SF Chronicle's Bad Reporter Keeps Me Informed

When I see the Bad Reporter's headling:  NRA PROPOSES ALL RED FLAGS AT HALF STAFF/Beautiful gesture is a tribute to the victims," of course I understand it because the NRA always responds to  gun violence in the same sensitive way.

But I occasionally see allusions I don't understand, as was the case with CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER TO REPLACE ROY MOORE.  I hadn't yet learned about Roy Moore's alleged molestation of a 14-year-old a couple of decades ago.  But I guessed correctly that Christopher Plummer was replacing Kevin Spacey in something or other. 

The Tenderloin Times

Last week I went to a gathering at the Tenderloin Museum, where we "donors"  (sounds like an arm and a limb) were served drinks and hors d'oeuvres.  (Not sure there was any tender loin, but maybe...)  We had from 5:30 to 7:00 to look around the museum, where issues from The Tenderloin Times 1977-1994 were on display.

Then there was to be a panel of journalists on the topic "From Broadsheet to Broadband:  Community Media in the Digital Age."  They each spoke for five minutes about how technology is re-defining how we connect to media and the concept of community.

I got a good seat and eaves-dropped on the group I assumed would make up the panel.

I recognized Andrew Lam from the time I took my City College class to see him on the Ocean Campus.  But there was another man whose face I knew, but I didn't know from where.

Finally it dawned on me that he was Juan Gonzales, the chair of the CCSF Journalism Department as well as the founder of El Tecolote, a bilingual newspaper now 47-years old.  

The man on Juan's right in the photos here is Rob Waters, a former editor of The Tenderloin Times.  The man you see on the far right was the moderator, Brad Paul, housing advocate and former Cadillac Hotel tenant.

Below you can see them when Rob Waters was speaking and the others were seated for the panel.

Sara Colm, former editor; Andrew Lam, author; Carrie Sisto, Tenderloin Editor of Hoodline; Juan Gonzales, founder of El Tecolote and Chair of CCSF's Journalism Department.

David Talbot, co-founder of Salon, 48 Hills op-ed writer, former SF Examiner editor, former SF Chronicle columnist, and author, was a special speaker.

Here's Randy Shaw, director of the non-profit that runs the museum, The Tenderloin Housing Clinic,  and the author of  The Tenderloin:  Sex, Crime and Resitance in the Heart of San Francisco. 

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"Tip" for the San Francisco Chronicle on Prince Alwaleed bin Talal

I just sent the following "tip" to the San Francisco Chronicle:

So far, if I'm not mistaken, the SF Chronicle hasn't done its own reporting on those detained by King Salman and the Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia.  Instead you've used reports from the New York Times, but there's a local angle and information I haven't seen reported.

The son of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the one so often mentioned in reports because he's the "Warren Buffett of the Middle East,"  has a son,  Khaled bin Alwaleed, who's been very active in the environmental movement away from fossil fuels.  He was instrumental in getting LED lights in Jordan.  He's even a vegan and has eaten at Chaya in San Francisco.  The emphasis in the reports I've read so far has been on the wealth of Alwaleed bin Talal and how his arrest has affected the stock market, not on  the progressive ideals and actions he and his son have championed.  Is there some way you could interview his son and do your own reporting?

I then sent a link, urging John Diaz/the Chronicle staff to read it:

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2017/02/10/news/meet-vegan-saudi-prince-whos-turning-lights-jordan

Andrew Ogus, Incredible Artist

Andrew Ogus, I learned back in the 1980's, designed books, but I had only an inkling of his talent and imagination until I joined the Lewis Carroll Society of North America and started receiving the Knight Letter, the members' magazine, for which he has been the publication designer since 2003.

I missed his September show, and now, looking online,  I see how many others I missed:

http://andrewogus.com/shows

I'm so glad I didn't miss yesterday's! 

His printmaking and drawing skills are awe-inspiring, and talking to him yesterday  I realized how similar his creative process is to what writers say about theirs.  He says he has something in mind after he prepares the paper, but the muses take over after that, so he can and usually does surprise himself. 

Muses,  the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts, seems like the right word for the work of an artist so inspired by Greek mythology.  Our conversation  made me aware of how much I've missed or forgotten about Greek mythology.  

He told me about the story of  Castor and Pollux, twins, but not identical ones because Pollux was immortal, and Castor was not.  When Castor was killed, Pollux asked Zeus to let him share his own immortality with Castor, and Zeus sent them both to heaven in the form of Gemini!

 The word "saucing" is new to me but something he said he learned to do at Fort Mason. 

When I come back I want to relate the funny story of a sale Andrew made yesterday and show some of his work on paper--including Madonna and Child.

Celebrating Friendship, Food, Freedom, and Art!

 Shehla and I had planned to devote the day to celebrating the November 4th birthday of a friend, Beth Ericson, but her time was limited, so after we had Mediterranean (Turkish) food at Bursa--a wonderful restaurant due to the servers as well as to the food--stopped at the West Portal Produce Market for persimmons and had a piece of the cake and Kahlua trifle I'd made for Beth, I had time to go downtown to see Andrew Ogus' incredible art at the studio open house at 759 Bryant.

On the way there I saw a protest march which said "#Nov4ItBegins," which I realized I could have used on a card for Beth had it been a few hours earlier--but the rest might not have fit quite so well:  "TrumpPenceMustGO.  RefuseFascism.org 

More on Andrew Ogus' art tomorrow!

A Belated Report on Halloween in the City!

When I shared my photos of Halloween on West Portal, Bill shared this picture of a pumpkin Melanie's grandson Matteo created--a pumpkin vomiting from having had too much Halloween candy.

Time flies!  The last time I saw the artist, he was just an infant sleeping through Tom and Bill's wedding vows!  Here he is with his mother and grandparents at City Hall, SF, in 2008.

Then at Greens we saw this, Pumpkins and gourds on the root end of the redwood burl.

Now that It's November 4, Time for Halloween!

I'm always behind, but I can't leave Halloween behind, so here it is on Vicente 2017.

For several days I admired this house every time I walked to West Portal.

So on Halloween night I waited until sunset to see it in the dark.

There were streams of costumed people on the sidewalk and in the streets, and some neighbors had even put up tents or canapes in their front yard to welcome the trick-or-treaters.