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Taser trouble

02.18.10 - 11:10 am | Tim Redmond |
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You can say this for Police Chief George Gascon: He's not shy. He's pushing so many things, on so many fronts, that it's hard to keep track, and some of them are real problems. One example: The Feb. 17th Police Commission meeting, where Gascon paraded a bunch of experts to talk about how great it would be if the SF cops had tasers.Read more »

Bay Area faith leaders gather to call for immigration reform

02.18.10 - 10:30 am | Rebecca Bowe |
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By Rebecca Bowe

An event will be held this evening (2/18) at the Mission Dolores Basilica to urge Sens. Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein to push for nationwide immigration reform. The gathering of people from the immigrant community and faith-based organizations, which is being put together by the San Francisco Organizing Project, will be held in conjunction with the national Reform Immigration for America campaign.

Pat Bregant of SFOP told the Guardian that a turnout of around 1,000 is expected. Several families whose lives have been turned upside down by deportations will share their stories.

Read more »

Sushi Raw: a fine place to drink twice as much as you usually would

02.18.10 - 8:26 am | Caitlin Donohue |
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Ah, Sushi Raw. Although I would ding you for continuing to post your Grand Opening sign months after first rolling out your extravagantly plated Fuji Mountain rolls, you certainly have kept that working hard to please attitude. It is difficult to be mad at a place where the entire staff drops their duties to yell something cheery in Japanese every time anyone walks through the door (“Welcome?” “You look thin?”). And all pleasantries aside, you had me at the two for one beer and sake special.

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Appetite: Forecast -- a downpour of delicious varietals and gourmet bites

02.18.10 - 8:05 am | Virginia Miller |
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It's been a stunning week of sunny weather... We may get a little rain on Saturday, but no problem if we can spend the afternoon indoors sipping delicious wine, right? On Sat/20, the largest competition of American wines in the world takes place in Fort Mason's Festival Pavilion.

Read more »

Playtime

Celebrating Sid Laverents and amateur cinema clubs

02.18.10 - 12:22 am | Max Goldberg |
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"It's like he was waiting for someone to find him. It was overwhelming at first because I was just this little person trying to write a dissertation, and here was someone I thought needed to be recognized by history."Read more »

Transamerica condos: the mystery continues

02.17.10 - 4:16 pm | Tim Redmond |
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I’m not going to actually suggest that anyone watch all four hours-plus of the Planning Commission hearing last week on the highrise condo tower at 555 Washington. But if you’ve got the time, it’s a fascinating video.Read more »

Yoko Moments: "Why"

02.17.10 - 3:32 pm | Johnny Ray Huston |
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In honor of Kimberly Chun's cover story this week on Yoko Ono, the time is right to post some Yoko moments here and there when the time is right. What better place to start than "Why," a 1970 Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band track that has been hugely influential, both instrumentally and vocally. (A good game: name the people and bands it has influenced, and times it has been sampled.) It still sounds futuristic today. Read more »

The "Newsom wins" merry-go-round: What fun

02.17.10 - 3:12 pm | Tim Redmond |
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Gavin Newsom still hasn’t said for sure that he’s in the race for lt. governor, although just about everyone in town now thinks he's going for it.

But the very prospect of the mayor leaving office before his term is up has the political classes speculating: Who gets that job? And how does it happen?

It’s actually pretty interesting. Read more »

Budget looks: Buy it, bejewel it, fix it, wear it, do it

02.17.10 - 3:02 pm | sfbg |
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By Chhavi Nanda

The dismal economy may be prompting us to keep our wallets shut, but it can't curb our fashion obsession. Widespread job losses, declines in personal income, declines in real GDP -- we're still managing to look fabulous and sharp. The only difference now? We're on a budget. Here are three ways to spruce up your look without breaking that cute little piggy bank. (Hint: find a way to wear it.)

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Ammiano reviving Prop. 13 reform

02.17.10 - 1:45 pm | Tim Redmond |
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Assemblymember Tom Ammiano is trying to put property-tax reform back on the California agenda. He's introducing a measure that would call for taxing commercial and residential property at different rates -- which would involve a significant change to Prop. 13. It's been tried before, and big business interests have always managed to shoot it down, but as Ammiano puts it, these are different times:

Read more »

Comment wonkiness

02.17.10 - 12:32 pm | Marke B. |
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Hey y'all, we realize everyone's having a little difficulty posting comments -- please bear with us while we work on it, thanks so much 

Uproot: Playing with the new Food Environment Atlas

02.17.10 - 10:44 am | sfbg |
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By Robyn Johnson

The USDA’s freshly released Food Environment Atlas has been getting some buzz the last few days, coinciding with Michelle Obama’s recent vow to tackle childhood obesity and food accessibility issues and a lot of dialogue and ranting going on in the media about big bad Agribusiness and the hyper-idealism and hypocrisy of the locavore movement. (Mrs. Obama herself has drawn some fire -- critics have taken aim at her overstatement of the severity of the rise of obesity and its possible fallout, the “inappropriateness” of mentioning her own daughters’ brush with chubbiness, and her dodginess about important societal causes of childhood obesity. Oh, the pitfalls of a crusading First Lady!)

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Snap your fingers for our new poet laureate

02.17.10 - 8:30 am | Caitlin Donohue |
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“The only war that matters is the war against the imagination.” Diane di Prima, San Francisco’s new poet laureate as of last year, should be an expert on imagination’s primacy. Her work in such volumes as The Revolutionary Letters (1971) helped to shine a light on the role women played in Bohemia- not always the most well-lit arena. On Fri/19, the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts holds a reception to laud the most well known female voice of the Beat movement, and celebrate her turn as our city’s bard.

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Someone wonderful

Nancy Wilson doesn't play clubs, she plays to win

02.16.10 - 8:49 pm | Johnny Ray Huston |
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Written with Cedar Sigo

Nancy Wilson has been quoted as saying that she doesn't play clubs, she plays Yoshi's. That's the truth this weekend, especially on Feb. 20, when Miss Wilson will be celebrating her 73rd birthday on stage with a pair of shows. There is only one Nancy Wilson, only one singer who can bring a fusion of longing and attractiveness to a recording such as "He's My Guy." On the occasion of her birthday and upcoming Bay Area visit, I asked someone near and dear to me, the poet Cedar Sigo, if he'd like to interview Miss Wilson. He did.Read more »

Snap Sounds: Myles Cooper (and High Fantasy)

02.16.10 - 3:23 pm | Johnny Ray Huston |
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MYLES COOPER

"Gonna Find Boyfriends Today"

(demo; www.myspace.com/mylescooper)

 

Yeah, 2010 needs some anthems, so thank Mr. Cooper for bringing one, dedicated to all those who want to "find guys to buy us drinks / And tell us that we're young and funny." Read more »