Appeals court reinstates discrimination case against Ace Parking
Don Bauder 7:49 p.m., May 22
Stories for August 1999
Thursday, August 26
Painting the Town Red
Three years ago this summer, when the Republican National Convention came to town to nominate Bob Dole and try to breathe life into the GOP's blue-lipped effort to reclaim the White House, San Diegans witnessed ...
Through the Flames
The first thing you notice about Iranians is their language. Farsi is filled with soft a's, like the a in father, and sh's, as in shore. "Sh" occurs often because it appears in shoma, meaning ...
Death Business
A San Diego company specializing in scattering cremation ashes at sea says business is up since the Kennedy family deposited the cremated remains of John F. Kennedy, Jr. last month off Martha's Vineyard. Anya and ...
Hike 7 miles through the Cuyamaca Mountains, and visit Japacha Creek, Airplane Monument, and Arroyo Seco camp.
Late-summer hiking in East County's Cuyamaca Mountains is rewarding, as long as you avoid the heat of midday and early afternoon. Lately, intense afternoon thunderstorms have dropped considerable moisture here as well as farther east, ...
Thursday, August 19
Cash and Carry Politics
Some get it from big Los Angeles, Orange County, and New York developers. Some get it from professional sports moguls, trash haulers, and union bosses. Still others get it from lawyers, judges, and lobbyists. A ...
Visit the uncrowded San Dieguito Park, just east of Solana Beach.
While late-afternoon traffic snarls and tempers flare on North County's Interstate 5 and at the "merge," just inland lies an oasis of tranquillity: San Dieguito Park. Not to be confused with the huge San Dieguito ...
The Minister of Padres Politics
'Sometimes it's hard to see the forest for the trees." That opening line of a recent newspaper advertisement was a plea to look beyond controversies surrounding the Padres' proposed baseball stadium and maintain "the vision" ...
The Chicano Ambassador
When the time came for Victor Zamudio Taylor to be born, his mother, Guadalupe, deliberately crossed the border -- into Tijuana. She and her husband, Regino, were determined that their son should be born a ...
Shady Diego
Ex-congressman Bob Wilson, who died last week of Alzheimer's, was a controversial figure who made national headlines during the Watergate scandal and played a major role in the International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT) Co. affair ...
What do monkfish look like?
Hi, Matthew: What can you tell me about monkfish? I have eaten and enjoyed monkfish in a restaurant or two. I call it the poor man's lobster, since the flesh is akin to that of ...
What makes driving on the freeway so loud?
Greetings: What makes driving on the freeway so loud? Every time I get on the I-15 for the struggle home, I must roll up my windows because the noise of passing cars is nearly deafening. ...
Thursday, August 12
Traverse the hills of north Escondido and Jesmond Dene on this 10-mile bicycle loop
Rural roads for pleasant summer morning or evening cycling still exist around Escondido. For a sample, try the following ten-mile, looping ride over the hills north of town. The route features an elevation gain of ...
Have Guns, Will Travel
On Saturday, July 7, dozens of people were waiting outside the Crossroads of the West Gun Show at the Del Mar Fair-grounds for the 9:00 a.m. opening. Inside, Crossroads owner Bob Templeton had gathered key ...
Doing the Mexican Mailbox Jam
'Hi gang! Having a wonderful time in Tijuana. Wish you were here. Write back soon." I address the postcard, a view of the Jai Alai Fronton Palace on Revolución to myself in San Diego. I ...
Tagging Up
Padres owner John Moores has shown up high on the list of big-money donors to Democratic governor Gray Davis, who earlier this year named Moores to a highly coveted spot on the University of California's ...
Were early pool balls made from ivory?
Dear Matthew: The recent acquisition by my next-door neighbor of a pool table has set me to pondering. According to M.S. Encarta, early billiard and pool balls were made of ivory. I'm surprised. Is ivory ...
Are there camouflaged bridges off the Del Dios Highway?
Matt and Elves: While we were driving on Del Dios Highway, my eight-year-old son could barely maintain himself as he noticed some "bridges" barely visible (to me, anyway, as I tried to concentrate on that ...
What is Zzyzx?
Matman: While leaving Las Vegas the last few times, I've noticed a sign for Zzyzx Road. How do you pronounce this word and what does it mean? I have a feeling it's Las Vegan for ...
Thursday, August 5
Ride the rails of the San Diego & Arizona Eastern out of Campo on vintage railcars.
The desolate backcountry community of Campo, barely a stone's throw from the international border, has exactly two things of interest to San Diego daytrippers: the Old Stone Store and the Campo railroad depot. The former, ...
Unrepentant Padres
Foot-stomping gospel music and earnest testimonials about religious conversion enliven the video, but most people in the audience are slumped in their chairs asleep, nodding off, or staring vacantly. Suddenly, at 6:15 a.m., the screen ...
White Storm Rising
'It's the worst kind of bullshit!" says Eric E. Sterling. "Preposterous! Totally absurd." He's talking of claims the United Nations makes -- about the Tijuana drug cartel, among others -- in its 1999 Human Development ...
Spies Among Us
An engineer at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command on Pacific Highway has discovered that Russian hackers have penetrated a sensitive computer network at the top-secret Navy intelligence center, according to a report in ...
Where was Citizen Kane filmed?
Hey, Matt: Settle a bet. My friend swears that Citizen Kane was filmed in San Diego. I say he's nuts. Maybe he'll listen to you. Tell him I'm right. -- The Speedster, San Diego You ...
Where does Mikhail Gorbachev live? What happened to J. Dahmer's killer?
Dear Matthew: 1. Where does Mikhail Gorbachev live now? Russia or the U.S.? 2. What happened to Jeffrey Dahmer's killer? -- Curious of North Park If you want to drop him a note, Mikhail can ...
What is the proper usage of "flesh (or flush) out?"
Hey Matt-man: 1. What is the proper usage of "flesh (or flush) out"? Co-workers seem to prefer "flush out," but I maintain that "flesh out" is correct, as in "We need to flesh out the ...
What is the life expectancy of a sumo wrestler?
Dear Mat: What is the life expectancy of a sumo wrestler? What's the attraction of sumo wrestling, anyway, and why would anyone want to be a sumo wrestler? What kind of long-term health problems are ...
