Open season on pedestrians ;)

Seen in Rome

Hey kids, stay in school, learn to write

Seen at the Silliman Recreation Center, Newark, CA. I like how they underlined the and in "Boys Ages 5 and Older".

As for the "evening lap swim hours" poster, there's a morning lap swim session too, and that poster was up in the morning.

"culturally determined meaning"

Seen at SF MOMA:

Grand theft pumpkin

NBC News reports

Thousands of dollars' worth of pumpkin seeds were pilfered directly from the source on Sunday when a person or persons unknown cut a hole into a 1,400-pound pumpkin at MarketBar at the San Francisco Ferry Building.

This afternoon I was able to confirm that story by walking to the scene of the crime and snapping this picture:

The hole isn't visible here as it's about 3/4 of the way around on the lower left side.

How do these giant pumpkin contests detect cheating? I could make a pumpkin a lot heavier by injecting water into it.

Are carpools bad now?

From http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/07/MNAP1LQQM0.DTL&tsp=1 (the San Francisco Chronicle):

Toll changes on the Bay Bridge have cleared out carpool lanes and improved traffic speed when the bridge is most congested, a study by UC Berkeley transportation researchers has concluded.

According to the study, ordered by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission after it restructured and raised tolls at the Bay Bridge beginning in July 2010, charging a discounted carpool toll of $2.50 caused 4,365 vehicles to abandon the carpool lanes daily - a 26 percent decline.

"Alliance against the productive"

The best piece I've seen so far on the Occupy movement:
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/oakland-325428-class-whole.html

The city's feckless political class are collaborating with anarchists against the taxpayers who maintain them in their sinecures.

When the rumor spread that the Whole Foods store, of all unlikely corporate villains, had threatened to fire employees who participated in the protest, the Regional President David Lannon took to Facebook: "We totally support our Team Members participating in the General Strike today – rumors are false!" But, despite his "total support", they trashed his store anyway, breaking windows and spray-painting walls.

Thought-crime

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/mcpherson-training-uci-2218752-state-says

UCI prof risks job by refusing sexual harassment training

Prominent biologist Alexander McPherson calls requirement 'sham.'

By GARY ROBBINS

The Orange County Register

| Recommend 10

A prominent UC Irvine biologist who generates millions in research funding might be placed on an unpaid leave for refusing to take sexual harassment prevention training he calls a “sham” that offends his sensibilities and casts suspicion on his reputation.

UCI has already relieved Alexander McPherson of his duties supervising scientists in his lab, where he studies proteins, the “building blocks of life.” The campus also ordered that his teaching responsibilities be reassigned, but the order was rescinded.

Campus officials say McPherson, 64, could be placed on leave if he doesn't attend a training course Nov. 12 to comply with Assembly Bill 1825. The state law, passed in 2004, requires businesses that regularly employ 50 or more people to have supervisors undergo sexual harassment prevention training.