Free Republic

An in-house video meant to prepare 49ers players for dealing with the media backfired on the NFL team Wednesday after it was leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle. The 15-minute film, featuring racist jokes, lesbian soft-porn and topless blondes, features the team's public relations director, Kirk Reynolds, impersonating San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom in the mayor's office and other city scenes. FeedRoom Video Controversy Racy Niners Training Video FeedRoom Now the mayor and the city's gay leaders are outraged, the team's owners are embarrassed and Reynolds is officially looking for another job. The Chronicle described the film and published an...

San Francisco's Center for Sex and Culture played host on Saturday to the city's annual "Masturbate-a-thon," an event its organisers said could draw up to 120 people from across the United States aiming to have a good time with themselves. Carol Queen, director of the center, acknowledged that the event is unusual -- even by San Francisco's standards. The permissive city, which helped ignite a debate on gay marriage last year, tolerates many sorts of sexual behavior but masturbation seems a topic that is off-limits, she said. "Even people who are sexually frisky might have the bias that many Americans...

The secretary of state was braving an appearance in hostile territory. The protests could have gotten ugly. The questions could have gotten hard. Instead, in midnight-blue San Francisco, a city still in mourning over the presidential election, Condoleezza Rice was granted sanctuary. At a noon speech Friday at the Commonwealth Club of California -- the topic was spreading democracy throughout the world -- Rice was greeted with a standing ovation. She was interrupted by applause several times and was asked questions about as challenging as those at a presidential town hall meeting. True, Code Pink and other antiwar groups, numbering...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) A tourist flipped his rented SUV on the world-renowned ``crookedest street,'' police say. The unidentified man, driving the sport utility vehicle with Washington state license plates, realized Thursday he was driving with his emergency brake on. He tried to fix the problem, but soon smelled smoke and burning brakes. He pulled over, put the car in neutral and looked for the brake release, said Sgt. Neville Gittens, San Francisco police spokesman. He found it, but as soon as he released it, the vehicle started to roll downhill on Lombard Street. Eventually, the SUV flipped onto its side....

By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer SAN FRANCISCO - Anne Bakstad and Ed Cohen are starting to feel as if their family of four is an endangered species in San Francisco. Since the couple bought a house five years ago, more than a dozen families in their social circle have left the city for cheaper housing, better schools or both. The goodbyes are so frequent that Carina, age 4 1/2, wants to know when she is going to move, too. Eric, 2 1/2, misses Gus, his playmate from across the street. "When we get to know people through our kids,...

"PhDs with guns" Linda Robinson's "Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces" Reviewed by W. Thomas Smith Jr. Few Americans had ever heard of Special Forces before the release of the Vietnam-era movie, The Green Berets (1968), starring John Wayne. But by 1982, when First Blood – starring Sylvester Stallone as a former Special Forces soldier on a payback rampage – was released, almost every American schoolboy had at some point fancied himself a member of the U.S. Army's vaunted Green Berets. Countless books and articles have since been written about the Army's Special Forces, but U.S....

As they watch religion increasingly dominate American political discourse, nonbelievers will gather in San Francisco today for their first "All Atheist Weekend" -- in an effort to put a friendlier face on godlessness. "We're trying to do what church people call outreach," said Jim Heldberg, a Pacifica software salesman and onetime Methodist who coordinates the group San Francisco Atheists. "We feel very threatened by what's going on in this country, but we realize that we can't just sit here in a corner by ourselves," Heldberg said. "If we do, the religious right is just going to run us over." So...

San Francisco can have institute By Chris Weinkopf Editorial-page editor Although Mayor James Hahn fumbled badly in his efforts to get the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to set up shop in Los Angeles, his bungling could prove to be more a blessing than a curse. Seventeen cities fought over the chance to play host to the new bureaucracy that's charged with doling out $3 billion for embryonic stem cell research. They dreamed of corporate fat cats and academic geniuses gathering in their midst, cutting huge deals and drawing worldwide acclaim as they triumphantly cure one malady after the next....

What classic science fiction and fantasy books would you like to see made into movies or miniseries'?

Today, we examine the ethics of The City through a trial of our honesty. ... The wallet Orion picked up was one of 10 billfolds and five cell phones The Examiner left around town last weekend to test The City's honesty and ethics. As part of our five-part series on tourism, we wanted to know if we, as a city, are courteous, trustworthy and thoughtful. Are we the kind of city in which you can drop your phone and get it back before heading home to Duluth or Denver? The wallets contained $20, on average, an ATM card, a baby...

San Francisco was chosen as the headquarters city Friday for California's $3 billion stem cell program, overcoming a strong challenge from San Diego and Sacramento in a battle that was decided mainly on regional loyalties. Mayor Gavin Newsom called it a historic achievement for a city and region struggling to find its economic footing after suffering through the collapse of the dot-com bubble. "This secures our future as a point of destination for discovery," Newsom said. Almost every city in California of any size at all seemed to possess ambitions to become the state's stem cell capital after voters passed...

City expects designation to bring scientific prestige, economy boost FRESNO — Californias $3 billion stem cell agency named San Francisco as its permanent headquarters Friday, a designation the city expects will bring it scientific prestige while boosting its economy. There is no question it will be an anchor for business, Mayor Gavin Newsom said during a news conference after the vote. This secures our future as a point of destination for discovery. The headquarters itself will house only 50 employees, but three cities fought for the honor Friday during the monthly meeting of the board that oversees the agency as...

SAN FRANCISCO - A panel endorsed San Francisco on Monday as its top pick to host the agency overseeing California's $3 billion public investment in stem cell research. ADVERTISEMENT The panel, a subcommittee of the 29-member board that oversees the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, ranked San Diego and Sacramento in a near tie for second. The full agency board is expected to formally choose a site Friday. The institute plans to build an office with a maximum of 50 employees who will help dole out nearly $300 million in research grants annually for 10 years. No actual stem cell...

"Revelations" is a non-profit Star Wars Fan Film that was shot within the Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC Metro Area. Panic Struck Productions set out to produce their first independent film with a very small budget and this is the result. Length: 47 minutes Movie poster

San Francisco -- A bar owner in the predominantly gay Castro neighborhood violated numerous city civil rights codes by discriminating against black patrons, the San Francisco Human Rights Commission announced Tuesday. The case has been closely watched by the city's gay community, many of whom said they were incredulous that an establishment in what's considered one of the country's most progressive and socially liberal neighborhoods would actively keep black customers out of the popular nightspot Badlands. In particular, the commission said club owner Les Natali referred to blacks as "non-Badlands customers" who should be discouraged from patronizing the club. "The...

When The New York Times, “Nightline,” and CNN nominate a young blonde for sainthood ahead of the Pope, it’s time for a reality check. Especially when that blonde, Marla Ruzicka’s sole purpose is to legitimize our enemies, cause problems for U.S. troops already in harms way, and morally equivocate dead terrorists with victims of 9/11. Jane Fonda lite—but unfortunately without having been spat upon by right-thinking veterans. The recent death of Ruzicka, an American “activist” in Iraq, elicited an orgy of gush—everywhere from Time Magazine to The Guardian of London to Al-Jazeera. A 28-year-old San Franciscan, Ruzicka was in Iraq...

Infrastructure seen as worsening since Newsom took over. San Francisco parks, recreation programs, streets, bus service and libraries are all in worse shape than they were before Mayor Gavin Newsom took office, according to a state of the city resident survey released Thursday. It's the first comprehensive public measure of how the city is faring now that Newsom has spent a full year in office. The more than 3,700 residents polled gave San Francisco a C+ for how it provides basic services. And about the only positive note was that residents said they felt the city was safer. Only 37...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A city official who officiated at last year's weddings of same-sex couples announced Thursday she was resigning while under investigation for her hiring practices. San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Mabel Teng cited personal turmoil over a divorce and scrutiny of her management of the office that assesses property and maintains city records. Teng told Mayor Gavin Newsom that she would remain in office until May 15. Last fall, the city's Civil Service Commission began investigating whether Teng violated patronage and nepotism rules by allegedly hiring or promoting her campaign workers and contributors. Last month, the commission issued a...

Nothing like Pope John Paul II's death to turn up the tensions between San Francisco's Roman Catholic Archdiocese and City Hall. At issue: Not a single elected city official showed up at Tuesday night's memorial Mass for the pope at St. Mary's Cathedral, presided over by Archbishop William Levada and attended by more than 3,500 people. "Although specifically invited by phone and fax, no elected city officials were present -- not the mayor, not one member of the Board of Supervisors,'' archdiocese rep George Wesolek wrote in a scathing e-mail to all the elected. "None sent staff to represent them....