In the Blogs
Sonic Reducer Overage:Kiss, Fanfarlo, Lake, and... Noise
Sweet on sour Filipino popcorn in Honolulu Pixel Vision
Economic snapshot for November 2009 Bruce Blog
The view from Alameda Pixel Vision
Berkeley: Cops bust in as negotiations break down Politics
Prison report (outside the walls): The parolee'... Politics
The return of Newsom's public schedule Politics
Newsom talks taxes Politics
Following the UC riots Politics
UC students are revolting. Literally. Politics
Feature
Top Stories

Making great streets
The Great Street Project is helping transform San Francisco's streets into safe, vibrant public spaces
BY STEVEN T. JONES

Corporations co-opt "local"
As the movement to buy local gains momentum, chains try to get in on the action and confuse consumers
BY STACEY MITCHELL

news & culture
Editor's Notes
Ain't no free lunch. Not in America, not in 2009. But it's a thought.
BY TIM REDMOND

Editorial: The Ethics Commission fiasco
This city desperately needs aggressive enforcement of the political reform law
GUARDIAN EDITORIAL

Alerts
Get informed, stay involved
BY PAULA CONNELLY

Something for nothing
Free food. Free pot. Free haircuts. Free music. Free paint. Free Wi-Fi. Free phone service. Free sex events. Free urban adventures ... our guide to the essence of cheap
THE FREE ISSUE

» ALT.SEX COLUMN
FOOD & DRINK
Review: Flour + Water
Humble ingredients spun into wonderful, slightly exotic pastas and well-blistered thin-crust pizzas
BY PAUL REIDINGER

Cheap Eats: The loneliest number
Mediocre matzo balls at New York by the Bay
BY L.E. LEONE

special issues
bob08
Guardian Best of the Bay 2009

Rediscovery: Diving into the Bay's most unique and beloved offerings

bob08
Guardian Best of the Bay 2008

Come together: The nation's original guide to the best the Bay has to offer

bob07
Guardian Best of the Bay 2007

A guide to the far-out pleasures of the Bay, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Summer of Love

scene
Nude Beaches Guide

Our 35th comprehensive guide to Bay Area nude beaches and beyond

style
EXPLORE SF

The Guardian Guide to Bay Area places we love, for visitors and curious natives

Chauncey Bailey
Chauncey Bailey Project

An investigative project to honor and continue the work of journalist Chauncey Wendell Bailey Jr.

The Walworth Farce - Edna Walsh delivers another unnerving play full of whimsy and deep dysfunction, thanks to Cal Performances. More...
8pm, $72. Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Berk. (510) 642-9988, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu

Mole to Die For - Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts hosts this mole tasting and contest, with prizes for winners and mole for everyone. More...
7pm, $7. Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, 2868 Mission, SF. (415) 643-2775, www.missionculturalcenter.org
Erotic Art Exhibition Tour - The second installment of this tour features 120 international artists, body painting, live music, and a fashion show. More...
6pm, $45. California Modern Art Gallery, 1035 Market, SF. (415) 716-8661, www.calmodern.com

Ensiferum - This Helsinki group chruns out martial, aggressive death metal agumented by keyboard flourishes, Ennio Morricone worship, harmonized vocals, and an army of epic melodies. More...
8pm, $22. DNA Lounge 375 11th St, SF. (415) 626-1409, www.dnalounge.com
Down and Dirty Dance Series - Dance Mission Theater hosts a showcase of 11 companies with the focus of allowing artists to perform without having to go through an onerous vetting process. More...
8pm, $15-$18. Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St, SF. (415) 273-4633, www.dancemission.com

Tornado Rider - These Bay Area purveyors of cello punk are back from their national tour and ready to shred...er, bow... your socks off. More...
9pm, $10. The Uptown, 1928 Telegraph, Oakl. www.uptownnightclub.com
Bicycle Expo - Bike manufacturers, eco-friendly vendors, bike shops, advocacy groups, and the bicycle dance troop the Derailleurs all come together for this massive event, featuring a BMX stunt show, bike style fashion show, bike swap, and more.
10am-5pm, $8-$10. Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva, Daly City. (415) 404-4111, www.www.sfbikeexpo.com

Thao with The Get Down Stay Down - Thao Nguyen makes lustful, achy music to listen to when you're sleeping with someone you shouldn't be sleeping with. With the Portland Cello Project and David Schultz. More...
9pm, $17. The Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. (415) 771-1421, www.independentsf.com
Ancestor's Wisdom - Mystic Family Circus presents a community gathering with presentations, rituals, and prophecies from dance icon Anna Halprin, permaculture teacher Penny Livingston, Free Will Astrologer Rob Breszny, and other wisdom keepers.
3:30-9pm, $25-$50. The Womens Building, 3543 18th St, SF. (415) 339-7447, www.visionsofavalon.com/wisdom

Alestorm - The Scottish pirate-metal sensations come to DNA Lounge to terrorize the Bay Area. More...
7:30pm, $22. DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, SF. (415) 626-1409, www.dnalounge.com
EAT - The Phoenix Supper Club and 111 Minna present this weekly crossover between dinner, happy hour, and club night, featuring a tapas menu, drink specials, and art viewing.
5-10:30pm, no cover. 111 Minna Gallery, 111 Minna, SF. (415) 375-2321, www.111minnagallery.com

I Hate Monday! - DJ Imani and Friends spin the best and worst of a different decade of music every week, with this week's focus on music of the new millenium, including rap, electro, pop, and mashups.
10pm-2am, free. Underground SF, 424 Haight, SF.
Bo Dixon in the Flesh - The former COLT Studio model and serious bodybuilder shows offs his bronzed, fleshy, hairy strength at a calendar-signing.
7:30pm, free. A Different Light, 489 Castro, SF. (415) 431-0891, More...

Flobots - The pair of inteliigent, visionary emcees responsible for the catchy, moving "Handlebars" bring their engaging musicianship to Slim's.
7:30pm, $15. Slim's, 333 11th St, SF. (415) 255-0333, www.slims-sf.com
More Listings
SFBG Video pick


"The smell of sweet leather": SFBG TV visits Suzanne George, local shoemaker
Music
Sonic Reducer: Park it on the free way
THE FREE ISSUE: Mission Creek Music Fest's free concert gives it away. Plus: Unagi, Pink Mountain, and more
BY KIMBERLY CHUN

Super Ego: Squeeze me
THE FREE ISSUE: A rundown of the city's best free clubs. Plus: Watcha-Clan, Smack, Pheeko Dubfunk, and more
BY MARKE B.

Citric acid rock
No Edsels in Ty Segall's garage — if life gives you Lemons, turn up the volume
BY ANDRE TORREZ

Superior sounds
The Very Best blaze forth with sun-drenched, virtuoisic Afro-pean pop
BY MICHAEL KRIMPER

Magic man
Post-chill, Bonobo moves beyond downtempo into the future
BY MICHAEL KRIMPER

A new ambient
Brock Van Wey brings fresh atmosphere to the genre with White Clouds Go On and On
BY JOHNNY RAY HUSTON

The Bush era
Leafy lady Kate Bush's musical family tree sprouts cover versions and young seedlings
BY MARKE B. AND IRWIN SWIRNOFF

Vieux Farka Toure
A talented African guitar hero whose taste for rock isn't just skin deep, it's in his DNA
BY TOMAS PALERMO

Collision Fest, Convergence Fest, and "Faux Real"
This year's MCMF says here's to the ladies who launch - the women who make new musical rules in order to break them.
BY JOHNNY RAY HUSTON

Film
Next-door horror
Catherine Deneuve holds the line with a re-release of Polanski's Repulsion
BY ERIK MORSE

Mumblecorenography
What was that, again? Humpday's hot dude-on-dude inaction
BY DENNIS HARVEY

Unhappily ever after
(500) Days of Summer's seasonal affective disorder
BY LYNN RAPOPORT

Graphic Sexual Horror
A fair-minded glimpse into the pain-glorious performances and behind-the-scenes procedures of the now defunct hardest of the hardcore bondage Web sites
BY KEVIN LANGSON

arts & entertainment
Stage: They will not be silent
The San Francisco Mime Troupe reaches 50 with "Too Big to Fail"
BY ROBERT AVILA

Event: Partial Suspension for Complete Sadists and the Marquis Fetish Ball
It's hard not to feel tied down by the weight of the work week, but remember, not all bondage is bad
BY MOLLY FREEDENBERG

Dance: Flyaway Productions
An "apparatus-based" performance
BY CHERYL EDDY

SFBG Classifieds