Food trucks cause concern near San Marcos elementary school
John T. Griffith 5:14 p.m., May 22
Stories for March 2013
Saturday, March 30
Cardiff Kooks Café to become Flat Rock
Cardiff by the Sea’s popular Kooks Café at 2121 San Elijo Avenue, named after the town’s famed surfing statue, has closed. The restaurant’s owner, who also owns several other restaurants including the Swami’s Cafe chain, ...
Friday, March 29
Borrego Springs's Mud Caves
Spelunk away: one of the world's most extensive mud cave formations is just two hours east.
In the geographical wonders of the Anza-Borrego desert, you will find a unique Southern California feature: mud caves, deep caves created by flowing silt from an ancient lake bed, eroded by wind and rain. They're ...
Stolen gasoline sold from vacant lot
An anonymous tip from a caller fearing an "explosion with catastrophic consequences" led to the arrest of four men in Tijuana for allegedly storing stolen gasoline in a residential neighborhood and selling it on nearby ...
Neighbors on Long Branch save rape victim
“We all love each other.”
There is a lot to be said for the exemplary response that several citizens of Ocean Beach exhibited last Sunday night, March 24, when a woman being sexually assaulted on Long Branch Avenue cried out ...
The Specials set the ska bar high at House of Blues
The music, the people watching, and dancing side-by-side to the propulsive classic ska of the Specials at a packed House of Blues performance took listeners back to the 2 Tone ska scene of the late ...
Denitia and Sene: His and Hers
Denitia, a modern-day folkie from Texas, and Sene, a neo-classicist NYC rapper, met by accident and began recording together almost on a whim. They’ve since forged an unlikely union, but the result is nothing like ...
Thursday, March 28
Jaunt up to Northern Ireland
Check off the UK province's must-sees, an easy drive from Dublin.
Ever since the peace accords of 1997, Northern Ireland has enjoyed a bit of a renaissance. Freed from 25 years of conflict, referred to locally as “The Troubles,” Northern Ireland has rebuilt its economy – ...
How Hot Is Your Network?
It's hotter than you probably realize
There are many studies that have been compiled for decades on techniques that people use when they are conducting a job search. The one job search method that has consistently ranked at the top for ...
Río Lagartos — The Yucatan's Natural Side
Wildlife-rich wetlands preserve two hours from Cancun.
When you're in Cancun – and are tired of white sand beaches and turquoise water – drive to Río Lagartos, where you have a chance to see bright pink flamingos, sea turtles, rare birds and ...
Garden of Innocence gets another angel
An abandoned-baby cemetery has another angel watching over its little ones at El Camino Memorial Park after a hand-sculpted bronze statue was permanently placed on the grounds March 25. Carole Lee, of Vista, is a ...
A Career In Fun
San Diego's theme parks employ thousands
San Diego has it all; 300-plus days of sunshine, beautiful sandy beaches, great Mexican food… and theme parks. The world famous San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, Sea World, Legoland, even old-school Belmont Park bring ...
What the sequester means for the border
Mostly bad news
“April is the cruelest month…”, begins the first line of T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Waste Land,” perhaps more aptly retitled “The Wait Land” for the border region. This April, federal budgetary squabbles and sequestration cuts ...
Show Up and Put a Smile On Your Face
The importance of face-to-face networking
For the second in a six-part series about stepping up your job search or job upgrade process, business coach Kate Hanley explains the importance of networking. Last time, we talked about the importance of the ...
Puppy mill protests continue
A group of about 25 puppy mill protesters waved signs and chanted for two hours on March 16 in front of San Diego Puppy, a puppy shop at 5827 Mission Gorge Road. The next protest ...
The Generation Gap Narrows
An unusual connection between the oldest and youngest workers
The workplace generational gap appears to be shrinking – at least among some of the youngest and oldest workers. A new survey by Randstad, a global provider of human resource services, notes the unusual connections ...
Wednesday, March 27
San Diego State's growing contempt for undergrads
Student groans
SDSU’s emphasis seems to be on fundraising; teaching comes second in priority, say some. The money is in research, not teaching.
Air traffic control tower at the Ramona Airport to close
How will they see wildfires in East County?
The threat of the federal government to close the air traffic control tower at the Ramona Airport has caused the County Board of Supervisors to protest. The Federal Aviation Administration had placed the Ramona tower ...
Tecolote Canyon Natural Park
Enjoy a pleasant walk along the southern section of the Tecolote Canyon Nature Park
The Stout's Brasser
If Ireland truly is the Island of Saints and Scholars, then Brothers McCullough, Dan and Nate — the Stout Public House’s own scholars of the dram and ounce — have canonized St. Germain liqueur into ...
The Pork Chop Express was no pleasure cruise
Adventures of San Diego tuna boats in WWII’s Pacific theater.
Stacy Antonel once paralyzed by fear
Stacy Antonel of Ocean Beach won the $10,000 grand prize at the conclusion of the first season of 3 Minutes to Stardom, a local singing competition.
The pull of J.R.R. Tolkien
What are you reading? “I’ve been poring over military history books — those big coffee-table reference books you see in the bargain section of Barnes & Noble. I have a huge one on tanks, one ...
In the San Diego clubs, March 28–April 3
Thursday 28From the “Z Area” of the distant planet Peelander (aka New York City, New York), “Japanese action comic punks” Peelander-Z invade Soda Bar with their seventh studio set, Space Vacation, a record that trades ...
Rough treatment for a charliehorse
Heymatt: Once or twice a year, I will wake to a charlie-horse. In my leg. I always instinctively pound the offending muscle group with my fist. I’d like to know if this is a universal ...
Record-release roundup
The release party for Hills Like Elephants’ new album, Feral Flocks, on the local Requiemme Records label and distributed by BMG/Chrysalis, happens March 29 at Bar Pink. Featuring a dance-centric sound that frontman Sean Davenport ...
Big sisters, little sisters
My sister and I clinked glasses filled with chilled wine (hers a straw-colored chardonnay, mine a blushing rosé) and then leaned back in our chairs with stoned smiles. My eyes wandered the expanse of Jane’s ...
The highest chair in Del Cerro
Matt: Going east along the I-8 before the College turn-off to SDSU, if you look left you will see a giant highchair on the hill below Del Cerro. Or a ladder. Or something. It’s out ...
Starbuck, king of conception
How do you say Neil Simon in French? A professional sperm donor, going by the name Starbuck (Patrick Huard), anonymously fathers what amounts to his own chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada. Eventually, ...
West coast college basketball is a bust
Sportswriter fires team
Watching the humiliation. There’s 4:49 left with the score, Florida Gulf Coast 70, San Diego 52. You can see the wheels falling off the Aztecs’ bandwagon from here. SDSU came into the tournament regarded as ...
Mission Valley’s fiberglass go-go girl
Heymatt: Back in the ’60’s, ’70s, there was a big statue of a go-go girl on a sign in Mission Valley/Grantville that was visible from the 8. I seem to remember that she was all ...
Parasailing with the Evans family
Fresh from a big controversy over who gets to run kayaks at La Jolla Shores, the City of San Diego is now preparing to award an exclusive deal for parasailing operations on Mission Bay. But ...
Food-truck fight in Del Mar
Del Mar City Council delays permitting of food trucks within city limits.
Bluesman Bill Magee turns 70
“You gotta have a passion for it. That’s got to be number one. Number two? You got to be willing to pay your dues by practicing day and night.” We meet up for lunch, Bill ...
Cousins, trash, and influence
Anyone who doubts the politically incestuous nature of San Diego’s old money — still playing a big role at city hall these days — has only to review the family connections of the Evans clan, ...
My Medifast Diet Experience and French Tarts
Dessert binge leads to diet including steak and lobster.
Let's keep those percentages up!
Nordy Customers Everywhere As a Nordstrom employee of many years, I’m a little embarrassed of how [the March 21 cover story] portrays employees to our customers (“100% Commission at Nordstrom”). I feel this is a ...
Excerpt from an address by U.S. Attorney General Benjamin Franklin Butler
He is truly happy, whatever may be his temporal condition, who can call God his Father in the full assurance of faith and hope. And amid all his trials, conflicts, and doubts, the feeblest Christian ...
March 21 Sudoku Contenders
Evil Joe Arbusto, Rancho Penasquitos, 8. Richard Barker, San Diego, 8. Bliss Beedle, Encinitas, 8. Joseph Ciprian, Little Italy, 8. Patrick Driscoll, Santee, 8. Martin Guillen, Oceanside, 8. Butch Hays, La Mesa, 8. Vincent Lee, ...
March 21 Crossword Contenders
Martha Awdziewicz, Clairemont, 8. L. Barling, El Cajon, 8. Johanna Barry, Pine Valley, 8. Evelyn Bowser, Hillcrest, 8. * Marvin A. Brown, Clairemont, 8. Charlotte Brown , Clairemont, 8. Leslie Chase, Campo, 8. * Joseph ...
Tuesday, March 26
Krakow: The “Real” Europe
Street names and more: an analysis of this Old World city's charm.
Krakow is special. Paris is fantastic, but so over-the-top and tourist-oriented that emotional connection is limited. When we arrived in Krakóv, and walked out on the Old Town square (above), my eyes teared up. I ...
Car hits motorcyclist on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard
Hill makes for problem intersection
Driving back from my friend's house on the south side of Ocean Beach on Saturday night, March 23, I came across a police barricade involving seven police cars. They were rerouting traffic as they did ...
More energy-efficiency home funding for Imperial Beach
About 90 homes improved since 2007
Ten homeowners in Imperial Beach will have a chance at energy-efficiency improvements, and six Habitat for Humanity homes will be completed with money from the now-folded redevelopment agencies that the state Department of Finance has ...
Mexico Beach
Escape to a slower pace on Florida's Gulf Goast.
Here’s the thing about Mexico Beach: It’s not in Mexico. It’s on the panhandle 20 minutes south of Panama City and just off the tip of Port St. Joe – a little bit of yesterday ...
A vist to Kael’s Library
“Everyone should be able to read”
On an early morning walk to the bus stop on University Avenue, I happened to notice a green box attached to the fence. In the alleyway on Polk Avenue, between Wilson and 36th, I found ...
Monday, March 25
Sleep cuts into Yani Tseng’s tee time at Carlsbad
Missed chance at defending title
The Ladies Professional Golf Association’s four-day tournament began March 21 at Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad without one of its top players: defending champion Yani Tseng. The 24-year-old Taiwan native has earned more than $9 ...
Encinitas seeks concessionaires for Moonlight Beach
New building to welcome new franchises
With Encinitas’ 4.8-million-dollar rehabilitation of Moonlight Beach and its facilities expected to open in just a few months, one of the final tasks is to choose a concessionaire to operate the food stand and beach-equipment ...
Vail: Not Just a Ski Town
Summertime's when the Rockies shine.
Incorporated in 1962, the five-square-mile town of Vail, Colorado, was named for Charles Vail, the engineer who, in 1940, routed the highway that eventually became I-70 through the valley. It’s 100 miles west of mile-high ...
Saturday, March 23
Border Patrol schedules closure of Friendship Park
Budget cuts to trigger April 7 closure
Friends of Friendship Park, a group with an interest in the unique spot at the southwestern corner of the U.S. where it meets Mexico, is planning to protest the closure of the park, scheduled for ...
Alleged renegade in Jeep crashes cars on Sunset Cliffs
Stolen car tips over in street
The dangers of parking your car on a busy street became clear to some Ocean Beach residents who were woken up at around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, March 22, by the sound of crashing metal. ...
Carlsbad Village to extend restaurants into the street
Reminiscent of European cafés?
Almost a dozen restaurants in the Carlsbad Village area now have permission to extend their dining areas into the street as part of the city’s newly adopted three-year program to introduce “curb cafés.” The parking-lot ...
Friday, March 22
Desert Inspiration in Palm Springs
It makes an ideal place to write, says local author Edward Cozza.
Dreams. Patterns in the clouds. Drug-fueled hallucinations. A life thoroughly well-lived. There are many answers to the question: where does a writer find their inspiration? But for some, it's all about the location. Some places ...
Does intersection warrant stop signs in San Carlos?
Not enough “points” to justify it
San Carlos Navajo Community Planners, Inc. (NCPI) on March 18 voted 8-1 to take an alternate method of requesting a four-way stop at Cowles Mountain Boulevard and Boulder Lake Avenue, a San Carlos intersection that ...
Justin Timberlake's 20/20 Experience
“Timbalake” is back! From the opening seconds of “Pusher Love Girl,” you can sense a new brand of swag. Luscious strings, sick beats, filthy vocals. It’s 9:23 a.m. and “Don’t Hold the Wall” is grooving ...
Further Explorations: Corea, Gomez, and Motian
Drummer Paul Motian died in New York City in 2011, on the 48th anniversary of John Kennedy’s assassination. He carried one cymbal around with him for the last 30 of his 80 years on Earth, ...
Soma infected by Bad Religion
"This is the second stop on a tour that will take us around the world," Bad Religion's lead singer and cofounder Greg Graffin informed a packed Soma, as the band opened their 26-song set with ...
Thursday, March 21
A Discovery: Prague's Josefov
Remainders of the Holocaust in one of Europe's iconic cities.
“Josefov.” The center of Jewish influence in Prague. A few other temples are scattered around the oldest part of the city, but Josefov is the vortex of Prague’s Jewish past. It was this name of ...
Baja California economy suffers for lack of northern visitors
Border waits partly to blame
Baja California residents spend three times more money in the U.S. than do Americans visiting south of the border, according to Armando Rogelio Lara Valle, the director of Baja California's planning and development committee. According ...
Sewage in Imperial Beach traced to Playas de Tijuana
Wastewater flowed at about 32 gallons per minute
On Monday, March 18, with currents and wind pushing north, the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health closed all beaches in Imperial Beach due to a suspected sewage spill from the Tijuana River mouth. ...
Japanese students end a week in Encinitas
Sometimes it’s hard to say “sayonara”
Last week, from March 11–15, 19 students and two teachers from Minami High School in Toyama, Japan, attended San Dieguito Academy High School in Encinitas. The students attended Japanese and English classes every day and ...
Trip to Basel, Birthplace of LSD
Behind Basel, Switzerland’s bourgeois persona is a mind-blowing history currently experiencing its 70th anniversary. Inside the walled-off compound where multinational pharmaceutical giant Novartis (formed when Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz merged) is headquartered is a futuristic glassy-steel ...
Wednesday, March 20
How hard is it to get rid of a rabbit?
Author Dave Good writes about the rabbit he found (and now owns) and the San Diego bunny scene.
Aldine Drive’s stop signs create bad traffic in Talmadge
They’re meant to discourage commuters
On Monday morning, March 18, hundreds — if not thousands — of Talmadge and City Heights commuters found themselves trapped in long lines of traffic trying to access Aldine Drive through Talmadge. With horns honking ...
Impossible Germany
Lore: History by the losers
Lore is a loser’s history of World War II, a less fantastical, more moving post-apocalyptic wasteland film out of Australia than the one that starred Mel Gibson back in 1979. Less fantastical because it’s set ...
And so it goes.
This book is not a homophobic diatribe!
A writer for Out blog is amazed that readers misinterpreted the literary device she used in her book
The siren call of Café Bleu
Whew. Just hiked up West Washington from the Washington Street trolley. Quite a climb. Crazy traffic. No sidewalk. Then I spot this beautiful li’l French bistro. I know I shouldn’t go in. Too sophisticated, too ...
Hindsight offers name-your-price CDs
New Hindsight Recording Studios records 18 local bands for free in order to get exposure for everybody.
A visit to Backpack Ridge in the Jamul Mountains
Ground zero for discarding excess gear
No doubt I’m trespassing. An hour ago, I stretched a length of barbed wire, passing under a fence line and into this realm of green hills and rocky outcrops. Boats twinkle below on lower Otay ...
Hoffer's Cigar Bar
Hoffer’s Cigar Bar in La Mesa is easy to miss, but that’s what locals like about it.
Heavy silence
"Why do you think it’s always boys and never girls who go on these mass-shooting rampages?” I asked David, mostly rhetorically, because I already had my answer. “I think I know why; shooters are mostly ...
Horse sense
Stone Horse’s Dr. Rock and Roll spares a minute
‘In December, we changed the name to Stone Horse.” I tell Danielle Spade the new name rings of Linda Ronstadt. She giggles: “Yeah. Stone Ponys. But my sister said our other name was too long. ...
Jeff Mangum
In their short lifetime as a band, Neutral Milk Hotel could have been described as late bloomers. It took them almost a decade to become overnight successes, and even then, the love was delayed. In ...
Veejay dreams
Ever since watching MTV’s Total Request Live (TRL) in high school, Rachel Frank has known she’s wanted to be a veejay. “I just loved watching [TRL] when I came home from school,” she says. “Everyone ...
This week in the San Diego clubs, March 21–27
Thursday 21Christopher Owens’s backstory reads like about a billion dollars’ worth of psychotherapy, unless you got the guy’s pop chops and ability to turn such straw into gold; e.g. (and way beside the point, I ...
The Old Globe presents A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder
You see a great number in a musical and stop the show with rabid applause. But how many times have you really wanted the show to stop — and have them repeat the number on ...
Tuna boats go to war
Tuna fishermen in San Diego were recruited along with their boats to function as supply vessels and mine-sweepers.
March madness edition
Everybody loves Cinderella, especially Liberty University
Time for our annual NCAA Tournament preview, wherein the Box picks the most improbable team to receive an invitation and gives you, oh Sporting Box regulars, an inside line. This year’s honoree is Liberty University ...
Natasha Kozaily dreamt beyond the horizon
On May 14, Natasha Kozaily will release her second CD, Serenading Renegades. She intends dual release parties, both in San Diego and back home on Cayman Island. The Caymanian has lived here since 2010, lured ...
Car wash gone mobile
San Diego's best mobile auto-detailing companies
‘Shaggy and Scooby must be jealous,” Patrick said when Bernice pulled her bright yellow Dodge Sprinter down our driveway. The Sprinter has 12 seats, just like our Chevy Express, but it rides about two feet ...
Duggars and taxes
Heymatt: If the Duggars have 20 kids — that’s a lot, by the way — I was wondering what Ma & Pa Duggar claim on their taxes. Is it possible to claim all the kids ...
Black Mountain Open Space Park, Miner's Ridge Loop Trail and East Rim Trail
Inspiring views make this a great hike on cool days.
Of toilets and implosions
How much does it cost for the care and feeding of about 600 local VIPs and various hangers-on invited to watch a power plant being blown to smithereens? In the case of the San Diego ...
Unique animals
Signposts along the way to Tijuana’s realization of itself
Indian mystic Meher Baba defined involution as “the inner path of the human soul to the Self,” in which the ecstatic rapture of realization is the highest and ultimate purpose of the illusory material world. ...
Chabad at La Costa
God in Tijuana on Christmas Day
Chabad La Costa’s rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort trains to desire Godliness.
Monet in Rancho Santa Fe
PREVIOUS RESIDENT: Mohammed Abduljawad LISTING PRICE: $40,000,000 BEDS: 8+ BATHS: 8 ½+ HOUSE SIZE: 31,000 sq ft This week, we visit a property that represents the highest of high end: the most expensive home currently ...
Before the DA's investigation of Sweetwater school district...
Lawyers paid for with school funds
In November 2012, the San Diego Grand Jury began investigating corruption allegations that encompassed three South Bay school districts: Southwestern College, the San Ysidro School District, and the Sweetwater Union High School District. The investigation ...
Foreclosing permit options
Business is booming for La Jolla lobbyist Matt Peterson, whose most well known client is failed GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his beachside teardown in the Barber Tract. Homeowner Peter Winn has retained Peterson ...
Meth, theft, and violence...the whole package
Sherri Lynn Difrancesco, caught with meth and syringes, seems also to have been caught with containers of pilfered jewelry.
Metal sidewalk markers
Hi MA, In my neighborhood, the sidewalks have these metal buttons embedded in the sidewalk. They look like an oversized Levi’s jeans rivet, are made of copper or brass, and are stamped with “LS 5456.” ...
Depression, Recycling, and Sexy Papusas
100% Depression I would like to thank the author of the article “100% Commission at Nordstrom,” (March 14 cover story) and also the Reader for publishing it. Last year, my older brother was hired at ...
A passage from Lucretius’s De Rerum Natura
There is no end, No limit to the cosmos, above, below, Around, about, stretching on every side. This I have proven, but the fact itself Cries loud in proclamation, nature’s deep Is luminous with proof. ...
March 14 Sudoku Contenders
Evil Joe Arbusto, Rancho Penasquitos, 7. Richard Barker, San Diego, 7. Bliss Beedle, Encinitas, 7. Joseph Ciprian, Little Italy, 7. * Patrick Driscoll, Santee, 7. * Martin Guillen, Oceanside, 7. Butch Hays, La Mesa, 7. ...
March 14 Crossword Contenders
* Martha Awdziewicz, Clairemont, 7. L. Barling, El Cajon, 7. Johanna Barry, Pine Valley, 7. Evelyn Bowser, Hillcrest, 7. Marvin A. Brown, Clairemont, 7. Charlotte Brown , Clairemont, 7. Leslie Chase, Campo, 7. Joseph Ciprian, ...
Tuesday, March 19
Leopard Lessons from the Maasai
A tribal education in the Kenyan bush.
Spending time in Kenya with my Maasai friend Moses was an education in animal behavior. Wandering through the bush around his village together, he would point out tracks and scat, patiently explaining to this greenhorn ...
Istanbul Spice Market
Making my way through thick crowds of people slowly walking, talking on cell phones and holding shopping bags, I found the mounds of spices in the marketplace in Istanbul, Turkey. I'd arrived to buy various ...
AT&T building still a “public nuisance” in North Park?
Homeless sleep on premises amid graffiti, trash, and urine
The unused AT&T (formerly Pacific Bell) building in North Park continues to have homeless transients, graffiti, the smell of urine, and trash. The fortress-like structure — a perfect canvas for taggers — is located at ...
Rogue plumber caught in the act in Tijuana
Allegedly stealing meters and pipes
A man allegedly posing as an employee of the state water agency was arrested in Tijuana on Sunday, March 17, after one of his victims noted water spewing from a meter in front of his ...
Imperial Beach’s imported sand threatens estuary’s eco-health
Those 450,000 cubic yards could block marsh outlet
San Diego National Wildlife Refuge biologists are monitoring the movement of the 450,000 cubic yards sand dumped on Imperial Beach shores last fall, worried that southbound sand will block the river mouth as it did ...
Monday, March 18
Sheriff’s department patrols Encinitas for alcohol violators
Three hours into St. Paddy’s Day, 19 arrested
Sheriff's deputies and state Alcoholic Beverage Control agents arrested 19 people in a weekend crackdown in Encinitas. In a news release issued at 4 a.m. on Sunday, March 17, the sheriff's department said it had ...
Celebration of Life at Day of the Dead, Oaxaca
See the real Mexico in its traditions.
“The word death is not pronounced in New York, in Paris, in London, because it burns the lips. The Mexican, in contrast, is familiar with death, jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, celebrates ...
Theft of Coachella tickets at 91X prompts plea
Radio station warns they’ll call cops
Josh Hammond, director of promotions and marketing at 91X, took to the station’s Facebook and Twitter pages on Friday, March 15, to put out the alert that "we have a serious problem." He posted an ...
Del Taco out, In-N-Out in in Encinitas
An end to the rumors
The privately owned, five-state In-N-Out Burger chain has secured property just east of the I-5 at Encinitas Blvd — currently the site of a Del Taco. Meetings with city planners will take place this week. ...
Saturday, March 16
Rosarito policeman busted by Tijuana police
Bribe offered, bribe turned down
Tijuana police responded to the shouts and pleas for help from an imprisoned, under-aged female at around 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 13. Based on a tip given by a passing stranger, the female was ...
Friday, March 15
Sweetwater school district board seeks to silence opposition
Superintendent Brand calls someone’s boss
Is there a concerted attempt by the Sweetwater Union High School District to silence or stifle criticism? That’s what many public speakers told the trustees during the March 11 board meeting. The meeting was prefaced ...
Drop-boxes installed for worn flags in Carlsbad
Fire dept. to give dignified destruction
A mailbox-like disposal bin for worn American flags that are no longer fit to display is a new fixture at the Dove Library in Carlsbad, thanks to a donation from the city 's fire department. ...
Cardiff sits pretty for real estate recovery
Low inventory makes sellers’ market
On the front page of the Los Angeles Times’ business section this week, Cardiff by the Sea 92007 was rated in the top ten of Southern California zip codes that have best rebounded from the ...
Ol' Tennessee Smokies
Breathtaking vistas, Southern charm, BBQ and moonshine.
Lots of tourist amenities have sprung up around Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the U.S., and it’s no wonder. The stunning scenery and wildlife have attracted people to the ...
People, Hell and Angels, by Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix has been dead 43 years – and continues to be represented by a seemingly infinite stream of releases. If his Age of Aquarius idealism has been muddied, he can’t be held accountable for ...
Yes pulls out the stops at Pechanga
This show marked the seventh time I’ve seen the progressive rock band YES in concert, including the short-lived Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, and Howe at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Gone are the Avatar-like stage ...
Thursday, March 14
Motorbiking the Ho Chi Minh Trail
Experience Vietnam's magic on this two-week route from Hanoi to Saigon.
The Ho Chi Minh Trail follows the infamous supply route created by the North Vietnamese guerrillas during the Vietnam War. We began our motorbike journey from Hanoi (left), headed toward the south to Ho Chi ...
A job in death becomes you
To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, ‘…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.’ Not to argue with Mr. Franklin, but there are many ways to avoid the tax man, while ...
Let's make money
Workshop helps turn ideas into working businesses
Joel Chrisco, of the International Rescue Committee, invites aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners to come learn about what it takes to start or grow a business. First, please tell me about your organization. The ...
RV residents chased from Sports Arena parking lots
Unwelcome at beach and inland
As authorities in beach areas and on Shelter Island have been cracking down on prolonged parking of motor-homes, some of those RV residents have migrated to the Sports Arena area’s parking lots. However, businesses — ...
Should colleges train the workforce?
Or is education about something higher?
It is pretty easy to write a simple, declarative sentence without thinking too much. But it isn’t always as simple to write a sentence that communicates an idea that is easily understood by the reader. ...
Wednesday, March 13
Retail can turn you into a number
100% commission at Nordstrom
Customer-service zombie in trendy attire.
At the Vietnam Memorial
The last time I saw the name Paul Castle it was printed in gold on the wall above the showers in the boys’ locker room, next to the school record for the mile. I don’t ...
One catfish at a time
Ed finds the Red Rooster, a Louisiana-style eatery tucked away in Lincoln Park.
Brandon Van Ekelenburg was a very angry kid
Brandon Van Ekelenburg (aka Van Brando) switched from heavy metal to rapping.
Multitasking is Maria Hart's shortcut
Name: Maria Hart Car: BMW X5 How do you like driving your car? I like it. It’s not as comfortable as my Explorer, believe it or not. The seat is not as comfortable. I like ...
The Mountaintop: The Rep stages Dr. King's last night on Earth
I make it a hard and fast rule when entering a theater: leave expectations at the door. Even if I know the play or the subject, I want as clean a slate as possible. Be ...
Cable-company monopolies
The travesty of cable-company monopolies held by Time Warner and Cox Communications.
Bottling digestible jazz
Science Fiction Jazz wants to cut a full-length LP but they expect it will be tricky because of their improvisational nature.
Saggy-pants origin
Hello Matt: I hope this finds you and the Elves doing well. I know I am un-hip to most things these days, but something has puzzled me for quite some time. Why do certain fellows ...
FaceTube Friend
"You want this?” David held up his buzzing phone so I could see the number displayed on the screen. After weighing the risk of answering an unknown number, I said, “Here, give it to me.” ...
Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail along Agua Caliente Creek
Stands of majestic oaks and sycamores line a bubbling stream along a section of the trail.
Call girl calling cards?
Co-ed by day
Like Someone in Love is a logical follow-up to Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy (2010). From its opening long take — the lead character speaks from outside the frame — the director’s sleight of hand draws ...
In the San Diego clubs, March 14–20
Thursday 14It’s comedy night at the Casbah, as the rock club’s favorite foil, the comic Neil Hamburger, will headline sets by MTV’s Johnny Pemberton, K-Strass of The Office, and our own brash beautician Jennifer Congernaum. ...
Costs of doing city business
Republic Services, the big Phoenix-based solid-waste operation with a wide footprint in San Diego, has of late been anteing up the bucks at city hall. According to its latest lobbyist filing with the city clerk, ...
Thing itself
Jessica Lange: unseen, is on view at the Museum of Photographic Arts until May 19, 1649 El Prado, San Diego, 619-238-7559; mopa.org Jessica Lange and Jeff Bridges have two things in common, photography and King ...
One steak at a time
Vons has a proud cutter in Angie Elsbury
Interview with Angie Elsbury, a butcher at Vons supermarkets who reshaped her life after being addicted to heroin and going to jail.
St. Patrick's party prep
Póg mo thóin if you don’t like the music!
St. Patrick’s Day is fast approaching, and my Kelly hubby is heavy into party planning. “I bought green-striped thigh-high stockings [$4.99 at partycity.com] for you,” he announced, “and a little green top-hat hairband thingy [$9.99 ...
Ridiculous Hawaii
Heavy Hawaii films video using fire extinguishers that draw fire trucks to the scene.
Coyote explores Gillespie Field
Flights delayed 20 minutes
At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 12, the normal traffic pattern at Gillespie Field was interrupted when a coyote decided to take a tour of the field. Six aircraft were ordered by the control tower ...
Thicker Than Thieves
Once a beach band, always a beach band? Thicker Than Thieves will kick off their spring tour in Ocean Beach, not so far from where it began for them more than a decade ago. That ...
Fourth district triage
The race to replace ex–city councilman Tony Young in the Fourth District is being fed by a raft of out-of-town special interests. According to recent disclosures, “Californians for Quality Paramedic Services, Sponsored by Rural/Metro Corporation” ...
Bubbles: Greenspan, Bernanke could have learned something in San Diego
Some kind of unhappy result of this madcap money printing by the Federal Reserve is inevitable: wait for the next disastrous economic bubble to burst.
Full nondisclosure by KPBS
San Diego State University’s owned and operated public broadcasting operation is out with its “2013 Local Content & Service Report,” touting what it says are various achievements of the previous year. The document is required ...
Sweetwater school district cuts program and teachers
Abstained vote becomes a “yes” vote
The March 11 Sweetwater Union High School District meeting opened with a presentation “On Civility,” which was delivered by one of the district’s attorneys, Dan Shinoff. While Shinoff discoursed on the Constitution, Frederick Douglass, the ...
You’d better apologize, Beekman Boys
A blogger is upset because the Beekman Boys website claims to sell products made in the USA (except for a few items) and is called out after she inquires about their provenance.
A series of letters
Kickstarter Follow-up Your December 13, 2012 cover story about Kickstarter highlights the San Diego Public Market as a major success at raising more than $165,000. But having a good idea or concept is one thing; ...
Going Up to Jerusalem
Every true life has its Jerusalem, to which it is always going up. A life cannot be really considered as having begun to live until that far-off city in which its destiny awaits it, where ...
March 7 Crossword Contenders
Martha Awdziewicz, Clairemont, 6. L. Barling, El Cajon, 6. Johanna Barry, Pine Valley, 6. Evelyn Bowser, Hillcrest, 6. Marvin A. Brown, Clairemont, 6. Charlotte Brown , Clairemont, 6. Leslie Chase, Campo, 6. Joseph Ciprian, Little ...
March 7 Sudoku Contenders
Evil Joe Arbusto, Rancho Penasquitos, 6. Richard Barker, San Diego, 6. Bliss Beedle, Encinitas, 6. Joseph Ciprian, Little Italy, 6. Patrick Driscoll, Santee, 6. Martin Guillen, Oceanside, 6. * Butch Hays, La Mesa, 6. * ...
Tuesday, March 12
Imperial Beach's sandcastle competition to return?
None last year after 31 years
The San Diego Unified Port District is set to put up $40,000 in seed money toward reviving Imperial Beach's U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition, which was washed out last year, ending a 31-year tradition that drew ...
Kibuye, Rwanda: Three Days Out of Thirty
MONDAY I could write for hours, but I am toast. The Kibuye stadium is being torn down; the walls are gone and only a portion of the stands remain. It is best that the horrible ...
Tijuana club shooting leaves one dead, one wounded
Investigation finds gun used in seven killings
Two persons were shot at Tijuana’s Ruta 6 bar on Saturday night, March 9. According to reports in Tijuana's daily Frontera, one of the victims has died, while the other remains hospitalized, status unknown. Gunfire ...
Bridge dedication for Oceanside police officer Dan Bessant
Native son shot while on the job in 2006
In an early-evening ceremony on Friday, March 8, the bridge on North Pacific Street (over the beach area of the San Luis Rey River, south of Oceanside Harbor) was dedicated to the memory of Oceanside ...
Monday, March 11
Paradise Pizza proposal leads to engagement in Carlsbad
Hold the pepperoni and bacon
A longtime Carlsbad resident named Paul Carreon came up with a unique way to pop the question to his true love — in green pepper slices, on top of a pizza, amid black olives and ...
Electrical outage affects 150,000 Baja residents
Suspected equipment thief found dead
A bizarre crime that claimed the life of an unidentified man who was apparently trying to steal electrical equipment from transmission towers east of Tijuana left the 65,000 residents of Tecate without power for more ...
Dniprodzerzhynsk
What happens at the banya, stays at the banya – usually.
I’m playing with my hair out of nervousness. I never do this. Isn’t this the behavior of a preteen boy, mustering up the courage to ask a girl out on his first date? Yet there’s ...
Sunday, March 10
San Diego police to be booted from O.B. parking lot?
Is parking more valuable?
Should the police trailer in the Ocean Beach pier parking lot go somewhere else? Next week, the people will have their say. The trailer has been in the middle of the parking lot at the ...
3:00 a.m. house fire in Cardiff
A remodel project for years
Neighbors in the 800 block of Nolbey Street in Cardiff awoke early on March 8, as fire trucks arrived at 3:00 a.m. to find a home engulfed in flames. The two-alarm fire brought out units ...
Saturday, March 9
DA Bonnie Dumanis addresses San Carlos community
Gives crime-fighting tips, asks for a Facebook “like”
At the March 6 San Carlos Area Council meeting, San Diego district attorney Bonnie Dumanis asked if anyone in the audience was the victim of identity theft. One woman raised her hand; another said, "A ...
Vista’s illegal parking problem on Poinsettia Avenue
A no-man’s land of code enforcement
On Poinsettia Avenue in Vista, which runs parallel along the westbound side of Highway 78, catering trucks, vehicles for sale, and vehicles parked there to advertise services are a everyday sight from the freeway. According ...
Friday, March 8
Not-so-neighborly gunfire on Herder Lane in Encinitas
Feud erupted into shooting last summer
A 44-year-old man and a teenaged boy who lived across the street from one another on Herder Lane in Encinitas vented their mutual dislike by shouting insults and trading obscenities for years. Last summer, the ...
RV parking ban planned for streets west of I-5
May extend to inland areas
An ordinance to ban recreational vehicles, boats, and trailers from parking overnight on public streets west of I-5 is in the works, said Michael Patton, representative for District 2 city councilmember Kevin Faulconer, at the ...
Death Valley – Why?
Transcendence found in the California desert.
Deep in the belly of Death Valley National Park, I pitched my tent up against sage bushes looking out at snowcapped mountains. Campers sat in their vehicles, some huddled in their tents, all dodging the ...
Imperial Beach City Council nixes stoplight plan
Using surplus SANDAG funds “not quite right”
An effort to install a traffic light that would help cyclists on the Bayside Bike Trail — one supported and funded by the San Diego Association of Governments — failed to get off the ground ...
An open letter to Foals re Holy Fire
Dear Foals,What are you doing? You used to have so much potential. When Antidotes was released in 2008, you were regarded as Battles for the pop listener! What a compliment! Your plinky guitar lines, math-rock ...
Muffs revisit glory days with a full Soda
If Muffs front woman Kim Shattuck regrets days gone by, as she sang during the final song of her band’s 100-minute set at Soda Bar, you’d never know it — she and bandmates Ronnie Barnett ...
Thursday, March 7
SeaWorld rescuers net sea lion pup in Carlsbad
Was mom watching from the water?
On Thursday, March 7, Carlsbad resident Doug was taking his daily 7:00 a.m. walk along the beach next to Carlsbad Boulevard. At the Agua Hedionda Lagoon’s outlet, just south of Tamarack Avenue, he spotted a ...
Celebrate Amsterdam
Excuse to visit: 2013 is the legendarily tolerant city's jubilee.
Though it can be fairly said that Amsterdam is always ready for a party, this year the city is really celebrating. 2013 is the 400th anniversary of its famous canal ring, now a UNESCO World ...
Israel… A Tale of Two Cities
Modern (Tel Aviv) and ancient (Jerusalem).
In no other country in the world are the two largest cities such polar opposites. Jerusalem, Israel's ancient and current capital city, is both informed and haunted by its history. Tel Aviv, on the other ...
Madeline Kahn double feature
From the sublime to the ridiculous, the much-missed Madeline Kahn’s comedic genius shines in the unusual double feature of Paper Moon and Yellowbeard. We like having friends over for private movie screenings, and this pair ...
Alleged wig-wearing thief captured in Tijuana
Brian accessorized, say police
Tijuana police say they arrested a man who allegedly disguised himself as a woman to steal from various businesses in the San Antonio de Los Buenos neighborhood. Officers captured 27-year-old Brian Roldán Cedillo at around ...
Wednesday, March 6
Hands-on high schools
The days of standing in front of a class to teach are over.
Career and technical training used to be called vocational or trade school. San Diego Unified School District has tried to put a new face on the program with much success.
Worth the wait
I doubted the man of the hour (or century, if you consider we were celebrating his 90th birthday) remembered me. I’d met David’s great-uncle, the Hungarian pianist Béla Síki, only once before, nearly a decade ...
Octa#grape gives the garage an long-overdue cleaning
Can we all agree that garage rock has reached an impasse? Don’t get me wrong. I love fuzzed-out guitars, lo-fi drum tracks, and retro vocals as much as the next guy — and San Diego ...
Now you know: Emerald Rats
When Wild Wild Wets frontman Mike Turi released the debut EP Everyday Obstacle from his solo project Emerald Rats last month, he opened a window into a cerebral world of psychedelia. “It’s been exciting to ...
The Hush Sound
Grace Potter in a nightgown: “I don’t want to be the one you forget,” sings Greta Morgan (née Salpeter) in “Medicine Man.” “I don’t wanna be the one you regret.” That’s regret — not forget. ...
East County deserves good beer, too — welcome to Brody's
It’s no secret that San Diego has become world famous for its craft-beer culture over the past few years. Our county is home to several landmark breweries and brew pubs that have garnered praise from ...
Prepare to be assimilated
Before books travel across town to take their places on the new shelves, they will undergo a technology upgrade and take a fantastic journey through tubular space.
A Gallery of Dummberry, a Snail Who Employs Disguises
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/mar/05/41170/ http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/mar/05/41176/ Title: Becky Charms & Co. | Address: beckycharms.com | From: Paradise Hills | Blogging since: October 2011
Seeing purple, not so much green
icPurple, the super PAC run by La Jolla computer magnate Ted Waitt that lost its bid to elect so-called independent Nathan Fletcher mayor last year, is still in business, barely. According to its monthly federal ...
Vinyl exposure
Jason “Blackie” Blackmore set to release film titled Records Collecting Dust, mostly interviews with San Diegans talking about their record collections.
Recommendations from a movie junkie with 2600 DVDs
My first recommendation is Disney’s Blu-ray release of the original Tron. I single out the Blu-ray release because it’s a stunning transformation from DVD to BR. The very nature of the film, with its groundbreaking ...
Latham's multiple masters
How much have San Diego taxpayers forked over to the giant law firm of Latham Watkins for legal services delegated to it by GOP city attorney Jan Goldsmith — the man lately in the middle ...
Craigstrack
Band Incomplete Neighbor discovers one of their songs in used on the soundtrack of a film titled Craigslist Joe.
Oz the Great and Powerful's cheap carnival magic
Yet another prequel
The production notes for Oz the Great and Powerful came with a heads-up: “Please note that this movie stands alone and shouldn’t be compared to any other versions of the Oz films.” I’m fine with ...
Calories out, calories in
Heymatt: For the last week I’ve been climbing Cowles Mountain every day. It takes me about 1 hour, round trip. At the bottom, I reward myself with an entire box of Girl Scout Thin Mints. ...
Drones as instant replay solution
"I didn’t see this one coming.” That is the subject line found on an email a friend sent me. Said friend teaches journalism at a private college. The link he provided takes me to fastcompany.com ...
Per the physicist
Many years ago I happened on Stranger Than Paradise at a college film festival. My first-ever Jim Jarmusch movie and still my favorite. Willie (John Lurie), living in low-rent New York, is compelled by his ...
San Diego Public Market seeks permanence
Vendors at the San Diego Public Market wonder what’s next as the management fields proposals to set up permanent spaces and prepares to become an everyday operation.
The unmaking and making of Roger Hedgecock
Will Hedgecock pivot?
Former disgraced San Diego mayor Roger Hedgecock makes a big slug of money from a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization in Arlington, Virginia, the American Studies Center.
Timekeeping across the ages
Hi Matt: Back when I was a kid, not too many people had wristwatches. This was not a problem, however, as all you had to do was turn on the radio to any station and, ...
Bridge-construction practices and reflective tape on semi-trailers
Mr. Alice: Whenever I encounter bridge construction on the interstate, or most any other highways and roads, fastened onto the temporary supports at both sides of the road is a painted and illuminated, white board ...
Dialing up dollars
Telecommunications giant AT&T spent a total of $32,737 in the last three months of 2012 on what is called “activity expenses,” also known as freebies awarded to public officials to get their time and attention. ...
LTE
Big Pharma Joseph O’Brien’s February 21 cover story was important and I appreciated it very much. It was heartening to read that more doctors are refusing to participate in the Big Pharma System and, instead, ...
A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky
A boat beneath a sunny sky, Lingering onward dreamily In an evening of July — Children three that nestle near, Eager eye and willing ear, Pleased a simple tale to hear — Long has paled ...
February 28 Crossword Contenders
* Martha Awdziewicz, Clairemont, 5. L. Barling, El Cajon, 5. * Johanna Barry, Pine Valley, 5. Evelyn Bowser, Hillcrest, 5. Marvin A. Brown, Clairemont, 5. Charlotte Brown , Clairemont, 5. Leslie Chase, Campo, 5. Joseph ...
February 28 Sudoku Contenders
Evil Joe Arbusto, Rancho Penasquitos, 5. Richard Barker, San Diego, 5. Bliss Beedle, Encinitas, 5. Joseph Ciprian, Little Italy, 5. Patrick Driscoll, Santee, 5. Martin Guillen, Oceanside, 5. Butch Hays, La Mesa, 5. Vincent Lee, ...
Tuesday, March 5
Laos: Same, Same but Different
Immersion in a Hmong mountain village.
It was still dark outside when the roosters' crows aroused me from my slumber. Surrounded by a mosquito net in an unfamiliar cabin, the aching of my body from the previous day's excursion reminded me ...
Sweetwater Union High School District & Realty Co.
Should the troubled district change their name?
The Sweetwater school district owns several properties that it is trying to flip into condo/apartment developments. The properties, located in western Chula Vista, are on L Street, Third Avenue, Fifth Avenue (district headquarters), and Moss ...
Last Stop: Rhyolite, NV
This Gold Rush ghost town wastes on the edge of Death Valley.
Rolling into the small town of Beatty, Nevada, is a strange experience. One of the few settlements on the edge of the brutal Death Valley, it appears as a welcome rise of gaudy lights after ...
Monday, March 4
Plans for Fairmount Avenue to become a “superior street”
Elevated flyovers? Why not?!
All but two Navajo Community Planners, Inc. (NCPI) members voted February 25 to send a letter stating they supported the Kensington-Talmadge Planning Group (KTPG) and the City of San Diego applying for a Caltrans grant ...
Bribery crackdown continues in Tijuana
Record amount of prosecutions
The longtime practice of offering Tijuana cops a little cash to buy your way out of a legal jam could now land you in jail. In a March 2 press release, the city's Department of ...
I Am Rambo in Chiribiquete, Colombia
Upriver expedition in the remote Amazon rainforest.
Strangely, the noxious swarm of mosquitos intent on doing me harm had ebbed, and the growl of the Chiribiquete waterfall (below) no longer sounded, as if its familiarity to my ears after a few hours ...
Sunday, March 3
People's Food Co-op to expand – out of Ocean Beach?
Parking lot and storage space near capacity
The Ocean Beach People's Food Co-op is looking to expand their grocery store located at 4765 Voltaire Street. General manager Nancy Cassidy addressed the issue in the March 2013 monthly newsletter. "We are reaching full ...
Saturday, March 2
Southwestern College trustee resigns in protest
“Another of many sad days”
The latest at Southwestern College is the sudden resignation of trustee William Stewart, who gave an exclusive interview to the student newspaper, the Sun, on March 1. He told news editor Thomas Baker that he ...
Tijuana resident finds magnetized pot parcels under car
Would have been fifth “blind mule” this year
The fifth case so far this year of a so-called "blind mule" was discovered on Thursday, February 28, in the Xicoténcatl Leyva Mortera neighborhood of Tijuana, police said in a press release. The term "blind ...
Friday, March 1
San Carlos pump station slated for replacement
Increased capacity to serve future population
The City of San Diego's plan to demolish and replace a pump station that has served San Carlos since 1967 received unanimous approval from Navajo Community Planners, Inc. (NCPI), on February 25. The estimated $7.5 ...
A rose for Moz
Fresh off a food-fueled feud with late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, Morrissey rolled into town and delivered a rocking set at the Balboa Theatre downtown. Appearing forlorn as usual, Morrissey kept the ranting against ...
Admitted killer Armando Perez denied chance to speak
Judge orders defendant removed from courtroom
Armando Perez, the admitted murderer and ex-husband of Diana Gonzalez, was in court on Thursday, February 28, for an arraignment hearing. In August 2012, when the defendant was brought into San Diego Superior Court after ...
Ambition Gone Wild
I used to work with a goofy guy who was so restless in his job that he used to apply for nearly every position that came open in our company. It didn’t matter to him ...
New Retail construction in Midway District
A bank and two restaurants
Temporary fencing went up on the morning of Wednesday, Febuary 27, in a section of the parking lot along the 3200 block of Sports Arena Boulevard, between the Union Bank and Petco in the Midway ...
Foxygen's We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
Sam France's voice has a hint of femininity to it as he introduces us to "In the Darkness," the gateway track to Foxygen’s second album. The L.A. indie-pop duo could have gone the campy route ...
