Since you lost your job you’ve been bombarded by advice from TV pundits, your friends, your mom and even certain newspaper columnists, but so far, what have you done with all these wise words? By …

Hurrah! You have been called for a job interview. A generalist from the human resources department performed an initial interview with you over the telephone, and now you have been invited to come to the …

Employers are often clueless as to why people stay in their jobs. For some reason, companies often believe that it’s the pay and the benefits spelled out in the employee handbook that keep people from …

The beachside city of Rosarito, famous as tourist destination for decades, is having trouble filling posts in its police department, according to a recent article in Tijuana’s daily Frontera. Of some 223 newly graduated academy-trained …

Walmart has snuck in through the back door of Encinitas, almost unnoticed. The giant retailer has already pulled permits to start construction at a vacant 105,000-square-foot store on the corner of Leucadia Boulevard and Calle …

“For my 50th birthday, I bought myself a gutter,” quips Janet Lancaster of Clairemont. She’s talking about a rain gutter, that is — the one that Lancaster and her husband Kelly installed on their roof …

Thirty Years Ago Tribune editor Neil Morgan will put an end to a “very strange and uncomfortable” situation next week when he turns loose his protégé Tom Blair to write a column of his own. …

Raffle Fraud. On Monday, August 29, when Armando Sepulveda of Houston went to pick up the title of a 2012 Ford Mustang he’d won at a raffle at the Jim Wells County Fairgrounds the previous …

to Yüan Chēn (A.D. 810) The flower of the pear-tree gathers and turns to fruit; The swallows’ eggs have hatched into young birds. When the Seasons’ changes thus confront the mind What comfort can the …

I recall that first sniff on a warm September evening in 2008, the sight of various nimono (simmered dishes) piled into oozara ryori (large plates) lining the sleek wooden bar, the light crunch of the …

“Our grandmother, Pretty Kitty Keen, had donut places all through the Depression.”

Every family has its issues, and mine is no exception. I could tell I’d reached a new phase in my life when, at a recent family gathering (the clan collided at Heather’s place to celebrate …

Thanks to Jim Behrie who writes “Football Picks Haikus” for theawl.com. Follows are two of his NFL Week 3 haikus: At Cincinnati -2.5 San Francisco Bengals aren’t doormats The 49ers play tough But I still …

Growing up in the Midwest, in or around Chicago, I would hear the phrase “Indian Summer” annually and about this time of year. As a kid, I approved. After all, the word Indian was just …

This week, Netherlands-based Mascot Label Group launches a worldwide rerelease of Transfer’s Future Selves, SDMA winner for Best Rock Album of 2010, while Atlantic Records releases Switchfoot’s eighth studio record Vice Verses, produced by Neal …

“It’s a concept that’s been tried before, but I don’t think quite successfully.” Wayne Riker, an Encinitas guitarist and author of nine guitar-instruction books, says that his own compilation CD, Guitar Decathlon, will be different, …

Directed by Chris Aquavella, 14 mandolin players and three guitarists pluck and strum the poignant notes of “La Frisonette.” Avoiding the black-and-white depictions of Robert Johnson and Leadbelly lining the walls, I imagine sitting in …

A slice-of-life indie about a young man facing cancer, overstuffed with Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Up in the Air’s Anna Kendrick as the world’s worst beginning therapist, and Anjelica Huston. Rogen looms especially large as …

October! Oktoberfest! Time for a party! Karl Strauss was my first local beer, way back when I first moved to town, so I put in a call to the brewery’s PR manager, Melody Daversa (858-273-2739, …

“I was a dark kid,” says Dane Reinhart about why he started screaming death metal at 15. “I lost my dad to cancer [when I was] 9. I wanted to be the frontman so I …

"Lightnin’ Hopkins meets Social Distortion,” is how Scottie Blinn describes his head-rush heartland music. “I call it ‘grease punk’: deeply rooted blues, with a lot of attitude that tells a good story.” Blinn first came …

Idiot Glee is 23-year-old Kentuckian James Friley, a one-man-band who surrounds himself with keyboards, effects, and a looping device. But it would be inaccurate to say that Friley is Idiot Glee, or even a gleeful …

All through the summer of 2001, the news media fueled speculation that congressman Gary Condit, who represented the San Joaquin Valley, might have been involved with the disappearance of intern Chandra Levy — especially after …

Two San Diego authors have recently written books. One tsk-tsks risk-taking and the other celebrates it. Yet you can agree with both premises. La Jolla’s Alfred Rappaport, professor emeritus at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, …

A new audit by the Pentagon’s Office of Inspector General has found that military brass here didn’t do enough to halt illegal life insurance sales practices on San Diego County Marine Corps bases, thereby threatening …

If nothing else, the timing is interesting. On Thursday, September 8, the great blackout of 2011 swept San Diego County and beyond. The next day, the County’s Department of General Services issued a timely “request …

"Look. Look! They took our money! Ten thousand dollars, from some. They came in with their shotguns raised. ‘Down on the ground!’ They cuffed me, hands behind my back, threw me on my face on …

Dig It! Mucho kudos to Thomas Larson and to the Reader for this comprehensive piece on babies born here to Mexican mothers (Feature Story, September 22). I don’t think I’ve seen anything in print on …

Unto thy Son say thou that I am His, And to me graceless make Him gracious. Sad Mary of Egypt lacked not of that bliss, Nor yet when sorrowful clerk Theophilus, Whose bitter sins were …

Denomination: Assembly of God Membership: 125 Pastor: Frank Wooden Age: 53 Born: Berkeley Formation: Vanguard University, Costa Mesa; Bethany Bible College, Santa Cruz. Years Ordained: 24 San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing …

After a few days in Paris, I was ready to explore something out of the ordinary with my family. We'd done the Eiffel Tower (so over it). Stared at the stern statues on the Notre …

Though the city of Las Vegas is full of odd characters and bizarre scenarios, none compare with what exists just outside of town, off Interstate 15: Area 51. Area 51 is the stuff of legends …

Recently, the Encinitas El Torito restaurant closed its doors. The restaurant at 1068 North El Camino Real removed the exterior signs and logos on September 15. A sign was posted apologizing for the inconvenience and …

They are a floating museum, revered by some, reviled by others. But no trip to the Bay Area is complete without viewing the huddled battalion of old military ships that haunts its northern reaches, where …

Vicente Benites, originally from the Mexican state of Guerrero, shot and killed another man from Guerrero at an Escondido house party in 1989, according to prosecutor Natalie Villaflor. The cold-case murder trial started last week, …

I live and work in San Diego, but sometimes I have to put myself in a fictitious world to do my job. I take on the persona of a character in the book I'm reading …

It was exactly nine years ago today that I first met David. Well, first met in person. We’d already met virtually, when he answered my online dating profile ad, and then over the phone -- …

United Technologies Corporation bought out the Goodrich Corporation on September 21. The purchase includes a Chula Vista company called Goodrich Aerostructures, which employs over 2000 people. Although some business media voiced concerns about potential layoffs, …

What happens when you let Beck produce an album by Malkmus and the Jicks? Wowee Zowee part deux, apparently. Fans of the beloved 1995 Pavement disc will rejoice at the haphazard, attention-deficit feel of Mirror …

After a cluster at the gate that resulted in my photographer being denied entry, I was ushered to my seat just in time to catch the crystalline opening notes of nine-piece behemoth Bon Iver. Blanketed …

Who would have thought they speak French in Canada? I sure as hell didn’t. I also never imagined it’s so hard to get to – at least for the frugal foreigner. Making arrangements in advance …

When I arrived in Varanasi, I was clueless. The first thing I did was walk down to the river – the fabled River Ganges, the holiest waters of India. As a novice solo traveler, I …

Elkhorn Slough is one of the last coastal wetlands in California and one of 27 estuaries in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, set up to study and protect estuaries and coastal watersheds across the …

The main author of Henry’s cocktail menu, bar manager Kyle Barnett, claims that the name for “Chachi’s Poncho” came out of nowhere one day while he and his gang of bartenders were experimenting with tequila-based …

On Tuesday, September 20, reporter Doug Porter of the O.B. Rag posted on the publication’s website an article about district attorney Bonnie Dumanis’s mayoral campaign strategy. In the article, Porter wrote, “[Dumanis’s] public appearances for …

At approximately 1:15 a.m. on September 22, residents of the 5000 block of Long Branch Avenue noticed a couch on fire in the middle of the street. Several neighbors gathered and the fire department was …

Speedo, Slasher, the Swami, and John Reis are all the same person, but each one does something different. Reis, a Pacific Beach native, has performed in Hot Snakes, Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, and the Night …

Within the past few weeks, a perpendicular, or “head-in,” parking project has been completed in the 4300 block of Kansas Street, north of El Cajon Boulevard. The project was initiated by the Mid City Community …

On Sixth Avenue, across the street from the block-long Family Court building, stands a row of converted single-family Victorian homes, their yards parking lots, their windows barred. Today those residencies are family-mediation agencies and immigration …

What are you reading? “I recently read a book called Sold, by Patricia McCormick. It’s about the trafficking of girls from Nepal to brothels in India. I spent a summer in Nepal doing research — …

I love driving through Coronado, admiring the comfy million-buck family houses where they might shoot updated versions of old TV favorites... Leave It to Lord Beaver, say, or Sir Ozzie and Dame Harriet. But not …

Attending the Art Institute of Chicago in 1968 was a combination of weed-laced fun (commonly called just “grass” in Chicago then) and maddening constraints, if you had any ideas about being a fine artist. At …

The one baseball game given serious time in Moneyball is the Sept. 4, 2002, showdown in Oakland. Over 55,000 fans saw the Athletics blow a huge lead over Kansas City, then win on Scott Hatteberg’s …

Hey Matt: Do different mammals have the same or different blood types as humans? I’m thinking dogs, cats, whales, deer, bears, etc. Could I give a blood transfusion to Fido if he needed it? — …

Membership: 230 Pastor: Bohdan Vadis Age: 35 Born: Bemidji, Minn. Formation: Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn.; Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley Years Ordained: 8 San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your …

A longtime member of the local music scene has been tapped to help run the Del Mar Fairgrounds. David Lizerbram occasionally sits in with Rio Peligroso when the Americana band plays the Riviera Supper Club. …

Ugly Comes And Goes I really enjoyed Ollie’s article about the trailer park (“The Ugly Trailer Park Across the Water,” Cover Story, September 15). I’ve lived in San Diego my whole life. I’m 56, and …

School-supply lists had come in, and I sat in the store dizzied by the multitude of mechanical pencils. Rather than sink dough into something that would be thrown away within a week, I called around …

It is rare for a sports movie to be something more than a gritty underdog team or underdog person, who, against all odds, in the final seconds of the contest, wins the race or game …

In the movie Braveheart, Patrick McGoohan plays silver-bearded, steely-eyed Edward “Longshanks.” A mere aside of his could kill — or a fit of anger, as when he heaves his son’s male lover out a castle …

When we last heard from Rogue Wave, the long-running Bay Area band headed by Zach Rogue, they were touring in support of Permalight. It was meant to be a comeback but felt more like a …

Dorian Wartime and Sylvia Innocent met in 2006 and “immediately fell insanely in love,” says Wartime. The couple settled into an apartment in San Diego a few years later and began making dark love-fi songs …

Mama Teresa... After 12 years, here she is, beautiful, smiling, slim, fair-haired, 87. I first met her 15 years back. Her place at Park (12th) and Broadway hasn’t changed much. On the outside, it’s still …

On September 1, two hundred labor union members assembled at the Vista office of Congressman Darrell Issa to promote the idea of a transaction tax — a tiny assessment on sales of stocks, bonds, currencies, …

"Teachers have an analogy for all the testing that we are required to do,” says Melanie Morton, a Sweetwater Union High School District teacher. “You don’t lose weight if you just keep stepping on the …

Campaigns don’t come cheaply these days. Even deciding not to run can get expensive. Just ask San Diego city councilman Kevin Faulconer, who was interested in running for mayor but in June pulled out of …

It’s not Comic-Con, but the Federal Election Commission’s “Conference on Federal Campaign Finance Laws for House and Senate Campaigns, Political Party Committees, and Corporate/Labor/Trade Political Action Committees” could draw a crowd and a bit of …

“I have this dream,” Claire Magner says, looking around the partially renovated insides of the Sunset Temple. “I’m really gonna make this Claire World.” If all goes according to plan, the 300-seat meeting hall on …

After a ten-year hiatus, a rejuvenated Primus returns to deliver a fresh batch of ominous melodies. Squirrels, the Octomom, salmon, heroin addiction, and a Spaghetti Western villain all make guest appearances. New drummer Jay Lane …

When Diana Ross took the stage at Humphrey's by the Bay, the crowd rose to its feet and stayed there, dancing in the aisles or dancing at their seats. Looking resplendent in a series of …

How often on that day, think you, did I not on the return journey look back upon the peak of the mountain! In comparison with the loftiness of human contemplation, unless one is mired in …

I know there is perfection in the being of my being, that I am holy in amness as stars or paperclips, that the universe, moving from void to void, pours in and out through me: …

Thirty-Five Years Ago<br>On the night of Tuesday, September 28, in a boxing ring constructed inside New York City’s newly renovated Yankee Stadium, a heavyweight championship bout will be held between the aging, invincible Muhammad Ali, …

Colourmusic, from Stillwater, Oklahoma, is said to be Wayne Coyne’s favorite new band. Coyne is the frontman for the Flaming Lips, is also from Oklahoma, and is often seen crowd-surfing arenas during concerts from within …

Olympic National Park was the most impressive scenic spot during our recent trip to Seattle this June. From downtown Seattle, we took the ferry to Bainbridge Island first and drove all the way west to …

If you’re in Siem Reap, Cambodia, you’re most likely there to see the magnificent Angkor temples. But if you get “templed out” or have additional time, Siem Reap has more to offer. Many of the …

In recognition of Constitution Week, district attorney and mayoral candidate Bonnie Dumanis was scheduled to speak at City College’s Saville Theatre on Wednesday, September 21. However, because of the Diana Gonzalez case — in which …

I used to ignore David when he said my family was drama, chalking it up to his family’s comparative monotony. “You’re mistaking exciting and entertaining for drama,” I’d say. That’s what I believed. But, since …

A New Year, new opportunities, and new adventures await us. Let’s start with some reminders on how to take care of ourselves and ward off stress, which causes emotional discomfort and physical illness – the …

Were you fired because you always had your nose in your co-workers business? Maybe you should put your inner-snoop to work. If you think Sherlock Holmes is cool, or if you want to grow a …

A collapse of scaffolding placed around the old pedestrian bridge at the San Ysidro border crossing closed the crossing for more than 12 hours on September 14, the longest period of time in 30 years. …

Late Friday afternoon, September 16, Rosemary, 66, drove her car bearing Maryland plates through the front doors of the Clairemont Town Square UPS Store. She was triaged by a paramedic squad, which was able to …

The criminal justice research arm of SANDAG (San Diego Association of Governments) released a crime report today, September 16. The data was a mixed bag for people who live in San Diego County: “While overall …

The days of simply browsing through the Sunday newspaper and sending out a few résumés in order to win your next career opportunity are over. The days of retiring after having worked for one or …

Toubkal’s name translates to “big” in Arabic, and at 4,167 meters (13,671 feet), it’s the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains and Northern Africa in general. Since the mountain is 70 kilometers from Marrakech, my …

I must've been a cowgirl in a previous life, because nothing can quite explain the immediate attraction and connection I experienced on a recent trip to Cody, Wyoming. From immersing myself in Western culture at …

There was a time in the 1950s that manufacturing was the kingpin of the U.S. economy. At the time, the U.S. produced more than 40 percent of everything manufactured around the world. More importantly, the …

We drive through a plague, past dear Mozart, and on to pretty Coronado: Ryan Gosling, once a Mouseketeer on TV, will never be one of the big, terse dominators (Mitchum, Marvin, Bronson, Eastwood). But his …

Cityzella terrorizes humble trailer folk at De Anza Cove.

Whew. Sniffing the rarified air of La Jolla. Wandering along Prospect at about 2:00 in the afternoon. Muggy hot. Looking for burgers. Promised the lovely Carla I’d take her back a nice big fat one. …

Suburbia can suck it. Clans isolated in their castles, moated by lawns, concrete, and cars; no decent food joint or watering hole within walking distance. It works for kids, who can frolic carefree in protected …

Three ships nodded with the tide in Acapulco Bay. The San Diego, Santo Tomás, and Tres Reyes were light draft vessels, able to anchor in shallow waters. Each had been careened — flopped on its …

“We were originally called Kitten’s Pharmacy, back in the ’90s,” says singer Kathleen “Kit” Johnson of Pharmacy. “We opened for bands like Bow Wow Wow at Brick by Brick and Third Eye Blind at Canes, …

On the phone with an old friend and Poway resident who I’ll call David Becker. I’m listening to David vs. the Power Outage. He’s saying, “It seems strange, after ten years and spending a billion …

A common sight on the calles and avenidas in recent weeks has been the vendors of all things Mexican. Red, white, and green flags, pinwheels, banners, and bunting adorn buildings, balconies, and shop windows. All …

Troubadour magazine will celebrate its tenth anniversary in the midst of what they describe as a folk-music renaissance. American porch music, says publisher Liz Abbott, meaning acoustic blues, country, folk, and bluegrass is being made …

In June, an off-duty firefighter was almost struck by a black BMW in the parking lot of the Leucadia Liquor Store, according to testimony in the Vista courthouse on September 12. The firefighter-witness watched William …

Playing White Hills through desktop speakers or earbuds won’t cut it. This is a live band, and it takes a wall of giant speakers to get the full White Hills experience. This New York band …

George Lewis Jr., who performs under the name Twin Shadow, has a distinctive look: pompadour, mustache, clothes that are flashy but in a muted color palette. He has said he’s aiming for a style that …

Blink-182’s new CD, out September 27, has the harmless title Neighborhoods. But the potty-mouthed pop-punk band from Poway is known for releasing albums referencing enemas and masturbation. The title Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, …

The woman on the other end of the phone is in tears. “I was just praying to God when you called,” she says. “That He’ll help us with what happened to our daughter. We are …

Southern California has balmy weather and, seemingly, balmy leadership. For one thing, both Los Angeles and San Diego want to expand convention centers in the teeth of a grossly overbuilt market and slumping convention attendance. …

Jonathan Heller, who labored for years at the Union-Tribune covering the downtown baseball stadium controversies and Democratic city attorney Mike Aguirre, finds himself back in familiar territory. After leaving the U-T in 2005, Heller went …

The war in Iraq may be over, but federal spending on its fallout continues. As repeated waves of refugees continue to flood the county, providing psychological therapy and other help for Iraqis tortured both during …

Thirty-Five Years Ago<br>Studio structures have been bemoaned for so long that it is almost an automatic reflex to greet the recent breakdown with cries of “Up the rebels.” But the upshot of independence is that …

“Don’t we have rosé chilling in the fridge?” David nodded. “Let’s get it, and the cheese. We wouldn’t want it all to go bad," I said.

We’re cognizant of but normally don’t heed the fact that we’re hostages of fortune. I sometimes think photography was invented as a memory aid to press upon us that unhappy fact. The first batch of …

"Alrightfellas, holditrighthere, waitaminute!" That's "Wheel of Fortune," roughly 2:40 in, where the Genius needs to reign in the horns, somewhere in 1972. But that's only an especially fine specimen of the bold yet effortless idiom …

“I tried to rescue the Starlight Bowl because I saw the amazing potential a venue like that had,” says Chris Leyva after learning that managers of the 4000-plus seat amphitheater had recently filed bankruptcy. “I …

Situated in an undeveloped dirt lot known as the Los Angeles State Historic Park, on the outskirts of Chinatown, the 2011 FYFest was a filthy, sweaty, ear-battering affair. The line-up listed heavily toward the punk …

What is the price of experience? Do men buy it for a song? Or wisdom for a dance in the street? No, it is bought with the price Of all a man hath, his house, …

Get A Kidney, Give A Liver Your story about organ donation highlighted the tragic shortage of human organs for transplant operations (“Gift from the Grave,” Cover Story, September 8). There are now over 110,000 people …

After the Cortez “hole” was finally filled and chainlink-fenced in August 2010 (click here for background), the plan was to transform the empty lot owned by the San Diego Redevelopment Agency into a paved and …

Southwestern College has conducted a nationwide search to replace former superintendent Raj Chopra, who resigned from the institution last November. Five finalists have been selected: Dr. Williard Lewallen, president of West Hills College in Coalinga; …

Last New Year’s Eve we patiently waited online at www.parks.ca.gov, ready to book a campsite for the summer of 2011. We didn’t want to miss our opportunity to reserve a spot in one of Big …

It’s been seven years now since I staggered off the plane and stepped into the sticky summer air of Busan, the south’s largest seaport. I remember that first bus ride, white-knuckling it as we careened …

“Bad Easter”: that’s the Spanish translation of Malapascua, the Philippine island we visited recently. But I like to call it “Cheap-o Hawaii.” It has all the amenities Hawaii offers – including a multitude of water …

A new bronze statue was recently installed at the new Miramar National Veterans Cemetery by the San Diego chapter of American Ex-Prisoners of War. The ten-foot-tall figure of a male prisoner of war emerging from …

During the September 8-9 power outage, the Walgreen's drugstore located at 3005 Midway Drive had their front door smashed in and an estimated $400 worth of cigarettes stolen. Pieces of broken glass littered the pavement …

Ten years, an even number, a milestone in time. We have this obsession with decades, and thinking they matter in some profound way. But it’s not the anniversary that matters, it’s the event, and the …

A man who caused a fatal crash on I-5 in April of 2010 is guilty of second-degree murder, according to a jury that delivered their verdict on September 8 in San Diego’s North County Superior …

Top Ten Reasons to have a blackout 1) Now we know who we’re related to, electrically speaking 2) Finally got to use 2-year-old new emergency radio & flashlight 3) Neighbors out on porches, talking and …

Twelve hours now, the power's been out. And I'm writing by candlelight in the kitchen. The only thing technologically enhanced about this is my .7mm mechanical pencil (do I have enough lead?). I'd be writing …

SDPD public Information officer/detective Gary Hassen reported that an individual in a Gumby costume attempted to rob the 7-Eleven at 9701 Carmel Mountain Road in Rancho Peñasquitos on September 7 at 12:30 a.m. Store surveillance …

At a mixer, one is expected to mix. But I wasn’t at this mixer for the people. Slow Food Urban San Diego was having a food-centric soiree at the Pearl, after which David and I …

If you live in the United States, there’s most likely a Wal-Mart around the corner from your home: statistically, there are approximately 3,600 Wal-Mart stores in America. But there is only one Wall Drug, and …

Cannes is a scenic resort town on France’s southeastern coast – a stretch of Mediterranean beach cities known collectively as the French Riviera. This busy destination features endless sunshine and gorgeous stretches of sand, so …

The San Diego Airport Noise Advisory Committee recently released the latest number of time-restriction violations for take-offs from Lindbergh Field. A curfew forbids planes from departing between 11:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.; fines are issued …

It’s been over 20 years since Burger King opened their restaurant at 1180 Palm Avenue. Recently, though, all the Burger King logos were stripped off the building, and the restaurant's appliances and equipment were removed. …

What follows is a selection of posts from our Feast! blog. Every day our team of foodies posts news and reviews from San Diego eateries. New Menu Trend Leaves Too Much to the Imagination<br>By Brandon …

By rights, we should call San Diego “San Miguel,” after the archangel who evicted Lucifer and his minions from heaven. At his first landfall in Upper California — September 28, 1542 — Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo …

The sport of mixed martial arts battles for legitimacy, being perceived somewhere between a barbaric form of pugilism and a glorified WWF match. Likewise, MMA movies have had to forge a meager existence as genre …

"We should be so lucky,” says Michael. The two of us are looking at a wooden box, maybe four-by-four inches and three inches deep. Joe, the owner here, has brought it over to our table. …

Michael McCrerey wanted to die at home. In the four years since he’d been diagnosed with liver disease, he’d been hospitalized at least a dozen times (six in the past 12 months), his abdominal cavity …

Dear Matthew: I just had my second baby. During the few times I could actually think straight during labor, I began wondering why something as basic to the survival of the species as childbirth is …

The San Diego Repertory Theatre has entered its 36th season. It has produced 265 shows. I asked Sam Woodhouse, cofounder, to talk about the ones where the Rep or he, personally, made a leap forward …

It is still August, and I have resumed work after a summer hiatus during which I lounged on the deck of my condo in Maui, jetted to an island off Malta, where I keep my …

Ace keyboardist Mighty Joe Longa of Joey Harris and the Mentals has spent around four months receiving chemotherapy and “catching up on a lot of sleep.” The Mentals have been playing around town with a …

Advertising itself as a “fun, friendly, and exuberant atmosphere,” Gallagher’s Pub in Ocean Beach is my favorite place to indulge in that special abandon found where whiskey and soulful blues-rockers Lady Dottie and the Diamonds …

Matt Arbaugh and Paul McFaddin of Escondido’s hard-rocking Caustic Felon have formed a new side band with Arbaugh’s son Mitch on drums, James E. Meidinger on guitar, and singer Ryan Brink. “Atropal is visual metal,” …

“When are you going to learn?” asked Patrick as I lamented another failed crop in the front-yard garden bed. “There’s a witch buried under there. Nothing will ever grow. It’s just bad mojo.” “Nonsense,” I …

“I heard that Lemmy has a sword collection,” says self-described “freak-show” performer Scott Nelson, aka Murrugun the Mystic, who appeared with the Motörhead frontman in a locally shot “clown Western” called Crackwood, narrated by Gilbert …

Lorin Ashton’s transformation into Bassnectar the DJ began when he was a teen. “Being 16 and playing guitar in my death-metal band was an amazing way to learn the ins and outs of harnessing energy …

Fearless Records, a California-based alt-rock label, has announced the signing of homegrown rockers Pierce the Veil. “We are excited and grateful to be part of the family,” says singer Vic Fuentes. Pierce the Veil was …

An inveterate Band whore, I was initially motivated to give Latebirds a spin by Levon Helm's presence (along with Benmont Tench, Nels Cline, Minnie Driver, and Kris Kristofferson) on the bonus disc, Woodstock Sessions. And …

Butthole Surfers took the stage at Brick by Brick for an hour and a half of grown men acting like profane hooligans, devastating all taste and propriety. Gibby Haynes addressed the public with an apathetic …

There is a multicolored slide, part of a jungle gym, in Robert Brians’s front yard on Delaware Street in Imperial Beach. But I am admiring his two large African turtles crawling along the dusty ground. …

Abe Lincoln championed government for the people and said you can only fool some of the people all of the time. In San Diego, government gives succor to a handful of the most affluent people …

San Diego sheriff Bill Gore is looking for a few good dogs. “Occasionally, canines need to be replaced due to retirement, injury, disease, age or death,” says a request for proposals posted on the county’s …

Hell Right Here Wow! The article “I’m Coming to Rescue You From Protestant Hell” by Brianna Van Ness (Cover Story, September 1) is really powerful! At least Brianna needn’t worry about going to hell; she’s …

Governor Jerry Brown and the state legislature are out to kill redevelopment, but San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders is counting on the state supreme court to quash Brown’s efforts so that the mayor can spruce …

This terror, then, this darkness of the mind, Not sunrise with its flaring spokes of light, Nor glittering arrows of morning can disperse, But only Nature’s aspect and her law, Which, teaching us, hath this …

When we first met he had nothing, naked as a brand-new lamb. Fresh dew shimmered on the wool of his back. Then, slowly, my small apartment filled with meaningful gimcrack of his past. And then, …

Thirty-Five Years Ago<br>Being a life-long resident of Ocean Beach, I found your article last week on the O.B. Pier a little amusing. Maybe your writer found one or two fishermen whom he could romanticize, but …

Membership: 135 Pastor (interim): Marianna Kirwan Age: 70 Born: Chicago, Illinois Formation: Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley; Claremont School of Theology, Claremont Years Ordained: 32 San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your …

The Balsamo Coast of El Salvador isn’t heaven – but if you surf, it may be the nearest thing here on earth. Plus it’s a whole lot easier to get in. A four-hour flight from …

Tijuana’s 2011 bullfight season — during which six events took place — came to a close September 4 with a first in the city's history: all three matadors (or matadoras) were women. The ladies killed …

I watched as Kimberly made her way across the parking area and over to our door. I wasn’t surprised to see her carrying a giant box, the girth of which forced her to crane her …

A project to remove nonnative trees and plants around the perimeter of Famosa Slough's eastern edge has been completed. Gone are the palm trees, eucalyptus, and other invasive plant species that threatened the biological integrity …

A two-alarm fire destroyed the McDonald’s restaurant at 1271 Encinitas Boulevard on September 1. At around 8:10 p.m. a gas line reportedly erupted in the kitchen area. The five employees and five customers quickly exited …

Ben Romans shares his story of unemployment, frustration, and finally relief. First, tell me about your employment background. I worked for Knight Security in Escondido for 15 years. I had worked as an alarm response …

A Chinese Gollum squatting on a concrete stool Savors a secondhand cigarette butt And searches the sacred text of his racing form For a path to redemption. In a nearby meat shop, a bloody-shirted man …

You might not consider taking a temp job because it seems like a risky move. Other than a paycheck what would you get out of it? No health insurance or 401(k) plan, no vacation or …

The remodel on the Target store located on Sports Arena Boulevard in Point Loma is close to completion. The last few months have been frustrating for some shoppers, as the store and surrounding parking lots …

Pocatello was the end of the line. I needed to get off. I looked around for an exit – a string of fluorescent light cut the darkness and exposed my cover. I didn’t see any …

An intricate labyrinth, the waters of the Orinoco Delta weave through the jungle on their way to the Atlantic Ocean. The Orinoco branches off into over 60 waterways and 40 rivers in the delta, meandering …