On-line Media - Comments 101

An opportunity for our Prescott Oakland Point neighborhood to receive some well deserved press after the community party held Oct. 29th in two San Francisco Chronicle articles located in the real estate section and Chip Johnson’s Tuesday, 11.03.09 column highlighting the Central Station Development, immediately became a target by those with cruel and sometimes derogatory statements about our community and people.

Admittedly, I lost it after reading a number of comments and I reached out to community members and invited them to read the comments and respond appropriately. Although initially it felt good, I realize this was wrong, emotional and may have inadvertently gave them more undeserved visibility. There’s a time-honored adage that one should “never get in a fight with a guy who buys printers ink by the barrel.” It’s easy to forget this negative side of the internet.

I forgot about the behavior of the online anarchists who laid in wait to swarm article after article and pictures carping in most cases inappropriately and off topic, leaving comments like popping popcorn, all over the place while occasionally addressing the subject matter.

I forgot how cruel people can be especially when hiding behind the anonymity of an incomplete profile. Only some are bold enough to provide information that identifies them as out-of-towners. Reading their profile and their posting you learn like most kindergarten behavior, they have no regards to those they hurt, demonstrated by their comments directed towards victims of crime.

Remembering these people feel a sense of accomplishment engaging those with erroneous information, injecting their own garbage and getting a reaction (rise) or response, I should have known better than to respond. I realize this is what they do.

Cowardly on-line anarchist are not new or original just hard to get use to.

This Weekend Events

35th Annual Oakland Black Cowboy Parade

There have always been black cowboys and cowgirls in our western history, and Oaklanders will celebrate them again this year. The 36th Annual Oakland Black Cowboy Parade will march on Saturday, October 3rd, between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.The parade route will start and end at DeFermery Park 18th & Adeline, Oakland. The reviewing stand will likely be at Frank Ogawa Plaza on 14th Street just south of Broadway.

More info: Check out history and art from the Oakland Black Cowboy Association resources. There's fun stuff in these links below.- Cowboy art and images- Blacks in the old west- Cowboy and cowgirl heroes of today- Links to Black cowboy organizations- Links from around the country

People Grocery Farm Work Party!

Come get a taste of food justice at our Sunol Farm! Learn about cover-cropping, seasonal crop rotations and about what it takes to run a 4-acre organic farm! Meet us this Saturday, Oct. 3rd, at 9:30 a.m. at our lot at 936 Brockhurst St., (between Market and San Pablo). We provide transportation to and from the farm, water and light snacks. We'll be back in West Oakland by around 3pm. RSVP with marcelo@peoplesgrocery.org . Farm Work Party info

HOUSE HUNTING

Those interested in house hunting, the Prescott Oakland Point neighborhood provides a diverse offering of housing types i.e. Victorians and Italianate Mediterranean Architecture, as well as loft, townhouse, condo, apartment, conversions. This Sunday, October 4th, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. two developments (Pacific Cannery Lofts-for sale and Ironhorse-leasing is pleased to have two Central Station developments are featured in the self-guided GreenPoint Showcase Tour.

Interested in Victorians and Italianate Mediterranean Architecture or craftsman type homes, contact Prescott Oakland Point resident and broker Stefanie Parrot at 510.839.4737

People’s Grocery is looking for the next Executive Director!

As People’s Grocery progresses towards its greatest goal - a community grocery store in West Oakland, they are in need of a new leader aligned with the mission, vision and values of People’s Grocery who is capable of leading the organization into an exciting and productive future.
More info

10 Things To Do This Weekend For Under $10

Sundays In the Redwoods at Woodminster Amphitheater

featuring Jon Jang & James Newton, Marcus Shelby, Fuzology

Sunday October 04th, 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Gates Open at 1:30 p.m. Concerts Begin at 2:00 p.m.

3300 Joaquin Miller Road, Oakland, (15 minutes from THE POINT)
Parking $4.00; Free Shuttle from Fruitvale BART, 1:30-4:30 p.m.
For more information 510.238.PARK

Oakland Artisans Marketplace

Saturdays & Sundays

10:00 a.m. - 4pm

Jack London Square (Water Street)

Thirty local artists present their handmade crafts along Water Street. The Artisan’s Marketplace is a special program managed by the City of Oakland’s Arts and Cultural Department. For more information, please call 510-238-4948.

Saturday Farmers Market

Grand Lake - Oakland(8 minutes from THE POINT)
Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Year Round
Splash Pad Park at Grand Ave and Lake Park Ave

Berkeley Farmers’ Market
(10 minutes from THE POINT)
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Year Round

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=106481635460194769979.00046d46312a3697e6432&ll=37.871483,-122.271631&spn=0.009231,0.01884&z=16

Jack London Farmer's Market

(9 minutes from THE POINT)
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Throughout the Square

Sunday Farmer’s Market
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Montclair Sunday Farmers Market
(15 minutes from THE POINT)
1980 Mountain Blvd, Oakland
La Salle Ave between Mountain and Moraga Ave.

Temescal Farmers' Market
(10 minutes from THE POINT)

5300 Claremont Avenue, Oakland

Need Gas?

Chevron (6 min drive)
Shell (5 min drive)
Costco (12 min drive)

GreenPoint Showcase Tour in THE POINT

The Prescott Oakland Point neighborhood is pleased to have two residential developments featured in the GreenPoint Showcase Tour, on Sunday, October 4th, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

This self-guided tour (partnership of Build It Green and KTVU Channel 2) will allow you to meet some of the Bay Area’s most accomplished green builders and view the many products and practices incorporated in a GreenPoint Rated home.

Both Pacific Cannery Lofts (for sale) and Ironhorse (leasing) are located in the Central Station development.

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS NOW

Other project addresses for the tour will be provided after you have purchased your tickets.
For more information regarding these two project please go to their links Pacific Cannery Lofts or Ironhorse.

For more information on this event, “green building” or greenpoint rated, go to the Pacific Cannery Lofts blog, here

AC Transit News

Transbay passengers are making the move to TransLink to reduce boarding times during the construction of a new San Francisco Transbay Terminal, AC Transit agreed to discontinue the use of transbay magnetic-strip (paper) tickets on all transbay lines. AC Transit stopped selling transbay magnetic-strip tickets on all transbay lines on June 19, 2009. Buses will stop accepting these tickets on all transbay lines as of September 30, 2009. This means that starting October 1, 2009, passengers will no longer be able to use the 10-Ride and 31-Day transbay tickets for rides across the Bay.

Instead, passengers will use TransLink cards or pay their fares in cash. Former 10-Ride ticket users will be able to load any amount of cash ("e-cash") -- up to $100 at one time -- onto a TransLink card, which then deducts the fare each time it is tagged on the bus. 31-Day ticket customers will be able to load the equivalent of a 31-Day ticket onto their TransLink card.

The elimination of transbay magnetic-strip tickets includes AC Transit lines operating over the Dumbarton and San Mateo bridges. Likewise, passengers on these lines will also pay fares with TransLink, cash, or other accepted fare media from connecting operators. The new fare plan only applies to transbay fares and does not affect either local 10-Ride and 31-Day tickets or UC Berkeley students with ID cards and valid Class Pass stickers. Passengers are encouraged to use up their existing tickets as soon as possible and make their next fare purchase ("e-cash" if you currently use 10-Ride tickets, or a 31-Day pass) on a free TransLink card available at AC Transit's ticket offices in downtown Oakland and at the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco.

The ticket office at the existing Terminal will close permanently at day's end Friday, September 18. There will be details available at the Terminal, as well as on online, about how to load TransLink cards or exchange unused transbay tickets after that date. Since June 22, passengers have had the opportunity to exchange their unused tickets for the equivalent value on a TransLink card. Exchanges can be made currently at the two ticket offices.