AltWeeklies Wire
Todd Smith's Shady Venturenew
If you asked Todd Smith seven or eight years ago what he'd be doing by 2010, the words "online sunglasses entrepreneur" probably would never have come out of his mouth. But after losing his job at Merrill Lynch, he decided to turn his fashionable hobby into a new online business venture.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Charlie Deitch |
01-11-2010 |
Fashion
Tags: stunners, Sunglasses, San Francisco, California, business, web, Bay Area, Pittsburgh, fashion, online
The Units Punked the System, Played JC Penneynew
I've been dwelling on San Francisco's punk roots a lot lately after stumbling into an excellent new collection of out-of-print material by San Francisco's original synth punks. The group's music and mantra provide interesting angles from which to view an era of rapid technological and artistic progress -- much like the one we're in now.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
06-10-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Bridge Tolls Will Add Stress to Bay Area's Casual Carpoolnew
Casual carpoolers are about to face a major culture shock. The Bay Area Toll Authority announced last week that it is mulling whether to impose a $2 to $3 toll on carpoolers to help balance its budget. Some fear the fee threatens the future of this morning incarnation of the Bay Area's do-it-yourself ingenuity.
SF Weekly |
Lauren Smiley |
03-04-2009 |
Transportation
Tags: transportation, Bay Area
Bay Area Communities Are Demanding More to Offset Emissions Harmnew
Word that automobile emissions standards may soon improve was good news, but Bay Area leaders and communities are demanding even more to offset the harm that comes from tailpipes.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Andrew W. Shaw |
02-04-2009 |
Environment
Tags: Bay Area, emissions standards
SEIU-UHW Fight Could Have Big Implications in the Bay Areanew
Fallout from the power struggle between Service Employees International Union and its Oakland-based local, United Healthcare Workers, has been felt particularly strongly in the Bay Area since SEIU took over UHW and ousted its leaders.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Steven T. Jones |
02-04-2009 |
Business & Labor
How Silk-E Established Herself as Bay Area Rap's 'Hit Woman for Hire'new
Erica Reynolds grew up singing in the church choir in Richmond, fell in love with hip-hop as a young girl, and began rapping under the stage name Silk-E. She's managed to balance the rigors of parenthood with a vocation that requires her to have an iron-hand demeanor, just to keep from getting burned.
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
01-23-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
A Gold Medal Lockdownnew
Former swimming superstar Rick DeMont has triumphed over an ordeal that could've crushed him.
Tucson Weekly |
Leo W. Banks |
11-20-2008 |
Sports
Los Rakas Puts a New Spin on Barrio Hip-Hopnew
The group's forthcoming mixtape, La Tanda del Bus, takes its name from the "Diablo Rojo" buses in Panama, which are known for their splashy paintjobs and for the dancehall mixes that bump on their stereos. A follow-up to 2006's Panabay Twist, it's a distinctly Latino spin on the "yellow bus" motif that's been ubiquitous in Bay Area hip-hop.
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
11-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Road to Sustainability Has Lanes for More Than Just Carsnew
The Bay Area's unsustainable transportation system is the biggest cause of global warming and one of the biggest recipients of taxpayer money. And right now, most of those public funds are going to expand and maintain freeway systems, a priority that exacerbates our problems and delays the inevitable day of reckoning.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Steven T. Jones |
10-23-2008 |
Transportation
Bucky Sinister Explores Self-Help's Sinister Undersidenew
Get Up: A 12-Step Guide for Misfits, Freaks, and Weirdos shows how compelling the self-help format can be.
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
10-22-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Lyrics Born, the Bay Area Mavericknew
If you were looking for a short description of Tom Shimura's more famous alter ego, Lyrics Born, this oughta do it: high-performance, low-key.
SF Weekly |
Eric K. Arnold |
10-16-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Patron Saints of East Bay Graffiti Finally Get Their Propsnew
A graffiti battle's inclusion in a literary festival says something about the current status of the medium. Now that hip-hop is the domain of pointy-headed intellectuals, it's not surprising to see graffiti follow suit.
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
10-08-2008 |
Art
The Avant-Funk Visions of pc muñoznew
The producer at Talking House Productions makes beats for a strange, futuristic dance floor.
East Bay Express |
Tom Chandler |
09-24-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Local Emcees Offer Alternative to Bling Rapnew
Bay Area emcees like Lateef the Truthspeaker and his compatriots at the Quannum collective are questioning the materialism in hip hop.
East Bay Express |
Eric K. Arnold |
06-04-2008 |
Music
K. Ruby is the Queen of DIYnew
Through the Institute of Urban Homesteading, she teaches city folk how to grow vegetables, can food, make wine, and other forgotten skills.
East Bay Express |
Kathleen Richards |
05-22-2008 |
Culture
