Here’s an interesting bit of audio that someone uploaded online. Apparently there was a “police action” recently in near-by downtown Berkeley where shots were fired. Downtown Berkeley is not a big urban city place so this is a bit unusual and scary. The weirdist thing is there was really no coverage of the story in any local papers. Thanks to qik.com (a service that lets users upload video/audio via cell phone).
I just got back from two amazing daze relaxing in mud, hot water and bed up in Calistoga, CA. More on that at another time…unfortunately we came back to some very sad news…
You see, I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and as a kid in the 1970s every Saturday night my friends and I would watch our local horror host, Bob Wilkins, on channel 2. He’d play films like “Night of the Living Dead” (George Romero’s original zombie flick) to ‘cheese-factor 11′ flicks like “Attack of the Mushroom People.” However at the ripe old age of 8 much of the cheesy films were scary to us. Bob would also have local crazies on his show as well as Hollywood stars. One such “crazy” was a friend’s mom who had actually knitted a sweater for King Kong. No joke! This thing was huge. Anyway, that’s the kind of out of the ordinary, regular folk, Bob would feature on his show. He did things with a straight, dry wit, a strong sense of humor and even though he wasn’t a horror fan himself he did everything with the utmost respect for the genre. It was a very unique mix among horror hosts and one that has lived in the memories of all of us who grew up watching him.
During the past decade Bob would show up at horror and comic conventions and special movie screenings. It was a treat to actually meet him after all this time. Bob started suffering from Alzheimer’s and it got progressively worse (as it does). Anyway, he passed away yesterday…while I am glad he is no longer suffering it is very sad to know that he is no longer physically on this earth. Rest in peace, Bob. Even though we didn’t personally know each other you have always had a special place in my heart and were the one who kept me a horror fan. Cheers, buddy…
There’s a good article appearing in today’s San Francisco Chronicle, “Beware illegal towing firms in San Francisco“. It covers a short story about towing companies who do illegal towing of cars but their “Your Rights” list is very useful. If you plan on visiting San Francisco or are a long-time resident here are some good tips to keep in mind:
Your rights:
– If your car is towed, called San Francisco police at (415) 553-1239. The property owner and towing company are required to notify police.
– In general, a car can only be towed from private property if there is a visible “no parking” sign. Exceptions include a vehicle issued a notice 24 hours prior, those missing major parts or one parked in front of a single-family dwelling.
– You may only be towed from a private lot that is open to the public without a fee (such as a supermarket lot) if you have been parked there for more than one hour, or if you are parked illegally in a disabled space or in front of a hydrant, fire lane, entrance or exit.
– If you are towed from private property, the tow company must have written authorization from the property owner or a representative. The tow operator must show you that authorization if you request it.
– If you return to your car and it is hooked up but has not been towed off the property, you have the right to have the vehicle released. However, you have to pay half the normal tow fee.
– The vehicle cannot be towed more than 10 miles away, and you have the right to arrange for the release 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
– You can be charged $250 for the tow and $80 for each day of storage. If you are illegally towed, the firm is liable for four times the towing and storage charges.
– To file a claim for being illegally towed, call Small Claims Court (415) 551-5880.
full article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/27/BA9514OEBU.DTL
I imagine that a lot of people get suckered into purchasing one of these Chinese heaters and I figured that I would post my own findings. Why? Because while on a family outing one of us saw this “news article” in the paper talking about a miracle Amish heater. First off, the Amish don’t use modern technology and even if this was an honest article then I would be extremely suspect about an Amish person pushing technology. Right? Secondly, over on “Yahoo Answers” there is a very simple article explaining that this heater is as much a miracle as ANY other space heater. I hope this reaches someone before they go out and purchase one of these overpriced painted electric boxes.
I woke up early this morning and started my seemingly never-ending effort to find a full-time job but what I found was some very sad news…a young activist, Kirsten Brydum, from the SF Bay Area was murdered while in New Orleans. Apparently she was riding her bicycle late at night and a person shot her in the head and stole her bike and wallet. I did not know Kirsten personally but I am deeply saddened by this. There is a virtual memorial HERE for those interested in reading more about Kirsten.
Wow…I had this email sitting in my inbox for a day or two and just kept skipping over it. I finally opened it today and it was reporting the news that reggae artists Lucky Dube was killed in a botched car jacking in his native South Africa. I was in South Africa last December and it seems that car-jackings are extremely common there. I was in a meeting with an attorney and he had just been car-jacked and kidnapped by the car-jackerss earlier that week. Fortunately for him he was not harmed (the car-jackers were shot and killed by police). Anyway, it’s very, very sad news to hear anybody being so senselessly killed…but it does seem a bit more painful when it is someone that made such a clear and public stand for living life positively, globally! At least we have his music.
![[Valid RSS]](http://www.hellasolutions.com/images/valid-rss-rogers.png "Validate my RSS feed")