News: July 2009 Archives

San Francisco Giants' Ryan Sadowski works against the Houston Astros during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, July 3, 2009, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

The Giants creamed Houston last night in a 13-0 showdown at AT&T Park. This time, yet again, Nadte Sadowski pitched another near perfect game in his home debut, "not allowing a hit until Lance Berkman's one-out single in the fourth." The 26-year-old kid "righty has 13 scoreless innings to start his career, the longest such streak by a Giant since Mike Remlinger's 15 shutout innings in 1991," reports CBS 5 / AP
They go on to day "Sadowski worked six innings in his first big league start last Sunday in a 7-0 win at Milwaukee, then topped that with seven more scoreless inning." Which pretty big for a guy whose bio "is buried among the minor leaguers in the back of the media guide."
In related news: The Oakland A's lost 15-3 to worst-in-the-league Cleveland Indians. Ouch.

Adding to CitiApartments constant woes, SFAppeal has word that the troubled real estate company has been inundated with complaints from tenants, accusing them of refusing to refund security deposits. Habitually, it seems. Ted Gullicksen of the Tenants Union says that they have "been getting '3 or 4 complaints a week" on this issue.'" What's more this withholding of funds, if true, is illegal. Which in turn Which in turn, well, sounds kind of sleazy on CitiApartments's end. (Not that they've technically done anything technically illegal. Technically.) According to Appeal, "Craigslist's terms of use declares that 'all postings...are the sole responsibility of the person from whom such Content originated.' Pretty standard TOU stuff -- but their section 7 (Conduct) states 'You agree not to post...Content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive...' [going on to say] 'If you post Content in violation of the TOU...you agree to pay craigslist one hundred dollars ($100).'" Since CitiApartments' craigslist advertisements demand security deposits, one that "that they seem to know will not be returned would constitute a violation of [Craigslist's] TOU'" a new meme has been born. Appeal goes on to explain, "You know -- and we're certainly not advocating this, just, you know, pointing it out -- if a person really wanted to push back against whatever it is that CitiApartments is doing, they could pretty easily twist the knife a bit on Cragistlist, simply by flagging every single CitiApartments listing. (Someone we know just tried this, and says it's very fun.) Then keep an eye on them." Read more about it.

Twenty-four Isabelle Jackson Elementary School students in Elk Grove, near Sacramento, went home on the last day of school last Friday with a DVD that was supposed to contain a year in review of the class. The DVD turned out to be full of inappropriate images involving the teacher, about six seconds of which at least two students watched. The teacher has since contacted all of the students' parents warning them of the DVD and asking them to throw it away. It is unknown whether the teacher still has a job.

Want to see slinky, kinda nude women bathing in a tank of blood-colored water on Van Ness at noon? Of course you do. According to SF Examiner, PETA campaigner Jena Hunt "organized a protest scheduled for noon today at 600 Van Ness Ave., where two PETA 'chicks' in red bikinis will be crammed together in a tank of 'bloody' water with the message 'McDonald’s Scalds Chicks; to Death.'" (Aside: While we do not care much for McDonald's culinary vision, we highly recommend their Crispy ranch BLT sandwich, which you can get grilled or fried. Well worth the 600 calories. Trust us.) In an interview with the Ex, Hunt explains, there "a more humane slaughter method called controlled-atmosphere killing ensures that animals are killed painlessly while still in their transport crates before they have their throats cut or are handled by workers." Good point, Hunt. Also, there's a "McCruelty: I’m Hatin' It" billboard up at Sixth and Brannan today.

Congratulations, LGBTQ ilk of India, you are now free to engage in acts of same-sex sex at your leisure. You see, an Indian court just turned a 148-year-old, colonial-era law that "declared gay sex an 'unnatural offense' and made it punishable by up to 10 years in jail," the BBC reports. The court ruled that the 150-year statute violated the rights of citizens by criminalizing consensual acts. India's gay rights campaigners hailed the decision as 'India's Stonewall,' but warned that gays still face widespread persecution." Exactly like the state of California, people in India "regard same-sex relationships as illegitimate." Also, much like the state of California should know, international human rights groups "have long argued that the law contravened human rights." Ashok Row Kavi, editor of India's first gay magazine, tells the BBC, "The social stigma will remain. It is [still] a long struggle. But the ruling will help in HIV prevention. Gay men can now visit doctors and talk about their problems. It will help in preventing harassment at police stations." So, have at it, queer folk of India. (Protip: It only hurts the first few times, gentlemen.) UPDATE: This applies to New Delhi, not the rest of India. Alas.

Sadly, for all concerned -- including the deceased -- Michael Jackson's public memorial is going to take place at the Staples Center, Tuesday, July 7th at 10 a.m. and tickets will cost $25. We're guessing Diana Ross is going to sing. In any event, we still encourage the die-hard fans and all those who never say no to a road-trip to swing on by Neverland, where plenty of sod-laying and moving van activity seems to indicate that something is going to happen there... and at the very least it will likely open as a tourist attraction that will rival Graceland both in size, and bizarreness.

credit: SFBG

Praise Jesus, progressive politics and pure rage. The SF Bay Guardian's van, which some bastard stole earlier this week, was found. The vehicle was discovered by the SFPD yesterday morning on the 100 block of 25th Ave in the Richmond. According to reports, a "teacher from Corta Madera named Kevin Mahoney phoned in the van's location." It was not, in fact, the mischievous twentysomethings at Digg, whose offices are located next to SFBG HQ, taking the thing out for a joyride.

Jesus Christ. As if this week could get any worse: A federal advisory panel has recommended that the FDA issue a ban on Vicodin and Percocet due to their damaging effects on the liver. Both painkillers combine a narcotic with acetometophin (a.k.a. Tylenol) -- a combo that's been found to be particularly damaging after extended use -- and along with seven other prescription drugs these two would go off the market if the FDA follows the panel's recommendation, which they usually do. This would be a huge blow to both pharmaceutical companies and pain pill fans alike. As the NY Times reports, "Vicodin and its generic equivalents alone are prescribed more than 100 million times a year in the United States." Whatever will we beg our dentists for the next time we must undergo oral surgery?

dramatic reenactment

Did you really think the sinking economy would sharpen the tacks over at CitiAparements? No. No, it has not. Matt Baume over at Curbed tells the harrowing tale of supposed squalor at one SF-based CitiAparmtents building, a story you'll want to tell over a crackling fire and fresh s'mores. It seems that a CitiApartmens customer allegedly ran into all sorts of trouble in her building every since the place went on the market. A few bits of alleged sadness: "they removed most of the garbage areas," directing tenants "to drop their trash in a nonexistent basket"; water was shut off for "two weeks" in parts of the building; and insect patrolling has stopped, meaning that "cockroaches have started taking over the lower floors." But the most jarring part of all? An apartment hunter looking at the place was "quoted $1,495 for a 350-square-foot studio." Chilling. Read more about it over at Curbed. (They've got photos too.)

A little something to go with your onion bagel and soy latte this morning: SFAppeal and Matier and Ross both have word that someone, well, took a massive crap at Gavin and Jennifer Newsom's new abode. Ahem. Oh dear. According to M&R, "San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, finally moved into their new home in the upper Haight over the weekend - only to have someone promptly defecate and urinate on their doorstep." Which? Is not that unusual for the Haight-Ashbury / Ashbury Heights neighborhood; in fact, it's where your editor learned the distinct odorous difference between animal and human fecal matter. Eve Batey at SFAppeal, however, went one step further, talking to a friend of a friend of the Newsoms, who explained to her, "'I was told they broke in and shit on the couches and it was a big secret.'" The shitting suspect, sadly, was never caught. So, yeah, there you have it. [Inset poop-related zinger here]

Seeing as they are our local FOX affiliate, KTVU already has a TV segment in the works about how fireworks aren't good for anything except misery and conjuring up early childhood trauma. ALSO, today they gleefully bring us this story about the seizure of nearly a ton of illegal fireworks from an Oakland home and truck. "Among the items seized, police said, were bottle rockets, mortar shells and m1000 fireworks." BOO, we say! HISS! The neighbors of the two men arrested similarly came to their defense, saying, "On the Fourth of July, we all have parties. The whole block…They [the men arrested] are not bad people." So whatever KTVU. It's all fun and games until someone we know loses an eye, or conjures an early childhood trauma.