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Crosscurrents

Daily news roundup for Thursday, August 27, 2015

Silicon Beat

Here's what's happening in the Bay Area, as curated by KALW news:

San Francisco Firefighters Become Unintended Safety Net for the Homeless // New York Times

 

"When the emergency bell sounds at Fire Station 1 here, firefighters pull on boots and backpacks, swing into Engine 1 and hurtle out the door in almost a single motion, a blast of red lights and caterwauling sirens. More often than not, there is no fire.

 

Firefighters here say that calls involving homeless people dominate their shifts. 'For somebody whose dream was going to be a firefighter, their dream was they are going to be rushing into burning buildings, and they get into it, and they’re like, 'What do you mean I only put out a fire once a month?’' said Capt. Niels Tangherlini, a veteran paramedic." 

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Ticks more prevalent in Bay Area than previously thought // SF Chronicle

 

"Lyme is found in greater numbers in the Eastern part of the country due to the moister climates preferred by ticks. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that at least 300,000 cases of Lyme are diagnosed each year, about two-thirds of them in residents east of the Mississippi.

But the new research, which involves scientists from Stanford and Northern Arizona universities, shows that strains associated with the East Coast appear to be moving west and that the disease is probably more common here than assumed." 

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Suspect in Virginia on-air shootings grew up in Bay Area, attended Oakland schools // Oakland Tribune 

 

"The man suspected of fatally shooting two Virginia television journalists Wednesday morning was from the Bay Area, having graduated from Oakland public schools and San Francisco State University before starting a TV journalism career. 

Vester Lee Flanagan II, known by his on-air name Bryce Williams, died from a self-inflicted gunshot hours after he allegedly gunned down reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward during an early morning interview in Franklin County, Virginia." 

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Burning man may be headed to Broadway // Oakland Tribune 

 

"Burning Man, that annual back-country Bacchanalia and love-fest in Nevada that gives new meaning to the term "high desert," may be heading for the bright lights of Broadway.

 

But first, the backers of "Burning Man: The Musical" need to raise $20,000 on crowdfunding site Indiegogo where this week they posted a hilarious 5:09-minute trailer featuring two of the songs they've penned so far.

 

 The show's creator, Oakland native and Google tech writer Matt Werner, says the plot is driven by the growing disconnect between the original "burners," who see the 29-year-old festival as a paean to free expression and artistic exuberance, and the growing number of tech-obsessed hipsters coming out from Silicon Valley, whom some feel have turned Burning Man into a much more commoditized experience." 

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Qulture Collective: A Downtown Hub for Oakland Queers // East Bay Express 

 

"'There are still so many spaces where queer people don't feel safe and don't feel comfortable,' said [Alyah] Baker. Eliminating those kinds of experiences is one of the goals of Qulture Collective, a new queer community center that will soon open in downtown Oakland. 

 

The venue will also function as an art gallery with rotating shows by queer artists. The retail shop will feature goods made by queer artisans, and the cafe will employ LGBT staff. The women also plan to host regular events, such as monthly screenings of LGBT-centered films, karaoke nights, speed dating, meditation, trivia, live performances, and a range of other programming. In the months prior to its grand opening, Qulture Collective has already hosted events for a diverse range of LGBT organizations and businesses, including a queer fashion group, an LGBT wedding services company, a group that does queer open mics, and a number of activist coalitions." 

 

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East Oakland Residents to Breathe Easier // East Bay Express 

 

"East Oakland residents suffer from some of the most polluted air in Alameda County, but they will soon breathe a little easier thanks to a successful years-long campaign to get big-rig trucks off local streets. Last month, the Oakland City Council passed a comprehensive plan to reroute trucks away from residential streets in the neighborhoods around the Coliseum — the first revamping of the area's truck routes in more than fifty years.

Wladimir Wlassowsky, manager of the city's Transportation Services Division, said the efforts by community members organized by Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) were "the primary reason" why the council approved the rerouting plan." 

Crosscurrents