This picture has been whizzing around the internet all week, gaining all sorts of predictable (and merited) criticism, including the great honor of a stream-of-consciousness smackdown on Gawker. Although Gawker assumed the prickish missive must have originated in L.A., Inside Scoop reports that it came from a $37 check at a restaurant in the S.F. Westfield Center called “Cupola.”

Although the Bay Area might be a tough place to pull this kind of bullshit, I think the stingy little fucker is missing an opportunity to ride this viral news story to fame of Joe the Plumber proportions. I would gladly tune in to see this guy flesh out his political and economic theories on Fox & Friends. So how about it, buddy? Time to take the plunge and stand up for what’s right? I can’t imagine an anonymous note to an unsuspecting server in the mall is the extent of your thirst for social justice.

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It’s election season, and even though we take it for granted around here that California is gonna vote Obama, it’s not necessarily that simple in other states around the country.  In some places (ahem, Florida), new voter restriction measures have even made it more likely that many citizens (a high proportion of which are minorities) may not be able to get their votes counted.

The only way to move towards preventing these kind of shenanigans is to educate ourselves, and the best way to get started on that is to come out to Artists Television Access on Valencia this Friday to watch Struggle, a film by Roger Hill about what happens in U.S. elections when the forces of racism, corruption, technological manipulation and old fashioned ballot-box stuffing coalesce to deny Americans their right to vote and steal elections.

RSVP and invite your friends here, and check out all the details including the trailer below:

Struggle is a case study of the 2004 Presidential Election in Ohio, the deciding swing state which delivered the presidency once again to George W. Bush.  Diligently researched by the key contributors to the film, Struggle is a bold film that challenges the legitimacy of that Presidential Election and brings the entire U.S. electoral process into question.

(...)
Read the rest of Struggle airing at ATA this Friday

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Normally we don’t get all that political here on MM, but with the election coming up soon and amidst all the misinformation floating around, we wanted to point out some of our pals who are trying to shake things up a bit:

Want elections, not auctions? Today, Stick it to Super PACs and reject the auction of political speech to corporate interests and the 1%. Join others around the country who are taking a stand to protect democracy. This post explains why the $433 million Super PACs have raised to influence this election is dangerous for democracy. This website will help you become a proverbial wrench in the gears of Super PACs via email, phone or social media. Take Action!

Fuck Yeah!

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We generally don’t delve into politics much (except for sometimes, and other times), but Rachel from 500 Club just got in touch:

The 500 Club will be showing all the debates again this year. We have better tv’s with better sound – three in the front of the bar and one rather large one in the back room. We also have delicious foods from Clare’s Deli next door..altho delivery might be a little tricky if we get a full house again.

We also talked to Paul at Shotwell’s and he mentioned they’ll be screening the events as well. Anywhere else?

[Screenshot by hardtwerk]

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[graphic via The Cornicopia Institute]

We don’t do that much politicking here (there’s plenty of that on the internet already), but it is a big election year, so expect some issues to pop up as we find them relevant or particularly pressing.

Local grocery cooperative, Rainbow Grocery Cooperative, is officially endorsing California’s Proposition 37, the Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food Initiative. This endorsement is not shocking, since 2000 Rainbow has officially opposed the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs):

“We will ban these foods from any private label product we carry, and support efforts to label and/or ban such foods until a time when they can be proved safe for consumption and the environment.”

Christa Irwin, of Rainbow’s Ecology Committee says of Prop. 37:

“People want to know what they’re eating. Just because a product says ‘natural’ does not mean that it hasn’t come from a GMO crop or possibly processed with or contaminated by one. This fight is imperative and hopefully will change labeling on a national level.”

You have to wonder why the food companies would pay so much money to stop us from knowing how they’re making our food and what they put into it. Since the above graphic was made the numbers on the red side have continued to go up. Fog City Journal has an informative write up on the matter. I just don’t trust companies like Monsanto and Phillip Morris, excuse me, Altria, to hold our health as their top priority. Anyone remember StarLink? If it costs less to do recalls or payout lawsuits…

I think the consumers have a right to know. If the companies believe that GMOs are safe then don’t hide them, convince us. It’s a bummer though, I like a lot of the products in the left column. I think Prop 37 is just the first step in getting to a better place with the development and use of GMOs. Much more testing should to be done, especially focusing on long term effects. Unfortunately there seems to be very little push back on the chemical/food companies making them, and much of the changes they are making are likely irreversible. If Prop. 37 passes consumers will be able to weigh in on the matter with their wallets, which is what the Big Ag companies are afraid of.

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City has removed our citation. The squeaky wheel really does get the grease!

— Weston Wear Store (@WestonWearStore) May 3, 2012

I guess all your nasty comments hurt their feelings! Way to go, readers! Keep ‘em coming.

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“What thing?”, you ask. Well, isn’t it obvious?

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You may have noticed that many of your favorite websites are blacked out today in protest of SOPA, the epicly-clueless internet regulatory legislation currently making the rounds in Congress.  If this insanity somehow ends up passing, then any site that has comments, a forum, video streaming, or user content in any form could be blocked in the US, removed from search engines, and thus effectively destroyed on the basis of a single errant comment left by a reader.

That means that any one of you comment trolls (you know who you are) could inadvertently get Mission Mission shut down for one of your typically vile statements!  Lucky for us, MM reader Joey concocted this handy dandy flow chart to help explain all you need to know and what you can do about this business.

Check it out here.

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Brain Pickings has unearthed a “don’ts” list for female bicyclists in the 1890′s.  Here are a few favorites:

• Don’t wear loud hued leggings.
• Don’t use bicycle slang. Leave that to the boys.
• Don’t refuse assistance up a hill.
• Don’t imagine everybody is looking at you.

Read on.

[via PavBlog] [photo]

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According to the New York Times, fixies have just made their way to Paris. And apparently, Parisians are less snobby about them than we Americans:

In contrast with the hipper-than-thou attitude often associated with the bikes’ American acolytes, fixie riders can rightly be said to have a convivial scene in the French capital, where the bikes are as much activity as social marker. Despite the haughtiness for which this city is renowned, the community that has developed around them is uncommonly inclusive.

“There isn’t that element of snobbishness,” said Bruno Zuzzé, 33, the genial founder of Surplace, a come-one-come-all fixie club that organizes frequent group rides. Fixie owners often salute one another on the street, “like motorcyclists, back in the day,” he said.

Maybe we should all start high-fiving and fist-bumping one another on the street.

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Medjool has applied for a “conditional use authorization” for its controversial rooftop bar, which was shut down by the SFPD some time ago.

Reader tack sent us this picture and adds his piece:

Personally I’m not looking forward to the roof bar reopening. There was always drunken domestic abuse outside my bedroom window at 1:30am when it was running and when the fire department shut it down it magically all went poof. I’d hate to see the drunk yuppies chewing out and threatening their girlfriends/wives return to the neighborhood. It was disgusting and tragic.

Supporters of this cause (let’s just call them ‘roofies’) will be stating their case on Septemper 8th, noon at City Hall room 400 in case you want to give ‘em what for (even though you’ve never actually, like, been to that place.)

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At least one fellow was not happy about it:

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This delicate spectacle was spotted at 23rd and Guerrero, right after I almost stepped in it. If the moon landing was the greatest achievement in American exploration, then this one would be Number Two.

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Starts at 1pm! RSVP and invite your friends via the official Facebook event page!

And to whet your appetite, check out Ty Segall’s recent guest DJ appearance on the KUSF Archives right about here.

[Photo by Dylan Bigby]

More:

Do You Remember Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio? SAVE KUSF

KUSF Memories: I Am Naked

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Yeah, so I guess that whole universal health care thing didn’t really work out. Nobody wants to be a communist, after all. So what are your options now?

Rupa Marya is a local medical doctor. She also happens to be the leader of the world-traveling band Rupa and the April Fishes. That makes her a pretty darn good authority on health care and how low-income folks with no insurance (most musicians and artists, for example) can access it. She is helping organize a free presentation on health care options in San Francisco this Saturday, January 8 from 2-3:30pm in the Mission. All are welcome.

Here are the details:

++CMF–Accessing Health Care for Artists in SF++

The Community Music Forum brings you another chapter. . .A FREE presentation of how to access services available at low cost (or no cost) in SF. This session is OPEN TO ALL—not just artists but will highlight health issues that tend to be more prevalent in SF’s art scene.

We will have a representative from SF’s HEALTHY SF there to demystify the enrollment process and answer any questions you have about HEALTHY SF–if you qualify for it (you probably do), what medications and services are covered, what is not covered and how you get set up.

We will also have a list of providers available from other healing traditions who provide sliding scale services. And if you have any random health questions, there will be a handful of doctors in the house.

COME ON BY! and RSVP so we can get a headcount and make enough chai.

The Porto Franco Art Parlor is the venue for this, and it’s located at 953 Valencia Street.

[photo by kapshure]

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