Blogs

November 6, 2009: Don’t know what to do this weekend?

– It’s not just any old Friday: The second to last Art Murmur of 2009 is tonight 5-10 PM. Art and music hit the streets between 48th and 19th on Telegraph in Oakland, where you can also duck in and out of art galleries. Check out this video to see what it’s like. – Craving a “punk band with a Celtic twist”? Check out Dropkick Murphy at the Oakland Fox Theater tonight.  The Pixies, an alternative rock band around for…

Best? Fire?

The Best Equipment Company, on San Pablo Avenue, began in 1958. Deep red and yellow painted signs caught my eye. “Best? Fire?” That’s what the sign says. Now, I know where to go to get my very own fire extinguisher.

November 5, 2009: San Francisco Bay oil spill update

– According to US Coast Guard member Levi Read, 422 gallons of bunker had spilled into the bay. In contrast, over 53,000 gallons entered the bay from the Cosco Busan spill in 2007. – Approximately 14 birds died from the recent spill and an additional 36 were found oiled but alive. 2,400 birds died in 2007. If you see oiled wildlife call  the oiled wildlife hotline: 1-877-823-6926 – Skimming operations for the recent spill have been completed, according to the…

Poetry and science collide

On Tuesday, the Julia Morgan School for Girls welcomed Mary Ann Hoberman and Linda Winston, co-editors of the new children’s poetry book The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination. Hoberman is the author of over 40 children’s books and is the National Children’s Poet Laureate, while Winston is a cultural anthropologist and teacher. At the middle school, located on the Mills College campus, were 120 sixth and seventh grade girls eager to hear excerpts from…

November 4, 2009: Maine vote on gay marriage

Today is the one-year anniversary of Proposition 8, a California proposition that altered the state constitution so as to bar gay marriage.   Same-sex marriage is legal in a handful of states.  Maine was one of them, briefly, until 53 percent of Maine voters voted against same-sex marriage in the state.

The sun sets…

It was almost 5:30 p.m. when I caught the sunset peeking through the telephone poles near 67th Street and San Pablo Avenue.  

A ride into the hills

For Bay Area cyclists, November is the cruelest month. Night falls earlier and earlier, and winter winds and rains prompt many of us to place our two-wheeled conveyances into hibernation for the next few months.

November 3, 2009: What’s new in news?

Late Monday, Mayor Ron Dellums acknowledged that he owes the IRS money after the issue was brought to public attention. The IRS has placed lien on property Dellums owns; the East Bay Express reports  that Dellums and his wife, Cynthia, owe an estimated $239,000 for not paying taxes between 2005-2007, according to IRS records. It is not known exactly how much Dellums owes to date. Although the Bay Bridge opened Monday morning, it may have to close again to repair…