SFist

Photo du Jour 516

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-27T15:00:30-08:00

Photo by Steve Rhodes

In addition to it being Black Friday, today is also trustifarian holiday Buy Nothing Day, a day when well-to-do faux-revolutionaries tell others how to spend their money.

Builder of Oakland's Fox Theater Once Imprisoned For 'White Slavery'

Jay Barmann — 2009-11-27T13:00:40-08:00

On this relatively slow local news day in which most everyone is out of the office, the Oakland Tribune is running this amusing scandal from the archives about Maury Diggs, the builder of the Fox Theater and one of the men responsible for designing Golden Gate Fields as well as San Quentin Prison. The story happened almost a hundred years ago, in 1913, when Diggs and his friend Farley Drew Caminetti, both in their twenties, were arrested for taking their underage mistresses across state lines to Reno.

Both men came from politically connected families, and both were married, so the scandal got a lot of press attention. Reporters later talked about the four-way trysts they would have with their society girlfriends, Marsha Warrington and Lola Norris in Diggs' Sacramento Office.

Diggs and Caminetti each served time for "white slave trafficking" for having transported the girls to Reno one weekend, and both appealed their cases as high as the Supreme Court, arguing that the law should only be applied to prostitution and not affairs of the heart. Diggs ultimately married Warrington when he got out of prison, and the couple lived on Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland until their deaths. And there you have your moment Bay Area tabloid scandal history for this Thanksgiving weekend.

Welcome Back! Um, Why Are You at Work Today?

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-27T09:59:41-08:00

We hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving. We sure did.

And, as SFist does on a semi-regular basis during holiday adjacent days, we have to ask: are you at the office today? If so, why? (Take, for example, our bank, which is, curiously, closed today. Which is strange. And annoying.)

Anyway, back to work.

Afternoon Palate Cleanser: The Greatest Cartoon of All Time

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-25T14:45:25-08:00

Tex Avery - The Car Of Tomorrow
by Necopodalex

We bring you what is, arguably, the greatest cartoon ever made (bonus points for sexist humor!) for two reasons: 1) it's a classic, and 2) we found it by asking folks in our Aardvark network.

Though around for since 2007, Aardvark, a San Francisco-based company, is our newest obsession. It works like this: users can submit a question via email or IM. Then, Aardvark sends out your question via live chat or email other users who are experts in the "asker's extended social network." That is to say, Aardvark can help you answer almost any question. (Except, say, queries on the size of Mayor Newsom's reproductive organ.) Really, it's very helpful.

San Francisco Society Tips: How to End a Party

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-25T12:38:03-08:00

The aggressively provincial rich bitches of San Francisco tell the luminous Catherine Bigelow how to end a party. In lieu of, say, telling guests, "Hey, thanks for coming, but Chelsea Lately is on now. Scram," these ladies employ more refined tactics to get guests out the door.

Behold:

Ann "Your Son Scares Us" Getty: To get guests gone from one of her allegedly famous caviar- and Kobe beef-laced holiday parties, Getty "employ[s] a crack around-the-clock security staff." Then, she has any stragglers rounded up and killed. Presumably.

Alexis Traina: When she's not spending inheritance money rightfully belonging to Sean Wilsey, Alexis likes to look pretty -- something she's very good at. When she's finished being pretty, Traina likes to throw lavish parties. When she's done hosting said parties, she passive-aggressively gives her guests coffee. "In times of desperation," Traina tells Bigelow, "bring out coffee in to-go cups."

Dede "French Is A Faggy Language" Wilsey: If her infamously crispy hair won't get them out the door, the deYoung diva unleashes the hounds. "One of my tricks is to bring my dogs out," says Wilsey. "They're really yappy, so that usually clears the room."

O.J. "Who?" Shansby: She has the name of a wife-beating murderer. Would you overstay your welcome at her home?

Charlotte "Wife of George" Shultz: "When it's clear a dinner is over," Shultz says, "George will reach into his slacks and pull out a freshly soiled pair of Depends. Then, he starts waving it around." Or, something like that.

Be sure to read the article in its entirety over at SFGate.

Afternoon Palate Cleanser: An All-Muppet Version of "Bohemian Rhapsody"

Jay Barmann — 2009-11-24T15:23:18-08:00

This one's making the rounds today, as well it should. It's a brand new, all-muppet version of Queen's classic "Bohemian Rhapsody," featuring 70 different Muppets and, our favorite, Animal asking for his mama. Cheers.

Photo du Jour 514

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-24T11:00:57-08:00

"Stairwell at SF MOMA" by Flickr user jrodmanjr.

How to Keep Your Car Windows Safe In the Tenderloin

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-24T09:51:16-08:00

Jerry James Stone snapped this image while frolicking in San Francisco's Historic Tenderloin District last night. This sign, it seems, is supposed to keep rapscallions from smashing the vehicle's windows. How very depressing.

Help Children Have a Merry Xmas While Receiving a Lap Dance

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-23T16:16:18-08:00

Andy Wright/SF Weekly

SF Weekly brings us some merry/horny news: the fine folks over at Market Street Cinema (a strip joint as seen via their NSFW site) are now accepting new unwrapped gifts for Toys for Tots in exchange for admission. Aw.

Read more about this festive offer here.

Thanks to This Week's Advertisers

tien mao — 2009-11-20T16:00:00-08:00

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on SFist.

Virgin America, with its new non-stop route from LAX and SFO to Ft. Lauderdale.
John Mayer, find tickets for his Battle Studies tour with the AMEX early on sale.
GroupOn, using collective buying power to bring you one ridiculous coupon each day.
American Apparel, with 3 stores in San Francisco, you can look your best after dark.

If you're interested in advertising on SFist or any other site in our network, check out our online mediakit.

Photo du Jour 512

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-20T12:54:13-08:00

"Jars O Fish" by kapshure. (Also, this is horrible, keeping bettas in tiny little jars. Please don't do this. Bettas do not belong on your desk in, you know, a little glass or mug. They need room to swim around, be pretty, blow bubbles, etc.)

Update: Commenters are saying the small space isn't all that bad after all. A dramatic turn of events!

Quote du Jour: Padma Lakshmi On Her Back

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-19T15:36:37-08:00

The phenomenal Dino-Ray Ramos met with Glitter star Padma Lakshmi, who visited Neiman Marcus SF recently, to talk about her new line of jewelry. The Top Chef hostess reveals -- at least! -- what the most beautiful part of a woman's body is. Discussing her new line of back necklaces, she informs Ramos, "The back is the most beautiful part of a women’s body, yet you never see it adorned." Until now! You can check out Lakshmi's pretty line of trinkets at www.padmalakshmi.com.

Photo du Jour 511

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-19T12:15:38-08:00

"Unmarked Police Car Picks Up An Escort On Sutter Street" by Troy Holden.

Closeup of Anti-Whoring Sign at Powell and Market

Brock Keeling — 2009-11-18T16:00:36-08:00

Photo by Troy Holden

Frank Chu and the "Jesus Loves You" guy seem to get all of the crazy-loon-with-crazier-sign attention. It's just not fair So, here's a shot of the sign that the guy at Powell and Market, near the cable car turnaround, has by his side screams "damned whore, repent!" at passersby.

While he's a hateful creature -- if someone knows his name, please let us know -- his sign is the most aesthetically pleasing one in San Francisco.

Update: his name is Owen Bias. And his sign is nothing short of magic.

Afternoon Palate Cleanser: Kaleidoscopic Kitty

Jay Barmann — 2009-11-18T13:45:02-08:00

YouTube character Gay Carrington is, near as we can tell, a stoner transsexual puppet who occasional chimes in to talk to her fans in Old Hollywood-style English about her moods, pets, and experiences. She posted the above "kaleido-vision" video "while resting up" for her next real video, but we think it's positively brilliant. It stars her cat, Christina "Mooks" Carrington, and as far as stoner YouTubery goes, it's the tops. Enjoy.

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