Our buddies over at Curbed just received word that things are getting zany at Market and Montgomery, gangland territory for the messenger community. In yet another of moment of annoying and effective-free protest happening around the city today, cyclists and gimmicky Code Pink are currently acting up. Check it: The scene surrounding Market and Montgomery Streets has turned tense as what was a peaceful protest has erupted into a confrontation between police and the usual......

Here at SFist, we have a general editorial policy of opposing everything; but we've looked, and there's just very little to dislike about "Family Appreciation Day." Except maybe the logo. Seriously, what font is that? It looks like something from a used car dealership. But aside from that, it's actually a pretty cool initative. Which is probably why Gavin's trying to take credit for it, as if he has now personally kissed every baby......

Compared to the same time last year, this week BART saw a 20% jump in riders traveling to SFO during the Christmas week. How was this done? Well, according to reports, the dramatic increase was partly due to a "Kids Ride Free" promotion, which exposed itself to an unsuspecting public on 12/22. (Thankfully, we missed this promotion by one day. Lucky us. But tell us, was there an inordinate amount of little people on......

Can you believe it's been a year since James Kim died in the Oregon mountains? We're very sorry to pass along the news that another Northern California family is missing in what we're hoping is not going to be another family holiday tragedy story. The Dominguez family went out last Sunday to cut down Christmas trees in the Sierra mountains: the father, Frederick, and his three children, Christopher (18), Alexis (15), and Joshua (12). That's......

After all the hype and after all the expectations, we have to admit the steroid report was pretty much a yawner. We wanted names, damnit, lots and lots of names. Juicy names. Big names. Super Colossus Names. Instead we got Gregg Zaun. Bo-ring. The list was mainly a bunch of journeymen and never-were's from the 90's and who cares about them? Wasn't this whole thing about nailing the big boys? ...

-- In the 3600 block of Waterbury Court way down in San Jose last night, a double shooting left one man critically injured and another man dead. According to CBS 5, "no arrests have been made and no description of the suspect or suspects was immediately available." -- 17-year-old Rosie Blanckenburg left home on her bicycle for Berkeley High at 8 a.m. yesterday morning, and never showed up for class. According to SFGate, "a......

Coming out of the Fall Out Boy/Gym Class Heroes/Plain White T's concert (which we'll cover later) we ran into the Invisible Children's van. Pete Wentz, an avid supporter of the organization that helps Uganda's children, talks about this at all of his concerts. He raises awareness and asks for donations, sells emo-inspired t-shirts, sweatshirts and anything else that 13 year-old fans want. (Kudos to him!) Apparently there is even a van that helps promote......

The high cost of seeing quality entertainment in the Bay Area. ...

Even though we're too vile to appear on screen in a film about his life, legacy, and popper sniffing -- no, we will not let it go, but thank you for asking -- we will honor the guy who was once known as the Mayor of Castro Street: former San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk. Sure, some of the Castro's sex shops have removed phallic symbols from their storefront windows in order to protect the......

There's been so many murders lately that it's hard to find a new twist on the stories, so here's one: a Pizza Hut pizza delivery man was shot and killed in the Richmond last night as he was trying to deliver a pizza. Apparently, he got lost and was wandering around trying to find the house he was supposed to deliver the pizza too and when he was stopped by several men trying to rob him. When he tried to run away, he was shot in the back, something that anyone who has ever seen a Western knows is the coward's way. ...

Welcome back, little piggies, from your night of binge eating and sipping. (That is, if you were fortunate enough to do so.) Why not get up, out, and about tonight to work off that meal, hangover with the following: -- Kristi Yamaguchi Holiday Ice Rink at Embarcadero Center: Our Kristi, our Kristi, why hast thou forsaken us? Alas, although no longer branded with Olympic gold-medal allure, you'll still have a blast at the holiday rink......

Although we were much too busy with failed attempts at bit-part stardom to care about our civic duty this weekend -- a mistake we'll never make again -- we have read some interesting tidbits covering Saturday's Leno/Migden/some other candidate district 3 dance-off, or whatever. Ahem: -- San Francisco Blog claims that "Senator Carole Migden...took the high road and chose not to engage in dirty politics." Well, that's no fun. And...skewed perhaps. Also, it seems......

In a city littered with film festivals, few of them stand out. This is one of them. Starting this Thursday (11/6), the San Francisco International Animation Festival will sample a wide array of animation with a selection of the finest, boldest and most exciting animated films and videos from around the world, including frame-by-frame and computer-assisted animation. The festival opens with Leslie Iwerks' examination of Pixar, perhaps the best-known and most successful animation house......

-- Cabaret for Humanity: Cabaret isn't just about getting drunk while telling self-centered stories about your life. Sometimes they give back. One of the city's best venues is getting all benefitt-y on our asses. This evening (and tomorrow night) they host an all-star lineup of local talent including, Tony Koester Kim Kuzma, Irene Soderberg, Veronica Klaus, Paul Elia, Basic Black & the Rob Evans Quartet, Joe Collins, Meg Mackay, Ethyl Merman, Mark Miller, Mercedez......

Londonist got the big scoop of the week with what may be the first images of notorious street artist Banksy in action. They also got on a runaway train without an operator provoking a response from the transport authorities. Elsewhere, London's answer to Central Station is about to open for business, and Londonist got a sneak preview. Meanwhile, spooky goings-on beneath London Bridge, where a cache of skeletons provided an apt story for Hallowe'en.......

Well, this is interesting. Today we received a (rightfully) irritated press release from Tom Radulovich, District 9 BART Director (co-signed by Chris Daly). It seems that he wasn't involved in the decision to go ahead and close BART on Halloween night. Which? Is bizarre and inappropriate considering, well, he's an elected District 9 BART Director. The missive, which is long and available for your viewing pleasure below (and continues on after the jump), reads......

No, no -- not these freshly-scrubbed little blessings As if Don Fisher doesn't have enough on his hands, now this: in addition to environmental carelessness and No-on-A-isms, the Gap founder can now add human right violations and child labor abuse to Gap Inc.'s growing list of fires to put out. San Francisco-based Gap Inc. has been caught in a child labor scandal after Dan McDougall's report in The Observer informed the world that kids in......

Good Lord, Bay Area residents. It seems that we had not one, but two bomb scares yesterday....

After House Democrats rescued him from censure today, Fremont Democratic Representative Pete Stark then apologized to members of the House and President Bush for his recent remark about "'soldiers getting their heads blown up...for the President's amusement."...

-- Plumpjack caves in to Lights Out SF. [CurbedSF] -- Oh snap! "...if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement." [Chron] -- Handsome South Asian chef too distracted to flirt. Boo! [Fog City Notes] -- Hidden Valley Pesticides. Yum! [SJMerc] -- Dear Ellen DeGeneres: You're insane. Love, everyone. [Examiner] -- Then again, who are we to......

As previously noted, one of the best weekend guides in the city is produced by Muni and sent out exclusively to the press. (The PresidiGo, meanwhile, extends that courtesy to its riders.) So, what's on Muni's radar this weekend? Some kinda Nike thing! The "Fiesta on the Hill," which sounds like the name of a children's television program! The Portola Festival, which has been celebrated since 1909 according to this hideous webpage! And also,......

ODC Theater welcomes Guggenheim Fellow Donna Uchizono and her New York-based dance company with its west coast debut,Thin Air. Hailed by the almighty New York Times as "brilliantly imaginative," Uchizono draws inspiration for Thin Air from the Buddhist concept of "emptiness," which "stresses the interrelatedness of all things and quantum physics, which among other things made it possible to understand the atom. And, as the basis for our understanding of electrical currents and how......

If you are the primary caregiver for an ailing brother, sister, granddaughter, grandson, or your pesky in-laws, the guv basically says, Who Cares? Arnold has vetoed two bills that would have expanded the Family Leave Act, which allows employees of medium to large companies to take 12 weeks of unpaid leave or 6 weeks of paid leave to bond with babies, take care of sick spouses, domestic partners, children, or parents. Adding extended family......

-- Tastes of the City: Help raise money for the George Mark Children's House in San Leandro by attending this culinary bash. Young and "philanthropic-minded" guys and gals meet and mingle while binge eating on food and wine from such places as Andalu, Jack Falstaff, and more. Goes from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Forum at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; $60. (!) -- Mathematicians, Madame Blavatsky Overdrive, and Odd Nosdam:......

The city of Belmont -- a most magical place somewhere along this place called the Peninsula -- banned smoking in "multiunit dwellings" yesterday. Breaking the law could result in a $1,000 fine. This seems a bit extreme. Getting fined inside of your own home. Then again, so is murdering God's innocent children with your vile second-hand smoke, right? RIGHT?......

Each Tuesday we will feature new music that should (or whatever) be on your radar. Standouts: 1. Plumb - Blink: Plumb, on her website, defines her inspiration for her latest album thusly: "I have tried to make albums that reflect where I am at the time and right now my cup overflows with the inspiration of [my] two little boys...so they are evident in this project." Clearly. From the waltz-lullaby in "God Will Take Care......

Oh what's that you say? You enjoy the company of sweaty fisters, and you enjoy a spot of Earl Grey (hot)? Well today's your lucky day, and by "today" we mean "tomorrow." We were alerted to an alternative-alternative picnic happening at the Folsom Street Fair via the Finch Mob, a terrifying local gang of drug addicts. Apparently some folks are going to dress up real nice, and plop themselves down to have a fancy-dress......

Destination Turk Street in the TL, our First Lady Maria Shriver is coming to town to celebrate Family Day ("a day to eat dinner with your children"), and in part for "It About WE", some sort of it-takes-a-village altruism awareness program designed "to make [charity] service fun, rewarding and accessible." ...

Abandoned kids, wannabe models, sitcom groaners, socialite teens, and a screaming Brit. It must be Wednesday! Firstly, we have CBS's "Kid Nation," at 8 p.m., in which a bunch of kids are thrown into a western ghost town and forced to drink bleach. Or something. Shockingly, the notion that children were put into harm's way for the sake of a reality television program has raised the ire of local officials and some of the......

Ick. And: heh. Along the lines of the Sex Offenders Registry -- though not nearly as destructive and fascinating -- we came across Rotten Neighbor, a site that lets you, dear readers, tattle on your neighbors' questionable behavior. Whether they party, play, blare the electro tunes, and never sleep; hate your children; hate your cat; hate sobriety; beat their spouses; store their bikes on their balcony; or refuse to cut their lawn, adults now......