Why “The World’s Most Beautiful City” Looks Like Hell…

Smokler on April 11, 2006

When I tell people I live in San Francisco, they’ll usually follow up with “Lucky you. That’s one of the world’s most beautiful cities.” I agree. But that’s easier to notice on a weekend nature hike then a Wednesday morning trip to the dry cleaner.

This great column in SFGate makes this point in three elegant ways.

1) San Francisco is a city with stunning views and natural features which makes it all too easy to neglect how things look at street level, where we live our lives.

2) San Francisco can’t market itself as a world class city and look like a decaying also-ran. Cities like Copenhagen are leaving us in the dust.

3) Every dime of this city’s budget is an all-or-nothing battle royal for special interests. Or as the article puts it better…

“Why invest in parks when there are homeless people on the streets? Why fix a plaza when the education system is in tatters? Why spend money on “aesthetics” that could go toward social programs? Or health services?”

Here’s why. If a city doesn’t look nice, people don’t move there. Current residents see less of a reason to stay. No people means less tax money, fewer businesses setting up shop, depressed economies which leads to cuts in social programs anyway.

San Francisco has earmarked funds for the improvement of parks of an major boulvards like Valencia St. I’ll be eager to see how these turn out.

Sunday Shards: “The Journalistic Whoha Edition”

Smokler on April 9, 2006

On my mind and in the Weekend-trip-tp-the-gym reading queue…

*The Grups article everybody’s yapping about (via Matt Haughy).

*Slate sees Lou Dobbs going batshit as the beginning of the end of objectivity in journalism.

*Salon interview with Michael Pollan about his new book The Omnivore’s Dilemma where he looks at the enivronmental and social impact of our favorite sorts of meals.

*There’s a generational change happening in the upper reaches of America’s elite magazines. The new editors of the New Republic, The Paris Review, Atlantic Monthly and Harper’s are all under 40 white males. So perhaps its not that radica l (via Arts Journal).

*Molly Ivins rips Tom DeLay a well-deserved new one.
*How to make yourself miserable as an artist. Sound advice (via Willo).

*I <--heart--> point and click games.

*All Over Coffee is one gorgeous cartoon.

*As jealous as I am that the Hot Docs Film Festival is going on in Toronto right now, our own San Francisco International Film Festival is right around the corner. Yay! (via Consolation Champs).

What too Much Time on Wikipedia will Get You…

Smokler on April 8, 2006

180pxlovelines

The Loveline Archive, simple but oh so dangerous. I’ve been a Loveline listener since before they went national in the early 90s. It was summertime, I was 19, working 100 hours a week as a grunt at Warner Bros. Studios in L.A., lonely and very sad. Loveline and a long drive home were my only friends.

When Adam Carolla left Loveline this January to head up his own morning show, I figured my history with the program was over (Adam was pretty much why I listened). In mourning, I went over to their page on Wikipedia and found this. Oy lord, just pump it into my veins.

Now before we get huffy at the giant copyright violation that makes this thing happen, Westwood One, who produces and distributes Loveline has done a horrible job promoting this program. Until maybe 2 years ago, there was no website for the show. They still don’t have an online list of affiliates so good luck if you move and still want to listen. Old shows vanish into the ether even though Westwood would made a mint by release an occasional Best of Loveline CD. They shoulld thanking these people all over the place.