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.
We've all had that day: the one where you accidentally hit "Reply All" on an email intended for one or get rear-ended as you're backing out of the veterinary clinic where you've just spent your life savings to find out that the results on your cat's blood work are "inconclusive."
Politics
How the Tea Party Is Screwing Over Republicans
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.
Among all U.S. adults registered to vote in races where a Tea Party
candidate is running, 43 percent say they would support a Democratic
candidate, compared to 30 percent who would support a Republican
candidate and 9 percent who would back a Tea Party candidate. Assuming
that Republicans and Tea Partiers end up voting for the same person --
that is, that the Tea Party candidate is also the Republican nominee --
this leaves the Dems with a 4-point edge.
The outlandish beliefs espoused by the Tea Party's standard-bearers in prominent elections could be pushing voters towards the Democrats, according to Harris Poll founder Louis Harris, who offered these remarks in a column published online:
Hoping to revive the 2008 Democratic base became a major occupation of Democrat strategies. None of these retreat strategies seemed to work and the general Congressional vote showed double digit leads for the Republicans into early September. And, at the same time, the Tea party movement got bolder by the minute. They began to win primaries for U.S. Senate and Governor seats. Most Republican leaders thought the Tea Party organization would happily integrate its winning efforts into a new and revitalized Republican Party.
One specific example shows how this did not work. Early in September, the victorious Tea Party candidates demonstrated openly who they really were. They turned out to be a brand new breed of public figures, who unfortunately for them, were symbolized by the Tea Party upset of moderate Mike Castle in Delaware by a Tea party candidate Christine O'Donnell.
O'Donnell, you will recall, is the Tea Party poster girl and self-professed witch -- really -- who has managed to clinch the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Delaware. Her latest television spots offer the surreal experience of candidate O'Donnell denying her penchant for the Dark Arts, asserting, "I'm not a witch ... I"m you." (See video above.) Sort of makes you long for the days when prominent Republican politicians only had to aver that they weren't crooks.
Intergalactic warlord Xenu: The original Tea Partier?
Or Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul, who believes that a sinister -- and entirely fictitious -- "NAFTA Superhighway" is being constructed to help speed the unholy merger of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico into one nation.
Whatever these bizarre figures portend for the future of American political culture, their immediate effect, as the Harris Poll suggests, could be to drive moderates from the Republican fold.
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.'"
