AMERICAN LIFE
SLOW LAKE—ONE YEAR AFTER
One year ago, the San Francisco Metropolitan Transit Authority affirmed Lake Street from Arguello (east) and 28th Avenue (west) as a Slow Street. How has that worked out? SFMTA’s website notes reduced vehicle speeds (under 15 mph) and decreased traffic volume (below 1,000 vehicles daily). Great. But those feats weren’t presented as Slow Lake’s goals.…
Read MoreA SMALL, BEAUTIFUL ADVENTURE
Carolyn and I have been fortunate to journey across the United States and around the world. Last Sunday, a “mundane” trip close to home provided a great deal of fun. A sunny autumn day at hand, we left the car home and took public transit to Oakland for lunch with our friends Tamar and Ken. …
Read MoreMY COOL NEIGHBORHOOD
Recently, I learned I’m cool. Wait. Let me walk that back. Time Out magazine rated my San Francisco neighborhood—the Richmond District—one of the 40 coolest in the world. #27 to boot! Carolyn and I have lived in the Richmond for 50 years. The neighborhood—homes and two-flats abutting each other, small apartment buildings, mostly on corners—wasn’t always considered…
Read MoreAFTER YOM KIPPUR, WHAT?
Can a gentile cartoonist say something meaningful about Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement? Indeed! In last Monday’s “Pearls Before Swine,” Stephen Pastis presented Pig confronting a problem. What has he learned from his mistakes? “That I’m stupid and make lots of them.” Will he learn not to repeat them? “Oh, that never happens.” It can, but…
Read MoreWHEN DO YOU SHOWER?
According to some people, what time of day you shower says a lot—maybe everything—about you. Such assumptions lead to dangerous politics. Blue-collar workers generally shower at the end of a sweaty day. White- (or other-color-) collar workers often shower in the morning to be fresh for the office—if they go to one—or other location. But…
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