Sam Spade's San Francisco

We have momentum. The governor has said he will fight with us to defeat this measure. But we still need you.

Our opponents recently poured another quarter of a million dollars into their paid signature gathering effort for a final push this weekend. We must counter their efforts.

We have one more week — and we need you. Will you join our fight against this amendment?

We have just days left to deny our opponents the final 100,000 signatures they say they need to qualify the amendment for the November ballot.

This is our last chance.

Here’s how you can help defeat this outrageous assault on our rights:

• Sign up to volunteer. Equality for All had 800 people on the streets last weekend talking to tens of thousands of Californians and asking them to not sign the petitions. If you were a volunteer — thank you! We need 1,000 volunteers this week in order to keep this amendment off the ballot.
• Make a donation. Every dollar you donate will help fight this initiative and counter the $250,000 the opposition just raised.
• Send an email to 10 friends. Tell them what is going on. Ask them to volunteer and donate.

Proponents of this amendment will do anything to get this measure on the ballot. We have heard of signature forging, volunteers telling voters this discriminatory petition supports marriage equality, and other illegal tactics.

We need you to join us today.

In solidarity,


Geoff Kors
Executive Director
Equality California Issues PAC

P.S. While Californians are supportive of equality for all people, we cannot assume voters would defeat a constitutional amendment banning marriage for same-sex couples. To have a fighting chance, we will need millions of dollars for a statewide campaign. With just a small amount of your time now, we may be able to avoid the risk of erasing years of progress – and save millions of dollars.

For more information contact at www.eqca.org

DOB: Feb 24, 1991
Missing: Apr 8, 2008
Age Now: 17
Sex: Female
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
Weight: 140 lbs (64 kg)
Missing From:
Susanvillle, California

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT National Center for Missing & Exploited Children 1- (1-800-THE-LOST) Lassen County Sheriff's Office (California) 1-

ATTENTION: This information is only for people who have no legal requirement to file a tax return but must file a return this year in order to receive a 2008 economic stimulus payment. If you already have a requirement to file a tax return, please go to the IRS main Free File page and click "Start Now".

If you have questions about eligibility requirements, please visit the Economic Stimulus Payment Information Center for information. Generally, people must have a valid Social Security number, have at least $3,000 in qualified income and not be a dependent or eligible to be a dependent on someone else's return.

The IRS and its Free File Alliance partners are pleased to provide a special service to people who are filing a tax return solely to receive their economic stimulus payment. There is no charge for this program.

Once the tax return is filed, you don't need to do anything else. The IRS will do the rest. Starting in May, the IRS will begin sending the economic stimulus payments based on direct deposit or address information provided.

The following companies are offering free tax preparation and electronic filing to those people who are filing merely to receive their economic stimulus payments. Browse the list of companies below to see if you qualify.

Taxpayers should file their return on time, pay as much as they can with their return and use IRS.gov if they need to request a payment agreement.

Interest and penalties add up for people who don’t file and pay on time. But taxpayers can limit these charges by filing on time and paying sooner.

Though interest, currently at the rate of 6 percent per year and late payment penalties, normally 0.5 percent (1/2 of 1 percent) per month, apply to any tax paid after the April 15 deadline, taxpayers can limit these charges by paying sooner. In addition, by filing on time, a taxpayer avoids the much larger 5-percent-per-month late-filing penalty. For example, a taxpayer who files on May 1, owing $1,000 in tax, would be charged interest plus a $50 penalty.

Various e-pay options offer taxpayers the easiest and fastest way to make a full or partial payment with their return. These options enable taxpayers to make payments either online or by phone using electronic funds withdrawal or a credit card. Alternatively, taxpayers can send the IRS a check made out to “United States Treasury.”

Taxpayers who need more time to pay can find out in just a few minutes whether they qualify for a payment agreement with the IRS. Just click on the Online Payment Agreement link and follow the prompts. By entering some basic information about their tax situation, eligible taxpayers can set up in a matter of minutes either a short-term payment extension or a monthly payment plan.

A short-term extension gives a taxpayer up to 120 days to pay. No fee is charged, but the late-payment penalty plus interest will apply.

A monthly payment plan or installment agreement gives a taxpayer more time to pay. Though interest still applies, the late-payment penalty is cut in half for any month an installment agreement is in effect. This reduced rate of 0.25 percent (1/4 of 1 percent) per month is only available if the tax return was filed on time.

A user fee will also be charged if the installment agreement is approved. The fee, normally $105, is reduced to $52, if taxpayers agree to make their monthly payments electronically through electronic funds withdrawal. The fee is $43 for eligible low-and-moderate-income taxpayers.

Alternatively, taxpayers can apply for a payment agreement by filling out Form 9465, Installment Agreement Request. This form can be filed along with either an electronically filed return or a paper return. If filing on paper, be sure to attach it to the front of the return.

Some taxpayers can wait until after April 15 to file and pay. As a general rule, those eligible get the extra time penalty-free and interest-free without having to ask for it. Eligible taxpayers include:

• Members of the military serving in Iraq, Afghanistan or other combat-zone localities. Normally, the filing and payment deadline is postponed until 180 days after the service member leaves the combat zone.

Success Stories from The SF/SPCA

Three Little Maids
These three cats taken in by The SF/SPCA during March had injuries that required surgery. Thanks to the Society's Cinderella Fund, all three received the treatment they needed and two have since been adopted into loving homes.

Diana
An eight-month old dilute tortie, Diana came to The SF/SPCA from the Elko, Nevada shelter. She had a huge gash at the base of her tail, and the tail had literally "died." The shelter could not afford to amputate it, and were preparing to euthanize her. Within days of arriving at The SF/SPCA this sweet little girl had the surgery she needed and was adopted soon afterward.

Turtle
Turtle is a one-year old grey tabby who, as luck would have it, was trapped in an SF/SPCA feral cat cage while seeking food. Volunteers who discovered her saw that one of her back legs was badly broken, with the bone sticking out through the skin and fur. She was brought to The SF/SPCA where veterinarians determined that she had a compound fracture of her left hind leg. Unfortunately, the leg could not be saved and had to be amputated, but Turtle is recovering very well and is now available for adoption.

Small Fry
This dainty little one-year old Siamese was found in a cage that was used by The SF/SPCA Feral Cat Assistance Program to trap feral cats. It was clear that she was a stray or had been abandoned because she was wearing an old flea collar which had somehow become dislodged. It was now caught at an angle, half around her neck, the other half across her shoulder and under one of her front legs, and shockingly, as Small Fry had grown bigger the plastic collar had become embedded in her flesh! Veterinarians at The SF/SPCA surgically removed the band and stitched up the wound, and after some recovery time, this little trooper was adopted.

To learn more contact the San Francisco SPCA.

In pioneering spirit, Emirates will be the first to connect the two cities using its newest, technologically advanced Boeing 777-200LR on the route. The aircraft offers 266 seats in a three class configuration, including Emirates’ private First Class suites. The service will also offer 11 tons of cargo capacity in both directions.

Emirates Flight 226 departs SFO at 4:45pm daily and arrives in Dubai at 7:25pm the following day. As of November 2nd, the flight will depart an hour earlier, at 3:45pm.

Emirates Flight 225 departs Dubai (DXB) at 8:45am daily and arrives in San Francisco at 1:45pm. As of November 2nd, the flight will arrive in San Francisco 45 minutes earlier, at 1:00pm.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom expressed his enthusiasm for the announcement: “It’s my pleasure to welcome Emirates to San Francisco. We know this will be a long and advantageous relationship between two of the leading tourism centers of the world. We are honored to have been selected as a U.S. gateway for one of the world’s fastest growing international airlines.”

The distance between the two cities is 8,103 miles, which is a 15 hour 40 minute journey from San Francisco. The return flight from Dubai will be about 16 hours.

The new service will operate out of the International Terminal at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Resources:
Emirates International Airlines
San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Dubai International Airport (DXB)
Office of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom
Government of Dubai Information and Services Portal

Shop for unique deals for the perfect price. This is your opportunity to support great quality PBS programming on KQED and KTEH with your winning bids. Look for Deals of the Day, Power Hours and Buy Now opportunities. Don’t miss out on their one-of-a-kind items.

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This year, with picture-perfect weather, as many as 250,000 people are expected to visit Japantown for the festival.

Entertainment stages will feature performances by Japanese classical and folk dancers, martial artists, Taiko drummers and performers of a variety of music types from throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

You will also find a full vendor's market of hand-crafted works of art in a variety of home-made products. The vendors, including the food bazaar, will operate from 11 AM to 5 PM every day of the festival.

Traditional Japanese tea ceremonies will be performed on Sunday, April 13th and Sunday, April 20th at 11 AM, 1 PM, 2 PM, 3 PM and 4 PM. Each ceremony will be conducted in the Osaka Room of the Hotel Kabuki and will last about 30-minutes.

The Festival covers two weekends:
- Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13
- Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20

The annual Cherry Blossom Festival Parade will be held on Sunday, April 20. The parade begins at 1 PM and is expected to finish at 3 PM.

More information:

Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival

San Francisco Japantown

Japantown Parking

Map and Directions to Japantown

Good, clean, recommended restaurants in or near Japantown

Taxicab Crooks and Scam Cabs in San Francisco

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Your comments in person will send a strong message to Washington that Americans will not tolerate private corporate Internet gatekeepers. Agency officials at the FCC — and political leaders in Congress — must take immediate action to safeguard free speech and innovation online.

Verizon has been caught blocking text messages about reproductive rights; Comcast has been caught blocking peer-to-peer communications; and AT&T wants to inspect and filter what travels through its Internet network. The government must put in place baseline protections that will leave the Internet open to the millions of people who use it.

All testimony given at the event will be added to the public record, and your testimony will help build the case for free speech online.

Be sure to download the ACLU Net Neutrality myths and facts and bring them with you.

The FCC has allotted at least two hours for public testimony, and the ACLU of Northern California is working with their allies and partners on the ground to be sure everyone who wants to testify has a turn at the microphone.

Here’s the agenda:

Noon — Welcome/Opening Remarks from FCC Commissioners
12:45 p.m. — Panel 1: Network Management and Consumer Expectations
3 p.m. — Panel 2: Consumer Access to Emerging Internet Technologies and Applications
4:30 p.m. — Public Comment (That’s you!)
6:30 p.m. — Closing Remarks
7 p.m. — Adjournment

Read the FCC announcement.

ACLU Northern California Office

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to see a video (WARNING: very graphic content) with photos of the IOC Executive Members who will have blood on their hands if the Olympic torch is allowed to go through Tibet.

Allowing the Chinese authorities to take the Olympic torch to Tibet while Tibetans are living under martial law and being shot in the streets for peaceful protest is unconscionable. This is not about sport. This is about human lives and a nation's struggle to survive.