Author: Adam Jacobs Neighborhood: Hillcrest Age: 22 Occupation: Pizza delivery driver Ever since I dropped out of my university on the East Coast to migrate to Hillcrest, my life has been put on a pedestal …

Twenty feet from the front door of a stone-fronted Del Mar home, just south of the San Dieguito River, sits a white-wooden structure that houses railroad utilities. The structure marks the spot where North County …

Asia, the ’80s supergroup made up of former Yes, ELP, and King Crimson members, came to the Viejas Dreamcatcher Lounge to promote their new album, Omega. The band, with all four original members, played to …

Seventy-nine-year-old drummer Paul Motian makes his intentions known 15 seconds into the opener, "Mode IV," one brush slap on one drum head repeated, re-repeated, then the whole pseudo-echo empties out into a burbling cymbal brook. …

I remember walking through the airport a week after Taylor Hicks won the fifth season of American Idol and seeing his face on the cover of every magazine. He had hit the big time after …

Downtown residents are celebrating a change in greenery around Fahrenheit, an East Village condominium located on the corner of Island and Tenth Avenue. After being installed approximately three years ago, fake turf placed on the …

The Sunset Cliffs Trunk Sewer project is slated to begin in September, stated a city representative at the Ocean Beach Town Council meeting on August 25. The extensive sewer repair and replacement project — which …

Two men stopped by the Circle K on West Bernardo Drive a little before 3:30 a.m. on August 27; they robbed the store at gunpoint, making off with an undetermined amount of money. Four San …

Two women, reportedly molls for a Tijuana gang, were recently busted for cheese-lifting at a Carnes del Norte (“meats of the north”) neighborhood store. Two male gang members entered the store and pulled the cheese …

On our first night at Pelican Eyes Hotel, my mom penciled us in for a midnight adventure tour to see turtles nesting on a beach one hour north of San Juan del Sur (near Playa …

Family and friends sit at an unassuming backyard table. Beer and wine are imbibed under the summer sun. Comfortable conversations, the family dog lazily looking for attention, and an appetizing smell own the scene. It’s …

Recently nominated in the “Best Rock Album” category by the SDMA for debut Of Monarchs and Beggars, Dirty Sweet deliver the goods again with follow-up American Spiritual. “You've Been Warned” is a country strummer with …

Rather than premiering their new album, Weezer chose to remind the crowd that amassed for their free performance at the Del Mar racetrack just how good their old stuff is. They played a hit-heavy set …

Signs hang on the wood gazebos in Mission Bay Park informing park goers that beginning October 1, shade provided by the picnic gazebos is no longer free. Starting in October, picnic shelters located in East …

On Tuesday, August 24, the City of Encinitas put on a four-hour live demonstration of a new "wayside" horn warning system for oncoming trains at road crossings. The system is designed to replace the loud, …

The Ocean Beach Town Council denied Frank Gormlie — a lawyer and cofounder of the OB Rag — a candidacy to the council’s board of directors on Wednesday, August 25. A contentious argument took place …

On August 13, 2010, the Roseville restaurant in Point Loma closed down. People who called to make reservations were told that the closure was due to "a gas leak." During a call placed to Roseville …

Before dawn at SDSU on Tuesday, August 23, a "chill water" main ruptured under a large walkway on the east side of campus. One million gallons of water were released, flooding an area between between …

Detectives followed a trail that traversed the kitchen, then continued across the dining room and through the hallway. The bloody footprints faded noticeably with each step up the staircase. More bloody footprints led to the …

Some last-minute campaign support came in for Eighth District San Diego City Council candidate Nick Inzunza in the form of a $5212 mailer dispatched June 2 by Vote Matters, an Oakland-based political action committee that …

It’s the summer doldrums, time for the quiet filing of annual midyear financial disclosures by members of the San Diego City Council. As usual, more than a few of the elected officials have shamelessly taken …

Look up the video for “Buddy,” the third single from De La Soul’s 1989 debut album 3 Feet High and Rising, and you’ll see a kind of alternate reality — hip-hop as it might have …

“We always had poor-kid lunches,” I reminisced. “Peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole-wheat bread, wrapped in a bread bag. Sometimes with an apple.” “Friends around me would be unwrapping their plastic- and aluminum-wrapped multi-meat …

I can’t imagine leaving San Diego because Stellan Bengtsson is here. He is a former world champion of table tennis, the youngest ever at 18. Even the Chinese were scared of him. “You can’t wrestle …

Above the ripe yellow citrus pictured on Lemon Grove’s city seal, inscribed in the swash of the capital L, is “Best Climateon Earth.” While the weather may be ideal, the same can’t be said for …

There is an uncivil war raging in the United States. It’s between government employees and taxpayers who fear that those employees’ generous pensions will lead to inexorably higher taxes and more slashes in services. This …

Undercover Racist? I picked up a copy of the August 19 Reader today. It’s well known within the African-American community that the Reader is very adverse to and against having black faces in your paper, …

We were standing outside Blanca after our fabulous meal, plotting ways to hang on to its new chef of four months, Gavin Schmidt. “Even for a Wednesday, there aren’t enough people in here, given how …

So this is it? The Holy Grail? Where the Beer Capital of the New World was born? I’m fresh off the number 44 bus, searching through a typical Kearny Mesa strip mall. Yogurt World, Tofu …

Calling your trilogy of plays The Norman Conquests makes it sound like a medieval tryptich or Bayeux Tapestry illustrating the events of 1066: William the Conqueror storming across Hastings, lance lowered, the banner of destiny …

Friday and Saturday this week, the 27th and 28th of August, the San Diego Symphony Summer Pops series is hosting singer Michael Feinstein in concert under the banner of “The Sinatra Project.” I’m not sure …

You don’t often see large institutions eat each other in public; they usually like to enjoy their meals in the library with a goblet of good port. But, things got desperate last week, and if …

I’m walking behind my friends after a night on the town, and they’re not only shambling but weaving from side to side, sometimes together, like over-the-hill soul singers trying to regroup after years of pursuing …

Thursday 26Shuffle your feet to Belly Up for a reggae-rich gig. The Steel Pulse brand has been touring its dub-club riddems round the world since 1975 behind bandleaders David Hinds (guitar/voice) and Selmo Brown (keyboards/voice). …

“My music is a combination of classical, Latin, and world-music influences,” says guitarist William Wilson, who studied with renowned flamenco guitarist Fred Benedetti while attending SDSU from 1996 to 2001. Wilson says people are often …

“A neighbor asked us to stop practicing because the bass was hurting her daughter’s face,” says Manic Diffusion guitarist Eliot Bourk. “We practice at our bassist’s house in Barrio Cardiff, right near the I-5 freeway …

With the latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics placing the national unemployment rate at around 9.5 percent, we asked local performers about their worst jobs ever. Joey Guevara (Lady Dottie and the …

Thirty-Five Years AgoDrink liquor without mixes. A more expensive liquor will prove more economical if taken with a splash of water or on the rocks than cheap whiskey that has to be disguised with mixes. …

The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; but the God of Israel is He that giveth strength and power unto His people. Trust in Him at all times, ye …

Membership: 300 individuals (average 150 for fellowship) Pastor: Mark Spitsbergen Age: 51 Born: Revival meeting camp, Caney, Kansas Formation: Point Loma Nazarene University (undergrad); University of California-San Diego. Ordained: 1982 San Diego Reader: Why did …

Heymatt: If most people are right-handed, I was wondering why. I couldn’t think of a good reason for that, so is there one? I’m sure your science guys can let me know. I’m a leftie, …

Too many have dispensed with generosity in order to practice charity. — Albert Camus My landline was blowing up. Three calls in ten minutes, all from charity organizations. I glared at the receiver. This was …

Primitive Noyes describes their music as “electroniscape pop.” The band’s sound is redolent of those 1960s-era anti-drug films intended to scare junior high school kids away from dope. To wit: “One senses the invocation of …

They don’t call them the dog days for nothing. Blockbusters are all behind us. Here’s what’s before ­us. The Switch. Thin-ice romantic comedy tolerable only insofar as you can tolerate the greased wheels of contrivance …

“The only thing I can think of is my natural hyperactivity, but also the love of punk music,” Dave Lombardo offers by way of explanation. He is often credited with having created an almost impossibly …

He said he was a falconer and his bird had failed to return after a feeding trip. But in this day and age you have to be careful, so I was reluctant to let him …

"If the veto were to be overridden, what would the implication be in respect to the ballot?" asked District 1 councilmember Sherri Lightner during Tuesday morning's special meeting. "It would be placed on the ballot," …

Along with Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach, and Santee, Oceanside has a moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries, which could stand until May 2011. On Wednesday evening, Oceanside’s city council will address the issue of …

Besides 'tweens, who's going to heart the precious, Petit Prince-like line drawings speckling the cover and insert? At first, an audio scrapbook to one's youth...from a late-20-something...seems an odd, perchance navel-obsessed construct. And at the …

"Truro is a hole," scoffed Timothy, a student from Halifax. "Don't go there if you can avoid it." But somehow I ended up in Truro – twice. This grim little town was nothing more than …

Lee Vining is one of those little towns that dot Hwy. 395 along the Eastern Sierra. It is located about a half hour north of Mammoth, two hours south of Reno. Nearby Mono Lake, one …

“They’re crazy about soccer down there. Should I be worried if, by chance, the U.S. beats Mexico?” I asked a friend a few days before my flight to Mexico City. “Bring a Canadian flag,” he …

In a word: soapy. That's Giuseppi Logan's saxophone tone in one word, although soap, when you think on it, can do so much. His intonation, indeed, squirts away from notes like a bar of Irish …

On behalf of the Downtown Encinitas Mainstreet Association, executive director Dody Crawford appeared before the Encinitas City Council on August 18 to request that the council reconsider the installation of a public bench in front …

Recently at the Cortez “hole” site (midblock between Ash and Beech, flanked by Fourth and Fifth avenues), I met with Barry Getzel, senior project manager at Wakeland Housing & Development Corporation. The aborted construction site …

Addressing her audience at the Belly Up, singer-guitarist Andrea Echeverri asked, "Do you prefer English or Spanish?" "Espanol!" came the unanimous reply. Many dedicated fans of her Colombian band Aterciopelados ("The Velvety Ones"), had traveled …

Two years after suffering a defeat to Mary England, his colleague on the Lemon Grove City Council, and newcomer politico George Gastil, 14-year council veteran Tom Clabby is back. Clabby is one of six candidates …

Toby Keith's new single is entitled “Trailerhood,” an ode to life in a mobile-home park. But if you attended his 2010 tour stop at Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre and still weren't convinced that the country singer …

Hollywood actor Shelley Malil is accused of attempted murder for allegedly stabbing an ex-girlfriend more than 20 times at her home in San Marcos. The attack happened more than two years ago, on August 10 …

Just after 10:45 on August 18, police and fire crews blocked off the 3400 block of Morena Boulevard in both directions after responding to a residential structure fire. Crews quickly knocked down the blaze, which …

Put An End To It The Reader’s choice of cover article in the August 12 issue is disgusting (“I Have a Habit of Having Things in My Hand”). If your intent was to draw attention …

Are there holes in your life where your skills and experiences don’t connect with your passions and dreams? Try this bridging exercise to brainstorm and explore possible jobs that connect your skill (what comes naturally …

You have a job opening at your organization. This job requires someone who has good communication and organizational skills and is able to interface effectively with various departments, effectively direct a staff of 15, and …

Bob Nelson knows that when it comes to motivating workers, you can never think too small. A handwritten thank you note from the boss, a hallway conversation followed up with a gift certificate for lunch, …

The Awakening EP, the newest release from Anti Citizens, comes with all the underground hip-hop bells and whistles that you could ask for from the duo. Grandiose dystopian beats ("Blackout," "2012 Armageddon"), impressive double-time lyrical …

Mattzilla: I’ve looked at a lot of career choices, and it seems to me that being a vampire would suit me pretty well. One thing has me a little confused, though. Could I survive as …

Set between the Gaslamp District and Golden Hill, Wednesday’s monthly-gone-fortnightly Dub Dorado packs the rustic lounge with a miscellany of Downtown clubbers, Uptown hipsters, and old-school dubstep and drum & bass heads. Bartenders in gold-miner …

“This is HIP-HOP. I don’t know what they told you, but this is called HIP-HOP!” DJ Artistic has me in a gentle headlock as he shouts this into my ear. He’s not being aggressive; he …

The U.S. has lost more than 8 million jobs since the Great Recession began in late 2007. San Diego County has lost more than 80,000. They aren’t coming back soon, say local economists. A high …

Rochelle Becker would like to correct me. I wrote in a June 17 article that the two remaining reactors at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, located in the northwest corner of San Diego County, …

Based in University Heights, Normandie Wilson is a self-taught pianist who worked as an accompanist in her small West Virginia town from middle school through high school. “I grew up listening to 1960s music — …

When people in the rest of the country or the rest of the world think about California, they think about sunshine and blondes at the beach — still! They still think about that stuff! But …

Girl in a Coma is a San Antonio trio started by Phanie Diaz and Jenn Alva. Later, they drafted Phanie’s sister Nina. Nina has one of those innocent honey-sweet voices that could melt rocks. By …

Carol Williams — San Diego civic organist and artistic director of the Spreckels Organ Society — hates the heat. She also hates it when the wind blows her hair in her eyes and when June …

The kids have been begging to go to Comic-Con for years. This year I yielded, on the condition that we seek out age-appropriate offerings. After 30 minutes of swimming through an ocean of people decked …

Thirty-Five Years AgoWith each successive film, [Robert] Altman comes closer to the frank expression of something not so nice but conceivably profound. It’s turning out to be nothing more than the despicable compromise of just …

“The greatest thing about this camp is that you really get to see that kids are such a wealth of creativity,” says Christine Gilardi, three-year director of a real-life School of Rock in La Jolla. …

Jason Farnan has returned to his Mira Mesa home and Sorrento Valley computer gig after an impressive showing at the U.S. Air Guitar Championships, held this year at Irving Plaza in New York City. Farnan, …

It’s been around four years since brothers Jayme and Andy Ralph founded their quiet coffeehouse band Writer, and little has changed with the group’s acoustic emo sound. “We play indie rock, with a little Southern …

New electronica duo the Eris Sisters will debut tracks from their freshman album DownHEAR at the Club Zu Boat Party IV, which cruises the harbor on August 21. “The title is based on the Downhear …

Sunday, August 8, 1:30 p.m.The 26th annual CityFest sees a bustling Fifth Avenue blocked off to vehicle traffic from University to Brookes with 250-plus vendors, 150,000-plus attendees, and lines extending out the door of every …

Thursday 19It’s an old story: an ex-other calls because they’ve got a giant organ to sell you. Fifty bucks and a few hours later, the behemoth sits in your apartment, taking up half your living …

Ars Poetica Write each of your poems as if it were your last. In this century, saturated with strontium, charged with terrorism, flying with supersonic speed, death comes with terrifying suddenness. Send each of your …

Twin Peaks, a scruffy, boulder-studded promontory rising amid Poway’s suburban streets, is less known for its own existence than for the major street named after it: Twin Peaks Road. After a short but vigorous climb, …

It’s a strange-weird sight to raise binoculars and look out to a vast boneyard of dead professional football leagues. And weirder still to see, over there, in the far distance, a file of new professional …

This last full week of August promises to resemble summer to some degree, but that would be divination, I suppose, as ­I’m writing this a full week earlier. “Promises”; this reminds me of a blurb …

Sunset’s my kryptonite. Honest. Dusk is my undoing. I’m weakest when Huey’s dipping his tootsies in the ocean. Food and drink-wise, anyway. Here at the Gaslamp trolley stop around six, I can feel the magic …

Carl Schroeder was the hot young chef hired by Bradley Ogden to oversee Arterra back when it was new. Schroeder made both his and the restaurant’s name there. Then he opened his own place, Market, …

Truth is such a rare thing, it is delightful to tell it. — Emily Dickinson David arrived home, set his keys on the counter, and retrieved a bottle of green tea from the refrigerator. As …

Why atheism today? — The “father” in God has been thoroughly refuted; ditto, “the judge,” “the rewarder.” Also his “free will”: he does not hear — and if he heard he still would not know …

I ­Who’s the great sinner? He, who gave the power And will to sin, and knew both would be ­used. II ­Who’s the great sinner? He, to whose sole will Sinner and sin alike owe …

Membership: 85–100 Pastor: Christopher Clark Age: 50 Born: Long Beach, Calif. Formation: Occidental College, Los Angeles; California Baptist University, Riverside; Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Forth Worth, Texas Years Ordained: Licensed 31 years; ordained 22 years …

1. Peter Barry Lawrence, 71, pleaded guilty to robbing a bank on July 26 in downtown San Diego. Lawrence is popularly known as A. The Geezer Bandit B. The Geritol Bandit C. The Rest Home …

One of the promises of the independent cinema, seldom fulfilled, is that it take up the jobs abdicated by today’s Hollywood. The job taken up in Cairo Time is, no condescension intended, that of the …

It's an "intensive crackdown" on the inebriated cruiser, a campaign to curb drunk drivers. Beginning August 20, San Diego County Law Enforcement Agencies, all 14 of them, will deploy officers to man 17 DUI checkpoints, …

“The Del Mar Racetrack is a nonsmoking venue” the announcer repeated as a crowd of several thousand gathered not so much for the horses as for the reggae show afterwards. Nevertheless, through a fogbank of …

What does it mean when a public lobbying firm says that a key objective is to “isolate and expose extremists”? Public records recently obtained from Southwestern College offer a rare peek into the strategies of …

The limitations imposed on U.S. dollar deposits in Mexican banks shall stand, says Ernesto Cordero, secretary of Mexico’s finance ministry. Cordero recently delivered this message to Juan Manuel Hernández Niebla, president of Coparmex, an organization …

At about 10:30 p.m. on August 14, the police and fire departments were called to a residence on Noble Street in Casa de Oro after neighbors heard a loud explosion. There was plenty excitement among …

Sometime after 4 a.m. on August 15, neighbors were awakened by loud voices outside a house on Upas Street that had hosted a party the night before. One man repeatedly told a second man to …

Twenty people attended District 3 city councilmember Todd Gloria's latest community coffee klatch on August 14 at Grant's Marketplace in South Park. (Contrary to what the photo suggests, alcoholic beverages were not served.) Gloria spent …

When grunge was king, Stone Temple Pilots was the Rodney Dangerfield of the genre. Critics gave them little respect, deriding the group as bandwagoners trying to sound like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, [insert …

"It's DNA," YellowFever drummer Adam Jones says fresh out of the van after a hot drive from Phoenix into "sweater weather" as Roxy Jones howls a mic check at Soda Bar. The Austin-based tropical malady …

Cinderella brought their brand of blues-infused glam-rock to San Diego to the delight of a room full of hardcore ’80s metal fans at Viejas Casino. They remain today one of the few "hair bands" still …

My wife and I have worked at an American school in Brazil for a year. Before this, we worked at an international school in Colombia. The following is, by no stretch of the imagination, my …

I heard the word “Tecate.” My buddy wasn’t speaking of the next beer, but rather a border town located only 45 minutes away from downtown San Diego. Follow the 94-east freeway signs until it becomes …

I moved to San Diego eleven days ago. More specifically, I moved to this area they call North Park. I learned quickly to identify my neighborhood when asked what part of SD I live in. …

Tijuana keeps on plowing ahead with its colossal street renovations. Recently, 10 to 12 inches of asphalt were removed from Avenida Constitución, the street stripped down to sandy soil that hasn’t seen daylight for perhaps …

San Diego–based rocker Del Currie (formerly of Fono) is back with a new project, but the results suggest that Zoo Seven is actually Fono part deux, because Lifesaver sounds similar to its predecessors. Currie still …

As if the stingray “attacks” of a few weeks ago weren't enough, now we have the beaches of La Jolla Shores getting slimed by green algae. A roving La Jolla lifeguard told me on August …

Elana's bowing her fiddle faster than the speed of light; Whit Smith's right arm is producing rhythms so tight you could bounce a nickel off 'em; Jake Erwin's slapping, tapping, and barely touching his standup …

At about 9:30 a.m. on Friday, August 13, at the Grand Avenue lifeguard tower, a homeless man named Sonny was distraught. He claimed that lifeguards had stolen his belongings off the beach. The lifeguards told …

At the August 10 city council meeting in National City, councilmembers and the mayor reduced hours at the city's library, senior center, the swimming pool, and eliminated a full-time position on the neighborhood council program …

It's all gone — my life as I knew it is over, following a May 21 fire at the apartment I lived at on Louisiana Street. A policeman was knocking down my door. I could …

The drive from Vancouver Airport up to Whistler Village is about two and a half hours of pure eye candy. Although I mention a drive, you really don’t need a car in Whistler at all. …

“La Nueva Tijuana” (the new Tijuana) is the name given to a section of Chula Vista known as East Lake Terrace. An explosion of growth there and in Bonita has been brought about by the …

The City of Poway is trading in the abandoned Poway Chrysler Jeep car lot on Poway Road for something a bit more dependable: a Toyota dealership and a Lowe's Home Improvement store. At their August …

San Diego sheriff’s deputies believe they've thwarted a growing homeless population occupying the wooded areas that neighbor the Rancho San Diego Towne Center on Jamacha Boulevard. According to Deputy Albert Carrillo, the transients were likely …

In 2008, voters approved Proposition R, a $389 million bond for Chula Vista's Southwestern College. As construction plans begin to take shape, contractors, subcontractors, and consultants are lining up before the Southwestern Governing Board. Some …

"Around 2005 we found out that our checkbook wasn't looking like we needed it to. It's fair to say that this budget year is particularly treacherous," said Chris Zapata, city manager for National City, at …

Should members of affluent communities blush when their leaders go scounging for federal assistance? Probably not in the view of Lynda Hunt, who was interviewed by the La Jolla Village News in May 2006. “San …

“I came from NASCAR country,” says the Kabbs’ singer Brian Clinebell at Bluefoot Bar in North Park, a couple of blocks from the duplex he shares with bandmates Kyle (guitar) and Brandon (drums) Whatley. “[Kyle …

Todd Solondz has described his Life during Wartime as a “quasi-sequel” to Happiness. This is helpful inasmuch as it has been a dozen years since the quasi-predecessor, and although I think of that one as …

You would never believe what sport and entertainment your mortal manikins provide daily for the gods. These gods, you know, set aside their sober forenoon hours for composing quarrels and giving ear to prayers. But …

In accordance with my training, I asked few questions, although many arose in my mind. I simply tried silently to fit the new ideas like so many blocks into the pattern of my philosophy, while …

1. Toyota is recalling 412,000 cars in the United States. The majority of the cars recalled are which model? A. Prius B. Camry C. FJ Cruiser D. Avalon 2. Philanthropist Donald Shiley died recently at …

Membership: 70 individuals Pastor: Mark Dahle Age: 54 Born: Seattle, Wash. Formation: Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago, Ill.; Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash. Years ordained: 15 San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing …

Recipe by Eric Bauer, executive chef, Anthology. I have cooked ever since I was little with my mom and grandmother. They are both Swedish, so we had a lot of Swedish meatballs and pancakes for …

“We are glorious accidents of an unpredictable process with no drive to complexity.” — Stephen Jay Gould (paleontologist) I told myself I was being magnanimous when I invited my sister and her two sons to …

If there is a human being who takes himself and what he does for work more seriously than a junior Hollywood publicist, I have yet to meet that person. These fresh-faced 20-somethings make a neurosurgeon …

The adventure began with an email from a work colleague: “You’ve got to try this place, even if you don’t review it. You should just go and enjoy it.” After checking blogs that gave more …

San Diegans hear a show’s “Broadway bound” so much the tag has lost pizzazz. The Old Globe’s recent musicals — The First Wives’ Club, Sammy, and The Whisper House — came decked with Great White …

Writing this on the eve of the first full weekend of August. Coolest summer remembered in 30 years here. Chilly in more ways than one: the buses and trolleys are peopled with more than the …

I’m scouting the Other Side, which is the portion of Abadiânia that lies south of the highway that bisects the town. The Casa (John of God’s healing center) and its service industry are on one …

The pint-sized (244-acre) Verdugo Mountains Open Space Preserve covers a scruffy patch of east-facing slopes in the city of Glendale. The circular hiking/biking route described here is pieced out of fire roads and residential streets …

Last night, ah, yesternight, betwixt her lips and mine There fell thy shadow, Cynara! Thy breath was shed Upon my soul between the kisses and the wine; And I was desolate and sick of an …

Thursday 12Wavves kahuna Nathan Williams announced at New York’s Bowery Ballroom last week that “Walt Disney was a Nazi.... You go, you feel Nazi vibes. It’s disgusting.” Williams said that the Walt Corp. “mildly sued” …

He’s been recorded by producer Phil Spector, photographed by album-cover icon Mick Rock, and has booked headlining tours through Europe. But Hargobind Hari Singh Khalsa, the local singer-songwriter known as Hargo, rarely performs in his …

There is a smile on every face and a winner in each race, where the turf meets the surf at Del Mar. “Yeah, that’s me in the new racetrack TV commercial,” says Del Mar singer-songwriter …

“I’m a singer-songwriter with alt-country leanings but a punk-rock spirit,” says acoustic troubadour Drew Douglas, aka Grampadrew. “Think John Prine and Neil Young jamming at a sawdust-floor hoedown with Wilco.” The South Park resident cut …

Thirty-Five Years AgoSix days a week, with the exception of Tuesdays, the admissions gate is lifted after the seventh race at the Del Mar track, and the crowd that has gathered to play the last …

Janina Hardoy was 24 years old when last seen around the Oceanside Pier, quoting the Bible to homeless people; a couple of months later, in early 2005, she was reported missing from her rented Oceanside …

“I started out as a producer and songwriter and decided to take center stage by performing my own music,” says Hershel Abram. “I’d describe it as alternative neo-soul pop. I write flirtatious, sexy, feel-good songs …

I’ll be the first to admit — I never got the Jack Johnson vibe. If I put on a CD by Johnson, within minutes I find myself…vacuuming. But a lot of other people dig his …

Can there be such a thing as 21st-century gothic? The gothic imagination is all about superstitions that linger on after science has seemed to explain them away...but maybe the old superstitions are done lingering. I …

To Buy Or Not To Buy Re: Richard Milan’s letter, “Money University,” August 5. Absolutely true but for one thing: the power elite isn’t immolating the young to maintain the lifestyle of the middle-aged. They …

March 17 of 2003 was Don Bauder Day in San Diego. (I suspected that most city council members voted for it because they were gleefully celebrating my departure from the Union-Tribune.) The honor was no …

A small crowd of MoveOn.org supporters gathered at noon on August 10 at the Community Concourse to "fight Washington corruption." Speakers included Anne Hoiberg, copresident of the League of Women Voters of San Diego, and …

"USAgain is a green for-profit enterprise that collects used clothes (and shoes) and resells them worldwide to conserve precious resources and greenhouse gases," according to their website. Two of USAgain’s red-and-white collection bins were placed …

Author: Louis Carufel Neighborhood: University City Age: 60 Occupation: Salesman Work at the Census Bureau all but came to a halt on the last Friday of July, and most of us clerks were, in official …

You’ve probably heard of all the wonders Thailand has to offer. Exquisite beauty, adventure, rich culture, friendly people. And you may have heard of Koh Phangan, a tiny island off Thailand’s east coast in the …

I'm just glad I wasn't driving. The road that snakes around Mt. Washington is narrow and terrifying. There's no guardrail to prevent cars from flying off corners and smashing down steep cliffs. Just to make …

Asians are the source of a 15 percent increase in tourism along the so-called tourist sector of Tijuana, according to Andrés Méndez Martínez, coordinator of the tourist-business association known as Ceturmex. In a daily Frontera …

The National Doctors Tea Party held its “anti-ObamaCare” rally at Cancer Survivors Park off of North Harbor Drive on the afternoon of July 7. The event featured conservative speakers such as Sharron Angle, Roger Hedgecock, …

Near Town Center in Santee at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 8, witnesses in the area reported hearing a loud “boom” coming from the grassy field east of the recently opened Town Center Community …

On August 6, San Diego schools superintendent Bill Kowba addressed the press at Lincoln High School regarding a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union. In the letter, the ACLU asks the school district to …

Mark Twain might be dazzled and confused by the smattering of electric instruments in Lovett's large band, but he'd recognize a tent show, for which about 1000 people sit waiting in stiff plastic chairs. Cobalt's …

Arcade Fire's aptitude for grand motifs accentuates the melancholy of suburban life on their latest. While The Funeral found Win Butler’s band carrying the weight of the world, followed by Neon Bible's introspective attempt to …

Tom Jones and I go back a long time. While on a beach in Barcelona in the ’60s, I was feeling homesick, and over the speakers of a beachfront café came Jones's voice belting out …

The full moon was rising in the east as the capacity crowd waited for the Rocket Man to take the stage. At 8 p.m., the haunting melody of “Funeral for a Friend” filled the amphitheater, …

“We looked at properties in North County San Diego, but we just couldn’t find anything so we decided to move to San Miguel de Allende.” As the couple from California told me their story, my …

Prostitution has burst its traditional boundaries — the zona de tolerencia along Calle Coahuila and its environs — and is expanding into new territories throughout Tijuana. Frontera reports that at least four more districts are …

Like he's never been away. That simple. That gobsmacking. Which is why I can't get, along the subject of gobs, with all this lukewarm mumbling about "pretty good for outtakes," which of course means pretty …

On Thursday morning, August 5, at approximately 9:30 a.m., a woman’s cries were heard in the Mission Center Road parking lot of the Ralphs grocery store. "Help me! Call 911!" she yelled as concerned shoppers …

“Hey-hey, ho-ho, all the phobia has got to go!” Was the chant from hundreds of gay, lesbian, transgender, and straight supporters of same-sex marriage during a massive march in Hillcrest on Wednesday evening, August 4. …

Few disagree that Buenos Aires is one of the top urban destinations in South America – and it is, arguably, among the top budget destinations in the world. My wife and I stayed in two …

Residents of Cortina, a townhouse community with over a hundred homes located on Westview Parkway in Mira Mesa, have expressed their shock and frustration with the possibility of stricter parking rules around their properties. In …

The San Diego Unified School District board voted four to zero on August 3 to form a committee that will consider allowing cheerleading to satisfy the physical education requirements for graduation. The all-female Patrick Henry …

After Northern California’s chief district judge Vaughn Walker on August 4 ruled that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional, I contacted Robert R. DeKoven, law professor at San Diego's California Western School of Law, since he writes …

After a year and a half of layoff, Reggie Vaughn has finally found work. Tell me about your layoff? I was a truck driver for a large freight company. I’d been working there since 2005. …

You are a senior job search candidate and you are interviewing for a new position. You have been successful in the interview process and are one of five finalists. You note that the other finalists …

One of this year’s popular reality TV shows was Undercover Boss, which gave executives the chance to sneak into their own workplaces to see what was going on with the rank and file. Executives of …

Being out of work can make you feel lost and disconnected, especially if you’re job hunting purely to survive unemployment. To regain a sense of control, shift your viewpoint to purposeful drifting. Now is the …

On Sunday, August 1, James Caviezel, star of the 2004 film The Passion of the Christ, was the guest speaker at The Rock Church in Point Loma. The Oscar nominee shared his story of what …

“I’m not a zapatero by trade,” says sitarist Rama of the beat-heavy world-fusion band Universal Beats Universal Vibe, “but everything we do we do 110 percent. With our costuming and everything, we go over the …

Guitarist William Nephew and El Capitan High School friends Seth McCarter (guitar) and David Esau (drums) formed Jack’s Broken Heart in 1999. In three months they finished recording their Against Forgetting EP and got busy …

1. Countywide consumption of what commodity decreased by 13 percent during San ­Diego’s 2010 fiscal ­year? A. Milk B. Gasoline C. Water D. Natural Gas 2. Sales of what product rose 30 percent in San …

Come to Foster Point not only for a great view, but also for an opportunity to identify many of Southern California’s highest mountains. A direction finder, installed by the Sierra Club, shows 17 peaks, including …

The Butterfield Stage line between Warner’s Ranch and Oak Grove was a narrow trail, dusty in summer, soggy in winter, rutted the year round. On its weekly treks, the stage always stopped at Deadman’s Hole, …

I headed for Barrio Star with fear in my heart. Fear, and numerous variations of annoyance. Let’s start with the annoyances and touch on the fear later. Barrio Star is a new restaurant in Banker’s …

Arnold Schwarzenegger sweated here. Stern’s Gym, North Park, “California’s oldest bodybuilding gym.” So did half a dozen Mr. Universe winners. So should I, except that right now I’m searching out the North Park Post Office. …

Shakespeare’s Sonnet 148 complains: “O me, what eyes hath love put in my head,/ Which have no correspondence with true sight!/ Or if they have, where is my judgment fled,/ That censures falsely what they …

Picking up from last week. Tai Chi Teacher, Her Spouse, Their Friend, and I made our flight on the second try. We caught up with our baggage in Chicago, changed planes, and endured the long …

You might ask yourself if pop music needs another duo from the Midwest with the last name of White. White Mystery is Alex and Francis White, a brother-sister duo from Chicago. They don’t break any …

Ariel Pink’s new release, Before Today, is widely seen as his commercial breakthrough. It also contains a droning song called “Menopause Man” in which Pink bellows, “Rape me, castrate me, make me gay!” So, let’s …

“In the course of 30 years, I’ve photographed just about every musician you could name,” says Oceanside-based rock photographer Rick Gould. His list includes Michael Jackson, Madonna, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Tom Petty, …

“Are you trying to kill me?” gasped hubby Patrick. He was eyeballing the lineup of 24 bottles of ranch dressing on the counter. Patrick doesn’t even like ranch dressing, but his family does and they’re …

Craic (crack) — a term for fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation, particularly prominent in Ireland. After suggesting we all meet at around 8 or 8:30 for breakfast, Dad confirmed the rendezvous for 8:15. His decision …

Heymatt: This is a really hard thing for me to believe. My friend says she remembers being born. She says she has dreams about being in a real dark place and then being pushed along …

Membership: 400 individuals Pastor: Tim Tiffany Age: 64 Born: Kansas City, Kansas Formation: University of California Los Angeles; Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana Years Ordained: 30 years San Diego Reader: Can you think of a …

Woolly Weather. As Hurricane Alex approached the coast of Northern Mexico during the Independence Day weekend, nearly ten inches of rain flooded the streets of San Diego and other parts of Duval County. In Freer …

My son will turn 33 this August, on a Friday coming up. It is a significant age for a man, at least in Christianity, and it is one-third of 100 years. He was born in …

Thirty-Five Years Ago The Average White Band has two encores down and none to go. “Those few minutes before they whip on the lights make the night for me,” exclaims bassist Alan Gorrie. Hunched over …

When Pierce the Veil takes the stage this summer at Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre as part of the Vans Warped Tour, it will be a homecoming for the San Diego band. Vic Fuentes, 27, says he …

“We got some national airplay last month on the new FOX TV cop show The Good Guys,” says Heavy Glow singer-guitarist Jared Mullins. “They used about a ten-second clip of the song ‘Grinning in the …

The only sign of life in Julian at 5:00 a.m. this April morning are men in white paper toques rolling out pie dough at the bright-lighted Julian Bakery. It’s a deep black morning when I …

Across the table, Bridget sneaks a smile; she’s caught me staring past her at the man who brings us curried dishes, hot and mild. His eyes are blue, intensely blue, hot sky; his hair, dark …

Bob RoseCritic, asitecalledfred.com Freaked is a hand grenade of funny that most people have never had the pleasure of exploding to. I can know the future success and/or worth of a budding friendship based on …

Given the City’s financial meltdown and the national economic crisis, about the only thing growing in San Diego is the size and number of its potholes. But while there may be no money left to …

Predatory eating Amid a slew of highly classified endeavors, La Jolla–based General Atomics, which has billions of taxpayer dollars at its disposal to build Predator drones, research nuclear power options, and grow algae for experimental …

La Mesa's Heather McGuire bought a condo in 2006, got married the next year, and before long got into a fight — not with her new husband. She moved in with him. Her battle — …

Police drunk-driving checkpoints are big business. Just ask the City of Escondido, which has been racking up profits courtesy of federal grants and an aggressive vehicle-impound regime instituted by the Escondido Police Department with the …

Money University Elizabeth Salaam notes accurately the common view that today’s 20-somethings feel entitled to lucrative careers and have unrealistic expectations (“What Have You Done for Us Lately?” Cover Story, July 29). The reality, of …

…to Adams the dynamo became a symbol of infinity. As he grew accustomed to the great gallery of machines, he began to feel the forty-foot dynamos as a moral force, much as the early Christians …

The religious perception of our time, in its widest and most practical application, is the consciousness that our well-being, both material and spiritual, individual and collective, temporal and eternal, lies in the growth of brotherhood …

On July 30 at about 2 a.m., the clerk working at the 1290 West Valley Parkway 7-Eleven saw a man walk out of the store with a six-pack of beer he hadn't paid for. After …

At high noon on Sunday, August 1, a geyser of water sprayed from a pipe on the 4500 block of West Point Loma Boulevard — enough water so that cars in both lanes heading into …

Denizens of Mid-City communities North Park and Hillcrest want to be treated more like the Gaslamp District, at least in terms of the requirements placed on large nightclubs, bars, and other late-night party places. In …

Retired landscape architect and Carlsbad resident Walt Meier showed up at the city council meeting on July 27 to discuss the lack of landscaping around large retail buildings in the city. He asked the council …

In August and September of 2008, Townspeople, a California nonprofit, received gap financing from the San Diego Housing Commission Board and the Housing Authority for its acquisition and rehabilitation of a 34-unit apartment complex located …