Today’s the day of the Midsummer Classic. And although many of you want to know what’s happening inside the big brick arena, what been happening outside is just as interesting, too. (Well, sort of.) What exactly? For starters, cardboard trash cans and the back of the formidable Rev. Jesse Jackson. (A great man, but simply too fond of collarless shirts.) Pictured here, on Monday, a (lousy) shot of Jesse Jackson’s back on Third and Townsend......

Photo of Jesse Jackson's address in the Western Addition. ...

LAist was comped front row seats by the Dodgers due to Malingering being struck by a foul ball last week, and she came back with some great photos, and earlier made fun of 4th of July on Venice Beach. But the biggest stories of the week was that the Mayor's Hot Tamale was revealed, and that a Kwik-E-Mart was erected in Burbank. Phillyist was busy doing the Fourth of July up right, exercising their......

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Strike turns into lockout as pickets continue....

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia -- oh, we're just the good ol' reliable Bay Area in Election 2004, no one cares about us -- no one's wooing us, no one's filling up our airwaves with "I'm George Bush and I approved this message" disclaimers, America Coming Together and Berkeley's own moveon.org aren't hosting Springsteen and Dixie Chicks concerts at the Shoreline, and no one's marketing W ketchup at our local farmers' markets. So us lovelorn political junkies are bubbling with enthusiasm over this week's triple bill -- John Edwards at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, raising $1.5 million and showing his support of the striking hotel workers, Jesse Jackson speaking at the Commonwealth Club last night, and John Ashcroft at the Tech Museum in San Jose today, ominously intoning that "Young people must learn ... of the risk of intellectual property theft." In Cleveland, Ohio or Erie, Pennsylvania, they'd probably just view that showing as pretty second-tier (and they'd be right), but for us -- wow! People actually coming here to promote national political agendas! It really must be the cheese! ...

As Boston takes stock after the shock of the recent Democratic National Convention and New York braces for impact in preparation for the soon-to-hit RNC, EssEffist recalls that twenty years ago it was San Francisco's turn. The DNC descended into the depths the still young Moscone Center July 16 to 19, 1984, bringing with it such luminaries as Presidential nominee Walter Mondale, Vice Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and New York State Governor Mario Cuomo. If you know what's good for you, you'll listen to Jackson's "Rainbow Coalition" speech. If you know what's really good for you, you'll listen to Cuomo's "A Tale of Two Cities" keynote address....