CAREERS AND ED In July, the unemployment rate in California was 11 percent. Which got us thinking: what's the smart way to job hunt these days? We're not the only ones — this month, the Commonwealth Club is hosting a series of lectures and workshops called "The Future of Work." We tapped two of the series' experts for email interviews, asking Marty Nemko, author of Cool Careers For Dummies, and Joel Garfinkle, Oakland-based career coach, for their takes on the matter. They offered two points of view on today's dreary job market. Upside? Read more »

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SEX "I was basically wearing a wet sock full of sweat," porn crossover star of the year James Deen tells me. "There was hair everywhere, I was pulling hair out of the girl's mouth."

Perhaps another interviewer would not have led with questions about Deen's recent involvement in an offbeat Kink.com panda gang bang production. Hey, this isn't TMZ. And who doesn't already know the standard gossip about the 26-year old, who has shot porn nearly every day of his life since turning 18?Read more »

caitlin@sfbg.com

HERBWISE The neatly-dressed line of donors waiting outside the Fox Theatre on July 21 gawked at the procession coming down Broadway Avenue. Was it the impassioned protesters in wheelchairs, the oversized fake joint, or the realization that stoners could be so... vehement that had them transfixed? Read more »

caitlin@sfbg.com

HERBWISE First things first, because I just saw the new Oliver Stone weed movie and I'm dying to tell you which of the grisly marijuana murders was my favorite. But there are bigger things afoot, namely the President's journey to the East Bay on Mon/23.Read more »

Editors Note: Below you'll find our annual update on the state of nude beaches in the Bay Area, along with detailed guides and directions to several of our favorites. For details on dozens more, please see our complete Nude Beaches Guide, which we are in the process of updating.  Read more »

If you live in the Bay Area the chances of you experiencing an earthquake is rather high. Remember that huge earthquake in 1906 that ruptured the San Andreas fault? Of course not. It happened over 100 years ago, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen again. Don’t risk the chance and not be prepared if another one strikes soon. Get prepared now!

The best way to survive an earthquake is to get educated about them. 

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caitlin@sfbg.com

HERBWISE Happy Independence Day hangover (yes, still)! I'll leave aside all discussion regarding the wisdom of the mid-week holiday and head straight into the fact that I spent the evening of the Third of July very, very sadly.

It was for this reason: after work I tore over to my beloved neighborhood dispensary Shambhala Healing Center (www.shambhalasf.com), arriving ten minutes before closing time. It was closed. Peeved, I called in to lightly berate them for shuttering early.Read more »

Is San Francisco still on the cutting edge of women's issues? I recently spent a sunny Saturday morning buried in the radical archives of Bolerium Books (www.bolerium.com) — which is by the way, an amazing resource for anyone researching labor, African American, First Peoples, and queer history, among other things. Me, I was looking into our city's rich history of feminist activism, inspiration for our upcoming Guardian "Bay Area Feminism Today" panel discussion. Read more »

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