Skip to content

Monthly Archives: September 2009

Today in West Oakland

Nothing to be said; a few things to be seen.

The Wall

Some commenters on the last photo I posted were speculating that I have an affinity for the color blue, or that perhaps my camera or the local scenery produced particularly good blues (I assume that the speculation was based primarily on some earlier pictures I’ve taken such as this one and this one and this […]

Department of Dubious Distinctions

Is Gavin Newsom the first gubernatorial candidate in history to livetweet the birth of his child?

Patchwork

East 18th Gets Thrift Store that Lakeshore Spurned

I noticed today that an Out of the Closet thrift store is about to open on East 18th Street, in the space that Hollywood Video used to occupy. Employees who were there setting up the shop told me that the grand opening is on Saturday. I normally wouldn’t write a long post about the opening […]

Traffic Calming on Park Boulevard Today

I wrote in January about some of the problems with lower Park Boulevard, my neighborhood’s main thoroughfare. One big problem I noted is that cars treat it like a speedway instead of a city street, which makes it pretty scary for pedestrians and bicyclists, and therefore diminishes its potential as a thriving urban street (the […]

An Awful Message to Kids: Stay in School (but get there in a car)

I was flabbergasted when a commenter on one of my Flickr photos back in April told me about an elementary school in San Jose which had (at the behest of the SJPD) instructed parents that bicycles “are not allowed as a means of transportation to or from school,” apparently because traffic patterns around the school […]

Sunday Lovin’, Oaktown Style

Love was in the air today on a walk around Oakland with the dog, from bikes to bread to coffee:

The Passage of Time and the Failure of Memory

This painting by Gerhard Richter is my favorite piece of 9/11-related art or literature; in fact, it might be the only piece of 9/11-related art or literature that I’ve ever actually liked: I first came across it in The Atlantic about 2 years ago, and it resonates with my own changing perspective on September 11th […]

Outlaw Cyclists Run Rampant on City Streets

I didn’t realize until now that I break the law nearly every day: 12.60.010  Bicycle license required. It is unlawful for any person to operate or use a bicycle, as defined in Section 39000 of the California Vehicle Code, upon any street in the city of Oakland without first obtaining a California Bicycle License therefor […]

The Trouble with Washington Political Reporting

The New York Times had a brief write-up last night about James K. Glassman being appointed as the founding executive director of the George W. Bush Institute, an “action-oriented think tank” which will be part of the GWB Center at Southern Methodist University. Glassman is a former journalist and pundit who also served in the […]

Live and on Tape: Art at Awaken Cafe

Some of you know my friend Pablo Manga. Some of you know the Awaken Cafe and gallery on 14th Street in downtown Oakland. Some of you may know both, and some of you may know neither. Whichever category you fall into, you should check out a show of Pablo’s recent work at Awaken this month, […]