Posts Tagged ‘los angeles’

Starting Monday, Jon Kelley and Marla Tellez will Have the Noon News Early: It’s “NBC Bay Area News at 11AM!”

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

Would you like your lunchtime news an hour early and from San Jose?

Well then, you’re in luck.

Marla Tellez on the Central Coast:

Via her FB.

The deets:

“SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 15, 2011 — NBC Bay Area today announced the launch of a new weekday newscast, “NBC Bay Area News at 11AM,” debuting Monday, September 19. Broadcast veteran Jon Kelley, host of Today in the Bay, will anchor the new newscast with NBC Bay Area’s Marla Tellez. The program will air following NBC’s Today Show.

Jon Kelley has spent more than 15 years in television journalism, covering news, sports and entertainment in a variety of roles. He’s won multiple awards for sports reporting, and played football for the University of Nebraska before beginning his broadcast journalism career.

Marla Tellez is a native San Franciscan who has covered news in Northern California for several years. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Sonoma State University with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Communications, and has won multiple Emmys for producing and reporting.

“This expansion of NBC Bay Area news allows us to serve our Bay Area viewers with more of the high-quality international, national and local coverage they’ve come to expect from us,” said Jonathan Mitchell, NBC Bay Area’s Vice President of News. “We’re excited that viewers will be able to join Jon and Marla in mid-day for an update on the day’s most important stories.” About NBC Owned Television Stations NBC Owned Television Stations is the division of NBCUniversal that includes 10 local television stations and their digital channels and websites, as well as a group of out-of-home properties and a production company. The 10 stations produce and deliver compelling and unique local news, information and entertainment programming to viewers in the communities they serve, which include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Dallas-Fort Worth, Washington, D.C., Miami, San Diego and Connecticut, with a goal of connecting to their audiences anytime and anywhere.”

Now, who’ll do the weather for this show?

This is like the front page of the Daily Prophet, huh? It’s mesmerizing. It just keeps going and going…

The Hollywood Hills, as Seen from the Trip Down to LAX

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

Here they are.

Do you see the big sign?

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Check Out this Historic Walt Disney Company Employee Handbook – It’s an Amazing Time Capsule from 1943

Monday, September 5th, 2011

Well, via the Walt Disney Family Museum‘s* Storyboard Blog, here’s the official Walt Disney Productions new employee handbook from 1943.

It’s called The Ropes at Disney’s.

Here’s a sample:

Professionally scanned-in** by Digital Assets Coordinator Mark Gibson – click to expand

See if you wouldn’t consider this handbook evidence of a hostile work environment, you know, from the standpoint of this day and age. Note that women got twice as many sick days as men, but they weren’t allowed access to the rooftop employee lounge.

Also, back in the day, some dreamed of impractical shoes while others dreamed of dating those who dreamed of impractical shoes. (Oh, well, maybe that’s just like today – nothing’s changed on that score.)

No matter, the long-torsoed guy is quite the ogler.

And check it, Disney pioneered workplace casual dress – it was called “Businesslike Informality,” so neckties were banned.

Enjoy.

*Located in San Francisco’s Presidio, not too far from the Golden Gate Bridge.

**I have a color checker that’s just like the one you can see in the corner there, except mine’s all crinkled up now. These things are expensive.

San Francisco’s State Building Is Going to Get a Republican’s Name on It: Presenting the Ronald M. George State Office Complex

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

You wouldn’t believe how long people have been working on getting a new sign up on the State Building at 350 McAllister in Civic Center. I mean, this is a months-long project. They come out, they put up a sample, they look at it, and then they go back inside.

Anyway, in addition to the State Seal and the golden letters spelling out “STATE OF CALIFORNIA,” the old courthouse will soon be getting a big plaque what says, “RONALD M. GEORGE STATE OFFICE COMPLEX.”

See?

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San Franciscans probably won’t ever really notice this addition to the front door of our California Supreme Court, but let’s meet our 27th Chief Justice:

“As a Superior Court judge, George presided over the trial of Hillside Strangler Angelo Buono in 1981–1983. George was lauded for his extremely unusual decision to deny the motion by Los Angeles County District Attorney‘s office to dismiss all 10 counts of murder against Buono. However, his unusual decision was speculated to be a result of his earlier decision to separate crucial counts of rape and sodomy, which in themselves would serve as evidence against the defendant, from the murder charges. The prosecutors felt the evidence against Buono was so weak that it did not justify even an attempt to win at trial. Judges rarely second-guess the prosecutors’ judgment on such a matter (and George stated that he was “loath” to do so). However, George’s review of the evidence in the case caused him to feel so strongly that the prosecutors were in error that he did exactly that.” 

See that? Dude wouldn’t let the prosecutor drop murder charges.

Now, what Arnold Schwarzenegger really wanted last year was to name the joint  the “Ronald M. George Justice Center,” but that didn’t fly with the SEIU union, so the name we’re getting is a kind of compromise. (Arnold also wanted to sell this building to his buddies but that didn’t work out neither, of course.)

Anyway, All Hail Republicans!

More deets of Executive Order S-17-10 after the jump.

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California Supreme Court Upholds Municipal Ban on Plastic Bags: “Save the Plastic Bag Coalition v. City of Manhattan Beach”

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

Just saying. KQED’s Scott Shafer has some deets.

Looks like San Francisco’s idea will spread further, now that there will be fewer concerns over every NIMBY’s favorite weapon, the California Environmental Quality Act.

See below for the deets on “Save the Plastic Bag Coalition v. City of Manhattan Beach.” No. S180720.

Bags, bags, bags!

“California Supreme Court Upholds City’s Ban on Plastic Bags

Ruling Dampens Challenges to Plastic Bag Bans Across The State, And Raises Threshold For Environmental Impact Reports

SAN FRANCISCO, July 14, 2011 — The California Supreme Court today issued a ruling that impacts not only plastic bag bans throughout the state but has far-reaching ramifications for the circumstances under which public agencies must prepare environmental impact reports under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”). The court ruled in favor of the City of Manhattan Beach, paving the way for the city’s ban on plastic bags to go into effect. Downey Brand partner Christian Marsh argued the case before the Supreme Court on behalf of the appellant, Manhattan Beach. He was joined in the argument by James Moose of Remy Thomas Moose & Manley for amici curiae Californians Against Waste. “We were confident the city had a right to impose the bag ban, and this ruling gives cities across California some real clarity,” Marsh said.

An industry coalition of plastic bag manufacturers and distributors known as the Save the Plastic Bag Coalition sued Manhattan Beach for its citywide ban on plastic bags, arguing that the environmental impacts associated with increased paper bag use would outweigh any environmental benefits of the ban. The city, among many in California with similar ordinances, imposed the ban to limit the number of plastic bags making their way into the ocean and marine environment. The case raised two important issues that have been facing fiscally-strapped cities and counties across the state: (1) whether the coalition, which had a commercial interest in overturning the ban, qualified for “public interest” standing under CEQA, and (2) what is the legal threshold under CEQA for when a project or ordinance necessitates preparing an environmental impact report, known as an EIR. In its ruling, the court sided with the city on the CEQA threshold, but ruled against the city on the coalition’s standing to sue.

Justice Carol Corrigan, writing for a unanimous court, upheld the city’s ban, finding that “it is plain the city acted within its discretion when it determined that its ban on plastic bags would have no significant effect on the environment.” In the face of a number of “life cycle” studies that had been put forth by the coalition, the court noted that “common sense leads us to the conclusion that the environmental impacts discernible from the ‘life cycles’ of plastic and paper bags are not significantly implicated by a plastic bag ban in Manhattan Beach.”

The decision on the threshold for producing an EIR was being closely-watched by public entities and private project proponents alike, as often they are compelled to prepare costly and time-consuming EIRs even though the activity in question has little or no environmental impact (and in this case, a tremendous environmental benefit). As Marsh reported, “Due to the risks associated with litigation over these decisions, public agencies often feel the need to go well beyond the requirements of the statute, at great time and expense. This decision sets a more reasonable threshold for when pubic agencies must prepare EIRs, and will reduce the ability of would-be challengers to delay projects across the state. Instead of conducting unwarranted environmental review, the decision allows public agencies to focus their limited resources on producing reports for projects that are much more likely to impact the environment than minor projects would.”

Christian Marsh is a partner in Downey Brand’s San Francisco office, and advises public and private clients on natural resource, energy, and land use matters involving water supply and water quality, endangered species, California planning and zoning law, and CEQA and its federal counterpart the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”). Marsh also conducts trial and appellate-level litigation in these areas. With a former partner, he prevailed in the last CEQA case decided by the California Supreme Court, Stockton Citizens for Sensible Planning v. City of Stockton (2010) 48 Cal.4th 481.”

Forget Judge Judy, Let’s Hear It for Judge Gloria: “We The People with Gloria Allred” to Debut This Fall on Select NBC Stations

Monday, July 11th, 2011

I’m speechless.

But no matter. Shy, retiring attorney Gloria Allred will soon have her own pretend judge show syndicated on the Bay Area’s KNTV and other NBC-owned affiliates.

Can you imagine this kid’s psychotherapy sessions a couple years from now? 

“And then what did the Bad Lady do?”

All the deets, below.

Brace yourselves, Bay Area. Brace, brace…!

“We The People with Gloria Allred” a Firm ‘Go’ on NBC Owned Television Stations

NEW SERIES LAUNCHES IN FALL, 2011 ON NBC OWNED TELEVISION STATIONS IN NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, CHICAGO, DALLAS, SAN FRANCISCO, SAN DIEGO, AND HARTFORD

LOS ANGELES, July 11, 2011 — Entertainment Studios, Inc., (www.es.tv) the largest independent producer and distributor of first-run syndicated television programming for broadcast television stations, and owner of seven 24-hour HD television networks, proudly announces its deal with NBC Owned Television Stations for its 28th and newest HD television program, a television court show: “We The People with Gloria Allred.”   The NBC owned stations include: New York’s WNBC, Los Angeles’ KNBC, Chicago’s WMAQ, Dallas’s KXAS, San Francisco’s KNTV, San Diego’s KNSD, and Hartford’s WVIT.

“It is unprecedented to have the biggest name in law come to television and be a part of one of its most successful genres – the television court show,” said Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Entertainment Studios.  ”With the increasing success of our show “America’s Court with Judge Ross” we are extremely proud to have Gloria Allred join our family and further demonstrate Entertainment Studios’ unwavering commitment to be the number one provider of quality television content.”

“I’ve always been passionate about the law, and I’m very excited about this show.  I am fully committed to making ‘We The People’ a huge success, and yes, I will absolutely continue to practice law with my brilliant partners,” said Gloria Allred.

Quite often a Gloria Allred case is the lead story on the news across the nation.  Gloria Allred is the perfect judge to be on a television court show which can serve as the ultimate news lead-in,” said Byron Allen.  In addition to being a lawyer, she is a great communicator with a heart.  Viewers are drawn to her because they know she will be fearless, informative, and entertaining.  ”Bringing ‘We The People with Gloria Allred’ as an opportunity to our television station, cable, and advertising clients is a very proud moment in the legacy of Entertainment Studios.”

“We The People with Gloria Allred” is produced and distributed by Entertainment Studios.

About Entertainment Studios

Entertainment Studios, Inc. owns seven 24-hour HD television networks: PETS.TVCOMEDY.TVRECIPE.TV,CARS.TVES.TVMYDESTINATION.TV, and LEGACY.TV  The company also produces, distributes, and sells advertising for 28 television programs, making it the largest independent producer/distributor of first-run syndicated television programming for broadcast television stations.  Entertainment Studios provides video content to broadcast television stations, cable television networks, mobile devices, multimedia platforms, and the World Wide Web.  Our mission is to provide excellent programming to our viewers, online users, and Fortune 500 advertising partners. Our home entertainment division, Entertainment Studios Home Entertainment (ESHE), is becoming one of the premier independent suppliers of DVD, CD and umd (TM) products. With a library of over 4,000 hours of owned content and a growing array of licensed titles, ESHE markets and distributes a collection of films, television programs, concerts, fitness, and children’s direct-to-video programming. Chairman and CEO Byron Allen founded the company in 1993. Headquartered in Los Angeles, it has offices in New York, Chicago, and Raleigh.  For more information, visit: www.es.tv

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee Loses Famous LovEvolution Event (aka The Love Parade) to Oakland for 2011

Friday, July 1st, 2011

This year’s lovEvolution Dance Music Festival will be in Oakland instead of San Francisco?

Apparently.

See?

Click to expand

(Are there street parties still around in the 415 these days?)

Compared to all the other counties out there in America, San Francisco is the highest cost and highest hassle location to do any kind of event. Why is that?

Instead of this:

Via Famous David Yu

We’re going to have this – sad hipsters all dressed up with no place to go excepting the Oakland Coliseum:

Via Ben Chaney

Good-Bye Love Parade. Come back someday if you can.

Ah, memories. (I wonder if all the hyperlinks still work…) Anyway, enjoy 2009:

Via W. Kilinger’s Photostream

LovEvolution 2009 (or LoveFest or the Love Parade, call it what you will, gallery here) went down in Civic Center yesterday- what a huge turnout it had.

Here are the best photos uploaded to Flickr.

Auric Goldfinger really started a trend, back in the day:

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via Kanaka

Cf. this shot from the Chronicle’s Frederic Larson - showing why you generally want to keep your white people skin tone magentas lower than the yellows. As always, click to expand.

Hey buddy, get gold or get gone – chest hair is no excuse:

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via SFBart

Here we go, a little gold goes a long way:

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Kanaka again

All right, that’s it for gold. Now how about orange?

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Beefcake beefcake, beefcake!

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via SFBart

DJ Baybe flew in from Spain just for this event:

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via Benjsf

The Center of Attention:

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via Bendjsf

Furry boots on top of the truck require an extra hand or two to secure footing:

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via Kanaka

And let’s give it up for the DJs:

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via Kanaka

Everybody is a participant, everybody is an observer:

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via kutchingboy

It’s all fur this year, either up top or on your platform shoes.

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via Brian Caldwell

Market Street was just packed, baby:

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via Kumasawa

And if you can’t afford the entrance fee, just neck outside the double chain link – show them all why they call it LovEvolution:

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via Brain Caldwell

LovEvolution 2009 (or LoveFest or the Love Parade, call it what you will) is still going strong down in Civic Center today – what a huge turnout it has – check the best photos from Flickr and some more photos posted on SFist. Now this year everybody’s paying $10 to get in, so that helps to pay for San Francisco’s excessive fees for doing anything, anytime, anywhere. Anyway, it’s fuzzy cowboy hats as far as the eye can see. And MUNI is FUBAR’ed beyond all recognition. Oh well.

Remember, this type of gathering is Why They Hate Us. Not Fleet Week or nothing, it’s this kind of stuff that They hate. Oh well. Here’s a slide show of photos to ponder. And here’s the post-first, edit-later (Go Go Gorgeous is a person, really? “Kobayash,” is a last name, really?) San Francisco Chronicle’s take, along with 23 photos. And here’s David Yu’s shots.

The cage dancers of Market go rolling up the street. Go Go Gorgeous!

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Sandra Gorgeous of GGG, (“a full-service Go Go company“) blowing you a kiss - the whole team is “all about adding that sexy, fun, and friendly energy to good events. Pour some gorgeous into your event!” Available, I’m sure, for weddings, bar mitzvahs….

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They had a ton of floats going uptown to Civic Center…

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…populated by people like these representatives from Sweet Tooth Entertainment:

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2009 on the left, 1969 on the right. Dude was baked:

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Do people really spray paint their Dell Inspiron laptop computers gold and then take them on parade? People do. Gold! I love goooold!”

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And they all ended up in Civic Center, thusly. Just look at all these good-for-nothing pukes clogging up the place – is this why my grandfather fought the Second World War, and spent his weekends on the Jersey shore?

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Pretty much.

See you next year!

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SF LovEvolution Fast Facts

WHAT: San Francisco LovEvolution : A Dance Music Parade & FestivalLove Week page for more info.San Francisco LovEvolution Event Changes this year : on the need for a $10 entrance fee to the festival site at Civic Center Plaza

WHEN: Love Week starts Wednesday, September 30th with official and affiliated parties each night all week and through the weekend.
The main LovEvolution event is Saturday, October 3rd from 12noon – 8:00pm.

WHO: SF LovEvolution is all ages & all friendly peoples.

WHAT’S MORE: A parade starts from 2nd & Market St. in downtown San Francisco with ~25 floats heading West down Market St.  The parade is free and all ages.

THEN WHAT: The floats arrive at Civic Center plaza where they park to becomes 25 stages on a transformed festival grounds with food, beverage, a new live electronic and performance stage, and outstanding revelry.  There is a $10 entrance fee to the festival grounds, children under 12 with their parents are Free.  All ages welcome.  No outside alcohol.

WHY: The entrance fee was necessary for the survival of the event due to significantly higher city related fees.  Please read the whole story below!

THERE’S MORE (!): After the festival ends at 8:00pm a number of after parties kick off all over the city, including the Official After Party produced by Skills & Spundae on site at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.  After parties have their own admission and age policies.  See the

LOVE: YES

As anyone who attended last years event knows, SF LovEvolution is now the largest electronic music event in America. Thanks to all those who have faithfully supported us and to the many new Lovers who attended last year. Because of the growth of LovEvolution, however, and to preserve our ability to parade down Market Street and party right in front of San Francisco City Hall, we’ve had to institute a few changes to this years event.

First, because of escalating city fees and the events growth last year, LovEvolution 2009 will require a large increase in all levels of traffic, police, security and medical personnel. This translates into a very large increase in how much money it costs to pull off this special event. As this is a non-profit event with minimal corporate sponsorship, we will be charging a $10 admission to LovEvolution this year in order to pay for the increased staff and other event expenses. We’ve always asked for a $10 donation but since most people do not give, donations are not sufficient to fund and improve the event. In order to be able to continue the event, we received special permission from the city for a $10 admission plan. This is as close to free as we could make it and at $10 for 250 world class DJs, LovEvolution is still the best bargain for an event of this scale in America. **We pay 100% of the costs back to the city, so without this change, we could not have the event. Please note kids under 12 with their parents are FREE. You can also get in free by volunteering. Of course – the parade is FREE to all and the entire event from 12noon- 8:00pm is still ALL AGES.** (After parties will vary by event).

Second, there will be no glass or outside alcohol allowed in the event. This has always been a condition of our permits, but when the event was smaller we never had to enforce. But the site was littered with broken glass last year that presented a safety hazard, so we now have to enforce this policy. This is for all our safety and is no different than at any concert or gated event, so please don’t bring alcohol or glass, it will be confiscated or you’ll be turned away at the gates.

On the bright side, the $10 admission will allow us to continue having this amazing event as well as to add some special production elements in Civic Center plaza. This year we are premiering the LovEvolution Live stage in front of city hall featuring an all out performance by The Mutaytor, and much more tba. The $10 admission will also allow us to reduce prices at our bars since we are now not as dependent upon alcohol sales to pay for the event. We’ll also be eventually eliminating entry fees fees for the floats so producers can make their floats even better. And YES – there will be ins and out allowed. And YES, kids under 12 with their parents are FREE.

Last but not least, the $10 admission will allow us to increase the amount of our non-profit contributions to other worthy organizations. Non-profits that received funds last year and/or we expect to donate to this year include:

Friends of the Main Library
Next Aid
Aids Housing Alliance
The Center for Sex and Culture
Beat University Scholarship Fund
Black Rock Arts Foundation
Bay Area Young Positives
Burners Without Borders
San Francisco Suicide Prevention/HIV AIDS Nightline
Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity
Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity

Thanks for your support and looking forwarding to a fabulous LovEvolution 2009!!

Tonight at 6:00 PM at Fort Mason: Your Chance to Speak at the Citizens Redistricting Commission Public Input Hearing

Monday, June 27th, 2011

Well, here’s your chance:

Citizens Redistricting Commission Public Input Hearing
Monday, June 27, 2011
Fort Mason Center, Cowell Theater
Entrance at Marina Blvd. and Buchanan Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

View the Live Broadcast – 6PM to 9PM

And don’t worry, no matter how it goes, everybody in San Francisco will be represented by a state Senator at all times…

The 14 members of your Citizens Redistricting Commission. Seated, left to right: Connie Galambos Malloy and Michael Ward. Standing, left to right: Jodie Filkins-Webber, Gabino Aguirre, Vincent Barabba, Michelle DiGuilo, Maria Blanco, Peter Yao, Cynthia Dai, Lilbert “Gil” Ontai, Jeanne Raya, Angelo Ancheta, Stanley Forbes and M. Andre Parvenu:

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___________________________________________________________________

“The 14 member Independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission will hold a public input
meeting in San Francisco on June 27, 2011, from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the Fort Mason Center. The
Commission was created by California voters to draw state Congressional, Assembly, Senate and Board
of Equalization Districts.

“Public participation in drawing these districts is critical to ensuring that communities have the strongest
voice possible to express their preferences. When voters with similar interests are drawn into a district
together, their voices multiply giving them a greater opportunity to express their views, elect candidates
of their choice and hold their leaders accountable.”

Ever more deets, after the jump

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Are You There, Examiner? It’s Me, Margaret – Today’s “Sue LA! Sue LA!” Bryan Stow Graphic is Inappropriate

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

I could explicate if you wanted me to.

The San Francisco Examiner, May 25, 2011:

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I realize you’re a tabloid, but even so…


The Sports Club/LA? Can You Imagine a Worser Name Than That for a Gym in San Francisco?

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

I suppose down in Los Angeles, they should have The Sports Club/SF?

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You know, just to be fair.

A preferable name would be The Sports Club/Love Canal or The Sports Club/Tuzla, something like that.

Those names would be better, srsly.