Amidst bicycle industry vendors, the expo provided a forum for many cycle-savvy community organizers.

SF Urban Riders, a city off-road cycling organization, debuted their plans to turn San Francisco's Golden Gate Park into a haven for off-road cyclists, said Dan Schneider, the organization's president.

"We pride ourselves in community ownership," Schneider said of how much he wants the community to integrate themselves into the project at the park. "It's about putting our effort where our ideas are."

The plan, already submitted to the city's Department of Parks and Recreation, is currently under review. It calls for more than six miles of off-road bike paths to be cleared along with added infrastructure such as bridges and signs, said Schneider.

The plan's current price tag is slated around $175,000 and plans to be paid for by Community Challenge grants from the city along with bicycle industry money that comes from various Bay Area cycle businesses, said Schneider.

He said his main opponents are environmental groups concerned about the displacement of native plants and wildlife.

If the plan is approved by the department, Schneider said he could see planning come to fruition as early as fall 2010.

Another volunteer group, Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship, which helps in the clearing of hiking and bicycling trails in California's Sierra Nevada, was also at the bike expo.

Greg Carter, who represents Sierra Buttes, said he and his volunteers have cleared miles of trails for bicycling near the towns Downieville and Greagle in the California Sierra.

"It costs us $8 to $13 per foot to build these community bike paths," Carter said.

Renovo, a bicycle company that specializes in all-wooden bikes, was showcasing their latest models.

"We're the only ones in the world making hallow-wooden bicycles," said Ken Wheeler, Renovo's president. "They're smoother and quieter than metal bicycles."

Wheeler worked as an aircraft engineer and plane designer for years before switching to building bicycles.

He claims the bamboo and jatoba wood he uses to comprise the bicycle frames are pound-for-pound as safe as the typical metal composite used for most bikes.

The Portland, Oregon-based company currently has six models, with the cheapest running for $1,450 and the most expense frame selling for $2,650, Wheeler said.

Brianna Quintero and John Espiritu, both communication majors, organized a moving party aboard an M Muni train as part of a class project in orchestrating a "flash mob," said Espiritu.

Their project goals were to create an extraordinary event in an ordinary setting along with having reactions with actions, said Quintero.

"We wanted organized chaos," Espiritu said before the party began on the train. "We want to have fun and make sure everyone has a good time."

The "flash mob" started moments before the 7:17 p.m. train came into the station. Once the train opened its doors, over 150 students and four out of 10 San Francisco police officers crammed into the inbound M on their way to Montgomery Street station, with a 21-and-over after-party scheduled at the Otis Lounge in the Financial District.

The students chanted and sang through all 10 Muni stops towards Montgomery Street station. Chants of station names were made at every stop along with chorus' sang of popular songs from "Paradise City" by Guns and Roses to "Anyway You Want It" by Journey.

The event was created via Facebook and originally had 140 people invited, but right before the party took place, there were over 1,800 people invited, said Quintero.

The term "flash mob" is used to describe the disruption of the ordinary flow of things in public places, said Espiritu.

Espiritu, 22, who came up with the Muni party idea, added that in the current economic tribulation, it's important to have people enjoy themselves and have fun in cheap and interesting ways.

"It's fascinating," said senior James Roscelli. "I never thought so many people would want to party on Muni."

The San Francisco Police Department showed a strong presence on the SF State Muni station and on the train itself.

"We're here to make sure everyone is safe," said SFPD officer Tim Gibson. "We don't want anything harmful to happen tonight."

Quintero, 22, added that she did not encourage drinking on Muni, which is why there was an after-party at a bar one block away from the Montgomery Street station.

"We're not responsible for the people that party with us," Quintero said. "They're on their own."

Quintero adds she plans to have further "flash mobs" in the future.

"We have plans to have people dress up in Super Mario Bros. costumes and play tennis on the tennis courts like in the game Mario Tennis," she said. "This isn't the end."

The museum was filled with people of all ages who enjoyed what has made the museum a San Francisco staple for nearly half a decade: an interactive learning experience.

"It's a hands-on museum. There's not too many museums out there that actually let you touch the exhibits and play with the exhibits," said employee Marcus Ante as he looked around the museum with enthusiasm, much like the many children who come through the building daily.

Ante started working at the Exploratorium as a high school explainer two years ago. Unlike many people who become bored with a job after a couple of years, he is still excited to put in hours at the museum.

One exhibit in particular, Cutting Ice Into One, received significant attention from visitors.

"People are really excited about the motorcycle, said Kathe Traynor, who has volunteered at the museum for the last two and a half years. "The weight of the motorcycle drags through the wire and through the block of ice, which will remain intact."

The idea behind the exhibit is to see the motorcycle slip from the block of ice gradually. The ice not only remained intact, but the wire which held the motorcycle leaves behind a visible trace from where the ice melted and froze in place as the wire moved.

"One of the great things [about the anniversary] are the tours that we're offering so people can see some things that you may otherwise never have an opportunity to see or experience here," Traynor said.

Though the birthday weekend was exceptional because of its free admission, the events will continue for the month of November.

"This weekend are the two free days for the actual 40th," Traynor said. "There are other events. I know next weekend K.C. Cole, who wrote the book about Frank Oppenheimer, she'll be speaking." Oppenheimer is the scientist who founded the museum in 1969.

Another favorite this weekend was the bubble mania that spread through the museum. In addition to Tom Noddy's bubble magic performance, children ran outside hunting down bubbles larger than most beach balls.

Stirling Johnson, a bubble blowing savant, stood at the entrance of the museum with a contraption which resembled a commercial fishing net more than a bubble wand.

"I got into bubbles in high school because of a science project," Johnson said. "I don't even remember what the project was." He laughed as he realized the irony in his statement.

Outside Johnson teaches the children how to use the tools to make larger-than-life bubbles. In true Exploratorium fashion, the children took their lessons and applied them.

"It's just a perfect opportunity to reach out to different people and learn from each other," Ante said about the museum.

The brainchild of digital anthropologist Ariel Waldman and friends, CupcakeCamp is based on the BarCamp format of user-generated technology conferences which began to appear in 2005. Playfully referred to by participants like Waldman as an "unconference," BarCamps are intended to encourage professionals with similar interests to gather, share and learn from each other in a relaxed environment.

"CupcakeCamp really grew out of the tech scene," says Waldman. "It started as a way for shy technology people who share similar interests to get together, swap stories and eat cupcakes."

In the spirit of open-source collaboration everyone is welcome at CupcakeCamp; this year more than 700 people packed into a cramped warehouse space (provided by local start-up Automattic) to wait in line for a sample of exotic cupcakes from a number of California bakers. Representatives from professional bakeries competed alongside amateur pastry makers to take home a gift basket prize awarded for the best Halloween cupcake, best decorated, best unique ingredients, or best breakfast-inspired creation.

"It's not really about the competition, it's more about swapping recipes and sharing flavors," said Kelly Ng, a senior at the University of California San Francisco and runner-up winner for best breakfast-inspired cupcake. "I'm a pre-med student, and I really just do this to keep from killing myself while I apply to medical school."

Those looking for a cheap and delicious way to spend a Sunday afternoon should take the opportunity to attend a CupcakeCamp while they remain free; the idea has spread from San Francisco to New York City and across the world to countries like Australia and the United Kingdom, but with the growing popularity Waldman is not certain how long the event can continue to be free.

"I hope there's another year of CupcakeCamp, but it is hard to keep it going because it's free so we can't compensate people for their time," worries Waldman. "Our format may have to change to maintain the philosophy of keeping it free so that the community can still participate."

For more information and a guide to starting your own CupcakeCamp, visit http://cupcakecamp.org/.

SFMTA announced on Nov. 2 that six bus routes are going to be discontinued, along with 20 bus route changes and service hour reductions on 24 routes -- meaning most buses will soon stop running shortly after midnight instead of well after 1 a.m.

The agency revealed the bridging of a $129 million budget deficit as the immediate cause of the upcoming transit alterations. With increased fares and a rising trend in Muni-related fatalities, the transit system will see a major overhaul next month.

"We want to ensure that the Muni service changes are implemented as smoothly as possible with minimum impact to our customers," SFMTA Board Chairman Tom Nolan said.

SFMTA had to close its current deficit by slicing $77 million in expenditures through internal position eliminations and decreasing the level of transit next month, according to the agency.

Muni raised its adult fare to $2 from $1.50 along with parking meter and fee increases across the city last July. That revenue has earned Muni $52 million to contribute to its budget deficit, according to SFMTA, and the transit agency collects over $30 million annually alone from city parking meters.

However, the agency said it has no plans of changing the current ride fare, but adult fast passes are going to be $70 starting in January 2010.

"There's nothing we can really do to boycott them," Muni patron Dave Santori said. "People need Muni."

The 22-year-old San Francisco native said part of what he likes about the city is that it's not a car-dependent society, and that people will have to adjust to the change.

SFMTA added it is no longer receiving transit operations funding from the state of California.

"Every transit operator in the Bay Area and nationally are experiencing cuts in funding," Tilly Chang, executive director of the San Francisco County Transportation Agency, said. "These service cuts are really unfortunate."

Muni operates 80 transit routes within San Francisco, with 90 percent of all stops being within two blocks of residences in the city. More than half of the routes will be altered, according to SFMTA.

"That's how people get around, that's how they get to work," Daniel Martinez, 22, said of the discontinued Muni routes.

Martinez added that the 26-Valencia bus route, which is to be eliminated, was a route he used to take frequently. However, he also said that he hasn't ridden Muni in a while because of the fare increase.

The San Francisco City College student also said the reduced service hours on some buses will definitely affect him when he's trying to get around the city late at night.

"We know San Francisco has a very sensitive population," Chang said. "It's a very tough situation."

Muni routes with low ridership played heavily into the decisions to cut routes, decrease route frequency and end routes earlier, according to SFMTA.

The route changes are supposed to improve on-time performance, according to Kristen Holland, a spokesperson for SFMTA.

Currently, Muni's record has a 73.3 percent on-time reliability, up from 70.6 percent from last year, she added.

Chang said data was complied by the SFCTA on Muni passenger frequency using automatic passenger counting devices. The counters collected travel time information, as well as kept a tally of Muni riders, which was used to distinguish the less crowded routes from those bus lines most heavily used.

The Transit Effectiveness Project, an 18-month study for Muni service improvement, contributed data on ridership as well, according to Chang.

However, according to the SFMTA, only a handful of bus routes will see service hours expanded. The 14-Mission Limited will see more hours of service at the cost of having stops combined while the 38-Geary route will be the only route to have riders experience more bus frequency and more service hours.

Nolan said that the SFMTA Board of Directors has requested a report in six months to evaluate the success of the service changes. Data on ridership, productivity and reliability as well as customer feedback will be central to the evaluation, he added.

Safety Concerns

The new changes are adding to the frustrations of San Francisco residents, given the recent Muni collisions, accidents and passenger safety, Chang said.

On Tuesday morning, an outbound L-Taraval train derailed between Castro and Forrest Hill Stations, but no injuries were reported, according to SFMTA spokesperson Judson True.

True added the cause of the derailment might be due to a problem with the communication cable in that section of the tunnel, according to an SFMTA report.

Last July, two light-rail Muni trains collided in West Portal station, injuring 47, according to the SFMTA. A few weeks later, two Muni trains crashed into an SUV in the Castro and in September, a train struck a man at Church and 22nd Streets, killing him, the agency said.

"Muni control is really old and needs to be upgraded," Chang said of the system that oversees daily Muni operations. "There's a control center project to upgrade the system. It's high priority and expensive."

On Nov. 3, SFMTA announced a new DriveCam system that will be integrated aboard all Muni vehicles. The cameras record and download a few seconds of footage before and after an incident when the vehicle experiences an exceptional force, such as hard breaking or swerving.

"Operators who engage in unsafe behavior must be trained or disciplined," said James Dougherty, SFMTA's safety chief. "DriveCam will serve as a vital component of our training system."

Chang attributes the most recent collisions to operator error.

The $1.2 million contract covers the installation of the equipment and only a one-year subscription to the DriveCam service, according to the transit agency.

Muni currently has 10 out of 150 light-rail trains out of service due to crashes, with an $18 million bill for repairs. And last September, the city's Board of Supervisors approved a $56.7 million contract that includes $15 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to upgrade the aging light-rail fleet, according to Holland.

"The SFMTA is eligible to receive $67 million in ARRA funds to complete maintenance, rehabilitation and renovation," Holland said. "These are priority projects that will help keep Muni in good operating order."

According to data collected by the SFMTA and the Federal Transit Authority, 42 Muni collisions resulted in fatalities in 2007.

"I wouldn't ride Muni if I didn't feel safe," Santori said.

He added that collisions and crime are bound to exist on any widely used and operated transit system.

Chang claims that on-board passenger safety is a definite concern, but said Muni has done a good job with making passengers feel safe.

Passenger safety has become a concern, especially since the stabbing of an 11-year-old took place aboard the 49-Van Ness bus last September, she said.

However, the cameras on-board that bus were disabled at the time of the crime, according to SFMTA.

"We don't think the San Francisco Police Department has been a visible presence on the buses," Chang said. "Muni makes payments to the police department for security."

Chang admits there are other several factors that could increase rider safety, such as the new radio communications project, which will centralize communication between vehicle operators and law enforcement.

"It's not the only solution," she said. "It's a much bigger problem."

The proposed project, called Soma West, will include a skate park, café, dog park and public art area along Duboce Avenue and Stevenson Street and will start construction in June of 2010, according to the San Francisco Skateboarding Association.

"We have built over 125 skate parks," said Kyle Dion, founder of New Line Skate Parks, Inc and contractor for the new skate park.

"We love what we do and we're out there to change the approach to skate park design and architecture." Dion's company also constructed and designed Rob Dyrdek's personal skate park warehouse, featured on MTV's hit show, "Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory

Dion believes that the new space will look and feel like the streets of San Francisco.

"The design will be a street-style plaza with limited quarter pipes," said Dion.

"We do a lot of research and merge the best aspects of each design format for that particular setting we work upon."

Confident in his company, Dion vowed to make sure San Francisco skateboarders will be beyond pleased with the end result.

With all of these ideas for the new park, San Francisco Skater Association is not completely satisfied with the amount of time it has taken to be built.

"As for why it's taken the city 30 years to get off its ass and build (a skate park), well, that has to do with red tape, real estate, government corruption, lack of interest and a whole lot of other bullshit, mostly money-related," said Bryan Hornbeck, president of the SFSA. "Nothing moves fast enough."

Because of seismic damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the Central Freeway was taken down to create a new roadway to enter Highway 101 and Interstate 80 via Octavia Boulevard, which was completed in 2005. The result has been a revitalization of Octavia Boulevard, where the new park will exist.

"It's not just the skate park they are putting up," said Hornbeck. "They are revitalizing the surrounding community with new roads and so on. We are waiting for those plans to come though first."

The California Department of Transportation manages all freeway, highway and road property in the state. The space underneath the overpass is owned and maintained by CalTrans and is currently being used for parking.

"In order to pay for the construction of the skate park, the city must sell parcels of land, north of Market, along Octavia Boulevard," said Alex Murillo of the city's Department of Public Works.

Murillo mentioned an agreement that was made between CalTrans and the city in the 1990s, where San Francisco would be responsible for Octavia Boulevard and CalTrans would oversee the highway. Once the skate park is built the city will lease the lot from CalTrans.

Despite the opening of Potrero Del Sol skate park last summer and the proposal of the new Soma West skate park, many say that there still aren't enough places for locals to skate safely and without being hassled.

"When Potrero was built, it didn't really cater to a street skater," said 21-year-old street skater, Gerardo Penicci, as he kicked his board around the busy Potrero sidewalk. "SF skaters like their street spots, there are just a lot of quarter pipes and not many ledges or banks to skate."

While San Francisco traffic code section 100 prohibits skateboarding on any city street, at any time, on any sidewalk, the demand for finding places to skate still remains a problem, as well as the safety of the skaters as they continue to practice on the streets.

"Local businesses are spending money to stop skateboarding and repair damages," Hornbeck said. "Young people forced into confrontations with police and security, are issues that fall on the safety of skaters and the general public."

"There are just not enough places to skate in San Francisco. The skateboard community is underserved here and the city needs to facilitate this growing sport," Hornbeck said.

Even though the city is working to build the new skate park for the community, others are skeptical on how it will be made and what it will offer.

"Let's make sure we get the park we want this time," said Keith Hufnagel, professional skateboarder and owner of Huf, a shoe store with skater influences, on Sutter Street.

Some skaters are excited to see how this project will turn out in the next year.

"I'm excited to see how it all turns out," said Garth Bedinger, a DLXSF sales rep and 20-year veteran skater.

"It will be convenient for me to get here and not worry about getting hassled by cops or security guards for skating," added Bedinger, who lives close to the developing project on Duboce Street.

Since the beginning of the fall 2009 semester, students who organize and create broadcasts for "State of Events," a television show from the Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts department, and KSFS, the campus radio station, have provided more extensive content for their audiences and made it available for anyone to access at any time.

"I launched the new Web site in September," said Derek Highsmith, this semester's producer and Web site curator for "State of Events." "I worked in the crew class last semester and noticed that it was really hard to find episodes of the show online, and as a busy student I didn't have time to watch it on cable television."

The television show, anchored by students, airs once a week to inform viewers of local news. Part from the show's online broadcasts, "State of Events" also airs on Fridays at 5 p.m. on cable channel 27.

Not only is the new "State of Events" Web site offering more content for its viewers, but it has also experienced a growth in its audience as well.

"We've been getting feedback," said Dina Ibrahim, assistant professor of Television Center News, one of the two classes that produces "State of Events." "It's finally a two-way conversation between our reporters and our viewers."

The Web site, created by Highsmith, will be used temporarily until an SF State-sanctioned site can be granted.

Like the University's television show, the radio broadcast has also expanded.

"I just wanted to note that KSFS is really taking off this year and doing well," Mallory Abelhouzen, communications director of KSFS, said in an e-mail.

The student-run radio station broadcasts daily, giving listeners a series of shows to tune in to from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

"We started including ksfsradio.org this semester. It started as a student's "fan" site, and we liked the sound of the URL, and it caught on," said Jeff Jacoby, assistant professor of KSFS Radio II. "I'm not certain we will use it after this semester, but more likely that we will continue to use it but have it point to the main KSFS site on the university server."

What once began as a student's "fan" site, KSFS is now pushing the airwaves farther and reaching more people.

"We have now received phone calls and e-mails from at least 20 states and eight countries around the world," Jacoby said.

Despite having a place to showcase the work of these students, KSFS and "State of Events" still post their content regularly to University designated Web sites: The radio station's broadcasts are available for download at http://ksfs-sfsu-edu.blogspot.com and episodes of "State of Events" can be viewed at http://beca.sfsu.edu/blog.

To view and listen to "State of Events" and KSFS on their new sites, go to http://stateofevents.tv for "State of Events" and http://ksfsradio.org for a live feed of KSFS.

Implemented by Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2004, Care not Cash uses the funds given to welfare programs to provide homeless people with housing and services instead of lump sums of cash.

There were 2,334 who received monetary aid in 2004, but by 2009, the number decreased to 396, according to the Care not Cash monthly update in February.

Usually, people are temporary GA workers. For the last three months, Eddy Ventura, 49, has been working as a GA for three hours, twice a week and gets paid $422 a month. "I don't like to depend on this job, I want to earn more money," he said of his GA job serving meals at Glide.

Over the years, Ventura has held different jobs. "I'm a nursing aid, my license expired in 1990," but he took other jobs because he was underpaid, Ventura said.

"You can work as a GA as long as you do fill the requirements," Ventura said.

The meals program at Glide relies on the GAs' help.

"We would be in trouble if we didn't have GAs," said Bruce McKinney, manager at the meals program. "There are meal periods where they are all we have."

After losing his job as a desk clerk in a hotel last September, Taray Trillo, 50, has been working as a GA serving meals at Glide for the last month. He gets paid $340 a month and works six hours a week as a GA. He lives in the Tenderloin and likes his GA job because he meets different people. During his free time, he peruses the Internet, looking for a job.

Working as a GA varies according to people's situation. While some might stay in the program shortly, others have a harder time getting out of it.

"Some work for a month, some six months and some stay longer," said David Barnett, who as a kitchen expediter at Glide, works with eight to 10 GAs per shift.

Some people moved in, hoping the situation would be better in San Francisco than in other cities or states.

A year ago Chet Ambrous, 39, who worked as a waiter in restaurants and hotels for 18 years, moved from Miami to San Francisco.

"I thought it might be easier to find a job here," he said.

But reality proved him wrong, as he was unable to find a job after applying to different restaurants and hotels.

"They're not hiring and there is a huge competition," he said, reiterating that these jobs are highly popular.

For the last seven months, Ambrous has been working as a GA, serving food at Glide twice a week and receiving $65 a month plus shelter. Ambrous said he'd continue to be a GA until he finds a job.

Teri Ann Gershon, 62, has lived in San Francisco for 23 years. As a former GA serving food at Glide, she got off the program two months ago when her Social Security payments started. She used to get $200 in food stamps and $50 in cash for three months. Over the years, Gershon has held all sorts of jobs, working as an assistant manager in a coffee shop, a cashier in a clothing store, selling olive oil and in several restaurants. She became homeless nine months ago and three months later, her companion left her. Since July, she has been living at Community Awareness and Treatment Services, Inc., a women's shelter, and will soon move to permanent housing.

The hard times affect young people, too. William Standard, 25, works three hours, three times a week and gets $67 a month and food stamps.

"I like the job here but I won't pick it as a life-long career," he said about his GA work at Glide's coffee house.

In the past, Standard worked in a boys' boarding house doing chores like cooking, cleaning, helping with homework and taking the boys to doctors and counseling appointments. At San Francisco City College, he studied for two semesters to be a medical assistant and has one more year to finish. He is looking for a job helping in the kitchen or as a busboy. "If I can get a job I'll try to finish school," he said.

Qualifying as a GA is a long process and people have to fill few application forms to be eligible, according to the County Adult Assistance Programs, which offers services that benefit people who are not eligible for other state or federal cash aid programs like Personal Assisted Employment Services, Supplemental Security Income Pending, Cash Assistance Linked to Medi-Cal and General Assistance.

The process might take 2-4 weeks depending on how fast all the paperwork is ready and some applicants are turned down if they don't fulfill the requirements, according to CAAP.

If people are employable, they must do a job search. If they've been homeless, they get shelter and in some cases, permanent housing. Part of the requirements is to show proof of unemployment, residence, bank accounts, fingerprints and photos and in some cases a doctor's statement about an inability to work.

Applicants for GA positions must fill out some forms and bring personal identification, their Social Security number, proof of income, of assets and of expenses to the interview.

The event, hosted by Trans:Thrive, will include pubic speakers, a reading of the 2009 known victims' names, an open community dialogue and an altar to commemorate the dead.

The key speaker, Alexandra Byerly, is the program coordinator for El/La Program Para TransLatinas in the Mission.

Trans:Thrive is a subgroup of the Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center located at Polk and Ellis Streets.

Statistics posted on the Day of Remembrance Web site, http://www.transgenderdor.org, by transgender activist Ethan St. Pierre show that murders of transgender people have consistently risen since 1985 in the United States as well as internationally, from 6 to 47 deaths globally.

"It's a day of mourning and a day to educate people in our community and outside of our community," said St. Pierre, who lives in Haverhill, Mass.

San Francisco Transgender Empowerment, Advocacy and Mentorship, along with other community groups, will organize the San Francisco gathering. SF TEAM is the transgender branch of the San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Center.

"My primary focus is to give people a place to memorialize the loss this year," said Clair Farley, the coordinator of transgender economic development at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center.

In 2008, there were 18 deaths in the United States and 29 internationally, which amount to 47 people who were killed because of their gender identity, according to statistics posted on the Transgender Day of Remembrance Web site. That's more than double the number of deaths in 2007 and in 2006. These numbers also don't include hate crimes that didn't result in deaths and discrimination in employment and health care.

"The Day of Remembrance demonstrates how often trans individuals experience violence," said Michelle Eliason, a human sexuality professor at SF State who has studied transgender issues and whose sister is trangendered. "Hate crimes against trans individuals are much more extreme than against other groups because our society is so deeply ingrained in a binary gender system that severely punishes people for deviating from gender norms," she said.

Eliason's sister, Rachel, lives in Des Moines, Iowa, and is an active member of the LGBT center there and is part of a trans support group. She works as a nurse on the night shift on a geriatric unit, and while the staff is supportive, the patients are not conscious enough to realize what Rachel is going through, Eliason said.

Eliason said Rachel's ex-wife is not causing any problems and her 10-year-old son is accepting as well.

"The biggest barrier has been my mother, who is not rejecting, but who feels embarrassed and distressed by the physical changes: From Rich to Rachel, from a 6-feet-2-inch guy with a bushy beard to wearing skirts and peasant blouses. I think she will come around, but it's hard for a nearly 80-year-old woman to adjust to the transition."

Kristina Wertz, legal director at the Transgender Law Center, said there has been "tremendous advancement" in the law in California for transgender people, but that there is still "rampant discrimination."

According to the State of Transgender California Report issued by the Transgender Law Center, providing results from a 2008 statewide survey, 67 percent of respondents reported some form of workplace harassment or discrimination directly related to their gender identity. According to the same survey, 11 percent have had a care provider refuse to treat them because they are transgender, but 94 percent of the transgender respondents over the age of 25 hold a high school diploma or equivalent, compared to 80 percent in California generally.

"I think California and SFSU are only slightly ahead of the rest of the U.S. on transgender issues," Eliason said. "SFSU includes sexual orientation in its nondiscrimination policy, but not gender identity."

The LGBT community and activists are hoping that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act passes in Congress so that it would prohibit discrimination against employees on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and disability for civilian nonreligious employers with over 15 employees.

"What the government is saying to us is that we don't deserve to work," St. Pierre said.

St. Pierre's aunt, Debra Forte, was killed in 1995 for being a transgender person. He said "losing her because of who she was, was really magnifying." Because of her death, he decided to become an activist because he believed hate crimes were unacceptable.

Although it was the last day of picketing in front of the Palace, three-day strikes are expected to continue at different hotels throughout the city until an agreement is reached.

On Nov. 18, 650 Westin St. Francis employees walked off the job and began the third temporary strike.

The protest was the second strike since Unite Here! Local 2 Union authorized a strike Oct. 22 due to the inability to reach a negotiation with hotels about how to pay for health care.

Local 2 represents about 9,000 room cleaners, bellhops, cooks, dishwashers, servers and bartenders at 62 hotels, any of which could face a strike if an agreement is not reached.

"We're tired, but the adrenaline is up and we're making our point," Elena Duran, a server for 18 years at the Palace, said. "We need to show that we care for our benefits."

In a city that has already hung white snowflakes on lampposts downtown, a strike against hotels could be detrimental to San Francisco's $8.5 billion tourism industry this holiday season. When the union and hotels couldn't reach a contract negotiation in 2004, nearly two years of strikes, boycotts and a 53-day lockout ensued.

The hotels are using the recession as a reason to refrain from improving their employees' health care coverage, although health care costs are rising and the hotels are still profiting, according to Riddhi Mehta, press coordinator for Local 2.

Representatives from the Palace management were unavailable for comment at publication.

"This year is supposed to be a recession year, yet they're still making a profit," Mehta said. "It might not be as much as before, but it's still millions, and yet our members are struggling to survive."

"Health care costs are continuing to increase, but the hotels only want to pay a portion of that increase," Mehta added.

Hospitality workers argue that they simply cannot take on the burden of paying for increased health care costs, especially at a time when hotels are cutting back their hours and laying off employees.

"I have three children, two who are in college, and if I have to pay health care, I won't be able to," Duran said.

At the Palace, longtime employee Zenaida Jones said that the picket was driving guests away from the hotel.

"We try to be loud and disturb the people upstairs," Jones said. "And some (guests) sympathize when they see us and don't check in."

Mehta said that hotels whose management "put the worst proposals on the table" would be picketed in the future.

Mario Porras, a bartender at the Holiday Inn, said that hotel management is on edge over which hotel will be picketed next.

"All the managers slept in the hotel last night because they thought we were going to strike," Porras said.

"Crime on Muni is up and there's concern over public safety," said Capt. David Lazar of the Ingleside police station. "Our job is to bring down crime."

On Nov. 4, undercover and uniformed police officers descended on buses all over San Francisco in the largest sting operation ever executed on Muni in an effort to target fare evasion, eating, tagging and other crime.

Over 400 people were cited and nine people were arrested in the sting, according to police spokeswoman Sgt. Lyn Tomioka.

The surge of police onto Muni is part of Operation Safe Muni, which was started in the Ingleside district in September in order to tackle the problem of crime and fare evasion on Muni. Crime on Muni has increased, while crime in the city is down, according to Lazar.

"Muni is an extension of San Francisco's streets," said Kristen Holland, a spokeswoman for Muni. "The SFPD presence on Muni reflects an ongoing partnership to prevent crime and make Muni safer."

Muni loses approximately $19 million annually from fare evasion, according to Holland.
Operation Safe Muni stings in Ingleside have resulted in approximately 150 citations for fare evasion.

"Our plan with Safe Muni is to start with some analysis of the problem and determine its magnitude and scope," said Lt. Jason Cherniss, who helped organize Operation Safe Muni stings in Ingleside. "Our response will include more enforcement targeting subjects who commit any and all offenses on Muni."

The stings are part of the ongoing operation that will place officers on buses throughout the day in areas where crime is prevalent.

"As a cop, I'm concerned about major bus lines in districts where there's crime," Lazar said. "If we can reduce crime, we're doing our job."

The policy for the past 10 years is that police officers are required to ride two buses per shift, according to Lazar. The San Francisco Police Department charges the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for services, including security on buses.

Until recently, police officers would patrol the buses without asking for proof of payment. Police officers around San Francisco are now being trained to check a rider's proof of payment on Muni to prevent fare evasion, according to Lazar.

"I can't speak for the past, but we see the problem and we're working to fix it," Lazar said.
The Ingleside police station is currently training every officer on how to conduct proof of payment.

Operation Safe Muni is being expanded to include crime prevention, ridership outreach, follow-up with offenders to prevent crime and training in schools about paying on Muni, which will be part of an educational campaign.

"We are focusing much of our effort on forming a closer partnership with Muni (so) as to facilitate some of the implementations," Cherniss said.

Prohibition has been over for 76 years, but San Francisco's Bourbon & Branch is still shelling out drinks like it's 1929.

The counterintuitive trend has been booming in this country lately, offering the public nostalgic trips in time to the days when drinking was hush-hush, said the bar's manager, Joel Baker. From Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco and the Violet Hour in Chicago, to the Hideout in Brooklyn, pricey cocktails that are being concocted in shadowy settings are drawing in more and more people, he said.

"Our drinks aren't cheap," he said, but Baker attests to seeing more customers in the past few months than he's seen in the three years he's been with Bourbon & Branch. "We pride ourselves in the caliber of cocktails we provide."

"People have an affection for this period of American history, and they want the mystery," Brian Sheehy, an owner of Bourbon & Branch, said.

"You'll see the master chef from a high-priced restaurant sitting in a booth next to the young couple who just got out of a show in the theater district," Baker said. "The one thing they have in common is they all enjoy finer spirits."

People come for the quality of the drinks, he said of the high-priced and alcohol-heavy cocktails, which range anywhere from $11 and up per drink.

However, there's a reason people will foot the bill for these drinks. Bourbon & Branch carries many limited production whiskeys and scotches, including a Canadian whiskey, Crown XR, which only had 7,500 cases produced, he said. There is also a rare bourbon, Glenmorangie Margaux Finish, one of 1,200 bottles in the U.S. that can be served.

"The prices are worth it for the ambiance," Ryan Tabaldi, a 22-year-old economist graduate from SF State, said. "They definitely could lower the prices, but if people are willing to pay the price, then why should they lower it?"

Tabaldi said Bourbon & Branch is a bar he'll go to every once in a while when he wants to indulge, but on the special occasions he does go, he feels justified in emptying his wallet.

A customer can order a gin and tonic for the same price as a crazy and interesting cocktail at a normal bar - the difference is that Bourbon & Branch will substitute drink-decoration with more ounces of premium alcohol, Baker added.

Baker, 31, has been bartending and working in restaurants in the city for a decade, from Café Claude in the Financial District to Aub Zam Zam in the Haight.

"America has only two real cuisines, one is BBQ, the other is cocktails," Baker said. "Prohibition killed the art of bartending in this country, and Bourbon & Branch wants to reinvent and reinvigorate the style of making cocktails."

A steady bar since the 1860s, Bourbon & Branch has remained faithful to the corner of Jones and O'Farrell Streets from the Barbary Coast days through Prohibition until now, Baker said.

The façade of Bourbon & Branch is unscathed and unmarked, with a single sign hanging from the corner of the building that reads, "Anti-Saloon League" as its single signifier of a bar.

"Considering the neighborhood, it's good to remain anonymous," Baker said while moving some bottles of whiskey around on the bar.

A patron rings the buzzer and says the secret password to the doorman, gaining access to the speakeasy. In order to obtain a password, a customer must first make a reservation via the bar's Web site, he added.

Baker was quick to point out the house rules posted throughout the establishment. They forbid the ordering of cosmopolitans, flash photography and request people to keep the noise down by enforcing a "speak easy" policy.

"You can get a cosmo anywhere," Baker said. "We get people to step outside their comfort zone."

The speakeasy offers a drink menu that has its own table of contents for the customer's ease. More than half of their drink recipes are their own, along with having homemade liqueurs and grenadine, adding to the bar's authenticity, he said.

"They actually transport you to that era," Mel Kreitz, a marketing graduate from SF State, said. "You actually feel like it's prohibition."

Kreitz said he first found out about the bar years ago and has been attracted to it ever since.

As imbibers walk in, they have their choice of staying in the main room with booths and stools, or entering through a bookcase trap door into the library room. It's located in the back of the establishment, and cocktail lessons are given against bookshelf backdrops sporadically throughout the week.

Between January 1920 and December 1933, the speakeasy was called Ipswitch. Located underground in the basement of what is now Bourbon & Branch, it served liquor illegally to San Franciscans, according to Baker.

The JJ Russels room, which was a cigar shop acting as a front for the bar during prohibition, is now a prime destination. It can be rented out for $500 a night for medium-sized events and has a secret trap door leading down to the original speakeasy.

The basement, which has floor-to-ceiling liquor cabinets and a small bar, now houses private parties. Last month, Beam Global, the makers of Jim Beam whiskey, reserved the basement for a secluded dinner, he said.

Baker said the original bar room, which was no larger than a medium-size closet, held all seven cabinets of liquor spread out on the south wall of the basement during the speakeasy days.

A sign saying "ladies" above a dark hallway to that bar's left marks a secret passageway leading customers underground across O'Farrell Street to the Garland Hotel -- it was considered to be "the ladies' exit," he said.

However, only special guests are privy to exploring the passageway, he added.

Kreitz, 33, wanted to open up a bar just like Bourbon & Branch because of the mysterious atmosphere it provides.

"If you're looking at it from a marketing scheme, it's brilliant," he said. "You gotta differentiate."

Reservations can be made at http://www.bourbonandbranch.com. To ensure a spot, reservations usually need to be made two weeks beforehand.

"There's no stone left unturned," Baker said. "It's something you need to try at least once."

The recipient of this pledge? Simple: "God."

"I woke up because there was this loud, booming voice in my dream," Basinger said, waving his hands in the air to emulate the voice. "The voice said, 'You must organize housing for people with AIDS.'"

Whether it was the dream, the medication he was on, destiny or insanity, Basinger doesn't care. Since that day in 2002, he has successfully built the AIDS Housing Alliance, an organization that helps HIV-positive people find housing.

During that time, he had been taking a new medication that gave him the "best dreams in the world." After his revelation, he got up, put on water for coffee and before the water had boiled, his phone rang. It was his new landlord, who Basinger had met during a harrowing five months of trying to find an apartment with his boyfriend.

"He told us, 'You guys are so wonderful and I want to help other people with AIDS find housing,'" Basinger explained, imitating his landlord's Midwestern twang. "We have two building units open, could you find anyone to live there?"

Basinger and his boyfriend, James, are both HIV-positive. During the housing hunt, James was living in a Single Room Occupancy and Basinger was being evicted from the apartment he had spent half of his life and seen 30 HIV-positive friends die in. Basinger's landlord decided to give the couple housing because his brother had died of AIDS.

The dream and the situation clicked. Basinger immediately called the Bay Area Reporter and the San Francisco Chronicle. He called someone at a housing organization and got a desk. By noon, the AIDS Housing Alliance was born.

"The cost to house someone with AIDS is $6,000 per year," he said. "When people have stable housing, it cuts AIDS transmission in half. Housing is the most documented, cost-effective tool we have."

The White House is currently holding town hall meetings across the country in order to discuss the national HIV/AIDS strategy. On Oct. 16, Jeffrey Crowley, director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, met with the San Francisco community at the Mission Bay Conference Center at UC San Francisco. The issue of housing took the stage for a period and many, including Basinger, emphasized the need for housing to be part of the discussion.

"I was doing some lobbying and Jeff Crowley invited me to come up with recommendations for the first AIDS Housing Plan," Basinger said. "In the next two weeks, I'm putting together a group of people in the Bay Area to help inform about our contributions to the national plan."

As well as helping people with AIDS find housing, AHA helps them obtain jobs for the pride in obtaining employment and because a steady paycheck makes for easier findings in the housing hunt.

One of Basinger's employees is Rodrigo Ibanez, a 40-year-old gay man who was born in Mexico City and used to work in San Diego as an accountant, lost his job due to the financial turmoil and decided to move to San Francisco. He thought things would be better here; there was a thriving gay community and he had experienced the welcoming warmth of the Castro and the shopping opportunities of Union Square as a tourist.

"When I moved here, it was as hard as it was in San Diego," Ibanez said. "I ran out of money, my savings and I was homeless. I never slept in the street, and I'm lucky for that, but I could never secure housing."

Ibanez eventually started living in the Drake Hotel, an SRO in the Tenderloin.

"I appreciate that I never had to live on the street, but that place was such an experience," Ibanez said. "It was awful and dirty, there were roaches and rats and I was in a state of shock. Even coming from Mexico City, I was not prepared for the Tenderloin."

Someone eventually told Ibanez about AHA and he came initially as a client, looking for housing. He started living in Brandy Moore Rafiki House, where he still lives today. Once he got settled, he started volunteering at AHA and was offered a job as the financial services coordinator.

"I went from being out of control to helping people in the same situation," Ibanez said. "It is wonderful, and I love what I do."

Working in the Tenderloin, Ibanez still shudders when he has to walk past the Drake Hotel.

"I get that feeling of desperation and hopelessness is triggered every time I walk by," he said. "But it makes me more willing to do what I can do for the people who come in here."

There are $660 million new medical costs due to HIV/AIDS a year in San Francisco alone, according to Basinger.

People searching for housing are sure that discrimination against people with AIDS plays a part in limiting options.

"I had an SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and a Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS (HOPLA) grant," Ricky Darnell, 51, said. "It didn't take landlords long to put two and two together."

Darnell has had AIDS since 1989 and has lived through various housing situations. Currently, he is staying at SROs as an alternative to living with a friend who is "a huge junkie and a total mess."

"I'm taking a break from him this week," Darnell said.

Because he was employed until recently, Darnell has never gone to AHA but knows their work.

"It's a great agency," he said. "If I'm in this conundrum for much longer, I'm going to do an intake with them."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study in 2007 saying homeless or unstably housed persons were two to six times more likely to "have recently used hard drugs, shared needs or exchanged sex" than people who also had low incomes, but were stably housed.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health also found that 10 percent of the homeless population has "full-blown AIDS," according to Basinger.

"Forty percent of people who get AIDS are homeless," Basinger said. "There is a need for awareness and an appropriate response. It's a communicable disease. If we house people, we cut down on transmission."

A few years ago, the rock band from Kansas City, Miss., consisting of lead singer and songwriter Kristen May, husband and guitarist Brian Little, bassist Jason Douglas and drummer Drew Little, might not have dove into this optimistic pre-gaming.

After a new contract with Epic Records, the digital release of their third album "Stages" and an appearance on MTV's "The Hills," the members of Vedera finally believe they have something to celebrate.

"It's been amazing," May said with a grin. "Releasing the album digitally makes us more comfortable. We've toured for five years and so our show is more refined."

Vedera's recent appearance on MTV certainly drew the spotlight and attracted more fans.

"We were amazed at how many downloaded our album after that," May said.

People previously unaware of the band were given a taste of them on national television as they played a private show in Los Angeles to a room full of fans and celebrities.

"I had no idea who they were before I saw them on TV, but I thought they sounded and looked great," said Chelsea Pearsall, 22, a student from Los Angeles, before Thursday's show. "Right afterwards, I searched and got the album."

Moments before they opened for Matt Kearney, the band began to warm up, with their breathtaking vocals, heart-wrenching chords and guitar riffs capable of bringing Carole King to her knees. May softly strolled around singing to herself, hoping to get her voice in top shape while she applied makeup in a room full of her bandmates.

"Stages," released online in October of this year, is a sensitive blend of both soft and hard rock. During the performance, the band constantly escalated into emotional climaxes where the instruments followed the lead of May.

The songs compiled in the show were mostly off their new album, which addressed the challenging aspects of relationships.

"It's definitely about relationships and, I think, about enduring those relationships," May said. "The stages you go through with that person. There's hope on the record -- I hope. Albums that influence this album are the ones like therapy and how you can relate to them in daily life."

Little and May create an irresistible songwriting combination.

"We're both in love with music and in love with each other," May gushed. "We live together and are constantly thinking about writing. Both of us are so eager. You don't really take a day off."

Even though their life as a band and family consists of touring and creating music that they're passionate about, they've also had to endure some misfortune, including a near-fatal car accident in South Carolina and the theft of their van in Detroit, Mich.

"We were driving to make this radio show when we hit some ice and flipped our van," Little recalled. "Kristen broke her nose and I got knocked out. Cory, our friend, was in the hospital for a couple days. That was a life-changing experience."

The incidents brought a feeling of complete negativity they had for one week, according to Little.

"We were pissed off at the world," he said. "When we look back, it was a big time in our lives."

Now, with a new record and all their equipment and love for each other intact, Vedera can't wait to take to the stage, even if there is another road bump in their future.

"Sometimes I get worn out, but we really consider ourselves a team," May said. "It's what we want to do. We're just so thankful that we have a job. Every day is a different experience."

On Nov. 2, the San Francisco Food Bank reported a 10 percent increase in food distribution throughout the city and will distribute 36.5 million pounds of food this year, which is enough for over 78,000 meals everyday.

At Glide Memorial Church, a modest dining room is filled with long, rectangular tables each set with ice water, coffee and a big bowl of green apples. Today, the meal is meatballs with gravy on top of a hot dog bun, with sides of cabbage and rice.

Located in the Tenderloin, Glide's Daily Free Meals Program offers around 2,200 daily meals, seven days a week for 364 days a year (except New Year's Day) for people in need.

But the current financial situation has brought more people and it has dramatically affected Glide's operation, according to Bruce McKinney, manager of the Daily Free Meals Program for the last two and a half years. Last February, eight people were laid off while the number of daily meals served grew 18 percent from 2,000 meals during the preceding years.

Most of Glide's patrons are adults, but recently, an influx of families have been seeking help, according to Bobby Furlough, a prep-coordinator in the kitchen.

"In the last eight months we've seen more families around here," Furlough said.

Working-class clients are also known to stop by for breakfast and lunch, as well as volunteers, who take their meals there to save money, he said.

Project Open Hand on Polk Street has also seen an increase on the amount of people who use their service.

Because of the economy's situation, within the last year and a half more people come back and use the services more often, according to Robert Brenneman, director of Development and Marketing at Project Open Hand.

And as the holidays loom closer, concern arises over providing holiday meals due to the faltering economy, said McKinney.

Glide has traditionally served 500 turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"Last holiday season we were worried, but ended up pretty good," said McKinney about getting all the required turkeys. This Thanksgiving they have secured 300 turkeys and hope to get 200 more.

Glide heavily relies on volunteers' help to serve the community.

"Volunteers are safer here than in the streets, away from drugs," McKinney said.

"When we help people, time goes fast," said Laura B., a volunteer at Glide who would prefer to not use her last name. "I've seen conservatives and bums coming here," she added.

Each person, staff or volunteer, does one activity at a time, like putting salt and pepper onto a food tray, Laura said. Even though the job is pretty mechanical, everybody leaves happy, she said.

Being the recipient of these meals is not an easy position to embrace and some don't see themselves coming to an old Church's dark basement, according to McKinney.

"The last thing people want to do is to stand up and eat at Glide," he said. "Nobody plans on ending up in a place like Glide," and added, "I'm the lucky one to get home."

Ruth Brinker, a retired meal service manager, started the project in 1985 by preparing seven meals in a church basement for people with AIDS. Today, Project Open Hand gives free nutrition services to seniors, men, women and children with HIV, AIDS and breast cancer who live in San Francisco and Oakland.

Open Hand operates seven days a week, 365 days a year. In addition to regular meals they offer seven special meals carefully monitored to follow a special diet that suit their clients' needs. They also make their own peanut butter.

"We serve 2,600 meals a day between San Francisco and Oakland," Brenneman said.

"Our motto is meals with love, nutrition and compassion," Brenneman said. Besides feeding people, "we want to know how they're doing," Brenneman said. Patrons get cakes on their birthdays, some get frozen meals to last a whole week and those who can't leave home because of their critical illness get home delivery services.

In addition to the free meals program, Open Hand offers free grocery service.

The grocery center distributes bags of nutritionally balanced groceries twice a week, on Tuesday and Saturday.

"We try to make the bags with items according to the needs of our clients," Brenneman said.

The bags might contain vegetarian items for diabetic clients or low-calorie goods for both HIV-positive clients and breast cancer patients, or with non-cooking groceries for clients who don't have a kitchen. Furthermore, they offer cooking lessons that fit the available groceries during that week.

For more information visit http://www.glide.org and www.openhand.org.