Its a risk you're willing to take.

Rebekah Boon

Ever wanted meals from your favourite fancy restaurant down the street that does not provide delivery services? Ever had meals delivered to your doorstep that were cold? Or maybe you had food poisoning from one of your recent take out meal?

These are some of the ups and downs of using that food delivery app you have on your smartphone. Postmates and Doordash are just two of the many food delivery app services that are growing rapidly. Both apps have a net worth of almost half a billion dollars. There doesn’t seem to be a reason why one shouldn’t have such a convenient app on their phones, or is there?

Sure, now you can have your meals in your pajamas on your cozy sofa, tucked in while watching netflix--you can decide where you’d like to order from and not be confined to certain restaurants within a mile or two. However, when you order from Postmates or Doordash, you’re ordering products at your own risk.

 "What if someone gets food poisoning?" Meinert asks. "Who's responsible? Postmates takes away our quality control, and potentially endangers our customers." (David Meinert, the general manager at Lost Lake cafe tested out the system by ordering through Postmates one day. He alleges the food arrived in the back seat with a dog.) Based on the interview by Sarah Jones on “The Postmates Problem: Why Some Restaurants Are Forced to Fight the Delivery App”, there are reasons why some restaurants aren’t found on Eat24 or Grubhub. Store owners want to have quality control over their products, causing some to even refuse turning over their food to delivery services.

Whether you’re at a restaurant or ordering in, they prioritize the experience of their customers."A restaurant's reputation is critical to their success," WRA CEO Anthony Anton told Geekwire.

Anand Dass, Postmates’ director of business development, said that their main priority, however, isn’t the restaurant but the experience of their customers who are ordering food through them.

Meinert sent letters to politicians to draft legislation that forbids a third party from reselling a restaurant’s food without acknowledging them and receiving consent.

With Postmates, customers type in which restaurants they would like to order from and then the app service picks up orders from those restaurants. Often times, those restaurants will automatically be in the system without the consent of the restaurant. When Meinert realised this, he personally called postmates and asked them to take their restaurant off. Unfortunately, once someone searches for a restaurant, they are automatically recorded in the system and cannot be taken off.

Gabriella Mahady, 20, Media Studies major, said the first time she ordered from postmates was the last time she will order from them. “It’s not really a big deal but when I received my meal it was kinda cold. Like I said it wasn’t a big deal but it was a little upsetting,” she said.

It is a risk you’re willing to take, some food are just not made to be packed and eaten after an hour.

The SF Housing Crisis: Beyond the Ballots

Nobody Can Figure Out How to Fix San Francisco's Housing Crisis

By: George McIntire
July 1, 2015

http://www.vice.com/read/nobody-can-figure-out-how-to-fix-san-franciscos-housing-crisis-111

photo courtesy of techtakeover.tumblr.com

          The tech industry is bustling in San Francisco. This kind of boom hasn't happened since the dotcom boom of the late '90s and early aughts. The current boom has brought gentrification upon the city and pushed a housing crisis to the forefront of a long list of city issues.           Renters are being evicted at crazy rates. Earlier this year, McIntire investigated the issue. He delved into the Mission housing moratorium that was proposed and then failed.  McIntire spoke with SFBARF, an organization that pushes for the building of more affordable housing. The moratorium acted as a solution at a time when the news covered few, instead choosing to focus only on the crisis.  

          Some argued that putting a pause on luxury housing would also pause all affordable housing as well. The moratorium came to be Prop I on the November ballots, and was defeated.  

         Searching for possible solutions at the time of his writing, McIntire looked to the as-yet-unnamed Prop I, and Prop A (which passed last month) and will devote 300 million to building housing units for low and middle class families.  The city may be irrevocably changed, due to the influx of wealthy techies, looking for luxury housing.

Luxury development doesn’t solve the city’s housing crisis

By: J. Scott WeaverJune 16, 2015

http://eltecolote.org/content/en/commentary/luxury-development-doesnt-solve-the-citys-housing-crisis/

photo courtesy of sanfrancisco-cbslocal.com

          El Tecolote is a local San Francisco civic media newspaper.  Weaver wrote a piece on the Mission District, where El Tecolote is located, and the moratorium placed on the housing there.
          Weaver reported on the fears the Mission residents expressed over gentrification in the area.  In 2014, Prop K was passed to ensure that some 50 percent of housing went to lower and middle income families.  At the time the piece was published, only 7 percent of housing units fell under these guidelines.
          The article states that the production of luxury housing has doubled. Solutions presented in the article focused on activists and future voter ballots.

After failed propositions, San Francisco housing crisis still festering

By: Naureen Khan
November 4, 2015

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/11/4/san-francisco-housing-crisis-vote.html

photo courtesy of sftomorrow.org

          In the aftermath of the voter polls last month, Khan examines the ever-present crisis in an article for Al Jazeera America.
          Voters rejected Prop I (Mission moratorium) and Prop F (against Airbnb taking potential long-term rentals off the market). Both of these measures would have hindered the continuous influx of the wealthy and exodus of the middle to low income citizens in SF.  Mayor Lee who supports the tech industry was reelected as well.
          According to advocacy groups, SF supports the wealthy. The propositions had two sides each, with average class supporters and wealthy corporate opponents.
         A labor economist noted that the moratorium would have damaged the economy, as Vice also reported, because rental supply would have necessarily dropped. The economist stated that location and space is the number one issue in terms of housing.

Now let's talk about the people in the houses . . .

By: Alexandra Minnick

December 11, 2015

A moment from the Occupy protests in SF, 2012. 

          San Francisco is currently in the midst of a massive housing crisis. Gentrification is the number one topic in the city. While most news outlets tend to focus on the propositions and voter opinions on the politics of the City, the deeper social context is often missed. The stories above were curated specifically because they all discussed propositions that SF residents had the chance to vote on.

In general, most of the media coverage has focused on the politics behind the madness. Leading up to the November vote, virtually all conversation centered on the propositions.

If a story is to be fair and balanced, it makes sense that I should attempt to contact as many different voices as possible. While the upper echelon of society--the politicians, techies, yuppies, etc--are much harder for me to contact, the lower echelon of society is much more accessible. Most people, when asked to comment, open up right away. They brought up power, race, ethnicity, and unsurprisingly--inequality. The same issues that people fought for during the Occupy protests are repeating themselves.

As USF is located in the Richmond District, I decided to speak with Supervisor Eric Mar. I reached out to Nick Pagoulatos, one of Mar's legislative aides. Pagoulatos, who focuses on economic development, has yet to respond. Mar's other aide, Victor Lim, recently spoke to me during a press conference for a USF journalism class in October. He said, “Obviously we recognize that gentrification is an issue.” Beyond that brief comment, Lim, who focuses on community relations, was unable to provide any concrete plans to address the housing crisis. 

 He later said,“90% of people don’t understand 90% of what happens in city hall.  But they vote for the elected Supervisors, and they expect that all the things they care deeply about and affect their lives” will be taken care of by the officials. It would seem that most people care about the gentrification happening in the city.

The housing crunch has spread to the Outer Richmond and according to reports by the SF Examiner, “City data also shows evictions for all causes have increased by 137 percent in the Outer Richmond from 2010-2014.” This includes Ellis Act evictions. A greedy capitalist mentality has seized many landlords in the city and through Ellis Act evictions, they are able to kick all of the tenants out of their buildings. Anti Eviction Project Mapping states, "Most often it is used to convert to condos or group-owned tenancy-in-common flats." The resulting new luxury homes are extremely lucrative in the skyrocketing housing market of SF.

       

Protesters gather to fight evictions in SF. (photo courtesy of the Huffington Post) 

          This is why the tenants in the Mission district backed Prop I. By stopping the rentals from being placed on the market, they hoped to save what was left of their home.  

          The average rental price, in the city is hovering just under $4,500.  The cost of living in SF is now astronomically high.

According to SF Public Press, Prop A “would create a fund with up to $310 million for helping people remain in, and move to, San Francisco if they otherwise could not afford to do so.” All of these propositions, which have been gratuitously covered by the media seem to aim to help the people of the lower to middle class. These are the people who can no longer afford to live in their city anymore.

The deeper issue--the issue no one seems to address--is that the housing crisis is a symptom of the larger issues that plague society today. The gentrification  of the city due to the influx of wealthy young adults in the tech industry is changing the culture of the city.The politics of the city support this. The authentic San Francisco is years past is apparently gone. Families that have been in the area for years can no longer afford to stay in SF.  The cost of living is simply too high.  Many parents struggle to pay their bills--making a choice to either feed their children and pay bills or pay rent.  Educators cannot pay for housing accommodations in San Francisco and now seek employment elsewhere.  The City has a homeless epidemic and racial tensions are running high.
Perhaps these issues entail more space than the typical new story allows. It might make more sense to revert back to long form journalism when addressing these issues. I think the media could do with more human interest pieces regardless. It is not as simple as blaming the techies for the problem. Landlords and even politicians like Mayor Ed Lee enable the inequality to happen. Many articles are biased against the techies, but it is a comprehensive problem. Very rarely does the news coverage on the issue offer a solution, and I don't have one either. For now, we have to rely on the goodwill of government agencies like this and non-profits stepping in to help.

With all of these propositions and laws, the Board of Supervisors is attempting put a small Band-Aid on a much larger issue.  At the press conference Lim said, “We’re doing preventative medicine.  It sets an example and you can’t put a price tag on social justice and the rule of law." It seems that SF has set a price, and people can't seem to cough up the money to pay it.

   

          

News Aggregation: Food

Aggregated News Topic: Food

Specific: Food Delivery Services in SF

"In 'Overcrowded' Food Delivery Market, Venture Capitalists Are Still Hungry for More" - Bloomberg Business

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-23/in-overcrowded-food-delivery-market-venture-capitalists-are-still-hungry-for-more

Key Points: 

• "1/3 of all US food delivery services raised first round of funding in past year"
• "Food delivery companies have been attractive acquisition targets"
• DoorDash will accept orders from restaurants that it does not have an agreement with -- i.e.        In N Out
• Companies valued at hundreds of millions of dollars 

"DoorDash Is Gearing Up To Dash Past The Billion Dollar Milestone"

https://www.hungryforever.com/doordash-is-gearing-up-to-dash-past-the-billion-dollar-milestone/

Key Points:

• 8 months ago DoorDash collected $40million from venture capitalists
• Company valued at $600 million
• Sequoia Capital said to lead new investment for company
• In N Out  lawsuit

"Your Pizza's Cold? Blame Your Food App -- Not Your Courier" - Backchannel

https://medium.com/backchannel/your-pizza-s-cold-blame-your-food-app-not-your-courier-9d1d123ad2e8#.jc43jvt6a

Key Points:

• Postmates and DoorDash algorithms do not take couriers into account 
• Some impossible deliveries with distance and SF hills
• Hourly pay is unpredictable
• "Given that these companies can't deliver food without us couriers, it's remarkable how unfinished their support services are"
• **In Comments section, two people asked the author to look into being a courier for their companies: SimpliRoute and Caviar

"The High Price of Delivery App Convenience" - The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/05/technology/personaltech/the-high-price-of-delivery-app-convenience.html?_r=0

Key Points:

• Smartphone is almost "magic remote control"
• Fees are complex and often unnoticed by consumers 
• Instacart "worst offender in hiding extra costs in certain transactions"
• Many costs inflated by at least 20%
• UberEats -- food selection small, drivers may possibly just have large sums of the food ready while driving for anyone who orders
• Couriers and people running apps are humans prone to error -- pricing, delivery, ordering, etc.

The Price of On-Demand

From merchandise to taxis to clothing and food, there is almost nothing that cannot be ordered through the iPhone. Companies such as Uber, Lyft, PostMates and DoorDash are among the leading on-demand service apps available today. In our ever-increasingly busy lives, the instantaneous ordering of different services can seem affordable and time-saving, especially for urban college students at a school like USF. However, what many people fail to recognize are the negative consequences that come along with these services, and how on-demand apps are affecting the community, economy, and how we view service.

CB insights described the food delivery market as “overcrowded” in a recent November 2015 article, and stated that today one-third of all US-based food delivery companies received their first round of funding in just the past year. Furthermore 25 US-based companies are using the same two business models -- delivering “cooking boxes” or prepared meals. CB Insights created a graphic using their research to display the chronological similarity between the most popular food-delivery services.

Bloomberg Business has described food delivery companies as “attractive acquisition targets”, naming Sequoia Capital as one of the leading investors in these companies. As food-delivery apps are passing billion dollar values, some, such as DoorDash, are continuing forth in their expansion unfavorably. DoorDash, currently valued at over $600 million, is facing a lawsuit issued by In-N-Out for delivering their food and using their trademark without any form of agreement with the company.

Many people do not realize the price difference between using an instant-delivery app and shopping for themselves. A recent New York Times article pointed out some of the complex fees added to instant-delivery services, such as fluctuating delivery fees, required memberships, or automatic tips.  According to Forbes, it is because the company is only making profit through the delivery fees. As a low-budget college student, I believe I can fairly say that luxury comes with a price, and often times the price for on-demand service outweighs the benefits of convenience.

It is important for the demographics that these delivery services are targeting to recognize the positive and negative aspects of their purchases. These San Francisco delivery apps are often used by young adults and college students due to their connections with technology and on-demand services. However, these demographics are the ones that should be investigating what they are paying for and watching their money. It is important for consumers to question quality, price, and need vs. desire as the on-demand delivery industry continues to expand and thrive.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-23/in-overcrowded-food-delivery-market-venture-capitalists-are-still-hungry-for-more

https://www.cbinsights.com/blog/food-delivery-startups-crowded-market/

Trumbo: Hollywood Ten Spikes Interest in Modern Day

Historical and time period films seldom include the complex, intertwining issues that create social movements within nations, between the parameters in which the length must bob within to the explanations too complicated for regular moviegoers to sit through and watch. Audience members like suspense, conflict, emotional interest, and most of all, resolution. These are all the basic dynamics of an engaging film, and Trumbo more or less possesses most of these qualities. However, the complications of battling oversimplification while holding the attention of paying customers is an eternal balance that producers and directors alike cannot ignore, and rarely succeed at.  

Trumbo, released in late November, attempts to link audience interest and cinematic suspense to historically significant and highly tense political events that took place in the United States in the late fifties. Positioning the audience smack dab in the middle of anti-Red sentiment and fearful atmosphere, the film delves into the issues of anti-communism and deep distrust of anything outside of American patriotism. The government plays as a big brother type that indirectly recruits and convinces the public to join in forces against evil, foreign ideals, and anything that is a supposed threat to the nation. Dalton Trumbo, along with other successful, respected screenwriters were brought to trial, an official stand against practice of political freedom, and blacklisted, and unofficial way of ensuring nobody was to practice political freedom. Through media such as films, conferences, newspapers, and magazines, individuals who were registered communists or suspected of supporting communism. It was through media, both misrepresentation and intentional installment of fear against the unfamiliar, that the majority was able to repress those who they perceived as disloyal and unpatriotic, therefore dangerous. The film brings us through the trials and the unsaid repercussions of standing for what you believe in, which included loss of work and the gaining of social pariah status for those in question. It wasn't only the screenwriters that were put to the test, but countless individuals that were demanded to come to Washington and testify as to what they believe and who they support. The audience sticks with Trumbo specifically as he goes to jail for this beliefs and his perceived image, loses opportunities for social connection and employment, and finds somewhat lighthearted, comical ways to produce work even though he has been blacklisted. 

Trumbo is only a glimpse into the witch hunt and distrust of the government and of society, especially when the nation was in a fragile state left from World War II and the Cold War. However, there are two sides of the spectrum of reason presented with films such as this. On one side, there's an aspect of knowledge and depth that films like this provide, whether they miss certain points or aspects or not. However, there is somewhat of an injustice done to the complex issues that aren't simple enough to be understood in a two hour film. The film does important, key work in bringing into light social issues that were an important part of America's political realm and life. 

Civic Media News Aggregation: Arts and Entertainment

An Unlikely Ballerina: The Rise of Misty Copeland
By Rivka Galchen for The New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/22/unlikely-ballerina

Misty Copeland portraying Odette in the ABC's production of Swan Lake

Chronicles Misty Copeland's rise to principal ballerina. Copeland is the American Ballet Company's first African American principal dancer in its 75 year history. The profile covers Copeland's career, which started when she began to take ballet classes at 13 years old thanks to a dance team coach who helped her find the resources to do so. Copeland's story is one of triumph under adversity because she isn't a traditional ballet dancer. She started dancing at an age that is considered too old to become a professional, she didn't have the financial means to train, and has a larger body type than other ballerinas.



Jess Curtis' Gravity: 15 Years of Boundary-Pushing Dance
By Claudia Bauer for The San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfchronicle.com/performance/article/Jess-Curtis-Gravity-15-years-of-6674031.php

A performance of Gravity's prior show "Under the Radar"

This article focuses on Jeff Curtis' dance company Gravity. Gravity is unique because it is made up of untrained dancers, some of which have disabilities which would make it impossible for them to dance anywhere else. His newest work, "Intercontinental Collaborations #6" is about destroying preconceived notions and creating new ones based on merit. His work is experimental and doesn't fit within the confines of conventional dance.




“Intercontinental Collaborations #6” is being performed on: 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Dec. 11-12; 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. Gray Area Art + Technology, 2665 Mission St., S.F.


Dance Top 10 for 2015: Women Had an Outsized Role On This Year's List
By Laura Molzahn for The Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/dance/ct-best-dance-2015-ae-1213-20151210-column.html

Song of the Jasmine, one of the pieces featured in this article

According to this article women have been the leaders of the dance field this year. More and more women choreographed ballets, directed them, and became principal dancers this year than ever before. This article then shows 2015's top 10 best women led dance pieces from around the world.

Alonzo King Lines Ballet: Opening the Door for Dancers of Color

ENTERTAINMENT-A review of Alonzo King's newest ballet, "The Propelled Heart"
By Claudia Sanchez

Alonzo King Lines Ballet's Kara Wilkes and singer Lisa Fischer

The ballet world has always been considered racist. Whether it’s rejecting dancers of color for “having the wrong body type,” refusing to promote dancers, or refusing to hire dancers to begin with. But the larger issue stopping diversity in the ballet world is access. 

Ballet has always been something exclusive. Because it is considered to be “high art,” ballet classes, particularly those for children, are incredibly expensive, as are costumes, and performance tickets. This makes ballet an unattainable dream for many low-income people, particularly people of a lower income who are also systematically oppressed.  

The rise of Misty Copeland, a Los Angeles native, to become a principal ballet dancer for the American ballet company, has revolutionized the ballet world. However, there is a San Francisco company which not only hires amazingly talented dancers of color, but is also one of the few dance companies run by an African American man. 

The company’s head, Alonzo King, is a visionary and one of the best ballet choreographers alive today, with the honorary degrees and Kennedy Center awards to prove it. His newest ballet “The Propelled Heart,” is a view into his creative subconcious. The surreal and emotional ballet is made up of sixteen small pieces which all connect to tell a single story. 

Inspired by Lisa Fischer, a Grammy winning singer [“How Can I Ease the Pain?” won “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance,”] her decades long career, and multi instrumentalist JC Malliard, King choreographs a ballet about confusion, oppression, and the ultimate freedom that comes from escaping these things. 

Lisa Fischer, wearing a dramatic brown duster with a feathered hem, sings throughout the entire performance and interacts with the dancers, playing the role of prima ballerina. Her magnificent voice echoes through the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts as she uses two microphones to create vocal effects for herself. Her singing varies from groans and moans, to singing spirituals, to singing her Grammy winning song. Fischer is a scene stealer, but the dancers hold their own against her.

The twelve dancers, all of whom have been classically trained, perform seemingly impossible feats onstage. Dressed in minimalist draped clothing in sheer pastel and neutral colors, the dancers let their performances be the center of attention. They float weightlessly across the stage as they jump and turn through the stage.

King’s exquisite choreography has the dancers switch from effortless dancing, to forced and painful looking poses. The choreography which varies between all of the dancers, becomes layered and more emotional as the ballet continues. The dancers emote beautifully, even yelling, howling, and singing in times of importance. 

The stage is bare and is meant to direct the audience’s attention to the dancers and Fischer, a scene stealer. The slightly gloomy and mysterious lighting helps add an ethereal quality to the show, which fits both the ballet and the company perfectly.

Alonzo King’s ballet company proves that you can create a marvelous ballet with African American, Latino, and Asian dancers without fear of casting less talented dancers. Hopefully, this kind of company will eventually become the norm instead of an anomaly in the dance world.