by Caroline on Crack (web) from LAist What do you do when you're a gearhead with lightning-quick MacGyver fixes, $500 to spare and the need for speed? Most likely you're racing a junker you rebuilt with zip-ties and duct-tape at the 24 Hours of LeMons in Altamont Motorsports Park located between Livermore and Tracy in Northern California. That's where I spent this past weekend, tagging along with one of the LeMons veteran teams, Eyesore Pimpin......

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

Madeleine Albright, it seems, "will also share her recommendations for the next president." There will be more than one recommendation? Oh joy. Part of her tour to promote her new literary effort, Memo to the President Elect: How We Can Restore America's Reputation and Leadership, the former United States Secretary of State will stop by Nob Hill to chat with the peons. President and chief executive officer of the World Affairs Council of Northern......

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......

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......

Care to avoid be ridiculed by your Thanksgiving hosts following your departure after din din? Good. Then pay attention. (For those of you who have T-Day hosts who regularly gulp Chuck Shaw or Yellowtail, ew, feel free to ignore this post. You're screwed anyway.) Here's what NOT to bring to Thanksgiving dinner: Cabernet Sauvignon (for the love of God, don't bring Cab) Merlot Petite Sirah Chardonnay (unless there is a crab dish) The varietals above......

A hurrah and a huzzah goes out to Raider Nation for not selling out Sunday's Raiders game. As a result, football fans throughout the area will be allowed to watch The. Biggest. Game. Ever. from the vicinity of their couch. ...

The best sports, we say, combine beauty and ridiculousness, and that’s why cycling is a favorite of ours. But, like many others in the Bay Area--too many, it turns out--we’ve recently discovered cyclocross, a form of Pure Sweet Hell. Others have written eloquently on the attractions of this "bike-riding amalgam of roller derby, steeplechase, mud wrestling, and ballet" -- so let us just say here that, as a spectacle, it combines all the beauty......

Barack Obama!!! So adorable! The Democratic presidential candidate from Illinois stopped by our neck of the woods yesterday on a PR stunt community outreach project by the SEIU, where presidential candidates shadow a union worker for a day. (Next up, Hillary Clinton, who'll be following around a nurse (though probably not in Northern California). The jokes kind of write themselves.) Obama was assigned to follow Pauline Beck, an Alameda home healthcare worker, and, as......

The Denver Biz Times is reporting that Denver-based MediaNews Group -- the owner of the Alameda Newspaper Group (which includes the Oakland Tribune) and the Contra Costa Times, will be reducing staff in its NoCal operations....

As promised, the San Francisco Mime Troupe performed in Dolores Park for the public last Wednesday and last weekend. It was the premier of the group's show "Making a Killing," which lampoons the current administration. We dropped by the Sunday performance; the photo above is during a charming ditty where "Condi Rice" and "Dick Cheney" were arguing over who was more popular. ...

Green Wombat was at the Bank of America / Redwood Forest Foundation announcement yesterday, which took place at the "urban redwoods" next to the Transamerica Pyramid. As part of the bank's $20 billion "green lending initiative," it's providing 100 percent financing to the non-profit for the acquisition of 50,635 acres of redwood timberlands in Northern California....

Ever since we found out that the Tanforan shopping center was built on the site of a World War II Japanese internment camp, we haven't been able to go there (even though that Target has one of those shopping cart escalators, which ordinarily we love.) In its pre-mall incarnation, Tanforan housed eight thousand Japanese-Americans in horse stables, who were held at gunpoint and behind barbed wire from April to October 1942, as a way......

The Oakland Trib has an extremely depressing story about a pediatric AIDS study that's had its funding cut. The Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trial Group, a combined effort of UCSF and the Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland, had been getting $750,000 a year from the National Institutes of Health to study mother-to-child transmission of the virus and the effectiveness of drugs in pediatric care. No longer. The problem? They've done it too well. ...

Sometimes, all it takes is a split second for someone to change their mind. That's the thinking behind the Golden Gate Bridge Suicide Deterrent System Study, at least -- they're looking into ways to make it a bit more challenging to make a terrible decision. When a person's freaking out -- what professionals call a "moment of crisis" -- a little intervention is all it may take to get their perspective back on solid......

Traffic was terrible on our way to the Asian-Am Film Fest due to the St. Patrick's Day parade -- either Chris Daly's running for District 6 again or they're giving out green beads for celebrants. We were on our way to see The Cats of Mirkitani, or, as we've been calling it all week, "Ross Mirkarimi's cats." (N.B.: Ross Mirkarimi is not Japanese.) What started out as a project about the drawings of homeless SoHo......

Here's our Caption Action entry for the picture above! Oscar winner Al Gore, Oscar-less Leonardo diCaprio, and our pick in the pool for Best Supporting Actor (in the role of John Nelson), Peter Ragone. And yes, you heard it correctly from commenter Ragone Has Resigned -- former mayoral press secretary Peter Ragone is leaving his recently retitled job as Director of Communications in City Hall to move up the street to work out of......

We hope you already know that two of the best craft and DIY magazines available right now are born and bred in our lovely backyard. Don't worry, we'll forgive you if you weren't aware that ReadyMade and Craft are both products of Northern California, but you've got no excuse if you don't make them both part of your regular magazine reads. ReadyMade, who recently moved its headquarters from Oakland to Berkeley, has had a spot on our bookshelves long before we started seeing copies of it for sale in Urban Outfitters. In classic magazine format, it features music and book reviews, eco friendly tips for you and your home, and pages of projects to build. Each issue is clearly themed, although recycling and reusing have been common threads throughout ReadyMade's life span. One of our favorite sections is the Macgyver page, which asks readers for suggestions on breathing new life into items you may be ready to toss. The most creative entry wins and is pictured in the magazine. ...

Mountain biking is a grass-roots sport that is only about one bake sale above your local group ride in terms of publicity and prestige, but it is an exciting sport that requires intense fitness, training, and dedication. At SFist, we understand the sport and the culture around it. We also understand what makes a good mountain bike race. To that end, we've reviewed the 2007 MTB racing season in order to provide our readers with a summary of this year's most interesting Northern California events.

So grab your bike, sharpen your elbows, and strap on a number plate for some challenging dirt action, or pack up the camp chairs, the cooler, and the kids, and head out to the races for a cheap day of fun and entertainment. Even if you aren't interested in competing, check out some of these events. You will see amazing feats of cycling prowess, discover the latest in space-age materials and designs, and probably pick up an armful of free posters, stickers, and other industry schwag.

A woman biking to work (with a helmet) suffered life-threatening injuries after being struck by a cement truck making an illegal right turn onto the 101 onramp at Market and Octavia Monday morning. The truck didn't stop, but a motorcycle cop subsequently caught up with the driver on 101 by the Cesar Chavez exit (and determined that the driver didn't realize he'd hit the woman). There have been a number of accidents at that intersection,......

The new bishop of the Northern California Episcopal Diocese, Rev. Marc Andrus, was arrested at the federal building yesterday afternoon after leading a group of 200 protestors from Grace Cathedral to participate in a die-in against the Iraq war. Rev. Andrus, who was carrying a shepherd's staff, celebrated communion outside the building before lying down in front of the door of the building and getting himself arrested. The murder trial for 3-year-old Cha Cha (Chazarus......

Tonight, our friends at Hyphen Magazine are having a party at 111 Minna (111 Minna at 2nd), celebrating their newest issue (#10--The Music Issue) with some of their favorite local Asian American musicians: native guns, marque, mud and lovelikefire, and DJs, kero one, politik and modest mark. (9p - 2a) Saturday, it's that time again - time for Miss Trannyshack Pageant 2006 at the Regency Center (1300 Van Ness at Sutter) with performances by......

This Sunday, the time has come. This Sunday marks the most significant Northern California American football game of the 2006 season: The Battle Of The Bay is here. ...

News of this organization came across our now very sleepy Cares desk last week and we thought it interesting and helpful and stuff but then got stopped dead by one line of their press release: This fall 3,700 Bay Area/Northern California disadvantaged youngsters, many of whom have never owned their own book, will take part in an innovative literacy program featuring a cast of centuries-old characters from halfway around the world. ...screeeeetch What?! Never......

Well, we're not Queens, thanks goodness, but we're getting there -- Northern California calls its first Stage 2 Heat Emergency in four years. A Stage 2 emergency is called when power reserves dip below five percent (they're normally not supposed to get lower than seven percent). At this point, no rolling blackouts are planned, but businesses who volunteered compliance in order to get lower rates will have their electricity dimmed, and BART will be running......

The Russian River Slow Food movement comes down to San Francisco this Sunday for a Sustainable Seafood Salon, that is a panel discussion on the issues of sustainability in fishing in the Northern California coast. You guys remember we narrowly escaped having no local wild salmon on our plates this year, and it is only one example of fishing going awry. So if you are concerned about having good fresh local wild seafood on your......

Wednesday, please pack your knives and go. Tonight: We're keeping it bipartisan for once! You can stop by the Democratic County Central Committee monthly meeting at the State Building at 455 Golden Gate (between Polk and Larkin) at 7:00 p.m., or the SF Republican women's dinner at MacArthur Park at 607 Front Street, 6 p.m. We presume they'll both be discussing how they're going to defeat each other. The DCCC meeting is free; the Republicans are charging $25 (non-members) for admission to hear a speaker who is TBD. Thursday: Korean pansori, or storytelling opera, tonight at 7 pm at the Asian Art Museum! Check out these sound clips for a preview. Korean composer ChanHae Lee will be performing the music live. $5 members, $10 non-. and Friday: In commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day and the Jewish Film Festival, the Yerba Buena Center in conjunction with the Holocaust Center of Northern California, is screening the documentary "Rene and I," about the lives of twins temporarily separated by the Holocaust, and who both survived both Mengele and "a Jewish henchman of Al Capone." Huh! Filmmaker Gina Angelone will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A. 7:30 p.m., $7....

Remember when we told you about the Northern California Book Awards? SFist reader Mark went, and blogged it. From his post you can see that it wasn't the event it could have been -- and, in fact, he emailed us a day later with http://liz-henry.blogspot.com/2006/04/lambda-lit-night.html">this link to Liz Henry's experiences at Lambda Lit night. In his words, "The contrast between the two events is, I think, instructive", and we're inclined to agree. As Mark......

Leave work early today for the Northern California Book Awards! It's all happening at the Main Library (100 Larkin Street), starting with a 5 p.m. book signing and reception with many of the nominated authors in the Latino/Hispanic Room. The awards ceremony starts at 6 in the Koret Auditorium. Admission for the event is free. SFist Rita just finished Money: A Memoir, by local author Liz Perle, about her (and by extension, all women's)......

When we heard that the Northern California Regional Round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee (were spelling bees so conspicuously branded when we were kids, or is this a new thing?) was going to be held in San Francisco this Saturday, we were overjoyed. Ever since we saw Spellbound, we've had a hankering to hear "Can you please use it in a sentence?" in a competitive setting. We were all set to head down to......