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.
PostedByLauren Smiley
on Mon, Aug 3, 2009 at 5:56 PM
San Francisco Police
Richard Carelli (left) and Michelle Pinkerton remain in custody.
A jury on Monday acquitted the man accused of the first-degree murder of Leonard Milo Hoskins, whose body wasn't discovered for days by the police while it was hidden in an impounded van. The jury deadlocked evenly on whether Richard Carelli, 39, was guilty of second-degree murder, and the case is set for a new trial on August 24.
The housemates got in a fight at their Lamartine Street home in December, 2007. The prosecutor argued that Carelli hit Hoskins with a board, dragged him to
the garage, and suffocated him with a pillow. The public defender
argued that Hoskins was a chronic methamphetamine user
with a history of heart trouble who died of cardiac arrhythmia during the fight. The medical examiner couldn't conclusively rule on the cause of Hoskins' death, the public defender's office said.
"This case came down to scientific evidence, which showed that there was more than a reasonable doubt that my client was responsible for Mr. Hoskins' death," said public defender Rebecca Young in a statement.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Mon, Aug 3, 2009 at 12:59 PM
Lance Williams departs from the Chronicle, on the heels of Seth Rosenfeld, Susan Sward, and -- is that Chuck Finnie?
When it was announced last week that Lance Williams, the last man standing at the San Francisco Chronicle's investigative division, had resigned from the paper, you didn't need to be an investigative journalist to know that the Chron wasn't going to start filling its pages with ads seeking the next big-name member of its I-team.
The notion of reporters meticulously sifting through public records and filing 10 or 12 stories a year is no longer tenable at many daily papers -- especially ones like the Chron, which, before its most recent round of layoffs and buyouts, was reportedly losing a million bucks a week. Chronicle deputy managing editor Steven Proctor told SF Weekly that there will be no replacement for Williams. There will be no investigative team at the Chronicle. And, yes, this is a financial decision.
San Francisco, a city quite accustomed to ostentatious displays of affection, this past week has played host to one so shocking that locals have felt compelled to look the other way.
We're talking about the love-fest between the left-wing intelligentsia at The New Yorker magazine, and Michael Savage, the San Francisco-based shock jock with the eclectically hateful right-wing shtick.
If things continue proceeding in this direction, we're concerned that things may return to what passed for normal during the 1970s when Savage honed his polemicist's craft by writing homoerotic mash letters to beat poet Allen Ginsberg.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Mon, Aug 3, 2009 at 8:30 AM
Tom Tracy
The leader of the Pack ... er, the 49ers
Last week we reported that Steve Mahoney, a Department of Public Works steam-cleaner and motorcycle enthusiast, was stoked to be tentatively named the team's new on-field leader. All that was between Mahoney and a gig leading the 49ers onto the field on his custom Harley-Davidson was a driving test. Could Candlestick Park's notoriously boggy conditions handle a man revving his chopper?
Thankfully for Mahoney, the answer is yes. He told SF Weekly that, despite a bad case of food poisoning, he aced his final audition -- "They loved the bike." So, if you're lucky enough to have opening day tickets for September 20 vs. the Seattle Seahawks -- that'll be Mahoney on the gold Harley emblazoned with an old-school 49ers logo.When asked what he'll be wearing he said that is yet to be determined. And when asked how, logistically, this is going to work, he said he won't know until he scouts out the field on the August 22 preseason game vs. Oakland to figure out where the Point A and Point B are for his motorcycle journey.
Wow -- stock trading guides, ghastly stuffed animals, clothing, bottles of unidentifiable liquid ... looks like the SF Weekly box is good for more than just providing you with a paper. Who knows? Maybe it's a vanishing cabinet. God help the person putting this crap in the box at the other end.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Mon, Aug 3, 2009 at 6:30 AM
In a lawsuit that redefines the phrases "toxic assets" and "burning through money," Wells Fargo was last week sued in San Francisco federal court. The bank is accused of first allowing noxious chemicals to seep out of lumber equipment it was in the process of selling off in Mendocino County before inadvertently sparking a massive conflagration. The fire not only consumed the equipment -- it burned through large quantities of truly nasty materials on site.
The lumber equipment had been seized by the bank after the Harwood Investment Company declared bankruptcy while still owing Wells millions. Wells may know its way around stagecoaches, but lumber equipment seems to be a challenge yet. The bank and its agent, Rabin Worldwide, Inc., are accused of punching a hole in a wall on the Branscomb, Calif. facility that allowed the free flow of propiconazole into the ground -- as well as freely dumping water mixed with phosphoric acid.
But contaminated water isn't as bad as contaminated fire. On January 29, an errant spark incurred while dismantling the lumber equipment burned the facility to a crisp -- and also managed to immolate the chemical storage area (that's never good). Phosphoric acid, fungicides, naphthalene, benzine, zylene, gear oil, hydraulic oil, and lubricating oil all went up in smoke. But wait -- it gets worse.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Mon, Aug 3, 2009 at 12:01 AM
No use hiding it, Nancy! We know your secret!
A blustery Friday release from the National Republican Congressional Committee accused Rep. Nancy Pelosi of playing hardball politics to wrest Treasure Island away from the Navy. No surprise there -- that's not the first we've heard of that. But the Republicans' rationale did strike us as odd: The committee accuses Pelosi of directing federal funds to her hometown to benefit her nephew -- her "nephew" being Mayor Gavin Newsom.
Say what? The release -- which also uses the term "last Wednesday" to describe a meeting that took place in 2004, appears to have been removed from the NRCC's site. Here it is below:
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.'"
