By Jenny Chu and Kiran Goldman
Last Saturday, a new 7.5-mile section of the Ridge Trail was opened to the public. The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EMBUD), the property owners, and the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council, a non-profit founded in 1987 to promote the completion of the 550-mile trail, joined for the trail dedication. The path now links the Pinole Watershed to the Sobrante Ridge Regional Preserve, permitting ten miles of continuous hiking. Continue reading
BERKELEY — The crowed room became silent as the lights went off. Suddenly the screen lit up with one word, Dethklok. The crowd went wild, as a ghoulish-looking cartoon character began to speak: “We have a new problem, gentlemen. Dethklok has gone on tour. These mindless fans could destroy countries around the world.” Continue reading
by Joe Bush and Gabriel Leigh
SAN FRANCISCO — Impromptu drag queens, catholic priests, and aliens. No, this isn’t a movie—it’s the Castro and it’s Halloween, where everything goes but no one came.
“It’s police, media and picture-tastic out here tonight,” said a girl as she walked down Castro Street in San Francisco.
The number of police nearly matched the number of partygoers who showed up in the Castro district last night, after the city advised people not to go there for Halloween and set up barricades along extended stretches of Market and Castro Streets in an attempt to keep things calm.
Typically a quarter of a million people flood the streets of the Castro on Halloween night. Last night paled in comparison, with no more than several thousand.
Last year, nine people were shot and many more were stabbed during the Halloween celebration.
“I don’t care how many people are out here as long as they are good people,” said one San Francisco police officer, as he and several hundred of his colleagues patrolled the streets of the Castro district last night.
There were electronic traffic advisory signs as far as a mile away, telling commuters: “Streets Open, No Event.”
Some Castro residents and business owners said they were actually glad about lessened crowds and heavy police presence.
Dan Blazer, or “Dan, Dan the Cookie Man” as his friends called him, was out in front of his store, The Hot Cookie, dressed in a red-sequinned dress that showed off his hairy legs and chest as he waved customers in. “It’s quite an enigma out here tonight,” Blazer said. “In thirty years it has not been quite this slow. It is a good thing if the night ends up peaceful.”
Another partygoer, dressed in all white with angel wings and shorts, said, “I’m glad the cops were here so to make sure that we don’t get shot.”
But others weren’t so happy. One older man standing next to a row of police said, “Who is Newsom to say that we can’t express ourselves? We thought he was on our side.”
Others voiced their opinions with their costumes. One man walked down Market Street with a sign that said, “Keep quiet, Obey.”
To avoid potential traffic and problems tonight, others kept to parties well outside the Castro. The Hookers Ball, thrown by advocates of workers in the sex trade industry, was a party at a smaller out-of-the-way bar on Embarcadero Street called Pier 23.
But those who did come out to the Castro seemed to be in high spirits and dressed to their best in drag or as out-of-this-world aliens. Some dressed as journalists, with the cliché press tab in the hats.
Flashes were going off everywhere as tourists and locals tried to savor the odd flavor of the Castro’s Halloween party despite the low turnout.
It doesn’t seem to take the whole city to have this party–just those dedicated to the weird and wild side of life.
The streets of Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood will fill with the memories of well-loved souls who’ve passed on to the spirit world at the Spanish Speaking Unity Council’s annual Day of the Dead festival this Sunday. Continue reading
SAN FRANCISCO – The Bay Area is giving the upcoming documentary film “Darfur Now,” a “Darfur Later.”
The debut of the 99-minute film profiling six people and their efforts to stop the genocide in the war-torn region of Sudan is being pushed back at least a week from its slated Nov. 9 release date due to lack of interest from movie-goers. Continue reading
By Kiran Goldman and Vianna Davila
Barbie princesses, Harry Potters, and pirates from Pirates of the Caribbean — these are the most popular Halloween costumes for kids this year, according to vendors who have watched the getups fly off the shelves this season.
Each year, the top Halloween costumes garner considerable discussion, if the Internet is any indication. Google the “Top 10 Halloween Costumes” and find getups for twins and the family pet. An MSNBC travel columnist even suggests what not to wear on an airplane (Leave the Osama bin Laden and suicide bomber masks at home, he writes.) Continue reading
“Um… what language have we been speaking in?”
My sister often asks me this after a pause in a conversation. It may sound like a silly question, but it’s a fair one, since I am often unsure of the answer. It can be French or English. More often, it’s Franglish, the two of us weaving in and out of the languages unconsciously — yet strategically.
SAN FRANCISCO- Wearing a black magician costume, with a big green marijuana leaf design, Ed Rosenthal, an icon of the movement for the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana, welcomed an enthusiastic and stoned crowd today at the third annual Wonders of Cannabis Festival in Golden Gate Park.
“This event is a celebration of Cannabis,” said Rosenthal, who has written more than a dozen books about marijuana and is the founder of the cannabis festival, which raises funds for Green Aid, a medical marijuana legal defense and education fund dedicated to protecting patients. “We are not trying to convince anyone or make a point,” Rosenthal said. “This is not a political event, it’s a cultural event.” Continue reading
OAKLAND – The new store is a sign of a gentrification that is strong enough to support a store that survives on customers who want healthy—but also pricier—produce and food. Continue reading
After seven years on public radio, the Asian and Asian-American issues program will be cut for budget reasons. Continue reading
Muslim parents and students in the Bay Area help classmates better understand Ramadan, the month-long holiday of fasting and refraining from sexual contact during daylight hours. College students say people are more aware of the holiday than when they were in grade school. Continue reading
RICHMOND – Addiction, stress and desire; these are the elements Richmond women said keep them smoking despite the health risks.
Continue reading
OAKLAND – Like many American parents, Shahla Tamiz knows Christmas is approaching when her 11-year-old daughter, Mona, starts asking about buying a tree and hanging decorations. Mona has already announced that she wants an IPOD this year, and when her mom balked at the price, Mona said she’d write to Santa about it.
Continue reading
WALNUT CREEK — Hearing screams of, “Train! Train!” and “Here comes another one!” the Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society showed a crowd of visitors how railroads are run.
Continue reading
ALBANY- There’s never been a better excuse to drink.
Researchers have elated red wine aficionados with recent reports that link a molecule found in red wine to increased endurance and positive effects on obesity. Nevertheless, Albany wine merchants aren’t toasting just yet.
Continue reading
OAKLAND — Necklaces made of Legos, corks and Altoid mint labels sat in well-lit display cases alongside custom bottle openers and silver and quartz spice graters.
Continue reading
BERKELEY — Don’t fret, men. It turns out there is sex after marriage – at least if you are between the ages of 15 and 24.
Continue reading
EL CERRITO – The Cerrito Theater is so close to completion you can almost smell the popcorn from San Pablo Avenue. The $5 million restoration project has been underway for more than five years, but soon, very soon, the popcorn will pop, the lights will dim and the Cerrito will open for business again.
Continue reading
OAKLAND – Cardinal Ballentino peered through reading glasses as he read a prepared statement resting on the podium in the Vatican’s press room. Next to him stood Dr. Jimson, a distinguished, salt-and-pepper-bearded man dressed in a crisp blue blazer.
Continue reading
BERKELEY – About 100 junior Girl Scouts and Brownies from 20 troops around the Bay Area signed up for Saturday’s tromp through the Grossology exhibit at the Lawrence Hall of Science.
Continue reading
San Francisco — A new documentary on self-injecting testosterone screened at the San Francisco Main Library on Saturday illuminated some of the technical issues affecting the female-to-male transgender community.
Continue reading
SAN FRANCISCO – Aliya Ramos, 9, knows she wants to be an actress or a model, but she’s also pragmatic.
Continue reading
BERKELEY — Increasing numbers of parents from Berkeley and surrounding areas are now turning to each other with their questions and concerns online via the Berkeley Parent’s Network, a website described by one of its administrators as dealing with “sleeping, poop and sex.”
Continue reading
SAN FRANCISCO– A little more than a year out of college, Sheena Borja and her twin sister Pamela are selling $110 boat neck tunics to the fashionistas of San Francisco.
Continue reading
BERKELEY — Students familiar with the work of Naguib Mahfouz, the 94-year-old Egyptian novelist who died late last month, said the Nobel laureate was unique in giving voice to working class Arabs.
Continue reading
