Why Tijuana? That’s what everybody asks me these days. I know. These days, the headlines about Tijuana feature murder, mayhem, and misery. But here’s the thing. These days, when nobody’s going to Tijuana, wouldn’t you …

Paul Borja wanted to earn some extra income on weekends, but when he went to the temporary labor office recommended by a friend early Monday morning on November 9, he found a “For Sale” sign …

Demolition of the buildings at 4868 Santa Cruz Avenue began November 1. Residents who had lived there for years were given notice at the end of June that work would begin the day after Halloween. …

The pay of American top corporate executives is obscene. About the only people who don’t agree with that statement are the executives themselves. In 1980, chief executives made 42 times what the average worker made. …

Lured in by the promise of large-scale development in East Village, to be anchored by a state-of-the-art baseball stadium and filled with high-rise luxury condominiums, plenty of entrepreneurs took the plunge and opened businesses in …

Quite A Turnaround I’m calling to thank you so much for choosing the cover of the paper on July 9. The title was “What’s so funny?” and it shows Santa and a psychiatrist, and the …

The battle over a new city hall is already costing taxpayers a small fortune, judging from a recently filed lobbying disclosure report by California Strategies, the Sacramento-based firm run by Bob White, the ex-aide to …

Anyone who wants to know how the well-connected world of San Diego’s power brokers works need look no further than Mary Lindenstein Walshok, associate vice chancellor for public programs and dean of Extension at UCSD. …

Democratic San Diego city councilman Ben Hueso has collected another $31,845 in his bid for the state assembly, bringing his grand total so far to $167,341, according to a recently filed campaign report. Among the …

Thirty Years AgoBOSK - Compt-troller is functioning perfectly, War Tarn is no traitor. Need to send written communication, Reader is too confining. Say Where. Your Brother Misk. STEVE & STEVE at State Square Pan on …

Steve Vaus has twice been nominated for Grammys for children’s records released in 2007 and 2008. He wrote the Jerome’s and Barona Casino TV jingles, and he’s done studio work for Willie Nelson, Kim Carnes, …

“We filed a claim today against the city [of San Marcos] on nine different counts,” says Matt Hall, operator of the Jumping Turtle since February 2003. The lawsuit alleges harassment, intentional and negligent infliction of …

Formed in Fresno in 1984, the Crucified are considered pioneers of the punk-rock subgenre Christian hardcore. Despite limited exposure of the early Christian hardcore scene, the Crucified had taken the stage with punk hits D.R.I. …

“I once watched Norton play a blazing version of ‘Turkey in the Straw’ at a party on a piece-of-shit toy harmonica that was about one inch long,” says local musician Greg Douglass of Norton Buffalo, …

Serene Dos Picos County Park, outside Ramona, nestles into East County’s sweet-smelling chaparral hillsides like a dewdrop caught in the hollow of a leaf. The name refers to two prominent mountain peaks nearby, though which …

Beg pardon, but it has taken me a week to untie my tongue on the subject of Antichrist, which closes out its seven days at the Ken on Thursday. A piece of art-house schlock from …

Big bright sun, blue sky, no wind. I am standing on a small bluff overlooking Lake Merced, said lake located between the backside of San Francisco State College and the Pacific Ocean. This is dragon-boat …

For me to write of family strikes me as vaguely pretentious if not outright hypocritical. Possibly we all feel like failures in this area, at least to some degree. Those who do not I tend …

Encinitas. Hour to kill before the Coaster. Spotted these giant ficus trees. They’re the kind you see in National Geographic, strangling ancient cities. Then I noticed a little ol’ building huddled under them, and a …

It’s starting to become a new tradition: celebrating Thanksgiving with “dinner out” or with home dinners utilizing restaurant takeout. More and more restaurants have jumped on this cash, uh, turkey. The list below begins with …

Does anybody remember Lost Sounds from Memphis? Cheery tunes, dark themes, noteworthy members. Alicja Trout played in the Clears; Jay Reatard and Rich Crook both came from the post-punk thrash band the Reatards. In 1999, …

When the Raveonettes’ Facebook account announced the release of their new album In and Out of Control last month, one disillusioned fan commented, “I don’t know how you went from Lust Lust Lust to this …

I get invited to a number of pub-crawls. I’m not a beer drinker and usually pass. But a guy named Steve, who logged on to the Reader website once to comment on a party, informed …

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent. — Eleanor Roosevelt David swirled the wine in his oversized glass and brought it to his nose. After an exaggerated sniff, he said, “I’m getting a …

“The old guard is passing away,” sighed Aunt Azelda. “Nobody wants monogrammed shirts anymore. Except my brother Wilfred, bless his heart. Help me out, won’t you, Evie?” The first lady I called — a veteran …

Recipe by William Bradley, executive chef, Addison Back when I started, I worked in an Italian restaurant in Bonita. I did it for the money. But, eventually, I fell in love with cooking — the …

Why do women talk so much? — A Dude on the Internets Hard for us to believe that in the 50, 60 years we’ve been toiling at this dodgy gig, this question has never, ever …

“My wife and I have been here for four years now,” said Captain John Van Cleef, senior pastor at the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Center’s Kroc Church. “When we came, there were something …

John TigheGraphic artist Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang was one of the steps that Robert Downey Jr. made on his way back from jail and rehab to A-list billing that culminated with Iron Man. Unfortunately, few …

Dave Mustaine says, “The NHRA [National Hot Rod Association] heard the song, and they loved it. They wanted to use it.” Megadeth’s Endgame was released September 15 and features a song about drag racing. “1,320” …

First bold and underlined rule when approaching the new Scarlett Johansson and Pete Yorn duo disc: forget Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. I mean, remember Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin if you want to. They …

The Manic Street Preachers' latest culls lyrics from the unearthed notebook of their former guitarist Richey Edwards, who vanished without a trace in the mid '90s after the band released their tragic masterpiece The Holy …