When Dean Haas considers his career so far, he describes its most emotionally difficult period as a two-week "hostage situation" involving a group of Americans "who'd gone to look for Noah's ark." There was, of …

'One way to discover reality is through science. Another way is through philosophy. Both are complementary to one another, not oppositional," says Thom Pham, cofounder of the San Diego Philosophy Reading Group. "We [approach philosophy …

If you like the beat writing of Kerouac or spoken-word essays by the likes of Henry Rollins and Eric Bogosian, then Adam Gnade may be your cup of tea. If you're accustomed to innocuous pop …

Denomination: nondenominational Address: Dave & Buster's, 2931 Camino Del Rio North, Mission Valley Founded locally: January 2004 Senior pastor: Chad Furlong Congregation size: 140 Staff size: two, plus two volunteers Sunday school enrollment: TK Annual …

San Dieguito River Park's San Pasqual/Clevenger Canyon trail system takes hikers to heights overlooking inland North County.

It is Friday the 13th in the a.m. as I write this. (I always want to follow sentences like that with something like, "... time is running out. Within moments they will be upon me.") …

"It's important to be able to name your dirt something."

'We do programming on software that creates sea surface temperature charts. Twice a day." Speaking is Jeff Gammon, founder/owner/worker bee of Vista-based Terrafin Software. What Gammon does, for 99 bucks a year per customer, is …

During the month of January, gyms are filled with people who swore that this year they would get into shape. Those who vowed to maintain a six-pack crowd the ab machines and pilates classes, those …

Hey, Matt: I was digging through some old (really old) books left over from my junior high school days. As I was flipping through A Star Trek Catalog: The Complete Guide to the Fantastic World …

Movies reviewed this week: Hoodwinked, The New World, Transamerica, and Tristan and Isolde

Heymatt: Why do cats move their paws so much when you're petting them? -- Lisa T., the net It's called kneading, Lisa. Your pampered Fluffy is drifting back to her kittenhood, when kneading helped stimulate …

Thirty Years Ago Unlike Eastern Seaboard communities who live in fear of a sludge monster arising from the depths, San Diegans can be free from such anxieties thanks to a steep topography and a hand …

The holiday deluge of relatives hit at gale force during the week after Christmas, bringing my partner's son Gary, his wife Tina, and their four children from the suburban outback northeast of L.A. This incursion …

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006; $28; 340 pages. FROM THE DUST JACKET: The dust storms that terrorized …

My wireless Internet connection fades out and goes black. Plodding into the next room, I duck my head under the bed and push my ass high in the air, and I root around for the …

The Kings of Leon played the biggest-grossing San Diego concert of 2005...only because they opened for U2 at the Sports Arena. According to Pollstar magazine, the March 30 sell-out brought in $2.9 million, the 86th …

Local country radio station U.S. 95.7 has a blue-and-red shield logo that resembles an interstate freeway sign. That's a problem. "The actual route shield is trademarked by a group called the American Association of State …

"I need to help my friend Kinky Friedman get elected governor of Texas," says Mojo Nixon, whose last live performance was at 2004's South by Southwest music fest. Friedman, the musician/politician who calls himself the …

Even though the FCC and U.S. marshals shut down Free Radio 96.9 in July 2005, transmissions resumed in November, and the station seems to be operating from the same rented building in South Park. "We …

San Diego's saplings creaked and twisted in some howling winds last year. These sons of sturdy patriarchs may not have balmy weather this year, either. Last year, Paul Jacobs took control of a magnificent fief: …

At the Tomcat Bar and Grill in Mira Mesa last Thursday, Judy Wenker slipped some quarters into the machine. What song brings back a memory? "The Doors, 'Light My Fire,' " she said. "I sometimes …

Once Upon a Time I was a little girl dancing in the summer sun with no shirt on, surrounded by pansies and mint, flower boxes, hanging plants, garden tools, and mud boots. My collection of …

"We were begging and hoping at the last minute [ticket sales] would pick up," says 4th&B owner Ali Niforshan. He pulled the plug on a January 10 "Superstars of the Blues Harp" concert. Besides harmonica …

In early October a woman phoned Ryan Hill at Don Carlos Taco Shop on La Jolla's Pearl Street to complain about his signs. They're illegal, and besides that, she ranted, "They are ugly, gaudy, and …

Thirty-eight years ago tomorrow (1/20/68), the Strawberry Alarm Clock played downtown's Community Concourse. Though they performed their hit "Incense and Peppermints," the record's 16-year-old lead singer, Greg Munford, was not onstage. "He was never in …

Missing links First the good news: KPBS, the local public broadcasting organization owned and operated by San Diego State University, is reporting total revenues of $25,131,533 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005. Now …

The robb'd that smiles, steals something from the thief. -- William Shakespeare 'How could they not feel guilty with all of our pictures here? I mean, we were basically staring at them as they did …

I went to two parties in Lemon Grove. Sam threw the first one. His guests were all over 40. The second party, a crew in their early 20s, was hosted by Dave. This was my …

Heymatt: How can you really tell that a bird is a male or a female? -- Kay, the net How can we really, really tell? Do I detect suspicion? Exasperation? Has someone been trying to …

“Are you out of your egg, man?”

'Very nice. But are they real?" My friend Kate was interrogating another friend, Sasha, about the glittering row of diamonds on her ring, a present from Sasha's husband on their 10th anniversary. It wasn't the …