Memorial Day Review
Garrett Harris 9:48 p.m., May 23
Stories for June 2012
Saturday, June 30
Friends of Chula Vista Parks & Recreation Back Buck Martin
At the June 28 Chula Vista City Council meeting, the council reviewed a plan to consolidate the library and the parks and recreation department — the decision to do so was made last week. The ...
King's River Rafting: Not Your Average Family Vacation
Originating high in the mountains of central California near Sequoia National Park, the Kings River boasts the largest watershed of any river in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Last year I took the family on ...
Melbourne Street Art
Across the street diagonally from Federation Square – a celebrated architectural icon and Melbourne cultural center – is a hidden laneway named Hosier Lane. It’s here where I start my urban encounter with the street ...
If You’re Right for This Business, You Already Know It
Jake Holmes, owner of Pilates United, could be your next boss. First, tell me about your company. I established Pilates United with Moji Austell in 1993. It’s a fitness studio. Our objective was to give ...
Friday, June 29
San Diego Public Library Flush with Reading Prizes — No Readers?
On June 15, the San Diego Public Library launched its annual Summer Reading Program, aimed at kids under the age of 18. As a deal sweetener, the library is offering free Padres tickets to children ...
“Dry Law” Election Day Dropped in Tijuana
You can get a beer over the Fourth of July holiday in Tijuana. Even though the Mexican federal election is being held on July 1, and this normally warrants a closure of bars and a ...
Don’t Hit “Reply to All”
Some middle managers complain that they dedicate 2.5 hours every day to dealing with their email.
When is it Time to Give Up? Never!
While it can get very frustrating at times, the worst thing you can do is quit the job search.
Ethiopian Time Travel
The Omo River empties into Lake Turkana, not far from where Ethiopia, South Sudan and Kenya come together. The river valley is difficult to reach; from Addis Ababa the road trip takes the better part ...
Thursday, June 28
Smashing Pumpkins' Oceania
On “Quasar,” the first song off of the new Smashing Pumpkins album, the band comes out of the gate with teeth bare. There is ferocity in the drums and a fire in the guitars that ...
Valley View Rocked Like a Hurricane
Kicking off the first day of summer with melodic-metal band the Scorpions was a head-banging flashback to the ’80s. Having seen them perform more than 20 times, I can say the adage “rode hard and ...
Wildfire South of Boulevard
At 1 p.m. on June 27, one mile south of the border, near Tierra del Sol, a fire broke out and was being blown toward the U.S. side of the border by winds pushing it ...
Wednesday, June 27
Year-Round Santa
The Brothers Grinch
At least 550 Southern California homeowners have been victimized by the Zepeda brothers — their scheme to rake in foreclosure funds.
Seared Ahi with Soy Reduction
Recipe by Vincenzo Lo Verso, Executive Chef & Owner, Osteria Panevino
I have been cooking all my life since I lived in Italy. I cooked for a big restaurant there and we did a lot of weddings. I also served in the Army and was a ...
Onyx Room's French Martini
There’s a fine line that Onyx Room bartenders walk between time and taste. According to Onyx Room bartender Nathan Colonero, this nightclub’s bartenders pride themselves on being able to deliver smart concoctions and efficient service. ...
Simple Snacks for the Road
"On the road again…” Every June, Patrick starts singing the Willie Nelson classic. He loves summer road-tripping. He doesn’t like planning them, however. Guess who that job falls to? This year he’s dreaming of his ...
The Only Jack in the Jacks
Interview with Jack Pinney, drummer in Iron Butterfly’s first rhythm section (no, he didn’t do “the Solo”).
Record-Release Roundup
When the Nervous Wreckords launch Let Them All Talk at the Casbah on June 30, frontman Brian Karscig promises “Surprises. We always have a couple up our sleeves that you’ll have to be there to ...
Beijing Duck, Mumbai Gin, and Other Name Changes
Heymatt:Who made the decision that Peking should be called Beijing and that Bombay should be Mumbai? Will we eventually see Beijing duck on a menu, or Mumbai gin in the liquor store? I’m assuming someone ...
Ray Wylie Hubbard
“We wanted the sound of early Buffalo Springfield or the Small Faces.” This is Ray Wylie Hubbard, on the phone from Virginia City, NV, to talk about his 16th studio album, Grifter’s Hymnal. Ian McLagen ...
Yaris Driver James Pugh on Podcasts and Google
Name: James Pugh Car: 2007 Toyota Yaris S Previous cars: 1994 Honda Civic How’s your commute? Fletcher Hills to Sorrento Valley but I work off-hours — 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., so I never really ...
North Park ElderHelp Facility to Get a Makeover
With financial assistance from block grants and fundraising , Elderhelp of San Diego will be getting an extreme makeover of their facility. The 501(c)(3) non-profit public benefit corporation received a new five-year lease from the ...
Noble Canyon
One of the best single-track mountain-bike trails in California is also one of the finest hiking trails. Shuttling required.
Blood & Gifts at La Jolla Playhouse
For the La Jolla Playhouse’s Blood & Gifts, Kris Stone devised a spare, semi-familiar set. A gray concrete barrier stretches across the rear stage, like the one at the end of a runway. Much of ...
Flacks not Hacks
As local news staffs shrink and California State University tuition soars, the ranks of state-taxpayer-funded public relations people continue to burgeon. The latest example comes from San Diego State University, which is looking to hire ...
Creation of a Monster, John Gardner
Caitlin Rother’s book about John Gardner draws a terrifying portrait of a man who was sweet and cuddly one day and a crazed killer the next.
Caught in China's Net
Two local activists bring Tibetan woman Lhamo Tso to the U.S. as part of campaign to get her husband released from a Chinese jail.
Come Together in a Relative Way
Thursday 28Soda Bar sets up L.A. big band Jail Weddings tonight. The nine-piece rock ’n’ soul outfit’s out to tout this year’s Four Future Standards EP, which features the long-winded/big-breath’d beater “(There’s Nothing Worse in ...
Campaign cash-in
Facing only a token challenge in her bid for reelection this year, San Diego county supervisor Dianne Jacob raised plenty of campaign cash from the familiar litany of special interests with business before the board. ...
24 Hours of LeMons. Part 2
We were talking to Escondido homeboy, San Marcos State alumnus, and San Marcos High School English teacher repurposed into a stay-at-home dad, Mike “Spank” Spangler, 42. Spank drives the 24 Hours of LeMons. Said 24 ...
Wax Idols
Maybe you liked the lo-fi early singles by female-fronted acts such as the Dum Dum Girls, Best Coast, and Frankie Rose. But after all three cleaned up their acts for their debut long-players — and ...
First Lutheran Church Vista
Ramón Zarate was a business administration major before he graduated to God.
Million-dollar candidate
Most public workers may be singing the blues about their pension systems, but at least one is going all the way to the bank. Bernie Rhinerson, chief of staff at the San Diego Unified School ...
The Big Noise: The Free Speech Fight of 1912, Part Six
Violence against free-speech activists.
San Diego’s chief of police denied mistreating free-speech activists. A state commission determined otherwise.
Intrigue, Menace, Slapstick
Easily digestible theatrical confections of jealousy and sexual tension.
A Slower Music
For Diane Time runs thru my fingers, laughter & feathers against her lips when I bend to kiss her She is my wonder, who sleeps & will not wake for me but with her tongue ...
Letters
Sell Tickets, Then You Play Re: Online articles concerning Breakthru Entertainment published May 16, 2012 and June 6, 2012 To the publisher: This firm represents Breakthru Entertainment. The purpose of this letter is to demand ...
June 21 Crossword Contenders
Flo Abena, Rancho Penasquitos, 5. AD Albright, San Diego, 5. Mary Arana, Encinitas, 5. Geoff Armour, Carlsbad, 5. * Martha Awdziewicz, Clairemont, 5. At Lindbergh Field there is a new car lot, Because parking space ...
June 21 Sudoku Contenders
Evil Susan Avery, Escondido, 5. Carl Baltrunas, Milpitas, 5. Bliss Beedle, Encinitas, 5. Felix E Charfaurs, San Diego , 5. Joseph Ciprian, Little Italy, 5. * Larry Clark, Clairemont, 5. In Descanso there once lived ...
Tuesday, June 26
Toxic Dirt Trucked to Southwest High School?
A large pile of contaminated dirt was reportedly deposited on the Southwest High School campus in the spring of 2010. After 10News.com reported the story last week, the district shrouded the dirt pile in plastic ...
Fun-Runners Crash Wedding Near Mission Bay
A herd of over 200 fun-run participants inadvertently stormed through the Marina Village Conference Center on the afternoon of June 23, interrupting a quiet outdoor wedding. The entire group, participants in the San Diego Hash ...
De Kulminator in Antwerp, Belgium: A Beer Odyssey
Is it possible that I've pinpointed the Holy Grail, the pied piper of beer geekdom heaven? Dare I say…the greatest bar on the planet? The recent craft beer explosion in San Diego has turned this ...
What the Foie?
David unwrapped the package and set it on the kitchen island. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I should take a picture,” he said. I leaned forward to find an attractive angle of the beige brick. As ...
Saigon: Be Careful What You Shop For
“So, you’re going to Vietnam? Can you pick up an ‘ao dai’ for me while you’re there?” If a casual female friend ever says this to you, politely decline. Say you’re sorry; you’ll be too ...
Sunday, June 24
Is a Fallbrook Business Improvement District Necessary?
With the intent of creating consistency for local businesses during a floundering economy, Vince Ross, president of the Fallbrook Revitalization Council, has commissioned a study to determine the viability of developing a business improvement district ...
Saturday, June 23
Beer Bottles Banished by Locals at Bermuda Beach
Bermuda Beach, at the foot of Bermuda Avenue in Ocean Beach, attracts a variety of mellow souls who enjoy the area's natural beauty and relative privacy. But on Friday, June 22, in the late afternoon, ...
Friday, June 22
Three Days in Santa Cruz
A hidden gem along the Californian coast, Santa Cruz offers lush natural parks, eateries with local charm and the traditional boardwalk. It has a relaxed feel like most beach towns, and the locals prize natural ...
Western Ireland: Don’t Drive
After planning a mother-daughter trip to western Ireland, we agreed that we would drive from one city to the next. Or rather: I would drive. My mother, nervous enough driving in America, wasn't one to ...
Thursday, June 21
Coming of Age at Ché Café
I am scared to death of moshing. If you were a scrawny five-foot, four-inch girl you'd understand. However, the boys in the pit during Fidlar's set at the Ché Café did not seem to understand ...
Anton Barbeau's Empire of Potential
So, he's recutting almost everything here even though he didn't lose the rights to his songs to himself — just because he can. That's an Ant man for you. Opener "Losing You Makes Crucifixion Easy" ...
Dope and Diarrhea in Afghanistan: A Sordid Tale
Dope and diarrhea were the two main topics of conversation during my brief sojourn in Afghanistan back in 1976-77. The first everybody wanted, the second everybody had. Back in the day, before anyone had even ...
Vancouver's Japadog – Taste the Strange
“Japadog” sounds like a word David Letterman would say for comic effect. In actuality, Japadog is a Vancouver street vendor that sells grilled hot dogs, both Japanese style and those referred to as “regular hotdogs” ...
Wednesday, June 20
No One Cares About Being Cool
An outsider is permitted to experience a variety of San Diego social clubs from the inside.
2:54: Former Vulgarians
London sisters Hannah and Colette Thurlow used to play together in a punk band called the Vulgarians, but when they decided they wanted to pursue a more restrained sound, they thought of the Melvins — ...
City to Address Gopher Problem in Clairemont
After contacting District 6 councilmember Lori Zapf’s office to determine if the city was aware of a gopher infestation in Clairemont, I was soon contacted by Steve Palle of San Diego’s Parks and Recreation Department. ...
Rock School Reality
Sven-Erik Seaholm and Brooke Mackintosh make indie acoustic music, “with psychedelic tendencies.” They also made a baby.
Kumeyaay Lake
This short, easy hike along a cottonwood and willow-shaded lakeshore is perfect for young children, seniors, and avid birdwatchers
Solo Together
‘We’re a song-oriented harmony duo, with a little spin on the ball,” says Sven-Erik Seaholm, who, with wife Brooke Mackintosh, is one half of Seaholm Mackintosh. “I guess you could call it indie acoustic, with ...
Spragueland
Local jazz guitarist Peter Sprague is putting the finishing touches on two recordings set for summer release on his SBE Records label. “SBE stands for striving-to-break even,” Sprague informs me during a tour of his ...
Johnny's R Restaurant Sign Stops Spinning
The big revolving sign outside Johnny's R Restaurant at 2611 El Cajon Boulevard has stopped spinning. The inexpensive family restaurant, originated by Johnny Raizian, had a run of more than 30 years in North Park. ...
Room to Swing a Cat, Found Marbles on O.B. Pier, Vanishing Arco Stations
“There’s not enough room here to swing a cat.” Who came up with that one? And what’s the story on the mysterious marbles of the Ocean Beach Pier? And why are all the Arco gas stations shutting down?
Sic Transit Todd
San Diego’s third district councilman Todd Gloria, who ran unopposed in this month’s city election, nevertheless went all out to collect big campaign money from a host of special interests with business at city hall. ...
The Clarkson Trio
“For San Diego musicians, Rob Crow and Jason Mraz are pretty prolific and well-known,” says Grant Clarkson, “but neither of them has already put out three albums this year.” The multi-instrumentalist explains that his disparate ...
I Dig Dragons
Shawn and I clinked glasses. “To dragons and swords,” I said. “Speaking of which, where is Kimb?” asked Shawn, looking at his watch. “She’ll be here soon,” I said. “But for now, let’s relax and ...
UCSD’s graduation daze
Though the state’s budget meltdown has boosted tuition and drastically cut local admissions, somebody at the University of California San Diego apparently thinks the show must go on, literally. That seems to be the message ...
Marco Polo, the Lobbyist, Comes Over
Lobbyist Marco Polo Cortes, another big last-minute giver to Councilman Todd Gloria’s cause, has kept a busy schedule at San Diego’s city hall, according to a recently filed lobbyist disclosure statement. Besides hosting a Gloria ...
Could Imperial Valley Become Owens Valley?
Political and drought conditions could turn the Imperial Valley into another Owens Valley.
Down, Down, Down for the Locos
The Vario Fallbrook Locos gang stabbed Kenneth Mose for being black and in their neighborhood.
Picture Jeff
Fundraiser for guitarist Jeff Winterberg, diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer in late 2011.
Letters
Format Him Back I’m disappointed in the loss of David Elliott. I’m only familiar with him through the Reader, but I did like his opinions and his critiques of films very, very much. He seemed ...
God Says Yes to Me
I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic and she said yes I asked her if it was okay to be short and she said it sure is I asked her if I ...
The Big Noise: The Free Speech Fight of 1912, Part Five
City Leaders Cracked Heads at the County Line
Prominent San Diegans in 1912 formed vigilance committees that escorted free-speech advocates to the county line. That wasn’t the worst of their enforcement efforts.
Shade Sails to Beat the Summer Heat
Getting out of the summer heat with shade sail options from local firms.
Penis in a Sandwich
Languages barriers give way before phallic humor.
A blog by Whitney Butler, who finds similarities between asparagus and rocket launchers.
June 14 Sudoku Contenders
Evil Susan Avery, Escondido, 4. Carl Baltrunas, Milpitas, 4. Bliss Beedle, Encinitas, 4. Felix E Charfaurs, San Diego , 4. * Joseph Ciprian, Little Italy, 4. It used to take an ounce of wit, Now ...
June 14 Crossword Contenders
Flo Abena, Rancho Penasquitos, 4. AD Albright, San Diego, 4. Mary Arana, Encinitas, 4. Geoff Armour, Carlsbad, 4. Martha Awdziewicz, Clairemont, 4. L. Barling, El Cajon, 4. Johanna Barry, Pine Valley, 4. Evelyn Bowser, Hillcrest, ...
Bass Drum of Death
Bass Drum of Death is a Mississippi garage rock band, a duo. In fact, in the beginning it was just John Barrett, who, not unlike Tim Lowman (a local guitarist who performs as Low Volts), ...
Tuesday, June 19
Solar Power Company Sues San Ysidro School District
President Obama’s 2008 election brought money and emphasis to alternative energy in the United States. For some former lobbyists and politicians, this emphasis became an entrepreneurial opportunity. A 2009 article in the Sacramento Business Journal ...
Surf Dogs Spread the Stoke in Imperial Beach
On June 16, a large crowd cheered in Imperial Beach as dogs were pushed into the whitewater of broken waves during the annual Loews Coronado Bay Resort’s Surf Dog Competition. The last time I saw ...
Monday, June 18
A Long Weekend in Sequoia and Yosemite
On a whim, I decided to drive up to explore a spectacular stretch of California natural beauty for a four-day vacation: Sequoia National Park and Yosemite. I hadn’t been to Yosemite for years, and I ...
Saturday, June 16
No Road Yet to Tijuana's New Border Station
Mexico and the United States appear to be in a race to see who can erect their new respective border ports first. Both sides have been constructing at a feverish pace. The U.S. border station ...
Friday, June 15
Photographer Attacked by Pit Bull in Ocean Beach
In October 2009, local photographer Jim Grant witnessed and photographed the shooting of a pit bull that was running loose at the Ocean Beach farmers’ market. San Diego police tried to corral the dog but ...
Fear and Loathing in L.A.: The Death Museums
Los Angeles is a city of divides: poverty and decadence, history and trend, life and death. And the city of angels has its share of death, as evident by two Hollywood attractions, the Museum of ...
Glenn Frey's After Hours
When I look at the cover of the new Glenn Frey album of out-of-focus retro lights, it brings back memories of my own "after hours" in the nightclubs of my past. That is exactly the ...
FM 94/9's Sandy Parts Festival
In its third year of existence, the annual FM 94/9 concert took place at the Oceanside Pier for what was titled the FM 94/9 SPF (Sandy Parts Festival). Headlined by producer-turned-artist Santigold, the lineup included ...
The Pirate Streets of Koh Phi Phi
After riding elephants in Krabi, Thailand, it was time to leave that madness behind. So I hopped a ferry for the island of Koh Phi Phi. Midway though the hour-and-a-half-long ferry trip, ominous clouds could ...
Thursday, June 14
Fallbrook’s Shrinking Avocado
Since the first avocado trees were planted in 1912, Fallbrook’s avocado industry’s been thriving. The Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce estimates annual sales near $26 million. However, due to water-access issues, the size of the average ...
A City Divided: Nicosia, Cyprus
Dusk. Empty street. Barbed wire. Bombed-out buildings. These are my first memories of Nicosia, Cyprus. Cassie and I came to Cyprus for the week of Kurban Bayramı, a religious holiday. We were both English teachers ...
Wednesday, June 13
Dad, What If I Love What I Do and Want to Keep Doing It?
City Farmers proprietor Bill Tall didn’t want to do anything other than raise and nurture plants and animals within San Diego’s city limits. So he did, and has done, for 40 years so far.
Sweetwater Union HS District Board Meeting Skips Public Comment
The Sweetwater Union High School District board is beleaguered. Two trustees, Arlie Ricasa and Pearl Quiñones, and former superintendent Jesus Gandara are under indictment. Two additional boardmembers, John McCann and Jim Cartmill, are the subjects ...
Loving, Hating, and Eating Frozen Fruit Bars
Fruit-bar feeding frenzy (voracious lip-smacking included).
Céu Can Make Starbucks Interesting
My friend Dan recommended that I check out the Brazilian singer Céu, but he was a little embarrassed about it. “She’s kind of a Starbucks artist,” he said. I knew what he meant: to call ...
Tabloid, Masques, Something Wicked This Way Comes: Watch It at Home
Daria Matza Producer of Styria Into the Abyss is an intriguing documentary by Werner Herzog about a death-row inmate days before his execution. While the interview with him doesn’t yield much, the other people that ...
Here's the Deal: Porter's Pub
Porter’s Pub at UCSD, known for its underwhelming vittles and exceptional all-ages music venue.
Batiquitos Lagoon
View salt-marsh plants year round and shorebirds especially during spring and winter migrations.
Mario Escovedo on Balboa Park, Moths, and Mowgli
Mario Escovedo, a Dragon unashamed to stand up for the Carpenters.
Letters
The Big C — Courage Rashida McElvene showed physical, moral, and spiritual courage in her willingness to give up her life to protect and save another’s (“Is That a Woman He’s Beating Up Like That?” ...
Against the Current
I rearranged my legs with more force than necessary. The wooden bed-frame creaked, and I followed the note with an overtly audible adjusting of my half of the comforter, balling it up so I could ...
Return of the Cart People
Golf pro and golf-cart driver Casey Martin won his U.S. Supreme Court case against PGA Tour, Inc.
Sniper’s roost
San Diego county sheriff Bill Gore has put out word that he’s in the market for 25 brand-new Smith & Wesson M&P15 AR .223 rifles, each to be equipped with an EOtech 512A65 holographic weapon ...
Local TV News is Non-News
Local TV news under the microscope after being declared “non-news” by a letter writer to Matthew Alice.
David Elliott's Final Column
This is my farewell column, but not a whine about leaving the Reader. The problems of movie critics don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. And it would be bad form ...
New New Music
UCSD composer, performer, and teacher Christopher Adler talks about San Diego New Music, a local nonprofit.
Longtime Tranny Dream
Brian Karscig of the Nervous Wreckords always wanted to put a transsexual on the cover of one of his albums.
Dollar drain
As money troubles continue to pile up at San Diego State University’s owned-and-operated KPBS public broadcasting operation, the university’s tax-exempt foundation is advertising for help. According to a job notice recently posted on the nonprofit’s ...
The Meteoric Rise and Fall of a Local Wave-Rider
Anger and grace tame the waves
Rising San Diego surf star Chris O’Rourke died from cancer in 1981. He was so good, surfing photographer Kirk Lee Aeder recently wrote book about him.
Food from the horse’s mouth
So-called behesting, the process by which state and local politicians request — and sometimes pressure — lobbyists and other special interests to give money to their favorite charities, is alive and well in San Diego. ...
Celebration Rock
Thursday 14Mini Apple pop-punk act Motion City Soundtrack rolls into Casbah with the release of their fifth Epitaph disc, Go, which dropped Tuesday into eager emo hands. The quintet has been hitting it since 1997 ...
Remnants of the Sun and Moon
D.H. Lawrence believed that the earth and sky gods are still with us, active in what he called our “blood consciousness,” but have been repressed by Christian “education.” In his novel The Plumed Serpent, two ...
Will Brain Damage Kill Football?
The Fate of the Tobacco Industry May Provide a Blueprint
Professional football takes a blow to the head. Military combat personnel in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars may suffer the same kind of brain damage as professional football players.
One Day Rhett Miller's Gonna Take Off
Songs about big regret for the terminally hip is Rhett Miller at his worst. But at his best he’s like that person in your creative-writing class back in college who always had better plot lines ...
Where God Is Always Happy
The doctor, on the phone, suggests to the patient that she breathe through her…posterior?
The Big Noise: The Free Speech Fight of 1912, Part Four
Free-speech protesters got the fire hose.
San Diego city officials turned the fire hose on free-speech protesters — not last year, but 100 years ago.
Palisades Presbyterian Church
Interview with pastor Harvey Throop of Palisades Presbyterian Church in Allied Gardens.
Not Forgotten
I love the way the black ants use their dead. They carry them off like warriors on their steel backs. They spend hours struggling, lifting, dragging (it is not grisly as it would be for ...
June 7 Crossword Contenders
Flo Abena, Rancho Penasquitos, 3. AD Albright, San Diego, 3. * Mary Arana, Encinitas, 3. There once was a gator named Zappy, Who always appeared very happy. He had a big grin, Til dinner stepped ...
June 7 Sudoku Contenders
Evil Susan Avery, Escondido, 3. Carl Baltrunas, Milpitas, 3. Bliss Beedle, Encinitas, 3. Felix E Charfaurs, San Diego , 3. Joseph Ciprian, Little Italy, 3. Larry Clark, Clairemont, 3. Paula Davis, Spring Valley, 3. Patrick ...
Tuesday, June 12
Catalina's Lonely Peaks
One of seven islands in the Channel Island archipelago, Catalina lies 22 miles due west off Los Angeles. It doesn’t surprise me that the Victorian botanist-poet Blanche Trask took up residence there; it hadn’t been ...
Berkeley City Club: A California Classic
Smack dab in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Berkeley stands Julia Morgan’s “Little Castle.” Old hotels hold a certain allure for me, and the Berkeley City Club is no exception. The stone ...
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Name: Allie Carrera Age: 22 Occupation: Teaching abroad (Guatemala) Where Interviewed: Barnes and Noble, Hazard Center What are you reading? “The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. I saw the movie, and I was really interested ...
Time to Assess Your Work/Life Balance?
Does your life seem like drudgery? Do you feel tired and burned out? Are you easily upset or angry? Or is your life filled with happiness and positive thoughts? Are you excited at the prospect ...
Amsterdam’s True(r) Colors
Living in the U.K. has its advantages – among them is being able to hop on a plane at a moment’s notice and arrive in a foreign country an hour later. We decided to visit ...
Monday, June 11
My Kids See Me More Often Than the Babysitter Now
Teresa Arreola says there may come a time when you have to set your pride aside to make the kind of changes that last. Tell me what you do for a living. I’m a pharmacy ...
Sunday, June 10
Score Your Own Business
In this economy it’s not easy to find a job, but starting your own business could be even tougher — unless you receive advice. Oh sure, you can take advice from your Uncle Mort on ...
The Power of Positive Feedback
No one enjoys making mistakes in day-to-day job duties, but mistakes do happen, and it never seems to get any easier to accept them. Perhaps the reason for that is because every mistake you make ...
Saturday, June 9
First Hour at the San Diego County Fair
Margaret Austin of Escondido was the first person in line at the fair's front gate and said she has been for at least the past 25 years. She woke up at 3:00 a.m. to board ...
Clairemont Sinkhole Scare Over
By the end of the morning rush hour on June 8, a city road crew came and went, leaving three more cones around what seemed to have been a developing sinkhole on the 4900 block ...
Hopping and Crawling through Dublin
“I don’t know where they went. There are usually plenty of them here.” My Servas host in Dublin had driven me up to Phoenix Park overlooking Dublin to see the herd of deer that could ...
Hyderabad: A Taste of Southern India
Hyderabad, India, located in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, is a juxtaposition of old and new unlike any other city in India and often overlooked as a tourism destination. The 400-year-old Cyberabad district with ...
Friday, June 8
Sinkhole Watch in Clairemont
Just after 5 p.m. on June 7, San Diego police officers arrived on the 4900 block of Acuna Drive, where a resident had discovered a sinkhole in front of her home's driveway. Officers confirmed that ...
San Diego County Library Receives National Award
On June 5, the San Diego County Library system earned the Gale Library Journal “2012 Library of the Year Award.” The group (LIbrary Journal and Gale, which produces reference sources for libraries) affirmed the library’s ...
Bloom, by Beach House
The thing about Beach House is that you know what you are getting. You know styles won’t strain, and that is the beauty of the dream-pop duo’s fourth album, Bloom. Sure, it is more polished ...
Beach Boys Foster Good Vibrations in Chula Vista
The Beach Boys reunited for a 50th Anniversary Tour that stopped on a brisk and breezy May evening at Cricket Amphitheatre in Chula Vista. But the chill wind could not take away from the "good ...
Thursday, June 7
The Claims of the Christian Religion
As a matter of fact, Jesus Christ died that sinners might be reconciled to God, and in that sense He died for them; that is, to furnish them with the means of averting Divine justice, ...
Down-home Door County, Wisconsin
The original French explorers and fur trappers who came upon the treacherous waters separating Washington Island from the mainland of Door County, Wisconsin, called it “Doors of Deaths.” Today, the waters do sometimes delay campers ...
Wednesday, June 6
Is That a Woman He's Beating Up Like That?
One night in Hillcrest
A good Samaritan stops a beating and recalls the lessons taught to her by her grandmother.
Zelda's Place
The waiter at Street Side Thai Kitchen set the Garden Fish ($19.95) down in the middle of the table. A crispy orb peeked from beneath a fringe of cilantro. Freshly sliced tomatoes lined one side ...
Prometheus: A Lurching Carnival of Budget Blasts
Years in development, Ridley Scott’s Aliens prequel Prometheus flaunts many roots, from epic themes sucked out of 2001: A Space Odyssey to the inevitable, awful ick-with-teeth (Aliens and its progeny). There is a dull nod ...
Our Dad Was Marco
“We grew up in there. Five sisters. Kitchen slaves!”
Three sisters — former “kitchen slaves” — opened their Cafe Di Roma in Imperial Beach.
Family Physics
First it was David and Liam who disappeared into the other room. Sean was next, followed by Heather a few minutes later and my mother not long after. “You’ve got to make him stop,” Jane ...
Beyond the Song
A soundman is tasked with making a live concert sound like a recording, whether the stage environment is an open space in a rainstorm or a room the size of a walk-in closet. Kris Poulin ...
Snow White and the Huntsman: Less for Fairy Tale Fans Than Action Buffs
As Queen Ravenna, the vicious usurper in Snow White and the Huntsman, Charlize Theron looks so fabulous that her Oscar-winner, Aileen Wuornos in Monster, seems almost another species. An empress of narcissism, Ravenna insists on ...
Afghanistan, Love, Regret
Khaled Waleh, owner of Zia’s Afghan Café in North Park, gives the reporter his dad’s phone number in Parwan province.
How Do You Do? Mayer Hawthorne
If you’re going to do ’60s- and ’70s-style soul in 2012, you’d better be good. More than that, you need to sing soul like you mean it. For that reason, I was not won over ...
Whitneybutler’s Blog
She’s white, doesn’t speak Spanish, goes to a Mexican’s party, and someone there calls her a “wetback.” Huh?
This Is the One with the Most Supple Flow: Moonrise Kingdom
Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom opens with Benjamin Britten’s “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.” The tactic, like the music, is inspired. The kids of the Bishop family listen to the vinyl LP, and their imaginations ...
Can’t grow a meth plant. Killer tomatoes, however...
Can you grow a smokable crystal-meth plant by sprinkling the “devil’s dandruff” on an ordinary plant while it grows? Can you, can you?
The Big Noise: The Free Speech Fight of 1912, Part Three
Way before Occupy San Diego, free speech activists got carted off to jail in 1912.
Sycamore Canyon/Goodan Ranch
Less crowded, unique and beautiful wildlands make this a good place to explore.
Monday Is the New Thursday
Thursday 7Tin Can Ale House stages SanFran big band Still Flyin’ tonight. The conductor of this shape-shifting collective is Sean Rawls, whose song “Never Gonna Touch the Ground” has become a rallying cry for the ...
Small Talk
“Frankness at all counts is the means to a healthy marriage.”
A Pinter sampler at North Coast Rep; Brilliant Mistake at New Village Arts
The Talented Malcontents of Circa
The term “supergroup” was already old when Time got around to explaining it to their readers in 1974. Having been coined in 1969 to market the British band Blind Faith (Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ric ...
They Aren't Promoters
Red Wizard gets booted off the band lineup following an article in the Reader.
San Diego Economy: Where’s the Oomph?
Is low home-ownership an indication of San Diego’s stagnant economy?
The Intouchables, A Less Sentimental Driving Miss Daisy
Through his career, François Cluzet has been chased by a resemblance to Dustin Hoffman. In a restrained French way, he might be as talented. I would rather view again his quadriplegic Philippe in The Intouchables ...
The Zen Of Housework
I look over my shoulder down my arms to where they disappear under water into hands inside pink rubber gloves moiling among dinner dishes. My hands lift a wine glass, holding it by the stem ...
Richard Meltzer's New Gig
Rock critic Richard Meltzer talks about his former columnist gig at the Reader and his new project with Mike Watt: Spielgusher.
Letters
Steamed ’Shrooms This is a comment on “In San Diego, It’s a Free-for-All,” page 20 of the May 31 Reader, by Siobhan Braun. That woman irritates the hell out of me. Every other mention of ...
May 31 Crossword Contenders
Flo Abena, Rancho Penasquitos, 2. AD Albright, San Diego, 2. Mary Arana, Encinitas, 2. Geoff Armour, Carlsbad, 2. Martha Awdziewicz, Clairemont, 2. L. Barling, El Cajon, 2. Johanna Barry, Pine Valley, 2. Evelyn Bowser, Hillcrest, ...
May 31 Sudoku Contenders
Evil Susan Avery, Escondido, 2. * Carl Baltrunas, Milpitas, 2. There was a young lady from Spain, Who always asked of the rain, "Where did it fall?" On the ground, if at all, Or mainly ...
Tuesday, June 5
At the World’s End: Lake Tōya, Japan
Lake Tōya in Hokkaidō, Japan, is a small tourist resort nestled among mountains and active volcanoes. Known for its serene landscape and relaxing onsen spas, it also has a darker side; in 2000, the majestic ...
Brian Bilbray Apologizes to Mira Mesa
On Monday evening, June 4, the Mira Mesa Town Council hosted congressman Brian Bilbray, who fielded questions from residents in attendance for the monthly council meeting. Bilbray opened the 40-minute Q&A session with an apology ...
San Diego Sheriff’s New Car Reads License Plates Fast
On June 4, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department unveiled a new “automatic license plate reader car” that will be based out of the department’s Valley Center substation. “This car has the ability to read ...
Sunday, June 3
Sweetwater Union High School District Borrowing on Bond Funds?
At the June 11 Sweetwater Union High School District’s board meeting, Fran Brinkman and other members of her group (which reported corruption concerns to the district attorney) will ask trustees: What is going on with ...
Salt Point State Park: Hidden California Coast
From Moro Rock to the memorable Bixby Creek Bridge, beauty abounds along the Pacific Coastal Highway in the form of uninterrupted expansive views extending to the beryl-blue horizon. The road from Pismo Beach to Half ...
Saturday, June 2
Enchanting Chiang Mai
The Thai rainy season greeted me in the form of monks in flowing orange robes holding little umbrellas. Their smiles beamed at me through the thick mist as I sauntered through the old section of ...
Media Men and News Babes Gather, Gobble, Report on San Diego County Fair
A preview of this year's San Diego County Fair in Del Mar was hosted Friday night, June 1, along the midway of the fairgrounds. The exclusive invitee list included hundreds of local members of the ...
Friday, June 1
False Alarms on Post Office Closures
Earlier this month, the United States Postal Service announced that it had withdrawn its plan to close hundreds of post offices around the country. Two San Diego County post offices were on the list, as ...
Shortcuts - Josh Elam
Car: 1993 Toyota 4-Runner V6 4WD Previous cars: 1988 Mustang GT, 1992 Mustang LX, 1988 Mustang 5.0 Notchback, 1973 Ford F100, 1997 E39 BMW 540i. How’s your commute? About 25 minutes from Rancho San Diego ...
Satan Said Dance — Clap Your Hands at Casbah
Hailed as the hottest unsigned act in 2005, the Brooklyn-via Philly Clap Your Hands Say Yeah kicked off their current North American tour with a first-rate performance in front of a sold-out crowd at the ...
G Is for Deep, by Doseone
Doseone has played many parts over his 25-year career. He's been an avante-garde philosopher for Deep Puddle Dynamics, memento mori muser with Germany-Oakland hybrid 13 & God, psych-spellbinder through Subtle, and something entirely new and ...
