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Faded Memories Back At Yoshi’s

Back in the 1980s, I remember thinking that Spyro Gyra was so cool.  At least their brand of jazz seemed to stand out, as bland pop-rock played all around.  I’m no music snob, but what happened?

Listen to these MP3 tracks available on the group’s website, like Harbor Nights and Breakfast at Igor’s.  They are still nice enough, but start to sound the same.  The music doesn’t seem special anymore.

Based in NYC now, Spyro Gyra continues hitting the road.  They will be performing at Yoshi’s in Jack London Square, over the next three nights.  Tickets are completely reasonable, for the six scheduled shows.

Anyway, am I alone with these faded memories?

Yoga Is A Competitive Sport (True or False)

When you live in Montclair, yoga’s one of those things you might do – like taking a long walk or going over to the coffee shop.  Some folks are more devoted or competitive than others, and that seems fine.

Classes always feel like a calm oasis.  Our local spot is Mountain Yoga (map), which welcomes real yogis and forever-amateurs like me.  If you want to drive a little, another nice studio is Piedmont Yoga (map).

Yet all is not calm in yoga paradise.  There’s tension brewing among yoga practitioners, who are arguing about whether yoga should be a competitive sport.  You can see all the chi or life force getting used up.

Why debate this now?  Yoga will be a demonstration sport during the Beijing Olympics.  The idea is that agility, stamina, strength and other physical skills can be rewarded through several asanas or poses that are practiced in Bikram-style hot yoga studios around the world.

Many yogis feel torn apart.  Over at Yoga Journal, one person declared: “To take the inner work of yoga and place judgment in the hands of something external seems to be the opposite of what yoga is. This competition simply illustrates the growing chasm between Bikram and traditional yogic practice. I can’t say I support it.”

At least Ashhtangas could joke they were the best competitive style:  “We felt Ashtanga was a natural choice, with its predetermined sequence and various series of practice. Iyengar was too slow for TV, Bikram yoga too revealing, Anusara yoga too touchy-feely, and Vinyasa, well, too free-form” said an official.

The reactions depend on which Yoga you practice – a lot like how religions declare “their world views” to the exclusion of others.  This strikes me as the ultimate irony, since yoga’s about acceptance!

Outside Mag: Brown, Not Dellums

Oakland has now been called a “bright idea” by Outside Magazine, which gives credit to former Mayor Jerry Brown for buffing up the downtown.   Is our current Oakland Mayor, Ron Dellums, just some metaphorical chopped liver?

In its August issue, Outside touts our urban renewal progress.  The article points to the housing units and restaurants built.  If you build it, then they will come.  (Yes, this doesn’t just apply to baseball diamonds built in cornfields.)  In Oakland, folks are starting to be drawn back to the urban core.

Mayor Dellums is attempting to take a little credit.  His chief of staff, David Chai, tried to attribute the city’s progress to the mayor during KQED’s Forum program last week.  After getting challenged by local journalists, this spokesman backed down quickly.  While Dellums may have supported additional development, results are a long-term proposition.

Of course, Dellums still needs to improve his public relations and communications.  On the local front, he did emerge recently to dismiss the city administrator and show who’s in charge at City Hall.  Most of the time, he avoids press conferences, individual interviews or, ultimately, the general public.

Until reading Outside, I didn’t consider how Dellums would be seen in the national press.  This magazine is far from a political centerpiece, appealing to active or armchair nature enthusiasts.  However it’s telling that the current mayor isn’t mentioned at all.

Non-existent press is probably the reason Mayor Dellums got ignored here.  Try this:  google “development” and “Dellums” together, and you see a few irrelevant results.  So if journalists or researchers tried to find out what’s happening lately, they would come up empty-handed.

There’s no question the quiet mayor needs to pull his communications act together soon – whether that’s putting more effectively flacks out there OR just deciding to engage with media more actively.

Commuter Woes From Montclair

Montclarions are gas guzzling, good ‘ole Americans.  We talk a good game about being green, but I see villagers pouring onto the highways daily.

Here are sobering stats about everyone living in the 94611 zip.  Some 61% of residents are employed outside Alameda County, and 25% spend more than 45 minutes getting to work.

We’re headed to all compass points, and 62% drive alone to their jobs.  Local traffic patterns bear this out, with the exodus hitting its stride from 7-8 am weekdays.

On the green side, just 25% of us are taking public transportation or sharing rides.  I’m betting most of the carpoolers are using the SF casual option.  A paltry 5% are walking or bicycling to the office (see Bike To Work Day).

Only 18% of residents live less than 15 minutes from work.  This is the group with real options, and let’s assume everyone took the bus, bicycled or walked.  That still leaves 8% who drive for their own convenience.

While this City Data is a few years old, I think the stats hold true:  our commuting distances and times are barriers to change.  Unfortunately, Montclair’s not becoming a community of “carbon neutral” citizens anytime soon.

Reality Check To Dellums, On KQED

This morning, KQED’s Michael Krasny devoted an entire hour to Oakland Politics.  The always-measured Krasny kept the participants under relative control – but managed to share his own consternation with Mayor Dellums too.

When Ron Dellums ran for office, he promised Krasny that he would make appearances on Forum afterwards.  Since then, he’s been hiding from Krasny and the local press.  Krasny wants to interview him, and it’s frankly dumb that Dellums ignores this invitation.

Instead, a Dellums spokesman appeared on today’s program and performed very badly.  First, the other journalists and blogger below eviscerated the guy!   The callers were not kind, either.  One active Dellums supporter said he was dumbfounded by the doubletalk from the Mayor’s office.

The news that triggered today’s program was the city administration hoopla, of course.  At this point, Deborah Edgerly is working through July.  An active hunt has begun for her replacement.

When one of the Forum guests asked exactly when the replacement search began, the spokesman couldn’t respond.  He just said they hired an expensive head-hunter.  When pressed again, he still deflected the question.

During the hour, Oakland’s downtown vibrancy came up too.  The spokesman mentioned things that happened in the past two years.  He identified one developer deal by name.  The journalists pounced and explained that development happens over many years.

Finally, the city’s crime prevention efforts were discussed.  The spokesman pointed to slightly lower violent crimes and full police staffing levels.  In response, the journalists pointed to temporary Measure Y funding to get there.  They also raised the need for addressing educational opportunities, as a more structural fix.

If you have time, then listen to this Forum hour.  I’m sure you’ll agree the Mayor is hiding behind his flacks – and that he deserves “the quiet mayor” moniker bestowed by the SF Chronicle guest.