Want to Carry a Concealed Gun? Live in Sacramento, Not San Francisco

Posted on June 18, 2015 by admin

“In California, a state with some of the strictest gun laws in the country, Sacramento County has become an oasis for gun owners wanting to carry their weapons in public. Thousands of residents have been issued concealed carry permits by the sheriff, Scott Jones, since he took office four years ago….”

“The situation couldn’t be further removed from the one in San Francisco, where fewer permits are issued than any other county in the state. Three San Franciscans have been issued a permit to carry a concealed gun in the last five years.”

The article includes a map showing active gun permits by California county.

More at Reveal News

Victory For Pigeon Palace Tenants In Court Auction

Posted on June 17, 2015 by admin

“Residents of the so-called Pigeon Palace, who have been resisting its sale for fear of a massive rent increase or eviction and out of respect for what they say are the wishes of its owner, scored a huge victory today when the Community Land Trust won the $3.28 million auction for the property in probate court.”

More at Mission Local

College Accreditation Agency Is Unfair, Rife With Conflict

Posted on June 17, 2015 by admin

California Assemblymember Phil Ting’s excellent editorial on new legislation he introduced to rein in the abuses of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), which voted to revoke the accreditation of City College of San Francisco while giving Heald College a passing grade:

“California needs AB 1397 because the status quo is indefensible. The bill requires the commission to make its meetings public and to stop taking public comment after voting on accreditation. It establishes a strict conflict-of-interest policy to ensure independence and objectivity. Finally, it establishes a right for colleges to appeal sanctions.”

More at Sacramento Bee

Facebook’s Lack of Integrity

Posted on June 17, 2015 by admin

“…there are many people who have been using Facebook for building up communities, for sharing important information, and for starting businesses based around their professional persona — and some don’t use their legal names. And many of these — including drag performers, trans people, Native Americans, and domestic violence survivors — have very good reasons for not using their legal or birth names on Facebook.”

More at East Bay Express and at #MyNameIs Campaign

Giants and Jane Kim Reach Deal to Increase Affordable Housing at Mission Rock Development to 40%

Posted on June 17, 2015 by admin

“The San Francisco Giants and a team of affordable housing advocates led by Supervisor Jane Kim have reached an agreement to increase to 40% the affordable housing component in the team’s Mission Rock development.”

More at SF Weekly

The Big Problem With Scented Candles

Posted on June 17, 2015 by admin

Beyond the obvious danger of candles starting unintended fires:

“According to Anne Steinemann, an environmental pollutants expert who is a professor of civil engineering and the chair of sustainable cities at the University of Melbourne, certain candles may emit numerous types of potentially hazardous chemicals, such as benzene and toluene. They can cause damage to the brain, lung and central nervous system, as well as cause developmental difficulties.”

New NASA Data Show How the World Is Running Out of Water

Posted on June 17, 2015 by admin

“Twenty-one of the world’s 37 largest aquifers — in locations from India and China to the United States and France — have passed their sustainability tipping points, meaning more water was removed than replaced during the decade-long study period, researchers announced Tuesday. Thirteen aquifers declined at rates that put them into the most troubled category.”

San Fran Pan American March

Posted on June 17, 2015 by admin

To get you into the mood for the Panama-Pacific Centennial Concert at 8pm this Saturday, June 20, 2015, at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, 3301 Lyon Street, info and tickets at sfprideconcert.org

Trials of Spring

Posted on June 17, 2015 by admin

“THE TRIALS OF SPRING is a major cross media event that tells the stories of nine women on the front lines of change in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Syria, Bahrain and Yemen. It includes a feature-length documentary, six short films, and articles by award-winning journalists about women and their unwavering quest for social justice and freedom.”

More at Trials of Spring

Posing Questions of Photographic Ethics

Posted on June 17, 2015 by admin

“Altered Images: 150 Years of Posed and Manipulated Documentary Photography” show through August 2 at the Bronx Documentary Center takes on the issue of well-known images that have been altered, staged or faked, including: “National Geographic for digitally moving Egyptian pyramids; Time magazine for darkening O. J. Simpson’s skin color; Magnum and Pictures of the Year International for a dramatic award-winning image by Paolo Pellegrin with a misleading caption…; Associated Press and Reuters for moving digitally altered scenes from the Middle East; and The New York Times for publishing a posed photograph in 2002 of a boy holding a toy gun outside an Arabian-foods grocery.”

More at NY Times