Happy housewives and Mad Men, good for business.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department is testing out three new patrol vehicles to replace the Ford Crown Victoria police squad car. Last week, one prototype — a Dodge Charger — could be seen driving …

A Tijuana citizens group, Los Integrantes de la Coalición Pro Puerta México (Coalition for the Port of Mexico) met in Plaza Viva Tijuana a few days ago to petition for the permanent opening of the …

Old Tiger’s Dustin Lothspeich, hung up on Mitt’s money.

San Diego ska band Buck-O-Nine turns 20 years old.

DJ Tayari Howard launches web-based jazz-radio stations KKSD and KBLK.

Ed unhinges his jaw and attacks a sandwich at Rubicon Deli. One of the most popular, says Caesar, is called the “Rich Boy.” (“Like a Po’ Boy, but better.”)

Columnist Patrick Daugherty tries to hunt down a a Beretta M9 for sale.

Okay, I completed my Handgun Safety Certification exam and fired 20 rounds out the front end of a Beretta M9 without injury to any living thing. Guiding me all the while was an entity I’ll …

In a way, the Fire Eaters are the next generation of San Diego soul and acid jazz.

Jazz nightspot Dizzy’s found a new home in the showroom at San Diego Jet Ski Rentals in P.B.

The octopus is an intelligent creature with some amazing abilities. It can squeeze its boneless body through tight spaces. It can crawl along the bottom of the ocean floor or suddenly switch on its built-in …

Wine country rides in San Diego’s backcountry.

Hobos' hot meals; patients' pot cards; kids' tough cars.

Brian Bilbray, Republican candidate for the 52nd congressional district on the November 6 ballot, was a no-show at a scheduled forum hosted by the Ocean Beach Town Council on October 24. With Bilbray absent, Scott …

A tree-shaded trail with bucolic vistas leads to a world-class observatory.

Will you map the distance from Mia and Kerry’s place to the theater?” I called to David from the bathroom, where I was busy patting my head with wet hands to de-frizz my hair. “Why?,” …

Presidio Hill, the “Plymouth Rock of the West” is also the “cradle of golf in San Diego.”

Two Cow Garage is exactly the sort of pun-ish band name that one might expect to emanate from the farm country of Ohio, which is where they are from. Other pop-culture writers bag them as …

San Diegans wanting to entrust their money to glib securities peddlers can go to school on the Schoolers — Lou and John Schooler. Lou owns Western Financial Planning Corporation, which has been charged with running …

It was billed as the U.S.-Mexico Border Mayors Association’s third annual “Binational Summit,” an “opportunity for mayors from across the border to…collaborate on topics that affect border communities of Mexico and the United States, and …

Jim Grant lies low as a white City truck drives north on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. Once it’s out of sight, he picks up a hand broom and sweeps the dust from a park bench made …

How much should a police flashlight cost? San Diego sheriff Bill Gore is looking for a deal to buy a total of 1800 Bayco TAC330B “nightstick tactical lights,” which retail for about $40, over three …

Cold in the earth — and the deep snow piled above thee, Far, far, removed, cold in the dreary grave! Have I forgot, my only Love, to love thee, Severed at last by Time’s all-severing …

Rehashed Hype The Reader falls to ever-lower depths of journalistic depravity and squalor as exemplified by Matt Potter’s hatchet job on the Romney family. Mr. Potter is lower than a snake. The first page of …

Man/woman meets a man/woman who is no good for him/her.

Believe it or not, it wasn't the grand allure of the luxurious Queen Mary ocean liner that prompted me to stay there recently. Nor was it the many historically fascinating facts attributed to its name. …

Transylvania, land of Dracula and part of the Austro-Hungarian empire for more than 1,000 years, is today in the isolated region of north-central Romania. It's been said that Transylvania sits on one of Earth's strongest …

Solemnly swearing, to swear as an oath to you who have somehow gotten to be a pale old woman; swearing, as if an oath could be wrapped around your shoulders like a new coat: For …

Dozens of sailboats gathered off Shelter Island in Point Loma on Monday morning, October 29. They were preparing to start the 20th annual Baja Ha Ha race. According to the Port of San Diego website, …

One of the foothills at the north end of Santee seems to be sprouting large Easter eggs. Just off the road and up the hill from the 10000 block of Healy Way, five large boulders …

For as long as I can remember, I have had a fascination with cemeteries – be it their peaceful, yet morbid exteriors or the fact that I'll probably wind up in one someday. I never …

In Paradise Valley, overlooking the 70,900-acre Agua Fria National Monument, is the Cosanti gallery, studio and home to 93-year-old anti-materialist architect and urban planner Paolo Soleri. It isn’t surprising that this author of six books, …

An unprecedented board of ethics meeting took place in Chula Vista on October 24. The audience — which came to the hearing regarding a complaint filed against council member Pamela Bensoussan — was so large …

A sexual assault suspect was captured in Ocean Beach early on the morning of October 28, hiding out in the backyard of the victim he allegedly had just attacked. The victim was reportedly sleeping on …

Since news broke last week of the cremated remains of Henry Renaud Lefebvre found at the OB Suds Car Wash on Voltaire Street, the story has circled the world. It was reported that the owner …

“I always wanted to do something fun with my life, and now that’s exactly what I do.”

A group of hikers has filed a new suit challenging the legality of the U.S. Forest Service’s practice of requiring “Adventure Pass” fees to access what the bureau deems “high impact recreation areas” in four …

Shortly after the rainfall on the weekend of Oct. 19–21, Vista’s (southeastern) Buena Creek area and western Vista, near S. Santa Fe Avenue, were invaded by thousands of small cone-shaped snails. The terrestrial gastropod mollusks …

After traveling via train from Florence for two hours, we arrived safely in Milan. We were grateful that the city seemed much cooler than Italy's more southern cities we had recently visited. While Milan is …

The long-term practice in Mexico of charging customers for a liter of fuel when only 900 ml of fuel (or less) is actually dispensed is now prohibited and expected to change starting today, October 26. …

After two years of invitations, I finally made it to Africa to visit my friend Moses, a Maasai elder, at his village in Kenya. That first night, while sitting around a fire, he offered to …

My ten-year-old service dog Ginger and I exited the car recently at a quiet local park. She was at my 9:00 heel position as we walked the 20 feet to our regular shaded spot that …

Why would a company ask questions specifically designed to probe a potential employee’s honesty? The answer is that employers are experiencing a great deal of employee theft. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that employee …

Breaking out of Amsterdam can be a difficult task, as there's so much to see in the vibrant city. In fact, it took me numerous visits to finally venture outside the capital. If you're looking …

Blak and Blu, the debut full-length from Gary Clark Jr., has an aggravated hive of buzz about it. With premier slots at music festivals and a well-received EP, Clark has the weight on his shoulders …

Most artists 35 years into their career have long since slipped into something more comfortable, like complacency. Not so for Paul Weller, as his latest, Sonik Kicks, proves he continues to push his own musical …

A 25-year-old Ocean Beach woman was punched in the eye with an object, groped from behind, and was being dragged away in broad daylight on the morning of October 17 in an attempted rape incident. …

On October 24 around 4:00 p.m., a woman name Marsha heard a loud explosion near her second-floor condo in the 2300 block of Hosp Way, in Carlsbad's Grove condominiums. She went outside and saw black …

El Chaparral, Mexico’s new port of entry adjacent to San Ysidro, opened yesterday, October 24, on a test basis, with a connecter road running along the Mexican-side border fence from Interstate 5 heading west to …

Ivory tower educators tell us that you should not go to college just to enhance your career-earning power. Yet, most of us don’t reside in ivory towers. Reality in the United States dictates that people …

I braved Carmageddon II on a September Saturday and visited L.A. to explore the individual creations of two iconoclastic L.A. visionaries. Located in vastly different sections of L.A., the Watts Towers and Eames House represent …

Related to the presidential candidate by blood and religion; each traveling separate roads. On a sultry day in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in July 1846, 496 Mormon men, accompanied by many wives, children, and at least …

It took five deputies, four bean-bag rounds, one taser, and a dog to extract a renter from an apartment in Vista, according to recent testimony in San Diego’s North County Superior Court. Toshio Suzuki, then …

Cross seven access bridges to San Diego’s historical streetcar routes on this downtown loop walk that blends the present with the past.

When it comes to a good hand-crafted cocktail, according to the bar manager at Beaumont’s Eatery, Gavin McManes, the trick is in the treat. “Anytime someone comes into my bar, I’m basically treating them as …

Political party: fun and games associated with Obama and Romney.

The columnist attends a California handgun certification course.

Ira Aldridge Players' The Gospel at Colonus; The Sugar Witch at OnStage.

Jason Lee of Oceanside started doing Kiss tributes 36 years ago. “I remember being six years old and putting the pillows in a semicircle around the couch like a stage. I would air drum with …

Videos for new songs by Writer — “Hot Days” and a cover of Santigold’s “Disparate Youth” — from their upcoming full-length Brotherface (due October 30), are streaming online, both directed by E. Lee Smith. The …

Ed Bedford and Elmer Niederfrank’s ghost approve of the ice cream being made in National City.

Name: Sarah D. Car: 2010 Nissan Versa Like it? I love it! What do you like about it? The seats are the most comfortable thing in the entire world. They’re squishy. It also gets really …

Tijuana’s All My Friends fest goes international this year, inviting bands from Long Beach, Brooklyn, San Diego...

Members of Calexico, who called themselves Spoke at first and put out an album of the same name in 1996, are, in truth, from Tucson. “To live here,” Arizona-based singer and Calexico collaborator Marianne Dissard …

"I play melodic pop-rock music,” says Vista singer/songwriter Wendy Bailey. “Think Foo Fighters with an Annie Lennox-ish type lead voice. I’ve had comparisons like Velocity Girl, Liz Phair, and Jimmy Eat World.” Originally from Colorado, …

If I were asked to describe myself using ten adjectives, “tact” would not be among them. So it was that, upon being introduced to a young man at the opening reception for David’s latest photographic …

It has to be weird to be John Lydon. I once saw Public Image Ltd. play in San Francisco and after a few songs, Lydon stormed offstage because people in the front row were spitting …

“I recently finished my first solo record, and I’m going under the name A Veil,” says Chapter 14 singer/guitarist Chad Ackerman. Ackerman was still attending San Marcos High School when he joined As I Lay …

La Casita Mexican Diner has a new owner offering new riffs on Mexican food.

What happened with Ladybird Johnson’s Highway Beautification Act? How do fleas breed? How much do political ads cost candidates?

I lost my job, my wife, my car, and I’m now homeless. I’m trying to stay sober. I’m hoping generous San Diegans will pass a few bucks my way to help me out until I …

In an old New Yorker cartoon, a judge on a high bench peers down imperiously at a disheveled, scraggly-faced defendant. Intones the judge, “Crime doesn’t pay at your level.” For decades, that mindset has epitomized …

As the election approaches, joblessness continues to bedevil America, but in San Diego an impressive number of lobbying gigs are up for grabs. Rady Children’s Hospital is currently on the prowl for a new vice …

Early this year, James Marshall filed a complaint with the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System’s Taxi Administration about rude and negligent service he received from a cabdriver. The agency sent a copy of the complaint …

San Diego State University is looking to close a slightly different kind of deal than that of the political variety. With Democratic governor Jerry Brown warning of severe cuts to taxpayer-subsidized education unless voters approve …

Yun Tow or Tun Yow? This concerns your Unforgettable feature in the October 18 issue (“The Trail of Torment on Gold Mountain”). This is about the Chinaman Ah Chee and his quest to save his …

How to make an apple galette with Cortland and Pink Pearl apples.

Untitled Our cries, she used to say Would scratch the moon’s windowpanes And scrape the corners of tombstones which milked the moon My mother set the long slope of her back against us to interrogate …

It is simply labeled "Blues" — a jazzy three-note riff played four times before landing on the tonic. And then again, with a minor crescendo. This is the iPhone tune that wakes me up at …

The San Diego City Council on October 23 unanimously approved the mayor's appointment of Jeff Graham as Civic San Diego's new president. Graham had been vice president of redevelopment at the disbanded Centre City Development …

The Apple Tree Market, located at at 4949 Santa Monica Avenue in Ocean Beach, was recently given a “failed inspection” notice to post in their window — as required by county law — after being …

Shortly before 3:00 p.m. on Monday, October 22, the San Diego Police Department received a report of a robbery from the Sixth Avenue Pharmacy, located at 2121 Fifth Avenue, downtown. By 3:15, half a dozen …

A hot sun overhead, we roll into Coupeville in the early afternoon and stop in at Toby’s Tavern on the town’s historic port waterfront. The bartender, a raspy woman in a Harley-Davidson vest, lists off …

There is a family somewhere near the Colombian Caribbean coast who have a novel way of caring for their elderly, infirm grandfather. Supposedly, along the banks of the river Magdalena, the very same river that …

Residents angered by the Chula Vista City Council’s vote to change the general plan to accommodate a 284-condo/rental development are gathering forces. At an October 17 meeting, residents opposed to the Lake Pointe development said …

One of the most recognizable advertising logos in the world is Col. Harlan Sanders for KFC. This is pretty much the extent of what most people know about the Kentucky Colonels, though some have an …

Approximately 50 activists reportedly left a message in the sand for Mitt Romney on Saturday, October 20 in La Jolla. With the days counting down to the presidential elections, some politically inclined beachgoers wrote out …

Manuel Escobedo passed away last Tuesday, an event that might not have gone unnoticed except that the transition of Calle Sexta (or "La Sexta,” as it is now known) occurred while Don Manuel was living …

With the October 18 public release of thousands of possible child-abuse case files held by the national Boys Scouts of America, including some cases here in San Diego, local scout leaders are reacting. I talked …

On the eastern slope of Japacha Peak, in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, is the location of a little known and most unusual monument anywhere in San Diego County. This piece of history began 90 years …

An easy 1.5-hour train ride from Rome got us into Florence midday. After gathering our bearings (and a map), we set off to drop our bags off at our flat before exploring the city. We …

The first meeting that Ed Brand presided over since being appointed superintendent of the Sweetwater Union High School District took place on October 15. Brand sought board approval for a conflict-of-interest bylaw change. His proffered …

There is an old Russian folktale that says that in days gone by, young married couples were locked inside a granary shed for privacy during their wedding night. True or not, it’s a story that …

Not sure you have any examples, stories, or incidents that are applicable? Nonsense. Everything that has happened to you in your professional life is a story.

As part of an on-going concert series sponsored by Filter magazine, Divine Fits rolled into San Diego for the first time with a free set for anyone willing to brave a late Monday night. Though …

When it comes to writing catchy tunes and melodies that get buried deep in one’s skull, not many bands do it as well as Dr. Dog. Their performance at 4th&B proved that they're also a …

The famous title track scared the shit of me as a kid, still alarms me, and was, of course, meant that way. The “aqualung,” I’ve finally decided, signifies the title wino’s capacity to live under …

The San Diego woman identified by sheriff's deputies as a suspect in the death of 28-year-old Victor Saucedo — found shot to death at the Mariners Point apartments in Imperial Beach on October 16 — …

You may aspire to be the next John Coleman, that wacky KUSI weather guy who also created the Weather Channel.

When my cousin Natalie and I left the Monkey Forest Inn villas in Ubud to stay in a different villa for her birthday, I had no idea the adventure I was in for – as …

San Diego restaurants taste-tested for you. Eats for Freelancers | Spirit of Family Dinnertime | More Than Dish or Deal | Accessible Gourmet | Lunchtime in Kearny Mesa | Fried Chicken | Restaurants to Try At Least Once

Town and Country Resort and Convention Center hosts a smallish comic convention put on by originators of Comic-Con.

It’s summertime in Seattle and the sun is shining as i cruise lakeside to where the Gaytons meet Leschi Lincoln Park First A.M.E. We gather together to greet the heirs of John Thomas (JT) and …

Drummer Bill Ray complains about the house electronic drum kit that Viejas’ V Lounge mandates all drummers use. It’s busted, Ray says. No, it’s not, says Viejas.

“I was reading Stephen King and a lot of that kind of stuff at the time, and I wrote a bunch of fiction songs,” Vaden Todd Lewis once told me about a song he wrote …

This is the age of the rock-star DJ. Where once anonymous technicians lurked behind turntables and electronics, now there are household names (more or less) with trademarked haircuts and masks. These guys (and they are …

"I’m a comedic singer-songrhymer,” says Rob Deez, “which basically means that I can appeal to many different audiences. The comedic side fits in at comedy shows, the singer side works at coffee shops and bars, …

Even if it weren’t my job to go out and look for new places to eat, I still wouldn’t be able to eat the same thing over and over again. I rarely visit any place …

The background photo on my brother’s iPod shows a plate of fried chicken and waffles from Roscoe’s up in Los Angeles. Before dining there, he had never enjoyed the two foods together, and he was …

You have every right to instantly like WWW when you read their Facebook bio: “Sounds like Elvis on acid buttf!!!ing Brian Wilson in the face.” Then you see the genre listed as “Rolling down a …

Nowadays, I spend much of my time eating in restaurants or locked up in my office documenting those experiences. But before I wrote my first word about food, most of my time was spent in …

At midnight, Rufus Porter heard footsteps on the porch, then a knock on his bedroom door. Frightened faces told all.

Zumba classes are more than “Here’s my butt, here’s my butt.”

Places where food is created with care, where the service is warm and welcoming, and where you can relax and reconnect with family and friends.

Every so often I find myself confronted by a seemingly innocuous phrase that rubs me the wrong way. This week, the offending line is “Don’t let it get to you,” a sentiment that simultaneously comforts …

There are some places that you kinda take to heart. They’re more than the dish or the deal. Something clicks about the people and the place, and you want to come back and be a part of it. These are just some.

I’m just an average guy who likes to eat, cook, and travel. Food is the window through which I see the world. It’s through various cuisines that I learn about history and culture. It’s the …

Sometime prior to Labor Day weekend (September 1–3), orange safety pylons, connected with yellow caution tape, were placed in the Cardiff Park N Ride lot on Birmingham Drive at I-5. The pylons blocked off 11 …

This spectacular hike showcases San Diego’s skyline, Coronado, and the bay.

Jouster Jeffrey Hedgecock of Ramona is one of three Medieval armourers in the U.S.

A roundup of eateries that are open when you, the hardworking foodie freelancer, need them to be.

Vokab Kompany and other San Diego bands sign on to do jingles for Metropolitan Transit District.

UCAN director Michael Shames neutered the consumer watchdog organization by skimming over $400,000 in “intervenor fees,” among other dubious tactics.

The voice on the phone warned the woman to watch herself and not to go to sleep at night. The man asked if she had “any last words” and said, “Nobody can help you.” The …

Interview with Wilbert “Wilk” Miller of First Lutheran Church of San Diego, in its 125th year.

Incredibly Slanted I’m calling about the article “Deported” in your October 11 issue. Not only is it incredibly slanted, but it absolutley makes no sense, and here’s what I mean. Elizabeth Gonzalez paid a coyote …

Can you believe yourself into a success, or at least a role as a leader? Yes, you can, if you believe a study out of the University of California’s Haas School of Business. The study …

Portugalia, the now-closed Portuguese restaurant and pub located at 4839 Newport Avenue is on the auction block. Signs promoting a "quiet auction" are posted in several places in front of the former business that was …

Before Katrina devastated New Orleans, the State of Alabama sent me and two other newly appointed law clerks to attend a conference there. We were given a pre-paid twin room at the Hotel Monteleone (for …

It was an organic farm in the Tijuana River Valley pitted against the United States Navy. They weren’t fighting over pesticides or aircraft noise pollution. Instead, what got Congressman Bob Filner involved was a fight …

U-Haul drama occurred on October 13 at around 10:00 a.m. as an Arizona-license-plated moving van got stuck in the street near the 4400 block of Mentone Street in the Midway District. The steeply inclined dip …

Many people are largely unfamiliar with how important Franz Joseph Haydn was to classical music. He is called the “Father of the Symphony” and “Father of the String Quartet,” yet he is not as well …

Before summer began, Carlsbad installed five new pedestrian crosswalks on oceanfront Carlsbad Boulevard, between Tamarack and Sycamore avenues. Each crossing is well marked, with a pedestrian-safe, raised median in the middle of the busy four-lane …

A stabbing victim was pulled from the crowd in the beer garden at the Ocean Beach Oktoberfest on Friday evening, just 30 minutes before the first “Citizens’ Patrol” was launched. The Citizens' Patrol was organized …

A major power outage struck Baja on the afternoon of October 12, knocking out electrical power in Tijuana, Rosarito, Ensenada, and San Felipe. A CFE (Comisión Federal de Electricidad) press bulletin stated that some 760,000 …

Vault Combat Academy on Newport Avenue offered a free self-defense class on October 11. Women who had been to an O.B. Woman's Club meeting and a citizens’ patrol meeting earlier in the week showed up …

Fresh out of the chute as new superintendent of the Sweetwater Union High School District, Ed Brand recently sought to remove all of the members of the Proposition O Bond Oversight Committee, save one — …

If anyone were to give credit for making it “cool” to play banjo again, that credit would be due to Mumford & Sons. Since appearing on the Grammys in 2011 with Bob Dylan, the quartet …

Peter Gabriel arrived in San Diego to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his commercial breakthrough album So. Beginning with a short yet stunning acoustic set that featured such highlights as “Shock the Monkey” and “Come …

I’m in love with a dead man. Honestly, if there ever was a Man of Men to pine for, it would be Cabot Yerxa, who died three years after I was born. Not only was …

Several San Diego police officers arrived at Azucar bakery/café on Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach on October 9 at around noon. Two patrol cars parked in the adjacent gas-station parking lot; two more police cars …

As a filmmaker setting out to do a Giallo (a genre of Italian crime thrillers) short film, I only find it fitting that my picks for Halloween are two standards of this classic Italian film …

It takes little time after heading south from Anchorage to be exposed to some of the most stunning scenery Alaska has to offer. The Seward Highway, connecting Anchorage with the Kenai Peninsula, has been justly …

New on Blu-ray is Drew Goddard’s supremely fun horror-comedy The Cabin in the Woods. Fans of Goddard and his producer Joss Whedon will enjoy their legendary cleverness as well as some beloved actors from the …

For decades, Tijuana’s Taxis Amarillos (Yellow Cab) franchise lot was located a few hundred feet from its greatest source of customers, just north of the U.S. border entryway into Mexico. Thousands of potential clientes every …

"The only good thing that America brought me was my son. I want to stay here in Mexico."

The bar manager at Thrusters Lounge Matthew Compton claims that the Basil Hendricks is a “perfect summer cocktail.” “It’s not something,” he says, “I could see someone drinking in the middle of winter in the …

Hip-hop promoter Reggie Sinatra to bring Talib Kweli to the Show Palace, a Latin-music venue.

A lofty perch offers impressive views of San Pasqual Valley clear to the ocean

Ed Bedford sniffs out the tostilocos (a newish Tijuana street food) in National City.

The Rancho Coastal Humane Society’s military working dog (MWD) memorial is the first of its kind on America's West Coast. Dedicated on April 16, 2011, the monument is to honor "all military working dogs and …

Silent Comedy’s Joshua Zimmerman was a really good kid, alcoholically speaking.

After the poetry reading, Bukowski was supposed to go to a Tea in his honor, yes, a Tea, and cookies, for Bukowski, sponsored by the good people of the nearby First Assimilationist Church, no, no …

I’m Sure, the newest effort from La Jolla–via–Mexico City bedroom-dreamer Twin Cabins (Nacho Cano), is the definitive soundtrack to star-crossed late adolescence. While Cano’s earlier releases explored more introspective, ambient textures, I’m Sure finds footing …

I first saw The Shining when I was 15. My brother and I were trying to find a scary movie, and my mom suggested it. I remember being hesitant because I assumed it would be …

String Theory Scientists are still trying to find out what makes the cosmos tick. I don’t even know what makes my dad work, bright thwarted man that he is, would have outdone us all, had …

Margie’s lived all her life in blue-collar South Boston. Now 30 years since she was a teen, she recounts the fates of former “Southies.” Sheila Sheen od’d. And Marty McDermott’s doing time in Walpole prison. …

Cucina Urbana pastry chef Jack Fisher used to work on the savory side.

Flogging Molly bassist Nathen Maxwell sends cease-and-desist letter to Bunny Gang, alleging they have no rights to the name because he was using it three years ago.

San Diego makes an excellent first impression on blogger Alzano Edullega.

I pulled my bare feet onto the bed and smiled awkwardly at the stranger in the room. David and I watched as the man excavated a shard of glass from behind a sofa cushion. He …

Jeffrey Hedgecock, 43, of Ramona, makes armour. Think knights, Middle Ages, helmets, sallets, breastplates, gauntlets, faulds, greaves, poleyns, spaundlers, the whole deal, tip to toe. Making Medieval armour puts you in an exceedingly select guild. …

The Aero Club on India Street offers 600 whiskeys and 1 apple-pie moonshine.

The demolition of an auto shop in East San Diego brings optimism and worry.

I stood in the balcony to watch the XX play a show in 2010. The British band’s debut record had come out the previous year, and audiences on both sides of the Atlantic were falling …

Lord Howler: the name fits the band. Consider a four-piece hard-rock outfit, two of which are guitars along with drums and bass and all of it performed at a volume setting for those kinds of …

Heymatt:Last September you said that ravens go “somewhere” at the end of the day to go over the day’s events, or something to that effect. I live in Spring Valley and at sunup I see …

The San Diego Association of Realtors has traveled a long and bumpy lobbying road. Last December, it agreed to pay a $500 fine to settle charges brought by the City’s Ethics Commission that it chronically …

These days, it seems any self-respecting superrich neighborhood needs its own political action committee to watch over business in Sacramento. One example is “Residents for a Secure Future, Sponsored by the Rancho Santa Fe Association.” …

In the past several months, the initiative to stop corporate and union payroll deductions for political purposes has taken a drubbing up and down California. Appearing as Proposition 32 on the ballot for the November …

U-T San Diego Publisher Doug Manchester pushes for a Tenth Avenue terminal football stadium. But the numbers suggest San Diego would be trading good-paying jobs with low-paying service jobs.

Back To The Cornfields After viewing Fast Times at Ridgemont High in 1982, had a journalist set out to San Diego to get the scoop on surfers for the Des Moines Cityview, would an incredibly …

The opening of a nude-dancing establishment on Bay Boulevard in Chula Vista has caused many Chula Vista residents worry and embarrassment over the past couple days. In an interview on October 8, owner/operator Randy Welty …

The night of October 8 saw the formation of the first meeting of the Ocean Beach Citizens’ Patrol. Over 40 people showed up at the Tower Two Café on Abbott Street to organize themselves into …

It was my final day in Kashgar, China. I had all the photos I needed and was ready for a good meal before catching my flight out, when I noticed a tiny man sitting outside, …

The Hives, a Swedish rock band, performed at the House of Blues downtown on the evening of Monday, October 8. Toward the end of their raucous set, a fight broke out in front of the …

When the plane landed in Macon, our manager had to create a little disturbance to throw us off balance. Sometimes, I think he felt it was his job. “You know, this is the largest card-carrying …

Chula Vista’s bayfront development got a sudden jumpstart October 8 when a new place called EyeCandy opened on Bay Boulevard. The establishment features nude dancers and soft drinks. EyeCandy, visible from the freeway, is located …

I became interested in shark calling when I met shark enthusiasts like myself who had visited the remote island of New Ireland off the coast of Papua New Guinea. I arrived at the village of …

In Playas del Rosarito last week, a Municipal police officer was suspended and is under investigation for extortion, according to various sources, including Tijuana’s daily Frontera and El Vigia. Officer Julio Núñez Ulloa allegedly arranged …

After several days in Berlin, the next stop on our fabulous European adventure was Rome. Neither of us had ever been to Rome before, so we were quite excited to see some of the Eternal …

The pop tendencies of 2009's Merriweather Post Pavilion have been put on the back burner for AnCo's latest release. It's not a bad thing, but c'mon, a little pop can never hurt. What does hurt …

In the twenty-four years of my life I spent in Romania, I never had the occasion to visit a unique place in Transylvania called the Merry Cemetery. So, about two months ago, I called my …

Opening act Washed Out showed how a 1980s synth-pop sound, so in vogue these days, works well live. Despite the mumbled vocals, the textural polyphony of chillwave synthesizer tracks sounded marvelous through the amphitheater’s crystalline …

The average salary in California is $29,000 for a wildland firefighter to $76,000 for a fire management officer.

It's a name-your-own-price auction for an 8400-square-foot custom villa perched on a 140-foot wide oceanfront bluff in La Jolla. New York-based real estate auctioneer Sheldon Good & Company is looking for buyers who might be …

On October 3, the San Diego Democratic Unity Campaign Center hosted a viewing party for the first of three presidential debates at their Kearny Mesa headquarters. Many of the same people showed up who were …

Just north of Salt Point State Park, half way between Point Reyes National Seashore and Fort Bragg along the Pacific Coastal Highway, is a place called Sea Ranch. About 300 of the 1,800 uniformly shingle-clad, …

Over 60 people met at the Ocean Beach Woman's Club on October 3 to discuss the recent sex crimes against women in the community. Ideas were presented on how to make more women aware of …

(Originally appeared as a 9/4/12 blog entry at HuffingtonPost.com.) In 1998, I left a boyfriend who admitted he couldn't commit to anything more than putting food in the cat's bowl. We were in our early …

The manager is interested in your attendance record. Do you frequently call-in sick, arrive late, leave early?

Interviews with San Diego surfers who describe the lengths they go to in search of stoke.

This helicopter, owned by Hummingbirds Helicopters Inc. of Valley Center, was recently conducting an aerial assault on mosquito larvae in ponds along the San Diego River. This particular chopper was spraying larvicide onto the edges …

My college friend Sarah is hitting a milestone birthday this year. The number shall remain secret. The ladies in our dance group want to shower her with gifts, and they’re thinking makeup. “Eve, can you …

Explore an urban canyon with a riparian area and over 100 palm trees.

Residents who live near a proposed development called Lake Pointe in the eastern part of Chula Vista were stunned that the city council voted last week to change the general plan to accommodate a 284 …

Shepard Fairey avoids a six-month prison sentence for lying to prosecutors.

Hardcore rap-rockers Hi Def Dynamite regroup after a decade apart.

Today, out of the 35 shops at Pasaje Gomez, all but two are rented as artists’ spaces, bookstores, cafés, clothing stores, and even a music school.

I thought it would take more than the promise of seeing a few dogs to incentivize making a trip to El Cajon in the middle of a heat wave. The temperature climbs one degree for …

Name: Eddie Long Car: 1956 GMC pickup; 1950 Ford sedan Is this your daily driver? Yes. I also have a ’50 Ford sedan. I’ve had a lot of older cars. What was your favorite car? …

Membership: 50 Denomination: Nondenominational/interdenominational Pastor: Dennis Hodges Age: 57 Born: Chicago Formation: Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL; International Theological Seminary, Bradenton, FL; Ashford University, Clinton, IA Years Ordained: 7 years San Diego Reader: What is …

"I don’t know how it happened.” Ricky Soltero is surprised to see the emergence of both shoegaze and dreampop in the rock clubs along Calle Sexta in downtown Tijuana. He plays there in a band …

Jeanette Bazzell Turner believes there was a conspiracy to kill her former husband Ike Turner.

What are you reading? “The UltraMind Solution, by Dr. Mark Hyman. It’s about a doctor who had a very good diet when he was in college and medical school, but after he graduated and got …

Heymatt:Massage has been an effective therapy for thousands of years. It started a long time before there was a country called “Sweden.” So, how come it’s called “Swedish massage?” — E. Gregor, University City It’s …

Slurpin’ at Pho Vinh Vietnamese Noodle House in deepest Chula Vista.

In writing this last poem I will have to include everything: the contests lost like tears in darkened theaters, the rain stopped on the waxed hood of the ambulance, my wet shoes — even the …

It's freezing, it's dark, it's time for Frisbee golf.

La Jolla Playhouse stages David Mamet's blowtorch comedy Glengarry Glen Ross.

The guys in Dr. Dog aren’t going to set any fashion trends. They aren’t particularly charismatic. They don’t have a sound that fits into a trendy cubbyhole. They don’t have a terribly interesting backstory. They …

Maybe we all hold a certain fascination for bands with offensive names. That, and there always has been, at least on my part, a compulsion to hear the inner voice of a class of people …

Times seem to be getting better for the City of San Diego, judging from a recent “request for quotation” for the cost of presenting free movies in local parks. According to the document, the expense …

The Brew House at Eastlake closed its doors for good a couple days ago, leaving many more San Diegans out of work. On the morning of Monday, October 1, some employees and patrons were surprised …

A lot of top lobbyists, registered to do business at San Diego’s city hall, spent a busy summer shuffling their client lists around. The biggest and most intriguing of the changes, local political insiders say, …

Brains and bucks go together. Cities with the highest percentage of adults with a bachelor’s degree or more tend to enjoy higher household incomes. Look no further than San Diego. On September 20, the American …

A harrowing tale of San Diego’s waterworks bureaucracy.

The real estate market is like underwear.

Groceries & Free Speech I would like to comment on the News Ticker item, “False Arrest and Battery: Lawsuit filed over voter-registration arrest,” regarding a gentleman by the name of Ray Lutz. Apparently, Ray ran …

The San Diego City Council passed an “abatement of abandoned properties” ordinance unanimously on October 2. It makes abandoned properties (structures and empty lots) subject to the same city code sections regulating vacant properties. Vacant …

Venice: the absence of cars and Vespas… well, you just have to be there to understand the city's magic. From our tiny – but not "tony" – locanda (inn) near central San Polo, Kay and …

The new way to walk into Mexico via the San Ysidro route turns out to be pretty simple if one just follows instructions. No less than six bilingual women wearing red, short-sleeved polo shirts are …

In the first century A.D. a Christian mystic named Augustine said, "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read but the first page." Those words have guided a great deal of …

A survey suggests that you can have a separate set of morals for working than living.

The 2800-acre Shockey Fire, which started on Sunday afternoon, September 23, destroyed 25 buildings and took one life. The devastation is heartbreaking. The neighborhood of Tierra del Sol in Boulevard was hardest hit, with up …