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.
Once famous throughout the league as a haven for misfits and rejects looking to resurrect their careers, the Raiders have for the last decade or more made an art from out of epically wrong personnel decisions.
A jury decided it wasn' t just Hotel Isabel that was full of this.
Nathaniel Galloway was accused of brandishing a knife, threatening motel staff, and pepper spraying a fellow tenant at Hotel Isabel on Mission Street. He had done so, prosecutors said, because he was upset about feces in the common areas and urine in the elevator of the hotel he lived in.
But after a two week trial in which a jury viewed a video of the incident, they deliberated for nine hours and exonerated Galloway. It seemed there was nothing in the video suggesting Galloway committed the crimes. He merely seemed upset about piss and shit in his home, which is not illegal.
Galloway hasn't been the only one to notice that his hotel occasionally has
human excrement on display. During the trial, a hotel janitor testified
that it wasn't abnormal to find feces around the hotel.
The resolution was in keeping with San Francisco's tradition of Walter Mittyish shouts to the wind, in which our city fathers imagine themselves grand arbiters of international affairs. Usually these resolutions disperse into the air like urine ejected from a jumbo jet lavatory.
However, the government of Mexico felt this one to be so egregious as to warrant fact-checking. As it happens there was no privatization. The government transferred Luz y Fuerza del Centro to a much larger power utility called the Comision Federal de Electricidad -- which is, you guessed it, also government-run.
PostedByLauren Smiley
on Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 3:45 PM
Cara Cameron modeling at a photoshoot
A recent San Francisco State graduate and part-time model, 24-year-old Cara Cameron, alleges that she was raped while traveling in Peru earlier this month. She has now returned to the Bay Area while her case weaves its way through the Peruvian courts.
Cameron had been traveling for five months on a post-graduation backpacking tour through South America to write a book. On her blog, she writes, "My greatest fear in life is not having any good stories. I may admit to instigating events that could lead to good stories." But Cameron says there was nothing staged about what ensued after landing in Iquitos, Peru, in late January.
Cameron claims that she had been rebuking the sexual advances of Victor Hugo Escobar Naro, a 23-year-old freelance tour guide for Iquitos-based Amazon Adventure Expedition, during a five-day expedition into the Amazon jungle. (A local Web site has a complete account of Cameron's version.) When they got back to Iquitos, Cameron and her traveling companion, Jane Kathrein, were staying together in the same hotel as Escobar and another male tour guide. Cameron alleges that Escobar sneaked into their room while she was asleep in the early hours of Feb. 2, and she awoke to find him penetrating her, at which point she maced him in the face. Kathrein ran for the police, while Cameron barred Escobar from exiting the hotel, elbowing him in the face as he tried to flee before the police arrived, she says.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 1:20 PM
Barry Zito is a lot better than you think. Of course, that statement is relative.
My old pal Randy Shaw at BeyondChron and your humble narrator will never be confused for blood brothers -- but we are both U.C. Berkeley alums and longtime San Francisco Giants supporters who have suffered mightily for our sporting allegiances. I agree with Shaw on most of his proclamations about the Bears or Giants -- which is nice, because arguing with Shaw isn't any fun.
But I was a bit puzzled by Shaw's article today, "Giant Delusions on Zito." I can't disagree with Shaw's argument that signing Barry Zito to his massive contract was an unmitigated disaster and the pitcher will never regain his Cy Young form. But I'm confused by the major thesis of Shaw's piece: Because some sports radio yapper said the Giants would be a lock to win the division if Zito won 15 to 18 games, large numbers of Giants fans must be "delusionally" expecting the pitcher to rebound and have a career year.
In response:
People on sports radio say stupid things. Every day. Every hour. That's what they do.
That being said, it's not "delusional" to say the Giants will easily take the west if Zito wins 15 to 18 games; that's undeniably true. It's just a hyperbole -- because no one in his right mind thinks Zito will win 15 to 18 games. Which leads me to...
Where are these battalions of Giants fans predicting Zito will turn everything around this year and pitch stellar games? Do you know anyone who thinks this?
PostedByLois Beckett
on Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 10:45 AM
The future of journalism metaphors?
Last week, I brought Panorama with me on my morning commute. It was raining, and I was carrying more than 3 pounds of San Francisco literary history: huge, smooth-as-polyester broadsheet pages, gorgeous graphics, 350,000 brilliantly edited words. I thought I would read it on the train.
But it was crowded, and I couldn't unfold the gargantuan pages without elbowing the woman sitting next to me. Instead, I fretted about accidentally crumpling the cover page and damaging its historic resale value.
I got through exactly half of one article, Tom Barbash's profile of San Francisco 49ers president Jed York, which I had shuffled to the top of the stack. Then I gave up. With 10 sections of print innovation on my lap, I got out my smart phone and read the news on Twitter.
Most media people I know are really peeved about the hype surrounding Panorama. Part of this is because Dave Eggers has been lecturing about the future of news as if his homage to the Sunday paper were a crucial step in the evolution of journalism, rather than "an anthology printed on newsprint," as one erudite SF Weekly commenter put it last week.
Following a hearing of the SFPD's Vicious and Dangerous Animals Unit earlier this month -- a proceeding better known as "dog court" -- Herndon says that pooches Frank and Tundra, identified as having swarmed around Cope prior to the alleged attack, have not been deemed vicious and dangerous.
Other off-leash dogs were involved as well, but police investigators were not able to find them, Herndon said. The exact circumstances of how Cope sustained a 10-inch gash to her leg remain a mystery, though police, Cope, and Cope's doctor have said the wound was caused by a dog bite.
1. Did you know the winner of NASCAR's Daytona 500 was given a hero's welcome in San Francisco this week? Of course you didn't. By the way -- who won the Daytona 500?
A. Tony Stewart B. Jamie McMurray C. Cale Yarborough D. Bo Duke
2. Where have hundreds of children forbidden from entering UCSF hospital due to concerns over Swine Flu been forced to wait?
A. Child care centers B. In the geriatric facility C. In the cafeteria D. On Muni
The man killed by a car careening through North Beach after its driver and passenger allegedly fired off rounds near a strip club was identified by the city's Medical Examiner as 21-year-old San Franciscan Luis Prieto.
Prieto was crossing the street at Vallejo and Columbus at around 2 a.m. when he was struck, allegedly by the suspects' silver Nissan, and sent sailing some 70 to 100 feet. He died at the scene.
The significantly damaged car left the scene and drove to Mason and Lombard. The driver and passengers attempted to flee on foot, but were arrested, police told the media. Guns were recovered on the suspects and in the vehicle.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 7:30 AM
What can the city afford to cut?
Monday, Feb. 22 is a big day on the city's calendar. That's when city departments are required to submit their initial budgets -- and, this year, Mayor Gavin Newsom has asked for 20 percent cuts from their general fund allotments.
"There will be departments submitting budgets to us [with the cuts] and there will be departments saying 'here's some low-hanging fruit,'" he says. In other words, some departments are talking about theoretical cuts, but not actually cutting. "The work is left for us," says Wagner, shifting his grin from wan to wry. "They want us to think about what to take."
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.'"
