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SFGate: Top News Stories @ March 11, 2010 # Comments Off
New Historic Plaques Sprout in the Tenderloin
BeyondChron: San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily News @ March 11, 2010 # Comments Off
Ive never been more enthusiastic about where the neighborhood is going, said Randy Shaw at yesterdays ceremony to install new plaques for the Uptown Tenderloin district. With an historic designation for the neighborhood and extensive plans underway for a Tenderloin History Museum, 73 properties in the area that are contributing structures have ordered bronze plaques to place on the buildings exterior. Beyond giving the Uptown Tenderloin a visible identity, these plaques can instill pride in a neighborhood where too many low-income residents have felt trapped often embarrassed to call home. Over 100 people gathered at the Ambassador Hotel for the installation ceremony yesterday, with an enthusiastic Mayor Gavin Newsom who was on hand to announce his Offices financial support.
School Beat: Supporting Teacher Development
BeyondChron: San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily News @ March 11, 2010 # Comments Off
The centrality of knowledgeable, skilled teachers to providing a quality education is a common truism held up by all sectors weighing in on education. Helping teachers maintain and strengthen their abilities is an obviously wise investment, but is nonetheless is now jeopardized by the huge budget deficits schools are facing, including the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). In fact, among the strategies being considered to bridge the SFUSDs $113 million two-year deficit are reducing the number of professional development days and eliminating sabbaticals, opportunities which allow teachers to take off a year to refresh themselves, pursue new avenues within teaching, and return with an entirely new framework.
The Political Underpinnings of Film Noir
BeyondChron: San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily News @ March 11, 2010 # Comments Off
Since film noir was rediscovered in the 1960s, there have been many books analyzing the genre. One could understandably ask what Dennis Broes new work, Film Noir, American Workers, and Postwar Hollywood could possibly add to the subject. The answer is: quite a bit. Broe brings a political and class analysis to film noirs that contextualizes them by the political environment in which they were made. From 1940-44, the films focused on someone investigating a crime that gets in conflict with the law over the investigation (e.g. The Maltese Falcon). This trend continued from 1945-50, where films depicted working class fugitives and others outside the law, and are critical of American institutions. The films of 1950-55 showed a shift consistent with management attacks on unions, and the rise of anti-communism and the Cold War. Now working class fugitives were portrayed not as sympathetic victims of an unfair system, but as dangerous outcasts. Police departments and the legal system were now portrayed as vital protectors of the broader society. This pro-authority shift was finally weakened by Roy Huggins television series, The Fugitive, whose lead character lives in a world where justice is irrelevant and an arbitrary and often unjust legal system controls.
The Marriage Ref: Jerry Seinfeld Strikes Out
BeyondChron: San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily News @ March 11, 2010 # Comments Off
Flying across the country on Jet Blue this week, I stumbled upon Jerry Seinfelds new show, The Marriage Ref. Jerry, Tina Fey and Eva Longhoria were, not surprisingly, fun to watch. Much to my embarrassment, I even laughed several times throughout the show. Why was I embarassed? Because this is a show where Jerry, Tina and Eva sit around and make fun of ordinary people.
Thats it. The entire show. Three wealthy celebrities liberal ones at that making fun of middle class husbands and wives who bring their marital disputes, the large and the small, real or imagined, to national television for the thrill of 5 minutes of fame and a free cruise. Really all the couples get an all-expense-paid cruise for revealing their marital spats on national television.
Supes Move on Pro-Tenant Measures; Garage Legislation Postponed
BeyondChron: San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily News @ March 10, 2010 # Comments Off
The Board of Supervisors unanimously passed two pro-tenant ordinances yesterday, but a measure to block Ellis Act evictions still sits in limbo. John Avalos extension of just cause to non-rent controlled units finally passed (amended to only apply to units subject to foreclosure), which will make a huge difference for tenants that need it the most. Ross Mirkarimis amendment to the SRO Visitor Policy to include Census workers also passed, helping to count San Franciscos hardest-to-reach renters. But David Chius ordinance to regulate interior garages in North Beach has again been continued, due to concerns that swing-vote Supervisor Bevan Dufty has about the legislation. The Board passed a technical fix at yesterdays meeting, but it remains to be seen whether the final product will be in its current form. The measure would go a long way to stopping Ellis Act evictions before they start, because catching speculators when they apply for a garage permit can affect whether they go through with their plans. Dufty says hes concerned that requiring a conditional use permit would be onerous on property owners who are not bad actors, and the question may come down to what level of scrutiny can get a veto-proof majority. Stay tuned
Cinequest Review Slovenian Girl, Cleanflix, The Real Revolutionaries
BeyondChron: San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily News @ March 10, 2010 # Comments Off
Does Damjan Kozoles Slovenian Girl bring anything new to the idea of an amoral 20-ish prostitute as a national everywoman? Not really. Any political content seems limited at best to the frequent sight of EU official caravans zipping through the Ljubljana streets. The anonymous foreign men protagonist Aleksandra services dont serve as even half-hearted attempts at metaphor. The stalker ex-boyfriend and the vicious pimps offer nothing more than familiarity.
Ironically, the film remains compelling thanks to Nina Ivanisins fascinating performance as Aleksandra. Sometimes her face matches the thickest security wall for impenetrability. Yet other times that air of unfeeling lifts to reveal the vulnerable and sensitive girl Aleksandras father Edo loves. Accurately guessing the titular characters feelings becomes a hypnotic game.
The New Sexual Pyschobabble
BeyondChron: San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily News @ March 10, 2010 # Comments Off
America is truly a schizophrenic country. On the one hand, Americans believe that sex is for procreation and that too much of this good thing is a bad thing. On the other hand, Americans think constantly about sex, partly because they are bombarded with sexual imagery and innuendo.
Just look at TV. Even stations such as Fox that blather on and on about wholesome American family values, run programs that tease us with partial nudity and sexual situations. According to studies, men think of sex every seven seconds. The Kinsey Institute says that men are always thinking of it. Women dont think of it quite that often, but they, too, have it on their minds a whole lot.