San Francisco

How to Stay Sane and Find Hope in Trump’s Gaslit America
It’s been a crazy 24 hours. It’s been a crazy few years. Crazy being the operative word. The plight of Americans and those around the world watching this spectacle is in keeping a firm grasp on reality under a constant threat of deception that intentionally challenges our sanity. Experts have

The Strange Economy of Fake Urine
by Hannah Harkness One day, when I was relaying my usual drug-testing rant to a fellow stand-up comic, they responded “Oh yeah, and you can just jump those tests with fake piss anyway. I got a job at a children’s hospital doing that.” Before this point, I’d only ever heard

Tom Loughlin’s Signal Repurposes 22 Tons of Bay Bridge Steel Into Public Art
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge near Seattle was a late-1930s public works project that became a notorious engineering disaster. Nicknamed “Galloping Gertie,” the bridge began vibrating shortly after the roadbed was installed. It opened to vehicular traffic anyway, but the vibrations continued as the area’s natural winds matched the bridge’s own

Chasing Patti Smith Through the Haight, & through History
There she was, just within reach, the famous punk rocker poet, the shamaness beaming raw mystic power, the one, and only Patti Smith. There she was, right on Haight Street hovering in the San Francisco sunshine her presence breaking through the fog, still amongst the ragged street kids all refusing

8 Adult Birthday Party Ideas, Because Grown-Ups Need Fun Too
Let’s be honest: parties become a lot more fun once you hit age 21. Sure, you could celebrate your birthday by ordering pizza and a cake, but where’s the originality in that? Adulting is hard. Waking up for work on the daily drains the best of us at times. And

Why You Should Support Chesa Boudin, the Socialist Running for SF’s District Attorney
Political junkies call electoral contests such as the one coming this November an off-year election. The characteristics of such elections are: no big political office such as President or Governor, low voter turnout, and usually a more conservative electorate. But interested BAS readers can turn San Francisco’s off-year election into

Lessons for Freelance Writers Competing in Our Gig Economy
By Dee Dee Thompson When I decided to start freelance content writing back in December 2018, I’d just gotten fired from a sales role after only five weeks. Honestly, it was the best news ever (I hated that job), but I still worried about my finances and scrambled to find

8 Things All Travelers Should Do When Checking Into a Hotel Room
Kicking your shoes off and settling down in a comfortable bed is one of the best parts of traveling. Before you start sawing logs, though, do a sweep around your room. Housekeepers do their best at maintaining dozens of rooms a day, but sometimes certain areas slip by inspection. An