“There’s really only one question to ask about the proposal to bore a light-rail subway deep under the heart of downtown San Francisco. You’re kidding, right?“
“Just the initial math makes your head hurt. Basically it works out to somewhere between $1.22 billion and $1.4 billion for an underground railway that runs for less than two miles and has only three stops. That’s not a transit system, it’s a model railroad.“
“Throw in a few of the inevitable cost overruns and this could work out to a billion dollars a mile.”
“No matter. This is the kind of big, splashy project that city officials love to put their name on.”
“Basically, the argument seems to boil down to this - we’ve got the money (as if federal tax dollars grow on trees), the Chinatown community is behind it, why not build it? Oh, let me count some of the reasons.”
“But, critics say, a stop on Market beneath which BART and other Muni lines already run might have made this whole thing an easier sell. That would have created an opportunity for a single station where riders could make connections between regional and local trains, almost like Grand Central Terminal in New York. Instead, riders will have to walk all the way up to Union Square.”
“Oh, and did I mention that in order to get under the BART tube, the subway station at Union Square will have to be at least 95 feet below the surface. That’s nine stories.”
“What is it about that image of deep, underground dirt-munching machines in earthquake country that makes me wince?”
Of course that was from a half-decade back, but it shows how he actually felt about this boondoggly boondoggle, about Big Dig West.
I mean, the Central Subway proposal hasn’t gotten better the past five years, has it? Five years ago, the promise was that it would “make money” for MUNI, that it would subsidize other parts of the system by generating a surplus. But now we know that it will burden the SFMTA and the current projections for the number of riders per day is down dramatically from what people were promising back then.
So what’s a matter Neve? Why don’t you write things like this anymore? Cat got your tongue?
Pak got your tongue?
The Old Nevius wasn’t afraid to be labeled a racist who’s against “transit justice.”
The Old Nevius wasn’t so monomaniacally dedicated to write source greasers every chance he got.
Let’s meet the team – there’s a white boy, a white boy, a white boy, a white boy, and a white boy:
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Hey, why don’t they call themselves Team North Korea, cause, you know, that would be just as accurate.
Or, indeed, Team Kyrgyzstan, you know, whatever.
(There was an idea to have actual Koreans on Team Korea. First, it was going to be 30% Korean, and then 15% and then after those proposals got shot down we’re back to the original requirement of 0% Korean. And if you think China Team is Chinese, well…)
Oh what’s that, it’s where the boat was made is what counts? But isn’t this a spec race with all the boats basically the same?
The World Wonders.
Now, speaking of Team Korea, let’s check in:
You’ll note that this Tweet was “promoted” by purported Korean Mark Bulkeley, so that his banal message would go out to more than just his few dozen Followers. One could assume that one Markie B. was paying some hard-earned won or quid or whatever they use for money wherever he’s from or pretends he’s from, but he says he Tweets his unsolicited Tweets at no charge.
Perhaps the City and County of San Francisco is picking up the Tweeting bills of all the “professional sailors” involved in the America’s Cup scrimmage races?
Speaking of which, how much is each Sailor costing San Francisco taxpayers? About $100,000, $200,000 each? It’s like welfare for the “sailing community,” huh?
Speaking of which, isn’t the America’s Cup a big disappointment already? I think it is.
So it’s “NASCAR on the bay” complete with faked incidents for the cameras (like last year’s pitchpole near Alcatraz – that’s the first thing they show on the broadcast that nobody wants to pay for) and yet still nobody’s interested.
OK fine.
P.S. Nobody cares about anything related to the America’s Cup, you’ll see. They had a scrimmage down in San Diego not too long ago and nobody showed. Anyway, this whole deal is kind of a fraud. You’ll see.
(So, as I said yesterday, get your tickets at SHN now - they’re not getting any cheaper and this musical leaves us on August 26th, 2012.)
Now here’s Emily L’s review from the Orchestra Section’s Row U:
“Extraordinary musical! Les Miz is a beautiful story of a man’s life struggles, portraying bourgeois issues such as poverty, child abuse, prostitution and other political corruption in 1800 France. I was instantly enthralled from the very first scene of the show. This cast is amazing and captivating in every way. The voices went with each characters’ every movement and the visual sets were stunning. The orchestra seating was a special treat as the sound resonated throughout, spot on with the actors. In 2 hours, Les Miz will bring out smiles, pains, laughs, cries, ‘aww’s, and cheers – it’s a roller coaster ride definitely worth riding at least once!“
So there you have it.
Les Miz reminds me of that other famous, long-running show, Phantom of the Opera, in a way. But guess who saysLes Miz is “far superior?” It’s Steven Winn of the San Francisco Chronicle:
“Just saw #lesmiserables@shnsf at the Orpheum – perfection – standing ovation .. Highly recommend it!”
All right, see you there!
“Cameron Mackintosh presents a brand new 25th anniversary production of Boublil & Schönberg’s legendary musical, LES MISÉRABLES, with glorious new staging and dazzlingly reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo. This new production has been acclaimed by critics, fans and new audiences and is breaking box office records wherever it goes.
Based on Victor Hugo’s classic novel, LES MISÉRABLES is an epic and uplifting story about the survival of the human spirit. The magnificent score of LES MISÉRABLES includes the classic songs “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “Stars,” “Bring Him Home,” “Do You Hear the People Sing?,” “One Day More,” “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables,” “Master Of The House” and many more.
But I think that old gas-guzzling Boeing 727* is too small.
But what about the big Google Jets? Either the 757 or wide-body 767 should work.
Now, what are the Mythbusters up to?
*There’s nothing wrong with The Jetty per se, it’s just that it’s old school so your chances of dying on it are one or two orders of magnitude greater that what they’d be on the JetBlue or something. And it’s not possible to upgrade all its low-bypass engines to a more modern design. Therefore it’s expensive to operate compared to jets that weren’t designed half a century ago.
“Among those reportedly interested in the District 5 seat are Julian Davis, president of the board of Booker T. Washington Community Service Center; Gabriel Haaland, political director of SEIU Local 1021; Phil Ginsburg, Recreation and Park Department Director; and Michael O’Connor, the co-owner of the Independent Music Hall. Breed, who directs the African American Cultural Center on Fulton Street, has expressed interest in the position. She has a large segment of the Black activist community behind her, pushing Mayor Lee to appoint her as supervisor. “London is a woman who is definitely qualified to sit in that seat,” said Bridgette LeBlanc, with Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA). ’She is a native San Franciscan who was raised and works in the community. She is a leader who is electable, and she can build bridges.’”
4. She is the choice of Willie Brown and as a matter of fact, about four years ago, Willie the Sorting Hat actually tried to place London into the Assembly(!), or into the Tri-Wizard Tournament or somewhere. That seemed a stretch at the time, but appointing LB as Supe doesn’t seem a stretch at all right here and right now.
5. She is a 2008 “graduate” of Emerge California, which encourages women to run for elective office. And when I say “encourages,” I mean pressures. (Signing up for Emerge** is kind of like saying that you plan on running for office (or higher office) sooner rather than later.) Anyway, the questions Mayor Ed Lee’s people would have for London concern her commitment for becoming and maintaining her position as Supervisor, right? So, London, if not now, when?
6. She is the Worst Case Scenario for San Francisco’s progressives, IMO. She would be a train wreck for them, actually. So as far as Ed Lee’s political faction is concerned, picking anybody else would be an unnecessary risk.
*Which means I’ve figured this out on my own, unlike say, a year and a half ago when I got a phone call telling me the game plan about how Mark Farrell was going to win in District 2, which he did.
**And pay your money, but, srsly, it’s a pretty sweet deal, if you’re a woman planning on running for office soon, and if you’re not a Repub or a Green, and if you’re fortunate enough to get picked.
Hey, speaking of ballet, here’s a recent announcement about why you always see gaggles of ballet students congregating around Civic Center every summer:
SAN FRANCISCO BALLET SCHOOL ANNOUNCES - NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL AUDITION TOURS
SAN FRANCISCO –San Francisco Ballet School, the official school of San Francisco Ballet, has announced the schedule for its first-ever International Audition Tour. The School has also announced the dates for its 2012 National Audition Tour. Over the course of three months, hundreds of teenage girls and boys from across Europe and the U.S. will audition for an invitation to attend one of two Summer Sessions offered by San Francisco Ballet School. These include Program 1, a three-week program for intermediate students, and Program 2, a four-week program designed for advanced and pre-professional students. Program 1 will be held this summer from June 11–29; Program 2 will be held July 9–August 3.
The 2012 International Audition Tour is scheduled to visit 4 European cities: London; Madrid; Marseille, France and Florence, Italy. These auditions will be held for advanced and pre-professional students, only.
The 2012 National Audition Tour is scheduled to visit 11 U.S. cities: Boca Raton, FL; Boston; Chicago; Dallas/Ft. Worth; Irvine, CA; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica, CA; Seattle; Washington, D.C. and Winston-Salem, NC.
“There are many talented young dancers throughout Europe who are well-suited to participate in our training programs,” said Lola de Avila, associate director of the San Francisco Ballet School. “For the first time ever, San Francisco Ballet School is thrilled to hold international auditions, offering prospective students the chance to receive the highest-caliber training.”
Nearly 1,500 intermediate and advanced-level students are expected to audition on the tour, vying for approximately 125 positions for each of the School’s Summer Session programs. The Summer Sessions will include intensive classes in classical ballet technique, pointe work, batterie, dance history, repertoire, character, and Pilates. Students must attend a Summer Session in order to be considered for admittance to the School’s regular school year program.
About San Francisco Ballet School San Francisco Ballet School, the country’s oldest classical academy, is directed by San Francisco Ballet Artistic Director and Choreographer Helgi Tomasson and Associate Director Lola de Avila. Now, over 75 years after its founding, the School boasts a distinguished international staff, a Trainee Program for advanced-level students, a dedicated student residence, and an extensive scholarship program. San Francisco Ballet School attracts students from around the world, training approximately 350 annually. In addition to filling the ranks of San Francisco Ballet, graduates have gone on to join distinguished ballet companies throughout the world.
[UPDATE: Well, it looks as if this was a simple Tweeting mistake, per Brock Keeling of SFist. I wasn't up-to-speed on this. Nevertheless, all this Twitter Tax real estate Biz Stone endorsement stuff the past year is a fucking embarrassment for the City of San Francisco.]
What’s Twitter Founder Biz Stone up to today – is he spamming Twitter to boost the election chances of Interim Mayor and “Twitter-tax” tax-cutter Ed Lee?
Is Biz making all these Tweets himself, or is a robot doing it?
Looks like a robot’s doing it, since there are so many Tweets:
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Now, you know what’s funny about the whole corrupt Twitterloin real estate deal is that the “job-killing” “Twitter Tax” was signed into law back in 2004 by former Mayor / Ed Lee mentor Gavin Newsom.
So, I know passengers like and appreciate the N Judah Express, but why is MUNI putting so much effort into this new line?
See? There’s the 5:00 PM bus, and the 5:10 PM, and the 5:20PM, and guess what’ll be coming around the corner soon? That’s right, it must be the 5:30 PM:
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Camera right shows one of the two starters used by MUNI to make sure the 5:00 PM leaves at exactly 5:00 PM. (Count how many MUNI workers are hanging out at your bus stop today – I’ll bet it’s less than five. Probably it’s zero.)
OK.
I mean, is MUNI going to start following timetables religiously, like Japanese-style, for all its lines now?
The SFMTA has been itching to charge $3 for express rides, right? Does that mean that MUNI loses more on this line than others?
So, yes MUNI, you are trying hard here, but I don’t think you can afford it.
I think, for some reason, you are taking resources from other lines and putting them right here.
