tagged w/ San Francisco
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This is one of my favorite stories my grandfather tells of his military service.
Shanghaid in Shanghai
By Ron Turner
We sailed aboard the USS J C BRECKENRIDGE from San Diego somewhere around the end of Jan. first of Feb. 1947. A whole bunch of Marines, fresh out of boot camp, headed for China, stopping at a few islands in the Pacific along the way. We first sailed up the coast to San Francisco and picked up some Navy personnel and service dependents. Seeing the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time and sailing under it was impressive.
It was a couple days of rough sailing to Hawaii. It was best not to stand along the railing at the exit from the mess hall. Guys had trouble holding their food down.
We were met in Honolulu by a band and hula girls on the dock. I had the unfortunate experience of being on a painting detail down in the boiler room at the time. Didn't see any of this. We had an afternoon of liberty and walked all the way to Waikiki and back. I remember seeing the beach and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Somewhere along the way we stopped and shot pool. We left some Marines there. Seemed like a great place to pull duty but I had my mind set on going to China.
From there to Guam was smooth sailing. The ocean was flat as a table top. Saw some flying fish for the first time and some schools of porpoise. We felt a bump at one time. Someone said we hit a whale. Never saw it. Otherwise it was very boring for a few days. They were asking for volunteers to stay on Guam. I hid. Didn't seem like a very fun place to serve.
Manila was interesting. A bunch of young kids were swimming next to the ship when we docked. Not a healthy place to swim. They would dive for coins guys would throw in the water. We had liberty that evening and were impressed with the friendliness of the locals. They were still thankful remembering how we freed them from the Japanese. They would give you transportation to and from town for little or nothing, mostly in jeeps. A nickel or dime was fine with them. Didn't do much except walk around and take in the sights.
I walked a post on the upper deck of the ship in the middle of that night and never forget it. There were rats as large as house cats, very large house cats, roaming the docks. Docking ropes to the ship had large discs fastened to them to keep the varmints from coming aboard. There were men sleeping on top of stacks of bags of grain but the rats never touched them.
Shanghai was a most unforgettable experience.After we docked we were given liberty at approximately 1700 hours. We were advised not to go alone because of the threat of being rolled. We heard there was an enlisted mens club there so six of us, Bob Thatcher, Bob Vaughn, myself and three other guys whose names escape me decided to go there and shoot some pool and have a few beers. On the dock the only transportation we could see were pedicabs. China marines know what they are but for those who don't they are three wheeled vehicles much like a bicycle with a seat for passengers, usually two, in the back. There were only two cabs available, we dickered with the boys for a ride. They said they knew where the club was and could handle three passengers in each cab. And so off we went in this strange land and rode for what seemed an hour. We had no idea where we were so were at the mercy of our pedicab boys. Suddenly we turned in to a blind alley. A honey wagon (human waste transporting cart) pulled in behind us blocking our exit. It seemed like a hundred Chinese men in their long dress like robes with their hands up their sleeves surrounded us. we were ordered out of the cabs and and they asked for all our money. What could we do? We were greatly outnumbered. Then they took our watches and rings. Bob vaughn said he had a knife tucked in his sock and should he use it? We advised him not to. Like I said, we were outnumbered. We were then free to go.
So here we are, somewhere in Shanghai, and didn't know which way to go to get back to the ship. We were due back at the ship at 2200 hours. Nobody spoke English except the pedicab guys and they were long gone we tried using sign language but that didn't work. After walking several blocks, probably in the wrong direction, we came
upon a policeman and although he didn't speak English, he seemed to know we wanted to get back to our ship. He pointed in a certain direction and we headed that way. After communicating with several more policemen along the way we finally got back to our ship at about 2145 hours. six tired marines. That was our liberty in shanghai. "Shanghaid in Shanghai" I tell my friends & relatives.
A couple days later we pulled in to the port of Tsingtao. I served as a military policeman for about 18 months.This is one of my favorite stories my grandfather tells of his military service.... more
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cwhite
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1 year ago
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Well the election is over and while John Avalos refuses to issue a concession speech I have to say that I don’t think the rank choice voting method is a good thing. Moderates hate it, Progressives love it yet it turns out my prediction yesterday was off. We had to go through 11 rounds to elect Ed Lee who will probably still have to face up to voter fraud that of course was no fault of his own, but the fault of his supporters who helped elderly Chinese voters vote for him.Well the election is over and while John Avalos refuses to issue a concession speech I... more
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Tomorrow is voting day in San Francisco and the big focus is on who to vote for for mayor. Everything else is kind of gravy, but everyone want to know who the next mayor will be. As you know I am fully in favor of John Avalos and I'd like to talk about politics in San Francisco for a minute.Tomorrow is voting day in San Francisco and the big focus is on who to vote for for... more
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Yes, I do believe the years are beginning to catch up with me so I decided to take a look back today on what it was like growing up in San Francisco back in the 60's so let's all jump in the wayback machine and take a look back at the good ole days. This won't be the most politically correct article I've written, but back in my youth the phrase politically correct didn't exist.Yes, I do believe the years are beginning to catch up with me so I decided to take a... more
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“Dear Master Voice, [sic]
After a complete review of the enclosed newspaper article, we wish to inform you that unless you publish a retraction within 10 business days we will be forced to sue you for slander. The article is a completely false, malicious instrument. I’m sure you can see how Rev. Graham’s reputation is paramount in his work with the world’s disadvantaged peop…”“Dear Master Voice, [sic]
After a complete review of the enclosed newspaper... more
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On October 15, there were Occupy protest rallies all across America and the World and I decided to check out first hand what the mood was like by going to one of these rallies. The atmosphere was peaceful; the people in the crowd were from every shade and socioeconomic background. Unlike the Klu Klux Klan- like rallies held by the Tea Party- the Occupy movement felt like a cry for reasonable people to come together and fix what is ailing the worldwide economy.On October 15, there were Occupy protest rallies all across America and the World and... more
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I've decided that after living in San Francisco for a little over 49 years that I've chosen to select, Embrace The Fog as my new catch phrase. I'll start signing emails with it partly because no one signs sincerely any more because that sounds insincere or best which always makes me thing best what? or the usual, regards...regarding what? Your best insincerity? But anyway, let's get back to the fog.I've decided that after living in San Francisco for a little over 49 years that... more
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Homeless advocacy group Homes Not Jails has teamed up with members of the Occupy San Francisco protest movement in a coordinated campaign to turn a number of vacant properties near San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood into makeshift homeless shelters.
After a Monday evening rally honoring World Homeless Day on the steps of City Hall, activists spread out to neighboring parts of the city and occupied a number of empty residential buildings. The buildings, all of which were targeted beforehand, contain approximately 700 housing units.
One of the properties seized was the former Cathedral Hill Hotel on Van Ness Avenue. The 600-unit building has been closed since late 2009 and was being occupied by around 30 squatters. The group has also taken control of a couple apartment buildings on the 1000 block of Geary Street in the Tenderloin.
The Cathedral Hill Hotel is owned by the California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC), which plans to eventually build a $1.7 billion hospital on the site.
CPMC spokesman Kevin McCormack told the San Francisco Examiner he is concerned about the occupiers' safety. "It's pretty empty in there," he said. "A lot of fixtures and things have been taken out. They're going up on the roof and it can be unstable; that's a concern."
The protestors were allowed to stay in the building while the security guards on hand did a safety check of many of the rooms to make sure the building was still essentially inhabitable.
San Francisco Police Department Spokesperson Albie Esparza said that the department hasn't yet done anything to forcibly kick the occupiers out of the buildings. Those actions won't take place until representatives from the landlords file an official complaint.
The protest's organizers are quick to point out that, according to 2010 Census data, over 10,000 people go homeless on the streets of San Francisco every night and the city is currently home to 30,000 vacant housing units.
"You'll see people sleeping outside places that are completely habitable," protester and long-time squatter Matt Crain told the San Francisco Chronicle "We just accept the fact that profits are more important than people's comforts and people's lives."
(More @ link http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/11/homeless-advocates-occupy_n_1005833.html)Homeless advocacy group Homes Not Jails has teamed up with members of the Occupy San... more
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California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill preventing local authorities from banning the practice of male circumcision. The bill, which takes effect immediately, comes in the wake of an effort by a San Francisco group opposed to male circumcision to enforce a city-wide ban of the practice in a November ballot measure.
That effort was struck down in late July by a California judge who said it would infringe on religious freedom. The measure was removed from the November ballot. The measure, which garnered 12,000 signatures of support, would have made it a misdemeanor crime to circumcise a boy before he is 18 years old in San Francisco, regardless of the parents’ religious beliefs. A dozen petitioners sued to block the initiative at the time. A similar effort in Santa Monica, west of Los Angeles, was withdrawn.
Circumcision is a ritual obligation for infant Jewish boys and also a common rite among Muslims, who account for the largest share of circumcised men worldwide. The move to outlaw circumcision in San Francisco raised alarm bells for Jewish groups.
In June, the Anti-Defamation League condemned a comic book created by supporters of the anti-circumcision movement that it said contained grotesque anti-Semitic imagery. The comic featured a character named “Monster Mohel” as an evil villain. A mohel is a Jewish individual specifically trained to perform the ritual circumcision of infant boys. http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2011/10/04/california-governor-jerry-brown-prevents-ban-on-male-circumcision/California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill preventing local authorities from... more
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Last weekend, in the city of San Francisco, there seemed to be a bit of nudity going around. There were two events that centered on the naked human form.Last weekend, in the city of San Francisco, there seemed to be a bit of nudity going... more
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I will be featured @ Cykel in San Francisco. I will be showing all new work.
I’m an artist living and working in San Francisco. I paint because I have a passion for creating. Living in San Francisco has had an impact on my work. I try to find places that look industrial or abandon left to rot. Its these places that I find beauty and intriguing and at one point had history with the city. There was a time when these surfaces had a function. Practically all these surface were all man made, what fascinates me is that with time these surfaces start to decompose or detoritate and take a life of there own. Show their true beauty.
Heres all the info for the show:
Cykel
548 Union Street
San Francisco, CA
Friday Oct 7 6:00pm- 8:00pm
Heres a link to my website http://stevejaviel.com/I will be featured @ Cykel in San Francisco. I will be showing all new work.... more
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-- Too much spray-on tan makes you look like a banana slug.
-- Beware of pointy Italian shoes, a glimpse of which rockets a rubbernecker's glance to the area between the navel and the legs.
-- Sunglasses are useful for masking your stare at those who are staring at you.
-- Running shoes are untidy; flip-flops aquatic; sandals, perhaps overly religious, but probably most suitable.
-- It may be too late to reverse a tattoo, but metal rings, piercings and studs are hypocritical for nature boys.
-- Headgear, the kind perched on the highest point of your cranium, indicates that you put some thought into your ensemble.
-- Special-occasion recommendations: Hang a wreath for Dec. 25; a shamrock wreath for March 17; a piquant jester's hat on April 1. But derriere homage to Old Glory on July Fourth may be illegal.
-- Perhaps cuff links, now superfluous, can be recycled as hooks for curtain tiebacks.
-- Select a backpack color that flatters your complexion.
-- If you've got it, flaunting it is cruel; and if you don't, why?
http://tinyurl.com/3ktgbjp-- Too much spray-on tan makes you look like a banana slug.
-- Beware of pointy... more
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LOrion
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added this
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1 year ago
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In San Francisco, there has been a long standing ordinance in place that gives a person the right to be nude in public (as long as that person is not aroused). For the most part, this ordinance has gone unchallenged -until now. City Supervisor Scott Wiener (you can’t make this up) presented a new bill that put some restrictions to this long standing privilege. The legislation simply states that if a person is nude that they must cover their seat before sitting down and the banning of nudity in restaurants.In San Francisco, there has been a long standing ordinance in place that gives a... more
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GARBAGE! The tainted word on the street. My mother always told me that if I didn’t get good grades I would end up as a garbage collector. As it turns out the garbage collectors make a better wage than I was making with my college degree for some years. Now I have to admit that with technology’s evolution garbage collection has gotten much better and our streets are cleaner, so I’m not going to totally blame Recology who collects our garbage problem, but they are a part of it.GARBAGE! The tainted word on the street. My mother always told me that if I... more
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Sprint launches “Bubble Mania,” an online video that puts a fresh spin on the flash mob concept - can be viewed in 3D and 2D formats. Watch it on your HTC EVO 3D for a cinema-like experience. Find the shot taken with HTC EVO 3D! Upload your own 3D videos #3DBubbles and send with #Sprint4G.Sprint launches “Bubble Mania,” an online video that puts a fresh spin on... more
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Lynn Hershman Leeson ("Conceiving Ada," "Teknolust") was at the epicenter of the feminist art revolution in the 1960s and has never stopped chronicling it's evolution. Now armed with over 40 years of interviews and archival footage, Leeson in her new film "!Women Art Revolution" provides names, places, dates and times that up until now have been missing from art history. Before this film many artists like Ana Mendieta, Howardena Pindell and Rachel Rosenthal would have been forgotten. Today Leeson insures that they did not live, work and create in vain.
Lynn Hershman Leeson talks about her new documentary film on ReelMATERIAL. http://www.reelmaterial.com/2011/08/interview-with-lynn-hershman-leeson/Lynn Hershman Leeson ("Conceiving Ada," "Teknolust") was at the... more
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palexb
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added this
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1 year ago
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I read Carl Nolte’s article on sfgate.com about people who have left San Francisco because of fog, high crime, fog, change and fog. These people obviously don’t get San Francisco. Did they fly in from Corpus Christi on one of our few sunny days and then moved in to experience the fog and thought they were a part of a bait and switch?I read Carl Nolte’s article on sfgate.com about people who have left San... more
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Concerning politics when I was younger, I did what I had to. I voted but I usually went along with party lines and didn’t get to involved with getting in any deeper. This year with a large number of people in the Mayoral race I started to dive in more. I have met several of the candidates and one of them has stood out above all others and that is John Avalos.francisco/Concerning politics when I was younger, I did what I had to. I voted but I usually... more
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When I first heard that Phil Ting was running for Mayor of San Francisco I decided to keep an eye on him. He was the county assessor, so he knew about real estate, finance and taxes. He started off with a great title for his campaign, Reset San Francisco. I kind of liked that idea. He also talked about Muni reform, score again. It wasn’t until I attended my first Mayoral debate that a few questions started to rise.When I first heard that Phil Ting was running for Mayor of San Francisco I decided to... more
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