Nothing makes me happier than a good ethical debate (except for maybe a heated argument about the correct usage of an en dash and an em dash).
You can imagine how excited I was then when a discussion erupted at my day job today concerning SF Weekly’s latest cover story — a tongue-in-cheek “interview” with Barry Bond’s personal trainer’s former cellmate, who reveals all the juicy details of Bonds’ juicing. (Read it here.) I made it embarassingly far into the expose before I realized the piece is entirely fabricated… and it’s a conclusion you have to come to on your own since there are no disclaimers to be found on either the online or print versions. A fake cover story? Ballsy… I like it.
So the question is: If you’re printing something that could easily be considered libel, are you ethically or legally required to print some sort of warning (especially when you’re talking about an athletic superstar lactating and drinking elk semen)? This is SF Weekly, not The Onion. The closest they get, as pointed out by a clever SFist reader, is the authors’ names (Nic Foit and Ira Tes) being an anagram for Fiction/Satire. Is that enough?
It’ll be interesting to see if anything comes of this…

San Francisco’s recent health care initiative, Healthy San Francisco, is good as far as it goes, and the first-of-its-kind plan is garnering some national attention. Ultimately it guarantees the 82,000 uninsured San Franciscans free or subsidized health care, and even purportedly succeeds without new costs—the city plans on funding the plan by savings from diminished treatments in the ER, a $24 thousand 3-year federal grant, and sliding-scale co-pays from participants. The plan does face legal challenges from employers, especially in the restaurant industry, who are required by the plan to financially contribute to health care in the city. The success of the plan depends in part on the city winning these cases in court. But there’s a wider problem here and it’s one that Newsom can’t fix. The problem is that the SF initiative operates at a purely local level, only within San Francisco. It does not offer *insurance*—those that qualify for the plan get health care in SF, but they are completely uncovered out of town. The localism of the plan shows the limits of the city level when it comes to solving the healthcare problem, and why it’s so important for the federal government to get its act together and offer real insurance for all of the uninsured. Without a coordinated plan at the federal level, there will likely be substantial divergence in health care policy indifferent cities, further complicating an already complex issue. We should applaud the city for picking up the fed’s slack, but let’s also hope that the plan motivates federal legislators to get their act together and insure those who desperately need it.
–Benjamin Boudreaux

I’ve always had a thing for SF cops. In one of my earliest journalism courses my favorite professor kicked us out of the classroom and into the various station houses around town to teach us the importance of beat reporting and relationship building. Despite the oft-reported story that cops and journalists don’t get along (do we get along with ANYBODY?), I finished my time with the fuzz thinking that if this writing thing didn’t pan out, a badge wouldn’t look half bad on me. And because most reporters on the crime beat spend their days with their ear to the blotter, I was excited to find that Chronicle reporter John Koopman and photographer Brant Ward are “embedding” with the San Francisco Police Department. Their stories, while usually brief, are great for their on-the-scene, ride-along quality. A recent piece on undercover Tenderloin drug busts brought a little rhyme and reason to the random arrests that I’ve seen going down outside my garage on O’Farrell St. The articles and photographs give a sneak peak into what the cops are really up to on a daily basis, which can be both heartening and frustrating. Why don’t you take a look for yourself at The Badge. New stories appear weekly in the Monday Chronicle and on SF Gate.

San Franciscans who live, work or window shop in downtown SF seem to be at the end of their ropes. Newsom’s “pet peeves” comment section on his website is overflowing with vitriol from residents sick of the crime, drug use and filth that plague SF streets, particularly in the Civic Center, Tenderloin, and Mission District neighborhoods. Newsom, free from any stiff competition in the upcoming mayoral race, seems to be gearing up for some changes in the coming term. But will anything get done, and are his ideas feasible? An open letter to the Chronicle from Mayor Newsom and District Attorney Kamala Harris sets forth a proposition to create a Community Justice Center in the Tenderloin. A buzzing one-stop shop where cops would bring offenders, hearings will take place, punishment will be doled out and social services will be offered—within 30 minutes or your money back (or something like that—I recommend you read his proposal).

This system supposedly did wonders in NYC, and I’m all for New York sharing their secrets with us, even if it is admitting they bussed all their non-compliers out west to O’Farrell St.

Thursday October 4th 2007
111 Minna Gallery 7pm- on
free!

Ethsix* magazine celebrates our blog launch with evening of images,
words and tunes from your multifarious city by the bay

A unique collaboration between art and writing, this exhibition will
generate a schema of the surreal, metaphysical San Francisco. This
exhibition gives Ethsix*, Instant City and Watchword Press, three local
beloved independent publications, and opportunity to bring the art and
writers folded into the pages of their publications on to the same
stage, side by side, in three dimensions. The artists and writers
included will reflect upon intangible elements and conditions of the
city, from the hundreds of faces passed and forgotten daily to
emotional and historical cityscapes.
The evening will also be graced with the exceptional musical stylings
of two San Francisco musical acts whose tunes range from free jazz to
psychedelic sound-scopes.

image:

• beryl fine
• jana flynn
• yael martinez
• linda nguyen
• hilarypecis
• rachel styer
• nadim sabella
• michael page
• & adam wier

readings: from Ethsix*, Instant City and Watchword Press

tunes : fortune towers, sword and sandals

installation: monica canilao & eve ekman

live projection: amber caddy

gallery hours tuesday through friday 12-5 &
for more info see:www.111minnagallery.com
www.ethsix.com/blog
Instant City: www.instantcity.org
Watchword press : www.watchwordpress.org