Aspiring painters of urban village scenes would do well to get themselves to Bernal Heights at once. From the armada of sandwich boards and the pony-tailed guy enjoying a pensive cup of coffee at Progressive Grounds, to the verdant street trees and the pair of rowdy sidewalk philosophers holding court near the eastern end of the block, it’s quite the bustling display along Cortland Ave. Private lives seem a low priority here, as even the back yards of local bars, cafés, and restaurants are open for business. Sidewalk rest stops are a big calling card on Cortland between Andover and Bennington, the heart of Bernal Heights’ vibrant commercial district. There are benches in front of restaurants (Valentina Ristorante), benches in front of salons (Bernal Heights Nail Care), benches in front of markets (The Good Life Grocery), benches in front of saloons (Wild Side West). The result: A remarkable feeling of community, evinced by how it appears as if everyone might actually know everyone else’s name. It’s like a West Coast version of Andy Griffith’s Mayberry...only on Cortland, there’s no Barney Fife. Auditions may or may not be held regularly at Skip’s Tavern and Wild Side West for the role of Otis the Harmless Town Drunk....

Last week's winner: the SF Bay Guardian . Cover article: Summer Guide - lots of world music and food festivals in places named "something"-ville. Remembering Jello Biafra and The Clash. Gavin's skimping on the details of his mayoralty to the public - it's the 40th Anniversary of the Summer of Love, Gavin, let the sun shine in on your calendar. Do it for Beth Spotswood. Kimberly Chun wasn't a happy camper at Coachella. Daughters of......

Growing up we went to a stuffy high school where Latin, Ancient Greek and even a little Sanskrit was taught. In college we surprised ourselves by diving head-first into media theory, examining how the thought patterns of literate people are fundamentally different from people within a solely oral tradition. It's a fascinating subject (OK, yes, we're geeks), but this meant we read Andrew O'Hehir's article on Andrew Dalby's book positing that Homer was a......

We're starting to think that the Haight's Red Vic Movie House, a worker-owned theater with comfy couches and yummy popcorn, is hitting that age (you know that age) when they think about sex like, all the time. Sure, the Red Vic is 25 now and all grown up, and we feel really bad we didn't buy the Vic a beer four years ago, but we remember reaching 25 and suddenly getting all sex crazy......

We've said it before and we'll say it again: You are all a bunch of weirdos. There was probably no greater message than that to be gleaned from Saturday night's CineKink screenings; that all humans are strange and kinky creatures, and the ones who don't admit it are the weirdoiest of them all. The NYC-based fest flogs itself as a celebration of "alternative sexuality," a term almost as ambiguous and vague as "progressive" and......

Okay, indie filmmakers. Today's lesson: ECONOMY. In these difficult, troubled times, you absolutely must not allow a single frame of your piece to go to waste. Economize, consolidate, and slash your movie until you're eliminated every single extraneous moment. And if that leaves you with a movie that's only two minutes long, fine -- they'll be two minutes the world will love, instead of thirty that we'll all hate. And in case you need......

Our concert picks for the week of 4/21-4/27. If you're in the mood for something different tonight, Grupo Fantasma plays their genre-busting Tejano at Red Devil Lounge, or check out three new buzz bands, Dogs Die in Hot Cars, Phoenix and Joy Zipper, at Great American. Popscene is giving away free copies of the Dandy Warhols/Brian Jonestown Massacre documentary DIG! in honor of a performance by Joel Gion's new project The Dilletantes. Toots and the......