February 12, 2005
ETA for a new pizzeria?
Greg cast a pall over the gathered co. th' other night when he said that the former Powell's storefront on Hayes St. was not becoming a Zachary's Pizza location. From the latest sign in the window, looks like a Basque pizzeria might occupy the location.
February 11, 2005
Better neighborhoods
I saw a sign on my way to the bus th' other morning. The URL it listed, www.betterneighorboods.org, pointed to San Francisco's inscrutable civic web site and a trove of planning information for the Market and Octavia area.
The housing density vs. car ownership pictures made me laugh.
February 10, 2005
I've got a new rose
jimg pointed out this awesome video of choppers, frankenbikes, and mayhem.
The ouija anaconda
I was late to work this morning because I was in line for the Ronald Reagan commemorative stamp. I found out that there really wasn't any need for haste, as the Post Office (which Reagan sought to privatize) has 170 million of these stamps at hand.
A nice counterpart to another relic of that time, "We Jam Econo". While Aram was buying tickets to the film's San Pedro premiere (at the beautiful Warner Grand, which I've only seen from the outside), I was belly-aching about how we'll be paying off the cost of these stamps for generations to come. Or how the fatcats who make money off the stamps will trickle down their profits to the masses. Et cetera.
Filed at 3:56 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A beaming, twinkle-in-the-eye Ronald Reagan is depicted on a new commemorative stamp, perhaps an especially fitting honor for a former president who is said to have sent at least 10,000 letters in his lifetime.
The 37-cent stamp was unveiled Wednesday in ceremonies around the country, including at the Ronald Reagan Building International Trade Center. Several of those in attendance, calling themselves ``Reaganites'' and Reagan administration ``alum,'' recalled Reagan's sense of humor and bright optimism, saying those characteristics were evident in the painting used for the stamp.
James Miller, chairman of the Postal Service board of governors, said the stamp shows Reagan's famous smile, tilt of head and twinkling blue eyes in a way that captures the ``warmth, personality and humanity of Ronald Reagan.''
The ceremony included a video tribute to Reagan, including clips of his youth and his time in office, along with his wife, first lady Nancy Reagan. The video called him ``a man of letters,'' saying Reagan sent more than 10,000 letters during his lifetime.
Frederick J. Ryan, chairman of the Ronald Reagan Foundation, said that due to Reagan's love of letter writing, the title ``great correspondent'' would be fitting for the 40th president who frequently as been called the ``great communicator.''
Performances at the ceremony included Lee Greenwood, who sang the national anthem and his hit ``Proud To Be an American'' and Crystal Gayle, who sang a medley of patriotic songs. Several of the speakers unveiled an 11-foot-high image of the stamp for the crowd to see.
People attending the ceremony received small American flags and a pin featuring the new stamp, which many of the guests immediately pinned on their shirts.
As an ex-president, Reagan became eligible for a commemorative stamp in the year following his death. Postal Service policy restricts stamps honoring people other than presidents to those who have been dead at least 10 years.
The official first-day-of-issue site for the stamp was at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, Calif.
Official ceremonies were also being held at the California state Capitol in Sacramento and in Dixon, Ill., Reagan's childhood home. Stamp dedication events were also taking place in Florida, Missouri, Montana and Texas.
The post office has 170 million of the new stamps on hand and also is offering a series of Reagan collectables.
Joining Miller and Postmaster General John Potter for the dedication were Edwin Meese III, Reagan's senior adviser and later attorney general; Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska; Rep. Danny K. Davis, D-Ill.; White House chief of staff Andrew Card, and Kenneth M. Duberstein, who served as Reagan's last chief of staff.
February 09, 2005
Rogue photographers
Photo Rogue assigns photographers to snap snaps of scenes that users request ("squirrels ravaging a rabbit shaped cake", "a picture of any of the street performers in the main square. Especially the guy that dresses as a Cossack on a horse."), and publishes the results through Gallery.
February 08, 2005
The more the merrier!
From Brad comes word that another bicycle shop has opened nearby:
BOX DOG BIKES GRAND OPENING Box Dog Bikes is a new worker-owned bike shop in the mission. Box Dog Bikes specializes in used bike sales and repairs. Join them Friday, February 11th at 7:00pm for a grand opening celebration. Meet the owners, peruse our huge frame selection, pet the box dog, and party the night away with fellow SF bikers. Music and snacks too!
494 14th St. near Guerrero.
February 07, 2005
The roars of the masses could be farts
THE SAN PEDRO FILM SOCIETY AND ROCKET FUEL FILMS ANNOUNCE THE PREMIERE OF: WE JAM ECONO - THE STORY OF THE MINUTEMEN
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2005
For more information, contact
Keith Schieron
press@theminutemen.com
The San Pedro Film Society in association with Rocket Fuel Films is proud to announce the premiere of WE JAM ECONO - THE STORY OF THE MINUTEMEN at 8PM on Friday, February 25, 2005 at San Pedro's historic Warner Grand Theatre. Minutemen Mike Watt and George Hurley along with Director Tim Irwin and Producer Keith Schieron will sit for a question and answer session with the
audience after the screening. Michael Halloran from San Diego's FM94.9 will moderate the question and answer session.
WE JAM ECONO - THE STORY OF THE MINUTEMEN is a feature length documentary chronicling this ground breaking, early 80's punk rock band from their humble beginnings in the harbor town of San Pedro, CA to their untimely demise when lead singer and guitarist D. Boon was killed in a van accident in December of 1985.
Told by those who were there, WE JAM ECONO - THE STORY OF THE MINUTEMEN weaves together footage from over fifty newly shot interviews with archival interviews and live performances to capture the dynamic energy and do-it-yourself spirit of these punk rock pioneers. Newly shot interviews include Minutemen Mike Watt and George Hurley as well as Flea, Greg Ginn, Richard Hell, Ian MacKaye, Thurston Moore, and Henry Rollins among others.
The Warner Grand Theatre box office will open at 7PM. Advance tickets are available at www.theminutemen.com General Admission is $10. Students, San Pedro Film Society Members and Grand Vision Members can buy tickets the evening of the premiere at the box office for $8.
For more information including trailer, press kit, and
ticket information:
www.theminutemen.com
www.thesanpedrofilm.org
www.thewarnergrand.com
Here comes your man
Joseph hooked me up with a home-made DVD of the Pixies' recent incongruous appearance on Austin City Limits. Thanks to DVDBackup, I now have the disk on my local drive, and, since Joseph is a filmmaker by avocation, the DVD is pretty stellar. He exported the footage from TiVo to Final Cut Pro, thence to iDVD.
February 06, 2005
Sit tight and await the cavalry
 Your name alone strikes fear into others; but maybe, just maybe, there's a little vulnerability and weakness beneath that stoic, fierce exterior of yours. Take the What Pulp Fiction Character Are You? quiz. |
I like Paris in the the spring
There will be a meeting regarding the installation of children in the Lower Haight's renowned dog-shit pile, offically known as Duboce Park.
Whenever I think, "Oh, I should take a trip to Paris ... in the 17th century," all I need to do is walk down to the corner of Steiner and Duboce, and the air is heavy with humid feces.
Gears are cool! We've got gears in our school!
Today really was an outstanding day for a bicycle ride. Peter and I rode to the Golden Gate Bridge, thence through Crissy Field to Frog Hollow for a cup of Blue Bottle coffee. I also ate a delicious ham-and-cheese savoury: a little more than two bites, and with a pastry ever so buttery. On the way back home I was having some trouble adjusting my seat-post, since my handy Park tool was confiscated at LAX a few months ago. I spun past Carlos' Salon des Biciclettes, but they're never open on Sundays. I turned right at the corner of Fillmore and Haight and voilą, I see Refried Cycles (Bicletas Refritas, keeping with the 'hood's multi-lingual cycle-shop theme). Benjy and dog Linus were behind the counter, and helped me out with the loan of a tool. They're open on a schedule complementary to other shops (closed Tuesday; most other shops close Monday, or in the case of Salon des Biclettes, Sunday and Monday), and he was very happy to direct me to other nearby shops where I could buy the various parts I needed. I ended up ordering them through him, partly because I'm lazy but mostly because I like having more bicycle shops in the area. They even have a nice seat in the window, so you can stare out at the tree-stump carving on the sidewalk.
And I rode the Bianchi today, replete with gears. I needed it, too, up the shamefully short one-block grades around the bridge. How did I ever race up and down that route on a fixed-gear? Heavens.