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.
PostedByPeter Jamison
on Thu, Sep 2, 2010 at 4:59 PM
If you thumbed through yesterday's edition of The New York Times, you may have chanced across a 1,500-word essay on the fashion of San Francisco. It's always fun and a little maddening to see what the Gray Lady makes of Bay Area culture, and this latest offering is worth a read -- if for no other reason than to see what a more literate version of Michael Kors might write after downing a bag of psilocybin mushrooms purchased in the Panhandle.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Thu, Sep 2, 2010 at 3:59 PM
Nyjer Morgan does San Francisco proud...
Whatever you accuse Nyjer Morgan of, you can't say he's boring. He was born in San Francisco, followed a childhood craze for hockey (!) into a career as a young minor-leaguer in backwoods Canadian towns, and, finally, cracked a Major League Baseball roster in 2007. Now he's cracked something else, last night triggering one of the most violent baseball brawls in recent memory -- and getting the worst of it.
After a pitch from the Florida Marlins' Chris Volstad sailed well behind Morgan's back, he charged the mound, landed a glancing blow across the pitcher's cheek, and was then absolutely hammered from the blindside by a flying clothesline from Florida first baseman Gaby Sanchez. Fightin' and a-cussin' between the Marlins and Washington Nationals ensued. To top it off, Morgan probably didn't make any friends at the league office by behaving like a professional wrestler as he left the field.
PostedByLauren Smiley
on Thu, Sep 2, 2010 at 3:15 PM
No excuses!
People who hate immigrants often hang their rhetorical hat on the argument that immigrants are stealing jobs from and depressing wages for people born here. Yet a new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco blows that theory apart.
Immigrants in the workforce increase the income and job opportunities for U.S.-born workers, who can take on more specialized, communication-based jobs, writes Giovanni Peri, an associate professor at U.C. Davis who is a visiting scholar at the bank.
A 911 call was received at 11:53 this morning that the plane hit a wide section of the lagoon in the Redwood Shores neighborhood, a stone's throw from Oracle headquarters. The plane took off from San Carlos airport and was heading northwest. It crashed very shortly after takeoff.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Thu, Sep 2, 2010 at 12:55 PM
How much did CSU Stanislaus really spend to accommodate Sarah Palin?
Responding to a public records request from SF Weekly, the California State University system has sent along an "event accounting summary" of June's controversial appearance by Sarah Palin at CSU Stanislaus.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Thu, Sep 2, 2010 at 11:59 AM
You won't be seeing anything like this from Nick Kosir on KRON. You may see sunny weather, though.
KRON general manager Brian Greif confirmed to SF Weekly that he has, indeed, hired Nick Kosir, the "Rapping Weatherman." But Kosir will have to find a new nickname -- and won't likely be telling viewers "It's time to rhyme" -- as he will not be rapping on KRON.
"He's been hired. He isn't going to be rapping," says Greif. "What works in his current market may not work in San Francisco. Weather is very serious to us."
Pity: The man who uttered the line "There's a slight chance for rain all over this map/from Lake Charles on over to Anahuac" had inspired us to start an office pool regarding the first time he rhymed "San Francisco" with "Disco."
PostedByMatt Smith
on Thu, Sep 2, 2010 at 11:11 AM
Winston Lum, brooding artist
Jail can be a lonely place. So we weren't surprised that Winston Lum would express gratitude for the hours and days we spent interviewing him while he sat incarcerated at the Hall of Justice for the Aug. 4 feature "Is Winston Lum a Criminal Mastermind or a Patsy?"
A month past deadline, we now learn that headline could have been extended with, "or Is He a Whimsical Illustrator Whose Chosen Medium Is Envelopes?"
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Thu, Sep 2, 2010 at 8:30 AM
Look familiar?
For the first time ever, the San Francisco medical examiner's office has disseminated sketches of a dead person it just can't identify.
"Our goal is to get our Jane and John Does identified. And we've had very few calls on this person," says Alan Pringle, the medical examiner's chief investigator. The woman in question was about 40, stood 5-foot-8, and weighed 129 pounds. She was found in the wee hours of July 16 in the parking lot of the Presidio Inn at 2361 Lombard Street -- and her cause of death, like her identity, has not yet been determined. "We know nothing more about her now than we did then," says Pringle. "That is very little, unfortunately."
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Thu, Sep 2, 2010 at 7:30 AM
When beer trucks lose their load during commute hours, we all lose
Tragedy has enveloped both beer-drinkers and commuters today in the Bay Area. A truck carrying a purported 43,000 pounds of beer has hit an embankment and overturned on Highway 17. Its precious, precious payload is now leaking along the road.
Southbound lanes are blocked, and the beer will have to be offloaded to another truck on scene. San Franciscans attempting to get an early start on Labor Day Weekend plans in Santa Cruz -- which almost certainly involved beer -- have now had their plans dashed, by beer.
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.'"
