…the Rake shoots (and drinks) straight, sans notes, with Charles D’Ambrosio.
Category / Uncategorized
Ron Burkle: Good for the Merc?
ITEM 1: Ron Burkle wants to buy the San Jose Mercury News.
ITEM 2: Jared Paul Stern caught on tape trying to extort $200,000 from Ron Burkle to print positive Page Six items. Burkle said no. Stern says he was set up, with the transcripts “edited by Burkle.”
ADDITIONAL GRAY AREAS: Unknown.
You make the call.
Facing Low Approval Ratings, Bush Steals a Page from the Amazing Kreskin to Justify War
Saratoga Gets Its Rocks Off
Metroblogging SF has the scoop on some extremely wacky rock sculptures down in Saratoga. Apparently, the municipal government believed that stacking rocks in the middle of a traffic island would be a fantastic idea. The idea here was to promote public art, but Simon Rodia this clearly wasn’t. The rock structures were ugly and were situated within a foot of the actual road, meaning that a rock from one of the structures could easily fall into the road or smash a windshield. The cost to erect this lawsuit-waiting-to-happen was $40,000. The cost to remove it is $15,000.
In other words, the City of Saratoga has now wasted $55,000 over a good deal of rocks. Hopefully, future efforts at public art will face greater aesthetic and financial scrutiny.