Poet Kay Ryan, who lives in Fairfax and teaches at the College of Main, has been named the latest U.S. Poet Laureate.

She was born in San Jose and has lived in Californnia much of her life. As far as I can tell from a quick survey of the list of poet laureates of the U.S., she is the first lesbian poet laureate.

Her selection made her books the top sellers of poetry at amazon.com. But not for long, because the online bookseller quickly ran out of stock of Ryan’s works, the AP reported.

0

The city Department of Elections today certified the ballot measure for November’s election to name a sewage treatment plant in San Francisco after the 43rd President.

The “satiric” (sic) effort became a reality when 7,168 of the over-12,000 signatures turned in were approved by the elections department.

The plant, presently named the Oceanside Water Treatment Control Plant, is located near the Zoo (click for a map!).

Graphic: “Deluged,” the cover of the Sept. 19, 2005 New Yorker, by Barry Blitt.

1

Many San Franciscans have waited a long time for utilities to move underground, at great expense of time and money to each homeowner who was lucky enough to have the utilities undergrounded in their neighborhood. The effort to underground utilities has made the city safer and cleared the skies of overhead wires.

Now AT&T would like to nullify that effort by “upgrading” their services and placing utility boxes above ground, in every neighborhood of the city. AT&T intends to upgrade its telecommunications network to a high-speed data transmission technology referred to as “Lightspeed.” In July 2007 AT&T posted flyers in the Inner Sunset neighborhood notifying residents of its intention to install above-ground utility boxes.

Subsequently the San Francisco Planning Department issued an environmental impact report finding that AT&T could move forward with its plans. AT&T immediately requested a permit from Public Works to begin installation. However, the permit was appealed by a neighborhood organization forcing a hearing before the Board of Supervisors. The Board will hear the appeal at its meeting on Tuesday, July 29th. The Board has the authority to deny the appeal or refer the matter back to the Planning Commission for review.

Read more

0

In case your local neighborhood newstands aren’t giving you your fix, the San Francisco Zine Fest is set to wreck havoc on the County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park this weekend. The free conference may bring back memories of high school-era stapled, cartooned creations. But presentations by the creators of Bitch and Bust magazines, among other independent publishing favorites, promise to make a trip through the park worthwhile. DIY screenprinting and watercolor illustration classes should brighten up the afternoons, and a partnership with the local Mission Creek Music & Arts Festival should give you enough fodder for your next issue.

0

An online/offline trends company that I’m a big fan of, PSFK, is coming to Fort Mason to this Thursday while on its London-Shanghai-LA conference track. While I usually turn to their site for creative inspiration (and the odd tidbit about branded fruit, et al), the conference sounds especially intriguing for its discussions about digital change and engagement. And talk about a meeting of the minds: local favorite Organic Architect Eric Corey Freed will be presenting as well as folks from Method and Ghetto Gourmet. Good Magazine will be on hand as they get ready for their annual 111 Minna get-together this Sunday.

1

I always get a little nervous when I see San Francisco listed on the front page of the Sunday New York Times travel section. A haute restaurant here, a travel deal there: frequently their writing about places outside of the greater New York area seems to have an air of superiority. When I was in Chicago they ran a piece about Wicker Park that seemed condescending (to the effect of “Look at these funky people who live here! How quaint.”)

Yesterday’s piece on Valencia Street, “Hipster Hunting Ground,” wasn’t quite as offensive, but it still seemed to view the Corridor through a Brooklyn lens. The Curiosity Shoppe, Paxton Gate, Spork, and Ritual Roasters were all featured, and fairly. I was surprised, however, that Dosa was featured while Range didn’t get a mention; the same for Little Star (maybe I’m just a sucker for the jukebox and heirloom tomatoes). The piece, while limited in length, doesn’t capture the neighborhood’s character and even gets lazy toward the end: “Like the street itself, [Amnesia’s] lineup is full of surprises.”

0

Ask yourself:

1) Do I LOVE Zombies?
2) Would I like to support local filmmakers?
3) Do I absolutely NEED to see a movie where a free puke bag is handed out?

IF you answered yes, Yes, YES!!! Then please proceed to the Victoria Theater at 16th and Mission for a limited theater release of RETARDEAD!

Retardead is a sequel to the heart-warming “Monsturd”. This movie has everything: an evil doctor, some mentally and mortally-challenged flesheaters, and the sexy Living Dead Girlz.

As I mentioned, they are handing out a limited amount of puke bags, which you may actually need in a few parts.

Last night they had a question and answer after the show.

When I asked how much blood was used, they said about 15 gallons. Now that’s art!

0

[Photo by Nate Enyedi for Wikipedia.]

A few years ago, the Port of San Francisco wanted to study parking-use patterns at a third of the 950 meters it controls along the Embarcadero, using a technology developed by the SF-based Streetline Networks Inc. — little sensors glued to the street that transmit a wireless signal to a central database when a parking space is occupied or vacated. Now SFMTA has picked up the idea for another purpose: to (hopefully) make free spaces easier to find on the fly, by transmitting the data to a service you will apparently be able to subscribe to, according to this NPR story. (An iPhone app, perhaps? Maybe by the time it’s ready Apple will be done hosing their own servers.) The same sensors will be capable of monitoring the speed of traffic past the spaces, and that data will be transmitted as well. SFMTA intends to analyze the data they collect from this network, and based on that, they will set policies to adjust the price of parking in response to demand, aiming for a vacancy rate of 15%. (Expect a glacial pace on that, with lots of legislative bickering once it comes down to choosing actual prices. Dynamic server-to-meter price adjustments are a distant dream.) Reportedly San Francisco is the first city to reach this stage with the technology.

(Unrelated, but the question occurs to me: why do I have to rely upon the New York Times and NPR to bring me local news of this potential significance? And then the Chronicle wonders why they’re losing money.)

6

Earlier this week descending from Tahoe I took this shot wondering if the smoke in the air would show up in the shot. Much of California is sitting under this smog, let’s hope for a weather pattern that helps snuff these fires. It’s looking apocalyptic in the regions of the state around these fires.

0

In the current SF Weekly, Matt Smith documents how a mysterious corporate entity called SFO Enterprises, formed by San Francisco International Airport managers to extend their reach beyond SFO itself, ruined a project to upgrade the airport in the capital city of Honduras. According to Smith’s article, the project was so messed up that it led to at least one fatal incident when an airliner ran off the end of a runway, killing five and injuring 65. Smith goes on to detail the project, the tortured relationship between the Honduran government and SFOE, and the economic “chaos” that resulted when the government shut down the airport for large jets after the accident.

A Google search points to many SF Weekly articles on the mysterious SFO Enterprises going back at least to 2001, but this latest one is so damning it’s a wonder Mayor Gavin Newsom doesn’t do something.

0

The number of things to do this weekend is mind-blowing. What shall it be?

Awesome local rockers 20 Minute Loop, whose new album Famous People Marry Famous People is filled with power-pop goodness reminiscent of Letters to Cleo, performs tonight at Bottom of the Hill.

The Porchlight reading series celebrates its 6th anniversary with a show on the Seven Deadly Sins, 8:00 pm at the Swedish American Hall. And tomorrow Ishmael Reed and Mistress Morgana headline Writers with Drinks at 7:30 pm at the Makeout Room.

CineKink, a program of alternative erotic films written up this week by the unsinkable Violet Blue, plays tonight at 7:00 pm at YBCA. And for the less carnally minded, Artists Television Access has The Monastery, about an old guy who buys a castle with the idea that it will some day become a spiritual retreat, and the nuns who take him up on it.

Or just hit the beach. It’s nice and cool out there today.

0

Thanks to the internets, you can now see not only where the fire is, but where that damn smoke is coming from. Visit the Monterey Herald’s fire map.

Meanwhile, the heat lifted in San Francisco yesterday as the wind changed and the fog blew in. I’ll take it over smog any day.

0

In 1994, the Army turned the Presidio over to the national park system. And in doing so created one of the finest public spaces in SF and California. Originally founded approximately 1776, there are now plans to renovate some key sections of the Presidio, including the greening of what is now a parking lot, but what used to be called the Parade Ground. Along with building a tunnel for the Doyle drive approach to the Golden Gate bridge. The Parade grounds are lined by Barracks, which are mostly offices and at the southern edge where Donald Fisher wants to build a museum.

The tunnel plan is really interesting as it will connect the western edge of the Parade Grounds with the beachfront at the west end of Chrissy Field, whereas today if you were to walk from the parade grounds to the beach you would walk under the Doyle drive approach (it’s elevated freeway). This would also create some nice beach views from the newly recreated Parade grounds.

Funding? From what I’ve read it’s not fully evident where the money comes from. The current docs state:

To achieve its mission, the Trust generates revenues by leasing the park’s buildings. Federal appropriations diminish each year and will cease at the end of fiscal year 2012. The Trust uses these sources of funding to operate the park and undertake necessary capital improvements.

Overview of new area, parking and poll

1

Everyone thinks moving is a hassle.

For those who find it unbearable…

Of course, you can always leave furniture out on the block, but this furniture was far beyond it’s prime and hell, this was more fun.

I was enjoying the rush of throwing a bedroom and 1/2 off the 2nd floor onto the concrete in the back “yard” … when I realized an issue.

What to do with the scraps?

When I sheepishly called Sunset Scavenger to ask if they would pick up “bundles of oddly-shaped wood”… they said,

“Did you throw your furniture off the roof?”

Huh.

Apparently, an advanced call to Sunset Scavenger and a little effort bundling scraps into twine will get you a free pickup!

0

Much adored Lower Haight haunt Edo Salon and Gallery is hosting a showing/soiree for local artist Ursula Xanthe Young on July 11. The designer/painter/logo designer will be showing work that is imaginative, colorful, and has me on the fence–I love the urban illustrations but can do without the fairy theme (although you’ve never seen fairies with pasties like this before).

The best description of her work is from Edo: “Ursula finds inspiration in the organic, yet urban landscape of San Francisco: the crossed wires, Victorian buildings, and fog-filled horizons that are oft backdrop to her voluptuous flowering ladies with devious eyes.” It’s sure to be a fun reception from 8 to 11 PM–cheap drinks, an easy jaunt from the Filmore bus, and great haircuts (it’s a cuttery by day, after all).

1