As I was waiting eagerly for the bus that would take me to Foreign Cinema last night for an amazing meal of seared sea scallops (thanks http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/dineabouttown/!), I stumbled across the flier to the left. StreetWorthy, it seems, is a new ‘zine and art collective by “young, struggling and exhausted” artists and writers and other creative folks who are tired of getting submissions rejected… gee, sounds familiar *wink wink*. It’s rough to get a ‘zine off the ground, so I wish them the best of luck. I’ll be in attendance on the 2nd because really, I can always use an excuse for pints and fish ‘n’ chips at Edinburgh Castle.

The launch of “EL LIBRO DE LA SOMBRA O RECORTES DE LA MEMORIA” at the San Francisco Public library was an epicurean feast of images, words and music. The event, held entirely in Spanish, celebrated the publication of an epic labor of love between the essential artist Franz Fischer and distinguished wordsmith and educator Jose Antonio Galloso. Over the course of one year the two blended words and images with the slow discipline and pleasure of classic collage, cutting and pasting each work and image page by page. Fischer, from Chile, and Galloso of Peru undertook this cross-cultural artistic project with profound intention. Galloso elegantly explained the context and content of this publication in-between the debut performances of “del group experimental “PACHAR KACHAS” as self described latinoamericana, jazz, dub-reggae, funk fusion.

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While I’m not exactly sure how they did it, Californians signed some petitions and went through some court hearings and got our primary elections scooted up to February 5th. They used to be in June, and by then no one really cared who we thought should be president, especially the folks running for president, so it’s fair to say we were left feeling a bit ignored. But now that we have primaries during high season, we matter. And so I was very excited when I got my absentee ballot in the mail the other day, ready to join the ranks of those whose voices count during this presidential race madness. But when I opened the envelope, all I saw was one measly ballot of state and city propositions. Had someone forgotten that my opinion on who should run this country now mattered? Well, I did some quick research at sfgov.org and realized that the Feb 5 election is a modified closed presidential primary. That means that you must have registered with a particular political party to vote for candidates from that party. I registered back in the days when hottie Matt Gonzalez had me convinced the Green party was making a bid for the big time, and I decided not to pick sides at the moment. So I, like many others, am a “declined to state” voter, political party-wise. But if you are like me, don’t fret, you can still get in on the action. Both the Democratic Party and the American independent Party allow us fence-sitters to vote in their elections. You must request that ballot from a poll worker when signing the roster on Election Day. Absentee voters like me can fill out a Vote-by-Mail application requesting either the democratic or Independent Party ballot. But mail that baby in soon—Vote-by-mail applications must be received by 5pm on January 29.

On the eve of the holiday for which we celebrate the courageous life of Dr. King I am as ever stirred and disturbed thinking of this man’s life in retrospect.
The questions I usually ask myself are:
What made this man able to lead such a fierce grass roots movement which has yet to be met let alone surpassed?
Are we as a country even capable of such dreams, idealism and leadership now?
Is life for African Americans significantly better than the in the days of Dr. King?/What has been the legacy of desegregation in this country?
The symbolic significance of Dr. Kings marches were not only a galvanizing force for policy change but a visible, nearly tangible signal of hope. The systemic racism visible across the country in failing schools, destitute ignored slums, over crowded prisons is hardly heartening for the progress of Dr. King’s dream.
My father, who worked for CORE, the Council of Racial Equality, in San Francisco during the heady times of Dr. King states:” yes there is change, widespread and significantly so. There is legal recourse for racism that previously went unchecked” I try to focus on this however, especially working in the social welfare system and brushing close and closer to the endemic powerlessness experienced by people of color from even before day one at kindergarten it is hard to remain hopeful. Our so-called ‘liberal’ city is among the most racially segregated cities in the country. This article ran in the SF gate this week, describing the gentrification of the Bay view neighborhood.Bayview, a neighborhood with all the hallmarks of a ‘ghetto’ bearing myriad environmental concerns, no grocery store, constant gun violence and lacking in sufficient medical care for children, schools and even a grocery store is finally being revitalized, and many worry it is not for the residents.
Some choice tidbits from this story” citywide, San Francisco’s black population decreases every year. Census estimates show the population dropped from 96,000 in 1970 - or 13 percent of San Francisco residents - to 51,000 - or just 7 percent - in 2006.”
“In 1996, the median single-family home in the neighborhood cost $129,000, according to the real estate information firm DataQuick. Today, even with the recent downturn in real estate, the median price is $570,000, an increase of 342 percent.”
There are amazing health statistics that come out this neighborhood, and when I say amazing I simply mean it is hard to fathom how this rich city can allow this to occur within its county lines, with in a first world country.
Growing up in the wake of hope, so I have come to think of all of us born following the grand disillustionment following the social movement of the 60s and 70s, I have worried we are in a post dream world. Post dreams, post irony, post utopic thinking. I have to wonder what would Dr. King see if he could show up here in 2008 and see the continued racism now playing out starkly in economics and criminal justice systems in the country? Would he still be able to dream? Despite the bemoaning this speech moves me each time a new.
“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a guilty sort of secret to share: I love the library. The musty smell of the books, the hush-hush atmosphere, the limitless amount of information stored within four walls… am I the only one getting worked up about this? As an avid reader, journalist and leximaven, I think the sexiest place in the world (second to this, anyway) is the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library. And today, the library unveils a physical and technological revamp, the highlight of which is 6,000 square feet of new space that the library will use to display it’s entire popular fiction collection for the first time in history. The renovation reportedly cost $6 million, which San Francisco taxpayers OKed, and hopefully was money well spent. That building and the thousands (millions?) of titles it holds may be orgasmic, but it’s been confusing from the start and more than a little overwhelming. Here’s hoping they’ve made it easier to navigate the shelves — which will help my researching abilities tenfold. I know where I’m going on my lunch break…

(photo courtesy of vasta on flickr)

You can always trust SF for a juicy court battle. Forward thinking ideas will never be without their detractors, I’m just glad to live in a city that isn’t afraid to stand up to their constituency—in this case, the small business community/restaurant owners. On Wednesday San Francisco won the right to put in place a key part of its universal health care program. A federal panel of judges reached a unanimous decision to allow the city to require businesses with more than 20 employees to pay a fee to help cover employees’ health care costs. These fees are slated to help about 20,000 San Franciscans without insurance.

The law, which passed the city’s Board of Supervisors in 2006, had been challenged by a local restaurant trade group who said it would violate a federal statute prohibiting local plans that conflicted with the state or federal programs. It would also take a big chunk of change from their pockets, considering that most restaurants classify employee healthcare as a locker well stocked with Band Aids, burn cream and Advil.

Under the law, businesses with more than 20 employees are required to pay a minimum health care contribution of $1.17 to $1.76 an hour for each employee. The fees can go toward a variety of health-care options, including employer-provided insurance, health savings accounts, direct payment of medical bills, or payment into the new Healthy San Francisco program.

By Pescador

I wanted to get this out there before it actually happened, so those of you who are reading this can check it out for yourselves, especially those who speak Spanish (if you don’t, you can still connect through the magical language of art).
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A show opened Saturday evening at White Walls Gallery in San Francisco that comprised a beautiful spectrum of city scapes, from the dark dystopic to airy and free to altogether psychedelic. The show was a feast for the eyes as each artist is exceptionally skilled in presenting well wrought works that demand the minds attention from corner to corner.

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The first show the new year at the Photo Epicenter on Lilac Alley showcased an impressive span of national artists whose work is defined principally by its unconventional, un-gallery aesthetic. It is always a challenge to put the work of ’street artists’ within a confined space without loosing some vitality, however as anyone who has tried a hand at street art the limitations of time and space can impede creativity aka if the cops are coming you have to be quick, and the weather makes even legal street art a challenge.

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Like many San Franciscans, I rely on MUNI to get to and from downtown each day for work. And like many San Franciscans, I take an inordinate amount of pleasure in observing my surroundings during my 40-minute commute to Powell Station every morning. So can I just say… Did anyone else notice the giant sign inside the station advertising social workers? I was just getting used to the saturation of all those Kaiser ads, and then today I noticed a poster over the ticket machines reading something along the lines of “Educated. Ethical. Experienced.” for the National Association of Social Workers. Weird, no? Do social workers need to advertise?