San Francisco, CA
A phone on SF’s Valencia Street aims to address the political divide through conversation
SAN FRANCISCO – A social experiment is underway on the streets of San Francisco, aimed at connecting a country that at times seems so far apart. It all starts with picking up the phone.
‘Party line’
On Valencia Street in San Francisco’s Mission District, this ringing phone hopes to connect the nation in a way many feel has been lost.
A modified pay phone says “talk to a Republican.” On the other end, the phone is connected to a phone in Abilene, Texas, one of the most politically conservative parts of the country, where it says “talk to a Democrat.”
The hope is, the phone will ring and someone will pick it up.
Pick up the phone
The phone line just opened up over the weekend and is already creating conversations.
Steven Bednarczyk picked up the phone and began talking about one of the big issues that has split the country.
“Politics,” he told the person on the other end of the call. “All they do is divide, and we just lose.”
The telephone social experiment by Matter Neuroscience is called The Party Line, aimed at creating a way to bridge a gap that has grown in this country, and has sometimes split families down political lines.
Organizers took two old pay phones and repurposed them with a note explaining what they were doing.
In an Instagram post, Matter Neuroscience said, “It also says the goal for this project, which is to have people from different places have meaningful conversations, because hostile political discourse increases our brains’ cortisol levels and suppresses happiness.”
The phone on Valencia St. is located outside Black Serum Tattoo and was placed there with permission from the shop’s owners.
A path towards healing
Bednarczyk, the caller, said there is so much rhetoric dividing the country and families, the phones may be a path toward healing. “It’s brutal the divisions that this is doing and until it hits close to home, people aren’t going to realize. But, this, this is kind of bringing people closer in a way.”
Instead of waiting for a call, Dakota picked up the phone herself.
“So, this is super cool,” she told the woman on the other end of her call. They talked for a few minutes, and at the end of the call, Dakota said there wasn’t a big political difference between them. She said the phones can help show that we have more that unites us than divides us.
“I would also like to think that someone who answers the phone, even if they are very conservative, it would still be a human-to-human interaction and walls would be dropped, which I think is really fun,” Dakota said.
Organizers are recording the calls, hoping for connections that may show the world that even in two places separated by politics and 1,500 miles, we are more alike than different. Matter Neuroscience hopes to highlight some of those positive calls on their social media.
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Division-leading Dodgers aim to snap home losing trend as they open series against the Giants in a matchup of NL West foes
After dropping their second straight home series over the weekend, the Los Angeles Dodgers head into Monday night’s series opener against the San Francisco Giants sitting atop the National League West Division standings, aiming to avenge a series loss to the Giants from two weeks ago. San Francisco has lost nine of its last 12 games overall and have dropped seven in a row on the road as they begin a 10-game road trip that will keep them away from home until Memorial Day Weekend. The Giants will start Trevor McDonald (1-0, 1.29 ERA) in his fourth start in the Majors while the Dodgers will counter with second-year Japanese import Roki Sasaki (1-3, 5.97 ERA) who has given up a home run in five consecutive outings.
How to Watch San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers:
Date: May 11, 2026
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
TV Channel: MLB Network
Location: Dodgers Stadium
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Dodger center fielder Andy Pages, who has helped Los Angeles claim World Series titles in each of his first two years in the Majors, leads the team this season hitting .333, ranking the 25-year-old Cuban third among all hitters in MLB. Pages is hitting .371 so far in May with five extra base hits and 10 RBIs and has successfully reached base in 13 of his last 14 games.
With nine hits in seven games so far this month, Giants second baseman Luis Arraez is hitting a team-leading .310 at the plate in 2026 and is on pace for his eighth career 100-hit campaign. Arraez is one of only two active players with a career batting average above .300, hitting .316 for his career and leads Houston’s Jose Altuve by 15 points.
What time is Giants vs Dodgers?
Coverage of the San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers starts Monday, May 11, at 10:00 p.m ET. Tune in to see if the Dodgers can beat the Giants for the fifth time in the last six games at Dodger Stadium or if San Francisco can beat LA for the fourth time in the last five head-to-head matchups.
What channel is the Giants vs Dodgers game on?
Looking to watch the game? Subscribers can tune to MLB Network to catch the action. Make sure you subscribe to Fubo now to watch this matchup at home or on the go with the Fubo TV app.
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Happy Mother’s Day to all the McCoven who hopefully have better things to do than watch this dreadful baseball team. But if this is your chosen way of spending the day, then welcome, and may the Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the series for you.
Right-hander Tyler Mahle takes the mound for the Giants, as the veteran makes his eighth start of the year. He’s 1-4 on the season, with a 5.00 ERA, a 4.91 FIP, and 34 strikeouts to 18 walks in 36 innings. He was very strong his last time out, pitching 5.1 shutout innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.
For the Pirates, it’s right-hander Bubba Chandler, a 23-year old in his second season. In seven starts this year, Chandler is 1-4 with a 4.76 ERA, a 5.60 FIP, and 31 strikeouts to 26 walks in 34 innings. Chandler gave up two runs in five innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks in his last game. He has issued the most walks in the Major Leagues, so he’s probably foaming at the mouth to face the Giants, who apparently believe that drawing walks is a sin on par with murder.
Enjoy the game, everyone. Go Giants! Go moms!
Who: San Francisco Giants (15-24) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (22-18)
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM
San Francisco, CA
Where to watch Pittsburgh Pirates vs San Francisco Giants: TV channel, start time, streaming for May 10
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Baseball is back and finding what channel your favorite team is playing on has become a little bit more confusing since MLB announced plans to produce and distribute broadcasts for nearly a third of the league.
We’re here to help. Here’s everything you need to know Sunday as the Pittsburgh Pirates visit the San Francisco Giants.
See USA TODAY’s sortable MLB schedule to filter by team or division.
What time is Pittsburgh Pirates vs San Francisco Giants?
First pitch between the San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, May 10.
How to watch Pittsburgh Pirates vs San Francisco Giants on Sunday
All times Eastern and accurate as of Sunday, May 10, 2026, at 6:33 a.m.
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MLB regional blackout restrictions apply
MLB scores, results
MLB scores for May 10 games are available on usatoday.com . Here’s how to access today’s results:
See scores, results for all of today’s games.
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