It reads like a bad science fiction novel: A small Illinois biotech company cuts a deal with UCSD. The university agrees to test a substitute for human blood on comatose patients — victims of gunshots …

'We ask parents to help their kids understand the vibe of the room. It's sometimes hard for kids, because they see adults doing playful things and they don't get that it's not uncontrolled exuberance going …

"Joseph Smith believed there are men on the moon that dress like Quakers and live to be 1000 years old. Brigham Young taught that men lived on the sun. Until 1981, the Book of Mormon …

Thirty Years Ago Attempts by a group of nude bathers to expand the number of swimsuit-optional beaches in San Diego seem headed for some rough waters. Hoping to find more room for a crowd that …

Olive Belly Button At first gasp, France's Télématin could be the identical twin cousin of The Today Show. The hosts hum along to pop music on the way back from commercial; there's corny banter; a …

“Someone left their crack out in the rain.”

With Union-Tribune publisher David Copley on the mend from surgery to give him a new heart, next up on the U-T's sick list is editor Karin Winner, who's out for several weeks after breaking her …

San Diegans wring their hands about political corruption as if it's something new. Ha. It would be better to ruminate on the economic and societal framework that has long encouraged and rewarded such corruption. The …

A box without hinges, key, or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid. -- J.R.R. Tolkien I stood to survey the piles surrounding me and took a deep breath, letting it out with a long …

After the Republican Party of San Diego County endorsed Steve Francis for mayor on June 13, it wasted little time in turning its endorsement into campaign action. As of election eve, public election filings showed …

In an effort to get the key to the Subway across the street, Kip, my roommate, has come up with a clever plan. Since I'm super-famous, we figure it's only a matter of time before …

The Georgics of Virgil: Bilingual Edition. A translation and introduction by David Ferry. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2005; 202 pages; $30 FROM THE DUST JACKET: John Dryden called Virgil's Georgics, written between 37 and 30 …

Patrick has joined the NRA. A couple years ago he bought a shotgun. He said the gun was for "home defense." Thankfully, it hasn't been used in that capacity, though he has used it to …

'I'm a .5." Speaking is Paul Richardson, president of San Diego Wheelchair Athletic Association and a veteran player for the San Diego Bushwackers quad rugby team. I've called to get his review of the documentary …

I bought tickets to see Frankie Valli at Humphrey's on July 11 and was told for $250 more I could get tickets to a reception with Valli -- a fund-raiser for the La Jolla Playhouse. …

“He’s afraid of stuck fermentation, but he’s also afraid of volatile acidity.”

Movies reviewed this week: À Tout de Suite, Bad News Bears, The Beat That My Heart Skipped, 5x2 and Saraband

Dear Matthew Alice: Can you find out where the expression "the whole nine yards" came from? -- Everyone in San Diego Things that make you go "No! Please! Leave me alone!" Somewhere in the office …

Matt: I'm quite pregnant, and my dear husband claims to be experiencing some of the same symptoms I am. Queasiness, leg and back pains, things like that. I've heard of this happening to other men. …

North Park is getting a new all-ages venue. Having enjoyed success staging shows at the 100-person-capacity club Basement on University between 30th and Kansas, employees of Off the Record, which moved to North Park last …

"This is my life and this is my tribe." Thad Temple has resurrected Revolt In Style, the magazine founded in 1980 as San Diego's "manual of hip." Revolt returns after three years in an attempt …

"I get to take money out of his pocket every Sunday night." For the past six months singer/songwriter Jefferson Jay has organized the Sunday night open mic at the Blarney Stone. He leaves the Clairemont …

I have no interest in Comic Con, but I can score a free press pass, so I go. Last year I tried to get a look at Angelina Jolie's lips up close, but so many …

When the Pixies play Street Scene at Qualcomm Stadium, the "male dressing room" (Frank Black, Joey Santiago, David Lovering) needs a sliced smoked salmon platter, a tin of Suisse Mocha International Coffee, a veggie platter …

“These girls are a real eyesore. I have to live with it, every day.”

This restaurant is closed. North Park has long been home to artists, writers, and bohemians of all sorts. Now the neighborhood is officially enjoying an "urban renaissance," as civic boosters call it, spotlighting the art …