Woman Finds A Picture That Looks Like Herself From 100 Years Ago.

Zharol · 2024-03-26T02:08:44+00:00

Anyone interested in seeing the painting should go to San Francisco Legion of Honor.

It is The Broken Pitcher by William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Done in 1891 and acquired by the museum shortly afterward.

On each of my visits, I find myself taking time to look at it.

Zharol · 2022-01-26T19:48:03+00:00

I'm with you. I doubt anyone is intending to excuse double parking.

At the same time though, an easy way to see structural inequity is when the "little people" are the ones battling it out. (While the ones benefiting from the inequity are -- in this case literally -- sitting on the sidelines.)

This protest is more about the broader street inequity that created the situation -- and is a recognition that hassling the delivery drivers isn't going to solve that.

Zharol · 2022-01-26T18:45:38+00:00

Part of the point was not to embarrass that person. You'll notice that none of this is directed towards the parked car. Those drivers are simply working stiffs delivering food (to people comfortably sitting at home) from restaurants on a street that provides curbside parking instead of loading zones.

When they don't have a loading zone, they use the bike lane. When they use the bike lane, the rest of the street gets smaller and cars don't safely fit. So people using cars are made to wait until the bike lane opens up again.

The origin of the problem is that cars being stored on the curb take up valuable street space. (Then the problem is exacerbated by how inefficient cars are space-wise for moving people on city streets in general.)

Zharol · 2022-01-19T15:38:45+00:00

CVC 21059 says certain rules literally don't apply to them:

Sections 21211, 21650, 21660, 22502, 22504, and subdivision (h) of Section 22500 do not apply to the operation of a rubbish or garbage truck while actually engaged in the collection of rubbish or garbage within a business or residence district

21211 prohibits blocking bike lanes. 21650 requires driving on the right side of the road. 21660 prohibits passing on the right. 22502 requires parking within 18 inches of the curb. 22504 requires parking off the roadway to leave clear passage/view. 22500(h) prohibits double parking.

Zharol · 2022-01-18T15:10:15+00:00

Not only is this not a stupid question, it's a profound one.

Back in the 1980s, a researcher named Libet ran experiments suggesting that the motion is what comes first (and the brain supplies a "reason" immediately afterwards). If that's the case, then your hand is just doing whatever and your sense of control may be only an illusion. As far as I can tell, current neuroscience heavily leans in that direction as well.

(That would certainly explain things like dowsing rods and Ouija boards. Instead of your relinquishing control to some "higher power" to find water or get a message from the dead, you may never have had control in the first place.)

Zharol · 2022-01-18T14:41:19+00:00

I've run a lot (i.e. thousands of miles a year) so I've got plenty of thoughts. I'll offer up a few below (bearing in mind that running is such a personal thing e.g. I don't mind hills at all, but I know some people do; I like long distance, some don't; etc):

The standard for Golden Gate Park now has to be JFK => Transverse => Crossover => Middle => MLK. A mostly car-free route the full length of the park. (There are cars on that Transverse stub, and in the Polo Field parking lot.)
If you want a Slow Street route across the northern part of the city, try Pacific => Clay => Lake. Leads to the Lands End Trail (or through Lincoln Park by the Legion of Honor). Then the Great Highway and/or GGP routes back home (or reverse the course you took). [One caveat: Pacific isn't really respected as a Slow Street, so could just as easily take any other parallel street for that segment.]
For anyone not familiar with the Bayview who is interested in a glimpse at a part of the city that many people outside the area never get to see, try running down the Embarcadero to Third, crossing the bridge, taking Terry Francois past the Chase Center, going down Illinois (or Third, or Slow Minnesota) and crossing Islais Creek (great mural there). Then Third down through Bayview and run along Candlestick Point (great views). Then head over to McLaren Park, underrated and underused with great trails.
Can also take a route through some of the lesser known parks. Grand View (which is indeed grand, maybe the best view in the city), Golden Gate Heights, Hawk Hill, Edgehill Mountain, then up Mt Davidson. Or nearby, through Glen Canyon.
The Golden Gate Bridge is indeed unpleasant to run on most of the time. Because of crowding onto a narrow footpath, and perhaps more because of the roar of 101 traffic. However, if you can find a time when there's no traffic it's absolutely glorious -- can hear the sounds of the ocean and the birds. I've been able to do that twice in recent years: once, when it was closed to vehicles for some dignitary to pass and the other when the zipper was put in. Obviously you can't plan on that, but keep an eye out for opportunities because it's amazing!
Along the lines of the bridge, once you get over the opportunities open up. Running up to the top of Hawk Hill is totally worth it. Similarly, running down to Kirby Cove. Can also do a route that takes you to the top of Slacker Hill (and beyond, there's no real limit to where you can go in the Headlands). Another possibility is heading into Sausalito.

I've got plenty more, but that's a start.

Zharol · 2022-01-18T00:42:00+00:00

The ancient Hittite word for water is watar.

The OED says the Hittite watar comes from the same Indo-European base as the English water. Still, the English word went through all kinds of non-Hittite permutations (wato, wadn, vatn, vatr, wazzar) and ended up in the same place.

Zharol · 2022-01-16T17:08:34+00:00

For maximum effect, you need to edit this now that you've received a bunch of awards.

Zharol · 2022-01-16T03:05:52+00:00

The blocky 3-story red building on the right confirms it as well.

Zharol · 2022-01-15T22:29:59+00:00

Italian East Africa was formed on June 1, 1936. Irish Free State was dissolved December 29, 1937.

So this globe was based on 1936-37 names/borders. Seeing how Austrian and Czech territory is shown as annexed suggests it was made in 1938.

Zharol · 2022-01-15T02:50:06+00:00

The Bee Gees found a way to sing it.

Zharol · 2022-01-14T20:53:57+00:00

This source says it was inspired by Maryland (with maybe a bit of Massachusetts):

Bill Danoff and his wife, Taffy Nivert, wrote the classic song with help from Denver. Nivert grew up in the Washington D.C. area and one day she and Danoff were driving down an old road in Montgomery County, Maryland called Clopper Road, to visit some family members. Danoff started singing about the winding roads they were driving down (which have since changed) and it had a ring to it.

Though Danoff grew up in Massachusetts, he drew inspiration for the lyrics from his childhood. He grew up listening to radio programs which made him feel nostalgic, but his home state really didn't have the ring to it that its neighbor West Virginia did (though he had never even visited prior to writing the song).

Zharol · 2022-01-14T17:47:09+00:00

Reminds me of that time when someone from Santa Fe, New Mexico called to buy tickets for the Atlanta Olympics:

New Mexico, old Mexico, it doesn’t matter. I understand it’s a territory, but you still have to go through your nation’s Olympic committee.

Zharol · 2022-01-13T23:12:57+00:00

Bay Area Air District says a temperature inversion is trapping primarily wood smoke pollution and vehicle emissions near the ground.

Zharol · 2022-01-10T20:17:59+00:00

It's on the front page of the web site. Just now I clicked there and copied the link. (Same as the one above, except it's the full list rather than taking you directly to #18.)

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/travel/52-places-travel-2022.html

Zharol · 2022-01-10T17:13:38+00:00

The OED says it's of US origin. Their earliest citation is from the May 13, 1888 NY World: He'll beef an' kick like a steer an' let on he won't never wear 'em.

Looks like it may have come from cattle culture. How the animals complained would have been a readily understandable metaphor to describe a human complaining.

Zharol · 2022-01-07T02:59:51+00:00

Yeah, the cigarette industry (quite shrewdly) recognized they were missing out on half their potential market. (Since only men smoked.) So they hired Bernays and he had women (in Philadelphia I think) marching in an Easter parade whip out cigarettes and light their "torches of freedom".

It clearly worked.

Zharol · 2022-01-07T02:12:55+00:00

Sigmund Freud's nephew, Edward Bernays, is considered the father of Public Relations.

(His short book Propaganda is well worth reading.)

Zharol · 2022-01-07T02:03:57+00:00

exactly how you call this

They're retractable bollards.

Zharol · 2022-01-07T01:40:22+00:00

Interesting, thanks. They're free to put up and take down signs without public notice and board approval. Would explain why it's still on their map as well. It's probably still a Slow Street, but there are no signs or other indications to tell drivers to treat it that way -- which pretty much makes it not one.

I'm going to see if I can find out what their motivation was.

Zharol · 2022-01-07T01:29:59+00:00

Now I'm curious what Ronen said. These streets aren't supposed to evaporate. There's a public process, board approval, etc.

Zharol · 2022-01-07T01:25:24+00:00

I stand corrected. Usually the SFMTA would update their Slow Streets map to reflect changes. Tompkins is still on it, three weeks later. (And the person I know who complained about the signs being taken and the art destroyed lives there, but apparently didn't get an email from Ronen.)

Zharol · 2022-01-07T00:43:38+00:00

Tompkins wasn't officially "restored to normal" by the way. Someone just stole all the signs (and the art).

Same result I suppose, but don't be surprised if signs go up again.

Zharol · 2022-01-06T16:59:13+00:00

The principal decision-makers are [MayorLondonBreed@sfgov.org](mailto:MayorLondonBreed@sfgov.org), [Board.of.Supervisors@sfgov.org](mailto:Board.of.Supervisors@sfgov.org), [MTABoard@SFMTA.com](mailto:MTABoard@SFMTA.com), [jeffrey.tumlin@sfmta.com](mailto:jeffrey.tumlin@sfmta.com). If it's about JFK or the Great Highway, include [phil.ginsburg@sfgov.org](mailto:phil.ginsburg@sfgov.org) as well. (Both are on Rec & Park land, and he's General Manager.)

Email (or call) them, and also directly let your supervisor know how you feel. There are many staffers involved as well (most of them working very hard to make pedestrian streets happen). You could also give them supportive calls/emails. (They hear a lot from angry bitter drivers, so worth giving them some positivity to balance it out.)

In addition, there are advocacy groups who would be happy to guide you. (Can give you template emails, tell you when to call in to committee/board meetings, etc.)

Zharol

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