SFBG Blogs Archives — Page 545 of 597 — San Francisco Bay Guardian Archive 1966

More About Zoellick

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June 1, 2007

By Sarah Phelan

Just in case any one thinks Paul “We Are the World Bank” Wolfowitz replacement Robert Zoellick ain’t that bad, check out his campaign contributions record: aside from backing Sen. John McCain in 2007, and GW Bush in 2004 and 2000, Zoellick’s had his money on James Demint, James Kolbe, Mel Martinez, Katherine Harris, Rick Lazio, Robert Portman, Bill Frist. Oh, and let us not forget Heather Wilson and Pete Domenici, both of whom appear to have had a hand in the, TGIF, US attorneys firing scandal.

Friday Specials

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June 1, 2007

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By Sarah Phelan

vert.griffin.ap.jpg
TGIF: Tim Griffin Is Former

I like to check news outlets on Fridays, because that’s when further installments in the Bush Scandals tend to hit.
This Friday’s installment is the resignation of Tim Griffin, the ex-aide to Rove who was shoehorned into the US Attorney’s Office, following the firing of Bud Cummins. Today, Griffin says he’s leaving his position as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas “to pursue opportunities in the private sector”.
Maybe the Bushies believe they can appease folks by removing “a few bad apples,” Abu Ghraib style. But by now the American public must have cottoned on to the fact that the Bush rot runs all the way through the barrel. Right?

Ditto, kiddo

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May 31, 2007

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Cheryl Eddy wrote: Did you see that interview a few weeks ago where Keira Knightley was all, “I wish I had Beth Ditto’s sexy body, but I’m just so naturally skinny! Tee hee!” Sure, beeyatch.

This month’s NME. FIERCE!

The Express, the Planet and Village Voice Media

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May 31, 2007

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By Tim Redmond

The new owners of the East Bay Express are settling into their offices — and already, the current and former ownership has become something of an issue. The Berkelely Daily Planet last week quoted Express editor Steve Buel — who ran the paper when it was owned by Village Voice Media (formerly New Times) and is now part of the independent ownership group — saying some rather unkind things about his former bosses:

While Buel wouldn’t confirm reports which had the Express alone losing $500,000 every year, but he did say that the previous owner, New Times—which owned the paper outright between 2001 and late 2005 before merging with VVM—“doesn’t do well in places with competition.”

He added, “If you look at the paper in the past year or so, you will see that it has gotten a lot thinner.” The chain does well in places like Denver, Phoenix and Miami, he said, “which are basically suburban markets, which are not competitive. But they didn’t do well here.”

Now, “out from under the ax of New Times, we will be able to make a much better paper,” Buel said.

I was a bit startled to read those comments, since Buel has never said anything harsh about the big VVM/NT chain, and in fact defended chain management at some length when the two of us debated the issue at a forum a few months back.

But of course, Buel is absolutely right:

Half-speed progress on high-speed rail

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May 30, 2007

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By Steven T. Jones
The Legislature is poised to rebuke Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s obstructionism on creating a much-needed high-speed rail system for California. As Guardian readers know, the California High Speed Rail Authority had asked for a $103 million budget allocation this year to move the project forward in advance of next year’s planned bond measure, but Arnold only offered them $1.2 million in his budget. Since then, the Assembly (where SF’s Fiona Ma has been championing the project) approved a $51 million budget for the agency, while the Senate voted for give it $40 million. A conference committee will determine the actual budget amount, likely somewhere between those figures. It’s a good sign, particularly if the Legislature holds firm and refuses the governor’s request to indefinitely postpone the $10 billion high-speed rail bond issue now set of the November 2008 ballot.

Rock it science

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May 30, 2007

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By Beth Gilomen

We all like to think that we are unique little snowflakes. We assume that we formulate opinions of our own will and make our own decisions about our likes and dislikes. That may be true, but to a certain extent, one company has proven that what we like may not be as subjective as we think.

Platinum Blue, a research company, has developed something they call the “Music X-Ray.” Basically, by analyzing hit songs, ranging from classical compositions to current pop music, Platinum Blue has been able to detect upwards of 60 mathematical patterns that popular songs fit. These algorithms are not detectable by the human ear, but they somehow appear to influence how we feel about the things we hear.

The company claims that using their analytical software, a record label can increase the chance of picking a hit from 10 percent to roughly 80 percent. They claim that they were able to predict the success of Gnarls Barkley’s single “Crazy” by testing it against these mathematical patterns, and apparently, the program’s predecessor predicted Norah Jones’ success before she “was on anyone’s radar,” according to the Web site.

So great, right? Record labels won’t have to spend millions of dollars promoting singles that, mathematically speaking, don’t stand a chance. That’s great for their budgets, but it sets a frightening precedent.

Eric Mar running for supe in D1

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May 30, 2007

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By Tim Redmond

This was hardly secret, but now it’s official: School Board member Eric Mar, long a progressive leader, will announce soon that he’s running for supervisor in District One. And in the meantime, he’s working against the McGoldrick recall.

A secret hold on an FOIA bill

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May 30, 2007

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By Tim Redmond

An important bill to reform the federal Freedom of Information Act has cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee, but can’t go to the floor for a vote because one senator has placed an anonymous hold on it.

The Society of Professional Journalists has a good running total of which senators said they didn’t place the hold and which are not responding; you can find it here

Word in Washington is that the guilty party — the senator who wants to secretly block more public access to government — is John Kyl of Arizona.But the only way to prove that is to rule the others out, and that’s been done before. From SPJ’s action notice:

In August 2006, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) put a hold on a bill to create a searchable public database of all federal grants and contracts. Stevens’ role was revealed only after online public advocates and journalists forced senators to go on the record about whether they placed the hold.

Both of California’s senators deny placing the block. If you live in one of the states where the senator hasn’t responded, call or email right away.

A secret hold on FOIA bill

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May 30, 2007

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By Tim Redmond

An important bill to reform the federal Freedom of Information Act has cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee, but can’t go to the floor for a vote because one senator has placed an anonymous hold on it.

The Society of Professional Journalists has a good running total of which senators said they didn’t place the hold and which are not responding; you can find it here

Word in Washington is that the guilty party — the senator who wants to secretly block motre public access to government — is John Kyl of Arizona.But the only way to prove that is to rule the others out, and that’s been done before. From SPJ’s action notice:

In August 2006, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) put a hold on a bill to create a searchable public database of all federal grants and contracts. Stevens’ role was revealed only after online public advocates and journalists forced senators to go on the record about whether they placed the hold.

Both of California’s senators deny placing the block. If you live in one of the states where the senator hasn’t responded, call or email right away.

Sometimes it’s just too easy

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May 30, 2007

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by Amanda Witherell

The pugnacious Nathan Nayman photo courtesy of examiner.com

Now, I know it’s easy to get really jealous when other people write better than you do but plagiarism is still the deadliest of sins when it comes to putting the word out.

But don’t let that stop Nathan Nayman!
Did you catch his op-ed against Community Choice Aggregation in last Wednesday’s Examiner? Did you catch that two paragraphs of it were lifted nearly WORD-FOR-WORD from a letter PG&E sent to community organizations about a month ago? The statement expressed the utility company’s concerns, STRANGELY SIMILAR to Nayman’s, about the CCA plan to bring more renewable energy to San Francisco. I guess PG&E sent one of those letters to Nayman’s Committee on Jobs, too. I wonder if they put a check for another $50,000 in the envelope, too. I called Nayman to ask, but he hasn’t called me back yet.

Betting on the mayor

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May 30, 2007

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By Steven T. Jones
I’ll be the first to admit that I barely understand the complexities of futures markets, but I’m proud to say that I’ve already made a few hundred bucks off this fall’s mayor’s race. OK, it isn’t real money, and this market for who will be our next mayor is a contrivance of the SF Usual Suspects. Yet it’s a fun and interesting new way to handicap the upcoming race. BTW, I’m swimming in Ross Mirkarimi shares in case anybody wants to make me a good offer.

Pushing the electronic envelope

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May 29, 2007

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By Sean Manning

If the advent of sample culture has taught us anything, it’s that you can’t just slap two and two together and expect to make something transcendent. For every Grey Album there are countless forgettable mash-ups attempting to play “What if?” with pop’s back catalogue and even more pointless remixes. And while rock purists may decry anyone who can’t barre a chord to save their life as a phony, real cut-and-paste collage—when given the proper attention to detail and refinement—can be magic.

Brazilian-born DJ Amon Tobin crashed an otherwise typical set of hip hop and funk spinning at San Francisco’s Mezzanine on Friday night with an abrasive wall of white noise and grinding beats—all in glorious surround sound. It was an appropriate beginning—a palette cleanser of sorts, and a call to the audience that you shouldn’t be dancing anymore. The wall of sound was embellished with audio snippets of a children’s choir to great apocalyptic effect before transitioning into “Esther’s”—a powerful and aggressive track from Tobin’s recent album The Foley Room, which darts fragments of micro-percussion around a sample of a revved engine. The result was something exhilarating and somewhat mysterious, because despite his command of the stage, Tobin seemed to be generating an impossible amount of sound.

As a sound artist more than a breakbeat fiend, Tobin may have seemed a little bit out of place at the Mezzanine, but his performance showed that while everyone and their mom may have access to GarageBand these days, true envelope pushing sound collage remains much more elusive, and, inherently, much more interesting.

About Zoellick

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May 29, 2007

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By Sarah Phelan
Wolfowitz may be on his way out, but get this: Robert Zoellick the guy picked to replace him, was one of the signatories (along with Wolfowitz, Donald Rumsfeld, Richard Perle, Elliott Abrams, Zalmay Khalilzad, John R. Bolton, Richard Armitage, William Kristol, and others) of a Jan. 26, 1998 letter to President Bill Clinton drafted by the Project for a New American Century calling for “removing Saddam’s regime from power.”

Step Up! Sheehan hangs up her helmet.

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May 29, 2007

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By Sarah Phelan

You can’t blame antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan for hanging up her helmet, but what excuse do the rest of us have? Sheehan kept the memory of her son alive and didn’t flinch from confronting the truth that her son died for a lie. With the bloodiest month since the US invaded Iraq coming to an end, it’s time for the rest of us to debunk Bush’s “war” myth. There were no WMDs. And there is no enemy, now Saddam is gone. Instead, we have an occupation, which can only end one way: when we leave. How many more American troops have to die for Bush’s war lie? One more is one too many. Tell Congress that it’s the decider, not Bush. Tell Congress to take back its power. Now.

Love is in the air

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May 25, 2007

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By Beth Gilomen

I’m new to the city and don’t know many people yet, so I must admit, I’ve been browsing the craigslist missed connections for the last two weeks, passively hoping that someone out there wants to meet me. So far, no luck. But here’s what I have found: there are a lot of you in San Francisco looking for some love in your lives. I feel for you, and apparently, so do the people running this year’s Carnaval San Francisco . The 29th annual bash kicks off this Saturday with the theme Love Happens.

In addition to the usual activities, such as a parade, music, and dancing, this year’s celebration of Latin American and Caribbean cultures will feature speed dating (for those of you ready to get off the computer and reconnect with the real world) and weddings/ commitment (or re-commitment) ceremonies. The ceremonies take place right before the parade on Sunday – and, really, what better way is there to celebrate new unions than a community reception like Carnaval?

So, as cliché as this sounds, give your laptop a rest, go outside, and let a little love happen to you this weekend. I’ll be out there with you.

P.S. If you’re not quite ready to escape the Internet dating circuit, Carnaval SF offers an online dating service as well at www.carnavalsf.com/love .

Candidates and non-candidates

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May 25, 2007

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By Tim Redmond

So much going on right now in the local political world — and some of it so ephemeral.

Chris Daly’s progressive convention is June 2, coming right up, and we still don’t have a candidate for mayor. Matt Gonzalez gives an interview to BeyondChron and says he’s not ruling out a run, but won’t be making any announcement in time for the June 2 event. Will anyone? Or is this going to be a convention without a candidate?

The 08 supes races, on the other hand, are heating up and full of candidates. Cecilia Chung just announced she’s running in district 11, creating the possibility for a fascinating bit of history: As Chung just told me, It will be 30 years next fall since the assissination of Harvey Milk, and his killer, Dan White, represented what is now D-11. Electing a transgender woman from that district would make big national news.

Chung won’t be the only candidate: I’m told John Avalos, aide to Sup. Chris Daly, is also planning to run, as is Community College Board member Julio Ramos.

And in District Nine, Police Commission member David Campos is clearly running to replace Tom Ammiano, as is housing activist Eric Quezada, who will have a kick-off event at Galleria de la Raza June 1.

Star studded Milk Club event

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May 25, 2007

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By Steven T. Jones
Last night’s annual dinner of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club was a truly memorable event that stands as testament to the strength, vitality, depth, and verve of this city’s progressive movement. Political events can be deathly boring, but not this one, not with back-to-back speeches by Senator Carole Migden and Assembly member Mark Leno (who is running for Migden’s seat), presidential candidate Mike Gravel hitting the most progressive themes of his field, masseur Mike Jones talking about how and why he outed the closeted Rev. Ted Haggard, Sup. Chris Daly being honored for his work on affordable housing, the irrepressible Donna Sachet serving as MC, a snappy and well-produced ensemble musical tribute to the Summer of Love, and a crowd full of notables.

No Fun faboo!

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May 25, 2007

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Guardian contributor George Chen made it to the No Fun Fest at the Hook in Brooklyn, May 17-20. Here are a few pics and thoughts from the brain behind Chen Santamaria.

This was John Wiese, Jesse Jackson (I am assuming that is his real name), and Corydon Ronnau (Obstacle Corpse). Jackson destroyed his already partial guitar, and some crazed fan walked off with the neck and guts. By the way, he would like them back – no questions asked.

Rat Bastard has done time in To Live and Shave in LA and Laundry Room Squelchers – he also has the lowdown on how Miami changed New York noise. Carlos Giffoni organizes the No Fun Festival and the No Fun label and he performed.

Trevor Tremaine and Robert Beatty (also of festival headliners Hair Police) accompany Burning Star Core founder Spencer Yeh and Zaimph’s Marcia Bassett (Hototogisu, Double Leopards, Zaika).

gerritt ryan ceci.jpg

Gerritt Wittmer and Ryan Jencks have been touring across country with their respective solo acts (Gerritt and SIXES) and piling together as Deathroes. East Village Radio personality, AMillionKeys blogger and former SF ingenue Ceci Moss was in the house as well.

Leslie Keffer invited a bunch of women onstage, cranked a Madonna party song, and basically turned No Fun into “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” Partner-in-crime Rodger Stella glared menacingly and dropped his pants in the hip-hop fashion of the day. The ladies, including Tarantism’s Angie Edwards, smacked him with a stuffed dolphin. Thank you, Freud.

Raionbashi and Kutzkelina were the highlight of my Friday evening. Female yodeling, processed and delayed. Raionbashi did push-ups as well. “We’re here to pump you up!”

Twig Harper represents for the Nautical Almanac Sound System. That Brite Spots record looks dope. The DJ booth is like a cage.

Aaron Dilloway, a.k.a., Killoway, a.k.a., Hanson Records’ fearless leader, nails it home on the last night of No Fun. One of the highlights.

Beauty with bite

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May 24, 2007

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By Beth Gilomen

Visiting the Conservatory of Flowers’ current special exhibit, Chomp, flooded me with memories of fourth grade field trips – if they’d had a “Little Shop of Horrors” theme. Yes, the playfully titled show features carnivorous plants from all over the world (that’s right, these plants eat meat), displayed almost too close for comfort.

I say “almost,” because I was assured that none of these hungry little predators are harmful to humans. Even sticking your finger inside a Nepenthes pitcher and leaving it there for a few days will only give you a sunburn-like discomfort. Of course, you wouldn’t want to let your pet mice near one.

About those whales …

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May 24, 2007

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By Tim Redmond

Yeah, I’m all for saving the whales and I even worked for Greenpeace once. But I have to say: Coast Guard boats and helicopters. Camera crews from all over. Front-page headlines. Tens of thousands of dollars, maybe millions of dollars, spent on two wayward whales that at this point will probably die anyway.

That’s a lot more attention than anyone pays to the homeless people who wander the streets of San Francisco and die just about every week of every year. Kids sicker than that whale calf could use just a tiny bit of that money we’re spending in the Sacramento River.

Don’t get me wrong: I love the whales. But let’s have some perspective here.

City Attorney smacks down Jew’s PUC investigation request, launches investigation into Jew

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May 23, 2007

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Sarah Phelan

In addition to telling Supervisor Ed Jew that disclosure of his public records, including his PUC water usage records is permitted “because you stated in your letter and in comments to the public that your father’s home is also your residence”, City Attorney Dennis Herrera has asked the beleagured supe to provide the following information before next Tuesday, May 29 (which could be tricky since Jew is currently in China),: a copy of Jew’s 2006 state and federal tax returns; a copy of his driver’s licence; a copy of his vehicle registration cards; a copy of his utility bills–gas and electric, waste removal; cable or satellite TV bills; and telephone bills for his 28th Avenue residence between June 1and April 30, 2007. (Note to self: don’t get into hot water with city attorney, until you’ve got your personal records filed and ready to go.)
Meanwhile, further analysis of Jew’s water usage shows that no water was consumed in March and April 2007, that only 3 units (3 x 748 gallons) was consumed in January and February 2007, and I unit (748 gallons) was consumed in November and December 2006. Prior to that, the only water units shown are from an unbilled balance already on the account before Jew established service there on September 11, 2006.

Ed Jew throws a one-two punch at the PUC–then flies to China

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May 23, 2007

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Guardian photo of Ed Jew by Charles Russo
By Sarah Phelan
Before leaving the country at 1am this morning for the home of his ancestors, beleagured Supervisor Ed Jew managed to find time–in between luggage packing and driving to the airport–to dash off a letter to City Attorney Dennis Herrera, requesting an inquiry into “the apparent willful disclosure of confidential personal information by an employee or employees of the Public Utilities Commission.”

Wow. We knew that Jew wasn’t a big fan of the PUC, as witnessed by his ultimately unsuccessful 2005 battle against sewer, water and garbage hikes. But who knew that the supervisor, who is being investigated by the FBI for demanding money from a tapioca bubble drink shop chain in exchange for mucho cash would end up accusing the SFPUC of releasing cherry picked information to the running dogs of the press to make him look bad. Hot diggitty!

Rescuing the sinking Shipyard

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May 22, 2007

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Artist’s rendering of Jim Mason’s Mechabolic project
By Steven T. Jones
For the last two weeks, Berkeley bureaucrats have been clashing with The Shipyard‘s countercultural artists and engineers, ordering facility owner Jim Mason to shut the place down or jump through some difficult hoops to bring it up to code.
Mason had threatened to follow in the Crucible‘s footsteps and leave Berkeley for what he saw as more hospitable environs next door in Oakland. But first, he had a meeting yesterday with Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates that by all accounts went well. The upshot: Bates told city fire, building, and planning officials to find a way to let the Shipyard stay.

Hogarth doth protest too much

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May 22, 2007

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By Steven T. Jones
Even before reading the article about Club Six’s conflict with neighbors that I wrote for tomorrow’s paper, Paul Hogarth (a half-time housing activist with Tenderloin Housing Clinic and half-time managing editor for THC’s Beyond Chron blog) has concluded that I’m being terribly unfair to the SRO residents of Sixth Street, all because Club Six advertises with us. Apparently he’s psychic.
Actually, Paul’s poorly executed preemptive strike illustrates the danger of activists masquerading as pseudo-journalists. Under Hogarth’s direction, Beyond Chron has already slammed Club Six without bothering to contact owner Angel Cruz, who is at the club everyday and easy to reach. And that article didn’t disclosure Hogarth’s role in organizing the NIMBY mob until I asked him about the apparent conflict of interests (difficult questions that Hogarth considers “hostile”).
So now he’s bending over backwards to explain why they’re the good guys and we’re the bad. I won’t deign to address his many illogical accusations and willful misinterpretations except to say that I’ve been a professional journalist for more than 15 years and I’ve been known for my integrity, independence and willingness to slam advertisers when that’s how I see a story. And I’ve interviewed all sides of this story and read all relevant documents, so the story that you’ll read tomorrow is actually journalism.