When the ancient Polynesians invented surfing, they often used a paddle to help them navigate. Fast-forward a few millennia, and Stand-Up Paddleboarding, or SUP, finds itself trendy again. Part of its increasing popularity is that standing upright allows surfers to spot waves more easily and thus catch more of them, multiplying the fun factor. Paddling back to the wave becomes less of a strain as well. The ability to cruise along on flat inland water, surveying the sights, is another advantage. Finally, it’s a good core workout. If you’re sold on the idea, schedule an intro SUP lesson, free with board and paddle rental, and you may find yourself riding the waves like a Polynesian king.More
Many of us remember coming home from our elementary schools with freshly glazed pinchpots, cups, or whatever else our young imaginations could conjure up. Saturday mornings at the Randall Museum can bring that memory back, or create a new one for the youngsters. Ceramics make great gifts — especially on Mothers' and Fathers' Day. Hop on board for the Randall's once-weekly class, and for $6 and two weeks to have your work fired and glazed, you'll have all the materials you need.More
December is almost over - the New Year is coming up and everyone is busy drying off from the rain or holiday shopping. Let's take a look at what's happened this month.
Of all the pizzas made in North Beach, perhaps none are made as fondly (or with as much flair) as those of pizza maestro Tony Gemignani, owner of Tony's Pizza Napoletana and recent top dog of the World Pizza Championships in Italy.
Glancing up and down the list of names, most of the Bay Area's members of the Progressive Caucus were accounted for -- but not all of them. Starkly absent were Pete Stark (D-Fremont) and George Miller (D-Concord).
Was this an oversight? Or are the Congressmen simply playing this one close to the vest? Do they even wear vests? We called their Washington, D.C. offices to find out.
PostedByLauren Smiley
on Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 1:59 PM
No one is allowed in to see the hi-jinks of the old boys club inside the Bohemian Grove, but we certainly can see the oddities going on outside of it, thanks to these photos on NorCalTruth.org.
The rich and powerful of the WASPy Bohemian Club reported for aging frat boy duty last weekend to the Bohemian Grove in Sonoma County. The San Francisco-based club's annual gathering pulls in the likes of Henry Kissinger, George H.W. Bush, and Jimmy Buffett to frolic amid the redwoods each July, to get back to nature, and behave like Men.
The events can get a little strange, like the fabled "Cremation of Care" ceremony in which a human in effigy is burned at the foot of a giant owl. Fight fire with fire, I guess -- because it seems the dudes who showed up to protest it this year are just as weird.
As posted on IndyBay and NorCalTruth.org, the 9-11 conspiracy theorist protesters arrived wearing orange jumpsuits and black hoods, and held stress positions "in solidarity with victims of the fraudulent War on Terror."
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 12:30 PM
Beware fare-evaders everywhere!
Stating that fare evasion is rampant on Muni is akin to noting that the weather in San Francisco is sometimes hot, sometimes cold, and usually in-between. It's a statement of fact -- and there's little anyone can do about it.
So forgive us for not thinking "Muni's fare-evasion problem is over!" after reading today's Chronicle article detailing Ford's remarkably vague declarations. The story noted that teams of Muni workers have been riding the rails and visiting stations to assess how effectively fares are being collected; 35,000 observations have been recorded and "the findings will help develop the new attack plan." Wow! That sounds aggressive -- but when we called Muni Spokesman Judson True to ask him just what the thousands of observations have been observing and what this so-called "attack plan" might be, he had no answers.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 8:30 AM
Last month, we reported on a Mark Leno bill introduced simultaneously in the Assembly and Senate -- a "joint resolution." The moniker was especially fitting, however, because the resolution supported medical Marijuana users, and called for an end to the federal crackdown on dispensaries.
Well, when state legislators finished up any chuckles about the double-entendre, they went ahead and voted for it. The California Senate Health Committee approved Leno's resolution, 7-3, late Wednesday. It next moves on to the Judiciary Committee -- a date has not yet been set -- and, if successful, the full senate and then the assembly.
As this is a non-binding resolution, Gov. Arnold "Arnold Is Numero Uno" Schwarzenegger's signature is not required.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 7:30 AM
But who's counting, Mr. Mayor?
The other day, the San Francisco Chroniclenoted that Mayor Gavin Newsom doesn't seem to be using Earth-years to calculate his government tenure. He's been helping to rule this city since 1996, but has been repeatedly prefacing his statements of late with the qualifier "In my 15 years" at City Hall.
That wasn't the biggest Newsom fabrication in that article, however. Regarding Supervisor Chris Daly's proposed charter amendment to keep the mayor from arbitrarily overriding the repeatedly expressed will of at least eight supes, Newsom put it this way: "It could walk us right off a financial cliff."
That isn't just misleading but dishonest. We give both Newsom and Daly plenty of lumps on this page, but this is a case in which Daly is in the right and Newsom is clearly using a particularly anti-democratic loophole in the city charter to tweak the wishes of a supermajority of the board of supes. In fact, one could argue that the mayor's statement is every bit as disingenuous as his claim of "15 years" of work in government. Here's why:
On July 13, a class-action lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles against J.C. Penney and Levi's concerning the pants company's subsidiary, Dockers. The plaintiffs claim harks to a 2007 cross promotion in which customers who bought $125 worth of Dockers at Penney's during Father's Day week would supposedly be given a voucher for a round-trip airplane flight. Those with a need to pun could call this a seat-of-your-pants giveaway -- sorry -- but the plaintiffs indeed allege it to be so.
"Many consumers throughout the United States ... paid Defendants $125 for both Dockers clothing and the roundtrip flight that Defendants offered," quotes the suit. "Unfortunately for these consumers, in almost all cases Defendants either: (1) outright refused to respond to attempts to redeem the 'free' travel offer; (2) obstructed the redemmption with bogus excuses not contemplated by the Promotion's Terms and Conditions; and/or (3) charged valid purchasers undisclosed, unauthorized fees to actually collect the 'free' travel."
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 12:01 AM
A long-publicized softball game between members of the San Francisco Police Department's Ingleside Station and members of the Visitacion Valley community struck us as a fun idea -- but one that could have unintended consequences. After all, you have folks start taking on the armed authority figures tasked to enforce society's norms in a sporting contest and, before too long, someone will see fit to remake one of the few great Burt Reynolds movies as an Adam Sandler vehicle.
That didn't happen on Tuesday (thank God). What did happen, unfortunately, is only six souls from Viz Valley deigned to show up and tangle with the cops (most recreational softball teams feature 10 players -- you'd think you could field a softball minyan in all Viz Valley!).
Ingleside's Captain David Lazar said that the six athletes were drafted onto mixed teams -- which, when you think about it, might have been a better method of fostering community relations than having cops and civilians duke it out on the diamond.
Sub Pop recording artists 'clipping.' brought their brand of noise-driven experimental hip hop to the closing night of 2016's San Francisco Electronic Music Fest this past Sunday. The packed Brava Theater hosted an initially seated crowd that ended the night jumping and dancing against the front of the stage. The trio performed a set focused on their recently released Sci-Fi Horror concept album, 'Splendor & Misery', then delved into their dancier and more aggressive back catalogue, and recent single 'Wriggle'.
Opening performances included local experimental electronic duo 'Tujurikkuja' and computer music artist 'Madalyn Merkey.'"
