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Thirty Years Ago For over six months staffers in the newsrooms of Mrs. Copley's Mission Valley papers have been chattering about their boss's affair with Democrat businessman Richard Silberman: what private parties and weddings the two attend, their public appearances, the fits and starts, and now the finish of their relationship. -- PRESS PASSES: "BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO,"Paul Krueger, July 7, 1977

Twenty-Five Years Ago Tribune editor Neil Morgan and Newsline publisher Larry Remer are slugging it out on the pages of their respective journals, championing opposing sentiments in the case of Municipal Court Judge Lewis Wenzell. While the Tribune demanded Wenzell's recall for soliciting prostitutes, Remer questioned whether the postage-paid petitions that accompanied the Tribune 's editorial was an independent campaign expenditure (it is), and asked Newsline readers to mail in coupons for a "Recall Morgan" drive. -- THE INSIDE STORY, Paul Krueger, July 8, 1982

Twenty Years Ago RICHARD. The reason I'm so comfortable with making decisions is because I'm willing to take responsibility for the outcome. That's where you and I differ.

SANDEE, sorry we missed in the Reader. It's been six long years, soon we'll be together, can't wait. Tony.

SCREAMER, I look forward to the day that we will meet out of work. The possibilities are endless. How about breakfast? Best Friend. -- CLASSIFIEDS, July 9, 1987

Fifteen Years Ago The characteristic Tijuana opener, as ubiquitous as "What up, Cuz?" or "Happenin', Homes?" across in bangerland, is ¿Que onda, güey?La onda means "wave" in the sense of "vibrations" and is hippie talk left over from the '60s but is still ubiquitous among the hip. ¿Que onda? is "What's the vibes?" or "good people," mala onda is "something else" or "too much." But the grittier greeting would be ¿Que transas? which has the sense of "What's the deal?" -- CITY LIGHTS: "WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW CHINALOA FROM SHINOLA," Linton Robinson, July 9, 1992

Ten Years Ago I bought a pig because I wasn't ready for children. I wanted something small and helpless but something that wouldn't require college or "quality time." I figured if the pig didn't work out, we could always have dinner. That's not an option with children. They don't tell you a lot of things when you buy a miniature pig. They don't mention anything about rooting. A simple word like "root" doesn't encompass the total interest that pigs devote to the earth. A novice like me might think pigs only root in France when looking for truffles. And I did research before I bought this pig. (My husband made me.) There I was with the encyclopedias, taking down notes about how to prepare their favorite foods, but nowhere do I have any scribbled account that mentions rooting. And now, with half the linoleum gone from our kitchen, it seems it might have been an important point to note. -- "IF I HAD A SLEDGEHAMMER FOR A NOSE, WHAT HAVOC WOULD I WREAK?" Jennifer Ball, July 3, 1997

Five Years Ago Flash back for a moment to 1980. It's early morning in Laos. Montry Sengsouriya's life is on the line. "We started out before the sun rose, because the mists were still rising from the river. We headed for the middle of the Mekong, to make it look as though we were going fishing. We hit a good patch of mist. The boatman turned 90 degrees left and raced for the Thai side. We were lucky. Nobody spotted us. There were no shouts. No shots. Nobody knew I had gone." Except his mom, dad, brothers, and sisters. Twenty-one years later, Montry has made it to -- and in -- America: qualified as a mechanical engineer, made microchips for a high-tech firm (which downsized), and then started El Cajon's lone Thai restaurant. -- TIN FORK: "LAO MOO" Ed Bedford, July 3, 2002