Daily Archives: April 13, 2017

A cleverly configured clutch of 33 lightly used shipping containers has found a new home in the shadow of the Grove Shafter Freeway, just a block west of the MacArthur BART station. Stacked three stories high and faced west and south for maximum light and air, MacArthur Annex feels like a happy hybrid while reflecting its Oakland locale at a critical juncture.

Amid the rise of the Temescal and Uptown neighborhoods and ascending rents and fears of gentrification the annexs twenty-seven 150-square-foot spaces have become storefronts, offices and studios for entrepreneurs, artists and writers, at relatively affordable prices. Meanwhile, its eco-friendly construction embodies the spirit of creative reuse and the areas history.

The way I always think about it is, the port is right there, says architect Matt Baran, who worked with owner and developer Caleb Inman to create the compound, which rolled out last fall. If you drive anywhere in Oakland, youre always confronted by containers, either on the backs of trucks or loaded onto ships.

My neighbor has a Victorian, and the guy down the street has a Victorian, but instead youre connecting to a context that has these maybe more distant connections. Youre looking at a larger picture.

The project is also holding a mirror up to a creative class finding its feet amid the citys seismic shifts. Yes, the annex overlooks a newly opened beer garden and pizza spot, Arthur Macs Tap & Snack, a nod to a similarly situated San Francisco institution, Zeitgeist (and co-helmed by the same Farm League group that runs Uptowns wildly popular Drakes Dealership). MacArthur Annex also harbors some of the DIY passion and creative energy thats fueled the Bay Area music and art scene since the 00s.

The same low-key, like-minded friendly excitement sparked by indie co-ops, backyard house parties and pop-up art openings was in the air at the annexs Second Sundays open studio, music and art event in February.

Kids in brightly colored sunglasses slouched outside the annex as the No Worries food truck served up vegan Filipino platters next to Rolling Sloanes stand selling pop tarts and pecan pie slices. In the courtyard inside, visitors plucked 60s sundresses and 80s dolman-sleeve knits from Ringo Vintages racks and sniffed candles in Foggy Notion, the apothecary owned by former Vetiver cellist and photographer Alissa Anderson.

Near a table of goodies raffled off as an ACLU benefit, neighbors checked out the sculptural works by Kristina Lewis in a space shared by Small Works and Sweeney/Kaye Gallery. Listeners watched from the floors overlooking the courtyard as local band Never Young generated waves of shoegaze pop below. It felt like an indie utopia in the making, dreaming in solar-powered, sustainably built boxes. While some of the faces were familiar, others were new. Here are some of the more genre-bending tenants of MacArthur Annex.

Contact Records

Politicized, passionate and veterans of local bands Grass Widow and Trainwreck Riders, respectively, Hannah Lew and Andrew Kerwin know the score and the married San Francisco natives were convinced theyd never get to live the Bay Area dream.

For years now, weve been feeling like everything is out of our reach, and all these people with a ton of money are setting up a paradigm we cant exist in. Then this came about, says Lew of the 19-by-7-foot space that houses their store, Contact Records. It feels a little dystopian to be in a shipping container. Is this what we can really afford in 2017 in the Bay Area?

Thanks to subsidized rent, the pair were able to open the first storefront at the annex, and judging by the smiling regulars and customers flipping through the vinyl at a recent Second Sundays, its holding its own simply by serving up what its owners love.

The Sheer Mag, Big Star, Kleenex and Liliput LPs, and international pop obscurities, in the front window announce Lew and Kerwins fascinations. Between the crammed, multilevel bins of vinyl, a rakishly tilted shelf of cassettes and a turntable listening station, they pack a lot of inventory into the sunlit space.

Their only conditions: The LPs have to be in great shape and the music has to be good. Otherwise they carry every genre, making sure to rotate in gems like, say, the odd Beatles Butcher cover. And Lews proud that they can cater to the neighborhoods nostalgic old-timers as well as indie nerds and beat makers searching for fresh samples, all while selling their collectibles at fair prices.

Theyd been stockpiling LPs for years before they learned of the annex. Quitting their jobs at 1-2-3-4 Go! Records in S.F. and Oakland, they embarked on an epic cross-country record-digging trip across the Midwest to gather even more inventory.

We kind of have the luxury of only carrying stuff we believe in, says Lew, who also plays in Cold Beat and releases music by bands like Tropic Green. We dont have to carry Taylor Swift records.

Lower Grand Radio

Unity was in the air upstairs at MacArthur Annex at Lower Grand Radio in February.

Next to a compact broadcasting setup read: a mixer and laptop friends toting skateboards checked out an exhibit of candy-colored decks painted with cuddling nude dudes created by Unity Skateboardings Jeffrey Cheung. Meanwhile, Alex Shen, who runs the Internet radio station, was selling mixtapes and giving away copies of Everybody Sk8s, a zine filled with anecdotes from badazz womxn/non-cis-male skateboarders and rollerbladers.

Everybody was on the same page that day, Shen explains later by email, while on tour in Japan with his band, Meat Market, and his group with Cheung, also called Unity.

Jeffrey has always been into skateboarding but felt like the common culture around it lacks the presence of queer identity. Unity skateboarding has been an outlet for him to blend painting and skateboarding while bringing people together to do something much like Lower Grand Radio, without the pressure of outside regulations, Shen says of his space mates. Just get together with friends and do something positive and affirming set the bar as high as we want. Maybe no bar at all, you know what I mean?

Shen started his Internet radio project after volunteering at KALX and DJing for UC Santa Cruzs KZSC. It seemed like the perfect way to keep busy and meet new people.

There are so many people doing radio streams with legendary programming around the world, but it did feel really good to do it from my windowless garage and go live whenever it felt right.

His mission, like that of the best public radio, is centered around his community and free-form, uncensored mobile programming Anyone can DJ for Lower Grandwhether theyre a friend like Andrew Oswald, who runs Secret Bathroom Recording Studio, or teens at the Oakland Public Library, where Shen works. Techno, dance hall, funk, metal, womens issues all are permitted. (The shows are archived at http://www.lowergrandradio.com.)

I think as you get older, it is easy for your world and community to get smaller, Shen continues. I thought creating a space for people to hang out and share music with, potentially, an infinite amount of people, or anyone with an Internet connection, would be really cool.

The Hanged Man Co.

Foraging florist, fortune-teller and printmaker Matthew Drewry Baker clearly believes in magic, both within and without, as he puts it on Instagram.

His MacArthur Annex studio and shop is an expression of that belief. Baker has transformed his container space into a wildly romantic jewel box with witchy, deep blue-green walls ornamented with vintage perfume bottles and other treasures and presided over by twisting masses of jasmine mixed with freesia and calla lilies, all drawn from friends Bernal Heights gardens or foraged from the edges of busy byways.

I think a lot of florists overlook fennel, for instance, by the freeway and in the cracks of the sidewalk it grows to such an exuberant height, Baker says. Passion vine theres a huge lot by the side of the Bernal Heights freeway that doesnt belong to anyone and nobody cares about.

We live in the Bay Area and theres so much beauty, he adds. We dont have to necessarily fly flowers out of Holland. Why use pesticides and poison? I try to forage and glean as much as I can myself because a lot of farmed things are too straight up and down, too perfect, anyway. I want it to resemble how things naturally grow in the wild, not a product of agribusiness. I want things that are a strange shape or have their own movement.

At a recent March Second Sundays event, branches of yellow mustard blossoms and nasturtium greet strangers at the door. Boughs of plum and Michelia Magnolia hover near the door near moon calendars by artist friend Annie Axtel.

Beneath a cumulus cloud of dried hydrangeas, Baker resplendent in a jaunty straw hat, striped tank, strings of beads, and turquoise and silver bangles and rings is giving tarot readings on a lace-layered table. Ive always thought the Tower and Five of Wands cards were bad news, but conventional interpretations fall away in Bakers fortune-telling sessions, in a way that feels deeply intuitive.

Flowers and divination correlate weirdly, Baker muses. When youre foraging, walking around and driving around and looking to see whats growing wild, you make mental maps of your area. Its similar when youre paying attention to whats going on with yourself and the energy. You make mental maps and its more about paying attention and being really observant.

Inspired and tutored by his gardening, tarot-reading mother, as well as former employer and Foraged Flora author Louesa Roebuck, the Martinez-bred Baker started the Hanged Man Co. three years ago.

Baker also makes rune symbol-embellished talismans and linocut cards, which evolved from his drawing and printmaking studies at the Academy of Art University.

Florimancy, of course, plays into his divination work and hes been studying the lost language of flowers for a series of divination dinners to begin this spring. My card is the Hanged Man a card thats apt for my business, he offers. Its about removing yourself from the thick of things and honing your instincts, using action through inaction, allowing things to come to you and trusting youll be on the right path.

Theres something about nature, the floral arrangements, and not trying to force it, letting a branch thats so strange dictate to me. I use it as an ally and not something to fight against.

Kimberly Chun is an East Bay freelance writer. Email: style@sfchronicle.com.

Ship this

MacArthur Annex harbors tenants ranging from Robin Sloan, best-selling author of Mr. Penumbras 24-Hour Bookstore, to pop-up shop Doublewood Denim. Look for these makers and shopkeepers:

Aloeswood Beauty: Wild-crafted, organic plant products are at the center of aesthetician, bodywork specialist, yoga teacher and nutritional coach Christy Swensons practice. The Alaskan-born, self-described healer offers facials, dry-skin brushing, hot stones, cupping, Tibetan scalp massage and foot reflexology. No. 301. https://christy-swenson.squarespace.com/

Foggy Notion: Local music watchers got an eyeful of owner Alissa Andersons band photos and album art during the 00s. Now her shop (its moniker calls back to the Velvet Underground tune) gives you a snapshot of Bay Area and Cali crafters in the form of organic skin care, ceramics, totes and backpacks, honey, kitchen goods and fragrance, along with pop-up appearances by Have Company zine and book concern. No. 102. https://foggynotionsf.wordpress.com.

La Loba: The name hints at the old souls behind these eternal pieces. Beth Naumann of Oaklands Hellbent hand-makes draped brass and fringe collar necklaces, jewelry, hairpins and sculptural mobiles, whereas local designer Gina Di Girolamo strives for ease and simplicity of form in her silk, linen and hand-dyed rayon tops and dresses. No. 103. http://www.shoplaloba.com.

Sweeney Kaye/Small Works Oakland: Women artists are the 2017 focus at this compact gallery shared by Sweeney Kaye and Small Works Oakland. No. 108. http://www.sweeneykayegallery.com.

Waterandstone and Stace Fulwiler: California College of the Arts instructor Amy Morrell based the bold geometric curves of her latest mini collection of hand-forged brass pendants on the human form. Expect handmade leather sandals, slides and clogs by Stace Fulwiler at this shared showroom, open during Second Sundays. No. 107. http://www.stacefulwiler.com; http://www.watersandstone.com.

MacArthur Annex: 644 40th St., Oakland. https://macarthurannex.com, http://www.facebook.com/

macarthurannex.

Contact Records: No. 104. https://www.facebook.com/contactrecordshop/, Instagram: @contact_records/.

Lower Grand Radio: No. 208. http://www.lowergrandradio.com, Instagram @unitymart

The Hanged Man Co.: No. 109. http://thehangedmanco.bigcartel.com, Instagram: @thehangedmanco/

Kimberly Chun

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Shipping containers launch creative enclave in Oakland - San Francisco Chronicle

Apr. 13, 2017 at 5:31 AM

U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters of California on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Its almost certain youve seen Rep. Maxine Waters recently.

Bill OReilly said her hair reminded him of a James Brown wig and Waters clapped back I am a strong black woman and cannot be intimidated. The Internet promptly began worshipping at what Elle, a frequent chronicler of Waterss cable appearances, called the Church of Maxine.

But Waters was on a televised crusade long before OReillys sneering insult raised her profile. Shes been trying to insinuate impeachment into the Washington conversation surrounding President Trump. Not many other Democrats are doing the same; none at nearly the same volume, and it has made Waters the institutional voice of the lefts angry id in the Trump era.

By FiveThirtyEights count of television, radio and print interviews since January, starting a few days before the inauguration, Waters has made at least 22 public statements suggesting that investigations into the Trump administration could lead to the uncovering of impeachable offenses. Typically, Waters, who represents Californias 43rd District, brings up what she calls Trumps Kremlin Klan, asks why there are so many administration ties to Russia and says that if investigators drill down, theyre likely to find something worthy of impeachment.

Its not as if Waters is the only Democrat to have brought up impeachment so have Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas and Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland. All four impeachment-minded members come from strongly Democratic districts. Hillary Clinton won 78 percent of the vote in Waterss district, 74 percent in Ellisons, 61 percent in Castros and 65 percent in Raskins. But Waters has been the loudest, most consistent voice for impeachment, even as House leader Nancy Pelosi has tried to tamp down such loose talk: [There] are grounds for displeasure and unease in the public about the performance of this president that is not grounds for impeachment, she said in February, right after Waters said that her greatest desire was to lead [Trump] right into impeachment.

As the leader, [Pelosi] has to be concerned about all facets of her caucus, Waters told me. I dont have the same responsibility. In other words, Waters doesnt feel burdened by restrictive politesse shes happy to burn bridges as a means to her ends, which is expelling Trump from the White House. This unvarnished style is why Waters has found so many new fans in the Democratic resistance set, particularly among younger voters.

The millennials are relating to me, Waters said. Its because I dare speak truth to power. Indeed an Auntie Maxine meme has spread so widely that Waterss office recently sent out a press release, Auntie Maxines Tax Day March Open Mic Reception, to promote an event this Friday in Washington. Waters gushes about the younger set whenever possible: I love what they taught me to say: stay woke, she said in a recent interview.

What her newest supporters might not know is that Waters is no stranger to controversy. She has long thrived by giving an insider voice to the outrage of the left zeitgeist at any particular time; this isnt even her first flirtation with impeachment talk for a Republican president. In 2007, Waters lent her support to a movement to impeach George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, calling it one of the most important efforts this country has ever seen. In 1998, she called the moves toward Bill Clintons impeachment a Republican coup detat.

After winning election to the House in 1990, Waters gained national notice in the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles riots as a voice of the black community there. The New York Times wrote that, more than any other political leader representing Los Angeles, more even than Mayor Tom Bradley, Mrs. Waters seemed to be all over the airwaves, acting as a voice of the disenfranchised after the unrest broke out. She scared some people and angered others by focusing on justifying rather than condemning the violent reaction to the verdict.

Waters offered not a defense of the rioters, but an explanation for their actions and bluntly pointed out that she thought the white establishment in media and government had a blind spot. There really are expectations from whites and white journalists that were going to go out there and say, Cool it, baby, cool it, she told the Times. But thats all they want us to do. I know how to talk to my people. I know how to get my point across and I think I did it.

A fiery style has served Waters well but also opened her to institutional reprimand, and she has been accused of unethical behavior during her time in Congress; she was charged by the House Ethics Committee in 2010 for helping bail out a bank in which her husband owned stock. She was later exonerated. In 1994, she got in a disagreement with Republican Rep. Peter King of Long Island, whom she felt he had mistreated a female witness during the Whitewater hearings. The day is over when men can badger and intimidate women! Waters shouted from the podium.

You are always out of order, King said to her, to which Waters replied, You are out of order. Shut up. On CSPAN footage of the incident, a number of House aides can be seen gathering by the chairs desk, consulting; it turns out they were looking for the Mace of The House of Representatives to present to Waters (an official punitive measure) but they couldnt figure out where it was.

While such a high-octane style might have seemed out of place with the more staid politics of the 1990s or at least we can look back from the perilous perch of 2017 and call them staid the national political conversation has gradually come around to where Waters, the consummate partisan, could always be found. The year 2017 seems to be the moment Waters was destined for, and she knows it.

I felt that this was the life I wanted to have, she said of politics. Where I could do something meaningful and could change some of the injustice and undermining in this country.

Read this article:

Maxine Waters Isn't Afraid To Talk Impeachment - FiveThirtyEight

France's far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon was never supposed to get this close to the Elysee Palace.

Once a distant fifth in the running for the French presidency, the Communist-backed candidate's trademark quick wit and eloquent anti-capitalist discourse delivered over two televised debates have catapulted him into third in the polls, according to surveys.

The sudden surge in popularity has seen the firebrand leftist reportedly overtake conservative Francois Fillon, once considered the frontrunner, and to within touching distance of far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron.

A radical economist

This year's French election has been characterizedas a contest between the traditional center-ground and a wave of anti-establishment populism.

Economic stagnation and lackluster job growth have shift support towards what were once considered the fringes of the spectrum.And tainted by scandal, the electorate has been left disillusioned with the traditional left and right parties.

Read more:France's fractured Left visible in industrial Lille

Having denounced France's austerity polices, Melenchon has promised to heavily tax the rich and increase public spending.The most radical rate would see all earnings of above 400,000 euros ($425,000) taxed at 100 percent - placing, in other words, a salary cap on high earners. That, he says, would enable the state to increase public spending by 173 billion euros over five years.

His campaign pledge has also prompted the conservative daily "Le Figaro" to label Melenchon the "French Chavez." In an editorial, the newspaper to declare that, under the far-left politician, France would be forced to import its own wine and cheese.

Melenchon hit back at accusations from the center in his blog on his blog: "Once again my election victory is being announced like the onset of a nuclear winter, a plague of frogs, the Red Army's tanks and the landing of the Venezuelans."

Market jitters

However, it's Melenchon's euroskeptism and pledge to review France's role within the EU and across a series of trade pacts that havethe markets spooked.

Read more:Would 'Frexit' mean economic disaster?

Melenchon's surge in the polls has made the euro and eurozone bond yields vulnerable to investor unease. With at least one of the two euroskeptic candidates in Melenchon and Le Pen expected to perform well in the first round of voting, the euro could find itself in store for some punishment. If both were to make the runoff vote, analysts would likely anticipate an impending"Frexit"and collapse of the single currency.

Swiping voters from under Le Pen's nose

Although Melenchon's anti-EU, pro-industry campaign shares much of the same discourse as that of the National Front's (FN) Marine Le Pen, his rival on the far right, his rhetoric on Islam and immigration could not be more different. At a rally in the southern French city of Marseille Saturday, Melenchon urged is supporters to pay their respects to the thousands of refugees that have lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe.

Read more:Tens of thousands rally in Paris as far-left candidate Melenchon launches campaign

Macron quit as economy minister in August and launched his independent presidential bid in November. The 39-year-old centrist formed his own political movement, En Marche (Forward), and is seen as a reformer. Despite having never held elected office, polls have predicted his win in the final round of voting in May. He's voiced admiration for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's refugee policy.

The National Front leader has adopted a more moderate tone than her anti-Semitic father, party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen. But she still takes a hard line on immigration, saying children of irregular migrants should not have access to public education. She also wants France to withdraw from the eurozone and have a referendum on EU membership. It's predicted she'll advance to the second round.

A surprise winner of the right-wing Republicans primaries, the socially conservative Fillon is seen to represent the interests of France's Catholic middle class. An admirer of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, he supports a liberal economic policy. Though Penelopegate and other scandals have marred Fillon's campaign, he has professed no wrongdoing and vowed to fight on.

In a runoff against former French PM Manuel Valls in the Socialist primary, Hamon was the more left-wing choice of the two politicians. The 49-year-old supports a universal basic income and wants to shorten the traditional work week. He has also spoken in support of increased investment in renewable energy. He faces an uphill battle as many socialist politicians have voiced support for Macron.

The Left Party's candidate landed fourth in the 2012 presidential elections. Melenchon, a current European Parliament member, believes the bloc's economic liberalism has stifled France. He hopes to profit from the center-left's disarray, but may split votes with socialist Hamon. Supported by the French Communist party, Melenchon advocates a shorter work week and climate protection.

Author: Samantha Early

A major qualm for prospective FNvoters is the party's authoritarian and anti-Semiticpast. While Le Pen has done her utmost to reconcile the party of its former image,Melenchon's populism with a heart has helped him stake out the opposition ground from her.

A star in the digital age

Although Le Pen Pen has so far taken most of the spoils from France's populist mood, Melenchon has been tapping into the populist zeitgeist for years. Nowhere is this more evident that in his online presence. His website is reported to be the most visited out of all other candidates, while his YouTube channel enjoys the most views, comments and subscribers. One such video showed him turning him up at a McDonald's to join a blockade of workers seeking pay rises.

Similar to Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign in the US, Melenchon's viral appeal has seen him become a hit with young French voters. Ifop poll, 23 percent of voters under 35 say they intend to vote for Melenchon - 4 percent fewer than those who intend to vote for the 39-year-old Macron, but far ahead of all other candidates.

Fiscal Kombat: One fan's digital homage to France's far-left candidate.

Melenchon's economic policy is perhaps best encapsulated by a popular video game put out by his supporters called Fiscal Kombat. In it, a rudimentary caricature of Melenchon grabs by the shoulders and shakes them until money begins falling out f their pockets. That money, which the game implies has been stolen from public coffers, goes back towards building a fairer economy.

In typical fashion, Melenchon didn't just endorse the game;his campaign team uploaded a video of him playing it.

dm/kms(AFP, Reuters, dpa)

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What's behind far-left candidate Melenchon's surge in the French polls? - Deutsche Welle