G.W. Schulz

The new zoo blues

A scathing report shows how the privatized SF Zoo spent its bond money on tourist traps, not animals

04.08.08 - 11:50 pm | G.W. Schulz |

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Ten years ago, the San Francisco Zoo asked voters for $48 million in bonds to overhaul its decaying animal enclosures, rebuild its entrance, expand educational facilities for children, and make a host of other improvements.

Every major figure in San Francisco with even an ounce of political ambition made sure his or her name was attached to the voter information pamphlet that went out to residents in 1997 urging passage of the bonds.

The list included Willie Brown, Dianne Feinstein, and Nancy Pelosi; members of the community college and school boards; the Read more »

Bureaucrats blow $375k reading Matier & Ross

04.07.08 - 9:42 am | G.W. Schulz |

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Employees working for the city and county of San Francisco have squandered $375,000 in salaried work hours over the last 12 months reading San Francisco Chronicle columnists Matier & Ross, time that could have been spent finding cheaper ways to provide a police presence at political demonstrations and repaint parking garages located at far-flung BART stations, according to a new report by Controller Ed Harrington.

"Our analysis shows that City Hall staffers spent precious work time reading about h Read more »

Cookie monster is fucking metal

04.04.08 - 3:52 pm | G.W. Schulz |

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Kathleen Richards over at the East Bay Express is our new hero. She found some utterly hilarious videos someone made of Cannibal Corpse and other metal bands playing over images of Cookie Monster. Metal vocalists are sometimes accused of sounding like Cookie Monster, so we were laughing our asses off around here when we caught her blog post. We've inserted the videos below and added a new one: an entire band of Muppets playing awesome metal. This rules. Read more »

Adopt 8-pound Tatiana the cat

04.03.08 - 8:57 am | G.W. Schulz |

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We like to check the San Francisco SPCA's Web site from time to time, because, well, we really, really like kittehs. We'd posted more images of cats looking for homes on the blog, but we're afraid our colleagues might ridicule us for liking kittehs so much. Well screw them. We've long embraced the politics of kittehs, and if you've ever reported on animal welfare and animal rights, you know there's no shortage of politics surrounding kittehs.

Anyway, someone at the SPCA has a sense of humor. Read more »

The price of gold

Keepers of the Golden Gate Bridge want another buck from motorists, but that won't fix the long-term problems -- including an outsized and costly board of directors

04.01.08 - 11:20 pm | G.W. Schulz |

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› news@sfbg.com

Five years ago, the overseers of San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Bridge were facing a $454 million budget deficit. That figure was larger than the gross domestic products of East Timor, the west African country of Gambia, and the Independent State of Samoa.

Investigative reporter Thomas Peele of the Contra Costa Times decided to try and figure out how a bridge in the United States could amass a funding shortfall that dwarfed the economic output of entire nations. Read more »

Gorilla escapes from San Francisco zoo

04.01.08 - 7:42 am | G.W. Schulz |

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According to a statement posted today, a gorilla has escaped from the San Francisco Zoo and officials have not yet located the animal. Read more »

The land that hardcore left behind

03.26.08 - 11:55 am | G.W. Schulz |

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"You look more like a hardcore kid than a hipster."

In San Francisco? Doubt it. This is the land of science-teacher flats, floppy bangs and terrifyingly large sunglasses. Read more »

Laid off reporters won't find Cali's Spitzer

03.18.08 - 12:20 pm | G.W. Schulz |

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Ghost Word has a smart take on what newspaper layoffs mean for Bay Area readers:

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Good Old-Fashioned Reporting led to the Eliot Spitzer Story; Too Bad There Won't Be Enough Bay Area Reporters to Do the Same

The New York Times deconstructs how it uncovered the Eliot Spitzer prostitution ring story. Read more »