The San Francisco Citizen

Here’s what’s up with that - If you operate a television news station in the San Francisco Bay Area, life’s a little easier when you don’t plaster your rolling stock with gaudy graphics.

‘Cause if you put your station name on your vans, then some vandals will come around with a can of spray paint (what’s that? you yourself don’t carry spray paint with on your person at all times?) and write “Fuck The Corporate Media” all over said vans. Thusly.

Circa 2008 - a live remote capable truck on the streets of San Francisco, anonymous and therefore safe from mischief. Click to expand:

(If you don’t believe that, then type in “954 Front” in the San Francisco section of Mapjack. See?)

Of course, “Fuck the Corporate Media” was quite the meme back in 2005. Witness the start of the downward spiral of Josh Wolf (aka “Insurgent,” srsly) that ended up landing him in the hoosegow.

But now, this “legend among journalists” is with the corporate media (or what looks like the corporate media, what with all the ads ’n stuff) himself.

Isn’t it ironic, dont’cha think?

First of all, wait for all the stuff to clear out. Like what? How about Darth Vader-ish sculptures or a Victory Garden with an extended lease?

Then, you just have to straighten out the flagpoles on both sides so that they’re parallel, if you want. This photo here at sfgov.org shows a little distortion if you look for it.  

Here’s an attempt to portray parallel lines as parallel, the way they actually are in real life (more or less). This is the analog approach, which isn’t perfect.

Click to expand:

Or, you can do it in Photoshop with or without a plug-in like PTLens. You can do a more perfect job, but sometimes you end up with an artificial look.

Or, backing away from the building helps a bit, as shown here.

Or, you can just not worry about it.

No biggee.

The case against Crocs shoes is now the conventional wisdom. Don’t they just make you want to scream?

Or maybe that’s the whole idea?

“Tom Wolfe, as famous for his distinctive attire as for his bracing fiction, once explained why he had begun to wear his trademark hand-tailored three piece white suits (worn with a hat and umbrella): “I had a white suit made in 1960, started wearing it in January - and found it annoyed people tremendously.”

“It’s kind of a harmless form of aggression, I guess.”

The Victory Garden at San Francisco’s Civic Center has a new lease on life due to today’s mayoral reprieve:

“Today Mayor Gavin Newsom announced his intention to keep the Slow Food Nation Victory Garden at Civic Center Plaza in place until November. The garden was originally scheduled to be disassembled and moved to a more permanent location on September 21, three weeks after the conclusion of Slow Food Nation.”

Now the whole idea of this garden smacked of Marie Antoinette’s L’Hameau de la Reine from the get-go and the fact it was supposed to be undone in September was met with some criticism, but having this thing around for another three months seems like a good idea.

Of course SFN was well-attended, with lots of coverage from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, SFGate and Eater SF.

Now on with the show.

This voter registerer got cuffed by a Park Ranger right next to the Civic Center Windmill. Some rich hippies took offense and questioned the necessity of this detention. Apparently, the very same man was asked to leave SFN just the day before.

People, people, people, have you no respect for the DPT? Just one Parking Control Officer had the opportunity to issue scores of tickets to those in too much of a hurry to get to Slow Food Nation. It’s as easy as (slow) pie to park for free all day in this area.

See you next year!

With the California state budget stalemate dragging on for two months, helped along by those who signed the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” suicide pact, about 40 protesters showed up at the State Building in San Francisco’s Civic Center to object to any further cuts to education.

Rallies and protests regarding the budget are par for the course these days, but check out this sign from yesterday. Depicting Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ripping babies in half might be going too far, but this poster is simply arresting so give it points for that.   

Click to enlarge:

This area near Golden Gate and Van Ness can’t really be called the Tenderloin, as you can see City Hall’s duomo is quite close by.

So, you have an abandoned lot that’s been unused for donkey’s years, an abandoned Trader Vic’s, an abandoned Quizno’s, an abandoned California State Building (sadly still windmill-free and dormant since being attacked in 1991), and an architectural McDonald’s with an abandoned second floor. There used to be bushes on this lot, but they’re all gone now.

Some California poppies are the only sign of life you can see here. Sort of a bleak area…

Clique pour la pleine horreur:

Right now it’s just blowing in the wind, but pretty soon this newly-installed windmill will earn its keep at San Francisco’s Slow Food Nation ‘08.

Finally, here it is!

“Welcome Pavilions – Jensen Architects
The entryway to Slow Food Nation, the Welcome Pavilions at Fort Mason and Civic Center Plaza will be visible from near and far. Serving as a beacon and a billboard, each Welcome Center will be housed in a re-claimed shipping container painted Slow Food Nation signature orange and topped by a full size, galvanized steel windmill.”

The Victory Garden is coming along nicely and even the skeptics might be getting on board.

See you there!

News of the day: ”Gunfire erupted near UC Hastings College of the Law in the 200 block of McAllister Street at 5:40 p.m.” Interestingly, both accounts of this shooting place the 200 block of McAllister in the Tenderloin area.

Some might consider this block as part of the Civic Center as it’s right across the street from Civic Center Plaza. You can see these 49ers Gold Rush cheeleaders causing a stir on McAllister’s 200 block last year in the photo below.

Click to enlarge:

So is this block really in the Tenderloin?

Mmmm….

This sign, sighted near in the Civic Center near Opera Plaza in San Francisco, cites an actual provision of the Health Code but it doesn’t look like it was posted by the City or County. Seems like somebody has a personal campaign to get the word out. How civic minded!

SEC. 40.  DOG TO BE CONTROLLED SO AS NOT TO COMMIT NUISANCES.

(a)   It shall be unlawful for any person owning or having control or custody of any dog to permit the animal to defecate upon the public property of this City or upon the private property of another unless the person immediately remove the feces and properly dispose of it; provided, however, that nothing herein contained authorizes such person to enter upon the private property of another without permission.

 

 

This was the scene yesterday in the Western Addition, where hundreds of protesters blocked traffic in front of the Chinese Consulate. Drivers on the Geary Expressway, already wary of dangerous all-electric supercars, should experience a similar gauntlet today.

And then the action heads over to the East Bay.

This was yesterday’s schedule from Team Tibet SF:

In San Francisco
11:30-12:00 PRESS CONFERENCE
12:00-1:30 Peace Rally, Concert at Union Square
March to City hall
2:00-2:30 Rally at City Hall
March to Chinese Consulate
3:30-4:30 Protest at Chinese Consulate
4:30-5:15 Walk back to Union Sqaure
5:15-7:00pm Break. Food and Beverages provided by SF TEAM TIBET
7:00-9:00pm Candle Light Vigil w/ Cultural Show at Union Square

Here is today’s

August 24

12:00-3:00pm Protest at the Chinese Consulate

Evening event at Finnish Brotherhood Church in Berkeley on University Ave and cross
street at Chestnut Ave.

Program: 6:00-10:00pm Dinner, Annual Report, Film, Short Presentation