TEXT LINK

Once Upon a Cemetery At one point there were roughly 6,000 bodies buried in the Mission Dolores cemetery, many of them Ohlone and Miwok peoples. Eventually, the cemetery (which is one of only two still within San Francisco’s city limits) was reduced to a quarter of its original size due to neighborhood development. While some bodies were moved to Colma, many unidentified Native American remains were respectfully interred in communal graves. Several prominent early Californians are buried at Mission Dolores including the first governor of California, San Francisco’s first mayor, and America’s first black millionaire.
[ Story by Raymond Deplazes ]
Wednesday, Apr 19 2006 12:08 AM

To Die For There is always room for improvement. We have motorized toothbrushes, clap lights and beds that mold to our form for a better night’s sleep. With all of these technological advances making it easier to customize just about anything, it’s no surprise that people are finding new ways to add a little pizzazz to their lives…and afterlives. Don’t let your ashes waste away in a raggedy old urn on someone’s shelf. Here are some creative alternatives to traditional burial and cremation.
[ Story by Kimberly Turner and V. Alexandra de F. Szoenyi ]
Wednesday, Apr 19 2006 12:05 AM

Bring your own Casket Our big date with death calls for one final shopping spree. Whether you are the type to splurge on a hot new car to impress the neighbors or invest in some no nonsense wheels to get you from here to there, the amenities available for that final road trip into the sky are endless. But like that hot new car, who's all the fuss really for?
[ Story by Catherine Cromelin ]
Wednesday, Apr 19 2006 12:00 AM

Working with Death The Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco has over 130 volunteers who work at three different locations around the city, providing emotional and spiritual support for people with terminal illnesses. Volunteers are there to bear witness to people’s lives and to support them as they die. It is an intense process that attracts people who want to be present in this life and appreciate every moment.
[ Story by Maria Trombetta ]
Tuesday, Apr 18 2006 11:58 PM

Above the Remains I’ve been working with the graves of the dead for nearly four years now, keeping the grounds they rest beneath pristine. I’ve risen before the sun every day to walk through the cemetery gates, my boots already wet from the first few steps upon the grass.
[ Story by Nathan Nugent ]
Tuesday, Apr 18 2006 11:55 PM

What Happens in Heaven Our culture has a long history of ignoring or ostracizing people with developmental disabilities. Until recently, little thought was given to their emotional needs. Therefore, few programs have support services to deal with sadness and loss. But it is clear to the staff at the Neighborhood House that the clients are grieving, and they encourage the clients to share their feelings. Day by day, expressive art and music is replacing their pain and fear and everyone is learning to appreciate life as it happens.
[ Story by Maria Trombetta ]
Tuesday, Apr 18 2006 11:51 PM

The Other Side Mary Stuever, 60, knows she is passing through an invisible barrier, usually not clear to the human eye, as a light suddenly shines all around, becoming brighter and brighter. Radiant beams like those of the sun fill the entire space of the car and also invade her body. At the same instant, a sound like a jet airplane vibrates in her ears while resonating inside her being and the air is completely still.
[ Story by Stephanie Farebrother ]
Tuesday, Apr 18 2006 11:48 PM

Horoscopes Look into Erin's crystal ball...
[ Story by Erin Feher ]
Tuesday, Apr 18 2006 2:16 AM

Cafe Gratitude If it’s the goal of most restaurateurs to own their own place, then it’s a definite sign of achievement to open multiple locations. Café Gratitude, serving vegan, raw and “living” food, just opened its third location in Berkeley. While turning out the same unbelievably good-for-you fare with strange, but cleverly titled menu items, the noticeably hippie vibe seems like a better fit in its newest East Bay spot than at the other two locations in San Francisco.
[ Story by Amy Machnak ]
Tuesday, Apr 18 2006 2:13 AM

Dangerously Delicious The loin of North Atlantic Pufferfish (northern puffer), at $29.95 for a plate of sashimi, is the most expensive and maybe the most intimidating of any Blowfish Sushi offering. Most species of puffers are illegal in the United States because they contain a deadly nerve poison in their internal organs and must be prepared by specially trained chefs to prevent accidental death. But the northern puffer is a non-toxic cousin that shares only the intimidating name, not the potentially fatal attraction.
[ Story by Raymond Deplazes ]
Tuesday, Apr 18 2006 2:08 AM

Memorial Web Sites Whether it’s an obituary, a tombstone or a funeral service, there is an inherent need to preserve the memory of a person who has passed away. In the last decade, the Internet has become yet another place to preserve and grieve the dead. Online memorial sites blend convenience and accessibility with products and services to pay tribute to loved ones while meeting societies' growing demand to stay connected at the touch of a button
[ Story by April Jones ]
Tuesday, Apr 18 2006 2:03 AM

Murder? I came to San Francisco from San Jose well aware that I was walking into a liberal commune; voted one of the most vegetarian-friendly cities by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. However, just because I’m a hunter, I am also called a murderer?
[ Story by Lesley Seacrist ]
Tuesday, Apr 18 2006 1:58 AM

Everyone Has a Vice Forgive me Father for I have sinned. It’s been a really, really long time since my last confession. I have committed each of the seven deadly sins more times than I can count; wrath, pride, envy, gluttony, sloth, greed and lust. And just between us…I enjoyed every minute of it.
[ Story by Amelia Gravagno ]
Tuesday, Apr 18 2006 1:56 AM

Rock is Death Some folks say rock 'n’ roll is dead. That may forever be up for debate, but regardless, a large part of rock ‘n’ roll is death. From fanatical obsessions over the tragic death of rock icons, to the live-fast-die-young-leave-a-pretty-corpse attitude of rock culture, it's as hard to imagine rock without death as it is to think of Jimi Hendrix without his Fender Stratocaster. Gnarly rockin' death jams make shuffling off this mortal coil seem like the coolest thing since fire.
[ Story by Sam Devine ]
Tuesday, Apr 18 2006 1:45 AM

Death Equals Fame In art, death equals fame. This is a quick look at some of the often-overlooked musicians as well as platinum-selling artists from all genres, who gave their souls to music or killed themselves trying. Why is it that our favorite musicians do heroin and die mysterious deaths?
[ Story by Katherine Ambellan ]
Tuesday, Apr 18 2006 1:39 AM

Hope is on the Line: Volunteers steer the elderly out of the depths of depression Becky Cleary, 25, has been spending four hours every Saturday morning for 13 months talking people old enough to be her grandparents out of the dark hole of elderly depression. She is one of 15 volunteers at the Friendship Line, located in the Institute on Aging in San Francisco. Cleary has no formal training in counseling or therapy, but that doesn’t seem to matter. What she does have is a willingness to listen. “I’m just an outlet,” she says, but to the hundreds of desperate callers who utilize this largely unknown crisis prevention line, she is a life saver.
[ Story by summer sewell ]
Tuesday, Apr 18 2006 1:33 AM

The Shock of Sudden Death I fall to my knees and cry hysterically. I run to the bathroom and throw up my sadness and disbelief into the toilet below me. Dad is gone? He died of a massive heart attack. He was 53. But that tells me nothing. What happens to the unanswered questions, the things I wished I would have said, all the what ifs?
[ Story by Elly Swetz ]
Tuesday, Apr 18 2006 1:20 AM

Pen in Hand The enormous wave of technological inventions is threatening to swallow all communication in the 21st century. According to a study done by the Radicati Group, a Palo Alto research firm in the telecommunications industry, there are over 1.2 billion active e-mail accounts worldwide, which would cause speculation over the letter becoming a dying art.
[ Story by Stephanie Farebrother ]
Tuesday, Apr 18 2006 1:14 AM

The Art of Taxidermy For the patrons of Paxton Gate Treasures and Oddities, taxidermy is used to tame trepidations, provide scientific education or simply for the artistic appreciation of nature. These animal heads, bodies and skeletons continue to have a purpose even though blood no longer pumps through their hearts. For the people who enjoy and respect them, hearts are still being warmed.
[ Story by Lesley Seacrist ]
Tuesday, Apr 18 2006 1:10 AM

Vampires Among Us Hollywood and literary fiction has long romanticized the creatures of the night, creating the myth of monstrous yet sensual blood-suckers. But modern vampires aren’t going to creep through your window at night, and really don’t care whether or not you’re a virgin. Characterized by a condition where an individual has excessive energy needs, real vampirism is alive in the Bay Area, and it doesn’t necessarily sport fangs and a cape.
[ Story by Julia Dodge ]
Monday, Apr 17 2006 12:34 PM

HIV - A Gift Not Worth Giving The terms “gift giver” and “bug chaser” have fearful overtones for those who are familiar with HIV and the gay community. Gift giver is used to describe a homosexual man who is HIV-positive and intentionally infects a sexual partner. Bug chasers, unlike gift givers, are HIV-negative but are willing to be exposed to the virus.
[ Story by Esperanza Velarde ]
Monday, Apr 17 2006 12:01 PM

Playing With Death Nothing makes Ali Rose feel more alive than being suffocated during sex. She is aroused by strong, rough hands constricting her diminutive neck to the point where only wisps of air escape her rose tinted lips, and broken veins surface on her pale skin. She likes her men to take charge and not be afraid when she asks them squeeze harder. Rose knows she’s addicted but she can’t imagine not integrating asphyxiation with sex.
[ Story by Espreanza Velarde ]
Monday, Apr 17 2006 11:51 AM

High School + Hodgkin's Being a teenager is tough. Cancer is tougher. But combining the two could leave one more than a little overwhelmed. Teenagers already deal with a wide range of emotions as is, but cancer brings on an entire set of its own.
[ Story by Jennifer Grass ]
Monday, Apr 17 2006 11:47 AM

Toxic Beauty Cosmetic companies are using chemicals that are known to cause cancer and birth defects, and there are no regulations in place to control the amount of toxins that are entering our bodies. The quest for beauty may lead us to death.
[ Story by Maria Trombetta ]
Monday, Apr 17 2006 11:43 AM

Straight from the Streets Everyone gets a precious few years here on earth and then poof, we’re gone forever. And while the debate continues to rage about what happens after we die, not many people are looking forward to finding out.
[ Story by Amelia Gravagno ]
Monday, Apr 17 2006 11:40 AM

Letter from the Editor My earliest memory is of my grandfather’s body lying in the middle of the street, his neck and legs flattened by the tires of a reckless driver, his blood saturated into the asphalt...
[ Story by Zoneil Maharaj ]
Monday, Apr 17 2006 11:27 AM

[X]press Magazine Spring 2006 Holding up a mirror to Bay Area culture.
[ Story by [X]press staff writers ]
Wednesday, Mar 22 2006 12:53 PM