This came into my inbox today so I thought I would share the love…

Giorgio’s Pizzeria is offering some recessionista discounts for the later eaters on weeknights. Stop in at 3rd and Clement after 8pm on Monday through Thursday to get these specials:

Get One Free Small Ischian-Style Pizza with minimum $15 purchase, dine-in or take out. *Ischian Pizzas are super-thin crust pizzas with lighter sprinklings of cheese and toppings for healthier, better-balanced flavor.

Get a Free Small Size ‘Specialty’ or “Summer Additions’ Pasta
(with minimum $15 purchase, dine-in or take-out). Choose from: Chicken, Sun-Dried Tomato, Mushroom & Basil Penne, Shrimp and Zucchini Marinara Spaghetti, Penne Primavera, G-Style Spaghetti Carbonara, Spicy Sausage Penne.

Plus $1 to $5 discounts on beer and wine. Plan ahead and check out their full menu.

Mangia, mangia!

Sarah B.

A few weeks back, I posted about a jop opening for a new park organizer for the Muriel Leff mini-park located on 7th Avenue. Good news! They found someone and the new organizer, Mikki Sulanchupakorn, is already off to a quick start, organizing this week’s 4th of July picnic.

The Community Picnic runs on July 4th from 12noon to 2pm and includes free food (60 lbs. of beef I’ve been told!) and activities for kids. This is a great chance to come out and meet your neighbors and enjoy a traditional 4th of July hotdog.

Mikki says they still need volunteers to help man the BBQ at the picnic, so if you know your way around a Weber, please get in touch: (415) 621-3260 or council@sfnpc.org.

Community Picnic at Muriel Leff Mini Park
Saturday, July 4th | 12noon – 2pm
7th Avenue between Geary and Anza (behind the Richmond Police Station)
Free!

Sarah B.

[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of June 19, 2009. To be added to their mailing list, email the station at SFPD.RICHMOND.STATION@SFGOV.ORG or visit their website.]

CAPTAIN RICHARD CORREIA’S MESSAGE
On June 8, 2009 at 2:00 AM Officers were dispatched to 11th Avenue and Clement Street on a call of two suspects that had vandalized a building with graffiti. The suspects had spray painted the side of a building with letters that each measured two feet by three. The graffiti was twenty-two letters long and coved an area of nearly 120 square feet.

The officers quickly located two people that matched the description the caller provided. The suspects had several cans of spray paint with them and both had paint on their hands. The caller was brought to the scene and he positively identified the suspects as the perpetrators of the vandalism. Both individuals were arrested to felony vandalism and conspiracy

At 4:00 AM on June 22, 2009 a passerby called 911 to report graffiti vandalism in progress. The caller heard the hiss of aerosol paint and then saw two individuals vandalizing buildings at 18th and Geary. The suspects were advancing eastbound on Geary, one on the north side of the street and one on the south. They vandalized buildings as they advanced down Geary from 18th Avenue to 12th Avenue. Another suspect followed the pair in his car, which carried additional cans of spray paint. Between those two intersections the suspects vandalized numerous buildings with spray paint. Richmond Station officers met the caller at 12th and Geary and broadcast a description of the suspect’s vehicle, which led to other Richmond Station Officers stopping the vehicle minutes later at Gough and Geary Streets. Three suspects were arrested for felony vandalism and conspiracy.

Currently the Inner Richmond and the Geary corridor are “graffiti hot spots”. The actual amount of graffiti vandalism committed in the Richmond is difficult to quantify since the amount of new graffiti we see exceeds that number of cases that are reported. Officers remain alert at all times for acts of vandalism and from time to time catch a person in the act and make an arrest. However, experience tells me that it is your calls that lead to the majority of our arrests for graffiti vandalism. Please stay vigilant and keep calling us.

If you see graffiti vandalism in progress please call 911 immediately.

If you discover graffiti after the suspects have fled, you can come to Richmond Station to make a report or call 553-0123 to request a police officer to come to your location. You can also file your report on-line at www.sfgov.org/site/police.

You can also report graffiti you see anywhere in the city by calling 311 or visiting www.sfgov.org/311. The City Department of Public Works (DPW) will paint out graffiti on public property and notify other agencies and private property owners of the presence of graffiti, so they can remove it. The DPW can compel property owners to choose between removing graffiti themselves and paying the cost city crews doing the work.

Making a report is critical for police to identify graffiti vandalism trends, which we considered when we deploy officers and develop crime reduction strategies. In addition, since some graffiti vandals use the same mark each time, at times we are able to connect an identified suspect to several incidents.

Once you have reported graffiti vandalism on your property it is important to remove the graffiti within 48 hours. Experience shows that if you do this repeatedly, vandals are unlikely to return. You should only use matching paint to cover the graffiti and it is a good idea to have some graffiti remover included among your home cleaning supplies. Please photograph the graffiti before removing it.

NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 06/20/09 at 6:00 PM, officers responded to a business on the 3700 block of Geary Boulevard. An employee was reporting that a person was in the store attempting to purchase merchandise with a fraudulent check. Officers detained the suspect who gave a false drivers license to the officers. The officers determined that the check had been forged and the license was altered. Further investigation led to the true identity of the suspect who was on probation from San Mateo County. The suspect was also in possession of checks that had been stolen along with US Mail from various victims. A 26 year old male was charged with Burglary, forgery and providing false identification.

On 06/2/091 at 12:35 AM officers responded to the unit block of Loyola Terrace regarding a call of a hot prowl burglary. The caller stated that he was watching TV in bed when a male, whom he did not know, walked into his bedroom. The suspect was holding the victims cordless phone that had been in the kitchen. The suspect told the victim that he had just been robbed and asked if he could use the victim’s phone. The victim yelled for the suspect to get out of the house and then grabbed another phone and called 911. The suspect gave the victim his driver’s license while he waited for the police. While waiting the victim noticed that a set of keys were missing and confronted the suspect. The suspect pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and claimed they were his. The victim recognized them as his keys and grabbed them from the suspect. Officers arrived on scene to find the suspect standing on the front stairs. During the investigation it was determined that there had been no robbery and that the suspect had been involved in a domestic violence incident several blocks away. The 44 year old male was charged with burglary and possession of stolen property.

On 06/22/09 at 4:00 AM a caller reported that he was following two males that were doing graffiti on both sides of Geary between 18th Avenue and 12th Avenue as they were walking eastbound. The suspects were being followed by a green SUV that had several other males in it. While the officers were en route the caller told dispatch the two males got into the SUV and fled east on Geary. The caller provided dispatch with the license plate number of the vehicle. Officers located the vehicle and conducted a stop. The witness identified the males and showed the officers 5 locations that had been vandalized. Three of the males, 18, 19 and 24 years of age, were charged with felony vandalism, possession of graffiti tools.

On 06/24/09 at 4:08 AM officers responded to the area of 22nd Ave and Balboa on numerous calls of shots fired. Several of the callers provided dispatch with a vehicle description and direction, however all callers wished to remain anonymous. Officers spotted a car, which matched the description, and conducted a stop at 29th Avenue and Anza. Two males in the vehicle were detained but a gun was not located. The driver had a suspended license and was on felony probation. The driver was also in possession of narcotics. The passenger had a large knife concealed on his waistband. Officers searched the area for the gun but they were unable to find the weapon. Shell casings were located in the middle of the street on Balboa between 22nd and 23rd Avenues. The driver, a 33-year-old male was charged with possession of narcotics, driving on a suspended license and a warrant previously issued for suspended license. The passenger, a 29-year-old male was charged with carrying a concealed weapon.

NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
On 06/20/09 at 3:35 PM on the 1400 block of Baker Street, a resident of the neighborhood confronted two males that were dumping trash onto the sidewalk from the back of a pickup truck. As the victim was writing down the license plate of the truck, one of the occupants of the truck walked towards him with a pair of scissors in his hand. The victim retreated to his home and called the police. The suspects fled the area.

On 06/24/09 at 1:23 AM a victim was walking south on 21st Avenue approaching Anza when he heard footsteps behind him. The victim turned around and saw the suspect with a gun in his hand. The suspect pointed the gun at the victim said, “Give me what you got”. The victim turned over his wallet. The suspect then fled north on 21st towards Geary to an awaiting dark colored 4 door sedan that fled east on Geary Boulevard. The suspect was described as a male wearing dark baggy clothes and a baseball cap. The incident was not reported until 12:30 PM that afternoon.

On 06/24/09 at 8:30 AM a victim was in front of his home on the 3000 block of Sacramento St. He was preparing to go on a bike ride and his bike was leaning in the building. He was standing about 5 feet from his bike, putting on his cycling shoes, when the suspect ran up, picked up the bike and rode it away eastbound on Sacramento. The victim attempted to follow but, as he was wearing his bike shoes, was unsuccessful at catching up with the thief. The suspect was described as a male, 50 to 60 years of age, wearing a gray top and black sweatpants. The bicycle is valued at $6500.00.

On 06/25/09 at 3:53 AM officers responded to the 300 block of Cornwall on a call of a two vehicles on fire. SFFD extinguished the fires. A neighbor told the officers that he had heard voices outside and the sound of glass breaking. He went outside to investigate and saw the cars on fire. He also saw a cab driver who said he saw two males running from the scene and then flee in a vehicle.

Back in 1997, a handful of neighbors got together to form the Park Presidio Neighbors. Working with other residents and the SF Park and Rec Dept., the PPN has spearheaded improvement and maintenance projects for the 23-acre parkland that runs alongside Park Presidio Boulevard.

During the 1906 earthquake, the boulevard was turned temporarily into a campground of pitched tents and wooden shacks for the homeless. A few years later, workers were brought in to clear the sand dunes and connect Park Presidio Boulevard with the stretch of 19th Avenue via Golden Gate Park. At that time, the strips of parkland you see today were established.

Today, the Park Presidio parkland has no regular gardener, so the PPN holds regular workdays (the last Saturday of the month) to remove litter and trash, clear overgrown foliage and plant new trees and flowers. They put in thousands of bulbs a year and organize a tree planting every fall.

Park Presidio Boulevard presents a special maintenance challenge, often falling victim to the “it’s not my job” syndrome. The boulevard is part of Highway 1, so technically it belongs to the federal government and they are responsible for its upkeep. But when’s the last time you saw a federal park workcrew in San Francisco? As a result, the work of PPN becomes even more important. It’s these neighbors that live alongside the park who care for it most.

From their website: “While our primary goals still include the maintenance and beautification of the blocks adjoining the Boulevard, we have expanded these goals over the last few years to include enhanced pedestrian and vehicular safety, new traffic calming measures, irrigation and lighting, and an active neighborhood watch program.”

Even if you don’t live right along Park Presidio Boulevard, the PPN can use your help. You can particpate in neighborhood cleanup days, join one of the working committees, or support PPN with an annual membership. Visit their website FAQ to find out more. And if pulling weeds or planting isn’t your thing, PPN can always use your financial support through membership.

Way to go PPN! Thanks for all that you do.

Sarah B.

It’s been 30 years since the de Young last hosted King Tut, so this Saturday’s opening of Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs is sure to be a “golden” ticket.

While the early birds are awaiting their entry into the much-hyped show, here’s your guide to what’s in the show, how to get tickets and some good historical nuggets. Much of this is from the exhibition’s stellar website, http://tutsanfrancisco.org/.

Who was Tutankhamun?
Tutankhamun was one of the last kings of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty and ruled during a crucial, turmoil-filled period of Egyptian history. The boy king died under mysterious circumstances at the age of 18 or 19, in the ninth year of his reign (1322 BC). Read more about the Boy King

What you’ll see in the exhibit
The exhibition includes over 130 outstanding works from the tomb of Tutankhamun, as well as those of his royal predecessors, his family, and court officials. Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings was filled with magnificent treasures meant to ensure his divine immortality. Many objects belonging to the young king—exquisite personal items used in his daily life—were placed in it.

On display will be 50 of Tutankhamun’s burial objects, including one of the gold and precious stone inlaid canopic coffinettes that contained his mummified internal organs. Also included are many of the day-to-day objects enjoyed by the young king including a finely crafted child’s chair and an inlaid game board, one of four in the tomb, clearly representing an activity enjoyed by the king. See a preview of the exhibition. Plus, check out the Chronicle’s list of 10 Things Not to Miss at the show.

How and when were these treasures discovered?
Archaeologist Howard Carter and his excavation financier Lord Carnarvon were granted the concession for the Valley of the Kings in Egypt in 1917, and began work where Davis, another excavatro had found objects associated with the king back in 1907. Though much work was done between 1917 and 1922, there was little to show for it, and Carnarvon grew frustrated and decided to end funding for Carter’s work.

Carter decided to focus his work on the one location not yet explored: an area below the tomb of Ramses VI covered in limestone debris and the remnants of ancient workmen’s huts. The area was quickly cleared, and on November 4, 1922, a young boy delivering water jars to the workers uncovered a limestone step cut into the bedrock.

Soon, workers had uncovered the top of a staircase similar to those found in 18th-dynasty tombs. After another day of intense work, the entire staircase and a doorway blocked with stones and plaster were excavated.

On November 26, 1922, Lord Carnarvon, his daughter Evelyn Herbert, and architect Arthur Callendar, anxiously stood by as Howard Carter made an exploratory hole in the doorway. After letting the 3,000-year-old air vent from the chamber, Carter widened the hole and peered inside. As his eyes grew accustomed to the dark, he began to make out the treasures packed haphazardly into the room. He was, in his words, “Struck dumb with amazement. Lord Carnarvon, unable to stand the suspense, inquired “Can you see anything?” to which Carter famously replied “Yes, wonderful things.”

How did King Tut die?
[From the SF Examiner] It’s a 3,000-year-old mystery that has eluded Egyptologists since the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, and now San Franciscans may be the first to know what really killed the Boy King.

Zahi Hawass, director of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and an authority on all things Tut, told a crowd at the de Young Museum on Wednesday that he has developed a new theory as to how Tutankhamun died.

Scholars recently said he died from gangrene after his leg was injured in a chariot accident. Previously, researchers believed he was murdered from a blow to the head. But the debate has raged on.

“Actually, we found evidence now that he died of something else,” Hawass said, only revealing that it had to do with 133 sticks found in the tomb.

The announcement will come in a matter of months and will not only reveal the latest theory on King Tut’s death, but will include his never-before-seen DNA lineage.

I want to go! What’s the scoop on tickets?
If you want to lay your own eyes on the Boy King and his treasures, you’ll need to buy tickets in advance, at least for these first couple of months until the crowds die down. Don’t just head out to the de Young and expect to get tickets for that same day.

Tickets are available online via Ticketmaster, by phone at 877.TUT.TKTS (877.888.8587), or on-site at the de Young. Prices range from free for children 5 and under up to $32.50 for adults on weekends. Ticket prices are lower if you attend Mon-Thurs. More ticket information (incl. group sales)

Tut at Twilight is another way to get discounted admission. Attend on a Wednesday evening this summer and enjoy discounted admission to the exhibition, convenient parking, evening views from the de Young’s observation tower, and a special prix-fixe menu at the de Young Cafe.

Discounted Tut at Twilight admission is $20 for adults, seniors, students, and groups, and $15 for youth 6–17 and FAMSF members. To qualify for Twilight prices, you must purchase tickets for a Wednesday night showing between 5pm and 7:30pm (the show stays open until 9pm). Get Twilight tickets

What is the exhibition schedule?
June 27–September 30, 2009

October 1, 2009–March 28, 2010

I might not make it. I’ll just see it again in another 30 years.
No you won’t! This is the last time that King Tut’s artifacts will travel out of Egypt. So unless you plan on making your way to Egypt, you’re better off finding the time to make it to the show in your own backyard. After all you have until March 28, 2010!

I’ll be attending the show in a couple of weeks and am looking forward to it.

Sarah B.

On the fourth Saturday of every month, the San Francisco Botanical Gardens offers free Russian-language tours. Tours leave from the Friend Gate at 10:30am. The next one is this Saturday, June 27.

To RSVP for the Saturday morning tour or to book a group tour, please contact Tom Laursen, Volunteer Services Mgr. at 661-1316 ext. 412. Special group tours of up to 12 people are also available for a fee of $6 per person.

If you can’t make this Saturday’s tour, mark your calendar for a future date:

Sat, Jun 27, 10:30am
Sat, Jul 25, 10:30am
Sat, Aug 22, 10:30am
Sat, Sep 26, 10:30am
Sat, Oct 24, 10:30am
Sat, Nov 28, 10:30am
Sat, Dec 26, 10:30am

And no matter what language you speak, you can enjoy the beauty of the gardens. Below is a video of my visit a couple of months ago.

Sarah B.

SF Appeal has a brief video story about the infamous Golden Gate Park bison herd. For me they’ve always been one of the great head-scratchers about San Francisco. But then that is where there charm lies – the utter oddity of coming across them when you’re strolling or biking through the park. They are a living, breathing reminder of what used to roam the West.

There are only five bison left in the GGP paddock; one was euthanized recently after a bout with liver disease.

Like everything else these days, the bison are facing budget challenges. The videographer talks to Jim Lazarus, President of SF Park & Recreation about the resources needed to increase the herd size and maintain the bisons’ environment. In 2007, the city had to spend $1.2 million to upgrade the perimeter fencing to comply with U.S. Department of Agriculture standards.

The video also includes interviews with the main SF Zoo employee that cares for the aging giants.

Read the full story and watch the video on SF Appeal.

Sarah B.

The CA.gov website has a new service called MyHazards, where you can enter an address and see what the potential earthquake, fire and flood dangers are and how to best prepare for them.

Of course I had to try this for the Richmond District and you’ll be glad to know that we are in pretty good shape for earthquakes. This suprised me a bit considering how much of our neighborhood used to be sand. A quick search on 94118 showed that we are in area of high earthquake probability and are subject to “HIGH ground shaking”. In other words, get ready to shake, rattle and roll if a big one rolls through.

Even so, the Richmond District is excluded from other scary labels such as “Earthquake-Induced Landslide Hazard zone”, “Liquefaction Seismic Hazard zone”, and “Earthquake Fault zone”. When you look at the map, you’ll notice that nearby areas like the Marin, Baker Beach and Ocean Beach are labeled as earthquake-induced liquefaction areas.

The MyHazards site also lists out things you can do to prepare and try to mitigate the damage from earthquake, fires and floods. The site did not have flood or fire hazards mapped out for our area, but for earthquakes they recommend things like securing tall furniture and bookcases and other unmounted appliances and items around your home and garage (including links to detailed how-to pages on daretoprepare.org).

Go here to use the MyHazards site; just enter a street address, zip code, or city in the top search box to get started.

Sarah B.

[Via Curbed SF]