Just like that...

​Any San Franciscan knows that the official name of the Golden Gate Bridge's distinctive hue is "international orange." 

On a massive, gently arching bridge, orange is a reassuring and lovely color. Transplanted to other objects, however, it harks to traffic cones, artificial cheese, prison jumpsuits, and tenement halls.

And then there's this.

An orange building in SOMA would get your attention. And that's what the California Historical Society is betting on. They're painting their edifice at 678 Mission the orange of traffic cones/artificial cheese/jumpsuits/tenements in time for a Feb. 26 exhibition marking the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Wait, maybe it's international orange. Yeah, let's go with that.

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​Ashley Dunlop doesn't want red roses or a fancy dinner for Valentine's Day. All the San Francisco woman is asking for is her boyfriend's rare and valuable bass guitar to be returned -- now.

On Tuesday, shortly after Dunlop left for work at 8:15 a.m., someone broke into the Panhandle apartment where she lives with Evanescence bass player Tim McCord, and stole, among many other valuables, McCord's Yamaha bass guitar that had been handed down to him by his father after he died.

"He is absolutely heartbroken," Dunlop told us. "It is the most important possession he has and it means the world to him. To have that taken -- he was broken by it."
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Tell that Ross!

​If ever there were a clear indication of how San Franciscans feel about Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi's domestic violence case, this is it. In less than a week, a local domestic violence group was able to rake in the $4,000 it needed for a billboard that will feature Mirkarimi's infamous quote he uttered amid his own domestic violence charges.

La Casa de las Madres, which runs a shelter for domestic violence victims, announced Thursday that it had raised the money, exceeding the $4,000 it needed for the billboard, which will go up next week at 10th and Harrison streets in SOMA.

We told readers earlier this week about plans for the billboard, which will prominently display a reference to Mirkarimi's disturbing quote where he publicly stated that accusations he physically abused his wife, Eliana Lopez, is a "private matter, a family matter."

Here's what the new billboard will say: "Domestic Violence is NEVER a private matter. If you need help, call (877) 503-1850."

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Holland Reynolds, the 17-year-old San Francisco track star above, is being credited with inspiring the New York Giants Super Bowl victory last night.

The video above was posted on YouTube, showing Reynolds as she struggled to finish the last 100 meters of a cross country 5K race in Fresno in 2010. "I saw the finish line. As soon as I crossed it, from then on it sort of went black," said Reynolds, leader of the San Francisco University High School cross country team.

And that's exactly the kind of spirit New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin wanted to instill in his own players. After seeing that Internet clip last year, Coughlin showed it to his team, hoping Reynolds' determined finish would encourage them -- all the way to the Super Bowl.

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National Park Service

A possible view from a luxury hotel planned for the Presidio

​ Local nonprofits and environmentalists are suing the San Francisco Presidio Trust to try and stop its plans to build an "unnecessary" 14-building hotel in the Main Post of The Presidio National Park.

The Presidio Historical Association and Sierra Club said they were left with "no choice" but to file a federal lawsuit to put the kibosh on the SF Presidio Trust's plan to build a luxury hotel, which the public nearly unanimously opposes, PHA President Gary Widman said in a statement.

The lawsuit filed yesterday in San Francisco claims the Presidio Trust's plans violate the Presidio Trust Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and National Environmental Policy Act and is ignoring its duty to protect the park from being developed. The SF Presidio Trust was established by the Trust Act to preserve the National Park's "significant natural, historic, scenic, cultural, and recreational resources."

"The unique historic value of the Presidio Main Post should not be sacrificed to build an unnecessary hotel," said Sierra Club spokeswoman Becky Evans.

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No more shark fin soup for you!

​The Chinese community is hoping a federal judge can force California to stop being a bunch of Soup Nazis.

The Asian American Rights Committee of California filed a lawsuit in San Francisco this week, claiming the state's move to ban the sale of shark fins -- which is used to make the gelatinous Chinese delicacy shark fin soup -- is unconstitutional.

The group claims that Assembly Bills 376 and 853, authored by Assemblyman Paul Fong, violate the Constitution's interstate commerce clause and constitute an unlawful taking of private property, according to the claim.

"Shark fin soup is an Asian cultural delicacy with origins in the Ming Dynasty. It is a ceremonial centerpiece of traditional Chinese banquets, as well as celebrations of weddings and birthdays of one's elders," the committee says in its federal complaint.

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R.I.P.

​Solomon Kahn, the popular DJ known to clubgoers as DJ Solomon, was killed in a car accident Tuesday in Bangkok, Thailand.

Kahn, who performed at Golden State Warriors games and at AT&T Park as well as major clubs in San Francisco, was on tour in Thailand with his fiancée, Nicole Cronin, when he died. The couple was inside a taxi when the vehicle stalled on the highway and was rear-ended. Cronin suffered fractures, and Kahn died.

He was 34.

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Does this look modern to you?

​In effort to keep the iconic Gold Dust Lounge from shuttering, the bar owners have filed paperwork requesting the city recognize the bar as a historic landmark. Such a designation would, at the very least, make it more challenging for the landlord to turn the bar into a retail shop as proposed.

According to Lee Houskeeper, spokesman for the Gold Dust Lounge, the bar itself is not necessarily historic, but there are enough elements inside the 1,100-square-foot bar to make it a landmark that can't be easily altered.

"The wall coverings, the chandeliers, and Herb Caen's historic bar stool would be preserved as historical landmarks in San Francisco," Houskeeper noted. Even the different eras of Dixieland music played inside the bar could be qualifiers, he said.

To show they are serious, the bar's owners and supporters went before the city's Historic Preservation Commission today, asking that the group consider the designation. If the commission signs off on it, the request would then go to Supervisor Jane Kim, who is reportedly working on legislation of her own to preserve the popular watering hole.

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But wouldn't you rather have $31.95 worth of cocktails?

​Can't say the Gold Dust Lounge doesn't know how to do good business. With its last pour scheduled for March 6, the popular watering hole has decided to capitalize on its pending eviction while spreading the word by selling t-shirts and other merchandise.

At Zazzle.com, Gold Dust fans can purchase their very own "Save the Gold Dust Lounge" apparel, including shirts, hoodies, and tote bags. The bar gets 10 percent of all the proceeds from merchandise sold online, which then goes back into making more shirts, said Lee Houskeeper, spokesman for the bar.

But while the shirts are clever, they aren't cheap. Prices start at $31.95 -- which is what most of us would shell out only when drunk at a concert.

While Houskeeper admits the prices are steep, even by San Francisco standards, he also reminds us it's for a good cause. He noted that they've gotten requests from people internationally who want to help the bar fight its eviction.

"It's just so [the shirts] could be available internationally," Houskeeper said.

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Michael Scott Moore

​Michael Scott Moore, who previously worked as a theater critic for SF Weekly, was reportedly captured by Somali pirates over the weekend while he was traveling to central Somalia to research for his book about Somali pirates.

The LA Times reports that Moore was on his way to the airport when 15 men in two SUVs kidnapped him, believing he was perhaps a spy. The U.S. State Department issued a statement expressing concern for Moore, who is a Los Angeles resident, and his safety. His captors have threatened to kill him unless a ransom is paid. A specific amount was not specified.

"We have been in contact with the individual's family and we are working with contacts in Kenya and Somalia to ascertain further information," the State Department said in a statement to the press.

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