Summertime….ahh, lemon-aid stands, Slip-and-Slides across the lawn, family get-togethers and psychotic security guards working at Lake Miramar over the 4th of July. For years now my wife and I have enjoyed getting our pyrotechnic fix …

In attempting to define the normal childhood, whatever that might be, I think that perhaps we begin by examining our own and then try to use it in some meaningful way. I therefore insist that …

A $2.2 million project to replace sewer pipelines near the beach will affect traffic and bus routes in northwestern Carlsbad from now until September. There are two construction sites: Beech Avenue between Ocean Street and …

A U.S. Marine Corps sergeant accused of throwing a kitten into a wall last June pled not guilty on July 29 in San Diego Superior Court on felony charges of animal cruelty. Fernando Pacheco, 27, …

Pam Barrett, speaking on behalf of the San Diego chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, appeared before the San Diego City Council on July 27 to request that an ordinance be passed that would …

“We know definitively that, if not for the brownouts, Engine 38 would have been available. And I’m confident they could have reached the home in two minutes,” said San Diego fire chief Javier Mainar at …

Another quick jaunt north is the scenic town of Pacifica, California. As a student at San Francisco State University, I once lived here eons ago, but it is still as quaintly scenic and tranquil a …

“Councilwoman [Pamela] Bensoussan, what planet do you think you are on?” asked Derrick Roach at the Chula Vista City Council meeting on July 27. Roach is a San Diego–based private investigator and Republican candidate for …

My wife and I arrived at Ocean Beach's Dusty Rhodes Park at about 6 p.m. on July 24. A couple hours earlier, an open-to-the-public, free-of-charge dance party had gotten under way. A DJ spun energetic …

On July 26 at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Midway Drive, half a block off West Point Loma Boulevard, a young woman in her early 30s driving an Acura struck a man in his 60s while …

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted last month to implement the placement of receptacles for safe disposal of prescription drugs. The drug-disposal boxes resemble post-office mailboxes, except they're not blue and are …

After 3:00 a.m. in front of the O.B. International Hostel on July 22, a trio of female holiday-makers from Dublin, Ireland, were robbed at gunpoint. The women, all in their 20s, said they were talking …

“It’s not technically an outreach,” Park Gallery host Ryan Burke tells me after an evening band practice with his alt-rock band the Morning Glass. “We don’t have sermons here. It’s strictly to serve the community. …

Thursday 29Key words: Reis, Froberg, Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, Night Marchers, Obits. Kinda falls apart there at the end, huh? Not tonight, punk, as Reis’s Night Marchers goose-step into Casbah behind Froberg’s Obits. …

Forget the deficit, local government agencies continue to lavish tax dollars on representatives in Washington, D.C., to lobby for even more taxpayer cash. In the second quarter of this year, the San Diego County Regional …

Sometimes Facebook pages are revealing because of what they omit about their owners. Take the case of political consultant Larry Remer, fresh from Democrat Juan Vargas’s razor-thin victory over Mary Salas in the 40th District …

1. La Jolla artist and publisher Jim Lee recently won notoriety for redesigning which comic ­hero? A. Spider Man B. Superman C. Dick Tracy D. Wonder Woman 2. Caltrans has proposed expanding Interstate 5 from …

Membership: 1200 individuals. Pastor: Randal Gardner (Rector) Age: 57 Born: Denver, Colorado Formation: Seattle Pacific University; Church Divinity School of the Pacific-Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley. Years Ordained: 25 San Diego Reader: How long do you …

How about “Pig Supreme?” asked one of the lambs. “No good,” said Charlotte. “It sounds like a rich dessert.” — E. B. White When my friend Sara announced the impending arrival of her new pet …

Lowering the temperature on the Cold War, below freezing, Salt exposes a subterranean population of Russian “sleeper” agents with far more nefarious designs than those of the eleven happy capitalists rounded up recently (and for …

“Late night?” I joked with my friend Kendra. She’s not much of a drinker, but she looked awful. “It’s cramping,” she replied. “I almost couldn’t get out of bed this morning. And I don’t want …

Dubstep is characterized by ultra-heavy, dark, articulate sub-bass and borrows from drum-and-bass, grime, two-step garage, and instrumental reggae (dub). Although the genre was established over a decade ago in South London, dubstep is only now …

In 2006, Richard S. Friedman — an entertainer who fronted the Texas Jewboys, a band known for such songs as “Asshole from El Paso” and “They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore” — ran for …

An echoing, U2-like guitar part chimes along and a high, Jeff Buckley–like voice croons. This is the opening of “Sweet Disposition,” the breakthrough song by Melbourne, Australia’s Temper Trap. It sounds like romance and youth …

Every May, after the tasseled hats have fallen to the ground and the graduation parties have died down, hundreds of thousands of new graduates enter the workforce. Or at least that’s the plan. Late last …

There’s a wild place in the heart of San Diego that only a few people know about — visited by even fewer — and if San Diego State has its way, it may share the …

‘If you build it, they will come.” It works in fantasy movies (Field of Dreams, 1989). But it hasn’t worked in San Diego’s East Village. As part of the $301 million ballpark subsidy, developers created …

When he recalled his early years in San Diego, Herbert Hensley loved to tell about the time Jimmie Dillar saw the devil. In June 1890, as he explored the treeless mesa where Balboa Park stands …

Have Our Gangbangers So Judy from the Big Kitchen bemoans the loss of the gangbangers in South Park (“North Park vs. South Park,” Cover Story, July 22). Well, you can have ours here in North …

Holy cow. This might be a first in San Diego. “Yours?” I ask the gal. Her name’s Verena. Verena Garnett. “It’s me and my sister’s,” she says. We’re looking at a little red three-wheeled auto-rickshaw, …

At the theater critics’ annual Craig Noel Awards ceremony, recipients thank fellow artists and friends for support. But just what does that support entail? What, for example, is it like to be married to an …

I haven’t been on an airplane since aforetime 9/11 or taken an international airplane ride since 1995. No reason, no plan, just the way the cards were dealt. Still, it is strange: prior to 1995, …

Looking for a place to escape the summer heat? Look no farther than the scenic strand of beach stretching south from Swami’s Park in Encinitas. The walk on the sand isn’t difficult, and if you …

What are you reading? “Stumbling on Happiness" by Daniel Gilbert. It’s a psychological perspective on how people conceive of happiness and why that conception is false. We try to predict what will make us happy, …

Here’s what you need to do, since time began: find something — diamond-rare or carbon-cheap, it’s all the same — and love it all you can. It should be something close — a field, a …

San Diego–based Webceleb, a dot-com startup that went live in March, bills itself as a “social marketplace where you can get paid to download music.” Cofounder Scott Fetters says that the price of a song …

When Blizzard Entertainment announced its new game Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty would be released July 27, players were left wondering what ever happened to Starcraft: Ghost, originally announced for a 2002 debut but so …

Java Joe’s last official promotion at the Café Libertalia on Fifth Avenue in Hillcrest was Bushwalla’s performance on Saturday, July 17. For the past year, Joe Flammini had an arrangement with Libertalia owners Donna Orlando …

Thirty-Five Years Ago Greg voluntarily entered detox on Saturday at 7:20 p.m. He had worked all day and was taking advantage of his Memorial Day holiday to dry out. The first procedure was a brief, …

Shortly after 5:00 p.m. on July 25, an out-of-control truck hit two parked cars, slammed into another parked truck in a driveway, and ended up plowing into a garage on the 8100 block of Calico …

Henderson in Nevada, Sunset Station, Punk, Bowling, Pabst Blue Ribbon. What’s the connection? Three words. Punk Rock Bowling – a weekend of raucous and drunken activities having something to do with bowling and music. Normally, …

On Tuesday, July 27, San Diego’s city council dove into the issue of “indirect potable reuse” and members debated whether to allocate $6.6 million to Camp Dresser McKee to design, install, procure, and operate a …

The road was built only recently. For over a thousand years, visitors to the city of Mont Saint-Michel had to travel by boat, or wait till low tide and walk across from the mainland. The …

Forgiveness is primarily a matter of your mind and will. Love of neighbor is anchored in love of God. Therefore, it is possible to love the unfriendly neighbor on the level of the will. You …

“Adam Lay Ibounden” Anonymous (15th Century) Adam lay ibounden Boudnen in a bond; Foure thousand winter Thowt he not too ­long. And all wa for an appil, An appil that he took, As clerkes finden …

For nearly two weeks, my next-door neighbors had tried to get rid of a family of raccoons that were destroying their manicured backyard. At about 8 p.m. on July 21, the slider door to my …

Move over Morrissey, there's a new Pope of Mope; his name is Matt Berninger, lead singer and lyricist for the National, whose latest CD, High Violet, might be more aptly titled High Anxiety. Vocally and …

The text messages that the parents of 18-year-old Tiffany began receiving on July 24 were chilling: “i think someone was stabbed,” she texted from Comic-Con shortly after 5:00 p.m. “They have locked down hall h,” …

Escondido resident Bruce Simms addressed the city council on July 21 on the topic of the Portland Beavers, a Padres affiliate AAA baseball team that may be relocating to Escondido from Oregon. According to a …

New York Jazz vocalist Kendra Shank had a triumphant return to San Diego. The Point Loma High grad has several well-received and critically acclaimed releases under her belt — namely Mosaic and Spirit Free: The …

The heart of Popayán, Colombia, is a small colonial downtown dating back over 500 years. Everything is painted white. Traffic signals are unheard of. A church is visible from any given point and the streets …

"Long distance information, give me Memphis, Tennesse..." What is it with Memphis these days? There’s a new TV series about a blues-singing detective (Memphis Beat) and new albums out by Cyndi Lauper (Memphis Blues) and …

There are not many bands around that can unite a crowd as diverse as the one that Devo played to at the annual Gay Pride Festival in Balboa Park. While these old new-wavers have been …

The Dead Weather is the latest group to feature Jack White (White Stripes, Raconteurs). The band includes vocalist Alison Mosshart (the Kills), bassist Jack Lawrence (the Raconteurs), and guitarist Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone …

Jackson Browne's reunion tour with guitarist-collaborator David Lindley found its way to the summer concert series at Humphrey's by the Bay. Browne joined opener Lindley for a brief acoustic set, kicking off the show with …

On May 18, San Diego city councilmembers, sans councilwoman Donna Frye who was absent due to illness, approved a proposal to build two 20-story high-rises at Hazard Center in Mission Valley. During the three-hour council …

With its natural beauty and abundant resources, Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve is one of my favorite places for biking, jogging and hiking – horseback riding is also a favorite for folks who frequent the canyon. …

The Westboro Baptist Church’s planned protest at Comic-Con on July 22 was overridden by a rally against hate and intolerance. (For a background story on the church’s plans, click here.) At noon in front of …

“San Diego has a sordid history of inadequate planning and project management for big projects,” said Mission Valley resident Phil Hart. He spoke during the non-agenda public comment portion of the July 19 San Diego …

Illegal drinking is on the rise as Tijuana’s die-hard partiers take to tippling into the wee hours at clandestine booze pads. Private homes are opening their doors to all-night revelers for a profit, skirting the …

Amtrak seems to be feeling the crunch of the current recession, as I noticed on a recent trip. Every few months for the past several years, I have used Amtrak to take short trips up …

Like many community colleges, Southwestern College, located in Chula Vista, had to severely cut course offerings in the spring and summer of this year. At a June 2010 press conference, California Community College chancellor Jack …

Amber Elrod is the regional manager for Kelly Services, a human resources provider with three locations in San Diego County. Is temp work picking up or slowing down in the current economy? In San Diego, …

Nine-hundred and sixty-seven homeless veterans attended the 23rd annual Stand Down event held adjacent to San Diego High School on July 16 ,17, and 18. Carl Holbroke attended all three days. The first thing he …

You might have been fired from a job you loved. You might have once known what your goals and passions were, and what you were good at, but over time the excitement faded. In a …

There is one ingredient in your recipe for success in your job search – and in life in general – that is vital and irreplaceable. You may think that your skills and abilities are the …

Prospects for San Diego job seekers looked bleak in May 2008. The economy was struggling, the county reported that 83,400 people couldn’t find jobs, with an unemployment rate of 5.4 percent. At the time, a …

Two months after the San Diego County Grand Jury recommended that the City analyze its contract with Uptown Partnership, the agency that manages Uptown's parking, and consider absorbing the parking revenues collected in Uptown into …

Reporting from the front lines, here. Before me, across Juniper: Them. North Parkians. If you didn't know they were The Other, you'd be fooled into thinking they're just like you.

Recently, four new southbound lanes through the Mexican border station at San Ysidro were opened. The new lanes, in addition to the previously functional six inspection lanes, represent a partial fulfillment of Baja's master plan …

Acclamations of genius plus megamillions at the box-office equal a license for self-indulgence. Case at hand: critical favorite Christopher Nolan plus popular favorite The Dark Knight equal Inception. To all those responsible, filmmaker and favorers …

The heavily advertised Pacific Law Center was once San Diego’s best-known law firm, but its most controversial. Two years ago, Kerry Steigerwalt, a criminal lawyer who is regularly quoted on local television, gained control of …

Twenty feet south of the intersection of Market and 14th streets in the East Village is a yellow street sign affixed to a pole. In black capital letters, the sign reads “Senior Citizen Facility.” The …

Based in Encinitas and Carlsbad, Chapter 14 was founded in 2003 by singer-guitarist Chad Ackerman (As I Lay Dying, Austrian Death Machine) and bassist-guitarist Tanner Sparks. “People usually tell us that we remind them of …

A friend of mine recently wrote on Facebook, “Robyn is such good going-out music that leaving the house may prove impossible.” That’s exactly right. Robyn makes dance music for people who don’t really go to …

In 2001 a neurologist named Barry Bittman published a curious study claiming that drumming could improve one’s immune system. “Well, it must,” says Bill Kreutzmann by telephone from Hawaii when told of the report. “I …

“I worked with a nurse at a school for disabled children that swore by wipes,” says Patti. “They’re a disinfecting, pre-moistened, all-purpose cleaning tool. I will buy wipes forever; they’re a staple in our home. …

Thirty-Five Years AgoTwo of the titles I included, at the beginning of the year, on a list of “Movies I Expected to Come to San Diego in 1974 and Didn’t” turned up recently, briefly — …

“I haven’t played with the Steve Miller Band for 30 years and haven’t spoken to Steve in well over a decade,” says Lake Hodges guitarist Greg Douglass, best known for cowriting and playing on the …

“Derby girls skate hard, fall hard, and the ones who party, party hard! They take their sport very seriously but love to let loose at the after-parties,” writes San Diego Derby Doll Shiva Mi Timbers, …

“Some people are, like, ‘Can you write off my ticket?’ I’m not a cop anymore. I’m a civilian now,” says Latin jazz trumpeter Melissa Mejia. “But some people think that even though I resigned [from …

The Secret Seven’s release party for their first album, Turn Your Back to the Sea, takes place Saturday at Brick by Brick. “We’ll be playing the entire record, front to back,” says singer-guitarist Zach Goode, …

Sunday, July 4, 4:15 p.m. Only a handful of compatriots have arrived at a house known as the Control Center between Ulric Street and the 163 in Linda Vista. In addition to “all you can …

Thursday 22They’re not just another ’60s soul-pop cover band intent on “shakin’ yo ass,” they’re Social D, the Adolescents, the Cadillac Tramps, U.S. Bombs, and TSOL, the OC’s gnarliest exports indulging their un-punk selves, their …

My prime of youth is but a frost of cares, My feast of joy is but a dish of pain, My crop of corn is but a field of tares, And all my good is …

Fry Creek Campground, in the Cleveland National Forest on Palomar Mountain, offers the kind of forest camping experience that is becoming increasingly scarce in Southern California. A long-term drought cycle and various recent wildfires have …

Doesn’t take much to take your eye off the ball. It could be something like...I don’t know, say, a World Cup. Or a Tour de France. And then a month passes and the biggest sports …

The Old Globe is staging two plays about monarchs gone mad: Shakespeare’s King Lear and Alan Bennett’s Madness of George III. Lear’s is self-inflicted. A seemingly simple test of love has a “butterfly effect.” Families …

“I used to work here,” says Jeff. Funny, because we’re talking and chowing in Jeff’s Burgers. But, turns out, it was named after a different Jeff. We each take a chomp into our crunchy charbroiled …

Some norteamericanos view Mexico as a romantic destination — aah, the wide beaches, the colorful villages, the open-air markets, the cute guys/gals, etc. On my initial trip to Mexico, my romance was with a fish …

Stuff I Don’t Like Re the July 15 “What’s Your News IQ?” Answers on page 64, what? If you are looking for space in future issues, put them in the “Rhyme & Verse” column. Can …

In the great romantic legend of early San Diego, Josefa Carrillo falls in love with Henry Delano Fitch, a Massachusetts seaman. But Governor José Maria Echeandia forbids their marriage. So late one night, the star-crossed …

I’m anal retentive. I’m a workaholic. I have insomnia. And I’m a control freak. That’s why I’m not married. Who could stand me? — Madonna Few things get past me at parties. I am a …

Hey, Matt: I do a lot of running, and while I was jogging through Balboa Park the other day, I started to wonder about my speed. I think I was running east, and since the …

1. Noted surgeon Dr. Jack Copeland has joined the staff of the UCSD Medical Center to relaunch what medical ­program? A. Nuclear medicine B. Artificial heart C. Heart transplant D. Laser oncology 2. Which city …

Even for San Diego’s city hall, which has become a bastion of secrecy during the reign of Mayor Jerry Sanders, an ex–chief of police known for his aversion to public scrutiny, it would be an …

A Los Angeles–based inspector for the state Industrial Relations Department’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, who chose to live in San Diego and stick taxpayers for the cost of her long-distance commuting, is a …

On July 27, the Chula Vista City Council will revisit four potential ballot propositions to consider placing them before voters in November. The items to be considered are: (1) term limits for the mayor and …

Float like a butterfly, abrade like sandpaper. Thus, the curious and fascinating dichotomy between band and bandleader on this, Marion Brown's second album for ESP-Disk as a leader. Originally released 42 years ago in '68, …

"Think for yourself. Question authority." The words of Timothy Leary echoed through Viejas Arena as Tool took the stage, letting the expectant crowd know that they'd be blasting off with "Third Eye." The abundance of …

Had Abraham doubted as he stood on the mountain in Moriah, had he looked about in indecision, if before drawing the knife he had accidentally caught sight of the ram and God had allowed him …

Everyone gladly does whatever he most likes, and likes best those who think as he does; but if God is to dwell among us, we must sometimes yield our own opinion for the sake of …

The mile-long stretch beginning at the intersection of El Cajon Boulevard and Florida Avenue, beneath the blue and red neon "Boulevard" sign, and heading east to 37th Street is a hotspot for prostitution. The boulevard, …

It is said that when Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, he was mainly interested in New Orleans and its surrounding swamps. Two centuries later, it is now the section of the country …

Still off the beaten path, Lithuania is one of the three Baltic republics that gained their independence after the fall of the Soviet Union. Its lush forests, beautiful national parks, the medieval Kaunas and Vilnius …

With their unpredictable temperament, the ostriches took the meal event to another level. One approached our car, acting like a machine in War of The Worlds with its stilt-like legs, tank-like feathered body and garden-hose …

Noise-pop trio Wavves deshackulates above the critic-infested waters of popular music. “You're never gonna stop me!” resounds San Diego native Nathan Williams on the title track, a single-finger salute to those who dismissed Wavves’ debut …

A frosty-haired woman resembling the one who taunted Henry Chinaski in Barfly stares at the band, barely moving her hips. Friends and family crowd the stage, tapping on cameras. Black Bone Child's trek from Austin …

Jazz history was on display at the Saville Theater with the sold-out performance of the Mundell Lowe Quartet. One of the original participants in the Bebop revolution, Lowe's resume includes work experience with three of …

Pastor Fred Phelps and members of his Westboro Baptist Church, out of Topeka, Kansas, plan to picket San Diego Comic-Con on opening day, July 22, starting at 1:15 p.m. The religious group has made headlines …

While other cities struggle with lower revenues, Encinitas has not had to lay off workers, institute furlough days, or reduce services. The only sign of a recession is the vacant storefronts due to chain-store closures. …

On Tuesday, July 13, two bank robberies occurred simultaneously in Tijuana. In the first incident, at around 1 p.m., three men (two in their teens) robbed a Bancomer branch on Bulevar Díaz Ordaz in the …

Despite concerns from a majority of speakers during public comment, on June 30 the Escondido City Council approved the allocation of a large subsidy to a developer who plans to build a luxury Marriott hotel …

The City of San Diego announced new refuse-collection schedules on July 7. According to a press release, “The redesigned routes require drivers to work four 10-hour shifts each week, which will save the City $4.4 …

Ramona resident Kia Turner, 16, walked away from a single-car accident on San Vicente Road, just outside of San Diego Country Estates, on July 15. The accident occurred at about 6 p.m., when, according to …

"This is right in the heart of our financial district," said Tom Sullivan, a representative from the Irvine Company, which owns several downtown buildings, during a city hearing on the proposal to build a downtown …

1:43 a.m. I wake up. My dog is pacing, wants out. She's standing with her head cocked, listening at the open window. I listen too. There is splashing coming from the back yard. I feel …

“There’s no reason our neighborhood can’t look like Hillcrest or North Park,” says Fox Canyon Neighborhood Association president José Lopez. During the association’s monthly meeting on July 13, some of the members voiced their desire …

The San Diego City Parks and Recreation Department has installed the first of 15 ipe wood benches at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park. The new bench is located just south of the foot of Hill Street …

The term "Full Irish Breakfast" is not to be taken lightly. Generous portions of eggs, sausage, toast, black and white pudding, potatoes, fish and fruit are necessary to match the energy with which our host, …

Crowds came out to enjoy the surf and sunshine at La Jolla Shores on July 14. But by the end of the day, over 38 beachgoers had felt the barbs of stingrays that were clustered …

Just after 1:30 a.m. on July 14, a truck drove through the front of a home at the intersection of Arrow Rock Avenue and Gold Coast Drive in Mira Mesa. The vehicle took out an …

We usually think of the Greek gods as figures, as human embodiments, but to the Greek mind the gods were also, above all, states or conditions of being. Poseidon is god of the sea, yes, …

So many gifts, so little time. That appears to have been the dilemma faced by San Diego–based members of the state legislature, judging from statements of financial interest covering 2009 filed earlier this year. Democratic …

The California Fair Political Practices Commission is out with a list of the top ten biggest independent spending committees in the state’s June primary, and it features prominent links to two influential San Diego political …

1. ­Tijuana’s new mayor, Carlos Bustamante is American-born, has a degree from USD, and speaks fluent English. In what town was Bustamante ­born? A. Chula Vista B. East Los Angeles C. Riverside D. National City …

Ryan Baker was happy. Living by the beach in PB at the dawn of the millennium, working at Stone Brewing, and attending San Diego State. “I was, like, ‘Why would I go anywhere?’” he recalls. …

Membership: 600 individuals Pastor: Michael Spitters Age: 48 Born: St. Joseph, Michigan Formation: Hope College, Holland, MI.; Texas Christian University-Brite Divinity School, Fort Worth, TX.; Chicago Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL.; missionary work in Taiwan Years …

Recipe by Alex Thao, executive chef, Rama. My family has been in the restaurant business for so long that it kind of runs in the genes. My dad has owned restaurants for years. Growing up, …

Oh, the summer night/ Has a smile of light/ And she sits on a sapphire throne. — Barry Cornwall It had been a lackluster evening. Our waiter was unnaturally perky. The bare-wood acoustics made for …

“What nameless tortures and miseries Americans suffer in foreign climes from despots,” complained the mountain man James Ohio Pattie. “They hate the victims of their oppression, as judging their hearts by their own.” One of …

Unnecessary Re “SD on the QT,” July 8. I want to know why it was necessary to say “the Black employee”? Does it matter what color the employee was? Name Withheldvia email Walter Mencken replies: …

The small sign on the restaurant’s front door, displaying the charming logo of a clever-looking billy enjoying a pipe, is hard to spot when you’re driving by. You have to know where to look: the …

"B, u, bb, le. G–u–m spells bubble gum/It’s the only kind of chewing gum/The guy who made it must have really been a bum…” Beth, the gal behind the ice cream counter, will sing this …

The males in Shakespeare’s original audience for Taming of the Shrew probably saw Petruchio as a Hercules and Katherine Minola as his 13th labor, far graver than swabbing down the Augean stables or slaying the …

The Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve (former Ahmanson Ranch) in the Simi Hills contains some great examples of oak-studded hilly terrain symbolic of coastal California. Right now these hills have lost their green sheen, …

Vocation of the ChairIt longs to be one who holds you, keeps you from falling, its curved legs shapely as a bride. The chair that would be saint, martyr, acolyte. Your little sins of omission …

Thursday 15Dinky diva Lil’ Kim comes to town tonight. The New York hip-hop hit is back on the road after doing time on Dancing with the Stars and doing time in federal prison. Who’s to …

“I have a degree in music from the University of Pittsburgh,” says singer-songwriter John Miller. “I studied jazz vocal...and I was president of the glee club. I know, laugh it up!” Miller arrived in San …

“I love San Diego and I love Brooklyn,” explained Golden Triangle drummer Jay Hough via email from Calgary. Trapsman from 1999 to 2003 for San Diego’s defunct GoGoGo AirHeart, Hough returned to SD last Sunday …

Trumpeter Teddy Kyle was 17 years old when he composed and recorded the horn section for the San Diego “Super” Chargers theme song with the Modoc Horns. The 1978 Santee studio session was the first …

Much has changed for indie instrumentalists Tristeza since forming in San Diego in 1997. In 2003, guitarist Jimmy LaValle left the band to pursue his solo project, the Album Leaf, and in 2005 guitarist Christopher …

After five years, six tours, and over 150 shows, indie pop quartet the Modlins are calling it a day following a final performance at the Whistle Stop on August 20. During its run, the prolific …

Thirty-Five Years AgoSeveral years ago, when asked what he thought about rock music, Marxist philosopher Herbert Marcuse replied, “It’s impotent violence.” At the time I had no idea what he was talking about and really …

“People who can’t draw are stunned by those who can.” — Scott Peterson, editor at the La Jolla–based comic imprint WildStorm. When Peterson said that, it struck me as being a pretty good explanation for …

Pardon my priorities. Now that Alain Resnais has been addressed in timely fashion, I am able to double-back and attend to a matter of greater public concern. Tens if not dozens of readers will have …

Guitarist/keyboardist/electronic-manipulator Marcelo Radulovich is a founding member of veteran San Diego group the Playground Slap. Blending punk, jazz, psychedelic, and funk, the band has been extant for 33 years. Radulovich also writes and records solo …

“Let’s go where no one can see us and find the difference between us,” sing Jack White and Alison Mosshart on Sea of Cowards, the second album by Dead Weather, the supergroup featuring White and …

Don Miggs says he wrote his first song when he was eight years old, but he didn’t turn pro until years later after one of his songs landed with a producer named Gavin MacKillop. MacKillop …

Dear Matt: When we went to the desert once, there was a ranger who told us that there were lots of things that could live there, even though it mostly looked like rocks and sand. …

"It’s like the Star Chamber,” quips Craig Candelore. “It’s all done in secret. And they don’t even have the authority to do it in the first place.” That’s what this local family law attorney and …

On August 3, 2009, Colin Kent approached the front door of his home in the Lakefront Mobile Home Park in Lakeside that he shared with his middle-aged son to find an eviction notice. Kent, who …

After years of delay and a label change, Big Boi's solo career is finally out of the gate. While Sir Lucious is a solo record, Speakerboxxx found Big Boi operating under the Outkast framework with …

On July 12, the Del Mar City Council unanimously adopted a new ordinance to declare certain private property open to public parking and added a parking-meter zone on the 1400 block of Maiden Lane. The …

On July 13, Izean Rim Jr. walked down the aisle toward the dais to address the San Diego City Council. Rim, a homeless man, knows the trek well. He often appears at council meetings advocating …

Grace Potter's got legs, and in the deathless words of ZZ Top, "she knows how to use them." Fortunately, for the visually impaired, she's got pipes too, and she uses them superbly on Grace Potter …

I was getting bored with Tom Petty's music, but when I heard all the hype about his new album, Mojo, I decided to buy it. Wow! If I had to pick one word to describe …

Shortly after 7:00 a.m. on July 12, flames erupted in the attached garage of a three-bedroom home in the 1000 block of South Mollison Avenue. Heartland Fire & Rescue (an association of El Cajon, La …

Cameron and Vashti say Golden Triangle's L.A. tour stop was "a mess," partly 'cause the venue pocketed some of the band's earnings. Setting up at the Pink isn't being easy, either. There's some protracted fiddling …

Touring to promote their new EP How The West Was One, Carbon Leaf drew a faithful crowd to the Belly Up who heard a selection of songs primarily from their last three studio releases. Reminiscent …

Two parents face several charges after burglarizing a Factory 2 U store in Imperial Beach on July 8. The most severe charge, according to police, involves their 1-year-old infant. The father, 25, and mother, 19, …

L.A. septet Ozomatli delivers such engaging, energetic shows that their studio work can be anti-climatic in comparison. Their fifth disc opens on a Latin house party spilling into the street. “Are You Ready?” is an …

A trip to the East Bay Area and Berkeley makes for a wonderful weekend getaway. Fly to Oakland and take the Richmond BART train from the airport into Berkeley. Seven easy blocks north of the …

Oktoberfest may be the annual climax of Germany’s love of hops, hefs and everything in between, but Münchers worship their golden beers year-round. Begin your journey at Hofbräuhaus (Platzl 8), the unofficial headquarters of Munich …

Days after Dynegy Energy Incorporated filed an application to extend its water discharge permit an additional five years at the 47-year-old South Bay Power Plant, Chula Vista deputy mayor Rudy Ramirez reached out to residents …

Man is never driven to moral behavior; in each instance he decides to behave morally. Man does not do so in order to satisfy a moral drive and to have a good conscience; he does …

When Muhammad was forty years old Allah sent him as a prophet of mercy to the people of the visible and of the invisible worlds, and to all mankind. With every prophet whom Allah had …

On July 7, the Ocean Beach Planning Board unanimously voted to approve designs for a new “comfort station” in northern Ocean Beach, near the corner of Brighton Avenue and Spray Street. Point Loma architect Kevin …

Officer Darryl Willis is a recruiter for the San Diego Police Department. He has been with the department for nearly thirteen years. Give me an idea of what kinds of candidates the San Diego Police …

The baby boomer generation makes up more than one-third of the U.S. population. They represent a total income estimated to be well over 900 billion dollars — give or take a billion or two after …

Shortly after 3:40 p.m. on July 6, firefighters responded to a 911 caller who reported flames coming from a dryer on a balcony at 642 Ocean Lane. After they learned what they were up against, …

Hiring a boss can be one of the trickiest tasks you’ll ever have as an employee. Yes, you read that right. You may be the one looking for a job, but you can also be …

The Old In Out are do-it-yourself incarnate. Drummer Chris Carroll designed the Blue Note-y cover of their new record, Dance Loud, and singer Mike Turi hand-pasted the labels to 300 black 12-inch sleeves. Turi drew …

The World Cup has the Kelly family in a flag frenzy. The Flags of the World poster is perched by the television. As teams enter the arena and flags are carried horizontally across the field, …

The first if not the most remarkable thing about Wild Grass is the simple fact that it will open locally, at the Ken on Friday. The last Alain Resnais film to do so, also at …

Founded by brothers Joshua and Jeremiah Zimmerman, Silent Comedy specializes in “cabaret rock,” à la theatrical troupes like the Dresden Dolls and San Diego’s Tragic Tantrum Cabaret. With a look right out of a turn-of-the-century …

A friend of mine who had gone through a long and dateless dry spell had hooked up with a new girlfriend. Time passed, and all seemed good — meaning they were still together. One night …

La Roux singer Elly Jackson is the kind of pop star that the British music press loves, the kind who says the problem with pop today is that “The music’s shit. I know no one …

The 500 West Hotel located in the old Armed Services YMCA building in downtown San Diego, may only have several more years of life. In March 2013, the hotel operator, a company called 500 West …

"Until recently, I thought that there would never again be an opportunity to be involved with an industry as socially destructive and morally bankrupt as the subprime mortgage industry. I was wrong. The for-profit education …

In the spirit of this census year, we offer this unofficial, informal, and unscientific census of daily life in San Diego. (No census workers were lynched or faked their own lynchings while gathering the following …

“You are a devil!” the Mexican governor of California shouted at his American prisoner, a shaggy-haired fur trapper named James Ohio Pattie. Then, with the eye of “an enraged beast” and the “growl of a …

Get Serious Apart from being obnoxious, the “SD on the QT” column called “High School Musical Opera” (June 24) is an example of unethical journalistic behavior. William Reed’s musical, Affair of Honour, performed at the …

My friend Charlie Perry (now food writer for the L.A. Times and various food-scholar magazines) used to live about a mile from me in San Francisco. Both of us were ambitious, striving cooks (we eventually …

“Poet, musician,” reads the little plaque. It’s about my good-time buddy Frankie — Cisco — and I couldn’t put it better myself. He died early last year. We all chipped in the $1400 — sisters, …

Adrian Noble has written a valuable book: How to Do Shakespeare. In it, the former artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company teaches a master class on the subject. He sums up the objective behind …

­I’m writing this toward the end of June — Friday, the 18th — and just beginning to breathe (some wheezing involved) sighs of relief at what I hope are indications that some of the worst …

Two years ago, Phil’s daughter Mary spent a month at a major San Diego nonprofit hospital, recovering from a near-fatal disease. Like one in four Californians, Mary was uninsured. The stay was billed at over …

Artist: DJ SkizzSong: “Wut Iz” Heard by: John Garcia, Chula VistaI thought it was well done. It was mixed really well. It had good beats and good rhythms. It was pretty classic stuff — ’90s …

On June 3, Chicano rock band Los Lobos announced that they would join the list of businesses boycotting Arizona in protest of the new immigration law there by canceling their June 10 concert in Scottsdale. …

“Dizzy’s,” explains Chuck Perrin, “has always been an artist-driven space.” He offers this on a Saturday morning as an explanation for why he is setting up a stage, chairs, and sound system in the Culy …

“Two former members of Yes have formed a new band called Yoso, along with the singer from Toto,” reports guitarist Johnny Bruhns of the Yes tribute Roundabout, “and I’ve been asked to join the group!” …

Thursday 8I dreamed I was in a Hollywood movie...and that I was the star of the movie. War comes to town with a new name, the Lowrider Band. Four of the five surviving L.A. ghetto …

“mommie,” she says, “i’ve never seen you and daddy kiss.” “Of course you have,” the mother says; “you’ve just forgotten.” “i wouldn’t have forgotten that,” she says, “because i always wish you would.” “it doesn’t …

Rural roads suitable for bicycling still exist around Escondido, particularly north of town, where the landscape slopes upward toward boulder-studded hillsides. The route featured here covers ten miles, with a significant elevation gain of 1100 …

My guess: You don’t live the life Lance Armstrong has unless you have a godly amount of will power, self control, pride, and the ability to hold a grudge. Last year Armstrong was dissed by …

1. The San Diego Padres lead all other Major League Baseball teams in which ­statistic? A. They have fired more managers mid season in the past 30 years than any other team B. They have …

Contact: 939 Second Street, Encinitas; 760-436-7220; encinitastemple.org Membership: 1000 individuals Leader: Brother Pranavananda Age: 59 Born: Alberta, Canada Formation: University of Alberta, Canada (degrees in physics and philosophy); monastic formation through Self-Realization Fellowship Years of …

Heymatt: When we went to the moon and planted the American flag there, did we claim the moon for us? Who owns the moon, or maybe Mars? We’re messing around there, too. Can I buy …

San Diego has made the annual list of “Incidents Directed Against Courthouses in the United States,” put out by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “An individual was questioned by a court security officer after …

What evil lurks in the bowels of city hall? Only the city auditor knows for sure, and he’s not coughing up many details, at least not to the public. Every three months, auditor Eduardo Luna …

Here is the perfect soundtrack for your next dark-alley dance party. Flirty, flamboyant, and flagrantly sleazy, Night Work channels the sweat of a thousand dripping discos into a lean 45 minutes of new wave, retro-pop …

Lovers of Latin jazz flocked to the Saville Theater for a sold-out performance by the Bobby Matos Latin Jazz Ensemble. Most of the members of this red-hot sextet hail from New York City, and there …

Two banquet tables were set up on either side of the foyer leading into Poway's city council chambers. Coffee, bottled water, and finger foods filled one table, while a large American flag cake sat centered …

I’m dreaming of a place where I can get fish tacos with homemade corn tortillas and a refreshing margarita on the rocks for lunch, then dine on wood-fired pizza and a yummy glass of locally …

As the curtain is about to fall on the Modlins, they say goodbye with the release of not one, but two new studio albums. At showtime, fans old and new pack the Tin Can as …

On July 7, inside Imperial Beach council chambers, Mayor Jim Janney and councilmembers Lorie Bragg, Patricia McCoy, Jim King, and Diane Rose will go on record, responding to a June 7 San Diego County Grand …

The SDPD enforcement hardware getting the most attention this Fourth of July weekend is the mobile observation tower on the sand in Pacific Beach. "It looks like one of the robot crawlers in Star Wars," …

Charlotte Gainsbourg put forth 5:55 with some help from her French compatriots (electroduo Air) and her U.K. ones to boot (Nigel Godrich at the board, Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannnon on lyrics). She brought forth …

Sound-check or disco-punk John Cage tribute? Rafter's drummer pounds out quarter note kicks in time with programmed 808 bass drops; square-rimmed Rafter Roberts strumming Gibson SG makes no sound till the tubes get warm. A …

On Friday, July 2, at 10:35 p.m., pedestrians on the boardwalk in Mission Beach had to act quickly to get out of the way as a taxi sped by them. Yellow Cab number 1013 alarmed …

At this year’s San Diego County Fair, a business coup took place that went unnoticed by most fairgoers; but, it was the talk of longtime merchandise-booth owners in Bing Crosby Hall. For over 25 years, …

Appearing before the Oceanside City Council on June 30, Elaine Godzak presented her opinion on the effect of the North County Humane Society's merger with the San Diego Humane Society, which occurred earlier this year. …

At the San Diego County Fair on July 1, just after 3:00 p.m., a freshwater main ruptured at the O’Brien Exhibit Hall, gushing hundreds of gallons onto the walkways and into nearby booths outside the …

Shortly after 1:00 p.m. on July 1, a truck crashed into two separate residences on the 6200 block of Camino Lago Vista. The truck had come down a steep street, blew through a stop sign …

At around 8 p.m. on July 1, flames rose from the abandoned former Great Brakes warehouse, located at the intersection of Ninth Avenue and B Street. The smell of burning rubber and the sight of …

A 12-hour layover in Miami isn’t anybody’s idea of a bad time. I arrived from Chicago O’Hare so early, I couldn’t even check my bag. Transforming an inconvenience into an opportunity, I began to search …

Nestled along a rugged stretch of Mediterranean coastline, Cinque Terre is a collection of five towns overlooking the Ligurian Sea. The towns are linked together by a train that runs often, transporting you quickly from …

In a role not that far removed from its actual history, Descanso recently stood in for a Western frontier town. Chula Vista–based Southwest Pistolero Productions used the area to film scenes for a movie titled …

In an attempt to break the current world record for largest “bikini walk,” an estimated 200 women wearing bikinis paraded down the streets of downtown San Diego on June 27. Although they fell over a …

One week after the San Diego County Board of Supervisors conducted a two-hour hearing on an ordinance that regulates medical marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated areas of San Diego County, supervisors returned to the dais on …

As the one fire has entered the world And become corresponding form to every form, So the one Inner Soul of all things Is corresponding in form to every form and yet is outside. As …

Every movement of my own natural appetite, even though my nature is good in itself, tends in one way or another to keep alive in me the illusion that is opposed to ­God’s reality living …