Content for Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Blog Entries

Audio clips

News & Stories

It'll Get Done

A gutted theater’s a depressing sight. October 25, 2008: painters apply a foundation coat to the Old Town Theatre’s interior walls. A heat wave forced them to open the tall stage doors to catch the ...

Rubber Duck and Ceramic Cat on the Lam

Rocky, my rubber duck, is tunneling out of the bathroom. I know he’s tunneling because upon morning muster and inspection he’s been congenial and respectful, which is unfamiliar behavior for him. At night inspection, he’s ...

Dog Is My Copilot

The last weekend in August, I was invited to a party in an airplane hangar, which is funny because the word one associates with parties is “hangover,” not “hangar.” James, a local doctor with a ...

The Illegal Tunnel

“In July 2004, I was coming out of my house and discovered the whole Colonia Federal being invaded by police and soldiers,” says Border Council of Arts and Culture founder Luis Ituarte. “I found out ...

Midway Baptist Church

“Going up!” said a man as I passed by on my way to the Wednesday night Men’s Bible Study at Midway Baptist. His speech suggested that he might be developmentally disabled, but he and his ...

Black Hawk Down

What are you reading? “Black Hawk Down". I saw the movie a while ago and wasn’t that interested, but a friend of mine who’s big into war books — fiction and nonfiction — gave it ...

Deerhunter

The unofficial title of Deerhunter’s first full-length CD was Turn It Up Faggot. Once you’ve made that sort of artistic statement, where do you go from there? Despite the criticism…up, apparently. For example, consider the ...

Thanksgiving Tour

THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION, 1676. The Holy God having by a long and Continual Series of his Afflictive dispensations in and by the present Warr with the Heathen Natives of this land, written and brought to pass ...

Tricky treats

This week’s Fortune magazine is out with a story titled “Ten New Gurus You Should Know,” about what the magazine says is “a new generation of big thinkers emerging with radical ideas such as how ...

Good-bye, Mr. Wing

“Oh, man. Where am I going to get my curry now?” Jim stands staring at the notice taped to the front door. “Dear customers,” it begins. “After serving El Cajon for 52 years since 1956, ...

Nicole Should Be a Mousse

This restaurant is closed. Recession? You’d never know it if you judged by Illume (pronounced ill-LOOM, no accent on the e) and by the light but constant pedestrian traffic in its neighborhood. As for depression, ...

Struggle and Strife

Got Milk. An affirmation, that, not a question. Gus Van Sant’s biopic on Harvey Milk, the gay-rights activist and San Francisco City Supervisor martyred by assassination in 1978, should afford sustenance and fortification for all ...

Moon Dust

‘It’s a Barnum and Bailey world, just as phony as it can be.” Those words are from the 1933 song “It’s Only a Paper Moon.” Seventy-five years later, Americans understand that the financial system has ...

Not By Sight, By Touch

Hiro Iwamoto loves to sail. Not so unusual — except for one apparent drawback. He is blind. Before moving from Japan to San Diego two years ago, Iwamoto led a Tokyo team to the Blind ...

Letters

Comic Error Oh, November 19 is certainly a Black Wednesday! Where are my Red Meat, Shoehorn Technique, Basic Instructions, and the rest of my weekly comic reads? Only Neal Obermeyer this week? Promise us this ...

Lillian Palmer, Mod Amish, and Behind the Wagon

Artist: Lillian Palmer Song: “Swinging on the Moon” (from the CD Like a Lover) Heard By: Gonzalo Dremoniz, Normal Heights Overall, it’s cookin’. It’s very tight and swingin’. It’s everything I like about “proper” jazz. ...

Stoning the Border Patrol

Thirty Years AgoIn the incessant border skirmishes between illegal Mexican immigrants and the Border Patrol, a new battle has developed in the last few months. It’s the “rock chuckers” versus the phlegm-green Border Patrol vehicles, ...

Giving Back

The Kelly family needs an injection of charity. The thought was sparked by my son presenting me with a long gift list for Christmas. “We need to curtail this materialism and teach a bit of ...

Rock the Leg Bone, Yo!

Wednesday 26Control a, control c, control v. Tonight’s the long-awaited makeup date for Buzzo and Dale of the Melvins out at Canes. The Nor’west sludgers’ll rock Nude with Boots with their other half, L.A. bass-and-drum ...

Inner Child

“Thank heaven for little girls.” — Maurice Chevalier Once I set us up with drinks, a bowl of corn chips, and spinach dip from Trader Joe’s, I hopped onto the couch, crossed my legs, and ...

Blue Angels Peak

Blue Angels Peak is the name of a prominent crag practically sitting on the border between California and Baja California, just east of the high-desert community of Jacumba. In fact, the summit of Blue Angels ...

I Love

Give us, Lord, a bit o’ sun,A bit o’ work and a bit o’ fun:Give us all in the struggle and SputterOur daily bread and a bit o’ butter.— On the wall of an old ...

Not the Same Ol' Song

As far as tunes that name-check the team go, the new track "San Diego Chargers," by Mexican dance-pop-punk-funk duo Plastilina Mosh won't take over first place in the hearts of Chargers faithful anytime soon — ...

The Incredible Craig Venter

Atop one of the last open bluffs in La Jolla, on the campus of UCSD, a tattered homemade swing hangs from a giant old eucalyptus tree. Swept by Pacific breezes, the land commands a sweeping ...

Botox, Numb Tongue

Hey, Matt: My girlfriend and I have a bet about Botox. I have heard it referred to as “pig botulism.” She, who works in a plastic surgeon’s office, claims NPI (no pigs involved). Dinner rides ...

Darkwave Batcave

Robin Roth can be heard on Rock 105.3 FM Monday through Friday from 10 p.m. to midnight, but she’s best known for the Friday night 11th Hour spot when she plays noncommercial goth and industrial ...

Bradley Spirit

"The hardest part about being in a Sublime tribute band is remembering all the lyrics," says Dane Scott, front man for 40 Ounces to Freedom. "Sometimes [Sublime singer] Bradley Nowell rapped so fast, it's hard ...

Sempra fi

As noted last week, employees of Latham & Watkins were the single biggest group of local law firm donors to the campaign of President-elect Barack Obama, giving a grand total of $9361, sizably more than ...

No to Metal? No Thanks

For the past four years, Lisa Mettler has organized Rancho Buena Vista High's annual battle-of-the-bands contest. Over the past eight years, the spring concerts have raised more than $20,000 for the Vista school's annual on-campus ...

No Bueno

Singer/drummer Joe Serrano of Paradise Hills has been playing in local norteño bands for 46 years. He guesses there are close to 2000 "Mexican cowboy" bands in the Southern California/Tijuana region. The huge number of ...

Crimes and punishments

When San Diego State University Associated Students president James Poet was busted last month by San Diego cops for driving under the influence and pot possession, school officials pledged to get to the bottom of ...

Dive on This

Recent excerpts of Ocean Beach bar reviews posted at Yelp.com: Catalina Lounge: "It's a guaranteed pickup bar, if you're just looking for a slump- buster." (Starlight M.) "If you wear a collared shirt, you will ...

Holly Golightly

Holly Golightly is probably best known as the special guest who shows up at the end of the White Stripes’ 2003 album Elephant in a duet with Jack White on “It’s True That We Love ...

A Time to Duck Dive

Name: Byron Thompson Age: 19 Surfing: La Jolla Occupation: Student Lives in: North Park Best surf in SD: Bird Rock Longest duration surfed: Five hours "I don't mind girls that surf as long as they ...