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
In the past 30 years, light artists have reimagined an art form that has always had the ability to turn the night sky, or a simple window, into luminescence. Last fall, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts turned its southern glass wall into a parade of sound-sensing lights, Lightswarm, that changes with the movements of nearby people and things. Future Cities Lab, the San Francisco design company behind Lightswarm, has originated another notable light sculpture. Located by the YBCA's steps at 701 Mission, Murmur Wall will light up in arresting ways as it incorporates local trending search engine results and social media postings. Onlookers can offer their own contributions, which will feed into the Murmur Wall's data stream and light up the sculpture. What's trending in San Francisco? If you're walking by the YBCA, you can see firsthand — at least through light patterns that reflect the city's volatile internet habits.
Murmur Wall debuts Thursday at 6 p.m. and continues through May 31, 2017, at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St., S.F. Free; 415-978-2700 or ybca.org. 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.
In an industry where pretense and perfection often take precedence over people, it's refreshing to find a coffee shop that cares about relationships as much as it does roasting.
With neighborhood institutions like the 21 Club closing to make way for yuppie cocktail bars, Brown Jug remains an oasis — and one that takes full advantage of the state's operating hours window, 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.
Ramirez had murdered four people and attacked four others in July 1985. He started off August by attacking a couple in Northridge on August 6. He then killed Elyas Abowath, 31, and repeatedly sodomized Sakina Abowath, 27, in the couples' Diamond Bar home two days later. Fearing that the Southern California media had raised too much awareness of him, Ramirez struck north in search of new hunting grounds.
"The people we get here I would call third-class types," Bristol Hotel manager Alex Melnikov told the San Francisco Chronicle in 1985. "About 70 percent are on dope. I don't ask a lot of questions."
Ramirez left his room smelling like skunk and drew a pentagram on the bathroom door that police later removed as evidence.
On August 15, Ramirez burgled some jewelry out of a house on Baker Street in the Marina. No one was home in the main house that night, but Ramirez also tried to enter the house's in-law unit where Rose Marie Ovian, 22, slept.
"He tried to get in my sliding glass door, because the screen was moved," Ovian, a relative of the burglary victim, later told the Chron.
click to enlarge
Richard Ramirez.
Three days later, the serial killer spread the terror to the Lake Merced area when he broke into the home of Peter Pan, 69, and his wife, Barbara Pan, 64. Ramirez shot Peter in the head, killing him, and then shot Barbara and beat her savagely, leaving her for dead.
The couple's son, David Pan, found his parents the next day after stopping by for a morning visit. The son had to force the door open to gain entry.
On Aug. 20, 1985, the Chron reported that the Pans might have been mistaken for the winners of a $1 million jackpot from playing slots in Tahoe. Two days later, Bay Area residents realized that the attack on the Pans was no ordinary botched robbery when the SFPD issued a statement saying that the same killer who'd been prowling the LA exurbs was also a suspect in the Pan murder.
The statement read, "Because of certain similarities between a murder case in this city and the recent serial murders in the Los Angeles area, investigators from both jurisdictions had a meeting to determine if the cases were related.''
The statement want on to mention that police patrols had been "increased in certain San Francisco areas.''
After Ramirez's San Francisco homicide, the ever-sensational scribes at the now-defunct Los Angeles Herald Examiner decided that calling this then-unknown criminal "The Valley Intruder" just wasn't going to cut it anymore. The killer had gone statewide.
After nixing names based on his preferred mode of entry such as "The Screen-door Intruder," the Herald Examiner's editorial board decided to dub him "The Night Stalker" even though there was no evidence that Ramirez actually stalked his human prey. Although easy-entry into homes appeared to be how the suspect selected his victims, the paper called him "The Night Stalker" in its very next edition, and the moniker stuck.
The Night Stalker was born.
To be continued: Next week, learn how Dianne Feinstein almost ruined the Night Stalker investigation.
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.'"
