Sam Spade's San Francisco

Lennar Corp. is preparing to break ground early in 2008 at the former Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard. Lennar will begin work on 82-units next Spring. Eventually Lennar hopes to build 1,600 homes at Hunter's Point.

In the photo: a plaque commemorating the ships repaired and constructed at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard. Click on image to enlarge in a separate window.

Lennar is one of the nation's largest homebuilders, with projects under development in 18 states. Over the past twenty years Lennar has increased its number of new home deliveries from 2,978 to 49,568 homes in 2006.

The three biggest problems Lennar faces in successfully marketing new homes at Hunter's Point are:

1. During the years the Navy owned the property it was pretty much used as a sponge for a wide variety of toxic chemicals.
2. Radiological pollution is also evident at Hunter's Point. The two atomic bombs dropped on Japan at the end of World War II were stored and worked-on at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard before being moved to Tinian Island aboard the U.S.S. Indianapolis.
   
3. The close proximity of public housing projects just simply scares hell out of people. Nobody wants to live next door to one of the most dangerous murder and assault epicenters in Northern California. Let's face it, the current reputation of Hunter's Point and the Bayview is second only to Oakland and Richmond. Nobody with the ability to choose (prospective buyers) will want to move into that crime hot spot.

Lennar and the City face an uphill challenge to convince buyers that Hunter's Point is a nice place to live. It can be done, but it is going to require a lot of money and a lot of spin on the real history of the neighborhood. They're going to need a lot of luck to pull-off a sales job like that!

Other related stories from Sam's Archives:
The Little Boy at Hunter's Point (about the atomic bomb)
San Francisco's Toxic Tour
SF Housing Authority's Backroom Deal
Black Folk in the Bayview
Bayview - Hunter's Point Begins to Rise

And for further research try:
Old Photos of Hunter's Point
Weapons Stored at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard
Wikipedia article on Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard
GlobalSecurity.Org's analysis of Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard
History of Hunter's Point
Urban Achiever's Hunter's Point Photo Collection
Mesothelioma and Asbestos at Hunter's Point
Asbestos and Hunter's Point
Toxic Substances and Disease Registry: Hunter's Point
Guide for Hunter's Point Toxic Cleanup
San Franciscans for Our City's Health: Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard
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Have you ever noticed how many buildings have been purchased by the Academy of Art University? So far the school's campus consists of 16 buildings in San Francisco and they are about ready to buy another 10 buildings.

The schoo'ls ambitious real estate ownership plans are running into flak from some pretty powerful people at City Hall. The general thought is enough is enough!

The sparks will fly when the San Francisco Planning Commission meets on December 6th and hold a public hearing to hear what the citizens of San Francisco think about the school's plans for the future.

The Academy of Art University was established in San Francisco in 1929 by Richard S. Stephens, a fine art painter who had accepted the position of Creative Director for Sunset Magazine. Assisted by his wife, Mrs. Clara Stephens, he opened the new school in a rented loft at 215 Kearny Street to teach advertising art. In a few years, a distinguished faculty of practicing art and design professionals was assembled and the school’s philosophy was formulated: hire established professionals to teach future professionals.

Today the University has nearly 10,000 students, making it the largest private school of art and design in the country. Students now have the opportunity to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Associate of Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Architecture or a Certificate Program, with over 30 areas of academic emphasis.

Also read: San Franciscans Attack Academy of Art University

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Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles are a family of armored fighting vehicles designed to survive IED attacks and ambushes. IEDs cause the majority (63%) of US deaths in Iraq.

In the photo an MRAP drives onto a merchant marine ship at the Naval Weapons Station in Charleston, South Carolina.

The U.S. Transportation Command coordinated the transportation of more than 100 MRAPs to the U.S. Central Command area of operations, marking the first large-scale sealift movement of the life-saving vehicles.

It's about time!

Photo by Senior Airman Micky M. Bazaldua, USAF. Click on the photo to enlarge in a separate window.
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Tesla Motors hired Ze'ev Drori as its new CEO. He starts work next week at the company's headquarters in San Carlos.

Ze'ev Drori is a very successful entrepreneur. He founded Monolithic Memories and guided the company from infancy to adulthood when it was sold to AMD in 1987. Next Drori gained control of Clifford Electronics. He built up the company and sold it to Allstate Insurance in 1999. Drori is valuable asset added to an already very promising venture.

Having Steve Westly on the Tesla Board of Directors is another very smart move. After Arnold Schwarzenegger is termed-out, Steve Westly will be in an excellent position to take another run at becoming Governor of California. That would be very good news for Tesla Motors.

Of course the real Wizard of Oz behind the curtain is Elon Musk, the founder of PayPal and the primary source of Tesla's funding. He's on to something really hot this time around. The Tesla Roadster that Musk is about to introduce is a radically new car that:

• is 100% electric powered
• can go 0 to 60 in under 4 seconds
• gets 135 mpg equivalent
• goes 245 miles between charges
• costs less than two-cents per mile to drive

The Tesla Roadster will likely hit the showrooms next year. To learn more about Tesla, a San Carlos company, go to teslamotors.com.

Also read:
Tesla Roadster and Steve Westly
Chevy Volt and Tesla Roadster
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Here's a good an explanation of how the Internet works. The astonishing thing about it is that the explanation was written as a prediction for the future. The article was written by John Elfreth Watkins, Jr. in the year 1900 for the Ladies' Home Journal, a magazine begun in 1883 that is still published today.

The contribution is courtesy of Philipp Lenssen and comes from Google Blogoscoped.

You can click on the image to enlarge in a separate window. You can also view the original image in Google Blogosoped.

You can read all of John Elfreth Watkins predictions here.

Also check out Paleo-Future.
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In the past two years, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has dramatically stepped up arrests of illegal immigrants in workplaces and in their homes. In response, immigrant rights advocates have been holding "know your rights" seminars that coach people on how to avoid arrest.

National Public Radio (NPR) broadcast a report on today's Morning Edition show that is a real eye-opener. You can read the transcript here or use the link provided on the page to listen to the original broadcast.

And here are some related NPR stories:

• Oct. 17, 2007
  Should We Welcome Undocumented Immigrants?
• Oct. 15, 2007
  Businesses Feel Effects of Raids on Illegal Labor
• Nov. 29, 2007
  Businesses Challenge Arizona's Immigration Law
• Nov. 25, 2007
  On Patrol South of the Mexican Border
• Nov. 23, 2007
  Immigration Agency Faces Lawsuits Over Tactics
• Nov. 15, 2007
  Immigration Among Iowa Voters' Top Concerns

There are a number of organizations that provide assistance, help and information to immigrants. Here are a few of them:

The Immigration Institute of San Francisco
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center
National Immigration Law Center
American Immigration Lawyer's Association
Arriba Juntos
ACLU of Northern California
Catholic Charities Immigration and Refugee Services
Asian and Pacific Islander Legal Outreach
Office of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom
Chinatown Community Development Center
Instituto Laboral de la Raza
International Rescue Committee, San Francisco
Jewish Family and Childrens Services, San Francisco
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There is a very good read by Arnaud de Borchgrave, an editor-at-large for United Press International and an acclaimed author on international affairs. Here is a snippet of what de Boarchgrave has to say in the piece:

In the photo: Arnaud de Borchgrave

What do the Archbishop of Canterbury, Patrick J. Buchanan and Osama bin Laden have in common? All three believe America is on a path to national suicide. Bin Laden, of course, is hoping to make it happen. America's existential crisis, says the leader of the Anglican Church, was caused not only by America's actions, but also by a misguided sense of its own mission, and scorned the "chosen myth of America, meaning that what happens in America is very much at the heart of God's purpose for humanity." For bin Laden, the destruction of the "chosen myth of America" is very much at the heart of God's purpose for humanity.

-- "America is in an existential crisis from which the nation may not survive."

-- "The U.S. Army is breaking and is too small to meet America's global commitments."

-- "The dollar has sunk to historic lows and is being abandoned by foreign governments."

-- "The greatest invasion in history, from the Third World, is swamping the ethno-cultural core of the country, leading to Balkanization and the loss of the southwest to Mexico."

-- The culture is collapsing and the nation is being deconstructed along the lines of race and class.

You can read the entire story on the UPI website.

Giving for Goodness Sake is the most recent offering in the dinner - dialogue series titled Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Conversation. With apologies for this late notice, I hope you will consider attending.

DECEMBER 2 – DINNER-DIALOGUE
Giving for Goodness Sake – Charity in the Abrahamic Traditions
Sunday, December 2, 5:00-8:00 pm
St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1111 Gough (at Geary), San Francisco
$20 per person includes a bountiful vegetarian meal

About the image: The image of the linked rings is the logo of the Interfaith Center at the Presidio, designed by long-time Board member Don Frew. The rings appear tightly linked together, but if you look closely, you will notice that if the white ring were removed, the entire assemblage would fall apart into separate rings. No two rings are interlocked; it is only the central ring that brings them into a unified whole. This is an apt image for the Interfaith Center. Each of the participating religious groups and traditions maintains its individual identity and independence. It is the shared cooperative work that binds the members into into a whole.

A rabbi, a minister, and the new director of the Center for Islamic Studies in Berkeley will each speak briefly about “charity” in their respective traditions. (Details of the speakers and sponsors on the attached poster. Following questions and answers, people will share a meal and talk about their own understanding of charity and generosity.

You are invited and can make a reservation at or at .

presents

Chief Marin:
Leader, Rebel and Legend

by Betty Goerke,
Professor of Anthropology,
College of Marin

In the photo: Anthropologist Betty Goerke leading students on a filed trip to see the places Chief Marin and the Miwok people lived

Using mission records, ethnographies, explorers’ and missionaries’ diaries and correspondence, Betty Goerke has pieced together a fascinating portrait of a local Native American leader. Chief Marin led the Native resistance to Spanish colonization as the mission system collapsed and California became transformed by the newly arrived settlers.

Goerke, an anthropologist and archaeologist, paints a picture of the California of Marin’s time: the sights, smells, and sounds of the land; the traditions the Coast Miwok fought to preserve; and the colonial system against which Marin and other Native American leaders struggled to keep their way of life.

Location: Sequoia Boardroom, California Academy of Sciences, Downtown Campus, 875 Howard Street, San Francisco

Tickets: Free for Academy members, $8 non-members.

Tickets can be purchased by calling or at the door, when available.

Tickets also available online at: www.calacademy.org

for more information, contact: Kevin Welch, Manager of Lectures,California Academy of Sciences at or via email at

Jim Parker, director of Internet operations for KPIX CBS-5 says a CBS-5 spokesperson doesn't know what he's talking about.

In a statement given to Sam Spade's San Francisco by email this afternoon, Parker refutes what CBS employee Dave Stoelk earlier reported.

In an email sent to me, Stoelk wrote, "Interestingly, KPIX (CBS 5's) FCC license is for the DMI (designated market area) as follows: 'San Jose / San Francisco / Oakland. In that order, too! San Jose FIRST!'"

You can read Stoelk's full statement here.

In an attempt to stop the damage already done, Parker denied Stoelk's statement. Parker says, "stations aren't licensed to a DMA, they are licensed to the city in which they are based. DMAs are not an FCC creation, those are a creation of Nielsen in terms of measuring audience for a particular region."

Stoelk also told Sam Spade's San Francisco in an email received this morning, "Believe it or not, we have far more viewers in San Jose than San Francisco. In fact, many more people LIVE in San Jose than San Francisco--making it California's second largest city."

Parker went on set the record straight that Stoelk not only doesn't know what he's talking about, but lacks the authority to represent CBS-5 management in the first place.

Who knows what's going on over at CBS-5. They may have a problem with a disgruntled employee who fabricated the whole story - or - Dave Stoelk may have revealed a truth CBS-5 wants desperately to hide.

The station manager, Akilah Monifa has been silent on the issue. The only people at CBS-5 who have the authority to make a definitive statement are remaining silent. Hmmm.

I cannot imagine that the CBS network would approve of this kind of waffling and deceit.

Original story: CBS-5 Decides to Focus on San Jose - Not San Francisco
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(Update: Read the response from CBS-5. They say their spokesman doesn't know what he's talking about. Read the follow-up story here.)

Now, the original story:

According to Dave Stoelk of CBS-5 San Francisco, the new focus of the station is to serve the people of San Jose first. It appears that San Francisco viewers are less important to their marketing plan that the folks down in San Jose.

In an email to me, Stoelk wrote: "Interestingly, KPIX (CBS 5's) FCC license is for the DMI (designated market area) as follows: "San Jose / San Francisco / Oakland. In that order, too! San Jose FIRST!" (the emphasis by using all caps for the word "first" are Stoelk's, not mine)

Stoelk seemed intent on making the point that San Francisco viewers are lower on their scale than San Jose viewers. Stoelk went on to say, "Believe it or not, we have far more viewers in San Jose than San Francisco. In fact, many more people LIVE in San Jose than San Francisco--making it California's second largest city."

For those of us who live in San Francisco, CBS-5 is no longer a good choice for news, weather or sports. Their focus is going to be on San Jose news, San Jose weather and San Jose sports.

I wonder how this revelation is going to set with the current CBS-5 advertisers. I imagine CBS-5 will slowly and steadily lose advertising revenue from San Francisco advertisers. They seem to be putting all their eggs in the San Jose basket.

San Francisco advertisers now face even more limited choices for English-language media advertising. They can choose from KGO ABC-7, a San Francisco based station that (unlike CBS-5) knows it is a San Francisco station. The other alternative is KRON-4, which is an independent station in San Francisco that has a strong San Francisco - first policy.

I wonder if this change in demographic focus was the station manager's idea or if it came from the network.

One thing is certain: CBS-5 has made it clear: San Franciscans can go elsewhere if they don't like playing second fiddle to San Jose.

As for me, CBS-5 will not be on my television for news. I'll get my news from a real San Francisco station.
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George Bush is all fluff and bluff.

While he struts around like a barnyard rooster, secretly he is afraid that Speaker Pelosi's gavel is going to come down hard - soon!

Today the American Forces Press Service sent out a press release that follows on the heels of stern warnings to top military commanders. Here it is just as I received it this morning:

"WASHINGTON, Nov. 28, 2007 - Army installation commanders worldwide have been directed to plan for spending scale-backs due to an anticipated budget crunch sparked by governmental wrangling over funding for the war on terrorism, according to an Army news release issued today."

"In a memorandum dated Nov. 26, Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army, directed all Army commanders and agency directors to begin planning to curtail operations and related expenses that do not directly support warfighters engaged in the global war on terrorism, the release stated."

"Cody's instructions tell Army commanders and civilian leaders to review all operations and to forward recommendations to cut costs back to him by Dec. 4."

"'We are only in the prudent planning phase,' Cody said in a statement issued today. The Defense Department has instructed all military services to review operational costs at installations as well as to prepare for possible furloughs of government civilian employees."

The White House is preparing for a showdown with the Congress. This time even the White House thinks the Congress will win. Let's hope they do!

Go get 'em, Nancy!
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You have reached an out-dated post. For the 2008 holiday details and links list, please follow this link to: December Holidays, Christmas, Hanukkah 2008 in San Francisco

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Note: this is an outdates story written for 2007

Come enjoy the giant lighted tree at Union Square, the Holiday Ice Skating Rink at Embarcadero Center, the Ferry Building Marketplace, the shows, the concerts, the restaurants, the shopping and the spectacular scenery that will be found only in San Francisco.

In the photo: The dazzling nighttime San Francisco skyline. Click on the photo to enjoy a much larger image in a separate window.

Unless you are a masochist, I do not advise driving into the City, battling the traffic and one-way streets and searching for a parking place (which will cost you a fortune). Here's a complete guide to transportation in the City (including driving and parking if you must).

Remember: Take transit - not your car!

If you arrive by ferry (the best way to come) or by BART (the second best way to come), start at the Embarcadero. Spend some time in the Ferry Building Marketplace.

Walk across the Embarcadero to the Holiday Ice Skating Rink. Enjoy the holiday music, the ice, the people and the decorations.

Afterward, walk a few hundred yards to the California Street Cable Car and ride up to the top of Nob Hill. Stop at Grace Cathedral and enjoy the elegance and refinement of that magnificent building. Enjoy the breathtaking view of San Francisco. Enjoy an egg nog at the Fairmont or a hot toddy at the Mark Hopkins.

Next, take the Powell-Hyde Cable Car line down to Union Square shopping district to see the huge Christmas Tree. Stop by to see the puppies and kittens in the SPCA Macy's Christmas Window.


Enjoy!
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Planet HD 209458b is evaporating. It is so close to its parent star that its heated atmosphere is simply expanding away into space. Some astronomers studying this distant planetary system now believe they have detected water vapor among the gases being liberated.

In the photo: Planet HD 209458b and it's parent star.

This controversial claim, if true, would mark the first instance of planetary water beyond our solar system, and indicate anew that life might be sustainable elsewhere in the universe. Some scientists think Planet HD 209458b may be a look into Planet Earth's future.

Someday, many millions of years from now, our parent star, the Sun, will begin to burn-up all its fuel and will expand many times greater than it is now before shrinking into death. Like Planet HD 209458b, Earth's atmosphere will also be blown off into space and all life on Planet Earth will die.

Some scientists believe that is what happened to Mars. It may have lost it's atmosphere (if it ever had one) and the result is the still, lifeless rust-colored planet we know today.

This is an enormous case of Murphy's Law. Just when we find a planet that has an atmosphere that may include water (both prerequisites for life), we find it at the eleventh hour of its existence. If there was life on HD 209458b it has been wiped out.
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Do you think Citigroup (Citi Bank, Smith Barney, Diners Club, Primerica) is an American company?

Wrong.

Citigroup is American no more.

In the photo: The Arab world. Click on the image to enlarge in a separate window. Abu Dhabi is a tiny city-state nestled in the cup of the Persian Gulf.

The Arabs have been gobbling up Citigroup. Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has been Citigroup's largest shareholder for quite some time. The prince also has very large holdings in AOL, Apple Inc., Worldcom, Motorola and News Corp.

Now, the government of Abu Dhabi is investing $7.5 billion dollars in Citigroup. For practical purposes this means that Citi Bank and its Citgroup parent will be primarily under the control of the Saudi Arabian and Abu Dhabi royal family.

The government of Abu Dhabi is under the firm control of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan, who is also President of the United Arab Emirates. This new development really means that Citigroup is now controlled largely by two men. Both are members of the same royal family tree.

Keep that in mind the next time you need a bank. Also keep in mind that Wells Fargo is not only an American bank and an independent bank, but it is also headquartered right here in San Francisco.

Drop Citigroup like a hot potato and give your business to American banks - preferably one where you live.
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Here's a heads-up alert for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom:

The following story is courtesy of Google Blogoscoped and the author, . We have the opportunity to strike a working relationship with Google to create renewable energy sources for San Francisco. Let's not let this opportunity pass us by.

Google issued a stating they want to create a research & development group with the goal of creating “electricity from renewable energy sources that will be cheaper than electricity produced from coal.”

From the release:

If we meet this goal,” said [Google co-founder Larry Page], “and large-scale renewable deployments are cheaper than coal, the world will have the option to meet a substantial portion of electricity needs from renewable sources and significantly reduce carbon emissions. We expect this would be a good business for us as well.”

Coal is the primary power source for many around the world, supplying 40% of the world’s electricity. The greenhouse gases it produces are one of our greatest environmental challenges. Making electricity produced from renewable energy cheaper than coal would be a key part of reducing global greenhouse-gas emissions.

The first reduction in American forces in Iraq is under way, as the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division heads back to Fort Hood, Texas. The brigade will not be replaced.

Roughly 162,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq in 20 brigade teams or their Marine equivalents. If all goes well, this will drop to 15 brigade combat teams over the next eight months, Navy Rear Adm. Gregory J. Smith, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq in Baghdad, said Nov. 24.

More from DefenseLink, the American Forces Press Service.
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During the past month, Mars has doubled in brightness and it is putting on a nice show for backyard stargazers. You don't need a telescope to enjoy Mars. It is plainly visible to the naked eye, bright and red, standing out among the pale stars of Gemini as something definitely different.

In the photo: The Planet Mars. Click on the photo to enlarge in a separate window.

Finding the constellation and the planet within is child's play this evening and early tomorrow morning, November 26th and 27th. That's when the nearly full Moon glides past Mars, only one degree away, and draws attention to the pair.

If you can find the full Moon, you can find Mars. Look east before bedtime tonight, Monday evening, November 26th, or west before dawn tomorrow morning, Tuesday, November 27th.

Take a cup of coffee outside early tomorrow morning and spend some time sipping it while the sun rises and a hint of blue infuses the twilight sky. The sight of the silver Moon and red Mars backlit by blue sky is breathtaking.

Why has Mars gotten so bright and attractive? It's because Earth and Mars are converging. At closest approach on December 18th, the two worlds will lie only 55 million miles apart. That may sound like a great distance, but it is just a hop, skip and a jump on the vast scale of the solar system.

NASA is taking advantage of the close encounter to send a new mission to Mars: the Phoenix Lander. Phoenix launched in August 2007 and is due to reach Mars in May 2008, joining the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity already there.
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The conservative Prime Minister of Australia, who has been a faithful Bush ally, soundly lost his re-election bid. He was defeated by liberal Kevin Rudd who has publicly vowed, upon taking office, that he will withdraw Australian troops from Iraq and will sign the Kyoto Agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Those two promises won the election for Rudd.

In the photo: A genuinely great American: Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce.

Not long before, in Spain, Jose Maria Aznar, another Bush ally, lost his bid for re-election after 11-years in office. The new Spanish Prime Minister is opposed to the Iraq war and is opposed to Bush policies. He is popular with the Spanish people because of it.

The same thing happened in Great Britain when the people of the U.K. dumped Prime Minister Tony Blair because he refused to stop bending his knee to George Bush.

This phenomena is happening throughout the world. People are deciding that they can be opposed to George Bush and the official U.S. policies of the Bush Administration, but still be allies and supporters of the American people. It is almost as if the world is telling us, "Look: we like you Americans, but we can't stand George Bush."

Well, I want the world to know that most of us in this country agree with you. We can't stand him either. George Bush is arguably the worst, most inept, deceitful and lawless president in the history of this nation.

We appreciate the people of the world standing with us in solidarity during this unfortunate period of repression. Soon we will be able to get rid of George Bush and his insanely dangerous vice-president and return the United States to democracy and freedom. When George Bush leaves the White House the supremacy of the U.S. Constitution will be restored and our brush with American-Stalinism will have come to a close. The most dangerous president in the history of this republic will be fired and sent home to Texas. We Americans will have survived our darkest hour.

A year from now, during the 2008 presidential election, the American people will speak and just as the people of Spain and Australia and the United Kingdom have spoken and have ousted their blood-lusting leaders, we will oust ours.

We, the People of the United States, are tired of following the drums of war. We dream of another leader. We need and we hope for a president with the maturity, wisdom, morals and strength like those of the great Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, who, after a long and bloody struggle, spoke these words to his people:

"Hear me, my chiefs, I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." (October 5, 1877)

In our heart of hearts we want a great American who is the caliber of Chief Joseph to lead us. We want peace and we want to fight no more forever.
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NOTICE:
You reached an out-dated post. For 2008 information follow this link to: San Francisco Thanksgiving, Christmas, Holiday Events, Shows, Shopping, Theatre for 2008

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Get the kids, remember to wear something warm, jump in the car and head for downtown San Francisco. It's time to ice skate at the Holiday Ice Skating Rink at Embaracdero Center - across from the Ferry Building Marketplace. Find out when the rink is open, where you will find parking and all the details here.

In the photo: Union Square, downtown San Francisco during the holidays.

Afterward, walk a few hundred yards to the California Street Cable Car and ride up to the top of Nob Hill. Stop at Grace Cathedral and enjoy some real holiday scenery.

Next, take the Powell-Hyde Cable Car line down to Union Square shopping district to see the huge Christmas Tree. Stop by to see the puppies and kittens in the SPCA Macy's Christmas Window.

To find out about all the wonderful holiday shows and events in San Francisco, read The Holdays in San Francisco. You'll find links to just about everything fun happening in San Francisco during the holidays. Enjoy!
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I came across a story about Brook Brothers in (of all places) The Scotsman newspaper. They were writing about the opening of a Brooks Brothers store in Edinburgh. If you are a San Franciscan who appreciates Brooks Brothers, you will almost certainly appreciate this story as well.

Brooks Brothers, by the way, is the oldest men's clothier in the United States. It was founded in 1818 and it's client list is a who's who of Americana.

In the photo: For his second inauguration President Abraham Lincoln wore this Brooks Brothers suit. Click on the photo to enlarge in a separate window.

Here's the story from Scotland:

What do Andy Warhol, Abraham Lincoln and Will Smith have in common, aside from being famous Americans? The answer is, not very much. Apart from one thing - the fact that, across the decades, they've all proudly shopped at the US institution that is Brooks Brothers. The stores are as American as apple pie - you can imagine being dropped off in a yellow cab at one of their emporia, with Gershwin playing in the background. Now, however, you can save those air miles and hail a black cab instead, to the sound of the one o'clock gun, because their newest branch opened this month at 57 George Street in Edinburgh.

Most famous for inventing the seersucker suit (a traditional blue and white affair, often worn by Southern gentlemen) and button-down shirt, and for being the first company to sell ready-to-wear clothing, Brooks Brothers is one of the few US heritage brands, its history stretching back to 1818.

You can read the rest of the story here in The Scotsman.

You will find Brooks Brothers in San Francisco at 150 Post Street.
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If you read the newspaper or watch local television news you read or saw the stories: Local Food Banks Cupboards Bare - Not Enough Food for the Holidays.

In the photo: The empty shelves of the Alameda County Community Food Bank

Thousands of people are responding, mostly by bringing cans of food to drop-off bins. Some people are mailing checks to the Food Bank (by the way, if you want to contribute to the San Francisco Food Bank, you can do it here).

"Last year at this time we had more than 1,100 turkeys on hand," Paul Ash, San Francisco Food Bank executive director, told the San Francisco Business Times. "This year we have fewer than 700."

Wells Fargo Bank, which is headquartered here in San Francisco, stepped up to the plate and donated $50,000 to our local area food banks. The five Bay Area food banks each receiving $10,000 are the San Francisco Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, Alameda County Community Food Bank, Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, and Marin Community Food Bank.

Last year Wells Fargo contributed $14 million to 2,075 nonprofits in the Bay Area. Keep that in mind the next time you need to do business with a bank. Let's give our business to those who give back to us.

Let's also dig a little deeper into our own pockets and donate some cash and some food to the food bank nearest our homes. The Wells Fargo donation is great, but it is far from being enough to feed everyone who is hungry this holiday season and this winter.

Click on any of the food bank links above to get started. Our neighbors need our help.
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This morning I read a story about a Styrofoam™ recycling plant in Roseville. I decided to find out just how we stack up on the Styrofoam™ recycling issue here in San Francisco.

In 1999, an estimated 300,000 tons of Styrofoam™ was landfilled in California at an estimated cost of $30 million. Due to its light weight, Styrofoam™ is a large source of litter both on land and in waterways. Cities bear the cost of cleaning up this material with clean-up costs for litter estimated at more than one dollar per pound. Collecting Styrofoam™ and directing it towards recycling helps save money and is good for the environment.

San Francisco has no Styrofoam™ recycling plant, but the City of Roseville is doing something very important and we should take note. The Styrofoam™ collected by the city is condensed and transported to companies who pay for the collected Styrofoam™ to be recycled and made into items such as baseboards, crown molding, lightweight concrete and packaging.

You can read the full story here from the City of Roseville website.

Styrofoam™ is a branded trademark for a type of polystyrene thermal insulation material developed by Dow Chemical. Dow invented a process for extruding polystyrene to achieve a closed cell foam that resists moisture.

The products we commonly see and know as Styrofoam™ (packing peanuts, coffee cups, etc.) are really expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads that are molded or extruded to create specific shapes, such as coffee cups. In many areas throwing EPS into the garbage means adding it to a landfill. In the Bay Area, however, we don't have to send it to a landfill or to Roseville.

There are EPS recycling facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area. To learn more about recycling EPS in the San Francisco bay Area as well as some other useful suggestions for handling EPS, visit the Cole's Hardware Hotline Online advice about EPS - Styrofoam™ recycling. You will also find some great links to other EPS recycling services nationwide.

Also, the San Francisco Department of the Environment has a terrific website with lots of very useful information plus exhaustive resource listings. Check it out!
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The San Francisco Chronicle has a definitive statement from U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Craig Bone about the Cosco Busan oil spill incident in San Francisco Bay.

"There is no dispute between the Coast Guard and Mayor Newsom or city of San Francisco Fire Department officials." -- Rear Adm. Craig E. Bone, commander of the Eleventh Coast Guard District. Chronicle photo by Kurt Rogers

In response to conflicting accounts about the canceled dispatch of a San Francisco fireboat on the morning of the Cosco Busan oil-spill accident, Rear Admiral Bone said Thursday that an investigation is under way into the incident and that no dispute exists between the U.S. Coast Guard and the City of San Francisco over the fact that the Coast Guard did not take advantage of the City's offer of the fireboat.

Here is Rear Admiral Bone's statement issued yesterday:

"There is no dispute between the Coast Guard and Mayor Newsom or City of San Francisco Fire Department officials about the fact that the city offered the services of their fireboat in the early stages of this response and we did not take advantage of that offer.

"We are investigating exactly what happened and what communications took place during this response jointly with the City of San Francisco and others to ensure a more effective reaction to any future incident."

The Admiral's statement seems to be in conflict with Commander Jon Copely's earlier statement. Considering the difference in rank, that pretty well ends the debate. The conflict between the Coast Guard and the City of San Francisco is over.

Admiral Bone has won high praise from Mayor Newsom and others for his hands-on control of the situation. His response and clarification of the earlier statements made by his junior officer came fast and they were decisive.

Admiral Bone has done a lot - in just a single day - to restore the confidence we, the people of San Francisco, have in the U.S. Coast Guard. Thank you, Admiral.

Now that we are back on a level playing field, let's make sure we keep the conflicts down and proceed together in this investigation to learn exactly what happened, what went wrong and what we need to do to assure it does not happen again. It would also be nice if Admiral Bone can shorten the leash on some of his officers.

Anyway, we're glad Admiral Bone is boots down and in command.

For more about rear Admiral Bone's take on current affairs, read this interview from the Ask the White House series.

Story tools:
The New U.S. Coast Guard - Failure in San Francisco Bay
Cosco Busan's Path Revealed - Animated Map
New Rules for Ships in San Francisco Bay
Volganeft-139's Black Sea Oil Spill -vs- Cosco Busan's San Francisco Bay Oil Spill
San Francisco Bay Oil Spill
Hanjin Shipping.
China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO)
Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC)
National Response Center, Dept. of Homeland Security
Office of Oil Spill Prevention & Response, Calif. Dept of Fish & Game
MARPOL - Int'l Convention for Prevention of Pollution from Ships
NOAA - Pacific Coast Ocean and Bay Maps and Reference Materials
IMO - International Maritime Organization
City and County of San Francisco
USCG - Eleventh Coast Guard District (headquartered in San Francisco Bay)
USCG Sector San Francisco
NTSB - National Transportation Safety Board (Marine Division resource & links list)
Association of Bay Area Governments
Photos of the Damaged Cosco Busan taken by the U.S. Coast Guard
Port of Oakland
Port of San Francisco
11th Coast Guard District, USCG
Sector San Francisco, USCG
Air Station San Francisco, USCG
California Assemblyman Mark Leno
San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin
San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty
Dept of Homeland Security Organizational Chart
San Francisco Bay Oil Spill - details, background, resource links
Speaker of the House and San Francisco Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi
U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer
Congressman Tom Lantos
Congressman George Miller
Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher
Congressman Elijah Cummings
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
S.F. Mayor Gavin Newsom
S.F. Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin
S.F. Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White
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Tropical Cyclone Sidr devastated the coast of Bangladesh and killed more than 3,150 people. Many more thousands are still alive, but without food, clean water, clothing or medical aid. They may not survive long. It is a race against time.

Villagers and displaced persons gather in a crowd while some try to wave for help. Click to enlarge photo in a separate window. (US Marine Corps photo by SSgt Julius Hawkins)

Like most rational and sane Americans I do not support the war policies of the Bush - Cheney White House. The almost universal disapproval of the War in Iraq and Afghanistan has resulted in varying levels of disapproval of our military. That further translates into disapproval of the men and women who serve in uniform and that is very sad for America.

In an effort to balance things out just a little bit, I want to report what the U.S. military is doing in Bangladesh.

The Bangladeshi government said international aid totaling $120 million has been promised, but very little actual help has arrived. Relief items such as tents, rice and water, all in very short supply, have been slow to reach most survivors of the worst cyclone to hit Bangladesh in more than a decade.

Bangladeshi news sources report that as many as 4,000 people may have been killed. The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, the Islamic equivalent of the Red Cross, has suggested the count could reach as high as 10,000.

The U.S. Pacific Command () has ordered more than 20 heavy-lift helicopters from the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge and the USS Tarawa to ferry tons of U.S. military relief supplies, heavy equipment and personnel to provide boots-down assistance to remote areas in Bangladesh. Additionally U.S. Navy and Marine Corps medical teams are on the ground in Bangladesh providing badly-needed medical training, assistance and supplies to the Bangladeshi medical community, relief services and military medical units.

"I feel ecstatic," said Marine Capt. Andrew Traynor, a CH-46E helicopter pilot with the Aviation Combat Element for the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. "(This mission) can show that the U.S. military is not all about combat; we're here to help people.

Kearsarge and elements of the embarked 22nd MEU arrived off the coast of Bangladesh early this morning (Friday, November 23rd). While the ship was on its nearly 3,500-mile trek to reach its current position, Marines and sailors aboard the vessel tested equipment, positioned supplies and readied for humanitarian assistance operations.

"The delivery today is a start, but there is more work to be done," said Marine Col. Doug Stilwell, the 22nd MEU's commanding officer. "The Bangladesh government and military, in conjunction with relief agencies, are responding well to the situation. We will reinforce and support that effort."

The Bangladeshi Food and Disaster Management Ministry reported that 1,724 people were missing and another 28,188 people had been injured. Tropical Cyclone Sidr destroyed 458,804 houses and partially damaged another 665,529, bringing the already poor nation to its knees.

"We are here to help the people in their time of need," said Admiral Timothy Keating, USPACOM Commander. Additional naval ships are en-route to the area with even more supplies, equipment and personnel if needed.
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