Michael Scott, a reporter at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, put a local North Bay spin on the national mortgage crisis Sunday with a feature story that began “Is my bank safe?” before reassuring readers that “Sonoma County banks, however, remain on stable ground.”
Within hours of the story’s publication, events undermined its message. The U.S. government took over mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. That action indirectly ravaged the balance sheet of Westamerica, a San Rafael-based bank with 86 branches around California, including one in San Francisco. The takeover led to the vaporization of about one-sixth of the bank’s tangible assets.
By John Geluardi
Tough guy Ariel Aspedilla has pleaded no contest to kicking his girlfriend’s Chihuahua to death. No contest?! I’ll say it was no contest; the female dog weighed three-pounds! What kind of lowlife coward does that?
After spending the night of March 5 at his girlfriend’s in Redwood City, Aspedilla woke up to find her four-year-old dog, Chiquita, had taken a dump on the bed. Aspedilla flew into a rage ─ he probably assumed the turd was a critique of his sexual performance the night before ─ and kicked Chiquita four or five times breaking five of the dog’s bird-like ribs, puncturing both lungs and damaging her liver.
How can I concentrate on health insurance with all these eunuchs distracting me?
By Joe Eskenazi
A bevy of nude bodies skulking about San Francisco is hardly cause for a news alert, but the several dozen naked folks planted in Justin Herman Plaza this week were an exception. Sure, they were nude. But they were... missing something.
Perhaps you may have noticed this art installation, sponsored by Blue Shield of California. Titled "Uncovered," its purpose is to draw attention to the state's 6.7 million uninsured folks (and, of course, Blue Shield). Roughly 40 naked metallic folks of all age groups depicted in humble and compromised positions make quite an impression; they really are uncovered and vulnerable in every way.
