Since temperatures have soared past the billion-degree mark (88 degrees, technically), a Spare the Air Day alert will be in effect for Tuesday. It wil be the first of the season. Second verse, same as the first: you're asked to curb your driving, take public transportation if possible, shun gas-powered garden tools, and cook indoors rather than grill outside. And while it's not a Spare the Air Day recommendation, we suggest making Anne Burrell's Chilled Asparagus Soup with Goat Cheese. (Can you think of any other no-oven/no-cooking recipes? We'd sure love to hear them.) [via Chron] more ›

Even those of us who enjoy the crisp, electric chill that our glacial summer weather provides (hi!), we've had it with fog, scarfs and sweaters in August. Thankfully, according to Weather Underground, we'll see a bit of a heatwave this week. San Francisco will see temperatures hitting the 80s this week, so, if you haven't already, you should perfect your sick voice and play hooky tomorrow. more ›

A major heatwave is supposed to be heading our way this weekend, with triple digits inland and 80s/90s near the coast by next week. The "real heat," according to the KRON 4 weather lady, will begin on Tuesday, the first day of fall. So, if you have any elderly people, infants, and/or redheads lying around, make sure they're kept comfy in climate-controlled areas and their fluids replenished. It's going to be a scorcher next week. more ›

Happy first weekend of September - and happy Labor Day weekend, too, for our American cities! Let's take a look at what's been happening around the Ist-a-verse. more ›

A warm spell is rolling into the Bay Area -- so it's time for our perennial post complaining about how much we haaaaaaate it when it's hot. Bring back the fog! Bring back the fog! more ›

Tomato crops haven't fared well in California's recent heat wave, which might explain why market stalls aren't overflowing with the iconic summer vegetables. We spotted some recently, and took some home for a tomato tasting in the SFist test kitchen. Honest, we came up with this idea before the New York Times ran an article about a similar tasting . more ›

It's our column about the dramarama of the November District 6 election! This week's episode: Everybody Hates Signing Things. more ›

at the Castro Theatre on Saturday said, "welcome to our high class shvitz." The bubbie sitting in front of us turned around and asked, "do you know what a shvitz is?" more ›

Was it not enough that we broke Dogster? (Get well soon, SFist Ted! We need you to cover the upcoming heat wave!) We've got even more bad dog news to report. Local animal shelters and pet rescue groups are asking Craigslist not to post ads for dogs and cats for sale, claiming that the website makes for easy access to a marketplace for the dreaded "backyard breeder," making a quick buck by selling inbred and ill-socialized pit bulls. The East Bay SPCA found in one month 183 listings for unneutered pit bull puppies, some as "human-aggressive." And the dog-loving number-crunchers have finished their reports, and found that pit bulls account for 27% of all known dog attacks since 2003, even though they constitute only 6% of the licensed dog population. The statisticians warn that it could be that people are likely to report pit bull attacks and less likely to register pit bulls, but still. Out of 900+ bites since 2003, 626 were traced to a specific dog. Of that 626, 169 were traced to pits. That was more than the next three species combined (German shepherds with 69, labs with 58, and rottweilers with 34). A man also tells a harrowing tale of being attacked by a pit bull in the DVD section of the SoMisPo Best Buy. Uh, who brings a pit bull to Best Buy? Were they checking out TiVos? more ›

Bling bling, shorty. £3,600 for that thing? Damn! Anyway, it's still hot as hell up in this joint, but it's Tuesday, so the Essefficist is back again to answer all your questions and resolve all your quandries. Aiiigghhht! more ›