If you've walked the concourse at Lindbergh Field, on the way to baggage claim you may have noticed the wall-mounted advertisement, "Welcome to San Diego — Home of 7 of the nation's top professional speakers": …

A few more revolutions of this ball of rock and all of us happy water molecule coincidences can introduce ethanol molecules into our organisms and party like it's 1999, or if you prefer, boogey oogey …

By rights, Stallone ought to have taken over the Burgess Meredith role.

AK-47: The Weapon that Changed the Face of War by Larry Kahaner John Wiley & Sons, 2006, 258 pages, $25.95 FROM THE DUST JACKET: You see it every day, in the media, in the hands …

With a little hyperbole added, you might think of the upper San Diego River area as being San Diego County's "Little Yosemite." A number of waterfalls 100 or so feet high exist either on the …

For a moment, I'm almost man enough to accept a couple of challenges from the lunch menu.

It often happens that the real tragedies of life occur in such an inartistic manner that they hurt us by their crude violence, their absolute incoherence, their absurd want of meaning, their entire lack of …

M y friend Christine fears her two children are growing up without enough family traditions. As she, another friend Celia, and I power-walked through the neighborhood, Christine lamented, "I need to start some family traditions. …

Title: Amanda Rose Address: http://blog.myspace.com/amanda_3_rose Author: Amanda Rose from: North Park Blogging since: January 2005 Post Date: November 1, 2006 Post Title: Ugg-lies Current mood: ranty and shallow. (This is a shallow, pointless rant. If …

A music-industry insider alleges that Street Scene founder Rob Hagey has been in discussions with AEG Live, the L.A.-based concert-promotion company that owns the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. In 1984, Hagey held the …

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Jason Mayer, 23, plays his music regularly at North County venues such as Monterrey Bay Canners, the Coyote, and Squid Joe's. The events of this past August 19 are still impacting his life. "I …

Confusion is nothing new concerning the hometown of Robert Lopez, a.k.a. El Vez. Before starting his Mexican-American "Elvis translator" persona in the late '80s, Lopez co-fronted West Coast punk pioneers the Zeros in the mid-'70s …

Although I was inclined to frantic groin grabbing, inarticulate moaning, and random curling into balls, the last day of the holiday was a good one by any standards. The itinerary had me trying a body-conditioning …

I was at the La Jolla location of Tower Records on Tuesday, December 19, the day before the chain was set to shut down for good. About one quarter of the store was filled with …

Bunky singer/guitarist Rafter Roberts releases his solo album Music for Total Chickens next month, and he'd like you to make a video for it. "There are mp3 links to four songs on YouTube, and pretty …

"If it loses money, I'm prepared to do it again," said Chris Wepsic in 2005 when he launched the first Festival Del Mar. Wepsic produced and bore primary financial responsibility for the two-day event at …

"When it's your goal to educate folks about wine, entry-level will take you only so far."

On the first day of the year, the roads are empty and most televisions are tuned to the Rose Parade — some for the flowers, others in anticipation of the Rose Bowl (USC against Michigan …

The craft show was housed in the building right at the top of the entrance steps, so that's where I ended up first, my oldest son towing me along. He admired the $8 handmade, one-of-a-kind …

'I saw Tony Levin playing a Stick at the 1997 NAMM trade show in Anaheim, and I bought one that year," says Tom Griesgraber. The 12-stringed Stick (popularized by Levin during stints with King Crimson …

Aer Lingus was my new favorite airline. Mostly because its name sounded like a romantic euphemism for something dirty. But, also because my flight from Dublin, Ireland, to Edinburgh, Scotland, cost me only 30 pounds …

Close the drawer on 2006. On the yahoo side, we can mark up Jim Harbaugh and the University of San Diego Toreros football team. They went 11-1 this year and last. Harbaugh won two I-AA …

'Ultimately, putting people in a home they cannot stay in is not a business we should be in." Daniel H. Mudd, head of Fannie Mae, the big government-sponsored buyer of home mortgages, made this utterance …

While delivering flyers in University Heights one day last spring, Mary Wendorf saw the tenants of an old home she admired moving out. They told her the house was to be torn down and a …

Alex Spanos, the megamillionaire developer from Stockton who is paying ex-Clinton aide Mark Fabiani to prospect around the county for a taxpayer subsidy for a new Chargers stadium, is also lobbying hard for federal government …

A few exiting editorial employees of Copley Newspapers are being allowed by management to say their glum good-byes in print. Union-Tribune "readers' representative" Gina Lubrano bid her polite adieu last week, beginning with "It wouldn't …

The Sacramento Bee reported last week that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and wife Maria Shriver took a tour of a new 15-story condo and hotel tower being built at 15th and L streets near the Capitol …

Since I had several holiday parties to attend, I didn't always bring my camera and recorder. I went to a few Hanukkah parties where I wished I'd had a note pad. At the first one, …

Purity is the focus of all things pure. This is our belief and expression which I apply to the style of our cuisine and ambience. With this, we give you our new venture in the …

Two thousand six will go down as the year Grandma went on strike for Christmas. Usually she's all wound up planning festive meals, looking for new shiny things to hang on the tree, negotiating bulk …

You've got to be taught To hate and fear,You've got to be taughtFrom year to year, It's got to be drummedIn your dear little ear You've got to be carefully taught. You've got to be …

The year was 1965, and the perversion I was about to perform would, within a matter of months certainly, even the final six weeks of that year, that winter, pale to "a harmless giggle" by …

Movies reviewed this week: Dreamgirls, The Good German, We Are Marshall, The Painted Vail, The History Books, The Pursuit of Happyness, Eragon

ABOUT THE BOOK: In Fleeing Fundamentalism: A Minister's Wife Examines Faith, Cross looks back at the life that led her to marry a charismatic young man, handsome and articulate, who appeared destined for greatness as …

The Tenaja Falls hiking or backpacking traverse takes you one way through Cleveland National Forest's San Mateo Canyon Wilderness -- Southern California's only large coastal wilderness area. You can see plenty of winter and early …

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light, but the Electricity Board said He would have to wait until Thursday to be connected. -- Spike Milligan I was sitting in the coffee …

All those bake sales and car washes must have paid off this year -- maybe it was my blueberry-nectarine pie. When our youth group broke open its year-end piggy bank, they found a little something …

Title: San Diego Today Address: http://www.patflannery.com/SanDiegoToday.htm Author: Pat Flannery from: Point Loma/Ocean Beach area Blogging since: October 2004 Post Date: December 11, 2006 Post Title: The Mayor's best chance of fixing things is to let …

"The best way to get at somebody is by going after their looks, their name, their weight, size, shape, what they are wearing, their mama, or their girlfriend," says 24-year-old Bryan Mason, an organizer of …

How could metal monster Glenn Danzig draw 2300 fans to Soma in March but bring in only 895 to the same venue in November? In March, opening band Lamb of God attracted fans; and Doyle, …

Roots rockers Tapwater, in the middle of a 72-gig, 12-state tour, recently had a three-day break. They decided to camp through the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, and Canyon de Chelly in an RV they call …

In the early-morning hours of December 4, James Balmer and Pascal Dickinson of the local band Fing were involved in a single-car collision that left one passenger, Angela Ainslie, dead. A fourth passenger received minor …

The December 11 Soma show was the first local gig for (+44), which features former blink drummer Travis Barker and bassist/front man Mark Hoppus. Guitarist Tom DeLonge, the other one-third of blink, proceeds with Angels …

"I'm not Jewish," I said to a man near the basket of skullcaps just outside the sanctuary. "Should I wear one anyway?" "Either way. Don't worry about it," he shrugged, a little amused by my …

Misery, thy name is the two-headed serpent of cystitis and thrush. Ill in a foreign country — curses! I'd been awake for hours, drinking water and moaning softly in the loo as lava wee escaped …

'W e have been lucky enough to see mothers who have delivered their calves early swimming along the coastline," says Crystal De Soto, leader of the whale-watching program at Birch Aquarium. "The calves are born …

Some Wall Streeters want to put a leash on the law -- except the law of the jungle. On December 12, the Justice Department announced it would ease up on its tactics for fighting corporate …

Around 8:00 in the morning on August 22, Susan and Sheng Wei drove their white SUV to Escondido and South Santa Fe avenues in Vista, looking to hire help for the heavy lifting required to …

"You could do a liberal arts degree with wine as the organizing principle."

How would singer/songwriter Colin Clyne describe his music? "Imagine the love child of Mike Myers's Fat Bastard and Neil Young." Originally from Stonehaven, Scotland, and raised in the U.K., Clyne frequently takes jobs aboard fishing …

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego's new downtown headquarters, a metallic rust-red three-story cube roundly criticized by many historical preservationists for spoiling the architectural integrity of the adjacent Mission Revival-style Santa Fe Depot, built …

Copley Press employees at the company's Peoria (IL) Journal Star are atwitter over reports that well-heeled locals are eyeing the paper, which is for sale as part of owner David Copley's plan to liquidate all …

Toxicologist Dr. F. Lee Cantrell, director of the San Diego division of the California Poison Control System, has published a paper detailing 121 auctions on eBay over a ten-month period offering potentially murderous substances. "Sixty-three …

Christmas is upon us, which means two weeks -- make that three weeks of postseason college football. Everyone is familiar with the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl and other bowls of that ilk. But, …

"Uh, guys, I appreciate the business, but your scooter is scaring away customers."

"We need to talk. Come into my office, please," I say, and I switch off my Bluetooth earpiece. "Of course, Anthony. It is a lovely office." "Don't blow smoke up my underpants," I say. Rounding …

I was going to see Ben Lee and Rooney at 'Canes. It was a weekend night without a party to crash. The girl I was going with was taking care of someone's dog, and I …

Hey, Matt: We were all sitting around watching The Apprentice and began wondering, why does Donald Trump say, "You're fired!" Is it like burning at the stake...really fired? -- Pat N. Paul; U.C. library The …

Hey, Matt: Which is a tighter seal, "air tight" or "water tight"? -- Bay Park Jay Even the elves -- not always tuned to the usual human-being wavelength -- were a little perplexed by this …

Dear Matthew: A while ago I was trying to figure out what to do about a huge ant infestation in my house. I got to thinking that when most people have a house full of …

Market occupies an odd location way out in the boonies. If you're driving east on Via de la Valle and think you missed it somewhere around the last mall, keep going. Some of the signs …

There's a good chance Ralph Noisat caught the first wave in San Diego. He died in 1980, and as he wasn't a man to brag, his pioneering role might have been lost were it not …

The opposite of Friday, I pointed out some columns back, is Monday. Of course I'm talking about the old Friday of the mind and conversely Monday's mental set. This past Monday, the 11th, I turned …

Building Red America: The New Conservative Coalition and the Drive For Permanent Power FROM THE BOOK JACKET: A powerful and disturbing examination of American politics and how the Republican Party gained the upper hand in …

Thirty Years Ago Since a large proportion of our high school students graduate unable to speak or write correct English and with no effective knowledge of history, it may sound like nit-picking to complain that …

Winter solstice this year occurs during late afternoon on Thursday, December 21. Earlier that morning (and on the morning of the following day), at about 6:50 a.m., a predictable event will unfold on the south …

These earthly godfathers of Heaven's lights, that give a name to every fixed star, have no more profit of their shining nights than those that walk and know not what they are. -- William Shakespeare …

"You look like you're shopped out," said Worship Arts pastor Brad Hansen. "Have you been hitting those malls like I have? Putting up those house lights? It's a good thing to be in the house …

On January 15, 1990, I was born at Grossmont Hospital. Since then, my mother (who at times has worked two jobs) never failed to take me to my softball games and has waited in lines …

The Kelly house is throwing a Christmas party this year. We have the professional carolers lined up to perform. "But I think we need a Santa," friend Bernice told me over the phone, "something to …

Title: Ducksnorts Address: http://ducksnorts.com/blog/ Author: Geoff Young from: Clairemont/Kearny Mesa Blogging since: June 2001 Post Date: December 6, 2006 Post Title: Maddux Comes to San Diego Okay, people know who Greg Maddux is, so I …

When SDSU journalism major Chris Coyle wrote a CD review for My Chemical Romance's Black Parade album, he found out the extent of his readership. "One person wrote, 'I wish you'd fuck off and die,' …

"All three of us really are monks, though we don't perform with shaved heads and robes," says Monk Party keyboardist Sujantra. "I spend about two months a year studying with our spiritual meditation teacher, Sri …

SD native JMatth (born Jason Matthews) has been rapping since he was 9. By age 15, when he was known as JROC, he'd shared the stage with Run-DMC, CeCe Peniston, and Montell Jordan. "My mom …

A couple of weeks ago, Cookie "Chainsaw" Randolph released The Trouble with Money, a 40-minute-long DVD movie he wrote and directed. "We started making it in January," says Randolph, who is best known as a …

"The .45 Clash is one of our top sellers," says Globe Shoes marketing director Michael Marckx. Remaining Clash members gave consent for a shoe to be manufactured with the band's logos and imprinted lyrics to …

Fifty on Their Heels (named after a Max Brand pulp western) recently got a break. With only one small-press CD under their belt, the band landed two songs on the soundtrack to Sony's Playstation 3 …

San Diego has a bang-up football team and a banged-up balance sheet. And that presents a dilemma: will National Football League owners permit the Chargers, potential Super Bowl contestants, to leave a city the year …

Fashion model and F Street bookstore heiress Aleksandra Vasic, a high school freshman from San Diego County, set off a bit of media frenzy in England during September's London Fashion Week. At 14 years old, …

I'm hard pressed to remember a day when I have thrown up my breakfast and lunch yet remained happy. The Red Sea is salty. I should know; I swallowed four or five pints of it. …

"Dahling. Beverly's offered to take us to lunch. You can hear all the prose we've written."

There's been an intriguing bump along the road in David Copley's attempt to dismantle his late mother's newspaper empire to pay estate taxes: the sale of the Torrance Daily Breeze, expected to close on November …

Back on August 11, the Barona Indian tribe issued a news release saying that Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of public instruction, "was in San Diego this morning to formally endorse the new Barona Education Grant …

'I spent four hours in a real intense sandstorm," says activist Kelly Fuller. "I had a painter's mask and a bandana on and pulled the hood of my jacket down over my face. When it …

"Jesus says, 'Sell all your things and follow Me....' That's always been the most moving thing in my life." So said termed-out assemblyman Juan Vargas in a June 23 Union-Tribune piece about his future plans …

"I believe in putting everything on the floor... Stack it high and watch it fly."

Opening night at the San Diego Chamber Orchestra at St. Paul's Cathedral in Hillcrest, and from the outset a visitor notices things that are out of the ordinary. First, a welcoming committee of tuxedoed orchestra …

Not too early to get our wishes for the New Year in order. Here's number one: San Diego and New Orleans meet in Super Bowl XLI. Philip Rivers vs. Drew Brees. Brees must feel like …

Night blankets me as I patrol the neighborhoods of North Park. No, it isn't "stalking," as the police have alleged. It happens that my ex-girlfriend's house is in a hot spot of criminal activity to …

When the weather was warmer, I was invited to a Jet-Ski party at Crown Point. "Crazy Scott" told me about the event and said they've been doing it for the past three years. It was …

House of Blues' stated mission is to celebrate African-American cultural contributions to America's music, art, and cooking. Founded with financial backing from Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi, Aerosmith, and other celebs, HOB (as they abbreviate it) …

"We know the kind of people we catch here. They're horrible people." The Border Patrol agent's tone was no more than blandly informative. It was 7:00 p.m. July 16, and we were at the edge …

Christmas shopping. I'm against it, personally. The hostility out there is incredible. It's a miracle more people don't kill each other outright at this time of year. They certainly seem to want to. I was …

Movies reviewed this week: Apocalypto, Blood Diamond, The Holiday, The Nativity Story

Butterfly Boy: Memories of a Chicano Mariposa FROM THE DUST JACKET: Heartbreaking, poetic, and intensely personal, Butterfly Boy is a unique coming out and coming-of-age story of a first-generation Chicano who trades one life for …

Thirty Years Ago One could scarcely imagine a more appropriate setting for Katherine Hepburn than the aging Spreckels Theatre.... Miss Hepburn and the Spreckels have more in common than their age. Having come into the …

The Deer Canyon loop route in Crystal Cove State Park explores the higher ridges and valleys of Orange County's coastal mountain range -- the San Joaquin Hills. Hikers should budget about four hours for the …

Want to find robust good health? Go to a doctor's office or a hospital. The patients may be sick, but health-care employment is doing very, very well. According to a study by Business Week magazine, …

Given the financial straits the City of San Diego has been in of late, you'd think officials would make it a priority to collect every dime that the City's owed. But a look at the …

With all the stress of being president of the San Diego City Council, Scott Peters of La Jolla apparently needs a country place for quick out-of-town getaways to relax with the wife and kids. So …

La Jolla's Linden Blue, co-owner with his brother Neal of General Atomics, the big defense contractor, is also a well-known tuxedo-clad socialite who has of late been squiring San Diego mayoral aide and ex-admiral Ronne …

Kevin Stapleford resigned last week as program director for 91X. Stapleford, who had programmed 91X from 1989 until 1995, was brought back to the station last summer after 91X became independent of Clear Channel Communica-tions; …

"The rivalry was between the Jumping Turtle, the Longshot, and the Boulevard," says promoter Sulo King. "It was like [the movie] Roadhouse." The owner of one of those San Marcos nightclubs says, "In May 2004 …

From the first, Saint Spyridon seemed to me a blend of traditions. The sky-blue ceiling showed an enormous Christ bursting through the clouds, rendered in a quasi-iconic style, his huge eyes gazing down on the …

Encinitas punk goofballs Kut U Up have always been proud of their slacker work ethic. "We're the least-hardest-working band in Southern California," says bassist Chris Cote. Yet, with no CD, website, manager, or agent, the …

People always overdo the matter when they attempt deception. -- Charles Dudley Warner 'I f you can boze, please give me advice. I am sinking vee are have a problem," said David's mother, Ency, in …

This restaurant is closed. Like most devotees of Thee Bungalow, I was saddened when long-time owner Ed Moore sold the restaurant to the famed Cohn Restaurant Group (of Island Prime, the Prado, Mr. Tiki Mai …

Everyone's got skeletons in the closet. Some people's rattle more than others. Mine's pretty quiet, but it's there, literally in the closet: piles and piles of photographs, still in those multi-pocket envelopes you get from …

Title: The Dish Address: http://hit-points.com/trish/ Author: Trish the Dish From: San Diego Blogging since: May 2003 Post Date: November 11, 2006 Post Title: BMW 7-Series Last night as I left a crowded restaurant bordering Hillcrest, …

"You're My Li'l Puta is an audio/visual musical satire about a medical cannabis activist and his ex-girlfriend," says video artist Tony Mindcontrole of the "popumentary" DVD he's working on with the Swollen Monkeys, a local …

My old band, the Infomercials, practiced at Super Sound Music in Escondido. The facility had two rooms that were equipped with gear (amplifiers, PA, drum kit, mikes), so all you had to do was bring …

"We were signed to Elektra on my 15th birthday, but the record was never released," says Lindsey Troy of the album she and her sister Anna recorded as the Troys in 2002. "They kept pushing …

The Sycuan Indian band, proprietors of a casino on their reservation in the hills east of El Cajon, has become a major backer of San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders. Campaign contribution records show that the …

I was sitting in the heat crying. A holiday to Egypt was supposed to be an answer, but it illustrated the added difficulties of removing me from a shit situation I knew to a shit …

"All manners should be used every day, but there are certain things we need to be sure to emphasize around the holidays," says Cindy Post Senning. "With everybody so busy and so much going on, …

'He started posting black-and-white photos of loyal customers on the inside walls.'

"I play classical piano, badly -- mostly just to learn my parts," says mezzo-soprano singer Molly Wilmot, who lives in La Mesa. "My dad put me in piano lessons, where I learned music theory and …

I lean into the phone, say, "Tell me about Curl San Diego. How did the curling club get started?" "Started last January, as a small group of people in a Yahoo discussion group." Elliot Hicks, …

"Oh, for the love-a...," my dad yells at the TV. It's his favorite thing, heckling people who will never hear him. In the past year before his retirement, he's slipped from "disagreeable middle age" to …

I can't crash backstage parties at concerts. I'm intimidated by the six-foot guys with no necks, their yellow windbreakers, their crackling walkie-talkies. They see through every story I tell in an attempt to BS my …

"Lot of people doze off over their laptops."

Greetings, Matt: After giving by mail to a couple of good causes, I'm buried with every sort of charity asking for money. I know they have sold my name around, so I always ask them …