In politics, as in professional sports, you've gotta keep composed and quoting platitudes in front of the media after a tough loss.
So, who better to fly to Baltimore and greet the Super Bowl-winning powers that be upon bended knee than Mayor Ed Lee, -- a man well-versed in smiling at the cameras while eating crow.
Our fellow reporters at the Baltimore Sun kindly shared a snapshot of Lee's trip to Charm City, where he obviously had a lot of fun -- too much fun if you ask us -- eating crab, painting the police station, and reading to Baltimore's youngsters.
Andrea Shorter, the longtime city commissioner who spearheaded a group of well-funded domestic violence activists that drove Supervisor Christina Olague from office, has been fined for failing to report her own sources of funding.
The Fair Political Practices Commission yesterday approved an $800 fine for Shorter, a member of the city's Commission on the Status of Women, for neglecting to report sources of outside income while serving as a city commissioner in 2008, '09, '10, and '11.
Shorter told SF Weekly "I've amended the forms and there was a misunderstanding in terms of what was instructed. I've gone on with my life." Former Board president Aaron Peskin, who filed the complaint with the FPPC earlier this year, reiterated earlier claims that "anybody with a basic junior high school education can figure out these rules.
"It's very clear. You don't need a lawyer. It's like it says: If you make more than however many dollars, you have to report the source of income."
Shorter's filings with the city's Ethics Commission were not flagged in those four offending years.
Also, in a coordinated effort, near-identical complaints were filed against Shorter with both the state FPPC and the city's Ethics Commission -- on the same day. Calls to Ethics have thus far gone unreturned, but it appears that no action has been taken against Shorter.
We don't buy drugs off the street (anymore). But if we did, or if someone asked us where to score some sweet illicit narcotics, we suppose we might try the Haight Ashbury. If there's one thing a pack of young and dirty "travelers" have, it's hungry dogs -- as well as some molly or some nugs or something to make dubstep tolerable.
This memo appears to have leaked out, as neighborhood complaints about drug dealing in the area near the east end of Golden Gate Park has hit a fever pitch in recent years. The Bay Citizen first gave us news that the new SFPD captain in the area was a hard-line, old-school drug warrior; today the Examiner reported that cops under his watch are using a tactic that appears to be on the way out to perform over 25 percent of the city's drug stings -- and nabbing small-time pot sellers, sometimes with as little as $20 cash on hand and a few measly grams of cannabis that dispensaries would turn away.
This is a buyer's market, in which the seller must be aware -- and eventually prove his or her identity as not a narc. So does this mean the market for white dreadlock wigs is suddenly hot?
An armed bank robber hoping to pull off his heist incognito managed to draw even more attention to himself when the phony mustache he was wearing started falling off mid-robbery.
According to police, the robber walked into a Bank of America on El Camino Real in Burlingame Wednesday afternoon donning a wig and a mustache that just wasn't sticking.
Steph Curry's ballin'. Mark Jackson's preaching. Klay Thompson's shooting. Harrison Barnes is dunking. Andrew Bogut's blocking. Kent Bazemore's dancing. And Andris Biedrins is looking tan as ever. There's much reason for excitement in G-State.
Roaracle will be thunderous when the Warriors take the floor for their first home playoff game since We Believe. It feels like the dark ages are finally over. But Warriors fans have always been too savvy for premature optimism. All that's certain are the good times right now, so let's soak it in. Here's one possible Golden State Warriors 2013 Playoffs drinking game.
It's more than fair to say we've all seen some truly unbelievable things -- and people -- on BART. Which is why this video of obviously bored guys really shouldn't surprise/annoy us so much.
Although we don't like some of the things we see on BART, we can still sort of understand the logic disgusting need: Guy picks his nose because he has boogers; man pukes because he's been drinking too much; woman takes her shoes off because her feet hurt and she's entitled.
But guys falling on BART trains -- and videoing it? Now we're truly stumped.
See Also: This Is Why Everyone on BART Hates You
Famed San Francisco bar owner Marlena, aka Garry McClain, aka the Absolute Empress XXV, exulted after hearing he' d be one of several grand marshals at this year's LGBT pride parade -- a noteworthy comeback after the sale of his beloved eponymous drag bar.
He'll stand -- or rather, ride and wave and blow kisses -- alongside a motley crew of local celebrities who've either bolstered, abetted, or endeared themselves to the local LGBT community. Their ranks include Latin DJ Chili D, former Supervisor Bevan Dufty, California Attorney General Kamala Harris, and Army Private First Class Bradley Manning.
Huh? The Pride Celebration Committee probably couldn't have picked stranger bedfellows.
When Aaron Latzke and David Delcourt launched the Kickstarter campaign for their "Siva Cycle Atom" on Tuesday morning, they gave themselves a month to amass $85,000. When I spoke to Latzke yesterday afternoon, some 54 hours later, they'd raised more than $58,000.
The masses (at least, those among them willing to send money to strangers on the Internet) have spoken: charging your iPhone with your bike is an idea worth throwing lots of cash at.
Closing arguments in the ghost scam trial concluded on Wednesday -- around 10:30 a.m., the jury exited the courtroom and began deliberations.
And here's the one question those 12 locals will try to answer: Did the four defendants commit the crime out of necessity?
See Also: Closing Arguments Pit Charges of Greed Against Human Trafficking Defense
Prosecutor Challenges Defendant's Victimization Story
Defendants Describe Struggles That Brought Them to America
