Новости за 01.05.2015

Berkeley photographer Richard Misrach has consistently drawn attention to humanity’s impact on the natural environment, always implying that even unpeopled photographs count as traces of that impact. A recently printed black-and-white exposure from 1976, “Self-Portrait at Night, White Sands, New Mexico,” has him dead center, as a shadowy silhouette, possibly a nod to founding father William Henry Fox Talbot’s definition of photography as “the art of fixing a shadow.” With giant close-ups of dense thickets of dry brush... Читать дальше...

Another week, another 15,000 or so calories. Actually, while I pay attention to weight and exercise, I’ve never been a calorie-counter. Doing what I do,  I can’t live in fear of a few hundred calories here or there. So when I had the Sous Beurre Kitchen oxtail pot au feu topped with a chunk of

Two of UCSF’s most prominent financial backers have sent a clear message to opponents of the proposed Golden State Warriors arena at Mission Bay: Conway added that former UCSF Senior Vice Chancellor Bruce Spaulding, who is consulting with the group opposing the arena plan, and PR gun-for-hire Sam Singer are spreading “mistruths to confuse the public.” The e-mails — which were cc’d to The Chronicle — make it clear that although some of UCSF’s benefactors are upset about the Warriors’ plans to move in next door... Читать дальше...

Hotels.com’s customer-service number to inquire if there was a shuttle from the airport to the hotel. The representative informed me that there was no shuttle but that I could request a limousine pickup or just get a taxi when I arrived at the airport. According to the hotel’s website, it’s a 40-minute drive. When you called Hotels.com, a representative should have informed you about the distance and the visa issues with this hotel. [...] finding the exact location of the property and knowing... Читать дальше...

While most travelers to Greece head for the islands, I head for the hills — the mountains and valleys of the Peloponnese. Attached to the rest of Greece by a thin isthmus, this rugged land has always seemed isolated from the rest of the country. And while it holds some of Greece’s greatest ancient monuments — such as Olympia and Mycenae — there’s a lot more to this region. I particularly love the Mani Peninsula — the southern tip of the Peloponnese — empty and wild like a landscape in a Hollywood western. Читать дальше...

[...] the Christmas Markets and museums. The Reichstag, and be sure to get reservations. Renting a car; the aboveground and underground transit system will get you everywhere. Coolest souvenir: A piece of the wall and pictures of the actors at Check Point Charlie. Going to the top of the TV tower in Alexanderplatz and having dinner overlooking the city. There’s history around every corner and memorials all over the city. Be sure to stamp your transit ticket; there are transit police all over the system checking your tickets.

[...] Bluetooth earpieces don’t let you glance at your phone when using maps, and suction-cup devices can lose their grip. The ball mount has a cast aluminum body and a cam-locking lever that securely grips the device to a car vent, and releases when you need to switch vehicles. The simple solution for hands-free driving without permanently attaching anything to your vehicle (or a stable of rental cars) is worth packing the small vent ball mount on your travels. For smartphone purists who don’t... Читать дальше...

A bathroom being a bathroom, however, the docent at the front door told a visitor to go ahead and use it. Surrounded by such trappings of humility, a visitor could scarcely imagine all the great stuff that happened within its brick walls. In Thurber’s tales, the quiet house on Jefferson Avenue where the family lived from 1913 to 1917 (it was built on the grounds of the state lunatic asylum) was generally a booby hatch of chaos and confusion, with three generations of Thurbers dashing about in pajamas and panic... Читать дальше...

When the Presidio Trust announced last year that it was rejecting George Lucas’ bid to build a museum at Crissy Field, its leaders didn’t reveal that three days earlier they had been prepared to grant the “Star Wars” creator the land he sought. Three members of the trust’s board of directors had met with Lucas at his office on Jan. 31, 2014, and the talking points prepared for them by Executive Director Craig Middleton included an offer to Lucas of “exclusive negotiations” for the... Читать дальше...