Red Devils Return to Pacifica #14 -- July 3, 2019

Pacifica is one of the two cities on the San Francisco peninsula that allow the sale of fireworks. The booths arrived last week. This is the stand at the Pedro Point shopping center. I took the photo on 29-June-2019.

Many Pacificans agree that selling fireworks is a bad idea: We have steep, brush-covered hillsides that pose a fire danger. People use the "safe and sane" fireworks to mask the unsafe and insane variety. Not to mention my cat hates the Fourth of July.

Unfortunately, our charities claim that fireworks are the only thing they can sell that will generate enough money. That can't be true. What about drugs? Weapons? They're not thinking outside of the box.

Because of sheltering in place, I have not had an opportunity to take a photo this year. 

Cry Havoc -- June 2, 2020

www.kalw.org

May came to a wild climax.  We saw a video of a Minneapolis policeman kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, an African-American who was supposed to resemble the description of a man who passed a counterfeit twenty dollar bill.  Floyd died lying face-down in the street, after trying to tell the policeman that he couldn't breathe. Other people tried to get the policeman to lift his knee. Protests were peaceful, but after dark, anarchists, right-wing agents provocateur and thieves rioted and looted in several cities. San Francisco declared a curfew from 8pm to 5am. The policeman who knelt on Floyd's neck was arrested after a few days.  The three policemen who were with him have not yet been arrested.

New York Times, 24-May-2020

People continued to die in large numbers from the TrumpVirus.  The numbers were rising rapidly in states that opened up businesses too soon.

The Market Street Railway's San Francisco Railway Museum has been closed because of the TrumpVirus. Early on the morning of 31-May-2020, during the after-dark looting, people broke into Market Street Railway's San Francisco Railway Museum. They stole tee shirts but left historic items untouched.

SpaceX

In better news, on 30-May-2020, SpaceX made the first launch of  humans into space from the United States since the last Space Shuttle launch in 2011.  The first stage landed on the recovery vessel and the Crew Dragon docked with the  International Space Station on 31-May-2020.  The astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, enjoyed the trip. I wish them a safe trip  home.

TrumpVirus -- May 16, 2020

California is entering phase 2 of loosening the shelter in place regulations.  Some states have opened right up and seen a big jump in infections.