MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.
This is amazing. A while back, Gd requested a fine-art category. This seems as good of a time as any to kick it off. We don’t really have beards, Bay or basketball here, just the lovely spectacle of some Argentine cats adding beauty to the world’s vacant parts. Happy weekend.
Turman
My sister and brother-in-law recently relocated their family to Granada, Spain. When my brother-in-law left he was “el hombre sin barba,” and now he is “el hombre con barba.” (see pic 2 above) Besides being mas macho, the beard is a nice cultural accessory for his new life. With what seems like half the Spanish National Basketball Team sporting beards (see Garbajosa and Los Irmanos Gasol), I suppose getting barbado is muy de moda in Spain, even for the tranplants. After all, when you’re spending your days taking siestas, drinking wine and eating tapas, who has time to shave?
Speaking of Spanish Tapas, one of the last times I saw Baron Davis in person was over a year ago. He and Matt Barnes were leaving this tapas restaurant in Silverlake in LA where my girlfriend used to work. As I was driving by, I gave a “Go Warriors” out the window. Later, I come to find out that BD and Barnes didn’t even get seated, and were waiting for a table for over an hour. Turns out that nobody working there that night recognized them. What kind of s#@t is that? That’s an issue I have with LA - it’s too fragmented and filled with too many transplants (not immigrants, but transplants - there’s a difference). I have to believe that a native Angelino would recognize Baron “frickin” Davis and Matt Barnes. Or maybe it’s just Silverlake? I don’t think Beck is waiting for a table at that joint, and his little ass probably can’t even eat one small plate. Oh well, I’m sure Baron’s probably cool with some anonymity in his home town, but probably not cool with waiting an hour to eat some Jamon Serrano.
M. Meschery
PS - I encourage any comments from our readers to the south.
Found it.
I know it’s not “Hater Tuesday” today, but I was overcome by the spirit. The whole Lakers/Jazz thing going on over on TNT stirred something in me. I was still at a loss as to who I would prefer to see emerge, and with the game momentarily preempted (at least on this television, tonight), I started searching for my lesser-of-two-evils option online. Now tied and in the fourth I have settled on a Strychnine martini over a Hemlock quesadilla. Go powder blue. I guess.
At least until Kirilenko’s dance-crew video surfaces in time for game six.
Turman
PS. Thanks to the ever-vigilant Rod Benson and his endless reservoir of Boom-Tho-Ness for bringing this microphone malfeasance (back) to my attention. I’m sure I saw this before, or at least knew about it, but my subconscious brain (ever the smarter one) had painlessly removed all recollection. And Tyra. Lord. With America’s Next Top Model momentarily interrupting the Lakers/Jazz game earlier for reasons better left unspecified, you have overrun my evening of hoops appreciation on multiple fronts. Congratulations. You. Have. Become. America’s. Next. Top. NBA. Interruption. And I ain’t forgot that you once dated C-Webb either. Make the jump for my brief ANTM recap. Read More »
Last summer, I was given the opportunity to participate in the 24 Hours of LeMons at Altamont Motorsports Park. It was one of the most memorable events of my life and something I haven’t been able to stop talking about since. This is why I was horrified to learn that this-year’s race was marred by tragedy. To be honest, I have been grappling with how write about this and frankly it is still difficult.
The accident occurred on Saturday afternoon and reports are conflicting with regard to its possible origins, but this much is known. The accident did not involve any other vehicles. Court Summerfield’s Volvo 244 Turbo, painted in Gulf Oil livery as an homage to the Steve McQueen film “LeMans,” hit the grandstand wall without provocation or evasive maneuver. This has led to speculation that the accident was precipitated by a medical incident. Whether or not this is ever proven to be true, it does not diminish the magnitude of the loss.
Court Summerfield was well known in LeMons circles as a talented driver and a gracious competitor. He was also a resident of Alameda and a fixture at Ole’s Waffle Shop, where he worked alongside his wife Vicki. She graciously made the following statement to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“He is such an experienced driver that I didn’t even say ‘be safe’ before he left because he was safe and he was such a good driver. It was really just something that he was happy doing. I’m sure the way he went, he was happy,” she said.
Court was participating in an event that has come to redefine the very nature of grassroots motorsports in the United States. It is truly unfair that he should have perished pursuing a dream that would be unreachable for so many of us without events like this one. Having been there, I feel a profound sadness for all who were present, competitors, spectators and organizers alike. Moreover, I wish only the best for Vicki and the Summerfield clan in their moment of grief.
Daniel Turman (#35 Team WORKS Mitsubeastie, 2007)
PS. Jalopnik’s Murilee Martin did a fantastic job, both participating in and covering the event. His stories can be found here. He even finished 15th like we did.
PPS. LeMons organizers have put together a fund for the Summerfield family. Visit their website to make a donation.
Paul Pierce was fined $25,000 for the gesture that you can see him make to Al Horford at the 30-second mark of the video above. It occurred during game three of their first-round series with Atlanta. Had the gesture been made by, say, Brian Scalabrine, it is doubtful that much would have been made of it. But contextualized and framed by Pierce being from Inglewood, the “B” that he threw up was immediately interpreted as a gang-related and “threatening” gesture by the league. Should Pierce choose to contest the fine, his case will be arbitrated by David Stern. Stern better hit the books, because this isn’t a simple matter.
Kurt Streeter of the LA Times threw down his take yesterday. After speaking with him, he has agreed to monitor our comments here at FTB and contribute to whatever dialogue we can muster up. Thanks and props in advance to Mr. Streeter. From his piece comes the following.
I’m neither convinced Stern’s punishment was fair nor meted out smartly, and not convinced he made an example of the right guy.
Make no mistake, I’m on board with the commissioner’s intent. He’s trying to steer his league’s image as far from the pathologies of urban America as possible. When it comes to gangs, he should. In the inner city, the gang problem is a disease, an epidemic, a nearly intractable public health crisis that is steadily eliminating a significant swath of our society.
Intent aside, hoops watchers in Boston were quick to cry foul for another reason, noting that the gesture is done by Pierce and others every single game during pre-game introductions. The players have said that it stands for “blood, sweat and tears.” But regardless of the team’s definition, the sign also has well-known meaning outside of the Fleet Center. Though born in Oakland, Pierce was raised in Inglewood, home to a considerable number of Piru Bloods—the original Bloods—so I’m sure he’s aware of its meaning at the very least. But all of the discussion that has come out of the incident begs several other questions. First and foremost in my mind is this: why would the league want to increase the visibility of the matter by making it a media event? Without the fine, the matter isn’t nearly as newsworthy and the attention dies down. This was also noted by the New York Times’ Howard Beck. Read More »
Wow, I actually agreed with about 80% of Barkley’s commentary in this KNBR interview with Ralph and Tom.
Top 5 reasons Barkley seems bearded:
1. Supports Barry Bonds
For what he brought to the Giants even though he says he used steroids
2. Abandoned his Republican leanings
He is backing Barack Obama for some damn good reasons
3. Picks New Orleans to beat the San Antonio
And says he made a mistake not picking them against Dallas
4. Says he actually likes the “Oakland Area”
But still shows no love for San Francisco
5. Admits he likes Golden State (and Chris Mullin)
But says they need to play defense and get a big guy
Can’t say I disagree.
Gd.
San Francisco’s mobile Mardi Gras, the Bay to Breakers, is coming up soon. In addition to the shocking abundance of naked people and morning boozing, the B2B is also a rather prestigious road race. The centipede competition has also evolved into a hotly contested battle among elite local running clubs. Esteemed FTB commenter, known hitherto only as “Skinny Kahuna,” is a member of one of them and will be looking for a fourth centipede title in five years with the Autodesk Adidas TranSports ‘pede. He’s also my brother, so no clowning in the comments.
KRON 4s Vernon Glenn, aka Mr. Involvement, takes a little jog with some of the Autodeskers in this piece from our favorite local news. If there’s any question as to why Vern looks genuinely gassed, it’s because he is. And if you’re unfamiliar with the pace that these dudes are going to click off, it’ll be right around five minutes a mile. Across the width of San Francisco. While chained to 12 other dudes.
Put it this way, their pace is about the same speed at which you or I would chase the bus. If we were late for a job interview. For a job that we really wanted. Except that we’d be done after a block. Like Mr. Involvement.
Turman
PS. An informed source confirms that this year’s lead runner for the Autodesk crew is, in fact, bearded. Next year I want to see a fully bearded ‘pede. And a discount rate on some secondary sponsorship. Can a brother get a patch on a track-suit jacket or something?
PPS. My neighbor is building a colossal, Nintendo-in-the-1980s themed, beer-dispensing float. More on this in the days to come, but start getting your Mario Bros. costume in order today.
Last Sunday, I did a most unlikely thing. I went to see someone deliver a PowerPoint presentation. On a Sunday. And it wasn’t raining. Usually, a sunny Sunday in The Bay is not something to be trifled with, but at Matthew’s urging, I went to watch the keynote address for this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival. The guest of honor was noted futurecaster and big-picture technology thinker of considerable esteem, Kevin Kelly.
Kelly has a beard, but that would be the least of his achievements. He is probably most well known as the founder of Wired magazine. But there are a lot of Internet-cred activities in his history. He said that he’s been online since way back in 1981. As such, he was instrumental in founding The WELL, one of the earliest online communities. Another large part of his mystique is related to the fact that Andy and Larry Wachowski made his book, Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, and the Economic World, a required read for all of the actors in the original Matrix film. Apparently, Kevin is also quite a fan of documentary filmmaking and one of his many blogs is devoted to this topic alone. Presumably, this would be why he was invited to speak at a film festival. The other eight blogs (!) cover off on all of his primary fields of expertise and interest, as well as the assorted personal factoids.
Nonetheless, the real meat of this here post was supposed to be his “State of the Cinema” address. And in keeping true to form, he let loose a big, honking idea on the assembled. And this thesis was a thought-provoking one. Essentially, it is thus: humanity is at a profound moment, a moment that will be defined by the migration of our written tradition to a video-based record-keeping and knowledge-transfer system. With a future that is being built right now, we will have a searchable inventory of untold billions of still and moving images. These will catalogue in some considerable detail the singular enormity of human life on this planet and its myriad interests. Much as our computers—and ourselves—already function as honey bees in a hive, our new and emergent capabilities with video become will relate our experiences as a giant digital-video tapestry, one that we all add a few stitches to. As this happens, we will concurrently also be developing a more efficient method for sharing the aggregated knowledge of humanity.
I’m not even close to done here, so punch through if you want to debate the future of humanity.
Among a bevy of endorsers, Poncho Sanchez is also sponsored by Kangol®. If that’s not spicy, I just don’t know what is. Besides his great choice in lids, Poncho also masterfully leads a Grammy awarded Latin Jazz band on his congas. With inspiration coming from Be Bop and Afro-Cuban Jazz, to the energetic soul of Tower of Power, his ensemble straight rocks it. Oh, did I mention his very large, signature beard?
He has engagements at both the Oakland and San Francisco (you haven’t seen a show or, wined and dined, at the new Yoshi’s in the Fillmo’ it is a must).
So, grab your sauciest cap, your moms, and show her you have some culture.
Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band at Yoshi’s
San Francisco: May 8 - May 11 / Oakland: May 15 – May, 18
Lookin’ out,
Gd.
It looks like Hillary and Barak may end up splitting Indiana and North Carolina. Kinda’ the way they’ve been splitting the Democratic votes for months. But why must it be only one?
Now, I’ve been on board with Mr. Obama from the beginning, but I think it may be time to start thinking about how we unite this party. Divided we fall, and all that. So, would we consider the “super ticket”? The Dream Team. For you ice cream lovers, the “chocolate-vanilla swirl” (always a crowd pleaser).
Of course, this kind of mash-up is nothing new in Berkeley. It’s a source of great pride in fact. But, for this country, that would be some real change right thar.
Don? Baron? Who’s with me?
Gd.
Update:
With Obama’s gains last night (dominating in N. Carolina, while Clinton eked out Indiana), Obama should take top billing. If such a combination was considered. As intriguing as it may be, Hillary as VP seems very unlikely to me.