SFBG Blogs Archives — Page 412 of 597 — San Francisco Bay Guardian Archive 1966

Embedded: The new discretion

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February 19, 2009

Melissa Gira Grant gets deep about the San Francisco sex scene every Thursday on SEX SF.

“He and I aren’t ones to alert our Facebook network about our relationship statuses, you know?” Michelle is describing her latest love affair, carried on entirely without the involvement of online friends, fans, or frenemies. She explains this new kink so that the rest of us may look more knowledgeable at parties.

A casual friend had introduced her to the boy, who was in finance. He was in his 20s and well-taken care of: he preferred suits that only looked sharper on him because it made no sense that he could still afford them. It was on a very proper date at Jardinière – miyagi oysters, him whispering in her ear, her letting him know just when she was wet – that Michelle decided she would take the boy to bed.

He was a gracious lay, fond of giving head, “but he put his own needs on the sideline, which was sort of a bummer for me,” she explains. “I love receiving oral sex as much as the next girl, but I also love to give it.” As sweet as he was over dinner and later at the hotel, says Michelle, it was hot that he had to push himself to keep up with her. “I don’t want to feel like we’re holding hands and running after a unicorn in the fairy forest. I want to feel like we’re engaging in hand-to-hand combat.”

Talk about making sausage ….

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February 19, 2009

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By Tim Redmond

The budget deal taht came down early this morning is ugly. One Republican, Sen. Abel Maldonado, was able to hijack the process and make some crazy demands. He singlehandly forced the Democrats to get rid of a 12 cent increase in the gas tax, costing the state billions. Then he forced the Democrats to accept a statewide ballot measure for an open primary system, which the progressives hate. (Open primaries allow Republicans to vote for Democrats who are more moderate; Nancy Pelosi went to Congress in an open primary, beating then-Sup. Harry Britt. Britt won among the Democrats, but Pelosi got enough Republican votes to give her the job.) Assemblymember Tom Ammiano told me the budget package was bad enough but he simply couldn’t swallow the open primary measure. “A lot of us didn’t vote for it,” he said. But it passed anyway, with the simple majority it needed, and that (along with a long list of other awful stuff) bought Malonado’s vote.

Ammiano’s statement on the deal reflects what a lot of progessives think:

No one is happy about the service cuts, layoffs and tax increases that were a necessary part of this plan. In voting for this budget, I want to acknowledge that we have made painful cuts to vital human services that serve the poor and the elderly as well as deep reductions in education spending for our schools. We did so with great reluctance in the hope that some of these cuts will be restored through the recently passed federal stimulus bill.

The respite we have after closing this budget shortfall is short-lived and there is a long, difficult road ahead to restore our fiscal stability. The approved plan did take a step in that direction by including a rainy day fund that will help us offset budget cuts in future years

Brian at Calitics has a nice line here about Maldonado’s hypocrisy. And there’s a nice analysis here of what the package really looks like.

State Sen. Mark Leno told me that part of the problem was that the Republican caucus was a mess — the GOP leader, Dave Codgill of Modesto, was part of the budget negotiations, but when he agreed to accept tax increases, many of his colleagues refused to go along. Leno says Codgill was a “profile in courage” — he knew that voting for tax hikes would harm, and possibly doom, his career as a Republican in a conservative district, but he did what had to be done to keep the state solvent. And when the GOP lawmakers balked, Leno announced on the floor that the should either follow their leader or find a new one. A few hours later, that’s what happened — Codgill was removed as minority leader and replaced with an even-more-ardent anti-tax guy, Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth of Riverside County, who wanted to scrap the entire budget and start over with a “no-new-taxes” plan. That was just pure political posturing — it was never going to happen.

What a mess. I’m with Jean Ross of the California Budget Project, who says that , “If this year’s budget negotiations don’t increase public support for reducing the vote requirement for approval of a budget and tax increases, it is not clear what will.”

Gone? Touch and Go to end its distribution arm

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February 19, 2009

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By Danica Li

Grim news: Chicago indie label Touch and Go pronounced its distribution arm well and dead in a press release yesterday, with an unknown number of pink-slipped staff to take down their concert posters and fold their vintage T’s. Little known but critical to its operations, the powerhouse’s distribution outfit has provided as many as 20 record labels manufacturing and distributing services since its conception 28 years ago.

The label itself most emphatically won’t fold and will continue to release records from its fabled back catalog. But various media sources are clueless as to whether the imprint will sign any new bands in the future. Small mercy – the records slated for release this upcoming spring season are still getting the greenlight go-ahead. Phew.

That voice: Bay bluesman John Németh entreats ‘Love Me Tonight’

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February 19, 2009

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JOHN NÉMETH
Love Me Tonight
(Blind Pig)

By Todd Lavoie

Given the frugality of the blues as an art form, it seems only fair that I introduce Bay Area harmonica-slinging bluesman John Németh without a single wasted word: the man can sing. Sure, he breathes plenty of soul and fire into that harp of his, but ultimately it’s his voice which makes the most indelible impact – moving nimbly from growl to howl to full-bellied hoot ‘n’ holler, sometimes within the same bar, it’s a tremendous instrument.

Even more impressive: the vocalist, only in his early 30s, delivers with a level of authority expected from someone much older. Considering that the blues places such a deep emphasis on breadth of life experience, Németh’s ability to sound older than his actual age is a valuable asset. That being said, it’s his extensive vocal range which gets noticed first; coming across as a young scrapper in one moment and a wizened front-stoop sage in the next, he certainly can surprise.

‘Clear’: Falling in with Juan Atkins, Dam Funk, and HOTTUB at Paradise Lounge

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February 19, 2009

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By Andre Torrez

I entered SoMa’s Paradise Lounge for the first time this past Valentine’s Day, startled by an unexpected fashion show – it was scheduled, I just didn’t know about it – oddly set to the music of the Jackson 5. And it wasn’t your typical “ABC,” or “I Want You Back.” No, that wouldn’t have fit the atmosphere at all. It was one of their less obvious ’70s grooves, something a little grittier and less innocent, so props to the DJ who demonstrated the intuition to foreshadow an evening of freaks on the floor.

The brief parade of design provided a blur of a background as we settled into the club. With drinks in tow, my friends and I made our way upstairs to get a better view above the stage. Before we knew it, HOTTUB, Oakland’s answer to queercore, was shakin’ its shit all over the place. If memory serves me right, the group has referred to a few of its tracks as real “pussy bangers.” Perhaps that’s a suggestion for what to do while listening to their music. I’m not really sure.

Bay Guardian lawyers win major award

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February 18, 2009

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The Dream Team: From left, paralegal Karen Douglas, Craig Moody, Guardian publishers Jean Dibble and Bruce Brugmann, Ralph Alldredge and Rich Hill.

By Tim Redmond

California Lawyer magazine has given the attorneys who represented the Bay Guardian in our predatory-pricing case against SF Weekly a CLAY award, citing the case as one of the most important legal battles of 2008.

The legal team of Ralph Alldredge, Rich Hill and Craig Moody – all solo practitioners – won the coveted award, which reflects the significance of a victory by a local business against a predatory chain.

In what the magazine called “a David and Goliath face-off,” the Guardian sued the Weekly and its chain parent, Village Voice Media, alleging that the big publishing outfit had for years sold ads below cost in an attempt to damage the locally owned competitor.

A jury found unanimously in favor of the Guardian, and awarded us $6.3 million. Judge Marla Miller later raised the damages to $15.6 million. With attorney’s fees and interest, VVM now owes us roughly $20 million. The case is on appeal.

Congrats to Ralph, Rich and Craig, who labored for years on this case, at every moment and every level fighting a bigger and better-financed opponent that went through a string of large and small law firms, seeking someone who could stand up to our team. In the end, the law, the facts and three tough, smart attorneys were on our side, and the SF Weekly just couldn’t compete.

The case is on appeal.

Organize around progressive priorities

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February 18, 2009

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By Steven T. Jones

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), the only progressive independent in Congress, last night told a capacity crowd in the Unitarian Universalist Church that now is the moment for aggressive grassroots organizing around progressive issues, lest big-money interests destroy the possibilities raised in the November election.
“Politics is something that happens 365 days a year,” he said, later adding, “We’re going to have to develop the strongest grassroots movement this country has ever seen.”
His words resonated especially strongly with me because I had just come from another meeting that illustrated exactly what he was talking about. More than 200 people answered the call of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition to organize an aggressive, detailed advocacy campaign to ensure the city builds all 56 proposed bicycle projects when a court injunction gets lifted later this year.
“We are embarking tonight on the biggest, most ambitious project the Bike Coalition has ever taken on,” SFBC director Leah Shahum told the crowd. “We’re in a fine position to get the whole enchilada, all 56 projects.”
But that will only happen if bicycle advocates are organized, smart, and bold. And Sanders said the same is true for all this country’s most pressing problems, from scaling back our imperial overreach to overcoming greed and severe economic inequities to creating a national health plan.

D.I.Y. campaign-finance search? Good luck with that!

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February 18, 2009

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By Rebecca Bowe

This week, the Guardian offers a look at the biggest spenders in local politics, using SF Ethics Commission campaign-finance data from 1998 to 2008. The Ethics’ Campaign Finance Database is an excellent tool for answering questions about which organizations have given money to which causes and candidates over the years, but the system could be a lot more user friendly.

For instance, plunging into the bowels of the SF Ethics Commission database to try and find out who’s opening the fattest wallets come election time isn’t as easy a task as the average voter might hope. Although the information is a matter of public record that’s available to everyone, there is no ranking system that makes the highest donors easy to spot – so researchers literally have to pick through tens of thousands of data rows in order to spot the high contributions. Meanwhile, there are limitations with the short-cut method of finding such information, which is to use the “Advanced Search” function on the city agency’s Web page. That search engine spits back incomplete results: Our No. 2 top donor, for example, doesn’t show up, even though a comprehensive search of the campaign-finance spreadsheet from 2001 reveals that he contributed some $3.5 million to his own run for mayor.

Newsom says no budget crisis

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February 18, 2009

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By Tim Redmond

Well, what do you know? The mayor doesn’t think San Francisco has a budget crisis. At least, that’s what he told the Chronicle’s editorial board::

“We’re not in a crisis, but we’re acting as if we are,” Mayor Gavin Newsom said in a phone interview over the weekend. “We’re paying our bills, there’s no threat of IOUs.”

Um, a few months from now the mayor and the supes have to figure out how to cut half the discretionary money in the General Fund. That’s pretty much the definition of a crisis. And while Board President David Chiu is holding meetings and talking about it, the mayor is acting like we can worry about this tomorrow. Tra la la.

Can Bay to Breakers be saved?

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February 18, 2009

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Photo by Irene
By Steven T. Jones

Since news leaked out last week that city officials and event sponsor ING had decided behind closed doors to ban alcohol, floats, and nudity at the annual Bay to Breakers race, thousands of angry citizens have joined into an opposition campaign that they hope will overturn the ban, or at least create a public process for its discussion.
Several websites and Facebook groups have quickly formed and amassed more than 6,000 members, a nascent movement that Sup. Ross Mirkarimi’s office has become involved with coordinating, even though he’s walking a tricky tightrope between neighborhood groups unhappy with the raucous events’ impacts and those concerned about killing another signature San Francisco party.
Mirkarimi and opponents of the crackdown plan to hold a press conference tomorrow at 11:30 am on the steps of City Hall. Meanwhile, event organizers (represented by crisis management specialist Sam Singer) say they’ll be meeting with Mirkarimi, opposition leaders, and community groups over the next couple days to discuss the issue.
“It’s important for everyone to talk,” Singer told me. “Is there room for flexibility? It’s too soon to tell.”

Hot sex events this week: Feb. 18-25

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February 18, 2009

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Compiled by Breena Kerr

Midori shares the secrets of dominance at Stormy Leather on Thursday.

>> Amateur Night at the Lusty Lady
Now you can be a Lusty Lady too, just bring your best moves and be ready to bump and grind it with the best of them.

Wed/18, 5pm-9pm, $1
1033 Kearny, SF
415.391.3991
www.lustyladysf.com

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>> The Art of Feminine Dominance
Master the delicate art of mastering others- “without being a bitch.” Psychology, politics, practical exercises, techniques, fashion and more- rookies to experts are invited to unlock the power-woman within.

Thursday/ 19, 7:30pm, $25 in advance, $30 at the door
Stormy Leather Retail Store
1158 Howard St San Francisco
415.626.1672
www.stormyleather.com

Hip-hop mixes it up: ‘We All We Got’ kicks off at Levende

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February 18, 2009

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New weekly hip-hop mixer? Sure, you got it; here’s the word from the organizers:

“San Francisco – We All We Got, a new weekly mixer, hip-hop open mic, and live performance party in San Francisco is the place for Bay Area artists, musicians, producers, managers, designers, and creatives to connect. Hosted by Revolutionary Poet Sellassie, We All We Got is designed to expose interesting and determined talent, cultivate relationships, showcase independent hip-hop artists and keep the dance floor moving with KPFA’s Hard Knock Radio DJ Mike Biggz. Bring your CD, get on the open mic, discover and listen to new artists, build allies, and connect. We All We Got is every Wednesday at Levende Lounge, San Francisco.

“Advocates of independent music, Inhouse Talent’s Gina Gallo and Sellassie see the opportunity to contribute to the local arts community among ambitious, forthcoming artists and offer a platform to perform. Hip-hop artist Sellassie states, ‘We are the future’ and realizes the vast talent here in the Bay Area. ‘Local promoters bring in all these other rappers from all over the country for shows and have stars right here in the Bay.’

The Mix: What we’ve been up to

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February 18, 2009

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(1) Stairwell Sisters, Black Crown String Band, Mad Cow String Band, Café Du Nord

(2) Master Musicians of Jajouka, Yoshi’s

(3) SECA opening, SFMOMA

(4) YouTube star and "everyday normal guy" Jon Lajoie, Cobb’s Comedy Club

(5) P.O.S., Bottom of the Hill

The Blender: What we’ve been eating

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February 18, 2009

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(1) Flautas, Roosevelt Tamal Parlor, SF

(2) Curry lamb pies, Crolls, Alameda Island

(3) Grilled cheese and meat heads, Pinecrest Diner, SF

(4) The Fedora, Dianda’s, SF

(5) Fried chicken, brussels sprouts, and limeade, Front Porch, SF

Singing the blues: SF Blues Fest canceled

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February 18, 2009

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Sad news for blues fans – this just in:

“SAN FRANCISCO (February 18, 2009) — The nation’s oldest ongoing blues festival has announced that the 2009 show has been canceled due to lack of funding. After 36 continuous years of presenting the blues by the bay, the iconic blues festival will forgo its annual September presentation this year.

“‘The combination of rising production costs and lack of sponsorship support leaves me no choice but to cancel this year’s show,’ said founder Tom Mazzolini, who has also been the show’s sole producer since the first festival in 1973. ‘I’m sad to say this, but we may well have seen the last San Francisco Blues Festival.’

Cruising Craigslist: This week’s best personals

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February 18, 2009

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Each week, Justin Juul combs the SF Craigslist Personals and Missed Connections for true gems that prove there’s enough love for everyone. View his last installment here.

Here’s what’s gonna happen. I’m going to get home from work, make a grilled cheese sandwich, and then smoke cigarettes and complain about my boss for two hours while you check your email and pretend to listen. Then I’m going to force you to watch a movie we’ve both seen before. About half way through it, I’ll say something like “Hey baby, this shit’s boring. Can we please do something else?” I’ll turn off the television, grab some water, and head into the bedroom. You will hesitate for a moment and then decide to follow me. When you get into the bedroom, you will immediately remove your sweatpants. Then you’ll jump under the covers and grab a book. “Hey baby,” I’ll whisper. “Can you please stop turning the pages so fast? I’m super tired.” You will give me an irritated look and then turn out the light. We will sleep together all night long and then go to work in the morning.

Sound familiar?

If you’ve ever been in a monogamous relationship, then your answer is probably “yes.” Of course, it’s not so boring every night –sometimes you stay up until sunrise having wild, drunken sex, and sometimes you go on vacation and do naughty things you thought only porn stars were capable of. But more often than not, the reality of your day-to-day sex life is probably about as thrilling as a trip to the DMV (well, hopefully a little better than that). No big deal. That’s what fantasies are for.

Sexual fantasies come in all shapes and sizes, but there is one fantasy that seems to stand out, at least in San Francisco, and that’s rape. Some of the following Craigslist cruisers want to abuse you and some of them want to be abused. Just don’t take any of their words too seriously. These people (probably) aren’t real rapists or wannabe victims. They’re just regular folks like you and me who occasionally yearn for a break from their routines. Thank god for Craigslist for providing a safe outlet! And thank god for the human brain. If it wasn’t such a mischievous and randy sex organ, personal ads would sound like my intro paragraph, we’d never have exciting sex, and this job would be a whole lot harder!

Appetite: Food, drink and urban hunting

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February 18, 2009

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Oakland’s Sidebar Restaurant

By Virginia Miller

Welcome to Appetite, a new column on food and drink. A long-time San Francisco resident and writer, I’m passionate about this incomparable city, obsessed with finding and exploring its best spots, deals, events and news. I started with my own service and monthly food/drink/travel newsletter, The Perfect Spot , and will pass along up-to-the minute news.

Openings:
Sumi Sushi reinvents a Castro classic
Sumi Hirose’s restaurant, Sumi, was a Castro stalwart for over 20 years, only recently shuttered. But Sumi is back in the same cozy space, reincarnated as Sumi Sushi, a 20-seat sushi joint with a gold and black color scheme. The menu offers playful rolls like “The Spicy Girl,” plus sashimi or savory cooked plates like bacon-wrapped scallops, and 20 sakes show up on the drink list to pair with sushi. It feels right that the space should stay with the same person – we all need a little reinvention from time to time.
4243 18th Street
415-626-7864

Cocktail events
Feb. 18 – Winter Farmers’ Market Cocktail Night at the Ferry Plaza

The Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture is hosting an event this Wednesday that gets cocktail fiends like myself all worked up. The all-star bartender line-up: Elixir’s H. Joseph Ehrman, Sierra Zimmei of Seasons Bar at the Four Seasons, Jardiniere’s Brian MacGregor, Greg Lindgren and Jon Gasparini of Rye and Rosewood, 15 Romolo’s Scott Baird, Eric Castro of Bourbon & Branch, Thirsty Bear Brewing Company’s Alex Smith, and more. …

For a $25 admission price (buy tix online), the bartenders will prepare and serve you two full-sized cocktails (a John Collins and an Old Sydneytown Winter Punch) plus 12 samples of seasonally-inspired cocktails while you nosh on bites from restaurant greats like Beretta, Michael Mina, Conduit, Globe and Zuppa. You’ll even be eligible to win bartending and farmers’ market prizes by casting a vote for your fave drink.

Ferry Plaza Building
San Francisco
415-693-0996
Or contact Christine Farren, 415-291-3276 x 103

Feb. 21 – Hands-on artisanal cocktail class with Scott Beattie at the Ferry Plaza

As if Wednesday night’s Ferry Plaza cocktail event wasn’t cool enough, Saturday brings author Scott Beattie and distiller Marko Karakasevic for a $25 interactive class on creating three citrus-based drinks (Meyer Beautiful, “Pelo del Perro or “Hair of the Dog” and Bleeding Orange) while learning about small-batch distilling. Beattie, the man behind the masterpiece cocktails at Healdsburg’s best restaurant (and, I think, one of the country’s best), Cyrus , has also written what has quickly become the industry standard on artisanal cocktails: “Artisanal Cocktails: Drinks Inspired by the Seasons from the Bar at Cyrus” (signed copies if you want ’em at the event). Scott doesn’t just throw together a drink, he creates beauty, perfecting the art of the cocktail with cutting edge garnishes, foams and sugar/salt rims (using seasonal fruit and ingredients from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, of course). Karakasevic brings decades of experience as master distiller (and founder) of Domaine Charbay in Napa, well known for their flavored vodkas but also for whiskey, rum, grappa, ruby port, etc. … Sounds like an ideal Saturday afternoon to me.
2-4 pm Ferry Plaza Building
(in CUESA’s Dacor Teaching Kitchen in the North Arcade)
415-693-0996

Deals
Feb. 19: Learn about tequila for free: Cortez starts its first Coctail College

Cortez’s chic restaurant and bar is the location for a special kind of cocktail class: the free kind! Pay for drinks ordered but otherwise, education is free every third Thursday of the month, starting this week. They’re on the right track with the first workshop: Tequila is the “subject” and bar snacks are supplied to munch as you “study.” Sorry, but you can’t get course credit for this one.

5:30-7 pm
Hotel Adagio
550 Geary
415-292-6360

East Bay News:
Zax Tavern morphs into Sidebar

It wasn’t without a sense of loss that locals saw Berkeley long-timer Zax Tavern, close in 2007. But now, after a wait, the Zax crew just opened Sidebar, a gastropub serving surprisingly affordable plates (like stuffed portobello mushrooms, oven-roasted poussin, double-cut pork chops, all in the $6-19 range). The place wins further points by being open pretty much all day. The bar is stocked with plenty of beers on tap or by the bottle and a cocktail menu from none other than Absinthe’s master-mixologist, Johnny Raglin.

542 Grand Avenue Oakland
510-452-9500

Peninsula news:
Palo Alto is spruced up with Mayfield Bakery & Cafe
Spruce is the kind of SF restaurant that shows up on Top 10 lists and gets rave reviews. Palo Alto locals or those who head down the Peninsula can hit a brand new second restaurant, Mayfield Bakery and Cafe. It’s a French cafe-style bistro serving lunch and dinner, as well as a cafe issuing coffee and pastries all day long. Yes, Spruce’s quality level remains but the vibe is decidedly more low-key.
Town & Country Village
855 El Camino Real
Palo Alto
650-853-9201

Ransom news:
SF’s first urban hunting club? The Bull Moose Hunting Society is here

Um, a club where for only a $50 one time fee to be a part of the club for life, you can learn the ins-and-outs of safe gun use, the permit process, how to clean, gut, butcher and vacuum-seal your meat… and share quality meat tastings with fellow hunters? Can this be San Francisco? If the Bull Moose Hunting Society has anything to say about it, this’ll be a new kind of breed: the urban hunter who conscientiously prepares and shares his/her spoils of wild boar, pheasant and deer. Join BMHS this Thursday, Feb. 19, for their very first ‘meat and greet’ (yes, I know) at the society’s headquarters.

8-10 pm
561 Baker Street # 8
San Francisco
Contact Nick Zigelbaum with questions: nick@bullmoosehunting.com

Noise Pop: Clues to use – more from the Montreal mystery band

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February 18, 2009

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Scan the meshes of those dusty Internets for Clues and you come up almost empty, as far as the Montreal combo goes. But lookee here at this week’s Sonic Reducer for the first part of a talk with the Montreal band, and here’s even more from Alden Penner, formerly of the Unicorns, on Clues, their first show as part of Noise Pop ’09 on Feb. 28, and their gentle beginnings.

SFBG: There’s little info about Clues out there. Can I get a clue about how the group came together?

Alden Penner: Well, this project is actually something that’s been coming together for a quite a while. It just happens to be rearing its head now. It’s been the goal and desire of Brendan Reed [once of Arcade Fire], a friend of mine, and me to form a band. We’ve known each other since I’ve lived in Montreal – 2003. We put out a split 7-inch in 2005 – that was the landmark.

Raising Lazarus, contemplating the SF band’s dirty-faced realism

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February 18, 2009

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By Brandon Bussolini

To borrow from writer Jessica Hopper, the nature of the Internet is to refer. Before I encountered San Francisco’s Lazarus as a Web entity, I’d seen them open for Beach House at the Swedish American Hall and had met the band’s vocalist-personality, Trevor Montgomery, a couple of times.

He’s super-tall, not a giant but approximately when dressed in a too-small trenchcoat buttoned up all the way to the top as he was when I first met him through my friend Yoni. A long face with attenuated features, he’s like a half-remembered Æon Flux character. The music I later heard Lazarus perform – the band started as a collab with Marty Anderson, but the lineup live and in the studio now includes Sacto natives Kelly Nyland and Kathryn Sechrist – was harrowing and gooey. Spacemen 3 can make opiate addiction sound like a religious experience. Lazarus, on the other hand, makes music where using, being broken down and waiting for redemption isn’t any more attractive or transcendent than, like, a John Ford rewrite of Waiting for Godot.

Ringling animal abuse trial continues

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February 17, 2009

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By Steven T. Jones
Former Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus elephant handler Tom Rider — a key witness in a landmark elephant abuse civil case and a source for the cover story expose that I wrote in August — testified today in Washington DC federal court about alleged abuse of endangered Asian elephants that he witnessed.
“He testified that during his employment at Ringling Bros., he observed the bull hook being used in a manner that caused elephants to bleed hundreds of times. He stated that all the elephants had bloody hook marks and boils at one time or another. Mr. Rider went on to testify that he complained to his supervisor and others at Ringling Bros. about the elephant mistreatment and his job was threatened as a result,” said attorney Tracy Silverman with the Animal Welfare Institute.
Rider and the other plaintiffs in the case have been harshly criticized by Ringling lawyers, so I asked Silverman how Rider fared. “Tom did well. He was on the stand for awhile facing a tough cross examination, but he hung in there and his passion and devotion for the elephants really showed,” she said.
Also expected to testify this week as an expert witness for the plaintiffs (who hope to wrap their case up by the end of the week) is Colleen Kinzley, general curator of the Oakland Zoo. The trial is expected to wrap up by the first week in March, with a verdict that could severely restrict the circus’s use of elephants.

Schell: Hillary Clinton in Beijing

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February 17, 2009

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Orville Schell is a contributing writer for the Project Syndicate news series. Schell is Director of the Asia Society’s Center on US-China Relations and a co-author of the recent report Road-map on US-China Cooperation on Energy and Climate Change, issued by the Asia Society and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.

Hillary Clinton in Beijing

By Orville Schell

NEW YORK – Hillary Clinton is off to China. The US Secretary of State’s decision to make her first overseas trip to Asia, particularly China, was a smart one and, if done with aplomb, could yield enormous returns for the Obama administration as it attempts to re-establish world leadership.

The fact that Clinton chose to go to Asia now, when the State Department remains unsettled – with no ambassador in Beijing, many old officials having departed or leaving, and many new appointees still unseated – attests to her determination to stake out Asia as her own area.

Solid: Gold & Gunmetal rivet

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February 17, 2009

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GOLD & GUNMETAL
Gold & Gunmetal
(Triple Down)

By Todd Lavoie

It’s one of the more compelling debuts I’ve come across recently: New York quartet Gold & Gunmetal arrives a-brimming with ideas and full of promise on their recently issued self-titled full-length, fusing elements of prog and art rock with classic Dischord Records crunch, along with surprising forays into folk and jazz composition.

I suppose for ease of categorizing I’d consider these guys indie rock, but ultimately what makes the disc such a refreshing standout is its resistance to tidy pigeonholing, and its willingness to throw so many seemingly divergent components into the mix.

alt.sex.column: Three-way the free way

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February 17, 2009

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By Andrea Nemerson. View more alt.sex.columns here.

Dear Andrea: My boyfriend and I have talked about doing a threesome with another woman — I’m actually the one who really wants to, but he does too. Since we can’t think of anyone we know who would work, we are thinking of placing a classified ad online. I’ve never done anything like this before, and was just wondering if you have any advice, like how to make it go smoothly and not be weird. Also, do you really think dental dams are necessary to make sure we don’t get diseases from her? I am excited but also a bit nervous.

Love,

Three’s Company

Dear Three:

How … refreshing? The threesome idea usually seems to originate with the guy and have a whole lot to do with his "two chicks" fantasies and very little to do with the chicks in question, so they end up putting on a half-hearted show based on porn scenes they’ve watched, often also half-heartedly. Way to have some half-hearted sex, and often a big fight afterwards, especially if the guy manages to enjoy himself too much despite all the half-heartedness. Of course there’ll be an even bigger fight if you enjoy yourself too much and he doesn’t, which has been known to happen, so you might want to talk this through together a whole bunch before you do anything.