Originally published July 15, 2013 in the San Francisco Bay Guardian. After a week of one-boat “races,” an argument over rules, and an angry sponsor making waves in international media, it would be easy to write off the America’s Cup as the lamest party in town (so lame, in fact, that the organizers have ceased … Continue reading Kiwis win first real Cup race
Tag: SFBG
New Zealand’s Cup
Originally published July 3, 2013 in the San Francisco Bay Guardian. America's Cup, seen by many here as a billionaire's boat race, looks very different Down Under, with its culture of sailing and maritime innovation. A few weeks ago I was walking down the dock in the marina where I live, in Wellington, New Zealand, … Continue reading New Zealand’s Cup
Profiles of change
Profiles of change SFBG Inauguration Issue: President Obama's call for citizen action is already resonating By Amanda Witherell "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America," President Barack Obama told US citizens on his Inauguration Day. "For everywhere we look, there is work to … Continue reading Profiles of change
Losing the West
Losing the West "Americans have to start caring about the survival of small communities, their local towns, and their local resources" By Amanda Witherell Our society can't continue functioning the way it does. Exploiting the natural abundance of resources in the western United States, without balancing the needs of nature, has lead to the myriad … Continue reading Losing the West
Waning wildlife
Waning wildlife Bay Area wildlife is already being negatively affected by a warmer world By Amanda Witherell Changes to ocean and air temperatures, rising sea levels, loss of habitat, scarcity of food, altered precipitation patterns, environmental asynchronicity — these are the concerns of wildlife biologists who are watching the increased effects of climate change on … Continue reading Waning wildlife
Tap dreams
Tap dreams Who controls what we drink? Corporate water comes to (and from) San Francisco By Amanda Witherell On Dec. 2 two water conferences were held in San Francisco, attended by very different groups of people. Downtown, in a room deep within the Hyatt Regency hotel, executives from PepsiCo, Dean Foods, GE, ConAgra, and other … Continue reading Tap dreams
The American imagination
The American imagination Rose Aguilar looks for change on Red Highways By Amanda Witherell If you're one of the 200,000 San Franciscans who voted for Barack Obama, maybe you're staring at that map of red and blue states wondering, "How could 56 million people vote for John McCain? Why is there still this incredible swath … Continue reading The American imagination
Money is power
Money is power PG&E spent a record-breaking $10.3 million against Prop H -- more than $53 per vote By Amanda Witherell While the latest public power proposal was soundly defeated at the polls, the apparent failure of a pair of electricity generation initiatives backed by Mayor Gavin Newsom and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is … Continue reading Money is power
Power possibilities
Power possibilities The city's energy policy is still uncertain By Amanda Witherell San Francisco's energy future is in flux. On Nov. 4, voters decided the fate of Proposition H, a plan for 100 percent renewable energy by 2040. On the same day, the Board of Supervisors was set to consider a proposal from Mayor Gavin … Continue reading Power possibilities
People’s power
People's power An SFBG 42nd Anniversary Special Report A sustainable energy system is well within San Francisco's reach By Amanda Witherell Living in a city like San Francisco, it's pretty easy to advance your personal environmental prerogative. You can walk, ride your bike, or take public transportation almost anywhere you want to go. You can … Continue reading People’s power
Project Censored 2009
Project Censored 2009 The top 10 stories the US news media missed in the past year By Amanda Witherell The daily dispatches and nightly newscasts of the mainstream media regularly cover terrorism, but rarely discuss how the fear of attacks is used to manipulate the public and set policy. That's the common thread of many … Continue reading Project Censored 2009
What are safe streets?
What are safe streets? Mayoral task force looks for ways to protect people in San Francisco — from the homeless By Amanda Witherell The San Francisco Streets and Neighborhoods workgroup, convened by Mayor Gavin Newsom, sat down to its seventh meeting Sept. 9 "to analyze and understand the key issues impacting safety on our streets … Continue reading What are safe streets?
Amanda Witherell 