- NOW in FOG CITY JOURNAL -

NOTE: For subscribers who cannot read HTML-formatted text, click here

San Francisco crime cameras approved
despite privacy concerns

By Brent Begin, Bay City News Service

January 18, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - The San Francisco Police Commission voted unanimously to approve the placement of 25 security cameras throughout the city Wednesday night despite an outpouring of public sentiment that surveillance would violate privacy rights.

The approval, which carried with it a number of amendments and stipulations, came after nearly five hours of comment from a vivid cross section of residents from the city's Mission, Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods.

Full story, click here.

Golden Gate Bridge suicides increase

Merits of reporting numbers in dispute

Photo(s) by Luke Thomas

By Brigid Gaffikin, Bay City News Service

January 18, 2007

In a break from the usual practice of Bay Area law enforcement and government agencies, Marin County Coroner Kenneth Holmes yesterday released detailed information about suicides from the Golden Gate Bridge in 2006.

At least 34 people died after jumping from the bridge last year, a number that could increase at the conclusions of ongoing investigations into other deaths that appeared to be Golden Gate Bridge suicides, Holmes said.

Full story, click here.

CBS Outdoor removes alcohol ads
after San Francisco audit

By Brent Begin, Bay City News Service

January 17, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - The media company responsible for advertising in San Francisco's bus shelters began to aggressively move alcohol ads away from schools today after a media watchdog group and city leaders threatened action.

CBS Outdoor had been displaying advertisements for Yellow Tail Chardonnay, Glenfiddich scotch, Miller beer and Bailey's Irish cream within 500 feet of nine schools, according to Bruce Livingston, the executive director of the Marin Institute, an alcohol watchdog group that audited the ads in three of the city's districts.

Full story, click here.

COURT JESTERINGS

With h brown

Photo(s) by Luke Thomas

Court Jester on Hunter's Point Shipyard
and California medical marijuana id card price hike

By h. brown

January 18, 2007

"It burned steadily in the rain for almost 2 weeks before the Navy admitted the earth was on fire. They had a hell of a time getting the fire out. Who knows what was burning like that? Then, they came in during another rainstorm and truck after truck poured concrete into the crevices left by the fire."

(Journal notes on Hunters Point Shipyard)

The San Francisco 49'ers had better look into the history of the parcel of land in the Hunters Point Shipyard that Gavin Newsom is offering them as a site for their new stadium. The fire and concrete pour go back around 10 years. I know because my students told me all about it.

Full story, click here.

Jeff Burwell: New Paintings and Sculpture
at Lincart Gallery

Jeff Burwell: maestro of transforming the ineffable into the tangible
is exhibiting his latest inspirations at Lincart Gallery through February.24.
Photo(s) by Luke Thomas

By Hope Bryson

January 17, 2007

We at Lincart Gallery believe that it is the lifestyle of the artist that imbues their work with depth and intrigue. The process is as essential as the end product, whereby the ineffable is transformed into the tangible.

Jeff Burwell's paintings and sculptures embody this ideal. He is a young man who, by a happy combination of good fortune and native drive, has cultivated the life of a genuine artist. Indeed, he went to art school and graduated from the California College of Arts.

Full story, click here.