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Stories for July 2012

Tuesday, July 31

North Park Eyesore to Become Irish Pub?

North Park has a few empty stores, including the long-vacant old Woolworth building at 3067 University Avenue. But a worse eyesore is at 3020 University Avenue, next to the cigarette store at 3018 University. The …

Smartphone Thief Busted at Horton Plaza

On July 26, three uniformed San Diego police officers, their supervisor, and a detective responded to a theft report near Horton Plaza to investigate another in a series of ten to fifteen mobile-phone thefts in …

Student Group #yosoy132 Protests Outside Tijuana's Televisa

Riled-up students representing the Mexican national student group #yosoy132 staged a demonstration outside the Tijuana offices of Televisa on July 28, echoing similar demonstrations in Mexico City that have been occurring since last week. The …

July 31, 2012
Into the Czech Beer Abyss...

A dark, ominous hallway leads to a door. Silence. Not a sound. I open the door to find a series of steep wooden stairs spiraling downward. Is this a trap? My mind starts to wander. …

Monday, July 30

At the World’s End: Centralia, the Burning Town

In May 1962, an ill-advised trash fire set light to the veins of coal running beneath the small mining town of Centralia, PA, and sparked a dangerous inferno that has raged ever since. Despite various …

Sunday, July 29

Ron Stacks Rocks in Ocean Beach

An interesting phenomenon has been noticeable to drivers leaving Ocean Beach northbound on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard over the past week. First, a pile of precariously balanced rocks appeared, followed by another and another, gradually taking …

Dust Devil Settles in Southwest High’s Dumped-Dirt Debacle

Sweetwater Union High School District’s dirt story continues to be significant. Potentially contaminated soil dumped at Southwest High School poses questions that many would like to have answered: Why have district leaders sought to mislead …

Saturday, July 28

Road Open through Border Field State Park

The road to the beach through Border Field State Park is open this weekend from 9:30 a.m to 7 p.m.. This is only the second time this year Monument Road (accessible via Hollister Street and …

Tijuana Police Bust Two for Pimping Out a Lad

Tijuana police stopped four males in a Chevy Lumina with U.S. plates in the Zona Norte on the eve of July 23. Two of the men were arrested; one of the passengers was a 13-year-old …

July 28, 2012
Rolling the Dice in Laos

I found myself in a unique situation 8,000 miles away in remote Laos. After taking a leap of faith, which involved quitting my cushy consultant job here in San Diego, I bought a one-way ticket …

Friday, July 27

Toth’s Trail of Whispering Giants Born in La Jolla

Forty years ago, in 1972, a man spent six months chiseling the face of an Indian into a cliff between Marine Street and Windansea Beach in La Jolla. Peter Wolf Toth had just dropped out …

July 27, 2012
Long-Awaited Jamacha Boulevard Completion Angers Residents

What county officials describe as a "greatly improved" road construction project has some residents of a Spring Valley mobile home park angry and complaining. "They care more for the birds and skunks than about how …

Joshua Tree: More than Just Camping

There isn’t anything spectacular about the town visually. Like many desert towns, the buildings along the main drag are old, unkempt and often vacant. There are few sidewalks, and no trees or landscaping that would …

Thursday, July 26

Pittsburgh (Yes, Pittsburgh)

A few years ago, The Economist pointed out that Pittsburgh’s changing demographics would make for a “rosier future.” Sure enough, it’s a hot place for young people to visit. Aging baby boomers in the steel …

Neil Young's Americana

Neil Young is one of the most prolific and eclectic music icons performing and producing music today. His latest collection is his first studio recording with the band Crazy Horse in nine years. Although the …

July 26, 2012
Wavves Crash at Del Mar Track

San Diego's Wavves took the stage in the inaugural event of this season’s 4 O'clock Fridays at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. Despite playing in front of one of the smallest crowds in the events …

July 26, 2012
Planning Commission Approves Large-Scale Development Project For Grantville

The developer of large mixed-use development project proposed for Grantville will be appearing at a future city council meeting armed with the approval from the City's planning commission. On Thursday, planning commissioners unanimously approved amending …

Wednesday, July 25

San Diego ranks neither in top ten or bottom ten of debt-ridden

How some San Diegans (including the author) paid their way out of sleep-depriving debt.

July 25, 2012
“Safe Access Now!” Shout Pro-Pot Protesters at Downtown Rally

An estimated 50 people showed up in front of the downtown Federal Courthouse on Wednesday, July 25, to protest the closing of medical marijuana dispensaries countywide. The rally, held at noon, was directed against federal …

Musical Booty Call

Jammingout.net will help you find a jam session to sit in on anywhere you travel. First, though, the designers need $25,000 to $250,000 to finish the website.

July 25, 2012
High Urban Cooking

“People started looking back, to find how they had survived pre–Burger King.”

July 25, 2012
Record-Release Roundup

Stick Figure launches their full-length Burial Ground at 710 Beach Club on July 28. “We’ll have some limited-edition T-shirts,” says Scott Woodruff, who recorded the album with reggae singer Half Pint and longtime musical co-conspirator …

July 25, 2012
Beer and Barbeque, in That Order

Go gobble on the mountain — a revisit to Julian’s Bailey Wood Pit Barbeque.

July 25, 2012
Steph Johnson left banking, funk, and R&B for jazz

Interview with Steph Johnson, making strides on the jazz front after dumping the funk and R&B.

Nothing Left to Lose

I’ve got drugs on the brain, mostly because of my current surroundings. I’m on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, to attend my man’s annual photographic art exhibition at the Granary Gallery and visit my in-laws, …

July 25, 2012
Engelmann Oak Loop Trail — Daley Ranch

View the somewhat rare Englemann live oaks from a relatively secluded trail.

July 25, 2012
Burning of Rome's Pleasing and Strange New Disc

If Burning of Rome’s September CD release doesn’t go big, will they have to return to their day jobs?

July 25, 2012
Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles

Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles started out their career playing for spare change on the University of Minnesota campus, and — in a move that is exceedingly rare among college-campus buskers — they soon …

July 25, 2012
Don't Embarrass the Hells Angels

Eric Wayne Thorsgard was in the worst possible situation. He was taken into custody, accused of beating up somebody in the alley outside a biker bar in Oceanside. That wasn’t the worst part. Eric is …

July 25, 2012
The Education of a Young Councilman

Fourth District San Diego councilman Tony Young caused a disgruntled stir in some quarters when word got around city hall in late June that he was taking the month of July off to attend a …

July 25, 2012
It’s Not All Sexy Times in the Face-Painting Biz

‘Face painting gets a bad rap,” said Megan Norgan of the Rosy Glow Paint Co. (858-633-ROSY; rosyglowpaintco.com). “People think it has that carny feel or that it’s cookie-cutter. But my aim is to show it …

July 25, 2012
Church Bells Chime Again in Tijuana

The Catedral de Nuesta Señora de Guadalupe (Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe) in downtown Tijuana was bestowed historical monument status on Sunday, July 23. Construction of the church, located on the corner of Niños …

July 25, 2012
Competitive Canaries

Interview with David Benites of the San Diego Canary Club.

July 25, 2012
Zeros to Heroes

The Zeros regroup (again) for another tour.

July 25, 2012
Cal Fire’s Mission Has Changed

California State Assembly Bill x1 29 calls for an annual “fire prevention benefit fee” of up to $150 per “habitable structure.”

July 25, 2012
Horning In

If there were any uncertainties about Bill Horn’s intention to run for reelection yet again in 2014, the incumbent GOP county supervisor dispelled them on July 4 by signing a “candidate intention statement” he filed …

July 25, 2012
League of California Cities Touts Openness but Shuns Disclosure Requirements

What does San Diego get out of the Sacramento-based League of California Cities?

July 25, 2012
Dead Feather Moon

It’d be a stretch, but you could say that Dead Feather Moon started in an Escondido high school. “That’s where I met two of the guys who are in the band,” says Justen Berge, who …

July 25, 2012
Keep the Aspidistra Flying, by George Orwell

What are you reading? “Keep the Aspidistra Flying, by George Orwell. It’s a novel set in 1930s London, and it follows mostly the interior life and misadventures of Gordon Comstock, a former copywriter turned poet/bookstore …

July 25, 2012
Prince Chapel by the Sea African Methodist Episcopal Church

Grow, glow, and go at Prince Chapel by the Sea African Methodist Episcopal Church.

July 25, 2012
"Spots on the Wall"

Before the final night hits us Let’s examine the spots on the wall: Some resemble plants And others mythological creatures. Hippogryphs, dragons, salamanders. But those that resemble atomic explosions Are the strangest of them all. …

July 25, 2012
A Slow-Moving Meditation

Title: I Have A Voice Too Address: ihaveavoicetoo.com Author: Matthew Melao From: Santee Blogging since: March 2012 Post Title: A Slow-Moving Meditation Post Date: June 23, 2012 The best way to explore a city is …

July 25, 2012
Letters

Confusion Junction I’m calling in reference to “That Could Never Happen to Me” (July 19 cover story). I was kind of disappointed. I love your stories; you do good work. But with this one here, …

July 25, 2012

Tuesday, July 24

Newport Avenue Coffee Shop Reopens

The Starbucks located at 4994 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach reopened last week after being closed for nearly two weeks for remodeling. Caffeine junkies chose other java options as the popular coffee purveyor slapped a …

Fraud Possible in Calexico Unified School District Bond Expenditures

Sweetwater Union High School District and Southwestern College continue to be subjects of district attorney investigations related to school bond expenditures. Calexico Unified School District had concerns about bond-related activity, so superintendent Richard Fragale and …

July 24, 2012

Monday, July 23

The Neighbor

Ours was a normal little enclave affectionately referred to as our South Park “Hood”. It was really like any other small community, an up and coming neighborhood, home to all sorts of folks, of all …

Sunday, July 22

Atherton Tablelands: Foodie Heaven

The Atherton Tablelands sit high up in the Great Dividing Range west of the tropical coast of Queensland, Australia. The popular attractions of the coast draw most of Australia's tourism – but inland, there are …

Pilot of Home-Built Airplane Makes Landing on SR-67

At 10:30 a.m. on July 21, a 79-year-old pilot from Gillespie Field, in his home-built airplane, experienced an engine problem. He realized that he was not going to make it back to Gillespie Field so …

July 22, 2012

Saturday, July 21

Hong Kong: The Number One Wanchai Rule

A female undercover cop in Neptune, the notorious subterranean disco in Wanchai’s red light district, pulled out her badge and shouted over the band at my well-served friend. “Excuse me, sir. Did you just say, …

Thursday, July 19

Caulerpa Conquest to be Celebrated in Carlsbad

The sixth annual Carlsbad Lagoon Day takes place on Sunday, July 22. The Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation (AHLF) celebrates the anniversary of the formal declaration of eradication of Caulerpa taxifolia with a walk/run and community …

July 19, 2012
Solitude Is Bliss – Michigan's Northern Lakeshore

A recent trip home to northern lower Michigan afforded me one of the greatest summertime pleasures a Michigander knows: a sunset swim in Lake Michigan. There’s nothing better than finding a secluded stretch of golden …

California's Active Volcanoes

There are more than 550 active volcanoes in the world, five of which are in California. It's to be expected from a state sitting on the eastern edge of the Ring of Fire. Between Barstow …

The Batu Caves Stink

After starting my Southeast Asia trip in the lovely city-state of Singapore, it was off to Changi Airport to catch my Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur. The day before, I met some travelers at …

Class Clown Spots a UFO, by Guided by Voices

The second of three Guided By Voices albums arriving in 2012 is 21 songs strong in under 40 minutes. That means each track is clocking in at an average of less than two minutes. Good …

July 19, 2012
Surfaris Hit the Beach at Belly Up

The Surfaris celebrated the 50th anniversary of their iconic surf song “Wipe Out” at the Belly Up on July 17. Bob Berryhill, the co-writer of “Wipe Out” — at the age of 15! — is …

July 19, 2012
Bluegrass High in Telluride

"Festivarians are endowed by Planet Bluegrass with certain unalienable Rights, among those are music, mountains, and the uninhibited pursuit of Happiness." And so begins the Festivarian Bill of Rights, the code by which all who …

Wednesday, July 18

Rapist attacks at gated Mission Valley condo

Victims talk of crimes visited upon them.

July 18, 2012
Barefoot Bar & Grill's Barefoot Blockbuster

Customers call Barefoot Bar & Grill bartender Serena Mappa the human drink dictionary. “After I make something once, I seem to remember it forever,” she explains. “I wasn’t good at math in school, but for …

July 18, 2012
One Year Later

It had been a long while — almost a year — since I’d last seen the pig. “Is he still drinking?” I asked Sara. “Not really,” she said. “Not like he used to.” “Good,” I …

July 18, 2012
Half-Price on the Bay

Happy hour all day at Candelas, in Coronado, on the bay.

July 18, 2012
Pink TV

“In each episode of Hospitality Budget, we’ll take a band that’s on tour, cook them great food, make them great drinks, and take them to do something in San Diego they wouldn’t normally get the …

July 18, 2012
Vigilance of SDPD Volunteer Patrol Officers Due to Tiff?

A little over a month ago, on June 14, San Diego Police RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol) traffic officers arrived in the 4800 block of Mt. St. Helens Drive to investigate a citizen complaint about …

Family Wagon

Calen Lucas and I had lunch with Chris Hillman once. “The Byrds guy, right?” he says. Exactly. We’d both been invited to a private luncheon with Hillman and his wife that preceded the Rock and …

July 18, 2012
Divine Rivalry at the Old Globe; Cygnet Theatre's Man of La Mancha

As a youth, the poet William Wordsworth crossed the Alps. He hiked the Simplon Pass, a “steep and rugged” road over a mile above sea level. When he reached the other side he stopped cold. …

July 18, 2012
Who doesn't want some Freak Sauce on a first date?

Makeout Weird helps bridge the gap between new media at UC San Diego and down-and-dirty experimental performance in the real world.

LeMons Race Results

Race results from 24 hours at LeMons.

July 18, 2012
Go Ahead, Try Some Tamales

Streetside Spanish lessons from tamale vendor José Gonzáles.

July 18, 2012
Pornography in a Nutshell

The definition of pornography, and phenomenal food odors explained.

July 18, 2012
Transition to San Diego

He who knows the Bard nails Petruchio cold.

July 18, 2012
The Intelligence

The Intelligence’s new Everybody’s Got It Easy But Me begins with “I Like L.A.” and, in a way, the song tells the story of the band. Lars Finberg’s sardonic lyrics and nicotine-stained voice seem to …

July 18, 2012
Writer Experiences Brooklyn's Wild Eye

Former San Diego band Writer, now based in Brooklyn, returns to do a show.

July 18, 2012
Hike, Bike, Bowl

Summer’s only half over — off the couch, kids!

July 18, 2012
Rapping Sailors

Matt January, formerly a Navy man, talks about the rap act he honed while aboard on the USS Nimitz.

July 18, 2012
Now You Know: Old Tiger

Old Tiger and their tame, old Flying V.

July 18, 2012
Downtown San Diego Partnership spends taxpayer dollars on a consultant

‘How can the Downtown San Diego Partnership use property-based business improvement district funds like a piggy bank?” asks Kathy Casey, a resident of Cortez Hill. “Where is the oversight, the accountability?” During years of budget …

July 18, 2012
Watered-Down PR

Water bills are soaring, and angry ratepayers are pounding at the doors. What is a water district to do except lay out some big bucks to hire a new public relations person? Such is the …

July 18, 2012
If It's Spring, It Must Be a Free Junket

A bipartisan delegation of 13 congressional staffers took an all-expenses-paid spring junket to Hollywood and San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, courtesy of a lobbying group called the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. “The excitement that the …

July 18, 2012
Did President Nixon help finance part of San Diego?

Citizens are wringing their hands — wisely, in my opinion — about Mitt Romney’s long-standing practice of stashing money in havens such as Switzerland and the Cayman Islands. But during the Republican nomination race, then-candidate …

July 18, 2012
San Elijo Lagoon County Ecological Reserve

Multiple plant communities and more than 250 species of shore and water birds.

Letter to the California State Board of Education

One cannot be exposed to the law and order of the universe without concluding that there must be design and purpose behind it all…. The better we understand the intricacies of the universe and all …

A passage from Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself"

I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journeywork of the stars,And the pismire is equally perfect, and a grain of sand, and the egg of the wren, And the tree-toad is …

July 18, 2012
Letters

Highly Confused RE: “Afro Puffs,” July 12 cover story. I may not understand your confusion growing up as a biracial woman. As a black woman, I found myself offended and confused. If the statement was …

July 18, 2012

Tuesday, July 17

Wind-Turbine Project Creating Flooding Problems?

I flew over Ocotillo on July 17 to check out reports that recent construction roads and footings for the planned 100-plus wind-turbine towers had adversely affected the natural drainage for the village. Last Thursday, July …

Mallow Madness

My heart’s pumping, adrenaline is flowing and I am smack dab in the middle of a full-fledged war. A huge bonfire rages, growing larger with each passing moment, and the ground has become littered with …

San Diego in Ronda, Spain?

The past few years, I’ve encountered a sweet picture of my wife’s parents’ wedding on the wall in their living room – a distinctly ‘70s vintage scene set in none other than the San Diego …

Breaking and Entering Party in Clairemont

Late Thursday night, July 12, a group of high school students and/or college-age people entered a vacant rental home at 4781 Mt. Cervin Drive in Clairemont. They reportedly moved the “For Rent” sign, broke a …

Literary London

The Olympics in London are a celebration of the world’s greatest athletes, and the city will be hopping this summer with the sweat and excitement of the summer games. But if you yearn to indulge …

Monday, July 16

Fiji for the Rest of Us

Fiji is best known to travelers as a destination of exclusive white-sand beach resorts, catering more to honeymooners than backpackers or budget travelers. However, the more remote – and unspoiled – Yasawa Islands have a …

Sunday, July 15

Dirt Dumped at Southwest High School's Campus Still Under Investigation

Sweetwater Union High School District students return to campus July 25. Some people might wonder what the district has done with the 10,000 tons of dirt on the Southwest High campus, reported on by Channel …

Saturday, July 14

Christian Evangelists Attend Comic-Con

A group of about 30 Christian Fundamentalists holding signs spread out near the Convention Center on Friday morning, July 13. While waiting to cross Harbor Drive, I struck up a conversation with Joshua, who told …

Traffic Cop Questioned in Encinitas

Last week, Steve Amster, owner of Garden State Bagels in Encinitas, confronted a Sheriff's Dept. motorcycle traffic officer positioned in his store's parking lot at 191 N. El Camino Real. After seeing the officer point …

Friday, July 13

North Park Prowler Gets Away

Police are reminding residents to keep their doors and windows locked in the North Park area after a burglar evaded arrest late early Tuesday morning, July 10. A burglar was reportedly busy around Idaho Street …

An American in Dublin

"Just pretend they’re all leprechauns, and I bet it’ll start to get much better." That’s what we temporarily agreed on after our first few cold, terse encounters with Dubliners, as the light rain poured down …

Thursday, July 12

New Airline to be Based at Carlsbad’s McClellan-Palomar Airport

Over 300 North County business people, community leaders, and government officials gathered on July 10 in a large hangar at McClellan-Palomar Airport. The crowd was there for the introduction of California Pacific Airlines, a new …

July 12, 2012
Bangalore – India's Silicon Valley

Popularly known as the “Silicon Valley” of India, Bangalore, also known as Bengaluru, is the country's IT industry hub and one of the world’s preferred locations for startup companies. It's also India's third-most populous city. …

Summerland Tour Was a Bit of '90s Heaven

I heard it on NPR: "The ’90s are back...or whatever." The ’90s meaning "the birth of grunge, the commercial rise of hip-hop, a batch of ballsy female songwriters, and a few goofy one-hit wonders we'd …

July 12, 2012
The Beach Boys' That's Why God Made the Radio

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Beach Boys. To commemorate this milestone, the group is touring with all five surviving members (Mike Love, Bruce Johnston, Brian Wilson, Al Jardine, and David Marks). They …

July 12, 2012
Searching for E.T.: Hat Creek Radio Observatory, CA

Far off the main road in northeastern California, follow the signs to Hat Creek Radio Observatory and you'll come to outer-space terrain, dotted with what my six-year-old calls "Dish Aliens." It's the Allen Telescope Array …

Wednesday, July 11

San Diegans with Afro puffs

San Diego’s ethnic populations are segregated, for better and worse.

Questionable Contract for Southwestern College?

Southwestern College has gone through a series of upheavals in the past few years and is still the subject of a San Diego County district attorney investigation. Southwestern’s former vice president of business and finance, …

Bowels of the Horn

Jeff Kaiser played trumpet and guitar in the Presbyterian Church before becoming a minister. Now he makes computer-accentuated music that sounds satanic at times.

July 11, 2012
But I Did Eat at a Holiday Inn This Morning

Chinese breakfast at Chin’s Seafood & Grill, in Miramar’s Holiday Inn.

July 11, 2012
Miki Vale: Rapper, Scrabble Gamer, Lover of Cats

Rapper/songstress believes wasting time is ancestral treason. She also has a mean Scrabble game.

July 11, 2012
When Not in Rome

Napizza arrives from Rome. “Slow is our thing. With yeast, more time equals more flavor.”

Bart Davenport is retro-active

In Retromania: Pop Culture’s Addiction to Its Own Past, music critic Simon Reynolds writes, “When I look back at the development of pop and rock during my lifetime...what perplexes me is the slow but steady …

July 11, 2012
Pony

It was an odd time and place for us to be having breakfast. Our norm is Greek honey yogurt with blueberries, sliced banana, and crushed almonds at around 9 a.m. But because of a particularly …

Santa Ysabel Nature Preserve — East

Hike over rolling hills and through oak woodlands, wildflower fields, and seasonal wetlands.

July 11, 2012
Dogs Versus Rattlers

Dogs in San Diego County are at great risk of rattlesnake bites. Have them trained not to be.

July 11, 2012
Stiff Drinks, Bad Carpeting

Bar Leucadian gets its music permit revoked due to cocaine sales on the premises.

July 11, 2012
Becalmed, Sports Fan

Poring over magazines for sports news during the annual sports slowdown.

July 11, 2012
Filner's Unkind Durkee

San Diego Democratic congressman Bob Filner, in a hurry to close out his old House campaign finance account so he can get on with his run for mayor against GOP city councilman Carl DeMaio, may …

July 11, 2012
Roasted Chicken with Quinoa Pilaf

Chef James Clark hit it off with Ingrid Croce. His roasted chicken recipe is in their soon-to-be-published cookbook.

July 11, 2012
We Got the Con

During Comic-Con’s July 11-15 run, music-related events will be held all around town. Here’s a list.

July 11, 2012
Firefighters’ Tour de Tijuana Raises Funds for Equipment 

A family-oriented “bike-a-thon” began in sun-drenched downtown Tijuana on the morning of Sunday, July 8. The Tijuana fire department organized the ride to raise about $100,000 for the purchase of new fire-fighting equipment. Tijuanenses of …

July 11, 2012
Season's Bidding

The proposal period has closed over at the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority for “Seasonal Decorations” at Lindbergh Field. Without specifying which holidays are to be commemorated, the authority asked for “Professional Seasonal Decoration …

July 11, 2012
One Wolf Returns to Julian

A visit to the California Wolf Center in Julian.

July 11, 2012
Pictorial Juice

While leafing through my latest issue of Vanity Fair, I sometimes think that for fashion models and celebrities the body is something they wear, as most of us wear a cocktail dress or tux. Their …

July 11, 2012
The Selling of KPBS

San Diego State University–run and taxpayer-subsidized public television and radio operation KPBS, troubled of late by severe money woes, is looking to hire yet another fundraiser, this one a hard-charging corporate rainmaker to sell advertising …

July 11, 2012
The Big Noise: The Free Speech Fight of 1912, Part Eight

Three years after San Diego’s free-speech fight began, vigilantes stood at the ready.

Mission Village Christian Fellowship

Pastor Carl Baker worries that churches are “giving up their biblical values for political correctness.”

July 11, 2012
"How Good Girls Go Bad"

Before she came we walked for peace, we picked up trash in parks and won awards. Our troop was number one in candy sales. We cooked for homeless families and served them soup. And then …

July 11, 2012
Hell is Other People

Suicidal if not for Mickey Mouse.

July 11, 2012
Letters

Disgraceful x2 I wanted to make a comment about the cover of the Reader for June 28 (“Year-Round Santa”). There are children that see these pictures that would be absolutely traumatized if they saw that …

July 11, 2012

Tuesday, July 10

It's Time to Make Smart Business Decisions for IB and Allow Marijuana Dispensaries

In 1989 I moved to Puerto Rico. I arrived on a Tuesday – that Sunday hurricane Hugo devastated the Island. I had a permit to sell clothes on Luquillo Beach, but the beach was destroyed …

Ambulance Delayed, Young Boy Dies

On Thursday, July 6, at about 8:30 p.m., our normally quiet College Grove cul-de-sac was undone by a tragic occurrence. The desperate cries for help that broke through the darkness on Boren Street, three houses …

Antalya, Turkey

After working in the mental health field for three years, it was time for an adventure. I purged my life of almost everything I owned, packed two old-fashioned trunks, and moved to Antalya, Turkey, with …

Summer in Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole, Wyoming, has some of the nicest people on this planet. They go above and beyond to help you. If you need to know where the nearest bus stop is and ask someone, they …

Monday, July 9

Local Coastal Commission Meeting Won't Address Chula Vista Bayfront Plan

The California Coastal Commission will meet in Chula Vista on Wednesday, July 11; however, the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan will not be addressed until their August meeting, which will be held in Santa Cruz. …

Mysterious Encounter in Bangkok

There are events that happen occasionally while traveling that are destined to remain mysterious and unexplained. It may be a chance encounter, a brush with fate, or something that brings to mind the Shakesperean quote …

July 9, 2012
Toxic Beliefs That Lead To Personal Failure

In his book As a Man Thinketh, philosopher James Allen says that one is what one thinks, with character being the complete sum of all one’s thoughts. And upon analysis, one wonders how those thoughts …

July 9, 2012

Saturday, July 7

Mr. Silverman of the Embarcadero

On my daily walks along the Embarcadero, I love running into my favorite character standing in front of Anthony's Fish Grotto on Harbor Drive and Ash Street. The original San Diego Silverman, an independent artist, …

At the World’s End: Ballarat Ghost Town, Death Valley

Death Valley must be seen to be believed. From the turquoise flats rolling out beneath lofty Dante’s View to the salty vertigo of Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America, it is a place …

Friday, July 6

We Only Hire Beautiful Girls

Heather Hyatt of Epic Fighting is looking for beautiful girls. Tell me how you got involved with Epic. I started working as a promotional model/ring girl with a company that was sponsoring Epic Fighting called …

Full-Time Worker And Full-Time Mom

The theory going around is that working mothers can’t have it all, meaning if you’re a mom, you supposedly can’t work a full-time job and spend quality time with your children. Magazines and news reports …

Interview Your Interviewer: Eight Questions You Should Ask

Job interviews — as most people have witnessed — can be harrowing experiences. No matter how bright or successful you appear to be on a resume, you are vulnerable when you are confronted with a …

Farewell, Dave “K” Konstantin, President of Clairemont

A standing-room-only crowd overflowed the LiveWell senior center in Clairemont on the afternoon of July 1 to commemorate and celebrate the life of Dave “K” Konstantin. The amount of laughter outmatched the number of tears …

Thursday, July 5

The Tarnished Gold, by Beachwood Sparks

Whoa...a new Beachwood Sparks album in 2012? Where in the world did this come from? Perhaps it’s from a universe in which every band owes a substantial debt to the Eagles, the Grateful Dead, Gram …

July 5, 2012
Dancing with Myself — International Swingers at Brick by Brick

The June 28 show at Brick by Brick by new supergroup the International Swingers, featuring bassist Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols), drummer Clem Burke (Blondie, the Romantics), lead guitarist James Stevenson (Generation X, Gene Loves Jezebel), …

July 5, 2012

Wednesday, July 4

Bread & Cie by word of mouth gets into Henry’s, Whole Foods, plus Vons, Albertsons, Ralphs

Interview with Charles Kaufman, baker/founder of Bread & Cie and former film producer.

July 4, 2012
Fire at Tijuana’s Hotel Catalina

On the morning of July 3, a fire raced through a room on the top floor of Tijuana's Hotel Catalina hotel, located on the corner of 5th (Zapata) and Madero, a block away from Avenida …

July 4, 2012
Windmill Project Begins, Opponents Don’t Stop

Photo taken over Ocotillo at 9 a.m. on June 29. Construction has begun on over 100 turbine towers, each over 400 feet tall, on Bureau of Land Management land between the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park …

Robin Roth Gives 91X a Definite Yes

Interview with Robin Roth, the 91X music director/veteran unafraid to put on the boxing gloves.

July 4, 2012
A Star for Shotgun

Shotgun Tom Kelly looks forward to getting his star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

July 4, 2012
Double Peak — San Marcos

Double your pleasure on this hike with inspiring vistas and a remarkable assortment of flowering plants.

July 4, 2012
The Nerve

"Oh no she didn’t,” I said to my screen. “What? Who?” David was seated in a chair five feet behind me. I stepped to the right of my standing desk so he could see my …

July 4, 2012
Word Origins: "Blackmail," "Nothing to Sneeze At," and "Spitting Image"

Origins of “blackmail,” “nothing to sneeze at,” and “spitting image”...and whereabouts of the Del Mar Fair’s “Fairest of the Fair.”

July 4, 2012
All Men Are Giants

The party was on a Saturday night in Mission Hills. Celebrants were all members of the graduate school that’s part of the High Tech charter-school system that has branches in Point Loma and Chula Vista. …

July 4, 2012
Mezzah — Arabic Tapas in El Cajon

“Iraqis love big entrées. It’s the Lebanese who like to snack on different small tapas.”

July 4, 2012
The Old Globe stages Richard III

‘NOW IS THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT MADE GLORIOUS SUMMER BY THIS SON OF YORK...” Jay Whittaker screams his first entrance as Richard III with such strained ferocity you’d think his audience sat across Balboa …

July 4, 2012
Dylan Hyde's Life Worth Imitating

Teen pop singer Dylan Hyde is partially deaf, but he’s due for surgery.

July 4, 2012
Cantautor Latino Snubs Carlos Olmeda

Singer-songwriter Carlos Olmeda showed up ahead of time to perform at the San Diego County Fair. He was told he was too late.

July 4, 2012
Original Artists Work to Restore Chicano Park Murals

Armando Nuñez is touching up a skeleton. “That first day,” he says, “I brought a half-gallon can of green bathroom paint. Everybody brought whatever they had. That’s how it was. We didn’t plan. We just …

July 4, 2012
Gaming the System

Bridgepoint Education, the controversial private schools outfit that’s been up and down on Wall Street, was busy handing out freebies to local politicos last year, annual disclosures show. Chief among the beneficiaries was recently reelected …

July 4, 2012
Lobbyists' Football

Another influence peddler with deep San Diego roots is reporting a good year thus far. Sacramento-based California Strategies and Advocacy was founded by Bob White, the onetime social director of San Diego State fraternities who …

July 4, 2012
The NFL's Dirty Secret

The National Football Leagues’s links to organized crime enumerated.

July 4, 2012
Filner's Solid Waste Chase

Victory in the race for San Diego mayor, most inside observers predict, will come down to which candidate can raise the most money and deploy his cash most effectively. So far, GOP candidate Carl DeMaio …

July 4, 2012
The Big Noise: The Free Speech Fight of 1912, Part Seven

San Diego vigilantes against free speech were an expression of the city’s character.

Caught up in the Happiness of Mates of State

Sometime in 2001, I was at a party in San Francisco when someone introduced me to Jason Hammel, one-half of the keyboards-drums duo Mates of State, which had recently moved to the Bay Area and …

July 4, 2012
“A Letter to His Sister at the Time of Her Husband’s Death”

Let us seek for comfort where alone it may be found, let us learn a dutiful acquiescence in whatsoever proceeds from that Great Being from whom we ourselves proceeded and who being the sole Author …

Getting Over the Hump

Dominic Carrillo had to get sick before he started his novel.

July 4, 2012
In Time of "The Breaking of Nations"

Only a man harrowing clods In a slow, silent walk With an old horse that stumbles and nods Half asleep as they stalk. Only thin smoke without flame From the heaps of couch-grass; Yet this …

July 4, 2012
Letters

Correct Your Hubby Barbarella does a good job. However, the tone of the foie gras article (Diary of a Diva, June 28: “What the Foie?”) with what her hubby, David, states about the forced feeding …

July 4, 2012

Tuesday, July 3

Olive Fruit Fly Takes Toll Statewide

Jim Engelke, owner of Fallbrook Olive Oil, bought an avocado grove in east Fallbrook eight years ago. With the North American Free Trade Agreement allowing the importation of avocados from south of the border and …

Beer in Bruges

At first glance, Bruges in Belgium doesn’t have a lot going on. It’s small. Tourists often outnumber locals in the summer. And in recent years it’s most famous for a quote from Colin Farrell in …

Discover Dubai (and Unchecked Capitalism)

When you step foot in Dubai, you realize the country’s quite liberal compared to the rest of the Middle East. Dubai is part of the United Arab Emirates and has adapted the influx of other …

July 3, 2012
Errant Drivers Worry Residents in Encinitas

On June 30, at around 11:00 a.m., a mom and grandmother rounded up several young children playing in the street on the 200 block of Cornflower Street in Encinitas. A neighbor, two doors down, was …

Enlightenment in Mérida, Mexico

The walls of my hotel room looked clean enough as long as the light stayed dim, which was usually the case. The only illumination came from a 40-watt bulb stuck in the ceiling and a …

Monday, July 2

Be Your Toughest Critic

How did your last job interview go? Did you receive a job offer? No? Could it be something that happened in the job interview process? Sometimes we need to think through the job interview and …

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