Well, frankly, neither had we. That is, until we read this crazy -- yet, not so crazy -- article on Republicans in Ohio switching party alliances and voting Democratic. 16,000 Republicans, to be exact. Now, why the heck would all these Republicans go Democrat? This is part of "The Plot." Instigated by Rush Limbaugh, the theory is that Hillary Clinton would be easier for Republican fave, John McCain, to beat at election time. By having......

Offices in Capitol Hill received a manila envelope with a letter claiming responsibility for today's bombing of a landmark military recruiting station in Times Square, NYC. Our parent site, Gothamist, tells us that "WNBC reports that the letters, which arrived today, included a photo of the Army recruiting center 'before it was bombed and...the words 'We did it.'" Which group is claiming responsibility, exactly, remains to be known. According to the AP, Senator Dianne......

Yet another to skip the sauteing and hit the Salt House, CHOW's Joyce Slaton has word that an Anderson, South Carolina man died this week after he stabbed himself while cooking. According to Slaton: Michael Downing first burned himself on some noodles he was cutting up in a pan on the stove, and then accidentally stabbed himself in the chest with the knife when he jerked his hand away. Authorities say the steak knife......

We're a little late to this story, in part because we spent all day yesterday trying to separate out the hilarious comments from the offensive ones on SFGate.com (it looks like the homophobic ones have already been taken out as of today) -- but in a nutshell, last Friday, Lance Farber, the 47-year-old boyfriend of the city's new planning director John Rahaim trashed their temporary apartment, which the city put them up in and which......

The big cat grottoes re-open for public view....

Nancy Pelosi dedicates a campus and opines on the presidential race....

Here's todays sports news...

Congratulations to all the participants at this year's San Francisco Half Marathon & 5K...

(...a rainy day, in SF town.) Heavens, no! You don't have to stay at home this weekend just because of a few pregnant storm clouds looming overhead. And you most certainly don't have to BART it to the Metreon, as most of us do during this kind weather, only to wind up staring down the barrel of some teenager's illegal firearm. 71Miles, a stellar travel site focused exclusively on regional travel, has some grand......

Dear automobile driver/registered Democrat, We heart you. Love, us We found this over at Nature abhors a vacuum, and we couldn't be more tickled. This is usually the kind of image that enrages both the counter-culture neo-conservative warriors of the Bay Area and the appalling politics-is-like-a-game-of-chess bullshit spouting elite. But, you see, this driver knows what time it is: just stick a democrat in the White House, because at this point, any of those......

News from the non-Nancy Pelosi side of the San Francisco House of Representatives delegation -- Tom Lantos, the fourteen-term representative for the Sunset, along with northern San Mateo County, has announced that he will not be seeking reelection, because he's been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Jackie "Jonestown survivor" Speier is considered the early favorite to fill Lantos's seat, and reliable object of fun Leland Yee is reported to be considering a run as well. Lantos,......

Because, you see, we have a theme going on today. Topical, indeed. Image credited to WhatImSeeing.......

We saw this house the other day while running in Noe Valley, so it seemed appropriate to go back today and snap a photo. The decorations are on a scaffold next to the house, and that's a working model train down near the bottom. If you want to check it out, it's on 21st, up the hill a bit from Church Street.......

-- Winged Migration (Le peuple migrateur): Birds! We tend to think nothing of them here in the Bay Area - well, as far as the homely and picked upon poor pigeon goes - but birds are exciting creatures. Colors, flying, migrating, the ability to form perfect V-shapes - just see for yourself tonight at 7:15 p.m. and 9:25 at The Red Vic; $6-8.50. -- Mike Stern: The controversial opening of Yoshi's SF won't hinder......

This week we want to focus on the local music scene even though it seems that Portland natives' Blitzen Trapper and Stephen Malkmus have captured San Franciscan's hearts - Wednesday's show is sold out. (There aren't even any tickets available on Craigslist!) Friday night you'll want to head over to Slim's to catch six bands: Perfect Machines, Fyre Away, High Like Five, the Paper Sons, Punch Face and Bob Hill Band. We're most excited about......

-- "Punk Rock Karaoke": Damnit all to hell. We can't believe that we have to miss this: members of the Adolescents, Bad Religion, and NOFX perform live while "singers" drunkenly slur along, karaoke-style. But you shouldn't miss it! Starts tonight at 9 p.m. at 111 Minna Gallery; $10. -- Red Poppy Art House Holiday Exhibit & Art Sale: According to the Poppy, "this show will feature works from such artists as Addie Shevlin, Todd......

O! What we wouldn't give to attend this press screening in Washington DC tomorrow! DCist has the pleasure of reporting on the anti-invert, pro-missionary sex group called Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH). Tomorrow they will unveil "raw and unedited" footage that they shot during this year's Folsom Street Fair for the National Press Club. "Raw" footage, you say? Oh my. You may remember that there was a scant bit of controversy due to......

Like the bad ass she is, occasional San Francisco resident and current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has written to the "Homeland Security Department's inspector general requesting an investigation of preparation for and response to last month's oil spill in San Francisco Bay," according to CBS 5. In a wordy missive to Inspector General Skinner, she fired off over a dozen issues she wants taken care of right-quick. A couple of points she needs to......

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

And in real estate news, the Modesto bungalow-style home in which Laci Peterson was murdered by her (oddly handsome) husband Scott Peterson was sold again. Although the home sold in 2005 for $390,000 (right after Scott arrived at death row at San Quentin Prison), this time it only went for a meager $280,000 to an anonymous buyer. See where trying to profit off of murder gets you? A $110,000 deduction. Well, it had to......

Chenery House owner, colorful San Francisco ad man, and entrepreneur Bob Pritikin bought Hitler's globe this week for a cool $100,000. The globe, snatched fom Hitler's desk in the ruins of his Eagle's Nest retreat, was found by WWII U.S. soldier John Barsamian and put up for auction this week in San Francisco. Now, before you go labeling Pritiklin an anti-Semite, this man is character -- a true collector and unique hoarder. His home......

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos threw down some serious shade today. "While technologically and financially you are giants, morally you are pygmies," he cried, shaming two senior Yahoo officials. Why? Because the Sunnyvale company named names, handing over private information about Chinese journalist Shi Tao's online pro-democracy action to country officials. (Or, as the New York Times so eloquently put it, their "complicity with an oppressive communist regime." Oh snap.) This landed......

-- The Virgin Spring and Through a Glass Darkly: Ingmar Bergman's rape/revenge flick (oh, we know that it's much more complicated than that, we're sure) The Virgin Spring inspired Wes Craven's Last House on the Left. And Through a Glass Darkly was described by Bergman as a "chamber film" for its allusions to "both to the chamber plays of Strindberg, and to chamber music in general." They screen tonight at 7 p.m (TVS) and......

So, the horrible ordeal of Halloween has passed us by, and we escaped more or less unmolested except for Kenny the fire-juggling clown; but SOME PEOPLE just will not let it drop. "It was so hard to see busloads of police marching through an empty Castro," says one Castro resident, and another adds, "I was in tears last night." The buzzword for the evening seems to be "martial law," which is technically two words,......

-- Eraserhead (1977): More than just a t-shirt you saw all the art majors sport in college, it's one of David Lynch's first films. And it's sort of spooky in that David Lynch sort-of-but-not-exactly-creepy kind of way. Screens tonight at 7 p.m. and 8:50 at the Castro Theatre; $6-9. -- The Haunted Laundromat: A Pre-Halloween Spooktacular: SOMA's cafe, laundromat, and intimate venue of choice is have a scary bash, complete with candy and costumes.......

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."...

As it gets closer to Halloween for LAist, a contributer recollects her tale of staring down the serial killer, Richard Ramirez, otherwise known as the Night Stalker. Must think happy thoughts -- okay, free organic chocolate chip cookies for Los Angeles -- now that's a happy thought. Other happy Los Angeles thoughts include an interview with Jack Kehler of The Big Lebowski (he was the Dude's landlord), a beautiful and magical photographic moment in Venice......

Last week's winner, the Bay Guardian. Tim Redmond says the Navy is the gayest armed services branch. Well, sure. Cars are worse than homeless people, says a letter writer. Halloween will suuuuuck. A former director of Intersection for the Arts died in a car crash. The new crackdown on homelessness, and why aren't people more upset? Cover article: Our pals at SwapSF make the cover! About the whole freetail trend! Yay SwapSF! (and other freegans!)......

-- 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:......

-- Toshio Hirano: Local country music star -- alongside his trusty bassist, Kenan O'Brien -- croons tonight at 9 p.m. at Amnesia; free. -- San Francisco Contemporary Music Players: David Milnes leads this nineteen-member strong group of experimental and orchestral musicians, many of whom are already members of the San Francisco Symphony, Ballet, or Opera Orchestras. Starts at 8 p.m. at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; $10-27. -- Arse Elektronika's Afterparty: Tech-, machine-sex......