RIP Franchises of our youths

[King Bob]

Perhaps because of your extreme online-ness, I forgot your connection to physical media.

[Drunk Monk]

Fair

I'm actually astounded by how much YMAA asks for DVDs - some go for $100+. And we get it.

Physical books still do well. e-Books and audiobooks, not so much. We recently went to hardbound editions for many of our books, mostly to penetrate the library market, but also for collectors. 




Man, I can see that B&T book bag in my mind's eye. Might be a false memory and I have no idea why it sticks out. It sure was cute.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Perhaps only of (admittedly minimal) interest to the Yeti, but the book distributor Baker&Taylor is going out of business. Apparently they have been declining under private equity ownership for years. Although as I recall, Ingram was the main one.

Blast from the past, for sure. I know Ingram seems to have gotten bigger over the years.

[Greg]

Blast from the past, for sure. I know Ingram seems to have gotten bigger over the years.

Haven't we all?

[Drunk Monk]

Blast from the past, for sure. I know Ingram seems to have gotten bigger over the years.

Haven't we all?

Especially my forehead.

[Greg]

Especially my forehead.

Fivehead?

[Drunk Monk]

There's this old Chinese wisdom thing where you aren't respected until you have at least four finger widths of forehead. 

And then there's Shou Xing, god of longevity

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Blast from the past, for sure. I know Ingram seems to have gotten bigger over the years.

Haven't we all?

Point for G-Man!

[Drunk Monk]

'Its fate may be sealed': San Francisco votes to remove hotly contested landmark

The Vaillancourt Fountain could be dismantled in as soon as 90 days

By Amanda Bartlett, Assistant Local EditorNov 4, 2025

The San Francisco Arts Commission voted 8-5 in approval of temporarily dismantling the Vaillancourt Fountain on Monday afternoon after an “emergency” removal was called for by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. It’s the latest in the saga over whether the infamous brutalist landmark should remain at its longtime home on the Embarcadero or be replaced in the name of a brand new park. 

Built in 1971 by sculptor Armand Vaillancourt, the snake-like structure has been disparaged by critics, served as the backdrop of a surprise 1987 U2 concert, and is considered by supporters to be a cornerstone of the city’s history steeped in skate culture. Its fate first came into question in July of 2024, when plans were announced for the $32.5 million transformation of the plaza along the waterfront that would merge it with the existing Sue Bierman Park. The concrete work of art was absent from those renderings — much to the chagrin of its artist, who flew from Vancouver to make a plea for its preservation — but has also been dry and deteriorating for more than a year.
Discussion of its future was the hot topic at Monday’s meeting of SFAC, which owns the 710-ton fountain, while the parks department is responsible for overseeing it and managing its upkeep. During the meeting, Rec and Park project manager Eoanna Goodwin requested approval to remove the fountain due to “immediate health and safety hazards,” calling it an “emergency measure to protect public safety.” 
FILE: People play on padel courts at Park Padel next to the Vaillancourt Fountain with the San Francisco Ferry Building in the background in San Francisco on Feb. 13, 2024.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
Despite the fountain being fenced off earlier this summer, Goodwin said the barriers and mesh screens cordoning it off from the public have been “repeatedly breached,” and that “individuals continue to enter the fenced-off area and even sleep within the concrete tubes,” where a mattress was also found. In response, the department planned to implement taller fencing — something Goodwin didn’t consider “a sustainable long-term solution,” citing the thousands of people that pass by the fountain every day, including during a recent protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She named a laundry list of problems plaguing the landmark, from corrosion of its internal steel to the asbestos and lead-based paint within the structure and the unconsolidated bay mud it stands on. 
Instead of paying an estimated $29 million for its full restoration — funding Goodwin said the department does not have — she pitched that they disassemble the fountain and move it to an offsite storage facility for $4.4 million. 
The arts commission was conflicted. 
Commissioner Debra Walker said the fountain “does exemplify the power of public art,” but “it can’t stay here, in my opinion, in this condition.”
Meanwhile, Commissioner Patrick Carney said his “fear is that once it’s removed, it opens the door to never coming back. It may go from temporary removal to permanent removal … its fate may be sealed.”
FILE: Sculptor Armand Vaillancourt created the fountain along the San Francisco Embarcadero, near the Ferry Building, in 1971. 
Dick Darrell/Toronto Star via Getty Images
Several people spoke during public comment, including the artist Vaillancourt’s granddaughter, who recounted “cherished memories” playing there as a kid and the “curiosity and pride that sparked” in her, noting she is now a student studying mechanical engineering.  
Cord Struckmann, an architect and resident of Upper Market, as well as a board member of Docomomo, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving sites of the Modern Movement, accused the park department of “falsely portraying the conditions and activities around the fountain as a recent development” — information that was echoed in an article shared with SFGATE by the Cultural Landscape Foundation. The organization alleged the commission and Rec and Park had failed to properly maintain the artwork for years.
On Tuesday morning, Rec and Park spokesperson Tamara Aparton reiterated in an email to SFGATE the structure’s “risk of collapse.” Following the vote, the fountain’s removal could happen in as soon as 90 days, per the California Art Preservation Act, which allows artists to protect their work from being altered or destroyed. She anticipated the process of disassembly would take approximately two months, after which experts will inspect and assess the fountain’s interior and store it for up to three years in a yet-to-be determined location. Then, they’ll consider options for its future — including whether it will be restored, repaired, relocated or repurposed. 


FILE: Vaillancourt Fountain, created in1971, is seen with the Ferry Building in the background. 
De Agostini via Getty Images
“The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department welcomes the Arts Commission’s decision to approve the disassembly and safe storage of the Vaillancourt Fountain,” Aparton wrote in an emailed statement. “This action addresses urgent public safety hazards identified by independent engineers and confirmed by the Department of Building Inspection. It will remove the immediate risk.”
The department said it will install new, higher fences around the fountain starting next week. 

I saw Vallancourt at U2's Joshua Tree concert, vandalizing their set.

[Greg]

I remember watching them vandalizing it live on TV.

[thatguy]

https://boingboing.net/2025/11/07/goodby...-2026.html

Goodbye to the Farmer's Almanac (1818-2026)
Ellsworth Toohey

---

After 208 years of weather, wit, and wisdom, the Farmer's Almanac announced that its 2026 edition will be its last — a farewell to an American icon that began when David Young, a poet and astronomer, published the first edition in Morristown, New Jersey in 1818.

For generations, this little book with its secret "Caleb Weatherbee" forecasting formula was more than a collection of long-range weather predictions. It was Grandma consulting the Moon phases before planting tomatoes, Dad insisting on fishing during the "best days," and countless dinner table arguments over whether that red sky at night would deliver sailor's delight.

In their goodbye, editors Sandi Duncan and Peter Geiger thank the millions who "grew up hearing your parents or grandparents quote from the Almanac." Their final wish is beautifully simple: keep the tradition alive. "Plant your peas when the daffodils bloom. Tell the kids how granddad always swore by the Almanac."

Since the Geiger family took stewardship in 1933, circulation exploded from 85,000 to millions. Yet even this beloved institution couldn't outlast the digital revolution. When the final 2026 edition hits shelves, we'll lose more than a book—we'll lose our most poetic connection to the seasons.

WMTW notes,"The Farmers' Almanac is different from The Old Farmer's Almanac, the latter of which is based in Dublin, New Hampshire, and has been published continuously since 1792." The Internet Archive has scans of both titles, as well as others of a similar nature.

--tg

[Drunk Monk]

Wow, that’s a loss. I wonder why they’re not opting for a web presence. That’s the path of most periodicals nowadays.

[Drunk Monk]

Oh damn. I didn't even know this existed. Momotaro was my favorite fable when growing up. It had a major influence on my life. 

'Beloved' work of art stolen from Bay Area park
By Amanda Bartlett, Assistant Local EditorOct 23, 2025

A statue of Japanese folk hero Momotaro was stolen from Guadalupe River Park, San Jose, Calif.
Google Street View
An investigation is underway in San Jose after a culturally significant statue was stolen from its longtime post in a city park.


Momotaro, named for the popular Japanese folklore hero who is also often translated as “Peach Boy,” was a gift from San Jose’s oldest sister city, Okayama, Japan. The relationship between the cities was established in 1957, and the replica of the bronze statue that guards Okayama Station has stood in Guadalupe River Park near the Center for the Performing Arts since 1993. The statue depicts the boy and his dog, monkey and pheasant companions who go on a quest to defeat a band of ogres, with the tale celebrating their courage and teamwork along the way. 

Side-by-side photos show the Momotaro statue before and after it disappeared from San Jose, Calif.
San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs/Facebook
But sometime prior to Oct. 15, the work of art vanished, the San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs announced in a Tuesday statement, asking the public to be on the lookout for the “important and beloved part of our community.” Photos shared by the agency showed the boy’s hollow shoes and the animals’ feet were all that remained of the statue after it was apparently cut down and torn out. 
Authorities asked anyone with information about the statue’s whereabouts to call the San Jose Police Department’s non-emergency line at 408-277-8900 and reference the case number 25-288-0623.
It’s not the first time a piece of public art has been stolen from the South Bay city in recent years. In January of 2024, a sculpture worth $100,000 and weighing more than 600 pounds was pilfered from the parking lot of an art studio near San Jose Mineta International Airport, the Mercury News reported. A suspect was arrested after the work had already been sold for parts at a nearby scrap yard. 
In 2023, a sculpture of a 1600s-era ruler riding a horse that commemorated another one of San Jose’s sister cities — Pune, India — was also snatched from Guadalupe River Park. It was discovered by authorities within days of its disappearance, mostly intact.
The San Jose Police Department did not immediately respond to SFGATE’s request for more information regarding the most recent theft. 
Guadalupe River Park is a 120-acre park on the banks of the Guadalupe River, boasting over 2 miles of trails, a rose garden and a historic orchard.