands of innocent American citizens of Japanese ancestry. Among these citizens was Gordon Hirabayashi, whose defiance of the internment order catapulted him into a 50-year journey of conscience to protect the Constitution from a country that viewed him as the enemy. Hold These Truths was inspired by many hours of interviews conducted by playwright Jeanne Sakata with Mr. Hirabayashi as well as numerous primary sources from his life.

Sakata and her husband Tim Patterson flew in from Los Angeles to attend the matinee. The day also marked their 45th wedding anniversary, and the pair returned after the closing night performance for a celebratory champagne toast with the cast and creative team.

The Watsonville native shared, “San Francisco has so many happy childhood and family memories for me. My cousin Sandra Sakata owned the Obiko Boutique and championed local bay area artists, asking them to design wearable art. She nurtured me as a young actor and a young writer. San Francisco is where I was really introduced to the performing arts. It means the world to me to bring Hold These Truths to San Francisco Playhouse.”

The creative team includes Christopher Fitzer (Scenic Designer, Costume Designer, Properties Designer), Heather Kenyon (Lighting Designer), Teddy Hulsker (Sound Designer, Projections Designer), Wolfgang Lancelot Wachalovsky (Video Editor), Sarah Marie Selig (Stage Manager), Ada May (Production Assistant), Janel Miley (Dialect Coach), Yuto Shinagawa (Japanese Dialect & Production Coach), and Cliff Nakamoto (Cultural Consultant).

What the critics are saying: 

“A stellar performance by Jomar Tagatac… a marvelously nuanced portrait displaying both the vulnerability of a man challenged by a great injustice and the strength of perseverance and determination to challenge a system and right a great wrong…Tagatac and Director Jeffery Lo work their magic supported by excellent lighting by Heather Kenyon, sound by Teddy Hulsker and scenic design by Christopher Fitzer.”

BROADWAY WORLD

“The great Bay Area-based Jomar Tagatac…plays the man with sweet depth and comic turns as he encounters, picaresque-like, a broad swath of humanity across the vast spectrum of WWII-era America. It’s a moving masterclass of live, in-person performance with teeth made sharp by its relevance today. But as important as its relevance is its elegance. Director Jeffrey Lo uses a spare stage with simple projected graphics to support Tagatac as he takes us on a lifetime journey from boy to man to American icon. A single suitcase serves both literal and figurative purposes throughout the play, most pointedly as to examine the possessions one must part with versus those one must keep to in order to survive the emotional and economic violence of being dispossessed.”

FORBES

“Sensitively directed by Jeffrey Lo and performed by the sublimely talented Jomar Tagatac, it couldn’t be a better production.”

SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER

“While SF Playhouse’s safety precautions are impressive, they pale in comparison to the production on stage. A stellar performance by Jomar Tagatac, Teddy Hulsker’s powerful video and Christopher Fitzer’s versatile set combine for a powerful look at past systemic racism in American culture. Director Jeffrey Lo deftly directs Tagatac.”

EAST BAY TIMES

Jomar Tagatac appeared at San Francisco Playhouse as Mark in Art, and DJ Loki in Today is My Birthday (Theater Mu). At A.C.T. he was seen as Mr. Botard in Rhinoceros and Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol. Other credits include Playwright and others in Vietgone, Fortinbras in Hamlet, George in The Language Archive (Theatreworks), Actor 1 in King of the Yees (San Francisco Playhouse); Quang in Vietgone (Capital Stage Company); The War of the Roses, Macbeth, Everybody, As You Like It (CalShakes), The Happy Ones, and Dogeaters (Magic Theatre). Jomar is a recipient of a Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for Principle Actor in a Play, and TBA Award for Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role. He earned an MFA from A.C.T.

Jeffrey Lo is a Filipino-American playwright and director based in the Bay Area. He is the recipient of the Leigh Weimers Emerging Artist Award, the Emerging Artist Laureate by Arts Council Silicon Valley and Theatre Bay Area Director’s TITAN Award. In addition to his work in theatre he works as an educator and advocate for issues of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and has served as a grant panelist for the Zellerbach Family Foundation, Silicon Valley Creates and Theatre Bay Area. He is the Director Community Partnerships and Casting Director at the Tony Award Winning TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, a graduate of the Multicultural Arts Leadership Institute and a proud alumnus of the UC Irvine Drama Department.

Jeanne Sakata’s celebrated solo play Hold These Truths (2013 Drama Desk Nomination, Outstanding Solo Performance; 2019 Theatre Bay Awards, Outstanding Production, Principal Performance and Direction) won accolades in 2019 at San Diego Rep and Barrington Stage (encore run by audience demand) after extended 2018 runs at Arena Stage and TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, and sold-out shows with the Guthrie Theater, Pasadena Playhouse, Portland Center Stage, ACT Seattle, and PlayMakers Rep. Hold These Truths was recently aired on TV in Philadelphia’s local PBS station, WHYY TV, in a filmed performance produced by People’s Light and Theatre., and is available internationally as a radio play, produced by L.A. Theatre Works. The play, winning rave reviews from The New Yorker, New York Times, and other AP critics, has also been produced in recent years at Perseverance Theatre, Honolulu Theatre for Youth (Daniel Dae Kim, co-producer), Terra Nova Collective, Silk Road Rising, Coachella Valley Rep, Plays and Players, and New Century Theatre. There have been more than 20 productions to date. Premiering with the East West Players in Los Angeles, and then Off-Broadway with the Epic Theatre Ensemble, the play was workshopped by the Lark Play Development Center and the New York Theatre Workshop, and is inspired by the true story of Japanese American civil rights giant Gordon Hirabayashi, to whom President Obama posthumously awarded in 2012 a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Hold These Truths, now published by Ageloff Books and available on Amazon, is also on display at the Library of Congress Playwrights Archive in the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection in Washington DC, where the Jeanne Sakata Collection was established in July 2011. Jeanne’s latest work, FOR US ALL, a radio play commissioned by LA Theatre Works and inspired by the 1980’s coram nobis legal battle of Fred Korematsu, will be broadcast on radio in 2021.

San Francisco Playhouse Artistic Director Bill English will direct Lauren Yee’s The Song of Summer featuring Riley Cheng, Anne Darragh, Riley Hashimoto, Monica Ho, Jeremy Kahn, and Reggie D. White, the  company’s second in-person production since the coronavirus pandemic began, following Hold These Truths. The show will also be available as an on-demand video stream for audiences to enjoy at home. In-person performances at 450 Post Street will take place July 20 through August 14, 2021, with reduced audience capacity. The on-demand video stream will be available July 24 through August 14, 2021. Click here for tickets and more information.

About San Francisco Playhouse
Founded by Bill English and Susi Damilano in 2003, San Francisco Playhouse has been described by the New York Times as “a company that stages some of the most consistently high-quality work around” and deemed “ever adventurous” by the Bay Area News Group. Located in the heart of the Union Square Theater District, San Francisco Playhouse is the city’s premier Off-Broadway company, an intimate alternative to the larger more traditional Union Square theater fare. San Francisco Playhouse provides audiences the opportunity to experience professional theater with top-notch actors and world-class design in a setting where they are close to the action. The company has received multiple awards for overall productions, acting, and design, including the SF Weekly Best Theatre Award and the Bay Guardian’s Best Off-Broadway Theatre Award, as well as three consecutive Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards for Best Entire Production in the Bay Area (2016-2018). KQED/NPR recently described the company: “San Francisco Playhouse is one of the few theaters in the Bay Area that has a mission that actually shows up on stage. Artistic director Bill English’s commitment to empathy as a guiding philosophical and aesthetic force is admirable and by living that mission, fascinating things happen onstage.” San Francisco Playhouse is committed to providing a creative home and inspiring environment where actors, directors, writers, designers, and theater lovers converge to create and experience dramatic works that celebrate the human spirit.

Photo Credit: Lia Chang

San Francisco Playhouse

San Francisco Playhouse

San Francisco Playhouse

San Francisco Playhouse

San Francisco Playhouse

A closing night toast to the San Francisco Playhouse run of Jeanne Sakata’s HOLD THESE TRUTHS

A closing night toast to the San Francisco Playhouse run of Jeanne Sakata’s HOLD THESE TRUTHS

San Francisco Playhouse Artistic Director Bill English, Tim Patterson, Playwright Jeanne Sakata

Tim Patterson and his wife, Actress and Playwright Jeanne Sakata

HOLD THESE TRUTHS Playwright Jeanne Sakata, Jomar Tagatac, Director Jeffrey Lo

Jomar Tagatac and Jeffrey Lo

Jomar Tagatac, Jeanne Sakata, Bill English and Jeffrey Lo

Jeanne Sakata, Jomar Tagatac, Jeffrey Lo and Lia Chang. Photo by Tim Patterson

San Francisco Playhouse Artistic Director Bill English

Jomar Tagatac

Jomar Tagatac

Jomar Tagatac

Jomar Tagatac

Jomar Tagatac

Yuto Shinagawa, Marie-Claire Erdynast, Jeanne Sakata, Tim Patterson, Jomar Tagatac, Bill English, Jeffrey Lo, Laura Lorber

Jeff Lamb, Leianne Lamb, Jeanne Sakata and Tim Patterson

Leianne Lamb, Jomar Tagatac, Jeffrey Lo and Jeanne Sakata

Lia Chang, Tim Patterson and Jeanne Sakata

San Francisco Playhouse Artistic Director Bill English will direct Lauren Yee’s The Song of Summer, Jul. 20 -Aug. 14.

The post San Francisco Playhouse Celebrates Closing Night time Of Jeanne Sakata’s HOLD THESE TRUTHS appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

12-18 April: Daily results log for Area Pro, college and amateur baseball and softball teams.

Diamond Beat is the place to find results and updates on baseball and softball action in the area, including coverage of the Seattle Mariners, as well as college baseball and softball.

SUNDAY APRIL 18th

Pro baseball

Mariners 7, Astros 2 – Seattle (10-6) won the three-game series with Houston at T-Mobile Park. The Astros only managed one goal from starter Nick Margevicius in the second inning. Margevicius threw four innings and five relievers threw a no-hit ball. Ty France hit a homer with two runs and Mitch Haniger had a double and triple, as well as three RBIs and two runs.

Seattle will play the Los Angeles Dodgers at home for the next two nights.

College baseball

Pilots 8, Lions 2 – Portland (18-17, 10-5) won the three-game series with a visit to Loyola Marymount. Chad Stevens and Hunter Montgomery met UP; Stevens had scored three hits, two RBIs and three runs. Sam Brown went 4 on 4.

The pilots play in a series of three games on Tuesday at OSU and next weekend in San Francisco.

Beavers 5, Bears 3 – Oregon State (24-10, 10-5 Pac-12) won the three-game series in Cal. Ryan Ober and Garret Forrester each drove in two races. Dylan Beavers met Cal.

The Beavers will host Portland on Tuesday and three games at UC Irvine this weekend.

Ducks 7, Trojans 5 – Oregon (22-8, 8-4 Pac-12) scored four runs in the eighth inning and won the three-game series at USC. Sam Novitske and Gabe Matthews had three hits each; Novitske drove in three runs, Matthews scored three runs.

The ducks are hosting UCLA for three games next.

College softball

Bruins 6, Beavers 0 – Oregon State (15-20, 3-12 Pac-12) only managed two hits. In the three games at UCLA, the Beavers had three hits and were beaten 20-0. Maya Brady returned to UCLA. After 12 days, the Beavers will play four games at Stanford starting April 30th.

Huskies 6, Ducks 1 – Oregon (28-8, 6-6 Pac-12) lost three of four games in Seattle. UWs Gabbie Plain took the lead 23-0. Morganne Flores and Sami Reynolds each faced UW.

Oregon went 3-1 against both UCLA and Washington in the past two weeks. The Ducks will host four games at Stanford this weekend.

SATURDAY 17TH APRIL

Pro baseball

Astros 1, Mariners 0 – Zack Greinke allowed four hits in eight innings, and Ryan Pressly ended when Houston beat Seattle at T-Mobile Park. Taylor Jones’ RBI single in the fourth inning overshadowed the only run of the game. Seattle starter Chris Flexen gave up 10 hits and one run in six innings.

College baseball

Ducks 13, Trojans 4 – Oregon scored four home runs from Anthony Hall, Kenyon Yovan, Jack Scanlon and Gavin Grant; Scanlon and Hall hit 3-run shots. Gabe Matthews, now UO’s all-time leader in hits, had three hits and two RBIs.

Beavers 2, Bears 1 – Ryan Obers single ran in the tie run and then Jacob met Melton on the throw of the game when the State of Oregon caught up in the sixth inning. Cooper Hjerpe allowed three hits in sixth innings, and Jake Mulholland got the save and set the School save record (38, previous Kevin Gunderson record, 37 from 2004-06).

Pilots 9, Lions 1 – Ben Patacsil (two-run shot) and Sam Brown each arrived when Portland defeated Loyola Marymount. Bradley McVay improved to 5-1 on the hill and Jacob Dobmeier allowed a hit in three innings of relief.

College softball

Huskies win 4-2, Ducks 10-1 – At the start, Sami Reynolds from Washington met and Gabbie Plain threw himself to 22-0. Oregon’s Shaye Bowden came home. In the second game, Oregon beat UW in a five-inning game when Rachel Cid returned home and ran four RBis and avenue bunkers in three runs.

Vikings 8, Bengals 4 – Paetynn Lopez hit a Grand Slam home run for Portland State (7-22, 4-8 Big Sky) versus Idaho State.

Bruins 7, Beavers 0 – Megan Faraimo allowed a hit and knocked out 17. The second game of the double header has been canceled.

FRIDAY APRIL 16

Pro baseball

Mariners 6, Astros 5 – Houston led 5-2, but Seattle rallied to win. Ty France was awarded the winning run in the ninth inning at JP Crawford. Evan White had finished the game with a homer from the eighth inning.

College baseball

Trojans 9, Ducks 5 – Tyresse Turner hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning and Ben Ramirez hit a two-run double in the eighth inning as USC rallied against Oregon. Ramirez also tripled in the run.

Oregon State 15, Cal 8 – Jacob Melton had four hits, including a triple and a home run, and six RBIs. Ryan Ober hit a grand slam. The beavers had 19 hits.

Lions 8, Pilots 5 – Loyola Marymount had 16 hits. Briley Knight returned to Portland.

College softball

Huskies 8, Ducks 0 – Oregon lost their fourth game in a row. The ducks managed just two hits ahead of Gabbie Plain (21-0), who scored the 12th goal. Baylee Klinger and Sami Reynolds met UW.

Bruins 7, Beavers 0 – Rachel Garcia threw a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts against the State of Oregon. The Bruins had 14 hits, including a homer from Aaliyah Jordan.

Pilots win 8-0, Bengals win 3-2 – Portland State and Idaho State share a double header. Oiivia Gray from the PSU only allowed two hits in the opener. Angelica Cano faced ISU in the second game.

THURSDAY APRIL 15th

Pro baseball

Mariners win 4-2, 2-1 – Seattle went 5-2 on its road trip and culminated in a double header in Baltimore. Mitch Haniger scored in both games, including a two-run shot that connected the prelude. JP Crawford’s double with two runs in the sixth inning gave the Mariners the lead. Marco Gonzales allowed only three hits in the opener and a Trey Mancini homer with two runs in five innings. Dylan Moore and Haniger faced starter Justin Dunn in the second game, who allowed two hits in five innings.

The Mariners will play three games against Houston and then two against the Los Angeles Dodgers at T-Mobile Park starting Friday night.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 14th

College baseball

Ducks 18, Pilots 1 – Oregon attended the University of Portland and beat the pilots. Josh Kasevich went 5v6 with six RBIs and four runs scored. The ducks had 21 hits. Gabe Matthews had two hits, connecting JJ Altobelli (2010-13) to the all-time UO hit mark (211). Matthews has played in 200 games; Altobelli played 229.

TUESDAY APRIL 13th

Pro baseball

Mariners win 4-3, Orioles 7-6 – In a double header, the Mariners took the first game after Monday game postponed due to weather conditions when Ty France and Tom Murphy returned home and Kyle Seager scored an RBI double in the top of the eighth inning . Ramon Urias returned to the Orioles.

Then Urias overtook the winning run for Baltimore in the seventh inning of the second game. Maikal Franco had three RBIs for the Orioles. Jose Marmolejos (3-Run Homer) and Sam Haggerty (2 Run Run) each faced the Mariners.

College baseball

Huskies 6, Pilots 4 – In an out-of-league game at the University of Portland, the Pilots scored three runs in the ninth inning to close it but failed to break the deficit. Portland’s Ty Saunders had three hits, including a triple and a home run. UP plays Oregon at home at 2pm on Wednesday.

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