Cover: Why Us?:
Metro looks back at who dropped the ball in 2005.
Adios, Earthquakes!
The Mayor's Trash!
Government in a Bubble!
And a Whole Lot More!

Meanwhile, who didn't drop the ball in '05?
Google sure didn't.

News: The Road to Freedom:
It wasn't a huge story when Sgt. Jason Hendrix died in Iraq, but his mother's fight for the right to decide where her son should be buried triggered a national controversy.

The Fly: Fly has learned that Michael Mulcahy is seriously entertaining a bid to become mayor of San Jose.

New Year's Rush Job: Failed to plan ahead? Forgot to ice the bubbly? Metro's last-minute New Year's Eve Guide is a balm to procrastinators.

Silicon Alleys: Spies and Shibumi.

Techsploits: Europe Calling.

Rev: A group of elders, the NYSE, are very worried about GM, who will fall out of power shortly. There are several upstart wizards who are hip and savvy who can take over the position of power.

Grizzly Year: A rejectionist critic rewrites the history of cinema in 2005.

Haiku de Todd: The year in music, presented in haiku form.

Curating The Grotesque: For Oakland's Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, all the world's a stage.

The Thrill Is Gone: While it still offers solid dining, Spago Palo Alto's days on the culinary cutting edge are over.

Live Feed: Starbucks Beware.

5 Things: Stett's Top 10 Dishes of 2005: Part 1.