After weeks of relative guilt-free robberies in the East Bay, two people were apprehended last night after nail salon was shook down. Last night "two men wearing ski masks, at least one of them armed, burst into the nail salon at 10814 Bancroft Ave. shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday." The two were nabbed after shortly after taking off in a getaway car. According to the Oakland Tribune, authorities believe the two are "responsible for at......

El Cerrito played host to the most recent restaurant takeover at around 9:45 p.m. last night. Two masked men entered Yuet Foo Seafood Restaurant and stole cash from employees and patrons "before fleeing on foot toward the Richmond Annex neighborhood in Richmond." (SFGate)......

Much to Mayor Dellums relief -- since this means he won't have to make yet another benign, angry-man speech -- a Hayward Chinese restaurant was targeted last night in the East Bay takeover robber spree. Last night a little after 8 p.m., two suspects brandishing handguns entered the Great River restaurant at 22218 Foothill Blvd, demanding cash and phones from patrons and employees. The suspects are described as "black males who were both wearing black......

SUNDAY, MISSION: Over at 23rd and Treat streets, 18-year-old Jorge Hurtado was shot and killed at around 1 a.m. Hurtado, according to the Gate, was "approached by another young man, who briefly exchanged words with Hurtado," killed him, and then escaped in a "dark-colored SUV." No arrests have been made. SATURDAY, TENDERLOIN: Anyone know exactly what went down here. The fuzz didn't seem to know what we're talking about when we contacted them. According......

So far eight businesses in the East Bay have been held up by robbers in the past couple of weeks. Last night at around 9 p.m., two suspects hit Restaurant Furenzu on Adeline Street in Emeryville, according to CBS 5 (via Bay City News). While police can't be sure that last night's heist is related to the other ones that have been hitting East Bay restaurants, it does follow the same pattern: "[o]ne of......

Everyone's had to do the dreaded parent intro dinner at one point or another and The Gate's Michael Bauer put up his list of suggestions of where to go. On Mike's list, we've got Cafe Majestic, Rubicon and Perbacco among others. Personally, we liked the suggestions of commenters more: Cassis, Zuni Cafe (pictured at left) and Rivoli for East Bay'ers. Commenter Neil posted up his two cents on Bauer's blog and wrote up his detailed......

*CLUB: Check out Rock Out Karaoke over at Amnesia. What is Rock Out Karaoke? Well, it mean that you will hear neither a Righteous Brothers cover nor a note from everyone's least favorite musical, Grease. And isn't that what you really want in a karaoke night? Of course it is. (Glenny Kravitz hosts.) READING: Sorry to throw another Valencia Street happening your way, but: author and artist Ian Philips, of Suspect Thoughts Press, reads......

Photo: Jameth Hey, did you find a notebook carrying proof that the Lord above exists? If so, Ken would like it back. If you have said book of miracles, find Ken's East Bay based number here.......

Just outside of her Montclair home, Laura Belkin, 58, was stuck and killed by a hit-and-run driver this morning as she was getting her mail on the 5900 block of Zinn Drive off Snake Road in the Oakland hills. According to the Gate: Police are searching for the driver of a dark, late 1990s to early 2000s sport utility vehicle, possibly similar in style to a Toyota 4-Runner, Banks said. If any East Bay......

*MUSIC: You know that song at the end of Juno, "Anyone Else But You"? The one Ellen Page and Michael Cera sing to one another? And it's all cute and sad? Well,it was co-written and originally recorded by Kimya Dawson, former half of the Moldy Peaches, and she's over in the East Bay tonight at 924 Gilman. She performs along with Angelo Spencer at this all-ages show. (No booze allowed, by the way.) .......

Anti-war fans, pro-war zealots, '60s fetishists, barely-legal Marines, the unshowered, and young college students trying to impress their boyfriends will be out in full force on the other side of the Bay later this evening. Why? Because after receiving loads of national criticism, as well as a few death threats, the Berkeley City Council will decide tonight whether or not to "revoke a letter it approved two weeks ago telling the Marines they are 'unwelcome......

"I confirm my covenant with you: Never again will all living things be wiped out by the waters of a flood; never again will a flood destroy the earth."...

Starting today, eight Bay Area shelters are offering free spaying/neutering to pit bull owners. Although a few shelters, such as the East Bay SPCA offer the free service year-round, the organizers of Bay Area Pit Fix Week are hoping that by offering spaying/neutering this week, the lives of thousands of pit bulls (and the people they otherwise might maul if not for being fixed) will be spared. Thousands of pit bulls are euthanized in the......

Never having to drive through this again? Sob. The East Bay and South Bay (more or less) are vying to be one of the destination points that will send travelers from SF to LA in 2½ hours. (Can you imagine? You're watch HSM and HSM2 on your iPhone and -- poof! -- you're kicking it in LA!) Over 700 miles of track would be devoted to getting you from SF to LA in record......

Sure Jager makes things all surreal, tequila makes you do things you normally wouldn't do, and whiskey makes things all sh---kicking but if you really want something that brings the crazy, there's absinthe. Absinthe was a drink popular at the turn of the last century but was banned supposedly for "making people insane" and by insane we mean too fin de siècle, you know-- into impressionism, dressing colorfully, chopping of one of their ears, and being gay. But now it's making a comeback, thanks to a heroic lawyer who got the prohibition in the U.S. revoked and thanks to that lawyer, a distillery in Alameda is going to start making some. Hell, if people thought they needed it to make it through the turn of the last century how do they expect us to make it through this turn of the century?...

Police found missing diabetic East Bay teen ("missing," "diabetic," and from the "East Bay" -- ow, that's rough), who also suffers from depression, in "ok" condition this afternoon. Whew. According to NBC11, "ambulance crews pulled [Rosalind "Rosie" Blanckenburg] off a trail at the park at about 1:25 p.m. near Woodhaven and Sinset." No word yet on how she ended up in the park, but for now she is safe and (hopefully) sound. We're sure......

For whatever reason, this pitiful business sign, found in the East Bay, tickles us ever so. It's adorable. And sad. But mainly adorable. Hawking semi-permanent lashes (i.e., false eyelashes?) sounds decent. But what's with the name? Are Squeakie's [sic] lashes really that beatific? We're intrigued. Sort of.......

-- The Misfits: a little post-Halloween chillingness -- sexy, bare-chested, punk chillingness, that is -- for you tonight. Behold: the Misfits play a few ditties along with the Hellbillys and the Memphis Murder Men tonight at 8 p.m. at DNA Lounge; $20. -- Dodo for President: Written by Mark Eisman (LA Weekly's Best Playwright 2006, two-time [daytime] Emmy nominee) returns with this politcomedy. It's a "funny, quirky and touching look at friendships, presidential campaigns......

And how might you observe Guy Fawkes Night here in San Francisco? Here are our suggestions:...

Why? Because a body has been found under one of the BART trains. How the body ended up there or its current condition is unknown at this time. But a medical examiner has been called onto the scene, so...sounds like a not-alive body to us. Sadly....

Back in high school, we had an English teacher who really drilled the Transcendentalists into our brains, especially that one Thoreau Emerson quote: "Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." What can we say? It still makes us think. Like about restaurants that have hardly changed in at least 20 years (the amount we can vouch for, since that's when we moved here from Southern California) if not 35 -- Juan's Place, in Berkeley. We......

At the dewy-fresh hour of 6 a.m., Oakland police officers, Alameda County sheriff's deputies, and agents with the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI went on an Oakland-wide spree of busts for heroin trafficking (as well as "cocaine and marijuana, " at least according to this morning's Mornings On 2's.)...

What would Batman and Robin think? With its chic industrial/gothic design, the new “market hall” style Whole Foods that opened recently near Lake Merritt in Oakland certainly could be used for a set on the next Batman flick. (Note: we won’t be defending or condemning the corporation itself here. We instead refer you to Mark Morford’s sharp analysis of the friendly giant.) We wish we’d known about the opening day festivities, what with an......

Last week's winner, the Bay Guardian. Tim Redmond says the Navy is the gayest armed services branch. Well, sure. Cars are worse than homeless people, says a letter writer. Halloween will suuuuuck. A former director of Intersection for the Arts died in a car crash. The new crackdown on homelessness, and why aren't people more upset? Cover article: Our pals at SwapSF make the cover! About the whole freetail trend! Yay SwapSF! (and other freegans!)......

Last week's winner, the deceptive SF Weekly. Letters abound, either outraged by the fake Barry Bonds story or entertained by the elk. Why don't the negative letters have the names of the authors? Are you now questioning all the journalism you read in the Weekly now, or did you just think it was a good joke? Matt Smith says Gavin Newsom is supporting a cult. No, not the cult of Gavin, though no doubt Gavin......

San Franciscans have already had a year to enjoy the Green Zebra Guide coupon book. We here in the East Bay wouldn’t know about that, since we’ve never seen that book ourselves, although we’ve heard tell of its exploits. However, when we found out that a coupon book specifically for East Bay eco-minded businesses, organic food, restaurants, sustainable living services, and entertainment was on its way to our little forgotten corner of the bay, we......

At left: barf We couldn't get though this article about today's bust of the East Bay operation Tainted Inc., which produced "marijuana-laced candies, cookies, ice cream, peanut butter, barbecue sauce, granola bars and brownies," without gagging. (We can't even re-read that sentence.) Why? Because the taste to pot is vile. We know that after time one starts to develop a taste for the drugs to which they are addicted, but we can't see that......

Last week's winner, the San Jose Metro. Alas! They haven't updated their site for this week yet, and we didn't manage to snag a hard copy of the paper, so they'll have to forfeit in the Weekly of the Week contest for the week. Next up, let's call it for the SF Weekly. Ephraim the Track Bike is back! And he mentions us! We love you, Ephraim the Track Bike! Did Ed Jew's people spearhead......

Reginald Ross, 39, of San Francisco died today after getting struck by a 15-ton shipping container while working aboard the CMS Stuttgart Express. Due to the incident, all longshore workers halted shiploading for the day, and won't return until tomorrow morning. The ship was docked at the time of the fatal accident, said Diann Castleberry, director of public affairs with the Port of Oakland, according to CBS5. Read more about it here or here.......

Last week's winner, the SF Weekly: Someone's angry with the Bouncer. Local progressive Adam Werbach is a Walmart sellout. Why won't anyone endorse the mayor? Cover article: the back story about the Haight neighborhood activist killed in an S/M session gone wrong. These drawings illustrating the piece are pretty rad, though (see left) -- did Matt Smith do 'em? A Hank Williams Birthday Karaoke Sing-Off???? There's a tear in our beer too! The anti-war Berkeley......