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.
When day drinkers just could not stop pissing along the train tracks at Dolores Park, where every weekend tons of revelers gather to partake in booze and other inebriants, the city came up with a great idea to make public urination acceptable: install an outdoor urinal.
Making the less-traditional transition from brick-and-mortar to mobile pop-up, A16 is finally offering its hearty Monday meatballs and signature wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas without the inconvenience of needing to book a table.
PostedByMatt Smith
on Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 5:15 PM
The California Public Utilities Commission's San Francisco headquarters is among 11 state buildings that will soon be owned by a consortium made up of investment groups hailing from Houston, Los Angeles and Mumbai, the state Department of General Services Reported today.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 4:30 PM
The spectacle of a jet screeching over one's domicile can be terrifying. And human beings, ostensibly, can rationalize, "oh, it's a jet." Your dogs and cats cannot. Therefore, they go on the carpet.
So, does Fleet Week lead to a bonanza for San Francisco carpet cleaners? We asked a few.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 1:59 PM
John Yoo weighs in on whether Giants baseball is, indeed, torture
With a win this afternoon in Atlanta, the San Francisco Giants can actually succeed without making life as difficult as it possibly can be -- a step back from their well-worn motto, Giants Baseball: Torture.
While this low-scoring, high-pressure team is often as enjoyable to watch as drivers' ed videos, does Giants baseball indeed constitute torture? Torture, after all, is notoriously difficult to define.
PostedByPeter Jamison
on Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 1:30 PM
Tea Party candidate Christine O'Donnell: "I'm not a witch"
A new Harris Poll indicates that Democrats are gaining ground ahead of the November mid-term elections, and that the assortment of right-wing extremists who call themselves the "Tea Party" have something to do with this last-minute success.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 1:11 PM
Reports now point to the wife of Jerry Brown as the voice on a recording calling Meg Whitman a "whore" for cutting a deal with police unions to exempt their massive pensions from her so-called pension reform plan.
Mark it zero, dude: In 2010, it's news when a candidate's wife uses the term "whore" to describe a politician selling out her ideals for material gain. That, by the way, is the dictionary definition of the term "whore" -- though admittedly not the first definition. Your humble narrator much prefers the name-calling style of yesteryear, when candidates insulted one-another's parentage in the coarsest possible manner. It was crude and it was despicable -- but at least it was each candidate going on the record with his thoughts.
So far, according to police spokesman Sergeant Mike Andreychak, no squatters have been arrested. Cops have, however, encountered "blockades and obstacles" as they go through the five-story hotel room by room. What manner of obstacle course cops have encountered in the 68-room hotel has not been disclosed.
PostedByLauren Smiley
on Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 11:02 AM
Yasir Afifi, a 20-year-old college student from Santa Clara, was surprised to discover a GPS tracking device on his car a week ago during an oil change. We can bet he was even more surprised when, after a friend posted photos of the device on Reddit.com, FBI agents showed up to claim it back. The FBI's San Francisco office didn't immediately return calls Monday.
Afifi is the son of a Bay Area community leader, according to a release from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Santa Clara, which is representing him. CAIR indicates that the FBI had no evidence of wrongdoing by Afifi, who is a business marketing student at Mission College in Santa Clara, according to reports. Still, after the device was outed online, "San Jose-based FBI agents" visited Afifi at his Santa Clara apartment complex to ask for the device back, Afifi says.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 8:45 AM
We believe! We believe!
After being catapulted back into relevance by The Sopranos' finale, Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" was soon adopted by the Los Angeles Dodgers as a late-inning rally song.
Hilariously, it turns out Journey singer Steve Perry is a Giants fan -- and he hated this. "I really wish we'd have hijacked it first. I think the song is about hope and power, and it's working for them, damn it," he told the Chronicle.
Well, in a way, the Giants have finally "hijacked" the song. But not a version Perry may enjoy. This version mentions a Rally Thong, after all.
"PRICE REDUCTION, MOTIVATED SELLER," reads this web page hawking the 68-room hotel, which has stood vacant for around two years. Police remain outside the hotel as an unknown number of people remain within. Calls to the SFPD have not yet been returned.
Cleve Jones won't be here in San Francisco to recruit you
Iowa isn't the worst place to be for National Coming Out Day. Gay marriage is legal there, after all. That's just one of many reasons no one will confuse Iowa for San Francisco anytime soon. And instead of appearing today at a political event he was scheduled to headline, former Harvey Milk lieutenant Cleve Jones is, we're told, cooling his heels in the Tall Corn State.
An event cleverly titled "Cleve Jones Comes Out -- For Debra Walker and Rafael Mandelman" was slated for today at City Hall. That won't happen, says Mandelman's campaign manager, Stephanie Ashley, as Jones "wasn't able to get on his plane. He's stuck in Iowa."
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.'"
