United States

Watch This Farm-Fresh Parody of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Theme Song

Attention, 90's kids who are also really into agriculture: Something amazing has happened on the Internet, and it is an agricultural parody of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song from a trio of young Kansas farmers. Called "A Fresh Breath of Farm Air," the video hits all the important notes of th ... More >>

Beer of the Week: Boulevard Saison-Brett

Here's a little-known fact: Missouri is one of America's leading alcohol-producing states. There are no state-wide open container laws and state law protects citizens against arrest for public intoxication. Heck, Missouri never even enacted statewide prohibition. The "Show-Me State" is a great place ... More >>

Reptile Rally to Make Snakes, Alligators Seem Not So Abhorrent After All

Since it's rattlesnake season and all, we'd thought we'd try to put a positive spin on reptiles, especially those who are looking for someone to love, not to eat. This coming Saturday, Petco is hosting a reptile fete of sorts throughout San Francisco where you can learn all about why these cold-bl ... More >>

San Francisco Is Slim and Trim, Ranks Fourth Fittest City in America

All that hill-climbing you had to do to get from the taco truck to the bar has paid off -- San Francisco was ranked the fourth fittest city in America by the American College of Sport Medicine's American Fitness Index. This sixth annual report tallies up the overall health and community fitness sta ... More >>

More Gays Are Raising Kids in Mississippi Than in California

If you were shocked to learn that Utah is gayer than us,then you will probably feel a little confused, anxious, let down, etc. to learn that the state of Mississippi has more same-sex couple raising kids than any other state in the nation. In other words, they are not fleeing to the states that allo ... More >>

Harvey Milk Day: "Pro-Family" Group Says Kids Need to Skip School Today and Plug Their Ears

It's that time of the year when Save California, a "family values group" (aka anti-gay group) begs parents to keep their kids home from school today so as to not expose the children to anything related to Harvey Milk, the gay rights activist who was assassinated at City Hall in 1978. Today would b ... More >>

Immigration: The Untold Story

Re-Potted: Cities Can Now Ban Pot Clubs, But Dispensaries May Still Benefit

California Is the Place to Get Laid, Survey Says

A new scientifically pointless study was released yesterday showing that the Golden State has some sex-hungry horny dawgs. The good news is, we have no problem satiating our animal instincts. According to Loveagain.com, a dating website for the 40 and older crowd, Californians tend to be among the ... More >>

Nevada Sends S.F. Trove of Public Records Related to "Patient Dumping"

To many Californians, perhaps the only thing more outrageous than the idea of Nevada dumping hundreds of mentally ill patients into the Golden State is the idea that Nevada's Governor would have the audacity to deny it. But last week, Gov. Brian Sandoval did just that, acknowledging no more than o ... More >>

Watch the Trailer For Tasting Menu, A New Foodie Rom-Com From Spain

Well, the new Spanish flick Tasting Menu has come up with a brilliant plot for a food-themed rom-com. It's the last night at El Bulli-like restaurant Chakula, the "best restaurant in the world," and an attractive couple have a table booked at the memorable meal. The only problem? They made their res ... More >>

Rich Table's Inaugural Fried Chicken Dinner Was A Down-Home Good Time

Last night I attended Rich Table's inaugural Sally Hurricane Southern Fried Chicken Dinner, in which the so-hot-right-now restaurant transformed itself into a casual chicken joint on a night it's usually dark. Sally Hurricane was co-owner Sarah Rich's nickname when she was a kid, and the meal was he ... More >>

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval Denies Dumping More Than One Patient From Psych Hospital

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval says indeed his state did improperly discharge one mentally ill patient from a state-run hospital, but no more than that -- and it was accidental. According to Reuters, the republican governor defended his state, and denied accusations that Nevada had been busing hundred ... More >>

New Law Would Help California Pot Clubs Get The Feds Off Their Backs

Today, a California Congressman introduced legislation that would finally give pot clubs the smoke break they deserve. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) rolled out a new bill that would modify the federal Controlled Substances Act so anyone complying with state marijuana laws, (i.e. pot clubs ... More >>

California's Gun Violence Rate Collides With State's Strongest-in-America Gun Laws

This week, the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank, released a report analyzing the link between gun violence and gun laws in each state. The paper concluded that, "While the strength of a state's gun laws is just one factor in the prevalence of gun related violence in the state ... More >>

Drug NAFTA: More Mexican Cartels in the United States, but Americans Are Doing the Smuggling

It can be hard to figure out exactly what to make of the evil, ugly specter known as Mexican drug cartels. A pair of investigative reports, conducted by the Associated Press and the Center for Investigative Reporting, have given us some conclusions to chew on -- and together, they paint an odd pictu ... More >>

Rapid-Fire Readings

California's Economic Recovery Has Been a Tale of Two States

When President Obama was elected in November 2008, the national unemployment rate was at 6.5 percent, and quickly rising. The Great Recession was picking up speed. By the inauguration, the unemployment rate had reached 8.5 percent. It eventually peaked a year later, in January 2010, at 10.6 percent. ... More >>

Google Glass to Be Built in U.S. By Foxconn

The clamor for American jobs includes a clamor for American-made consumer goods. This may change when iPhones double in cost -- or when tiny American fingers start making soccer balls and tennis shoes for overseas markets. But for now, American companies are hopping on this very PR-friendly bandwago ... More >>

Federal Judge Criticizes State for "Profound Ethical Violation" in Prison Mental Health Case

For 18 years, a federal court has overseen the California state prison system's mental health care. This week, the state is making its case: conditions for mentally ill prisoners have improved enough for California to regain control of its facilities. A good chunk of the state's evidence lies in a ... More >>

California Has No Clue How Much Money It's Making From Marijuana Sales

Most government agencies in California prefer to pretend that the state's medical cannabis industry doesn't exist. The state Board of Equalization is an exception -- and with good reason. State sales taxes are due on every medical marijuana transaction, and the BOE has spent time over the past few ... More >>

Two Festivals This Weekend Celebrate World's Best Foods: Cheese and Chocolate

In a scenario where we were asked at gunpoint to choose whether we'd give up cheese or chocolate for the rest of our life (you know, threatened by hardened criminals who are discerning about such matters), we'd be hard-pressed to come up with a decision. Thankfully we can celebrate both this weekend ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

Here's Your Chance to Surf a 14-Foot Wave Through the Civic Center

Have you always wanted to ride the big-ass waves at the Mavericks, but were too afraid of killing yourself out there? Now is your chance to suck it up and surf like the rest of those cool dudes. On March 22, head down to the city's UN Plaza where there will be a mega wave for all you wannabe surfe ... More >>

It's About Time: Proposed CA Bill Would Move Last Call to 4 a.m.

Good news for night owls: A bill has been proposed into the California state legislation that would allow bars, clubs, restaurants, and other watering holes to serve alcohol until 4 a.m., instead of the current 2 a.m. State senator Mark Leno proposed the bill, which would require city and county off ... More >>

Californians Are Kinda Miserable People, Study Says

A recent Gallup poll ranked states based on their overall level of happiness, and California landed in an unexpected spot -- in between the anti-evolution state of Kansas and North Dakota, that one state whose only real purpose is to buffer Canada from Americans. In any event, the pollsters took i ... More >>

"Harvest of Empire": You're Gonna Reap Just What You Sow

When the Goal of Pop Stardom Isn't Fame, But Basic Security

Last Thursday afternoon in Nigeria, a hotly-tipped local hip-hop artist named Olaniyan Damilola was shot at the gates of Lagos State University. His body lay dead well into evening, just off-campus, before police arrived and took it to the morgue. At LASU, Damilola was a finance student. But, as is ... More >>

Crash Course: Here's How to Drive With City Cyclists Without Killing Them

Last week, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) introduced a bill that would require drivers in California to officially recognize that cyclists exist. Reading from Assembly Bill 840: This bill would require the [driver's license] examination to also include a test of the applicant's knowledg ... More >>

Poll: Even More Californians Want to Legalize Marijuana. So When's Their Next Chance?

Today's release of a Field Poll indicating "record high support" for marijuana legalization -- and the accompanying cavalcade of clever (for newspapers) puns in headlines -- signals what many have known for some time, even before Washington and Colorado shot ahead of California: Cannabis legalizatio ... More >>

Total Coverage: Revealing the Muslim World at the de Young

Texas Governor Rick Perry to Land in S.F. Next Week

Earlier this week, Texas Gov. Rick Perry went on the airwaves, warning California that he was coming to poach our businesses. Now the governor/failed presidential candidate might not know a lot of things, like what the voting age is, but he sure as hell knows that it's going to take a lot more tha ... More >>

5 Reasons California Businesses Should Not Move to Texas

Earlier today, Californians were struck by a new radio ad Texas Gov. Rick Perry put out, asking our state businesses to pick up and relocate to the Lone Star state. The governor/failed presidential candidate bragged about Texas' low taxes and easy regulations would make businesses life so much easie ... More >>

Local Song of the Day: Cocktails' Scrappy, Snotty "No Blondes (in California)"

Power-pop springs eternal. It doesn't matter how many bands have made it, how many are making it now, or even how many such acts populate the Bay Area ('cause there are a lot). You put hooky melodies over raw guitars, sprinkle that with a few lines of arrogance, apathy, or lust, and you're probably ... More >>

Re-Visiting the Hangtown Fry, the Dish That Epitomizes Gold Rush California

I woke up this morning with Hangtown Fry on the brain. On the way to and from Tahoe last weekend I passed through the original Hangtown, now called Placerville (the town's first name came from the dubious distinction of being the first spot in Gold Country to hang some desperadoes, and when it incor ... More >>

New Study Shows Voter Support for Genetically Modified Food Labeling in California

A new study has just come out that shows that 67% of voters continue to support the labeling of genetically modified foods, despite the defeat of Prop. 37 in last November's election. The controversial Prop. 37, which would have required a label on any genetically modified food sold in California, w ... More >>

Muslim Hunting: David Horowitz's Antagonistic Career

Study: Your Couch Is Killing You

Beware couch potatoes: The one thing you can always count on -- a lazy day on your sofa -- is actually pretty bad for you. According to a new, bizarre study, couches across the nation are retaining an unhealthy and dangerous level of toxic chemicals, enough that researchers say we should all be al ... More >>

Hurricane Sandy: S.F. to Host A Very Jersey Christmas to Benefit Storm Survivors

Black Friday is over, the Christmas tree is up in Union Square, and San Franciscans are busy making holiday plans -- sans the snow. So while you are out shopping for your loved ones, don't forget about the less fortunate, specifically those sad victims of Hurricane Sandy. On Dec. 5, a "Very Jersey ... More >>

Bouncer Considers Secession at Mission Bar

New to You

GMO Labeling: Looking to the Future Post-Prop. 37

Food Truck Bite of the Week: Tandoori Wrapper's Delight

Our weekly bite explores the city's food trucks, one at a time, highlighting our favorite mobile dishes and snacks. The Truck: Tandoori Chicken USA The Cuisine: Indian-style tandoori sandwiches Specialty Items: Paneer or tandoori chicken sandwich Worth the Wait in Line? At peak lunchtime, it was a ... More >>

Texans Petition Obama to Let Lone Star State Secede

If you were planning to pack up your Chick-fil-A coupons and move to Texas -- where the death penalty is considered a Hallmark moment and there is no such thing as state income tax -- you might want to hold your horses. After threatening a Civil War if President Barack Obama won reelection, the bitt ... More >>

Prop. 34: California Keeps Death Penalty, Once Again Shows It's Not as Liberal as Some Think

California: that big blue state that handed President Obama 54 free electoral college points and gave his campaign more money than any other state. The state that is on the brink of Democratic supermajorities in both the state House and state Senate and contains a voting population in which register ... More >>

Arizona Group's Mega-Donation Illuminates Loophole in California's Finance Laws

Yesterday's $11 million disclosure was a mild win for campaign finance transparency. The names of the actual people who spent that money will remain unknown. But, as Attorney General Kamala Harris noted, we do know that the money passed through a group with "an affiliation with the Koch brothers." ... More >>

Despite Prop. 37's Defeat, the Fight for GMO Labeling Soldiers On

Proposition 37, the California initiative to label genetically modified food, was defeated last night with a 53% majority vote against the proposed labeling law. But just because this battle was lost, those behind the Yes on 37 campaign say the war is far from over. The group is focusing on the 4.3 ... More >>

Secret Donors Behind Arizona Political Nonprofit Group's $11 Million Are Revealed

For two weeks, the Fair Political Practices Commission, the state's campaign finance watchdog, had been trying to get Americans for Responsible Leadership, an Arizona-based nonprofit, to disclose the donors behind the organization's $11 million contribution to an anti-Proposition 30/pro-Proposition ... More >>

Drink of the Week: Sipping the Lands End at Rich Table

It wasn't until I sat at the bar at Rich Table that I realized a restaurant could have an old soul. At a mere four months old, the place hums with such effortless vigor, you'd be forgiven for thinking the place had been around for years. The service is key, with staff that sets everyone at ease, inn ... More >>

Drugs and Marijuana Dominate Nation's Arrests -- As Usual

Yes, America is the world's most incarcerating nation. But take solace in this: Fewer people are arrested in America every year, according to the FBI's annual Uniform Crime Reporting data. They just keep getting arrested for the same few things. Exactly 9,536,787 people made up the 12.4 million ... More >>