In Roman times, the word "animare" meant "to give breath to." In the Biblical record, the first act of animation was performed by God, who created Adam by breathing life into a lump of clay. …

James Agee: Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, A Death in the Family, Shorter Fiction, edited by Michael Sragow. Library of America, 2005; $75; 748 pages; 818 pages FROM THE DUST JACKET: VOLUME ONE: A …

"It's a polar bear," a statuesque woman on the little black screen breathes huskily while posing for the camera. "Wait," I blurt. The DVD is paused. "The plane supposedly crashed in the tropics. Why the …

The most important thing that parents can teach their children is how to get along without them. -- Frank A. Clark The phone was ringing again. "Your turn," I said to David. He dropped the …

In 2005, churches will mail over 50 million direct-mail postcards created by Outreach, Inc., the largest provider of Christian outreach products and services in North America. In addition, churches will hang 200,000 Outreach door hangers …

“José was so…genteel, so sophisticated. Not like the oafs I was hanging out with.”

Jimmy Pettit is a 40-year-old construction project manager. He and his family live near San Diego State University. He owns an MP3 player made by iRiver, along with a waterproof housing and submersible headphones designed …

The Union-Tribune has two problems with its circulation: quantity and quality. The numbers are sinking, but they're also artificially bloated, according to two Wall Street media analysts. The analysts rate 50 major metropolitan newspapers for …

After a two-year cease-fire, shots are again flying in a battle between San Diego City Schools and some Golden Hill residents. The battleground is a section of the urban grid bounded by 32nd and 33rd …

It's only money When you're the president of a big taxpayer-funded state university in California, you get plenty of perks. Take the case of San Diego State's Stephen Weber, who has gone on more than …

From the top of Mount Lukens, the high point in elevation within the city limit of Los Angeles, you can peer over a vast and spacious urban plain -- coastal haze and smog permitting. During …

You've probably read or heard the story. Seabourn Spirit, a German-built, Bahamas-registered, Miami-based, Norwegian-crewed cruise ship of 10,000 tons and six decks, carrying 208 passengers and 160 crew, was attacked by pirates 100 miles off …

'In Poway, it was either sports or bands, and I don't do sports," says Sean Barrett, guitar player for the Perils of Being. "Poway is just a small town, a city in the country. There …

Movies reviewed this week: Jarhead, Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic, and Zathura

Thirty Years Ago The first time I saw B.B. (BeBe) was 1967; she was in a white corduroy jockey suit and cap. She reminded me of a 90-pound white rat on speed. Later at an …

HeyMatt: Is there a doomsday for analog type TVs? Seems that I read that on January 1st, 2006, that 8 to 10 million televisions will go blank due to new FCC rules and all TVs …

HeyMatt: I was thinking about restaurants and how the wait staff all have clever versions of the "Happy Birthday" song. I've heard all the talk about how copyrights won't allow them to sing it. So …

I was invited to several Halloween parties this year, among them a "goblin gathering" in Spring Valley, a haunted house in Chula Vista, and the Halloween Ball at the Prado in Balboa Park, which I …

Monster Dudes made a return visit to the Ché Café on October 25. The Boise, Idaho, quartet features five-year-old drummer Venec, his dad Jeremy, their friend Mike, and newly acquired banjo player Amy Vecchione (of …

During his 13 months editing Fahrenheit magazine (published from May 2003 until July 2004), Portland, Oregon, transplant Adam Gnade formed a lot of opinions about local performers. Today he says, "Right now, most San Diego …

An October 31 blaze destroyed Darrin DiMichele's recording studio and four of his band-practice rooms in Vista. The fire caused $600,000 worth of damage to his Goblin Studios. DiMichele's band, Sic Waiting, had to cancel …

The Slovenian Chestnut Conspiracy You know it's autumn in Slovenia when the ice-cream stands disappear and are replaced by barrels of roasting chestnuts. Losing the ice-cream stands is tough. The scoops are luscious and creamy …

When Devo was scheduled to play the House of Blues October 9, Joey Ugalde, 20, and Kaitlin Mattick, 18, of the Chula Vista-based new-wave band the Atoms, decided to hang out on Fifth Avenue and …

Alicia Champion collapsed onstage at the San Diego Indie Music Fest Saturday night, November 5. The audience fell silent as security and staff rushed to her aid. One staffer said Alicia "hasn't eaten well or …

The band's first local performance in seven years was canceled "because of major safety issues," says Maurice Luque of the SD Fire Department. The concert would've been at 4th & B last Wednesday, November 2. …

"I knew something was rotten in Denmark when I didn't see Joey [Harris] at the Beat Farmers reunion at the San Diego Music Awards [in September]," said Candye Kane. She performed at Monday's Casbah tribute …

Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger of the Fiery Furnaces released their second album of the year, Rehearsing My Choir, on October 25. It's a concept album based on the life of their 83-year-old grandmother, Olga Santos. …

When local photographer Eric Rife was a clerk at Off the Record, he saw his share of valuable records. He now works at the San Diego Central Library. In late October, the library had a …

I rarely rate restaurants at "excellent to extraordinary." As far as I can remember, I've reviewed only seven of that quality in the five years since I arrived in "America's finest city." It's no coincidence …

I was attending a gardening workshop, plotting my vegetable placement. The woman next to me gave me a hesitant tap on the shoulder. "Could you help me write a thank-you card for the instructor?" We'd …