The newly painted face at the base of Tijuana’s grand arch, which marks the entrance to the city. The concrete base was originally painted a dull pea-soup green and didn’t seem in accord with the …

The San Diego Sheriff’s Department has identified a man suspected of peeping into windows at the Gala Apartment complex in the small northern San Diego community of Bonsall. Noah Delapena, 38, was arrested and booked …

The latest hot item from the Rock Church in Point Loma and pastor Miles McPherson is a red wristband handed out to interested parishioners on Sunday, October, 23. At the conclusion of a sermon series …

Many restaurants and bars in Tijuana are decorating their businesses with symbols that to Americans are emblematic of Halloween but to Mexicans represent el Dia de los Muertos. Thus, we have a saloon on Calle …

I was at the end of adjuncting three college courses, and hadn’t traveled internationally since 2006 when my husband and I went to Taipei to visit family. I had some money and time to go …

My sister-in-law sold me on her gluten-free lifestyle over lunch last week. “The stomach aches are gone, digestion’s smooth, my perpetual skin rashes are gone. I feel great,” she glowed. “Oh, and I’m losing weight, …

Recipe by Mary Kay Waters, owner, Waters Fine Foods & Catering I definitely grew up thinking about food. My father planted apple and pear trees, and all winter we had apples and vegetables in our …

Last month, I made my way down to Offshore to meet Tommy Gomes face-to-face, drawn to a culinary-education phenomenon called Collaboration Kitchen. I’d heard Gomes’s name before, most often from chefs on their way to …

According to the bartenders at the Chico, no one knows who developed the Buccaneer. Perhaps it was previous owners or the original owners, who opened the bar in 1940 and named it after the oldest …

When Thom Beebe landed a part in the television drama Renegade, filmed in San Diego during the 1990s in Mission Beach, he was cast as a drug-dealing thug. It was not typecasting, although the San …

“She basically got caught up in an emotional dog rescue. That’s what this was,” said the defense attorney. “Miss Vukov, yes, took the dog.” Although Trina Vukov took the dog without permission, she had no …

Water Everywhere Sebastián Vizcaíno began charting the California coast on May 5, 1602. Three ships crossed the Gulf of California, from Mazatlán to Cabo de San José. After several tries, they finally cleared the cape …

Carlo Goldoni (1707–1793) deserves better than he usually gets. He wrote tragedies, tragicomedies, and comedies — first in Italian, later in French — and helped inject vitality into a flagging commedia dell’arte tradition. Though quite …

On Sunday, Ted Turner and 14 others were inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame at the San Diego Yacht Club. As long as you aren’t married to him or work for him, Ted …

Four years after he launched Hensley’s Flying Elephant, pro skateboarder-turned-accordionist (Flogging Molly) Matt Hensley has sold the music venue he built from scratch. “I had help from friends. We built the entire pub.” The artwork …

I have always enjoyed writing about Halloween and/or Day of the Dead, but I’d like to take a slightly different approach this time. For all I know both may have passed by the time this …

William Shakespeare is virtually illiterate in Anonymous, but since the movie seems to have been made for (and by) illiterates, why worry? The film is mainly about Edward de Vere, the highly educated, modestly talented …

“I literally haven’t thought about food or my body since this began,” said local harpist Kelsea Little from day four of the Occupy San Diego demonstrations downtown on October 11. “It’s like I finally remembered …

Social Club, recently signed to Pacific Records, releases a new EP this week called Pictureshow, previewing tracks from their upcoming full-length debut. November 1 will see a new long-player from Megadeth — TH1RT3EN, recorded at …

The all-woman lineup of Wild Flag consists of two of three members of Sleater-Kinney, along with the guitarist-singer of Helium and the keyboardist of the underappreciated Elephant 6 band the Minders. So, let’s face it: …

A bland young hunter named Shepherd was eaten for lunch by a leopard. Said the leopard, “Egad! You’d be tastier, lad, if you had been salted and peppered!” There was a young woman named Spright …

Thirty-Five Years Ago A moist night wind whipped the crowd that waited patiently at the Southwestern College gymnasium. Some had been waiting since 1:00 p.m. Some had come from as far way as San Francisco. …

The income gap between San Diego’s very richest and everybody else is widening, but still, inequality here remains less scary than it is in the nation as a whole. That may partially explain why Occupy …

Matt: I always wonder when I see bulletproof glass if that stuff actually works. I don’t think I’d feel safe with just a piece of glass between me and a guy with a gun. — …

A wealthy La Jolla philanthropist with close ties to the charter school movement has joined with Microsoft founder Bill Gates to help support a Texas–based nonprofit corporation dedicated to developing so-called hybrid public-private charter schools. …

It’s not exactly the way Leonardo da Vinci got his start, but the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority is looking for an “artist in residence,” to be paid “not to exceed” $8000 for three …

After the Oceanside police officer pulled over a white Oldsmobile on August 17 because it lacked a front license plate, he saw a handgun wrapped in a black bandana resting in the baby seat in …

‘When I heard that Qaddafi was killed,” says Abdul, who’s from Lebanon and doesn’t want his real name used, “I had to laugh because not too long ago he was calling his people cowards, rats. …

Former San Diegan, ex–congressional candidate, and onetime Jerry Brown aide Byron Georgiou set out with high hopes and a sizable cash war chest from wealthy La Jolla Democrats earlier this year when he attempted to …

For their Halloween party this year, the Soda Bar picked a headliner with a demon’s name: Sirhan Sirhan. It’s a band back from a graveyard of rockers gone but not forgotten. When Sirhan Sirhan was …

The Maker must be one, since if there were two they would necessarily either concur or not concur in their creating. Now agreement would be evidence of the weakness of both or either of them, …

We Eat Too Just got today’s copy and noticed that the article “Eat” (Cover Story, October 20) does not mention any restaurants in inland North County (Rancho Bernardo to Escondido). Did I get a City …

San Diegans will elect their next mayor based on a variety of factors. However, certain elections, particularly those in which a minority group achieves a milestone, are historic. Such is the case if San Diegans …

Vienna, Austria, is a dreamlike city filled with two imperial palaces, one hundred art museums and countless Viennese cafes. So where do you begin for only a few days’ visit? If, like me, you’re married …

Living in Southern California, I’ve always been interested in the dry desert climate of our neighbor to the east, Arizona. Last December, when we finally visited Phoenix, we got a much better idea of landscape …

“What is that, a duck?” David followed my gaze to the green-painted humanoid statue. “Looks more like a turtle,” he said. “Turtles don’t have beaks. And look at its head – maybe it’s some kind …

Judas Priest never does anything half-assed. Twenty-foot-high flames erupted across the back of the stage as CO2 cannons shot off in every direction among the fog and lights. Not to mention screaming lead-guitar battles between …

After seven years' absence, the end-times crooning of Tom Waits sounds like a derelict uncle scorning a mediocre music industry. With this collage of growling, blues-drenched songs, Uncle Tom is back. Waits tries to rekindle …

Forty-nine-year-old Leopaldo Lopez pleaded guilty to felony vandalism October 21 for reportedly cutting the emergency brake cable on a truck that was parked at the curb in front of a home in Fallbrook two weeks …

Downtown's Bank of America branch on B Street shut down early on the afternoon of October 20 out of safety concerns: approximately 25 protesters, most part of the Occupy San Diego movement, staged a peaceful …

A good friend of mine was doing her doctoral research in the middle of nowhere in the Mexican desert, and she invited me down for a visit. I couldn’t say no, because I love the …

The city of Rosarito's latest problem is being described as olores fetidos, or “malodorous aromas,” arising from the white sands of Popotla. The area, according to a report in Tijuana's daily Frontera, lacks basic services …

A poem by Mei Yao Ch’en Translated by Kenneth Rexroth Who says that the dead do not think of us? Whenever I travel, she goes with me. She was uneasy when I was on a …

Two women, 19 and 20 years old, gave testimony in the Vista courthouse on October 19, describing an ordeal during which they said they were kidnapped and raped last May. The women said the 33-year-old …

The large column in the foreground is part of the reconstruction of the San Ysidro border-crossing station. Its length seems to increase every day as steelworkers and welders work on it. Whether it will be …

On October 17, the Sweetwater Union High School District board voted 3-2 to move forward on electing trustees by area. Over the protest of teachers, parents, and ex-students, the board chose to seek from the …

Unless you outright loathe good beer, you probably know the name Scot Blair. In fact, you’ve probably been to his University Heights, South Park, and City Heights bars, which specialize in select local and craft …

As Dr. Robert Ledgard in Pedro Almodóvar’s The Skin I Live In, Antonio Banderas has a John Boehner tan and a rather Republican attitude (cut, cut, cut). Experimenting in his luxurious home surgery near Toledo, …

Graze on our 2011 Restaurant Issue, covering the best in burgers, drinks, pizza, beer, burritos, and neighborhood restaurants.

The younger sibling of the larger Arrivederci Ristorante a few doors down specializes in Neapolitan-style pizza. Sidewalk seating gives diners a front-row view of Hillcrest happenings. Servers are likely to speak Italian, and the low …

What first drew me in here was Starlite’s informal, relaxed atmosphere, illuminated by a sparkly, starry sky-like chandelier hovering over the sunken bar. Though atmosphere played a significant role, it was the consistent deliciousness of …

Café 21 began as a lunch joint in University Heights, moved to a larger location there, and has now accepted the dare of downtown. It’s the zesty creation of a young couple from Azerbaijan, a …

You might call this place Hillcrest’s secret. It’s an old house beside an open field in Hospital Land. All the UCSD nurses and doctors come here to avoid their own cafeterias. Plus, prices are low, …

At this Five Points hot spot, hefty helpings of flavorful carne asada and shrimp are packed into flour tortillas like a past-his-prime wrestler into fluorescent pink Spandex. It’s a fitting analogy for a venue that …

Passing by this constantly packed spot in the East Village, one would never guess the perseverance it took for owner Arsalun Tafazoli to force it down downtowners’ gullets. His goal was to provide the perfect …

Half-pound cheeseburger, $6.25 The champion bar burger, certainly for the money. It starts with the beef: fine grind, loose pack, superjuicy, good grill seasoning that keeps you taking bite after bite. A medium rare that …

My friend Erica wants to make her daughter Elsie’s tenth birthday a special one, and Elsie is on an arty kick. “But do I dare let a whole party’s worth of kids just cut loose …

Newly appointed Del Mar Fair trustee David Lizerbram says he wants the fairgrounds to host more major music events. That’s just not going to happen, according to promoter Garry Thayer, who organized the Hellbilly Fest …

Mountain West, Big East, ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, Conference USA, Mid-America, et al. College conference realignment reminds me of the good old days, circa 2007, when Goldman Sachs sold worthless collateralized debt obligations …

Matt: If our temperature is 98.6, why do we feel hot when it’s 85 or 90 outside? — WS, San Diego That 98.6 business isn’t what it appears to be. That’s an average core body …

“I’d been living in pain and without health insurance for about six years,” says Cathryn Beeks, who nonetheless managed to promote over 500 local concerts during that time period. “I finally got insurance and had …

Tropi-Cali act Red Pony Clock has a fluid lineup ranging from 10 to 13 members, and they describe their music as “clarinet and xylophone–driven vaudeville-a-delic joy pop, influenced by mariachi and seething with the eternal …

The Drowning Men, I was told, were a band to catch next time they played in town. So I did, at Bar Pink, I believe, and here’s what I witnessed: cheery music, bleak lyrics. “I …

Once he leaves a California state prison, a man gets (at max) 200 bucks “gate money,” a set of “dress outs” (post-prison clothes), and his freedom. An unmarked white van drops him and a handful …

Singer-songwriter Kevin Martin, frontman for Get Back Loretta, is best known for his Beatle-esque melodies. Indeed, the Vista resident’s new solo album is titled Throwback Pop. However, the Occupy San Diego movement has inspired Martin …

Truck It I want to commend Dorian Hargrove for the excellent article he wrote on page 3, “Hidden Pipeline, Secret Menace” (“City Lights,” October 13). Yes, that is an accident waiting to happen. Would you …

The former Ron Roberts and Brian Bilbray aide running next year for the seat being given up by retiring county supervisor Pam Slater-Price is off to a big start in campaign contributions. According to a …

You often hear the word “Americana” thrown around when music shows the influence of blues, folk, country, and old-time rock ’n’ roll. Those are all great ingredients, but why stop there? Why is jazz not …

As a longtime San Diego County supervisor, Republican Ron Roberts is used to being generous with other people’s money. Now he’s perfected his giving style by making so-called cash and in-kind behests, paid for by …

"The honeymoon might be over,” acknowledged Dr. Edward Brand, interim superintendent for Sweetwater Union High School District. Knee-deep in scandal, the Sweetwater school board on June 21 fired Superintendent Jesus Gandara. On June 22, Brand …

Beware nontraded real estate investment trusts. That advice was issued early this month by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the nongovernmental regulator of securities firms. Real estate investment trusts (REITs) pool money from many investors, …

Membership: 325 Pastor: James Jerpseth Age: 51 Born: Graceville, Minnesota Formation: University of California-San Diego (Engineering); Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley Years Ordained: 14 years San Diego Reader: What is your main concern as a …

Thirty-Five Years Ago “It’s gotten really bad in the last three years,” says Bob Moore, one of 45 Border Patrol agents patrolling the Chula Vista Sector. “Well, this is just hearsay, you understand, but I …

The San Diego City Council on October 18 unanimously approved the increase of tables from nine to eleven at the remaining two cardrooms in San Diego. This proposal was sanctioned last August by the Bureau …

Fans of Oceanside's El Camino High School football got a surprise at the game on October 14. During the homecoming celebration's halftime show, as the five queen nominees and their decorated floats were parading around …

Luisa Allen, a longtime waitress at Ocean Beach’s Nati's Mexican restaurant, passed away peacefully on October 15, following a stroke. The eatery released the news on their Facebook page and asked for prayers for her …

You don’t need to travel to New England to see fabulous fall colors – a tank-and-a-half of gas away, California's Eastern Sierras are on full autumn display. A very early snowfall, up to 19 inches …

You know that they made that historic first airplane flight (in 1903). Perhaps you’ve heard they’re from North Carolina. And if you’ve seen pictures of the Wrights, it’s not surprising if you sized them up …

Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital and second-largest city, is one of the most beautiful capitals in Asia. Most well known to Americans for its role in the Vietnam War, Hanoi celebrated its 1,000th birthday in 2010. As …

Only a few of the “crank-it” tunes on this album fit the implications of its name, which references Welsh mining apparel. "Mission & Maintenance" is one of those. "Be Your Own Invention" leans on a …

With his reggae red, yellow, and green electro-acoustic guitar, Ryan Adams instructed 1334 Balboa Theatre attendees to “Put on your helmets and prepare to rock with a fury like you've never seen,” before kicking off …

I’ve logged enough miles in the air to know that no flight is a go until those wheels leave the ground. This is why I was mildly disappointed but not terribly surprised when, after we’d …

Duff Pickering, an Encinitas resident for 12 years, appeared at the October 12 Encinitas City Council meeting to express his concerns about the city’s plans to rezone and redevelop the El Camino Real corridor under …

How can you stay in the U.S. and yet be in another nation? You can in Cherokee Nation, located outside Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the state's northeastern corner. The Cherokee had been based chiefly in North …

The trustees of Southwestern College named a new superintendent on October 12. The selection of Melinda Nish came as a surprise to some who felt that interim superintendent Denise Whittaker was a shoo-in for the …

Defendants who have utilized the public defenders’ office to deal with legal problems in San Diego are up in arms over public defender Henry Coker endorsing D.A. Bonnie Dumanis in the upcoming mayoral race. Dumanis …

Feeding pigeons is prohibited in certain areas of the city, but there are no such signs prohibiting the practice off the frontage road near Washington Street and Pacific Highway. On a regular basis, a gentleman …

Stacey Ross, of San Diego Bargain Mama, found her ideal job in the world of online marketing. First, give me an idea of your work history. I worked as a schoolteacher, counselor, and special projects …

In a recent Vanity Fair article, Groupon founder Andrew Mason is described as “the type of guy who comes up with wild ideas that often have no beginning or end, and then lets them rip.” …

There was emotional testimony from three young Latinas in the Vista courthouse on October 11 as they described a night of rape, attempted robbery, and burglary in separate incidents that occurred in Escondido last May. …

Hearing about an October 11 demonstration at the Bank of America branch on University Avenue at 31st Street, I dropped by. Not connected with the Occupy San Diego movement, this protest was connected to the …

Thirty-Five Years Ago When the new penal statutes take effect January 1, we won’t be able to do what we didn’t know, until now, that we could do. New crimes will include: the possession with …

The sun slants in through the venetian blinds, casting angled stripes across Christine’s arms and face. She’s wearing a striped dress, too, so it’s kinda cute. She’s chatting away with her old school buddy, Cathy, …

According to C-Level’s bar manager Jonathan Boyle, who developed the drink, the Summer Solace is both a backward look at the high season of sun and fun and a cool companion on that slow, leafy …

We were late heading out the door and needed to pick up dinner on the way to our friends Chuck and Rita’s house to watch the Raiders on Monday Night Football (yes, dear readers, Emma …

she was the great baby sitter — tall dignified rich warm brown we’d scream her name pretend to be endangered run and hide in mama’s clothes closet she’d search house and yard get angry and …

Of Miracles and Grave Misfortunes It had to be a miracle! As Sebastián Vizcaíno’s three ships neared the bay at Cabo de San José, a fog curtained the shoreline, and the ships separated beyond hailing …

Recipe by Daniel Manrique, executive chef, the Red Door To tell you the truth, my mother wasn’t a good cook. I started to cook for my little sister by the time I was nine or …

“We’re a bunch of positive people playing dark stuff,” says Demetrius Antuna (vox, guitar) of the nine-piece, cinematic, art-metal band Kata. “It’s a release. A way to get it out. Something about darkness feels good …

The Bronx frontman Matt Caughthran says the inspiration for starting a new band that specialized in the playing of norteño-flavored punk music came out of thin air one day. “It was in the name of …

“I make street-level music for the people,” says alt-country crooner Chad Cavanaugh. In 2008, the North Park singer/guitarist says he was surprised at his Best New Acoustic Artist nomination for that year’s San Diego H.A.T. …

Lou Curtiss opened Folk Arts Rare Records on Adams Avenue more than 30 years ago. Over the years, he’s promoted folk concerts at SDSU, coffee shops, and, later, the roots festivals staged in the street …

My sister-in-law and I are scheduled for a birthday lunch, and she wants to go out. It’s kind of a rare event these days, because she discovered a year ago that she’s gluten intolerant. “Going …

So, I’m standing atop Hawk Hill, a 940-foot rise located on the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge and lookout point for the largest known raptor migration path on the West Coast. This is …

The plummy walls of the San Diego Museum of Art give the exhibition they surround, From El Greco to Dalí, a velvet jewel-case warmth. If the rooms were full of Goya’s ferocious Caprichos or Disasters …

“I vowed long ago never to move east of route 805!” my friend C.C. admonished me when I told him I was looking for an apartment in an affordable area. My first choice was North …

Zach Goode dresses in costume every time he plays with Geezer, a Weezer tribute disguised as senior citizens who’ll play the Belly Up’s ’80s Halloween show on October 31. But he’s donning a different costume …

Hey, Matt: There must be an end to the earth’s supply of oil. Has anyone predicted when that will happen? — Just Wondering, via email By now you must recognize the background music to this …

Six hundred miles west of continental Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean, the Galápagos Islands contain birds, fish, reptiles and mammals not found anywhere else in the world. One in four animal species is endemic – …

Some residents refer to it as the Sleeping Giant. An eight-inch-diameter Navy pipeline, carrying diesel and jet fuel from Point Loma to Miramar, lies beneath San Diego streets and canyons. Each year, 323 million gallons …

Ex-Padres owner John Moores, forced to unload the team during a bitter divorce battle, is expanding his lucrative sports-consulting business to universities and colleges. The latest recruits to his firm are interim Big 12 commissioner …

Late last month, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said long-term unemployment is a “national crisis.” And it’s urgent that government give more help to the ailing housing industry. San Diego’s unemployment and housing problems are …

Bassist Jay Crew says he walked out of reggae band Bad Neighborz last year because lead singer Erik Trogisch was mangling his songs. “Erik screams in the mic. He has no dynamic control. Erik would …

In the song “California,” Erika M. Anderson sings, “Fuck California, you made me boring.” It’s the lament of a Midwesterner who moved out West and did too much living, too fast and too young. Now …

A donor identified on federal filings as Alexander G. Spanos, A.G. Spanos Companies/Founder, gave $30,800 to the Republican National Committee on June 16. Philip Anschutz, the Denver billionaire who is developing Farmers Field in Los …

Whom Did That? I want to make a comment on the October 6 Reader, Thomas Larson’s cover story, “Debt. Arson. Murder.” Okay, I’m just a poor old engineer — I’m not an English major — …

After ten months praying in a cave in Manresa, St. Ignatius received a vision that permitted him “to see God in all things” — the stated goal of his Spiritual Exercises, which are part of …

A little red bungalow that has been a Talmadge icon for over 70 years is now an unwelcome blight to the community. On October 10, Talmadge community activists Erin Judson and Kelly Waggonner organized a …

It seemed like an innocuous deed, posting a link to my friend’s video on my Facebook wall. Nice, even. I’d go so far as to say it was the opposite of reprehensible. The link was …

Like all red-blooded Americans, our family decided to visit the Grand Canyon. In an RV. Big mistake. 1. The a/c didn’t work. It was 107 in Phoenix. 2. We hit a sign (or two) and …

At Barnett Avenue’s southern end, where it meets Pacific Highway, the two-lane road was recently narrowed to a single lane. Though it is now a traffic bottleneck, before the conversion, I witnessed a bicyclist ride …

Back in July, the indie-music blogosphere didn't know what to do with itself when Girls released the single "Vomit." The near seven-minute jam, complete with soul-singer backup vocals, was all hipsters needed to become obsessed …

Today was more than 14 hours on the road to travel what would normally take 5 hours. Anywhere else but Mexico, and this would have been a hellish day. It all started in Barra Vieja, …

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, a quartet from Tulsa, Oklahoma, brought their unique brand of open-minded musicianship to the Loft at UCSD. Touring in support of Race Riot Suite, the quartet added a five-piece horn section, …

A Tijuana police motorcycle parked next to the “zonkey” corral, a subterranean manger (on Fifth Street) for the famous faux zebras that are seen posing with tourists on Avenida Revolución. An Asian tour group stops …

Adam Brown is guilty of first-degree murder for plunging a kitchen knife into his mother’s head as she sat on the edge of her bed in their Oceanside home three years ago. The same jury …

The sound of the traffic ranges from “oh my god, are they are going to hit the house”, to white noise in those areas where there are a couple of houses to buffer the unending …

Fourteen miles south of San Diego and five miles north of the land where Tequila pours like honey lays the surfing Mecca known as Imperial Beach –or “IB” as it is referred to locally. I …

On a night in which San Diego received its first measurable rainfall of the season, a water-scarcity meeting was held at Liberty Station on Wednesday, October 5. Over glasses of wine and bruschetta with salmon …

September 29, 2011 The eastern end of the new northernmost bridge crossing the Tijuana River receives it first coat of asphalt in preparation for laying in the rest of the road bed. The bridge is …

A few months back, I mentioned the chilly beer cave at Mission Valley’s Iowa Meat Farms. Today, I’m happy to report the meat mongers in the back of the shop have upped their devotion to …

On January 18, 2008, Jean Gluck, 77, and Harry Gluck, 90, were found dead in their bed in the Carlsbad home they shared with their son, Dennis Brian Gluck. In the Vista courthouse on the …

On Wednesday, August 24, federal agents and SWAT officers raided the Gibson factories in Memphis and Nashville. To an outsider, it might have looked like a drug bust. But in this case, the agents weren’t …

Dinners at the Kelly household have been deficient in veggies of late, and working in some more greens has become imperative. There’s been buzz over the Vitamix Turboblend juicer ($378.95 on Amazon), but I can’t …

Woof! Woof! Big black dog’s barking at me. He’s standing in a strut pose on the porch of one of those great old Victorians they have here on Logan Avenue, in the barrio. But I …

The first moment: at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Willows. Sound comes at you from the sunset, which is happening underneath the dome of an aqua-blue sky, banded on its low end by …

The menu of Alchemy has expanded considerably since I first ate there after its opening, and the restaurant has become a South Park neighborhood favorite. Of course, there’s not much else to eat in the …

A Project 365 is when a person posts a new photo of themselves online every day for a year. O.B.’s Jefferson Jay, founder of the San Diego Musicians Collective, took the idea a step further. …

“I’m a punk rocker,” says one-man-band Toothless George, who is best known for his involvement with the Halflings and the Percocettes. “I play some country and rockabilly stuff, but I’m a punk rocker. I’m not …

O happy column: three very good movies and two close enough. Blackthorn A real Western is riding our way from (surprise) South America. Up in the high Andes, Blackthorn is much more than an exotic …

I’ve always enjoyed gay dives because the mood tends to outshine that of neighboring, dimly lit hipster hangouts. Nowhere is this accute sense of festivity more apparent than karaoke nights at Redwing Bar and Grill …

John Nesheiwat was parked in his car, a rosary on the seat beside him, about a mile from the North Woodson Drive rental home owned by James Kurtenbach, a 4000-square-foot luxury house in one of …

The title of Matthew Lopez’s comedy-drama sounds unfinished. Hear Somewhere, and you expect “a place for us” to follow. And why not keep going: “Peace and quiet and oooo-pen air [kick it up!] WAITS for …

“I went toward the stage hoping to get his attention and some respect,” says drummer Harold Brown of the last time he saw former bandmate Lonnie Jordan, performing in 2009 at the Canyon Club with …

By the time blues guitarist Ben Powell arrived in Colorado, his load had been lightened by a few grams. “I had a little Border Patrol incident in Arizona,” he admits. “They decided that they wanted …

I’d known about Jane’s intention to get another dog after Winston, her elderly chocolate Lab, passed away several months ago. So I’m not sure why I was surprised when she stopped by my place on …

Chris Manning normally went surfboard fishing in the early morning with the other regulars — Roy and Vicky, Steve, Russell, and the other Roy. But with the ocean as flat as a lake and the …

Fumbling European banks may drag the whole world into another slough, but a couple of them have done the right things responding to adversity. A trader at UBS (once known as Union Bank of Switzerland) …

“It just kind of hit me one day a few years ago,” says Donald Vercelli when asked exactly when it was that he decided to impersonate Social Distortion frontman Mike Ness. “I sang ‘Ball and …

The early ‘90s are back in Tijuana. High-waist bloomers, felt boater hats, “Goo” Sonic Youth tees, lacey long-sleeves, cat-eye liner beneath buggy shades, jean shorts, atnd red, red lips dominate hep vogue in “the most …

I intend to take the shotgun approach to this column. To be more descriptive, let’s say the scattergun approach. No single topic seems burning for my attention today, but there are several items of interest. …

“I been taking it easy too long,” sings Eric Earley on Blitzen Trapper’s American Goldwing. Maybe he has, and that’s why Goldwing finds his Portland band rocking out much more than usual. Songs like “Street …

Michael McQuiggan FilmOut Programmer, filmoutsandiego.com Italy’s Torso has grown on me over the years and with a new Blu-ray edition, it’s won me over. Suzy Kendall stars with a bevy of beauties stalked by a …

Stands With Giants I have not picked up the Reader in two years, but today I saw the name of Jerry Schad on the cover. The reprint of the 1987 Sorensen article on Jerry was …

Hey Matt: Why are there so many more right-handers than left-handers? — Bicoastal, via email Aw, phooey. Actually, when it comes to handedness, everything you know is wrong — old-wives’-tale division. Anyway, that’s what’s been …

Many things know we that we seldom think on: and in the things of the soul, the knowledge without the remembrance little profiteth. What availeth it to know that there is a God, which thou …

Thirty-Five Years Ago Since WWII, the emergent “East Coast” style has tended toward a simplified, even primitive, form and a more cerebral content.... The New Yorker always was, and still remains, a great testing ground …

As if he has decided on a nap but feels too pressed for time to find his bed or even shift the napkin from his lap, the man across the table drops his head mid-anecdote, …

Membership: 300 (and 130 Chaldean) Pastor: Steve Forsythe Age: 51 Born: Cape May, NJ Formation: New Brunswick Theological Seminary, New Brunswick, NJ; Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena Years Ordained: 26 San Diego Reader: How long do …

The San Diego City Council voted 6-1 on October 4 to adopt a resolution, responding to the San Diego County Grand Jury report that a new city hall is not needed. The resolution authorized the …

On October 1, 1986, the City of Encinitas officially opened its doors for business. About three months earlier, in the June '86 state primary election, citizens of five communities (Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Old Encinitas, New Encinitas, Leucadia, …

I have a confession: I’m crazed about the ancient fortune-telling sibyls. So crazed that I’ve raced through the Vatican to see Michelangelo’s depiction of the sibyls on the Sistine Chapel and I’ve even flown to …

Many travelers to Thailand head from Bangkok to one or more of the beautiful beaches and islands in the southern part of the country. Just a few kilometers inland from these beaches is Khao Sok …

David walked into the room with a lot more flair than usual. He raised his arm high above his head and said, “Isu no ue ni dare ga imasu ka?” My sister, who was seated …

At around 1:30 p.m. on September 30, a fire broke out at a three-story residential structure on the corner of Dover Court and Mission Boulevard. Five fire companies responded; it took almost an hour to …

“I been young, I been old/I been hurt and consoled/Heart of cold, heart of gold/so I'm told” — “Dawned on Me” The opening line of “Dawned on Me” summarizes Wilco's eighth studio album, on which …

Bush lead singer Gavin Rossdale has expressed in the media his desire for the revamped Bush band to not be considered "a nostalgia act." When the grungy hit machine played 4th&B, the vigor and intensity …

Wednesday morning, September 29, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies converged on a Clairemont home for a pre-dawn raid that reportedly targeted Hell’s Angels gang members. At 6 a.m., neighbors were awakened and brought …