La Jolla Strip Club bartender Jim Sloan tells me that his formal education in vodka began two years ago, when he signed on as La Jolla Strip Club’s bar manager. “I never knew as much …

About a half dozen protesters raised a small ruckus outside the Electra high-rise condo building at 700 West E Street on the evening of Tuesday, June 28. Politicians and well-heeled supporters of Bonnie Dumanis were …

A special guest will be arriving at 8:43 on July 4 to help San Diegans celebrate the holiday. The International Space Station will make a fly-over in an orbit almost 200 miles above the Earth …

After hiking in Joshua Tree National Park, I camped in Indian Cove beneath batholiths. I had come to see the Wonderland of Rocks, which thanks to Minerva Hoyt is publicly preserved and accessible. Surrounded by …

Ancient history tells of kings or wheat contracts, says the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. But what about daily life in Babylon or Greece? Or, more recently, Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire? Wilder chose …

The San Diego Sheriff’s Bomb Squad hosted a fireworks disposal demonstration on the morning of June 29 at their bomb disposal range in the Rancho San Diego. Two separate blasts were set off beginning at …

“It’s hard to book other bands to play with us,” said Michael Prince, drummer of gutter-glam band Purple Church. “All we have around here is thrash metal or punk bands. What we’re trying to do …

As Tiger Woods will tell you, it doesn’t take long before nobody cares. Retired Boston/Toronto/Yankees/Houston/Yankees MLB pitcher “Rocket” Roger Clemens reached his scandal shelf life long ago, but his Washington DC baseball/steroids/lying trial begins Wednesday …

Piping from countless multiplexes, the siren of summer buzz calls us to mull Green Lantern’s grosses, to decipher the Jim Carrey–comeback potential of Mr. Popper’s Penguins, to dwell on the Comic-Con dimensions of Transformers: Dark …

Experimental noise musician and composer Randy Chiurazzi recently auditioned for NBC’s America’s Got Talent in which performers competed for a $1 million prize and a chance to perform in Las Vegas. “They basically hated it,” …

Two wooden, life-size vaqueros glare out at you from behind their giant cigars. They may be the last evidence that this used to be a curio store, here at the bottom of Avenida Revolución in …

He is the man who helped build a greater part of Las Vegas with millions of dollars from Jimmy Hoffa’s mobbed-up Teamsters’ pension fund. Along with his close friend and business partner, the legendary Moe …

Imagine a valley filled with vineyards surrounded by olive trees. The weather is dry and warm and there’s hardly any wind. There are only a couple of paved roads and people mostly walk or drive …

It was an unlikely location for a party. The sun was out in full force at the Del Mar Marriott, where maybe 40 partiers in beach attire danced to Osal8’s bass-heavy DJ set or lounged …

“The Nervous Wreckords started out as a production company that I had when I worked with other artists as a producer,” says singer/guitarist Brian Karscig. “As my own music started to take precedence over producing, …

In the nascent days of this column and for several years into the new millennium (gah, that’s the first time I’ve used that word in 11 years, and it recalls its constant repetition back then, …

For decades, financial carpetbaggers have pulled the wool over the eyes of the citizens of Borrego Springs, the unincorporated desert town of 2600 full-time residents in northeast San Diego County. Now Borregans hope that a …

One local loser in the demise of San Diego’s redevelopment agency, if its demise actually comes to pass, could be the San Diego public relations and lobbying firm of Southwest Strategies, founded by onetime Evening …

A top aide to GOP congressman Duncan Hunter headed for Africa this spring on a trip paid for by the International Republican Institute, whose board, chaired by Arizona senator John McCain, includes such other Republican …

Bidders at the fourth and final auction of the now-defunct James S. Copley Library, held at Sotheby’s in New York City on May 20, did what they had done at the previous three sales. They …

For a bit of morning exercise, especially if you’re a local San Diegan, consider this quick jaunt at the San Diego Zoo — a place not normally thought of as a hiking destination. Get there …

Scribe Amidst the Lions will debut their EP The Lidless Kind on July 1 at the Casbah. “This one was completely recorded, produced, and mixed by the band at our own Controls for the Sun …

Thirty-Five Years Ago<br>Being the first on the scene will get a newsman his story, but getting a “scoop” is not without its perils. Last Wednesday, the second F-14 fighter in three days went down at …

“How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!” Who has written such volumes of stuff! Some think him ill-tempered and queer, But a few think him pleasant enough. His mind is concrete and fastidious, His nose is …

Kelly Crisp and Ivan Howard were married the week they formed the Rosebuds while still at college in North Carolina. Merge Records released their folk-rock debut, The Rosebuds Make Out, in 2003. Two CDs later, …

No Pulitzer Hayley Rafner spends 11 pages complaining that she can’t get into Gaslamp clubs and claims that she “Google[s] things to do in San Diego when you’re underage” (“Miss In-Between,” Cover Story, June 23). …

The gifted Norwegian singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche is not yet 30 years old, but he has spent most of the past decade trying to make a big breakthrough as a star in America. He’s tried his …

I found a single white dog hair in my coffee this morning. Ten minutes later, I was on the phone with Chad Davidson of the Pawlished Paw Mobile Grooming (619-792-7138; pawlishedpaw.com). “When you’re looking for …

Those to whom what I have said is plain will also, I think, plainly see why God should be loved: that is, whence He deserves to be loved. But if unbelievers blind themselves to these …

Membership: 90 Pastor: Richard Zuber Age: 62 Born: Meriden, Connecticut Formation: Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, Connecticut; Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Years Ordained: 25 San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing …

Author: Caltona Neighborhood: Kearny Mesa If you were to have asked most San Diegans back then about Kearny Mesa, they generally would have answered with a question. “Isn’t that Clairemont?” Or, “You mean Linda Vista?” …

Halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole – high above the Arctic Circle – lies the archipelago of Svalbard, Norway. A trip to Svalbard is not for the budget-conscious, so for many this might …

The woman bumped into me and the first thing I noticed was the five-pointed pentagram on her necklace. I was in Salem, Massachusetts, home of the famous witch trials, and now I was face to …

The last time a foreign military force invaded the continental United States was on March 9, 1916, when Pancho Villa's raiders sneaked over the Mexican border and attacked the small town of Columbus, New Mexico. …

I walked into Hopkins with a guitar in my hand, backpack hanging off my shoulders, and my mouth parched as sweat poured down my face. I felt lightheaded. I needed a drink. I walked two …

There are few things about which I am ambivalent. I don’t merely “like” the stuff I’m into – I geek out. This probably has something to do with my obsessive nature, a prerequisite for all …

In Imperial Beach, residents who park their car on the lawn or have a yard sale without a permit say they can expect a visit from a code-compliance officer. Some of those same residents object …

How badly do we need Jonathan Richman now? After Election 2008, I was ready to say, "Not as much as before," given that the government (at least) no longer promulgated that eight-year Dominant Paradigm of …

If there were a roof over the Heineken grandstand stage at the San Diego County Fair, Neon Trees would have blown it off. Starting the show with fan favorite "Sins Of My Youth," singer Tyler …

Last year at this time, the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had created an environmental disaster. The June 26, 2010, Hands Across the Sand demonstration was a response to the spill: …

I always thought shingles -- the sickness, not the roof tiles -- was an old person's disease. Even the Center for Disease Control recommends vaccines only for people over 60. I vaguely remember my chicken …

A 15,600-square-foot property at 3067 University Avenue was built in 1949 by F.W. Woolworth Company. Last year, the city purchased the long-empty building for $1,950,000 for redevelopment. North Park Gateway, LLC, was selected to work …

The short-sale of my home is nearly complete, and just this week I scheduled the movers. What a long, harrowing process it was – every piece of paper you’ve ever received must be turned over …

Eight days into our around-the-country trip, my friend and I walked the long stretch of white sand beach in Grayton Beach State Park from the setting sun towards the rising full moon. We had pulled …

The residents of Father Joe’s Village who park their cars between National and Logan avenues on Commercial Street had a rude awakening on Sunday, June 19. Practically all the tires of every vehicle were punctured …

People should know better than to leave their iPhones unattended. Whenever I'm on Facebook and see that my sister Jenny's status contains abnormally worshipful comments about her husband, I know that Brad got a hold …

After paying a multitude of highway tolls throughout the labyrinth of New Jersey, my spouse and I had finally arrived. The bright lights of the Manhattan skyline welcoming us, we passed through the Lincoln Tunnel, …

Outside the town of Masaya, Nicaragua, the Parque Nacional Volcán Masaya offers a glimpse into the smoking cone of an active volcano as well as stunning views of the area around Managua at night. The …

When Merrill Garbus records under the typographically difficult name tUnE-yArDs, she often builds her songs around a little ukulele, her remarkable voice, and looped samples. Loops are everywhere in music these days, of course, but …

Well, the Rapture didn’t happen, but it did get me thinking about firearms. When the tribulation comes, I want to know how to shoot. Marc Halcon, owner of American Shooting Center in Kearny Mesa (858-279-7233; …

It’s at the point of being rare, talking to a stranger in a bar and realizing, from the start, that you’re having an interesting conversation. I’m at the Harbor Bar (that’s Pillar Point Harbor to …

One sometimes finds oneself slightly off balance when approaching a topic that may have short-term and changeable elements. I’m experiencing that somewhat this morning; the changeable element is the weather, not often that changeable in …

Experimental 170-beat-per-minute music was popularized about two years ago by London drum-and-bass producers dBridge and Instra:mental via the Club Autonomic podcast. According to Futureproofing, an electronic-music blog, “Autonomic is a flood of outside influences entering …

Coop’s is the new barbecue with the buzz. Since opening last October, it’s already garnered one major huzzah (Candice Woo in San Diego Magazine’s “best restaurants” issue for best barbecue). On Yelp, it’s incited an …

They sit in a row: Bad Boy, Duet, Odin’s Raven. We’re talking bottles. Beer. Alpine beer. Yum. “You first,” says Bro Bill. He’s Carla’s brother. “Ladies first,” I say, looking at Marjorie. She’s Bill’s glamorous …

She thought she’d finally found a home. For two decades, Luisa Moreno abandoned her private life and championed the rights of workers. She zigzagged around the country, protesting, organizing, and negotiating for labor unions: garment …

It’s Friday night around 10:00 p.m. and I’m just getting off work. Before I lived on my own, 10:00 p.m. was too late to even think of going out. Now I know nothing good ever …

The Euphoria Brass Band, a New Orleans–jazz outfit, is working out some rhythm parts on a Monday night in the band room at Mission Bay High School. When fully engaged, it is a brassy conflagration. …

Harley Jerks “Dad Was a Bum” (Cover Story, June 16) reminded me that we have no basis to draw facile conclusions regarding total strangers we may encounter during the typical day. We have no idea …

Another contractor picking up some sweet change from the City’s Centre City Development Corporation is the Portland, Oregon landscape architectural firm of Walker Macy, designer of that city’s Pioneer Courthouse Square, which local politicos lust …

Genomic-engineering pioneer Craig Venter appears to be on the verge of officially breaking ground on flashy new offices on state land at the UCSD campus, but university officials are reluctant to tell the public the …

On March 24, San Diegan Laura Perry received a letter from Kerry Steigerwalt’s Pacific Law Center, once San Diego’s best known, most notorious, and most aggressively advertised law firm. Perry, 73, had paid $2000 to …

From his $4.4 million estate behind the gates of Fairbanks Ranch, Nicholas J. Wildgoose couldn’t see the traffic streaming along I-5, one of America’s busiest freeways. But in 2008, the oil trader and his web …

Lest we forget: Ted Nugent’s three-chord opening to “Cat Scratch Fever” was schoolin’ for a generation of adolescent guitarists during the late 1970s. You didn’t even have to know how to play the rest of …

Erik Stage, owner of the Stage in the heart of the Gaslamp, calls the venue “three floors of entertainment in our haunted house of corridors and mezzanines.” In its third year, the Stage recently underwent …

A 56-year-old schoolteacher accused of hosting a drunken teen party this month may not have to appear in court. Although Nancy Hildebrand was arrested just past midnight on June 12 on suspicion of supplying alcohol …

Oceanside’s Nathan James became a blues guitarist by mastering the Piedmont fingerstyle, which produces a complex ragtime sound and is created by thumbing the bass string while picking out a syncopated melody with the fingers. …

Because he was a butcher and thereby Did earn an honest living (and did right), I would not have you think that Reuben Bright Was any more a brute than you or I; For when …

Membership: 124 Pastor: Phyllis Ashe Born: San Francisco Formation: Claremont School of Theology, Claremont; National University, La Jolla Years Ordained: 12 years. San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your sermons? Pastor Phyllis …

Therefore, Lord, you have given understanding to faith, grant me that I may come to understand (as much as You think best) that You exist, as we believe, and that You are what we believe …

“After four albums, we’re playing our first show,” says Eric Nielsen of High Mountain Tempel, who’ll make their stage debut June 25 at Kava. A duo featuring Nielsen (Maquiladora, Buzz or Howl) and Keith Boyd, …

For Lee Coulter, who was originally inspired by Simon and Garfunkel and Back to the Future (“I played the tennis racket to the soundtrack”), it’s about the music. And producing. And giving “Rockstar 101” lessons …

Thirty-Five Years Ago<br>[T]he dominating mood among the middle-class graduates is one of passive acceptance of a decayed world, handed to them on a platter beyond meaningful repair. While the middle-class kids tend to view themselves …

As I drove east across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge at dusk, a Peregrine falcon rose from the water over the railing and above the car into the trusses above, a fish gripped firmly in its …

This might be hard to believe for the fun-loving Irish lads, but I dare any Irish person out there to out-party the Dutch. Not gonna happen – and I’m not sure you’d want to. In …

Located in the Pecos Valley, Roswell grew up around large cattle ranches on land previously occupied by Mescalero Apaches. From the development of Fort Stanton in 1855 to the closure of the Walker Air Force …

On June 20, about 400 people packed Southwest High School’s gymnasium for a Sweetwater Union High School board meeting. Several hundred people packed the meeting, many wearing “Stop Corruption” buttons. Community member Kathleen Cheers set …

Gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transexuals, and intersexuals (GBLTI) cut loose with a big parade in downtown Tijuana on June 18. Perhaps a thousand-plus marchers and partiers arrived in the beds of pickup trucks and on tractor-trailers …

When it comes to finding love, look no further than the Money Pit in San Marcos. That's where I was yesterday when Cupid, forgetting for a cherubic moment that I was already taken, shot some …

In Ascona, one of Lago Maggiore’s many lakeside gems, foodie and sailing fanatics alike are sure to find bliss. Located on the Italian-speaking Swiss side of Lago Maggiore in the canton (state) of Ticino near …

A survey entitled “Land of the Rude: Americans in a New Survey Say Lack of Respect is Getting Worse,” by author Samantha DuPont for Public Agenda, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, reports that most Americans surveyed …

So you’re spending a lot of time trying to figure out why no one is calling you for an interview. Well, have you checked out your résumé lately? Seriously, if the last time you updated …

Maria Tomas went from unpaid intern to paid employee. Tell me about your schooling and other background information. I studied fine art at two community colleges before changing my major to interior design. I graduated …

When I lived in San Francisco, one of my favorite outings was walking down to Amoeba Records on Haight Street for the free artist-promo concerts. The most memorable was an extended set by blues-rock act …

Opening with 1972's “Living in the Past,” Jethro Tull front man Ian Anderson set the tone for the evening by working the stage, giving equal attention to both sides of the theater. And the crowd …

The agenda for the June 20 meeting of the Sweetwater Unified High School District board was posted this week. On June 15, parents, retired teachers, a librarian, a former Chula Vista councilmember, and Sweetwater boardmember …

As Oneonta Elementary School in Imperial Beach was dismissing students on June 16, nearby, a 19-year-old man lost control of his Chrysler PT Cruiser and sheared off a fire hydrant. According to witnesses, the driver …

An armed robbery took place at the Ocean Beach Antiques Mall at approximately 12:45 p.m. on June 16. Two Hispanic men reportedly entered the antiques store located at 4926 Newport Avenue and pretended to be …

A soda can left in the bathroom of a burgled residence in Oceanside last January recently led to an arrest, according to detective Douglas Baxter of the Oceanside Police Department. DNA collected from the can …

After living in Prague for about two years and struggling with the obtuse Czech language, a broken relationship and missing the feeling of being around people who understood me or vice versa, I was ready …

Through the thin walls of the tent, I hear an elephant trumpet, and a breeze caries its musty smell across the open expanse. Somewhere nearby, a lion joins in. If you had told me this …

Vikingsholm Castle sits at the bottom of a steep, mile-long switchback driveway that drops 500 feet to the shore of Lake Tahoe. Once at the bottom, I purchased a ticket to participate in a guided …

For many months, transients have hunkered down in front of the Albertsons supermarket at 2235 University Avenue in North Park. They panhandle for change and sometimes fall asleep on the sidewalk. After contacting the Albertsons …

An assortment of peaceniks, activists, war veterans, and their families gathered on the Sixth Avenue overpass of Interstate 5 at around 4 p.m. on June 14, Flag Day. They were there, in the words of …

Hey, Matthew: Is there any practical limit to how big passenger planes can get? They seem so huge now, I was just wondering if there’s some top size that they can get to before they …

Imperial Beach’s beaches are not as glamorous as others farther north, but they do include some very secluded stretches of sand, including the one described here, lying within the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge. To …

I see no point in holding back good news, so let’s get right to: Buck There are precious few real heroes in movies. John Wayne was not a hero, he was more a stellar commodity …

Some clichés smell okay, others stink. Whenever I hear a California enthusiast hyperventilating about how the West Coast is culturally “cutting edge” and so “out there,” I remember that the last time David Smith (the …

Mike Elliott’s father disappeared when he was 13 years old. Not disappeared as in vanished mysteriously. Disappeared as in left and never came back. Some 27 years later, on a rainy afternoon, Mike drove through …

On bright, sunny, San Diego days, I often crave a crisp, Ensenada-style fish taco. With apologies to Ralph Rubio — and the popular bar-and-grill that tops their fish tacos with a concoction that includes ranch …

When the Sess split up in late 2008, members went on to form Beaters, Ale Mania, and most recently, Shiva Trash. Mark Rivera (guitar/vox) of the Sess joined his girlfriend Lisa Phelps (guitar/vox) of Xerox, …

“Henna is usually part of joyful occasions,” explained Wardah Halim of HennaTrendz in Chula Vista (858-366-3374; hennatrendz.com). “Marriages, birthdays, graduations, sweet 16s, bar mitzvahs.” A few of those occasions are in the Kelly family’s near …

“I see Tommy Castro maybe once a year,” says Michael Kinsman, “and he always says, when are we gonna do another blues fest in San Diego?” Castro, a Bay Area blues artist, performed at two …

This would be a Friday night some weeks back, the most recent Friday the 13th, technically not a full moon but close enough for rock and roll. I was walking along C Street, downtown, past …

A few weeks ago, The New York Times had an interesting article about how white rappers had moved from being outsiders in hip-hop to being the people carrying the torch of the old school — …

Critics called A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out electro-dance and emo and vaudeville, but I heard power pop. In many ways, Panic! at the Disco reminded me of the Nerves, a 1970s pre-new-wave band that …

Since it became a modern-rock station eight years ago, FM 94/9 has carried syndicated alternative-oldies show New Wave Nation on Sunday mornings. Hosted by the raspy-voiced Nina Blackwood, the show is dedicated to ’80s-era punk …

The surprise witness identified the defendant right away. “He sits in front of us at the Charger games,” said Sara Anderson. She had video and photographs of him at the game on the night of …

Once again presidential election season is about to begin, with potential GOP candidates jostling for position in a crowded and confusing pack. A few possible contenders have already made their way to San Diego County …

Diego’s Qualcomm Inc. has already spent $1,930,000 on federal lobbying through May 2, according to the website OpenSecrets.org. That’s more or less on the same pace as in 2010, when the cell phone giant spent …

We may not suffer an economic double dip, but we’re in for double trouble, and it could last several more years. Both in the nation and San Diego, recent signs of weakness portend more years …

We’ll start with the University of Southern California (USC) bust. You remember the school criminals: O.J. Mayo (received improper benefits) played college basketball for one year, skipped to the NBA (Memphis Grizzlies), and made $4,456,000 …

Recipe by Anthony Sinsay, executive chef, Harney Sushi, Old Town I come from an Asian and Filipino background. My dad was in the Navy for 17 years and was the cook in our house. He …

Thirty-Five Years Ago<br>Dear Matthew Alice:<br>Why don’t cats have to have licenses?<br>Paul Bloom, Point Loma Dear Paul:<br>Cats in San Diego are clasified “wild animals,” just like opposums and werewolves. Not only does this allow cats to …

David Rinck’s local ties date back to 1981, when the singer/guitarist/sax player cofounded the original Wallflowers. Somewhat punk, a little mod, and always rockin’, the band wrote songs about dangerous San Diego locales of the …

"How can evil and ugliness make a gift of beauty?" When he was six, Asher Lev began noticing the contours and textures of the world. He became alert to shadings of color, to the degrees …

Can’t Get No Satisfaction Re “I Want Love Now” by Heather Augello (Cover Story, June 9). No matter what you do, you can never make everyone happy! All you can hope to do is do …

“Wherefore I much marvel why these things are thus turned upside down, and the punishment of wickedness oppresses the good, while evil men obtain the rewards of the good. And I desire to know of …

I was not born with the mothering bone, so it’s not the young woman my own age on the 48 bus hoisting her off- spring aloft who trains my attention, or catches my heart but …

Attendance: 2400 Pastor: Ed Noble Age: 52 Born: Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Formation: California State University, Long Beach; Biola College (University), La Mirada; Talbot School of Theology, La Mirada Years Ordained: 24 San Diego Reader: How …

I strive to give people the benefit of the doubt; I should know better. My gut tells me people lie and cheat, that they’re selfish and terrible. But then my brain interferes and supersedes, always …

Last Friday, the only witnesses to a snatch-and-grab robbery outside the Fashion Kiss Boutique in La Mesa was a mannequin named Bianca...and a surveillance camera. Fashion Kiss owner Michella Dresselhuys installed a surveillance camera in …

If you have Taipei on your travel agenda, pencil in Kaohsiung as well. Hop on the high-speed rail in Taipei and exactly 2 hours and 15 minutes later, you’re in southern Taiwan, in Taiwan’s second …

Of all the buildings that Frank Lloyd Wright designed, his favorite was Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s one of the most popular destinations for lovers and admirers of the architect’s work, and, with the …

The Rock Church in Point Loma attracts big crowds every Sunday for their five services. At the 10 a.m. service on June 12, as congregants hurried in to catch the worship music, many saw a …

On June 2, when I saw a stop sign at Louisiana Street and Polk Avenue tagged with anti-semitic graffiti, I immediately emailed councilmember Todd Gloria's office. I also sent a photo showing the racial slur, …

Check, check one...two... Three? Four? Five? Six? Arriving at the Casbah, I watched Cole Alexander and Joe Bradley of Atlanta band the Black Lips work out their set list, which was mostly material off their …

The first track off of Nothing is Wrong, the second album from Dawes, defines the record. Front man Taylor Goldsmith knows how to reel you in with his voice and lyric in "Time Spent in …

Author: Sharon J. Corrigan Neighborhood: Carlsbad Age: 60 Occupation: Communications Generalist Heading down the stairs to the mezzanine at the back of the car, I attempt a bank shot into the corner trash bin with …

Parents can be irritatingly protective of their children. I get it -- no one wants anything nefarious to happen to the innocent. But I don’t think people realize how ridiculous much of their sheltering really …

Kevin Niems, a 15-year Escondido resident and owner of three area Subway sandwich shops, appeared before the city council on June 8. He was there to voice his opposition to the city’s enforcement of the …

The Royal Maui jewelry store at the Westfield Mall on Via Rancho Parkway was robbed at about 2:30 p.m. on June 9. According to a witness at a nearby kiosk, three Causcasian men entered the …

I float in a sun-warmed, peanut-shaped tile pool, watching the breeze flip the palm fronds against a turquoise San Diego sky, sipping a midday mimosa. Cally, the woman for whom I was house sitting, had …

In an effort to curb certain citizens’ tendency to toss gum on city streets, Tijuana businesses, under the auspices of city hall and the police department, have posted placards that warn of fines for sidewalk …

Today, wedged between the old and the new, the natural and the modern, Panama is a country of both paradox and transition. With a biodiversity exceeding its more famous neighbor to the northwest – Costa …

Amidst jungle-shrouded hills overlooking the Usumacinta River basin in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, the Mayan site of Palenque is a jewel for anyone interested in ancient Mayan civilization. Palenque offers a little bit …

There are a lot of weird things people do when they’re inebriated. Some drunk dial (not recommended), others drunk drive (so very unbelievably uncool); some drunk smoke, some drunk kiss (or more, and stop looking …

Judy Kaplan Baron, master career counselor, explains the idea of marketable skills. Talk to me about what the term ‘marketable skills’ means. Skills are those abilities that enable you to perform tasks. Some are innate …

We all know about networking, right? Well, it might be wise in this economy to stop doing it &mdash; at least in the way you’ve been probably been doing it. And why, in this terrible …

About 40 people attended the June 7 San Diego County Board of Supervisors' public hearing on the 2011-2012 budget. Four women at the 2 p.m. session urged supervisors to fund social services, salaries, and staffing. …

In the late ’40s and early ’50s, the Turf Supper Club was a magnet for bookies and horse-racing enthusiasts, according to bartender Stacey Sloate. “They [had] a group here that would go to both Del …

Evelyn Irving-Jackson’s olive-green Hummer takes up two of the four pint-sized parking spaces in front of the 1100-square-foot Trinity House thrift shop. The ostentatious gas guzzler seems incongruous, not only with the size of the …

With a name inspired by their role models the Jackson 5, the brothers of the Garcia 3 were age 7 (Angel), 9 (Hector), and 11 (Juan) when they founded a band last year. The boys …

“Got three minutes?” Mickey Gonzalez is lookin’ at me, and you just know he’s from back East ’cause he speaks in that big “You talkin’ to me?” voice. “I’ve got a fresh one in the …

Veruca Salt: I wanted to be the first to find a Golden Ticket, Daddy! Mr. Salt: I know, angel. We’re doing the best we can. I’ve got every girl in the place to start hunting …

Clutching a chainsaw, we visit a big, beautiful tree: The Tree of Life In 38 years, Terrence Malick has directed only five feature films. Even Stanley Kubrick, the Great Oz of take-it-slow cinema, achieved eight …

“Last time you bought hotdogs for a Saturday picnic, I was still tasting them on Monday,” grumped Patrick. “I don’t have the cast-iron plumbing that the kids have. So maybe this time, get some grown-up …

The Vindictive Bitches believe in settling scores. “If you fuck with someone, you get fucked with back,” says singer/guitarist Jesser Jaxx. “We played Mi Pueblo in Tijuana and some guy yelled out, ‘Show us your …

What’s a Louisiana restaurant doing in a Ramada in a sterile business district near Montgomery Field? Well, it’s making a lot of pilots happy, and me, too. With Magnolia gone and Bud’s moved up to …

Even though we’re facing long odds, the NBA finals still have a shot at being good theater. As sports fans and drama students know, to be good theater you’ve got to have a good guy …

“It’s time to get weird! Play with strangers! Feel like part of a kinky experiment!” reads the poster for Pink Punk Lotto. A few days before the showcase, rocker, DJ, and PPL organizer “Swami” John …

Membership: 140 Pastor: Deron Higgins Age: 51 Born: San Diego Formation: Point Loma Nazarene University (Point Loma College), Point Loma; Bethel Seminary, Bethel University, San Diego Years Ordained: 25 years San Diego Reader: How long …

Hello, Matt: My friend in Florida was recently in an accident and she reported to me that her normal doctor would not see her for her accident-related injuries, that she had to see special “accident …

Simon Open Space Preserve, on the edge of the San Diego Country Estates housing development, is prototypical of other such parks and open-space preserves we’re likely to see established throughout the county’s rural areas during …

On June 14, British-born Hillcrest resident and singer/songwriter Dave Humphries will perform at the opening of the Humane Society’s new North County small-animal facility. Located at 572 Airport Road in Oceanside, the new 30,000-square-foot building …

The Lamplighter feels like it’s been around forever. Its heady booze stink and retro aesthetic attest to a tradition of transgression, which often seizes the unwitting patron like a phantom and invokes all manner of …

The worst thing about the job, Blanca tells me, is the chaos. “It’s not being able to control the influx of clients. It’s happening so fast that before I’m finished with one application I have …

"Speed is the name of the game,” boasted Jeffrey Lubin, head of a real estate lending operation, Scripps Investments & Loans, in a San Diego Magazine advertisement in September 2004. “We try to give real …

“Another Dustup for ‘Waterman’ and Police.” This was the headline May 19, 2011, in the Union-Tribune for a story by Kristina Davis. It was about the arrest of David “the Waterman” Ross, “two weeks after …

Thirty-Five Years Ago<br>The popular theme in this season’s batch of grievances is my alleged negativism. In a typical case, this accusation comes from someone who advocates love, fun, coolness, and peace, and who then demands …

Thou still unravish’d bride of quietness, Thou foster-child of silence and slow time, Sylvan historian, who canst thus express A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme: What leaf-fring’d legend haunts about thy shape Of …

Young Widows is a band from Louisville, Kentucky, and they play the kind of music that has kept their hometown on the indie-rock map since the days of Slint: moody, atmospheric, guitar-based stuff with vocals …

Lollipop, the Meat Puppets’ new country-rockish CD, isn’t even close to the sun-baked 1990’s desert thrash that defined the trio. If you’re looking for anything akin to 1994’s Too High to Die, you won’t find …

Little Faith I’m calling in reference to Matt Potter’s article regarding Dr. Susan Little at UCSD and her HIV-testing campaigns (“Under the Radar,” June 2). I’d like to thank you for doing the article and …

Swaying in a hammock strung beneath palm trees on a cliff side high above Rainbow Valley, a tiny village just east of the unincorporated town of Fallbrook, I look out fifteen some odd miles over …

You arrive at the Ketchikan Airport and quickly transfer to the Island Air Express counter. You excitedly secure your seatbelt and headphones inside the tiny nine-passenger aircraft. Within five minutes you’re soaring with the eagles …

I came upon an artist on June 5 who was painting a utility box in Ocean Beach. Alicia Garcia, a 33-year-old student of art history, said it usually takes three to four days to complete …

Carlsbad Cavern National Park lies within the limestone Guadalupe Mountain range – the world’s best-preserved Permian-age fossil reef – in what was once a shallow inland sea some 240-plus million years ago. I talked my …

In a recent interview, Bertha Lopez voiced a strong opinion about Sweetwater Union High School District attorney Bonifacio Garcia. Lopez, who has been a Sweetwater boardmember since 2008 and served as a Chula Vista boardmember …

Politicians talk about it. Business executives talk about it. The unemployed and underemployed certainly talk about it. What is it? It is job creation. And job creation typically comes from small, profitable companies. According to …

Is there any employee who hasn’t witnessed his or her employer about to make a big mistake before it is made? Probably not. Companies make mistakes because they rush a product to market, fail to …

I’m taking a stand, but not in the way you might think. In a few hours, a man is coming over to collect my desk, a gorgeous, glass-topped contemporary thing with geometric wooden shapes holding …

Death Cab for Cutie's latest release is defined by awakenings in sound and trajectory. It is almost unrecognizable when compared to the earlier work of a band that spoke to a decade of teenage angst …

Urge Overkill is unlike any other touring band in the United States. Most national touring acts play a couple hundred shows a year and skip San Diego every time; Urge plays about ten shows, but …

I'm taking this moment on a late Sunday afternoon to prove to you, San Diego, that I have no shame. That's right. If it's funny, I will post it, even at my own expense. Last …

A 28-year-old Escondido man is accused of stabbing his lover in the neck after an argument on Memorial Day morning, May 30. Alexander John Twedt was arraigned this week on a single charge of attempted …

The French urban artist Space Invader, famous for tile mosaics of characters from the video game he shares his alias with, has had a piece of his artwork vandalized. In 2010 he “invaded” San Diego …

In 21 Grams, Benicio del Toro played Jack Jordan, a tortured soul who killed another man and sought to commit suicide. Alfredo Pimienta allegedly killed his two daughters and committed suicide. On Sons of Anarchy, …

A French citizen living in San Marcos pleaded guilty to a single felony count of child porn, with the understanding that he will not spend any time in jail. Defendant Marc Romain Mandina, 41, was …

Recently a close friend and I embarked on a two-week road trip that took us from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, the tip of Baja California, Mexico. We’d been discussing such a trip for …

If you enjoy shopping, eating, bustling cities or all of the above, then Hong Kong’s your destination. With towering state-of-the-art skyscrapers and authentic Southern Chinese culture, Hong Kong is the manifestation of East meets West. …

The Adams Avenue Farmers' Market, located on the playground of John Adams Elementary School in Normal Heights since May 2010, closed May 11, 2011. Unfortunately, there was not enough foot traffic to maintain the initial …

Perhaps it's because I'm in a bad mood today, or maybe it's because I've heard it one too many times this week, but regardless of the reason, I'm all in a huff over one particular …

Kim Mohiuddin, president of both MovinOnUpRésumés.com and Authentic Executive Careers, offers networking tips for those intimidated by the idea of networking. Let’s start with the definition of networking. What exactly does it mean? The term …

On May 30 at about 10:00 a.m., San Marcos Walmart customers were petrified when a man raged through the store, threatening to "shoot the place up,” according to a trembling and tearful witness. She said …

Craig Bentley Film Producer, MonopolyDocumentary.com Tom McCarthy, the director of The Visitor and Win Win, started his directing career with The Station Agent. I can’t think of another director who’s so faithful to his characters …

I am a Car3 — a Card Carrying Carnivore! I love the supple, greasy squish of tender, gastronomically compromised muscle tissue yielding beneath my molars. I enjoy the tart, grassy zing of goats’-milk chèvre, and …

The beach-front music venue that was known for 13 years as Cane’s has ceased operations. The 900-capacity Cane’s hosted Snoop Dogg, Prince, Linkin Park as well as local bands when previous owner Eric Leitstein ran …

Only rich people and felons live behind walls, right? Society’s afraid of felons, and rich people are afraid of society. So, back to Medieval days! Walled cities! Uh, except now we call them gated communities. …

Downspell’s release party for their new full-length The Violent Majority happens Friday, June 3, at Brick by Brick. “It’s the kick-off to our West Coast tour with To Violently Vomit,” says singer Tyson Montrucchio. “The …

Hey, Matt: When we watch scary movies, my mom screams a lot but my dad doesn’t. When we go out to a movie, ladies scream but the men don’t. I think scary movies are pretty …

Retro-minded indie rockers have already mined almost every other era of pop history, and so many are now exploring late-’70s soft rock. You know the stuff: melodic, expertly produced, and oddly impersonal — Hall and …

It’s 3:30 on a Monday morning and I’m upside down in a dumpster. My legs dangle in the air. I can’t see anything. What am I doing here? Is this really journalistic research or just …

The Hangover Part II At one point in The Hangover Part II , Zach Galifianakis puts a bottle beneath the robes of an elderly Buddhist monk as they ride together on a bus through the …

“Rock and roll didn’t officially come to San Diego State University until the Buffalo Springfield concert in 1968. That was the first show that was actually called a rock and roll concert.” Jamie Lennox, 28, …

As life has increased, golf has decreased for my man, Patrick. He developed his golf habit as a teenaged caddy at Annandale Country Club in Pasadena. He played three times a week then. Now he’s …

Membership: 15,000 Pastor: Richard Perozich Age: 60 Born: Clairton, Pennsylvania Formation: St. John Seminary, Camarillo, California Years ordained: 19 years San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your sermon? Father Richard Perozich: I …

The recent opening of Highway 39 high above Azusa, after years of repair, allows hikers and campers to once again enjoy the beautiful Crystal Lake Recreation Area. Troubles began with the destructive Curve Fire of …

Thirty-Five Years Ago<br>[T]he walnuts in the walnut chicken were burned and hence inedible, the Peking duck consisted of squares of apparently canned, fat-riddled duck, and each and every dish, regardless of how it had been …

St. Agnes Catholic Church became a parish when Father Manuel Rose arrived in 1933. Lately, several congregants have been discussing among themselves the possibility that the beloved Portuguese mainstay in Point Loma may be closing. …

On May 11, the oft-bashed bureaucrats who supposedly regulate the securities industry finally could smile: the Justice Department convicted billionaire hedge fund operator Raj Rajaratnam of criminal insider trading. The Securities and Exchange Commission, which …

What would you do at witnessing someone about to jump from the Coronado Bay Bridge? Consider the tale of real estate appraiser Bryan Knowlton, a 42-year-old resident of Kearny Mesa. On Thursday, May 12, Knowlton …

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has determined that a research project conducted by UCSD’s Antiviral Research Center violated the privacy and confidentiality rights of an unspecified number of human research subjects taking …

Termed-out GOP state senator Mark Wyland has set up a campaign committee to run for the Board of Equalization and is already picking up big money. Last week he collected $8000 from the California Ambulatory …

“Some people said they wouldn’t even listen to us because of the band name.” Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. is Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott, a Detroit-based indie-pop duo. Their first EP was called Horse Power, …

Dear God, I want you to know I feel so much better since I cleaned the fish tank. Every time I saw them sucking at the surface like a row of tenors, my guilt was …

Cover Bee Everyone involved with Queen Bee’s would like to send out a huge thank you to the Reader for putting the Queen Bee on the front cover (May 26). We actually built her for …

The countenance of the Buddha is like the clear full moon, Or again, like a thousand suns releasing their splendor. His eyes are pure, as large and as broad as a blue lotus. His teeth …

In our busy-busy world, one must multitask. You can be homeless or you can work two jobs and live in debt for the rest of your life. That’s about the size of it. So, one …

“I just did music for fun back then,” says Sara Petite. “About six years ago, Martin from the Ould Sod asked me if I wanted to play at their amnesty benefit.” Petite and drummer John …

According to Arthur Kopit and Anton Dudley’s new play, Drummhicit — pronounced drum-hkkkt — is a single-malt Scotch. It’ll curl your nose and lacquer your teeth but is not ready for prime time. Neither is …

Crack Bust. A routine traffic stop on April 10 led to the arrest of a woman carrying 12 rocks of crack cocaine in her vaginal cavity. According to the report filed by officer Nicholas Juarez, …