In each of the last three years, there were roughly 17,000 murders in the United States. Of these, about 11 percent were committed by women. In most cases women kill to defend themselves during a …

I couldn't help it. As I walked by what used to be my favorite bar I had to peer through the window and see the abomination. I could not even recognize it anymore, my old …

In April, Councilwoman Toni Atkins's office surveyed the communities in her district. She asked 132 residents of District 3 — an area including Hillcrest, South Park, North Park, Golden Hill, Kensington, and City Heights — …

I have my voice-mail number listed after my column to get the heads-up on parties around town, but I have to sift through several businesses that just want a plug. A business might be new, …

Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes. — Gloria Naylor Like a good amateur psychologist, when I encounter a hot mess of a woman I immediately look to her father. More often …

All through elementary school, my classmates and I were treated to instructions, both live and on VHS tape, detailing what we should do if we caught on fire. That’s right, kids. Say it with me: …

The sinuously curving rural roads on the far (north) side of Fallbrook offer a significant challenge to bicycle riders. Thirty or 40 years ago, the brushy hills and wooded backcountry canyons between Fallbrook and Temecula …

The word that I’m using is “right sized.” A lot of companies have been laying people off; you know, they’re using “right sized” so that you feel that [being laid off]’s a good thing. The …

There were in St. Elizabeth’s all the accoutrements you might expect to find in a grand-scale Catholic church; it was just that the statues of the saints, the stations of the cross, the devotional banners …

Letter from John Adams to his daughter Abigail “Nabby” Adams: Philadelphia, July 5th, 1777 My dear Daughter, Yesterday, being the anniversary of American Independence, was celebrated here with a festivity and ceremony becoming the occasion. …

Thoughts on Independence Day: I have very little at the moment. Independence, I mean. I have plenty of thoughts, Bub. I’m back in the hospital with an infected ankle incision, and I am dependent on …

In today’s terminology, you could say that Joe Bonaparte has bipolar gifts. His hands are as adept in the boxing ring, clobbering contenders, as they are playing the violin. His skills are so extreme, in …

Ahhh... Slurp, burp, slurp again. Pinky finger raised, of course. I clink my cawfee cup down in its saucer. Sitting like a captain of industry here at the corner of Ash and India. Behind yellow …

Thirty Years AgoOne of the most fascinating aspects of interviewing Michael Copley is that despite his best efforts, there exist questions about his past which he has not thought of before, nor has he placed …

LA BEATA: THE LIVES AND TIMES OF APOLINARIA LORENZANA (Part Two) September 1, 1834: the Mexican brigantine Natalia makes an unscheduled entry into San Diego Bay. Onboard are José María Hijar, Juan Bandini, and 129 …

After five years playing at Canes, Winstons, and Blind Melons, the guys in 3against1 decided to move north to try to make it big. In 2006, the four members packed up and moved to Westwood, …

On June 20, Not British, a three-piece rock band, was playing a party at a house in the College Area at around 9:00 p.m. “As far as parties go, the place wasn’t packed,” says guitarist …

On June 6, bassist Rolle Love left the (Beat) Farmers after 25 years. Love helped found the band in 1983 alongside Buddy Blue, Jerry Raney, and Dan “Country Dick Montana” McLain. Following Blue’s departure from …

Many songs have been written about brothels, from “House of the Rising Sun” and “La Grange” to the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Add to that list “Adelita’s Song,” by Vegas-based Adelitas Way; …

Rappers measure success in different ways. Some purchase four-finger rings and 24-carat gold ropes. For local rapper Rob Deez, success came with the appearance of his acoustic hip-hop ditty “The Bicycle Song” on San Diego’s …

Album: 7s (2008) Artist: Nautical Disaster Label: self-released Where available/price: Live shows for $8. M-Theory, Off the Record, and Lou’s Records for $8.99. Online at CDBaby for $10.97; iTunes and Amazon for $8.91 (or 99 …

Hey, Matt: Are you skinny or fat? And if you’re fat, are you on a diet? Everybody I know is on a diet. And some of them aren’t even fat. Who was the first person …

Recipe by Paul Niles, executive chef, Thee Bungalow. I have appreciated cooking all of my life. When I was growing up, we sat down and had dinner together every night, so that was kind of …

The summer I was six, my mom and I (plus two platinum-blond, leather-skinned aunts resembling Marge Simpson’s sisters, and a sweet, bald uncle) spent a month in a middle-class, family-oriented Deco hotel in South Miami …

I treasure the stability of my childhood years, but my clearest memories are of the breaks from routine — family vacations, the time Dad let us go to a midnight movie opening on a school …

In February 2007, the Barona Band of Mission Indians sponsored state legislation entitled Unlawful Entry: Tribal Land. San Diego County’s board of supervisors, as well as Sheriff Bill Kolender and District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, signed …

The Ultimate Dumpster I’m calling about this article about Dumpster divers (“Dumpster Diving for Dinner,” Cover Story, June 26). If you can get ahold of these guys, tell them to go to the Trader Joe’s …

The impending ballot battle over gay marriage continues to pick up local financial backing from those on both sides of the issue. Latest to donate to the campaign for the measure banning same-sex marriages is …

With the imminent departure of station manager Doug Myrland and yet another round of staffing cuts, has the time come to pry KPBS from the deathlike grip of San Diego State University? That’s the question …

With St. Louis brewing giant Anheuser-Busch battling a hostile $46.4 billion takeover attempt by Belgium’s InBev, locals are bracing for the possibility that SeaWorld, the long-controversial aquatic park on City-owned land along the shores of …

“There are a couple of shoals in the bay — one at the south end of Shelter Island — that people run aground on,” says Jim Holmberg, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Public Education Officer. A …

The Retribution Gospel Choir is a side project of the long-running indie outfit Low, but it’s a side project that stretches the meaning of the term. Two of the three members of Low play in …

Jack Johnson may be the new sound of surf rock, but it wasn’t always that way. The pop music that was pumping out of Southern California radios during surf rock’s first incarnation in the early …

Two ideas has Hancock. The first may be summed up in the term “anti-superhero,” or if you prefer it, “super-antihero.” The hero, that is to say, possesses the full complement of comic-book superpowers. Even though …

There are women out there who seem to really understand how dating works. They meet guys everywhere and go out all the time. When you ask them what they did over the weekend, they say, …

It’s difficult to go digital when facing a debt default. Some of the nation’s largest newspapers are behind the times technologically, partly because they gobbled up additional newspapers instead of spending money on electronic advances. …

Jung-Ho PakArtistic director/conductor, San Diego Chamber Orchestra 2001 is an example of how to execute a brilliant screenplay while still elevating the vision into a more profound work of art. Kubrick’s eye for combining steely …