Gifts For Guns ?

With San Francisco’s murder stats adding names weekly often daily this year so far, the city that supposedly “knows how ” has decided to try getting people to respond to a shopping spree invite, rather than the murder spree option.

That’s right folks, this weekend show up at Civic Center, and get a $150 gift card for any semi-automatic, or if ya only have a 12 gauge or 22 caliber rifle, then they’ll throw ya $100 Gift Card…

But if yer packin real heat , an assault rifle, or say a Mac-10 or some sort of Chinese made AK-47…any fully automatic, well you’ll be able to grab $200 worth of shopping pleasure…

details & rules of engagement after the jump…

pic from wikipedia
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This is heartbreaking! I’m a motorcycle rider, and one thing that really hurts is when a bike is stolen — even moreso when it’s someone I’m close to. Last night my dear friend Tantek‘s bike was stolen from the Haight/Ashbury neighborhood a little after midnight. It’s a vintage Yamaha FZR400 (same year as my 1989 GB500). He’ll be updating this page as he gets more information. In the meantime, here are the details:

* Please call the SFPD at +1.415.553.0123 if you have any information or see it — mention case #070-747-254. Also let Tantek know as well.

* We’re trying to find a red/white 1989 Yamaha FZR400 motorcycle. License plate #12N6787. Odometer: 20200. Above pic looks like it.

* No questions asked — $100 for info that helps find it.

* Tantek is a great guy and a good friend who goes out of his way to do nice things for people. I’ve seen it. Just sayin’.

Last week my block suffered 5 brownouts in a roughly 6 hour period (from construction). I got really used to avoiding the elevator and walking around with a flashlight. Oh, and reading by votive candlelight. Today SOMA is suffering (accounts from SFist, and my avidly read mailing list SFWOW on yahoo (closed, sorry). What I like is the big “chug!” sound when all those refrigerators and alarm clocks go back on.

The big deal is: Craigslist down! Agh!
Update: 2nd hand news- Valleywag reports that an employee at the datacenter colocation where RedEnvelope & others are hosted, a drunken employee accidentally hit the power switch.

SFGate report

And Mark’s report of course.

Update 7/26: As Ginger (and countless others) told me, the drunk-employee bit is a total hoax. Long apology about how the tipster was a crank, on ValleyWag. It’s somewhat interesting for the fact that the tipster likes to foil Web 2.0 social engineering. What a good idea…

A power failure struck downtown San Francisco this afternoon, ironically including the headquarters of Pacific Gas and Electric, and extending through the South of Market district to AT&T Park and the CalTrain station.

Of course, there are some who say there’s been a problem with power at AT&T Park all summer long.

Perhaps Barry Bonds — who celebrates his 43rd birthday today — will help alleviate the problem, at least for one night, by hitting a couple of balls into the bay. Assuming they get the electricity on in time for the game at 7:15 pm tonight, that is.
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Found today: Green Cine’s great list of films shot in (and around) San Francisco. Love all the ones that supposedly take place somewhere else…

This story in today’s Examiner about local service that will delouse your children wins awards not only for the literal use of “nitpick” in a headline, but also for what must be the business quote of the month:

We will be the Starbucks of head lice.

Now that’s one kick-ass mission statement.

Just a couple hours ago, while Willie Brown cavorted in the lobby with some ladies, and Sister Flora Fauna of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence proclaimed and invoked a chant to create a special state of sainthood for the deceased proprietor of the O’Farrell Theater, guests drank, ate and cemented the memory of notorious strip club operator Jim Mitchell into their personal histories.

Drinks were spilled, as were many stories, most likely tall tales…but none colorful or tall enough to meet the higher than high & wild standards he’d been setting in that same building since 1969. While he certainly had his political and professional enemies, all who’d have no problem deriding his morals & methods over the years…

As if anyone there ever gave a flying f*ck about any of that crap…

(especially the world’s youngest pole dancer…)

Like any party held there over the years, the mood remained as festive as possible under the conditions. The women were gorgeous, the oysters from British Columbia were delicious, as was the gumbo, and the drinks at the usually dry theater were quite possibly stiffer than the d*cks for once, while the girls pranced & danced through the crowd.

It wasn’t quite the good ol’ days, but what ever is?

More observations & a few extremely rare pics from the deep innards and archives of the infamous O’Farrell theater after the jump…
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In a sign that city hall has not forgotten that it’s the city that knows how…the mayor’s office has announced continuation of it’s unique joint venture pact with the Golden Gate Bridge District to continue the ever popular disappearing bridge magic show routine through the rest of the summer.

Tourists are indeed often amazed to find that after they’ve traveled thousands of miles to get here, and left the sunny Union Square or Wharf areas and made the trek up Doyle Drive, there’s no “there” there. The bridge daily holds it’s fans in awe as it vanishes mysteriously.

The Mayor’s office was quick to take credit for the “Phenomenon”. To almost no surprise Chris Daly showed up & took control of the the mic to completely disagree and call the mayor a “dick”. Daly then took credit for whatever it was people liked about the “Phenomenon”, and mentioned that he had actually probably suggested it first.

According to some insiders that only Matier & Ross know the identity of, the magic wall of “Advection fog” is formed by the mingling of humid air & chilly sea currents which has been until recently provided free of charge to taxpayers. Jake McGoldrick has suggested revenues collected in the future from users of the “Phenomenon” could create much needed “Healthy” bike paths that would dart wildly and creatively across the heavy traffic at the tollbooth. Supervisor Alioto-Pier was absent and could not comment.

Click Pic For Enlarged View:

More Fantastic Rambling Notes On This Phenomenon After “the Jump”…
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The results of the city’s recently commissioned study on litter is in. And they’ve flagged the most popular usual suspects. The cigarette butts are what personally annoy me the most. Most sidewalks (especially outside bars, clubs and restaurants) look like the aftermath of exploded nicotine piñatas. These are so absent-mindedly tossed onto the sidewalks by folks – who in the next smokily exhaled breath – will more than likely proclaim: “I never litter.” Uhm, ya just did. Thankfully, the often spotted downtown item at left is not among the top 12. [ick]

“The Dirty Dozen is the six most found items and six most found brands. In order of frequency, the top six items are gum, paper (receipts, napkins and newspapers), broken glass, plastic, candy wrappers, cigarette butts and empty cigarette packs. The top six brands are McDonalds, Muni transfers, Marlboro, Burger King, Starbucks, and, tied for sixth place, Safeway, FedEx, and Jack in the Box. Fast food restaurants account for the greatest amount of litter generated by the Dirty Dozen.”

Last night before the earthquake rattled windows and nerves, a crowd of already rattled neighbors crowded into the Cafe Neon in District 5 to hear updates from the police department and city policy pushers on the recent spate of shootings & unsolved murders in the North of Panhandle area. The overflow turnout was considerably larger than one anticipates at these usual community shuck & jives where one hears how your taxdollars are being systematically siphoned and spent on who knows what.

Amongst the presenters gathered by organizer & concerned mother of two Leela Gill were reps from SF’s Drug Court, the Mayor’s Deputy Chief of staff for Public Safety, reps from the DA’s office and the headliners of the event… D5 Supe Ross Mirkirimi, as well as the affable Captain Ehrlich of Park Station and Lt. John Murphy of the Gang Task Force.

While no solutions were likely to come from the meeting, there was some info shared, the usual venting, some back slapping, connections being made and the sense that there are many people concerned about doing some positive things in a city that can’t afford any more negatives.

Some random opinions on the meeting, and also after the jump : some potentially useful numbers you might want for reporting crimes, or contacting city agencies about issues.
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