Blue whales are the largest animals ever to live on earth- bigger than dinos, even. These enormous creatures live on krill, tiny shrimp like critters. Right now the bay is full of krill so it's very possible to see a Blue whale in the flesh.

Blue Whale, Long Marine Lab, Santa Cruz, CA

Not all of the animals at Long Marine Lab are skeletal. Some very lively dolphins, an otter, and the world's only trained elephant seal also live there. Scientists are studying what life undersea is like for these animals and how human activity effects them. Join us on October 20 for a peek inside the Long Marine Lab.

Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, The Cat in the Hat and KQED CEO, John Boland

This morning KQED hosted families and friends at one of the first screenings of the newest PBS KIDS series: The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! KQED was Proud to Honor Congresswoman Anna Eshoo for her committed service to children’s issues and public media.

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! is for preschoolers and features the voice of Martin Short as the Cat. Science literacy has been labeled as a top priority for education, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! will give children and parents the tools needed for scientific exploration and discovery. KQED Public Media is the national presenting station for The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!

Prior to the screening, KQED’s president and CEO, John Boland, and KCSM’s General Manager, Marilyn Lawrence, honored Congresswoman Anna Eshoo. Ms. Eshoo has been a tireless defender of public media and children’s issues and is the recipient of the 2010 Association of Public Television Stations’ Champion of Public Broadcasting Award. The award is given to members of Congress and other individuals who have had a tremendous impact on the ability of local public television stations to meet the most critical needs of the communities they serve.

KQED's Suzanne Romaine with The Cat in the Hat & friends

This morning KQED launched the new Cat in the Hat series at the PBS Annual Meeting in Austin, TX. The series will begin on KTEH September 6th and teaches science as only The Cat ( Martin Short) can. His Zany assistants Things 1 and 2 add to the fun.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 greet guests at their breakfast event in Austin, TX

I had the fun of escorting Thing 2 through all his photo ops with PBS luminaries.

Sr. Producer, John Gregg inspects a Lamborghini

Forget about Botticelli, Caravaggio or Modigliani. Here’s an Italian masterpiece that hits about 208 miles per hour – a dream come true for only $375 grand!

On a budget? John talked with a DYI mechanic who bought a car kit for the bargain price of $15K. After three years of working alone in his garage, he wound up with a 427 Cobra. If you feel the need for speed, you can commune with the ghost of Steve McQueen and still have a little left for the college fund with this ”paint by numbers” vision.

However, if you're the essence cool and want to travel in style… well, then there’s nothing better a 1953 Cadillac Eldorado convertible. Elegance and horsepower made the ‘53 Caddy one of the coolest rides at the Pacific Coast Dream Machines. John got to sit behind the wheel of, legendary designer, Harley Earl’s finest creation. As soon as we can get John out of the car and back to his desk, he’ll write a piece about the event for KTEH then you will see the “Dream Machines” and meet the men who built them. Stay tuned!

Antiques Roadshow Fans Show off Their Treasures

KTEH and KQED audience members were treated to a spectacle and a once-in-a-lifetime look behind the scenes of the show. In addition to having their items appraised, everyone learned a bit about what it takes to make great television as they watched camera persons find the best angles, producers running with headsets, and more than 100 volunteers working hard and fast to assure everyone a great experience. Although the lines could seem long but time passed easily as everyone got to meet other fans of the shows and other collectors like themselves.

Appraisers found a few 6-figure items and some genuine clunkers. Many people enjoyed showing off their wares by having a photo taken at the KTEH/KQED photo booth. You can view many of these treasures online. Don’t miss Antiques Roadshow – San Jose Edition. The three-part series will air on KTEH on Thursdays at 9pm, beginning May 13.

KTEH has tried several times to find a solution to keep EastEnders on the air, including adjusting its airtime to not compete with Pledge periods, as well as Pledging the program, itself. These efforts were not successful and the public did not support this program through the fundraising plea.

While we regret the end of any program, we know that our loyal audiences will continue to seek out the quality programming that we have to offer on KTEH.

You can meet more characters from San Jose's early days,

Alan Greenberg and his Model T

Videographer, Steve Kern Captures the Action at Golden Gate Fields

Local athletes shine this time around on This is Us, as we profile San Jose Sharks star center and current Canadian Olympic hockey player, Joe Thornton. You'll also get the chance to lace up the gloves and meet Gilroy’s two-time world champion boxer Robert “Ghost” Guerrero. And setting up a perfect trifecta is thoroughbred horse racing's all-time winning jockey Russell Baze.

The Golden Gate Fields star rider has a shot for the first Saturday in May and the Kentucky Derby aboard the recent El Camino Real Derby winner, Connemara. Hold on to the winning ticket and join us another episode of This Is Us. In case you are on the bench, you can see it again on Saturday 2/27 at 1:30 p.m.

Betty Soskin, U.S. Park Service Ranger

Last night This is Us presented the remarkable stories of 4 local African-Americans from the deck of the USS Hornet. Featured on the program were Tuskegee Airman, Les Williams; U.S. Park Ranger, Betty Soskin and Sudanese refugees, Simon Deng and Peter Nyok.

There was also lot's of Hornet history from COO & Education officer, Pete Sutherland who
showed viewers the historic aircraft and spacecraft housed there including an Apollo space capsule.

If you missed it last night, you can see it on Saturday 2/6 at 1:30 p.m. or on Sunday 2/7 at 5:30 p.m.

Also on the show, local diva, Irene Dalis; ballerina, Karen Gabay and P.J. and Roy Hirabayashi of San Jose Taiko.

Here's a clip of Susanna at work - not with a torch, though. For that you have to watch tonight at 6:30 PM, channel 54 or Comcast 10.