RamblingDyna

My Millbrae Patch.com video. I asked local residents their opinion on Safeway's history of hiring non-union, lower wage, non-local construction workers as city officials consider plans for construction of a new Safeway in downtown Millbrae, CA.

I went to Hillsdale Shopping Mall in San Mateo to see what the tea bag protesters were up to on tax day. I missed the one in San Francisco so San Mateo was the only closest site that was still in full force by the time I arrived. There were at least 400 people, a majority were baby boomers. They were not the usual mad as hell Gen X-Z protesters that I've seen at the anti-war and union protests in San Francisco. For some, this was their first protest and they all felt proud and empowered to finally stand up to the Feds, politicians and Socialism - or so their signs read. Take away the signs and you'd think you were attending local community event. Sign carrying people smiled and waved back at honking cars and curious pedestrians. The San Francisco couple drove down right after they attended a baseball game at Pac Bell Park or is it SBC? They keep changing the stadium's name that I lost track. They too missed the San Francisco protest and made their presence known at the cor...

The holidays have come and gone and it sure did feel different this year, obviously. The kinetic energy to grab the best deals and buy as much as you can carry to the car was…restrained. The checkout lines were not as long as in past years. I’ve been walking through the San Francisco Center for a week. It’s located in the heart of the downtown shopping district, a stone throw away from the famous cable car stop. It’s home to Bloomingdales and Nordstrom and the energy is very different, almost subdued. It’s like you want to dip your hands into the jar full sinful sweets but can’t because you know it’s bad for you. That’s what the crowds looked like as they snaked slowly between aisles of 50-70 percent off sales bins. They didn’t clamor over each other and hoard bundles of red tagged stuff. People browsed, poked and prodded, looked again and then walked away. Before Christmas, the crowds were plentiful but not as packed and hungry. I figured the recession cloud was hovering over...